Thick, layered strands of black webbing had nearly cocooned Doctor Octopus into a spherical bundle.
Batman didn't dump the tranquilized Doctor Octopus at the police station's doorstep. Instead, he brought him to the abandoned shipyard.
He needed to repair the damaged chip in Doctor Octopus's system overnight to prevent Otto Octavius from going on another killing spree once he reached the police.
The task wasn't difficult. Batman removed the faulty chip, studied it thoroughly in half an hour, and spent another hour fully restoring it.
The real challenge was the shipyard's lack of proper tools. Batman made do with whatever was at hand, and he added an extra layer of protection to the chip to ensure it wouldn't fail again, which could cause Otto to lose control once more.
"Let me go, you…" The tranquilizer's effects were wearing off, and Doctor Octopus glared furiously at the pointed ears atop Batman's head. "You vampire!"
Batman glanced at him briefly before returning to his work, tossing out a curt reply:
"You should be grateful I don't have an operating table here."
"Operating table? What are you going to do?" Doctor Octopus demanded, anger laced with curiosity.
"Remove your tentacles."
The mere mention of dismantling his tentacles sent Doctor Octopus into a frenzy.
"These tentacles are part of me! Once I break free from these black webs, you'd better pray I don't tear you to pieces!"
The sticky, black webbing—specially enhanced by Batman's formula—was layered ten centimeters thick, leaving Otto powerless, writhing futilely.
"Repairs complete."
Moments later, Batman approached Otto, chip in hand. He pressed Otto's head forward, exposing the back of his neck.
"Don't touch me! When I get free, I swear—"
Otto's words were cut off as the repaired chip was reinserted at the junction where the tentacles connected to his spine. His head slumped forward.
Electronic signals overrode the neural ones, taking control of the tentacles in Otto's stead.
"Ah!"
Otto gasped deeply. His face, once twisted by the tentacles' control, softened into the expression of the spirited scientist he used to be.
He instinctively reached back to touch the chip, a mix of relief and lingering fear crossing his face.
"I was controlled by the tentacles… My mind was filled with constant mechanical noise, but now they're quiet…"
Otto looked at the man who had defeated his out-of-control self and freed him from being a puppet to his own creation.
"Who are you? How can I thank you?"
"I'm Batman," he replied.
As a faint smile appeared on Otto's face, Batman stepped forward and delivered a swift strike to the back of his head.
He wanted nothing more than for the restored Otto Octavius to resume his nuclear fusion research, but Batman knew he couldn't make that choice for the thirty-plus officers who had died.
In the end, Batman left Otto at the police station's doorstep, along with a note detailing the condition of Otto's tentacles.
This time, Batman didn't leave immediately. He lingered in the shadows, watching.
At dawn, a crowd of onlookers gathered at the police station, snapping photos of the tightly wrapped Otto. They were quickly dispersed by George Stacy, who arrived after being alerted.
Only after Batman saw George Stacy find the note and carefully escort Otto to a holding cell did he finally depart.
"Squid Man sentenced to death, Otto Octavius…"
Back at the abandoned shipyard, Batman shed his suit and began his daily regimen of essential training.
Not just strength and agility, but muscle memory, conditioned reflexes, and danger perception—a comprehensive routine.
"Otto Octavius killed over thirty officers, but that was while he was under the control of his mechanical tentacles."
Batman had no intention of interfering with the legal system's judgment of Otto. He was never a representative of the law.
Objectively, Otto would likely face a fixed-term or life sentence rather than execution. Even in prison, the government might provide him with lab equipment and funding.
After all, Otto Octavius remained one of the world's foremost nuclear physicists.
This, however, meant Batman's plan to invest in Otto's nuclear fusion energy research was now defunct—unless he could find another equally brilliant nuclear physicist.
"…Like Bruce Banner?" The thought struck Batman. "Silver Sable's security company set out to find the Hulk to stop General Ross and the military from protecting the Osborn Group."
"But with the Osborn Group's dealings fully exposed, pursuing the Hulk is no longer critical. Besides, I have no intention of stealing Otto's work."
"I'll need to find another way to secure funding."
Training complete, Batman made his usual visit to Peter Parker's apartment and picked up a copy of the Daily Bugle.
According to information he'd hacked from the NYPD's system, the apartment's lease was set to expire in less than two weeks. Batman had no plans to renew it.
With Otto facing imprisonment and no immediate investment opportunities, Batman decided to allocate some funds to building his Batcave.
But the Batcave wasn't the priority right now. First, he needed to visit the Osborn family.
Batman hadn't forgotten the information he and Black Cat uncovered last night on the third basement level of the Osborn Tower. The primary suspects were none other than the Osborn father and son.
"Queens, Osborn Manor."
Hailing a taxi, Batman leaned back in the seat, seizing the rare moment to rest.
"The Batmobile might need to move up the priority list…"
The thought barely crossed his mind before he slipped into sleep.
He was exhausted.
Meanwhile, on the streets of New York, a black-haired man in a suit was delivering a passionate speech, wiping tears with a handkerchief as his emotions surged.
"I'm Martin Li. Before I became a successful businessman, I was homeless, living on the streets. It was the kindness of strangers that helped me build the life I have now."
"Friends, we've all been discarded like garbage at some point. But now, there are people experimenting on our lives! Those monsters in white coats think no one cares if a homeless person dies?"
"Today, I say: Enough!"
"After the exposure of fifty homeless bodies in the Osborn Group's second basement level, I made a decision."
"I will provide food, temporary shelters, emergency aid, and job training for the homeless and unemployed. You are not society's outcasts!"
"There will be no experiments here—only hot soup and clean beds. No deception—only a family supporting each other. We will build shelters with our own hands, so every homeless person knows: your life is worth more than any experiment in the world!"
"I'm announcing the founding of FEAST—Food, Emergency Aid, Shelter, and Training—starting today!"
The crowd erupted in thunderous applause. Martin Li looked at the homeless and beggars clapping and cheering, tears welling in his eyes.