"Dr., how much more funding does your experiment need to continue?"
Batman asked, putting down the Daily Bugle.
"That's the problem," Dr. Otto said, his face etched with worry. "My research is now in its final stages. It only needs continued maintenance costs for equipment and electricity, which are almost negligible compared to the hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars invested initially."
"But precisely this negligible amount has become an insurmountable problem for me... Thirty million U.S. dollars! I only need another thirty million U.S. dollars in research funds, and my nuclear fusion research will yield results!"
Batman's entire net worth was currently seven million six hundred thousand U.S. dollars, not even enough to meet half of Dr. Otto's needs.
Dr. Otto hadn't placed his hopes on the young man in front of him; he was merely expressing his dissatisfaction with Osborn Group's sudden withdrawal of funds.
"Thirty million U.S. dollars..." Batman calculated silently in his mind.
If this amount of money were in Gotham, one of his batmobiles would far exceed that price, but now in New York, Batman himself couldn't produce that much money.
"Give me three days. I'm confident I can turn seven million U.S. dollars into thirty million U.S. dollars. At the same time, Osborn Enterprise's withdrawal of Dr. Otto's research funding might be the best time for me to get involved."
Batman thought to himself, then looked at Dr. Otto:
"Dr., I have an idea... Could you show me the contract you signed with Osborn Group before the project started?"
"Are you suggesting I use legal means? It's useless." Dr. Otto shook his head but still got up and handed the paper contract to Batman.
"According to the contract, even if Osborn Group breaches the contract, it only grants me five years of usage rights for these devices."
Batman didn't reply, taking the contract and reading it carefully.
As Dr. Otto had said, even if Osborn Group withdrew its investment for subjective reasons, the entire nuclear fusion laboratory would not become Dr. Otto's private property.
He had usage rights but no disposal rights, and he even had to spend money to maintain the equipment. Otherwise, if Osborn Group resumed research funding and the equipment had problems, Dr. Otto would ultimately be responsible.
Batman didn't waste time poring over the contract, returning it to Dr. Otto:
"Dr., I think you might consider hiring a lawyer to analyze this contract from a professional perspective, preferably to completely separate your laboratory from Osborn Group."
"I don't even have money for a lawyer right now," Dr. Otto said with a bitter smile. "Compared to that, I'd rather figure out how to get some money."
Batman also feigned a headache, as if inadvertently coming to the four metal tentacles: "What are these?"
"Devices used to assist experiments, but now that the experiment can't proceed, they've become scrap metal," Dr. Otto said, glancing at the tentacles.
Not lingering in the laboratory for too long, Batman hailed a taxi on the streets of Brooklyn:
"Lower Manhattan."
He intended to personally find a lawyer for Dr. Otto to handle the lawsuit. Black Cat also needed a lawyer to address Kingpin's money laundering activities, so perhaps two birds could be killed with one stone.
Batman couldn't meet Black Cat as Peter Parker, so he had to go to Manhattan to put on his Batsuit, then head to Hell's Kitchen.
After Batman left, in Dr. Otto's laboratory.
"Thirty million U.S. dollars... I only need thirty million U.S. dollars to complete my experiment, but where on World can I get this money?"
Dr. Otto's brows remained tightly furrowed; he couldn't think of a single solution.
"Robbery? No, I can't do that. Unless I rob a bank, who would carry a large sum of money on the street and happen to be robbed by me? Besides, stolen money can't be spent."
Dr. Otto quickly dismissed this dangerous idea.
"No, maybe there's a way... If I don't consider equipment maintenance costs, all I need now is the high electricity bill for the experiment."
"Perhaps I could secretly tap into the underground cables to power the equipment?"
"No, I can't do that."
Dr. Otto was torn, a series of images flashing before his eyes—scenes of him being beaten by his father as a child.
His father was a power plant worker. Because the work was tiring and dangerous, his father almost lived on the edge of life and death, but the money he earned was meager, barely enough for the family to live on.
His father also drank heavily, which made the family's situation even worse. His father often regarded his mother and Otto as burdens, frequently resorting to physical abuse.
From then on, he vowed never to be like his father. He wanted to become a physicist, majoring in nuclear physics.
He wanted to free the World from energy worries, so that no power plant workers would ever again hit their wives and children due to the hardships of their work.
"I am benefiting all of human society. Given the current situation, I have no choice but to tap into the underground cables."
Once he tapped into the underground cables, the Police would surely come knocking. He had to move all the equipment and find a safer place.
Dr. Otto made up his mind, his gaze wandering around the laboratory, finally resting on the four metal tentacles.
His gaze was no longer conflicted, and his expression was no longer despondent. Apart from his hair, which was messy from frustration, Dr. Otto had regained his spirited demeanor.
He stood before the four metal tentacles, feeling the parts connected to his nervous system integrate into his spine, inch by inch.
"Dr. Otto's metal tentacles were inspired by Squid Man? I need to visit him often these days, but I must not provoke him."
In the deepest part of the Abandoned Shipyard, Batman put on his Batsuit, which had been modified from the Spider-Slayer armor.
Compared to the one he most commonly used in Gotham, this Batsuit had sharper angles, was primarily gray and black, and showed obvious seams and battle damage.
The Bat symbol on his chest was made from four Talon from the Spider-Slayer's armpits and could be used as a weapon when necessary.
The Spider-Slayer's arm blades were removed and replaced with three retractable blades that could be freely controlled. At the same time, the gauntlets integrated a Batarang, which combined a web-shooter and a grappling gun.
Without a cape, Batman completely dismantled the Spider-Slayer's glider, attaching a portion of its armor and thrusters to the back of the Batsuit.
Normally, it folded up like a carapace, but it could spread out when gliding was needed. However, it could only glide and not achieve true flight.
Given some time, Batman could perfectly enable the new glider design to fly, but for him, this was not an essential function.
The boots were ordinary combat boots, and the belt was just a plain black combat belt, purchased from a second-hand military goods store on the streets of New York.
The entire Batsuit seemed slightly shabby compared to the dozens he had in the Batcave in Gotham, but this was only temporary.