prynovel Chapter 135 The Last Hope
Chapter 135 The Last Hope
Chapter 135 The Last Hope
He spoke of Bane's atrocities, the arrogance of the mercenaries, the rampage of the fugitives, and the devastation of Gotham.
They say Wayne Tower has been sealed off, the police station has been taken over, justice has been trampled on, and order has been destroyed.
He didn't say "Get up," he only said "They're still waiting"; he didn't say "Be strong," he only said "Gotham hasn't forgotten you."
Bruce remained unresponsive, as if he hadn't heard anything, staring blankly at the ceiling.
But Levi noticed that whenever he mentioned the people of Gotham or the Batman logo, the man's fingertips would tremble slightly.
It was very subtle and hidden, and could not be detected without careful observation, but it could not escape Li Wei's watchful eyes day and night.
That was a spark, frozen deep within, yet not completely extinguished; proof that the heart of a hero has never truly died.
Li Wei didn't reveal the truth, showed no joy, and no excitement; he simply persisted in telling the story day after day without interruption.
During the day, he gathers intelligence at the police station, feigns compliance, and navigates the world of mercenaries, living a life fraught with danger.
He brought her to the cabin at night and whispered to Bruce, telling him everything about Gotham little by little.
He transformed himself into a link, connecting the hero in bed with the fallen city, a connection that was never severed.
At the same time, Levi did not stop digging deeper into Bain, and never relaxed his investigation of the enemy.
He knew that simply having his company and the public's expectations were far from enough to awaken Bruce.
Bruce must be made to rediscover the enemy's weaknesses, see the true face of his opponents, and reignite his fighting spirit.
The source of fighting spirit is understanding your opponent, seeing through their fears, madness, and vulnerability.
Using his position as a police consultant, Li Wei accessed all materials related to Bain under the pretext of organizing files and checking criminal records.
Official records are scarce, mostly consisting of vague jail records and violence charges, with no crucial information whatsoever.
But Li Wei knew that Bain's past was not so simple, and that his obsession and cruelty must have deeper roots.
His extreme hatred for Batman did not come out of thin air, but was an obsession etched into his very bones.
During the day, Li Wei pretended to obediently assist the mercenaries in managing documents and organizing files, with a harmless smile on his face.
But his ears were always perked up, catching every single word about Bain and not letting any piece of information slip by.
He silently memorized the casual chats among mercenaries, the secret calls between superiors, the fragmented information in covert orders, and the unintentional complaints. When he returned to his cabin at night, he would meticulously organize them into his secret notebook, word by word.
He overheard a mercenary whispering about the "Shadow Alliance," saying that Baine had once been a member of the alliance but had been ruthlessly expelled.
I heard someone say that Bain was "abandoned," "crawled out of hell," and "struggled in prison his whole life."
He heard that in the dark and hopeless prison, he was called "Destroyer," "Monster," and "Demon Without Pain."
He expressed an almost pathological hatred for the word "hope," as if he wished to destroy all hope in the world.
Li Wei pieced all the fragments together, sorting them out little by little, and gradually reconstructing Bain's complete past.
With each piece of information he pieced together, his heart sank deeper, and he came to understand Bain's madness and obsession more fully.
He finally understood why Bane went to such lengths to destroy Batman and why he wanted to crush all hope in Gotham.
It wasn't a simple lust for power, nor a mere desire for conquest, but rather a revenge and distortion etched into its very bones.
Bain was born in the hellish Penado prison and has never seen light or warmth since he can remember.
All he saw was violence, betrayal, death, and despair; there was no justice, no order, and no redemption.
He grew up amidst killing and struggle, surviving through ferocity and ruthlessness, protecting himself with his fists, and resisting harm with indifference.
No family, no friends, no hope, only endless darkness and torment.
Later, his talent and ruthlessness caught the eye of the Shadow League, and he was brought into the League to receive top-notch training.
He possesses extraordinary talent; his strength, willpower, combat skills, tactics, and strategy are all top-notch, and his rate of progress far exceeds that of ordinary people.
But the darkness and extremism deep within him made the Alliance Elders uneasy and fearful.
He doesn't believe in order, salvation, or light; he only believes in power and destruction, in destroying everything.
Ultimately, Bane was ruthlessly expelled from the League for his excessive brutality, disregard for League rules, and indiscriminate killing of innocents.
He was thrown into an even deeper, darker prison, where he suffered endless torture and bullying.
The daily torment and year-after-year despair completely twisted and drove him to madness.
He believed that all hope was false, all light was a disguise, and all heroes were frauds.
In his eyes, Batman is Gotham's greatest "false hope" and the most ridiculous lie.
Batman tells people that darkness will end, justice will prevail, perseverance brings hope, and kindness will ultimately be rewarded.
But Bain's life taught him that it was all a lie, a self-comforting deception.
So he wanted to personally shatter the bat, personally destroy Gotham's hope, and make everyone recognize the despairing truth.
He wants to destroy Batman's pride, power, identity, city, faith, and everything.
He wanted to make the people of Gotham understand that heroes are unreliable, hope is unreliable, justice is unreliable, and only power matters.
He wants to repay the world twice over for all the pain, despair, and darkness he has endured.
Batman was the first target on his revenge list, and also the most important and the one he most wanted to destroy.
Li Wei wrote down this information word by word on thick paper, his handwriting neat, the content clear, and the logic complete.
From his birth in prison to his training with the Shadow Alliance, to his expulsion and injection of enhancement drugs, all of this became the source of his hatred.
He wrote in detail and calmly, without any emotion or subjective judgment, simply stating the cold facts.
He laid out Bain's fears, madness, vulnerability, and weaknesses clearly on paper.
He did not use impassioned language, shout empty slogans, or deliberately incite emotions.
It simply exposed all of Bain's trump cards, all his weaknesses, and all his vulnerabilities.
He knew that Bruce was the person in the world who understood his enemies best, and the warrior who was most adept at exploiting his opponents' weaknesses.
If he were willing to take a look, he could find a new direction for his counterattack and reignite his fighting spirit.
That night, Levi took care of Bruce as usual, completing all the nursing and massage work.
He carefully folded the paper filled with Bain's past and placed it in the most conspicuous and easily accessible spot on his bedside table.
Next to it lay Bruce's fallen bat mask, the crack on it still conspicuous, like an unhealed scar.
After doing all this, Li Wei didn't say anything or linger; he quietly got up and prepared to leave.
He didn't expect Bruce to cheer up immediately, nor did he hope for an instant change or a miracle to happen right away.
He simply placed the fire gently on the frozen ground and waited for it to slowly melt the ice.
Whether it can be ignited, when it will be ignited, and how brightly it will burn, can only be left to time and to Bruce himself.
It is entrusted to that heroic heart that never truly died and never truly gave up.
Li Wei walked to the door and had just grasped the doorknob when he suddenly heard a very faint rustling sound of paper behind him.
He abruptly stopped in his tracks, his heart leaping into his throat, his whole body tensing up, and he dared not turn around.
He slowly turned around and saw Bruce's hand, which had moved at some point—the hand that had once gripped the gauntlets, waved the cape, and protected Gotham.
He slightly raised his hand, his fingertips lightly touching the edge of the paper, the movement slow and laborious.
For the first time, a very faint ripple appeared in the man's still empty eyes, weak yet clear.
Like a stagnant lake surface, when a small pebble is thrown in, it creates barely perceptible yet real ripples.
Li Wei held his breath, not daring to make a sound, not daring to disturb, not even daring to breathe heavily, for fear of disturbing this precious moment.
Alfred, who had been standing in the corridor at some point, saw this scene, covered his mouth, and tears instantly streamed down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably.
Li Wei stood there, his eyes slightly warm, and the heaviness, helplessness, and guilt that had been building up in his heart for so long finally eased a little.
He knew that everything he had done had not been in vain, and that his persistence, companionship, and confiding had all been meaningful.
He knew that the light of Gotham had not been completely extinguished, and the soul of Batman had not been completely lost.
The sleeping Dark Knight has finally shown signs of awakening.
The person in bed remains paralyzed, still in pain, still in despair, and still isolated.
But that taut string finally loosened a little; that tightly closed door to the heart finally opened a crack.
That piece of paper filled with Bane's past became the first key inserted into despair, unlocking his frozen heart.
It became the first clarion call to awaken heroes and the prelude to the counterattack.
Without lingering, Li Wei turned gently, walked out of the room, closed the door, and left Bruce alone.
He knew that Bruce needed to be alone, to process this information, and to confront his enemies again.
The night outside the window remained deep, Gotham remained fallen, and darkness still enveloped the entire city.
But for the first time, a clear and firm light ignited in Li Wei's heart; he was no longer confused or powerless.
He knew that Bruce would wake up, stand up again, put on his cape once more, and become Batman again.
It won't be immediately, it won't be right away, it won't be smooth sailing, it won't be painless, but it definitely will be.
Batman will not be destroyed or defeated; he will only temporarily fall asleep or lie dormant.
And he will stay here, by Bruce's side, in the darkness of Gotham, until the bats take flight again.
In the days that followed, Li Wei continued to arrive at the cottage on time every day without fail, without ever slacking off.
Wiping, massaging, changing dressings, tidying up, keeping each other company, and whispering about everything in Gotham, day after day.
Bruce remained silent, refused treatment, had a vacant look in his eyes, and did not cooperate with rehabilitation.
But Li Wei knew that some things had quietly changed, and could never return to the desolate state they once were.
The piece of paper on the bedside table changes position slightly every day, never staying in the same place.
Sometimes it was moved to the left, sometimes it was pressed under the mask, sometimes a corner was lifted, and sometimes the wrinkles were smoothed out.
Bruce never picked it up in front of Levi, never admitted to having seen it, and never mentioned it.
But Li Wei knew that he was observing, recording, thinking, reorganizing, and rebuilding his strength.
Alfred's eyes gradually regained a glimmer of light and a hint of hope, no longer filled with utter despair.
He stopped trying to persuade or plead repeatedly, and simply cared for the patient silently, waited patiently, and persevered quietly.
The atmosphere inside the cabin remained heavy and oppressive, but it was no longer completely silent or lifeless.
A faint glimmer of hope is quietly brewing and growing beneath the flickering candlelight.
Li Wei sat on the edge of the bed, gently massaging Bruce's legs, which had long since lost all feeling, to prevent further muscle atrophy, while softly recounting the new intelligence he had gathered during the day. His voice was calm and gentle, without any ripples.
"Bane went to the docks again tonight and met with that group of masked men for longer than usual. They seemed to be plotting something."
"It seems they're shipping a new batch of enhancement potion ingredients, intending to mass-produce them to strengthen their mercenaries."
"The mercenaries' armory has been reinforced, but there are still loopholes in the shift change process, with the old city having the biggest vulnerability."
"Sheriff Gordon has assembled twenty-three loyal officers who are willing to hold their ground and await your signal."
"Robin trained vigilantes in the slums, and they knew every secret passage and every corner of Gotham."
"Everyone is waiting, waiting for you to give us new direction, waiting for you to lead us to take back Gotham."
Bruce didn't respond, didn't move, didn't show any expression, but his fingertips trembled very slightly again.
Seeing this, Li Wei felt a warmth in his heart, and all his fatigue and worries vanished at that moment.
He didn't stop, continuing to speak calmly, planting hope little by little in the frozen soil.
Passing on power, little by little, to the sleeping heroes.
He knew that the road ahead was still long, still difficult, and still full of thorns and dangers.
Muscle atrophy, spinal cord injury, psychological breakdown, overwhelming enemy, and the fall of the city—each one is an insurmountable mountain.
But Li Wei was no longer afraid, no longer powerless, no longer guilty, and no longer confused.
He had a firm direction, a sense of purpose in his commitment, and the confidence to wait.
Because he finally understood that what awakens heroes is not comfort, encouragement, slogans, or coercion.
Instead, it allowed him to rediscover his mission, the enemy's weaknesses, and his own value.
Seeing the hopes of the people of Gotham, and seeing the faith and justice that I have never truly lost.
It shows that Gotham never truly gave up on him, never truly forgot him.
As night deepened, the mountains and forests became quiet, with only the gentle, tranquil rustling of leaves in the wind.
The light from the cabin seemed exceptionally warm and resolute in the boundless darkness.
Li Wei sat by the bedside, quietly keeping the person on the bed company, silently guarding this faint hope.
We await the slumbering dark knight to open his eyes anew, rise once more, and soar once more.
Waiting for the bats to return and pierce the darkness.
Waiting for Gotham to reignite and restore order.
We await the return of justice to dispel the gloom.
And he will always be here, never leaving him, until death do us part, accompanying him until the dawn breaks.