Chapter 33: Gotham's Hot Topic
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
Ultraman. Overnight, this word swept through the entire city, becoming Gotham's hottest topic.
Alright, it's not like it wasn't a hot topic before. The red and silver giant had caused a huge sensation from its very first appearance, even sparking a popular theory in Gotham about "God destroying the world to punish sin."
However, as everyone knows, the internet has a short memory, and the hype was gradually fading with time. After all, while the matter of an alien was shocking, it had little to do with the average person.
But this time was different.
An entire city, almost every single person, fell asleep at the same time, trapped in the most terrifying nightmare they had ever experienced. Then, everyone simultaneously dreamed of the same Giant of Light, who tore through the darkness to bring light, transforming fear into hope and turning the most terrifying nightmare in history into a legend of light.
The culprit, Doctor Fate, was captured by Batman, but the news was quickly suppressed by the relevant authorities.
After all, Doctor Fate had obtained his ability through Arkham's Perception Enhancer. Both the controversial experiment and the asylum's poor management were issues the higher-ups did not want the public to know about.
Furthermore, the DC Universe was in a delicate transitional period, on the boundary between what could be called an Age of Dharma Decline and an impending Spiritual Qi Resurgence. The real explosion of superpowers was supposed to happen after a certain underpants-on-the-outside Boy Scout from Metropolis officially announced his debut. Only after that would superheroes and supervillains begin sprouting like mushrooms after rain, just like a DC version of a Spiritual Qi Resurgence.
But things were different now. In the current "Pre-Superman Era," at least to the general public, superpowers and aliens were still distant concepts. The relevant authorities, led by A.R.G.U.S., still adhered to the principle of covering up whatever they could. A large-scale malicious incident like the one with Doctor Fate would definitely be concealed.
Thus, the explanation given by experts after the incident was that Gotham had experienced some kind of extremely rare mass hallucination.
Orin Vale's first reaction upon seeing this explanation was that these experts were truly useless.
Their professional expertise was on par with studying a corpse with seven gunshot wounds in the back for half a day, and after exhaustive investigation and meticulous deduction, concluding with one glance that it was definitely a suicide.
But on second thought...
No, wait. This is actually very Gotham.
That's a Gotham expert for you. It checks out.
Of course, the public certainly wasn't buying it. In any case, experts spouting nonsense and the higher-ups conducting a cover-up were all standard operating procedures. The well-informed citizens of Gotham were long used to it. What the authorities said didn't stop them from believing what they wanted to believe.
"It's real!" a child said excitedly to the camera. "I really saw Ultraman!"
"My child firmly believes that the nightmare was real, and the Ultraman we saw was real too," an office worker on his way home said when interviewed by the Gotham Daily.
"And what do you think?" the reporter asked.
The man pondered for a moment.
He was silent for a good ten seconds before finally speaking.
"I grew up in Gotham; I've been here for forty years. If Gotham has taught me anything, the first and most important thing is definitely not to trust easily."
"The last time I believed in a hero, it was GCPD Officer Elliot. That pot-bellied guy had a pang of conscience and saved a child who fell into the water while on patrol. Thinking back, that was probably the only good deed he ever did in his life, yet he was written up in every newspaper and media outlet in Gotham, painted as some kind of shining hero."
"But just one month later, my aunt was robbed in a convenience store. That 'hero' detective was in the store at the time, just an aisle away. But he turned a blind eye."
"I know you might edit this part out, but I just want to say this. Gotham is this kind of place. Whenever you think you see a torch—no, even a tiny spark, or the slightest thing that could be called hope—this city will immediately swallow it up, throwing you into a deeper darkness, reminding you of reality's cold indifference."
The reporter thought for a moment. "So, you're saying you don't believe it?"
"...No."
The man shook his head and said.
"He appeared there, led us out of that nightmare, and told us not to be afraid. I know what I saw. It wasn't an illusion."
"Just this once, I want to believe."
In the underground laboratory, the artificial intelligence, Pal, reported, "Your energy has increased by over 10% in total. Congratulations, sir."
Orin Vale was currently sitting in a device of his own making that resembled a gaming pod, with wires connected all over his body. The display in front of him showed his physical check-up data.
This was a device Orin Vale had built himself, probably the equivalent of a physical examination for an Ultraman. It could scan and evaluate the strength and level of the light energy within Orin Vale's body, giving him rough feedback on any changes in his power.
This stunt he'd pulled in front of the entire city's citizens during the nightmare was his biggest harvest since arriving. Even he could faintly feel a slight increase in his base stats.
Originally, he had located Doctor Fate's true self and had already assembled his armor, preparing to fly over and take him down personally, but he hadn't expected Batman to beat him to it.
It made Orin Vale feel a sense of admiration.
As expected, even as a fledgling rookie, the Old Master is still the Old Master. For an ordinary person to resist Doctor Fate's nightmare at point-blank range, his willpower was truly god-tier.
However, this also saved Orin Vale the trouble of doing it himself. In any case, he had already harvested his experience in the dream, so he was in a great mood.
He was even humming a little tune as he came up from the laboratory, feeling much more refreshed.
As Orin Vale walked by, he noticed that the way Kara looked at him was a little different than before. Her big eyes were filled with admiration and a bit of awe.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing..."
The little girl gathered her thoughts for a moment.
"It's just... y-you're so amazing," she said from the bottom of her heart. "I never knew you were this powerful..."
Orin Vale chuckled and patted her little golden head. "If you study hard and practice well, and master the techniques I'm teaching you, I guarantee you'll be even more amazing than this in the future."
"R-really?" Kara's face was full of doubt.
After all, Orin Vale's performance in the dream was simply too invincible, almost god-like. She looked down at her own fair, delicate hands and flawless skin...
Could she really become that powerful?
She found it a little hard to believe.
"Trust me, you won't go wrong," Orin Vale said with a serious face.
"Okay... okay." Kara nodded weakly.
Orin Vale wasn't just making empty boasts. After all, he was just a scientist, without the kind of strength the Space Garrison possessed. If he didn't work hard, Kara could catch up to him in minutes just by sunbathing a little more.
Tom came to the store early in the morning again, in high spirits and looking extremely excited.
The moment he saw Orin Vale, he couldn't hold back. "Boss Orin! I have a new idea, this book will definitely be a huge hit!"
Orin Vale glanced at him, already used to this.
"Isn't it a win as long as you don't do a handstand on an airplane?"
Tom's face turned red, and he shook his head. "That pseudonym was unlucky, I've already thrown it away... That's not the point! This idea is different, it'll definitely work!"
With that, he put on a mysterious and smug expression.
"This time, I'm going to write a book about Ultraman!"
"Huh?"
Orin Vale, who had been uninterested and didn't want to listen, stopped in his tracks and raised an eyebrow.
*Writing about me? Did you pay for the copyright?*
"Hahaha, that's right! This time it's a story about love and hope, about a giant from outer space who possesses god-like power and redeems this sinful world! It's a story that proves an outsider can do it better!"
*Sounds weird...*
*Whatever, he's a flop writer anyway, no one reads his stuff. I'll just let him do what he wants.*
Orin Vale shrugged. "Same old advice, it's a win as long as you don't drop the story."
"Not happening. I swear on my honor this time." Tom pulled a notebook out of his bag. "Nobody disturb me. I'm making my stand right here. I'm going to write the beginning today. I'm not leaving until it's done!"
"Mm, good luck with that."
...
An hour later.
Tom had, at some point, sat down next to a pretty girl at the adjacent table. The beginning of his story, which consisted of only seven words, had long been tossed aside.
"Hey, beautiful," he said, trying to strike up a conversation. "Want to know my secret identity?"
The girl glanced at him. "What? Are you Batman or something?"
"Ha, of course not." Tom puffed out his chest. "I'm a famous internet author."
The girl looked him up and down and gave him an awkward but polite smile.
"Hah."
(end of chapter)