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Chapter 71: Tony and Bruce
Bruce Wayne is a very complex man. On the surface, he's a dissolute, absurd playboy, often doing things that leave people speechless. But secretly, he is Gotham City's guardian, the Dark Knight Batman, beloved by countless citizens. During the day, he mingles with various beautiful women, and at night, he dons his armor to combat gangs, often ending up bruised and battered.
His old butler, Alfred, watched Bruce grow up, and he knew exactly what kind of person Bruce was. The Batman who roamed at night was the real Bruce; the Bruce Wayne visible to the public was merely a disguise.
Bruce was dark-minded and suspicious by nature. His early, difficult life experiences had long since made him completely abandon any semblance of innocence or idealism. He trusted no one, always assumed the worst intentions in others, and would secretly make preparations against anyone.
"You should know your limits, Mr. Wayne." Alfred said, looking somewhat helplessly at Bruce's scarred and bruised upper body. He had always had reservations about Bruce's identity as Batman.
"I have limits, but Batman doesn't. Batman will never have limits." Bruce put on a new shirt, slowly buttoning it up.
Alfred sighed. He understood that he couldn't possibly persuade the firm, even stubborn, Bruce, but he always had to try.
...
Before coming to Gotham City, Tony had specifically looked into the major events that had recently occurred there. Just a few months prior, a group of terrorists attacked Gotham City, placing poison in the citizens' drinking water. These people aimed to destroy all of Gotham in one fell swoop, but Batman stopped them.
These terrorists were the League of Shadows, the organization that saved Bruce and gave him a new lease of life, teaching him martial arts and indoctrinating him with their philosophy. However, Bruce eventually left the organization because their fundamental principle was the purge of evil in the world. The League of Shadows had once brought the Black Death to various parts of Europe, almost turning the entire continent into a graveyard. The League of Shadows had also landed on the island of Great Britain, burning the prosperous London to ashes.
The League of Shadows practiced their so-called "justice" until they were stopped by the "traitor" Bruce, and two successive leaders died because of Bruce.
Tony sat idly at the negotiating table, shifting his chair every now and then as if he had a sore on his backside, drawing sideways glances from others. Several times, he wanted to leave; this serious occasion truly wasn't suited for him.
"Pepper, Pepper, can I leave? I'm just here to make up the numbers." Tony said with a wry face, secretly tugging Pepper's sleeve. He had interacted with Pepper Potts a few times recently and had become quite familiar with her.
Tony spoke loudly, and many people heard him, looking at him with teasing glances. Pepper couldn't bear it, so she glared fiercely at Tony, which finally made him behave.
The reason he felt uncomfortable was that the guy across from him kept scrutinizing him with his peripheral vision, not relaxing for a second. That's right, it was that damned Bruce, with two beauties on either arm. Bruce was very cunning; he watched the speaker, but constantly observed Tony's every move from the corner of his eye, quickly making all sorts of evaluations in his mind.
Tony frowned, growing increasingly annoyed. What was most awe-inspiring about Batman wasn't his superb fighting skills or his mastery of high-end technology, but his brain, which could always devise bone-chilling tactics to deal with you.
Someone in his previous life had said that if Batman confirmed he couldn't openly confront an enemy, that was when the enemy's true disaster would begin. Out of ten moves Batman made, nine were underhanded, absolutely malicious and without limits, so morally bankrupt that their ancestors' graves would smoke black.
And now Tony was being scrutinized by Batman himself. He felt as though everything about him was being studied bit by bit by Bruce, from his micro-expressions to his subtle movements, from his psychology to his behavior.
This feeling was terrible.
"Mr. Tony, if you don't like this kind of occasion, you're perfectly welcome to leave first. I don't think Mr. Bruce would mind; in some ways, you two are the same kind of person," Fox said with a smile, his words rather profound. As for how his words should be understood, that was naturally up to individual interpretation.
The atmosphere of the negotiation instantly lightened. Everyone smiled, looking at the famous mutant with amused expressions. They naturally interpreted Fox's words to mean that Tony, like Bruce, was a pleasure-seeker who disliked such formal settings.
"This Tony is quite interesting to interact with, not as vicious as the rumors say..." Some people whispered to each other, exchanging their views with smiles.
Tony's heart stirred, but his expression remained impassive. Fox's words, whether intentional or not, clearly held a double meaning. Those who understood would naturally understand, while those who didn't would grasp a different interpretation...
"That would be wonderful, thank you, Mr. Fox. I've been wanting to explore Gotham City for a while; it's a major metropolis, after all." Tony stood up with a relaxed expression, made an apologetic gesture to Pepper, and walked straight out with hurried steps. Anyone who didn't know better would assume he had long wanted to go out and have fun, being a young man.
Tony's pace quickened as he gradually moved away from the gaze that felt like daggers in his back. He didn't want to stay in this cursed place for another second. He had shamelessly followed Pepper to Gotham City with his own agenda, unwilling to stir up too much trouble, especially with Batman. Anyone caught in Batman's sights was in for a world of pain.
Tony held a respectful attitude towards Bruce, this superhero hailed as the strongest mortal, but that didn't mean he would seek contact with him. Doing so would turn a simple matter into a very complicated one. Moreover, was contact even useful? Would Bruce trust him just by interacting?
What a joke. Look at Superman. Superman and Bruce had endured countless blood wars together, yet Bruce still harbored doubts about Superman. He always carried Kryptonite with him every time they met, just in case, and the augmentation of his anti-Superman armor never ceased.
If Superman, who faced the world with love and kindness, was treated this way by Bruce, how much more so would Tony be? Could Tony possibly do better than Clark in terms of fairness and justice? Not to mention, Tony himself was a Lawful Neutral person. He could be scolded mercilessly by an old man on the street, but he could also ruthlessly kill anyone who threatened him without hesitation, wiping them out completely to leave no future troubles.
Justice, that damned thing, would never be found in Tony. What was harmful to Tony was evil, and what was beneficial to Tony was justice—this was Tony's simple value system. If Tony had the ability, he wouldn't mind lending a hand to others, but if he couldn't even protect himself, he wouldn't have the time to protect others. Others might be innocent, but was Tony just supposed to be unlucky?
It would be a ghost's chance for such a philosophy to be approved by Bruce. The two were destined not to be on the same wavelength, and forcibly bringing them to one would inevitably lead to conflict.
(end of chapter)
Bruce Wayne is a very complex man. On the surface, he's a dissolute, absurd playboy, often doing things that leave people speechless. But secretly, he is Gotham City's guardian, the Dark Knight Batman, beloved by countless citizens. During the day, he mingles with various beautiful women, and at night, he dons his armor to combat gangs, often ending up bruised and battered.
His old butler, Alfred, watched Bruce grow up, and he knew exactly what kind of person Bruce was. The Batman who roamed at night was the real Bruce; the Bruce Wayne visible to the public was merely a disguise.
Bruce was dark-minded and suspicious by nature. His early, difficult life experiences had long since made him completely abandon any semblance of innocence or idealism. He trusted no one, always assumed the worst intentions in others, and would secretly make preparations against anyone.
"You should know your limits, Mr. Wayne." Alfred said, looking somewhat helplessly at Bruce's scarred and bruised upper body. He had always had reservations about Bruce's identity as Batman.
"I have limits, but Batman doesn't. Batman will never have limits." Bruce put on a new shirt, slowly buttoning it up.
Alfred sighed. He understood that he couldn't possibly persuade the firm, even stubborn, Bruce, but he always had to try.
...
Before coming to Gotham City, Tony had specifically looked into the major events that had recently occurred there. Just a few months prior, a group of terrorists attacked Gotham City, placing poison in the citizens' drinking water. These people aimed to destroy all of Gotham in one fell swoop, but Batman stopped them.
These terrorists were the League of Shadows, the organization that saved Bruce and gave him a new lease of life, teaching him martial arts and indoctrinating him with their philosophy. However, Bruce eventually left the organization because their fundamental principle was the purge of evil in the world. The League of Shadows had once brought the Black Death to various parts of Europe, almost turning the entire continent into a graveyard. The League of Shadows had also landed on the island of Great Britain, burning the prosperous London to ashes.
The League of Shadows practiced their so-called "justice" until they were stopped by the "traitor" Bruce, and two successive leaders died because of Bruce.
Tony sat idly at the negotiating table, shifting his chair every now and then as if he had a sore on his backside, drawing sideways glances from others. Several times, he wanted to leave; this serious occasion truly wasn't suited for him.
"Pepper, Pepper, can I leave? I'm just here to make up the numbers." Tony said with a wry face, secretly tugging Pepper's sleeve. He had interacted with Pepper Potts a few times recently and had become quite familiar with her.
Tony spoke loudly, and many people heard him, looking at him with teasing glances. Pepper couldn't bear it, so she glared fiercely at Tony, which finally made him behave.
The reason he felt uncomfortable was that the guy across from him kept scrutinizing him with his peripheral vision, not relaxing for a second. That's right, it was that damned Bruce, with two beauties on either arm. Bruce was very cunning; he watched the speaker, but constantly observed Tony's every move from the corner of his eye, quickly making all sorts of evaluations in his mind.
Tony frowned, growing increasingly annoyed. What was most awe-inspiring about Batman wasn't his superb fighting skills or his mastery of high-end technology, but his brain, which could always devise bone-chilling tactics to deal with you.
Someone in his previous life had said that if Batman confirmed he couldn't openly confront an enemy, that was when the enemy's true disaster would begin. Out of ten moves Batman made, nine were underhanded, absolutely malicious and without limits, so morally bankrupt that their ancestors' graves would smoke black.
And now Tony was being scrutinized by Batman himself. He felt as though everything about him was being studied bit by bit by Bruce, from his micro-expressions to his subtle movements, from his psychology to his behavior.
This feeling was terrible.
"Mr. Tony, if you don't like this kind of occasion, you're perfectly welcome to leave first. I don't think Mr. Bruce would mind; in some ways, you two are the same kind of person," Fox said with a smile, his words rather profound. As for how his words should be understood, that was naturally up to individual interpretation.
The atmosphere of the negotiation instantly lightened. Everyone smiled, looking at the famous mutant with amused expressions. They naturally interpreted Fox's words to mean that Tony, like Bruce, was a pleasure-seeker who disliked such formal settings.
"This Tony is quite interesting to interact with, not as vicious as the rumors say..." Some people whispered to each other, exchanging their views with smiles.
Tony's heart stirred, but his expression remained impassive. Fox's words, whether intentional or not, clearly held a double meaning. Those who understood would naturally understand, while those who didn't would grasp a different interpretation...
"That would be wonderful, thank you, Mr. Fox. I've been wanting to explore Gotham City for a while; it's a major metropolis, after all." Tony stood up with a relaxed expression, made an apologetic gesture to Pepper, and walked straight out with hurried steps. Anyone who didn't know better would assume he had long wanted to go out and have fun, being a young man.
Tony's pace quickened as he gradually moved away from the gaze that felt like daggers in his back. He didn't want to stay in this cursed place for another second. He had shamelessly followed Pepper to Gotham City with his own agenda, unwilling to stir up too much trouble, especially with Batman. Anyone caught in Batman's sights was in for a world of pain.
Tony held a respectful attitude towards Bruce, this superhero hailed as the strongest mortal, but that didn't mean he would seek contact with him. Doing so would turn a simple matter into a very complicated one. Moreover, was contact even useful? Would Bruce trust him just by interacting?
What a joke. Look at Superman. Superman and Bruce had endured countless blood wars together, yet Bruce still harbored doubts about Superman. He always carried Kryptonite with him every time they met, just in case, and the augmentation of his anti-Superman armor never ceased.
If Superman, who faced the world with love and kindness, was treated this way by Bruce, how much more so would Tony be? Could Tony possibly do better than Clark in terms of fairness and justice? Not to mention, Tony himself was a Lawful Neutral person. He could be scolded mercilessly by an old man on the street, but he could also ruthlessly kill anyone who threatened him without hesitation, wiping them out completely to leave no future troubles.
Justice, that damned thing, would never be found in Tony. What was harmful to Tony was evil, and what was beneficial to Tony was justice—this was Tony's simple value system. If Tony had the ability, he wouldn't mind lending a hand to others, but if he couldn't even protect himself, he wouldn't have the time to protect others. Others might be innocent, but was Tony just supposed to be unlucky?
It would be a ghost's chance for such a philosophy to be approved by Bruce. The two were destined not to be on the same wavelength, and forcibly bringing them to one would inevitably lead to conflict.
(end of chapter)
