Marcus nodded slightly at Bruce's answer.
He knew Bruce was still inexperienced, but it was better to plant these seeds of strategic thinking early on. After all, as someone in their circle, Bruce didn't have any supernatural abilities—he could only rely on himself.
That's exactly why Marcus wanted Bruce to understand this reality sooner rather than later. Without a solid backup plan, Bruce was just an ordinary person with some fighting skills.
As they continued moving forward, Marcus eliminated more and more assassins. Under his protection, Bruce and Serena no longer needed to hide. They witnessed firsthand how these killers, who had forced them to skulk around in hiding, were as fragile as paper against Marcus, falling with a single strike.
They pressed onward toward Wayne Manor. The number of assassins they encountered steadily decreased as they went.
The unusual situation had clearly alarmed the assassination organization. They stopped sending more killers but continued their hunt for Bruce. Marcus was happy to have this breathing room as he escorted Bruce and Serena back to Wayne Manor.
Meanwhile at Wayne Manor, Alfred loaded the pistol Marcus had given him. He was preparing to go out and search for Bruce.
Recently, Wayne Enterprises had fallen into chaos due to Bruce's disappearance. Many people were trying to use this opportunity to take over the company—exactly what Alfred was determined to prevent. Wayne Enterprises was Bruce's inheritance from his family, and no outsiders had any right to it.
"Master Bruce, where are you?" he muttered.
Alfred was fully armed. Because of his arm cast, he opted for disposable magazines that were easier to reload. He had tested the pistol Marcus gave him before. Though ordinary-looking, it fired bullets with tremendous destructive power.
When the killers had attacked earlier, everything happened too quickly for him to draw his weapon. He'd been forced to engage in hand-to-hand combat with his opponent. The outcome was predictable—his arm had been broken during the fight with the powerful assassin.
In the end, he managed to create some distance between them and killed the assailant with a single shot. But during that confrontation, Bruce and Serena had already been chased away from Wayne Manor by other assassins.
Sitting in the driver's seat now, Alfred glanced sadly at the empty back seat. Master Bruce, who should have been sitting there, was nowhere to be found. He could only pray that Bruce was safe.
Driving away from Wayne Manor, Alfred wandered through Gotham, navigating various dark alleys, searching for any sign of Bruce.
"Master Bruce, where are you?"
The car continued through Gotham's night. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Marcus walked the streets with Bruce and Serena, listening to them recount everything that had happened since his departure.
Beyond the four assassination attempts they'd survived, the pair described how Gotham had changed during his absence.
Recently, Gotham had seen the emergence of people and creatures that had previously existed only in legends.
A group of deranged individuals had appeared in the city. Some were purely insane, seemingly indifferent to consequences, always seeking the most thrilling and dangerous experiences.
Others had developed a habit of collecting adrenal glands. Many victims had their adrenal glands removed. There was even a guy with a pig face—everyone who died by his hand ended up wearing a fresh pig face just like his...
Besides these, Gotham was also plagued by many beast-men similar to the assassins they'd encountered.
The only difference was that these creatures possessed little intelligence. Apart from having a human form, they were no different from ordinary animals in other respects.
For a while, Gotham police had been hunting these monsters, and many beast-men were successfully captured and sent to Arkham Asylum.
Marcus listened with great interest. Though he knew Gotham was never peaceful, he hadn't expected so many incidents to occur during his absence.
"It seems the person creating those beast-men has a lot to do with this assassination organization," he remarked.
Those beast-men were obviously test subjects. After repeated experiments on them, the organization had produced those killers with hideous faces and enhanced strength.
As they talked, Bruce suddenly stopped, his face lighting up with excitement.
"Is that Alfred?" he exclaimed.
Just as Bruce's expression changed, Marcus sensed a car approaching. Inside was his old acquaintance, Bruce's butler Alfred.
With a screech of tires and Bruce's excited waving, the car stopped in front of them.
Alfred jumped out of the driver's seat and rushed toward Bruce.
"Master Bruce, how have you been?"
"I'm okay. Mostly just hiding around with Serena," Bruce replied, then added happily, "Alfred, look who's back!"
Following Bruce's prompt, Alfred looked up to see Marcus smiling at him, leaving the butler momentarily stunned.
"Hey, long time no see, Alfred!" Marcus said warmly.
The familiar voice quickly brought Alfred back to his senses.
"Mr. Marcus, you've finally returned. If this had continued much longer, the young master might have been hunted down by these relentless assassins."
Alfred was visibly relieved. He hadn't expected Marcus to come back. With Marcus here, Wayne Manor could finally enjoy some peace.
Marcus was amused by Alfred's words.
"Haha, Alfred, Bruce isn't as fragile as you think. I know you worry about him, but he can't rely on your protection forever, can he?"
"Both Bruce and Serena need to find their own paths. The most we can do is lay the groundwork for them."
Marcus knew all too well the potential of Bruce, the future Batman—his ability to plan for any contingency, allowing him to face all kinds of powerful opponents despite his mortal limitations.
And now, under his guidance, Bruce would become even stronger.
Alfred had no objection to Marcus's words. He knew Marcus was right—he was getting old and couldn't always be by Bruce's side.
Bruce would have to face challenges alone, no matter what happened, and be able to protect himself.
The next morning, Bruce woke up in his room after the most comfortable sleep he'd had in weeks, momentarily disoriented by the familiar surroundings.
"There's really no place like home," he sighed contentedly.
"I'm sorry, Master Bruce," Alfred said as he opened the door and entered, "but it's not Wayne Manor that brings you such peace—it's Mr. Marcus's return."
With Marcus in charge, not only Bruce but even an old man like himself had slept soundly through the night.
He understood clearly that this unprecedented sense of security was thanks to Marcus's presence.