The design of these gas masks was very modern, and as Bruce's temporary guardian, Alfred wasn't familiar with such advanced models.
"These are produced by Wayne Enterprises, and they're still the latest prototypes. They shouldn't have been put into mass production yet."
Hearing Alfred's words, Bruce was startled for a moment before understanding the implications.
Though they didn't know exactly how these beast-man killers came to be, it was clear that someone in Wayne Enterprises' senior management must be involved.
Before being repeatedly attacked by the assassins, Bruce had met with these executives. His proposals had failed to gain their support—they weren't even willing to listen to his opinions.
When he suggested renovating Arkham Asylum, these executives had been dismissive.
Initially, he assumed they simply didn't want to take a child's ideas seriously. Now it seemed his proposals must have threatened their interests.
The defeat of the original killers had pushed these people to try a different approach. They sent more assassins and even found a way to transform them into more powerful beast-men, forcing Bruce to hide throughout Gotham.
"The gas in these masks is fascinating," Marcus remarked suddenly.
One of the gas masks in Marcus's hand was emitting faint green vapor. He allowed a wisp of the gas to flow past his nostrils, feeling how it simultaneously strengthened and destroyed the body.
Though the gas had no effect on him, if an ordinary person inhaled it, their physical capabilities would be greatly enhanced.
The price, however, was rapid cellular degradation. Anyone who inhaled such gas without special physical modifications would find their body becoming increasingly fragile, eventually unable to withstand the enhancement and ultimately dying.
This gas did more harm than good and offered no benefit to most people.
Among those in Gotham, only the beast-man killers hunting Bruce and the others could withstand the cost of using it.
"It seems you two can already make good use of your battle suits," Marcus nodded with satisfaction.
He was pleased with their performance. The enhancement effect of the gas was comparable to the battle suits' lowest setting—though limited, it was enough to surpass most ordinary humans.
At Marcus's praise, Bruce and Selina both looked sheepish. How could they take credit for their victory? They had merely been toying with the three beast-man killers when the creatures' excessive inhalation of the poison gas had caused their bodies to explode.
"How do you feel about being vigilantes these days?" Marcus asked.
"It feels incredible," Bruce replied. "I never expected I'd be maintaining order in Gotham with my own hands."
"I don't feel anything special," Selina countered, "except that my strength can reach amazing levels."
Bruce and Selina had completely opposite attitudes, reflecting the gap between their upbringings.
Bruce wanted to fulfill his parents' dying wish and build a better Gotham. Every action he took was in service of that goal.
Selina was different. As a former street kid, she fought daily for her survival. Now that she possessed greater power, she was filled with possibilities for her future.
Of course, neither would deny enjoying the vigilante experience. Both Bruce and Selina liked the feeling very much.
"Well, it's clear you both enjoy being vigilantes. In that case, I'll give you two more gifts," Marcus decided.
He returned to his room to continue his work. He was still contemplating whether to add portal capabilities to the weapons he was designing.
The energy whip he'd created from the short staff would be perfect for Selina. She was already skilled with a whip and could easily master most whip techniques.
As for Bruce, Marcus planned to give him a special rapier—one that would test the effectiveness of amplitude crystals fused with spell circuits while enhancing Bruce's combat abilities. It would not only allow him to unleash special attacks but also provide support more easily.
This time, Marcus had modified the Pressure Point crystal into a portal spell circuit. What was originally just an amplitude crystal that increased melee weapon damage had become a special weapon capable of cutting space itself.
If Bruce could activate the crystal fused to the weapon, he could use it to open spatial rifts—not only causing enormous damage to enemies but also allowing him to receive support at any time.
With his previous transformation experience, modifying the amplitude crystal was much easier this time. He quickly transformed the enhancement circuit into a spell circuit.
Marcus fused the modified crystal to Bruce's rapier. The weapon emitted faint power fluctuations in his hand, with light blue energy sparks dancing in the air as he swung it.
Where the rapier cut through the air, space itself seemed to tear apart with a strange distortion. This was the effect of the portal magic circuit he had learned from the Ancient One.
"This amplitude crystal is quite interesting. In the future, Bruce may be able to perform dimensional slashes..."
The crystal would grant the rapier special attack abilities, allowing Bruce to unleash even more powerful techniques.
Marcus couldn't help imagining how fascinating it would be if a Batman who could cut through dimensions appeared. Bruce had no superhuman abilities, but with these special powers, what might this world become?
While Marcus was lost in his imagination, Bruce and Selina were eagerly anticipating the gifts he would soon present. They whispered to each other, speculating about what they might receive.
"Selina, what do you think the teacher will give us?" Bruce asked curiously.
He really wanted to know what Marcus had prepared.
"I bet he'll give us weapons like this dagger!" Selina replied with a smile, twirling the dagger in her hand.
As vigilantes, they had no special weapons except for their daggers. She guessed that both of them would receive powerful weapons, just as police officers were issued firearms—they too would have their own specialized equipment.
"A weapon?"
Bruce nodded with a smile. This matched his own guess. Perhaps the greatest reward for becoming Gotham's vigilantes would be the weapons their teacher would give them.