Chapter 36: You speak of Bruce Wayne, but what does that have to do with me, Batman?

In the damp, chilly underground sewer, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed. Natalia leaned against a moss-covered concrete wall to catch her breath, not caring that her evening gown was becoming stained with mud.

"Where on earth is this place?" Natalia ran forward again after a moment’s rest. She had been kidnapped several hours ago. The abductors had tossed her into a dungeon and, without even demanding a ransom note, had simply left her there.

This oversight had given Natalia the time she needed to escape. She discovered that the iron door of the dungeon had rusted through in the humid environment, so, even with her hands bound, she had managed to elbow the door open and slip away.

She hadn't run far when she suddenly saw two flickering golden lights in the darkness. She followed the source of the glow, but a moment later, Natalia felt her heart stop.

Those two lights were the pupils of a reptilian creature.

"Hello," the creature before her spoke. "Who are you? Why have you come to my home?"

Ten minutes later, nearby.

"Are you sure someone saw Natalia here?" Roland sprinted toward the area, carrying a small girl.

"Yes! My sister told me. When she was delivering newspapers to the Great King nearby, she saw a girl with black hair being kept here," the little girl explained. "Based on what she said, it must be Natalia."

"The Great King?" Roland paused, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he began chanting in the Dragon language as he ran.

Domain Expansion.
Spirit Word: Kamaitachi!

"Why is Batman heading this way too?" Roland heard a familiar sound, followed by the thumping of two heartbeats beneath the ground.

One heartbeat was fast—that should be the woman—but the other... the rhythm didn't sound human.

"Could there be a monster down there?" Roland quickly pried open a manhole cover and jumped inside.

Batman arrived just at that moment, following Roland into the sewer. Both were in a rush and had no time for conversation as they dashed forward.

"Yo, you're here fast." A massive crocodile figure stood with his back to them. Upon hearing the footsteps, he turned around. "Father of Explosives? Why are you here too?"

"Waylon?" Roland blinked, looking at Killer Croc, his fists clenching at the name. "...What did you just call me? Where did that ridiculous nickname come from?"

"Killer Croc, did you call me?" Batman interrupted the two, looking toward Natalia. "What are you trying to do?"

"Just returning a favor," Killer Croc grunted. He gestured with his chin, signaling Batman to take Natalia and leave. "You saved Bullock last time; I saved your girlfriend this time. We're even."

Killer Croc had been raised by his aunt, but he suffered from a rare condition that caused his teeth and nails to sharpen and scales to cover his body, making him look increasingly like a crocodile. His aunt discriminated against him, calling him a "lizard boy" and a "reptilian freak," and he was constantly bullied by his peers. Throughout his childhood, the only person who showed him kindness was Bullock, a police officer who had lost an arm; he had comforted the boy and given him an ice cream.

When Croc learned from his underground informants that Batman had saved Bullock from Gotham’s SWAT team, he had kept the favor in mind. When he happened upon Natalia and learned she was Batman's girlfriend, he decided to lend a hand. He had her call Batman, dealt with the two guards who came looking, and stood watch for over ten minutes.

However, when Batman pressed him about who had kidnapped Natalia, Killer Croc turned a deaf ear. It was just a returned favor; he would go back to robbing jewelry stores and fighting Batman as usual, and he saw no need to build a friendship.

"By the way, Father, I hear from my subjects about what you've been doing on the surface. You've attracted some attention, which might lead to trouble," Croc said, ignoring Batman and looking directly at Roland. "Do you want to join my underground kingdom?"

"Not at the moment," Roland shrugged. "Anyway, who kidnapped her? Were they amateurs?"

"Two idiots. They look like Europeans," Croc said, remaining relatively amiable toward his former prison acquaintance. "I didn't kill them. Do you want to take a look?"

"Sure." Roland nodded, wondering just how low the IQ of someone could be if even Killer Croc called them idiots. Thinking about it, if the kidnapping was that amateurish, they couldn't be very bright.

Killer Croc poured a basin of water over the two Europeans to wake them. Seeing the half-man, half-crocodile creature, both men began to tremble violently.

"Why do you have a faucet here?" Roland asked, curious. Pipes in the sewers? That was absurd.

"I tapped into the office building outside. It's a Wayne Enterprises property. They have deep pockets; I’m sure they won’t mind the extra water bill every month," Croc replied.

Batman’s mouth twitched imperceptibly as he decided to have someone send the bill to Killer Croc at the end of the month.

"I see." Roland gave Batman a teasing look. "I don't think Bruce Wayne would mind."

Batman said nothing and showed no reaction. They were talking about Bruce Wayne; what did that have to do with Batman?

"You two, speak up. Who sent you here?" Roland asked the Europeans.

"I am Vincent Maroni, of the Maroni family."

"The Maroni family?" Natalia looked blank.

"Why did you kidnap her?" Roland continued.

"We handle loan sharking for the family. We kidnapped her to force our debtor to pay up."

"...And who is your debtor?"

"Hugo Strange."

"The professor of psychiatry at Gotham State University?" Batman paused. "What does he have to do with Natalia?"

"Don't know."

"Then why did you kidnap her?"

"We kidnapped her to force our debtor to pay up."

"She has nothing to do with your debtor, does she?"

"Don't know."

"This isn't right." Roland and Batman exchanged a look. Why were these guys talking like robots, and glitching, too?

"It looks like they've been hypnotized," Batman frowned. "The perpetrator is a highly skilled psychologist. If I’m not mistaken, it’s Professor Hugo Strange himself."

"But why would Professor Strange kidnap Natalia? Jealousy?" Roland glanced at Batman. Hugo Strange’s obsession with Batman was legendary in Gotham City.