Nobody can stop me from drawing cards in Gotham!

Chapter 35 Bat Light, and Round 2 Major Cards

"..."

Jaeger couldn't help but wonder, would I?

Or, who would do that?

“Yes, Thomas Wayne, and Martha Wayne, that’s exactly what they did.” Leslie sighed wearily. “They invested, they built…”

"They built Gotham's public transportation system, which still plays a vital role today; they built hospitals and orphanages for Gotham; they even established foundations for children who aspire to the arts..."

Similarly, they also developed a comprehensive development plan for this area, which wasn't called Crime Alley at the time...

"They poured all their passion into this city." Leslie closed his eyes. "And what the city gave them in return was a bullet piercing their chest."

"Fifteen years ago, Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne were shot in what is now known as Crime Alley, leaving behind their only son, Bruce Wayne, who was only ten years old."

"Ironically, they had been working to get other Gotham celebrities and politicians to invest in improving the city's security—but those politicians didn't care about that until the two men died."

"Only when the knife fell on the heads of the people around them and blood splattered... did these guys know fear and finally open their mouths to pay the Gotham Police Department, which was once in financial crisis."

"..." Jaeger didn't know what to say for a moment.

"So, on that night fifteen years ago, when young Bruce Wayne lost his parents and asked that question to his butler and me..." Leslie said.

He asked, "Gotham—is it really a city worth saving?"

After saying this, Leslie sighed deeply.

To Jaeger's surprise, her blue eyes did not reflect the emotions he had expected.

On the contrary, a light began to shine in her eyes.

"At that time, I thought Bruce Jr. was just as disappointed with the city as I was," Leslie said. "That's normal, in fact, it's perfectly normal."

"But to everyone's surprise, he didn't."

He said... "If this criminal can do this to his parents today, then thousands upon thousands of criminals will do the same to the parents of the next person."

He said he didn't want to see anyone else suffer the same despair and fear he had that night.

"So he'll continue doing what his parents have always done—" Leslie laughed. "Imagine this, Jaeger, a mere 10-year-old boy, saying he'll continue building Gotham's path and take revenge on the city's criminals!"

Seemingly affected by the emotions of the person in front of him, or perhaps imagining the scene at that time, Jaeger unconsciously smiled as well.

"On that day, a child who had lost his parents made his choice," Leslie said. "And looking at him like that, I thought... although I can't do the same thing as him, isn't there something I can do for Gotham here?"

"So that night, I made a promise to him. He would go on on his own path, and I would open a clinic in this place."

"I have never regretted opening a clinic in Crime Alley, just as I have never been more grateful that I made that promise."

"Crime Alley may indeed be beyond redemption, but when the people here are driven to desperation by poverty and injury, at least they will think of me—that there is at least one clinic here that can treat them for free."

"Besides, it's not as bad as I imagined," Leslie said with a smile. "Although there are occasional unpleasant things like people coming to cause trouble, I've also met quite a few lovely people."

"You're not just a doctor," Jaeger said sincerely upon hearing this. "You're also a hero."

"Me?" Leslie was a little surprised. "No, the word 'hero' is still too far removed from me—in my opinion, someone like Batman is the real hero."

What a coincidence, Batman doesn't consider himself a hero either, Jaeger thought.

But before Jaeger could elaborate on the issue further, Leslie suddenly raised his hand and said mysteriously, "Shh, Jaeger, let's pause the discussion for a moment, look—"

Jaeger instinctively looked in the direction the other person was pointing, looking out the clinic window at the distant Gotham sky.

He was taken aback.

It was a huge bat symbol projected against the dark night sky.

This scene reminded him of another Gotham City scene he had briefly witnessed when he was inspired by the Wizard.

So this thing actually exists in real life?

"That's the Bat-Light. The GCPD uses it to tell Batman that there are criminals they can't handle," Leslie said gently, also watching the projection in the sky. "What a brilliant idea, isn't it?"

"Every time I see the Bat-Signal light up at night, I think—even if Gotham is a city of crime, even if the sky here seems to never light up…"

"But at least, someone will light a lamp in this darkness."

"That's enough for Gotham."

Upon hearing this, Jaeger silently gazed at the projection.

After a long silence, he slowly nodded and said softly, "Yes, doctor... you are right."

In the distance, the bat symbol still hangs in the air—

It lingered for a long time.

------

It was late at night when Jaeger returned to his apartment from the clinic, still looking deep in thought and melancholy.

He had never been exposed to superhero culture before, but now he might be beginning to understand... why so many people like those heroes.

Ultimately, the greatness of heroes may not lie in how many people they have saved or how much they have done for society.

It's because as long as they're there, even in the deepest despair and the deepest quagmire, you'll tell yourself that it's not time yet, and you don't have to give up all hope.

Salvation may come in the next second.

Like the Bat-shaped lamp that shines in the Gotham night, or the "Superman" that people in Metropolis call out... or perhaps, the many heroes that Jaeger hasn't had time to meet and learn about yet.

It was at this moment that Jaeger suddenly began to feel that he seemed to have come to like the world he was in now—instead of being pushed along by the kill threshold of the card game, or by his own need to survive.

"Ding-dong." Just then, a sound interrupted Yeager's thoughts.

Jaeger instinctively spun around in a circle, but couldn't find the source of the sound... and so on.

He suddenly realized something and summoned the virtual card table.

On the long-empty card table, a brand new golden card suddenly appeared.

The card depicts a half-black, half-white theatrical mask floating above a stage.

[Main Card for this Round: Role Play]

[Description: This is the stage where all beings play their foolish games.]

[Card Folding Requirements: Draw a random identity card and act out the role, while eliminating one random event card without violating the role-playing requirements.]

[Remaining validity period for this round of card redemption: 14 days]

...It's the second round of trump cards!