There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 120, Section 17: Trust from the Catwoman

Chapter 120, Section 17: Trust from the Catwoman

The message was sent by Dick.

A few days ago, the boy accepted Talia's invitation to join the Assassin's Guild and would send messages to Qin Wei every day to let him know he was safe.

"Today's training was very tiring. The blisters on my hands and feet were all broken. Ms. Talia taught me a lot of things, and I feel that I have learned a lot."

In another year, or maybe even less, perhaps I'll be able to catch up with you all.

"Keep it up, you're awesome. Do you regret your decision now?"

Qin Wei typed a sentence, then quickly deleted it. He bit his nails, thought for a moment, and then edited the text again.

"I have no regrets. I don't think more children should have to suffer the pain I went through. Tony taught me one thing: only the blood of sinners can wash away Gotham's filth and corruption."

"Once you've decided on a path, just keep going. By the way, who's Tony?"

"Mr. Wei, have you forgotten? He was the murderer who shot and killed my parents and brother not long ago."

Qin Wei vaguely brushed off the topic. His conversation with Dick not only failed to clear his mind but also made the fog thicker—wasn't it Barron who killed the Flying Grayson family?

It seems that not only has the timeline changed, but also many details of things have changed.

Thinking of this, he immediately sent a video call to Oswald.

When that familiar face appeared on the screen, Qin Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey, you bastard, you finally thought of contacting me!" Oswald pressed his face against the screen, as if he wanted to jump through the front camera to Qin Wei.

"Os, seeing your awesome face is just too wonderful!" Qin Wei curled up on the sofa and tugged at his hair. "You have no idea what crazy things I've been through, I feel like I'm going crazy."

"You've finally felt its charm, my friend. That's Gotham for you—it drives everyone insane on an equal footing."

"No, I mean—"

Qin Wei recounted everything that had happened in detail, and Oswald's expression gradually became serious, but it seemed that the other party had misunderstood the key to the problem.

"You've become addicted to drugs?!"

"Fuck you, Os!"

Qin Wei cursed and hung up the video call. He shouldn't have expected anyone to believe him; everything was too bizarre.

He lay back on the sofa, rubbing his temples as he pondered deeply. After eliminating all possibilities, the truth was becoming increasingly clear.

The timeline has changed twice!

The first change was when he led Dick away from Robin's identity and onto the path of the "Assassin Brotherhood".

Unlike the first change that altered the "future," this time it involves a simultaneous change in both the "future" and the "past."

However, so far, the changes are not significant. The familiar characters are still in the contacts. The only differences are in the details of some events, and the setting of the story, Gotham City, has been moved to a more modern time, the 2020s.

Apart from the option of "admitting he's crazy and going to Arkham to claim a private room," all that's left for Qin Wei is to passively accept the situation.

After resting on the sofa for a while, my personal makeup artist, Selena, arrived.

"Did something happen to you? You look terrible." The girl noticed Qin Wei's unusual expression at a glance.

"I got punched in the face, my nose almost went into my brain, how could I look any better?" Qin Wei stared at the ceiling, lost in thought, and gave a perfunctory reply.

No, I'm not referring to appearance.

Selena approached, her cold fingers tracing the scars on her face, lingering on her furrowed brows.

"You're badly injured, let me clean your wounds."

Selena took the first-aid kit, unscrewed a small bottle of iodine, and soaked cotton swabs in it. She bent down and carefully wiped Qin Wei's swollen face. The two crossed the safe distance, their lips less than 20 centimeters apart, and Qin Wei could clearly feel the warm breath she exhaled.

Selena's hair fell from her shoulders, and she gently scratched his red, swollen, and sensitive wounds, which hurt a little but also felt itchy.

Qin Wei then noticed that Selena's short silver hair had turned into shoulder-length black hair.

"Your hair... isn't it silver—?"

"Silver hair? Okay, I admit the black cat in the manga has really beautiful silver hair, and I've thought about dyeing it that way too, but then I thought that color might not suit me. What do you think, which one looks better?"

Selena stopped what she was doing and said somewhat uncertainly that she, who had never dyed her hair silver in this timeline, seemed to have misunderstood Qin Wei's meaning.

"Black hair is beautiful too, in fact."

Qin Wei hurriedly explained, and after a long hesitation, he finally told the truth. He no longer cared whether anyone understood; the immense pressure needed an outlet. Throughout his long outpouring, Selena kept her eyes fixed on his.

"How about it! Don't you think I should be sent to Arkham?" Qin Wei chuckled self-deprecatingly, placing his hands on the sofa armrests.

He is ready to accept Selena's criticism with equanimity.

The cotton swab, soaked in medicine, was applied to the burning wound, and the cool sensation was indescribably pleasant.

"I believe you. I've always wanted to cut my hair shorter and dye it silver, and it seems like something I'll do."

Selena was focused on applying the medicine, and her casual reply sounded like heavenly music to Qin Wei's ears.

"Do you really think that way, and you're not just trying to comfort me?"

"Comfort you? You're not that big boy who used to cry under the covers anymore." Selena chuckled, put the used cotton swabs back into the box, and took out a needle and thread to stitch up Qin Wei's torn skin.

"Logically speaking, nothing should shock you so much, as if your soul has been taken away. This strange thing is a relatively reasonable explanation."

Before the needle and thread even touched her skin, her wrist was grabbed.

Qin Wei flipped over and pinned Selena down on the sofa.

"What do you want to do?" Faced with the man's hungry gaze, the girl nervously looked away.

"Biting my ear and tearing my clothes, isn't this what you wanted?" Qin Wei's breathing became more and more rapid as he moved closer and closer to the other person.

"That was just a prank!"

Selena protested, twisting her body in an attempt to pull her wrist away.

In fact, Qin Wei's every rejection only fueled the girl's desire to conquer. She had fantasized more than once about forcefully pinning this abstinent man down, but what was going on now? Why was this usually dull guy suddenly showing such a strong aggressive desire? Why was she, who had always been in control, being suppressed instead?

She panted like a tired puppy, feeling the increasingly hot breath of the man on top of her.

"At the very least, you should—consult me."

A blush crept across Selena's pale freckles as she bit her lip. This was her last stand, a prayer that her words would bring Qin Wei to his senses.

But Qin Wei's shameless question shattered all futile resistance.

"So, may I kiss you?"

Selena turned her face back, closed her eyes, and gave up struggling.