Chapter 28: Batcave,

Wayne Manor.

Bruce lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling.

He hadn't slept all night. He

felt dizzy, his eyes ached, and he felt weak all over.

A belated sleepiness enveloped him, and he couldn't help but want to give Jack an anesthetic injection so he could get some rest.

But he couldn't do it.

The person beside the bed stirred.

Jack grumbled vaguely and turned over.

After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes and stared at Bruce drowsily.

"It's rare that you wake up earlier than me, baby." His voice was hoarse and drowsy.

Bruce silently lifted the quilt and sat up.

Jack continued to stay in bed, saying sleepily, "Five minutes... let me sleep for another five minutes."

Bruce put on his bathrobe, walked to the window, and cruelly opened the curtains to let the morning light into the room.

The person on the bed let out a reluctant whine.

Five minutes later, Jack finally got out of bed reluctantly.

After washing up, the two of them went downstairs.

Breakfast was set on the dining table. Jason hadn't gotten up yet, and Alfred was busy in the dining room.

Jack sat down next to Bruce, using a knife and fork to stir the fried eggs.

Bruce ate his breakfast in silence.

Alfred brought up two cups of hot milk. He glanced at the two of them, his gaze lingering on the dark circles under Bruce's eyes.

"I'm very pleased to see you living together again, but... I hope you can remember that no matter how passionate it is, staying up late is not a good habit. Especially for you, night patrols have already consumed too much of your energy, Master Bruce."

Jack immediately understood Alfred's hint. He couldn't help laughing, turned his head and winked at Bruce.

Bruce raised his head and explained lightly: "It's not what you think, Al."

There was obvious fatigue in his voice, but he stubbornly maintained his serious demeanor.

Jack chimed in, taking a bite of toast and casually asking, "Didn't you sleep well last night? Why do you look so bad?"

Bruce glanced at him and replied bluntly, "Eat your breakfast."

Jack shrugged at the butler and continued to gnaw on his toast with an innocent look.

Alfred said nothing more, but he silently poured more milk into Bruce's cup, as if silently accusing him of his poor sleep schedule.

After dinner, Jack leaned back on the sofa, browsing his phone.

Bruce walked over to him with milk and casually glanced at the screen.

It showed a Discord chat interface.

"Who are you talking to?" he asked.

"Cassie."

Bruce quickly went over the name in his mind, making sure he had no recollection.

"Friend?" he asked casually.

"Yeah." Jack didn't look up as he typed his reply, "A friend I met at a charity performance."

Bruce hummed, but didn't press the issue.

He walked over and sat down next to Jack.

Jack glanced at him in surprise. "Are you okay today? Don't you have to go to the office?"

"I told the board I broke my leg while skydiving and am staying home to recuperate."

"That sounds familiar," Jack couldn't help but quip. "How about getting a separate insurance policy for each bone?"

Bruce pondered, thinking, "But I can't assess the extent of the injury myself."

Jack had been distracted by someone else's conversation. It took a moment for him to register Bruce's implication. He looked up, frowning.

"There's absolutely no need for you to stay with me," he said, his tone dripping with disapproval. "I think I should be fine staying at the manor by myself."

"That's not entirely the reason," Bruce replied, rubbing the glass of milk in his hand. "I'm not in the habit of staying at the company for long periods of time. I take my own time off from time to time, and I'm comfortable leaving things at the company to Lucius. Of course, I also want to spend more time with you."

The two had already discussed the question of protection in depth, so Jack didn't say anything this time. He simply put away his phone, leaned back on the sofa, and yawned.

Bruce suggested, "How about a walk around the manor?"

"I thought you'd prefer to go back to the bedroom to catch up on some sleep." Jack gave him a surprised look. "I ca

n't sleep as long as you're awake," Bruce thought to himself. Go back to the bedroom to catch up on some sleep? Leave Jack alone at the manor? He was afraid the manor would be in ruins when he woke up...

But his face didn't show it. His eyes simply made it clear to Jack that Batman didn't need to catch up on some sleep.

"Well, sweetheart, maybe you've outgrown your need for sleep."

Jack stood up and stretched, a hint of laughter in his voice. "Come on, Mr. Nocturnal, let's go enjoy the sunshine outside—"

The two of them arrived outside the villa.

Sunlight filtered through the lush trees, casting dappled shadows.

The roses in the flowerbeds were beautifully shaped, the result of Alfred's meticulous pruning. The air was filled with a delicate fragrance.

The two of them walked along the gravel path, chatting as they walked. They passed through the horse farm, around the outdoor swimming pool, and finally stopped in front of a lush forest.

"Dear, to be honest, I'm quite familiar with your estate, but—" Jack looked ahead, "I've never been inside here much. Perhaps we could explore it today?"

Bruce replied casually, "Of course, if you want."

And so they continued on.

The woods were quiet, with only the occasional chirp of cicadas and the sound of birds.

This piece of woods had not been taken care of for a long time. Some low-hanging branches swayed in the wind, and leaves drooped down and fell on their shoulders.

Jack found a cave nailed with wooden boards here.

He approached curiously and squatted down to observe this strange cave.

"Why is it sealed here?" he asked. "Is there a secret wine cellar base underneath, or a scary, terrible monster imprisoned there?"

Bross noticed the well only then.

He looked at the nailed wooden board in silence, as if he could see the memories of many years ago through it.

After a moment, he said: "There is nothing you imagined. There was just a group of bats living underneath."

"Oh? So this is your bat cave?"

"It's definitely not what you think."

Jack couldn't help laughing. He told a bad joke -

"How did you know there are bats living down here, baby? Let me guess -"

He paused deliberately, as if to whet his audience's appetite, then continued with a serious tone:

"Could it be that this was originally the home of bats? Then some terrifying Batman monster broke in and brutally colonized the land, driving all these poor natives into caves and eventually locking them up with boards?"

Jack raised an eyebrow and looked at Bruce, anticipating his reaction.

Bruce ignored him and tried to lift the nailed-down board, but found the screws were still tight, the place still firmly sealed.

So he gave up trying to open the cave and began to tell a story.

"Actually, this cave was sealed by my father. When I was very young, I accidentally fell into it." He paused, reminiscing. "It's deep and dark down there. I can't see anything, but I can hear the flapping of wings."

He looked down at the wooden planks at the entrance, which were covered with traces of branches and vines, like some old, crisscrossing scar.

"Then swarms of bats appeared all around, maybe hundreds of them. They were running rampant around me, and I was almost scared to death at that time."

The wind rustled the leaves.

"That was the first time I truly felt fear. Helpless, isolated and helpless..."

Jack tilted his head to listen, his originally playful expression gradually faded, and a complicated look appeared in his eyes.

"Later, my father and Alfred found me unconscious and rescued me. After that, my father nailed the entrance of the cave shut with a board."

Bruce raised his head, and the sunlight shone into his eyes through the shade of the trees, revealing a firm look in his blue eyes.

"I am afraid of bats because of that experience... But this is also where Batman was born. Fear - itself is a kind of power, which is why I made my uniform in the shape of a bat."

As the words fell, the woods fell silent again, as if the whole world was listening attentively to this heroic monologue with bated breath.

In this atmosphere, Jack nodded thoughtfully, and suddenly broke the silence:

"Dear, so you are called Batman because you are afraid of bats? Then if you fell into the rat hole..." He couldn't continue, because the other

person turned around and left, leaving only a stiff back.