Even when facing the Hammerhead Gang members who wanted to burn down the orphanage, Batman did not use Peter Parker's twenty-five tons of strength.
That would have turned them into a bloody pulp, which was not Batman's goal. He needed them alive to spread his fear, so he only broke most of the Gang members' bones.
Meanwhile, in Hell's Kitchen, the afternoon sun was blinding, but two figures, one black and one red, clashed abruptly in the shadows on a rooftop, seemingly unaffected.
Bang! Bang!
The sound of fists and feet colliding rang out several times almost every second, interspersed with the muffled groans of the opponent when hit.
Batman's suit was covered in hard armor, but the opponent's two short sticks created a blur of afterimages in the air. In a short while, the two had exchanged several rounds, neither able to gain the upper hand.
With one collision of a gauntlet and a short stick, both figures retreated a few steps.
Though seemingly intense, both of their fights involved frequent probing of each other, neither using their full strength.
"Who are you? Why are you stopping me?" Batman asked, lowering his voice as he looked at the opponent.
"You can call me 'Daredevil'." The man in the dark red suit bowed slightly. "You came to Hell's Kitchen last night and broke a few people's bones. I want to know why?"
Batman stared intently at Daredevil. During their fight, he noticed that Daredevil's mask covered his eyes. This guy didn't need to see to accurately block his every punch.
"They robbed a convenience store," Batman said.
"If that's all, perhaps there was no need to be so heavy-handed with them. Several of them are now permanently paralyzed." Daredevil gripped his short sticks, slowly lowering his center of gravity, and once again adopted an attacking stance.
"...And then they used the alcohol stolen from the convenience store to make Molotov cocktails, trying to burn down an orphanage." Batman looked at the opponent. "Still want to fight me?"
Although he had been suppressing his strength, and his suit was far inferior to any in the Gotham Batcave, he hadn't used any gadgets or equipment just now.
But even so, Batman wouldn't mind fighting the opponent again, to see who was truly more skilled.
After Batman finished speaking, Daredevil laughed:
"Heh, well, although you ruined my plan, no one would stand by and do nothing about something like that."
"I'll spar with you again if I get the chance. I have to rush back to work."
Saying this, Daredevil tucked his two short sticks into the pockets on the outside of his thighs and turned to leave.
"Barry Allen always says that after every battle..." Batman thought to himself.
Watching Daredevil's retreating figure, Batman took a Batarang, processed in a black factory after being hollowed out, from his utility belt and flung it.
The Batarang was silent, flying behind Daredevil in the blink of an eye.
Just before it could pierce his body, Daredevil's body shifted slightly, dodging it, and at the same time, he raised his hand and caught the Batarang.
"Just as I thought, you seem to have some ability to perceive your surroundings without relying on your eyes."
Batman slowly approached Daredevil, his fingers slowly clenching into fists:
"You just said 'burning down the orphanage' ruined your plan... Please explain that more clearly."
Clink.
Daredevil released his fingers, letting the Batarang fall to the ground with a crisp sound. He turned to face Batman again:
"I led them to do it."
"I needed to use that to incite a Gang war among the local Gangs and expose their leader."
Batman instinctively thought of Kingpin, but he didn't ask it aloud. Instead, he continued to press the previous topic:
"So you intended to use those orphans as sacrifices in your plan?"
Daredevil chuckled:
"That orphanage moved out last week. If I did something like that to combat crime, God would not forgive me."
Batman was expressionless. He already knew what Daredevil was talking about, but he had to be cautious. He had to personally hear Daredevil mention that the orphanage was already empty.
He didn't want this guy calling himself "Daredevil" to fight crime at the cost of potentially innocent lives without having enough intelligence.
Without another word, Batman turned and jumped from the building. The gliding device, modified from his cape, opened, allowing him to quickly disappear among the towering buildings of New York.
"The opponent is blind, but possesses World-class combat skills, and in Hell's Kitchen, he intends to incite conflict among Gangs... No specific facial details, his voice is also disguised like mine, so his true identity cannot be discerned."
"He seems to observe his surroundings using senses other than sight, similar to 'Spider-Sense', but entirely different from Spider-Sense which is only activated when danger is encountered."
"Sonic weapons should be enough to incapacitate the opponent."
In the Abandoned Shipyard, Batman changed into a plaid shirt.
"For now, I can't determine Daredevil's motivation for wearing that suit. Is it a personal vendetta against the Gang, or is he fighting crime like me?"
Batman silently shook his head. He couldn't delay any longer. After arranging Dr. Otto's research funds, he had to quickly manufacture a series of equipment including a sonar system, detective mode, taser, listening device...
Even the batmobile, Batwing, and the Batcave as a command center.
With these things, no one would be able to hide their identity from him.
As for now, he needed to register a company first.
New York's economy was active, and many people applied to register companies. Normally, it might take anywhere from a few days to several months.
But fortunately, there was an expedited channel here.
With the help of money, Batman obtained the relevant documents within a few hours.
This was a company established under the guise of AI technology research, just a shell. Batman didn't plan to develop AI technology himself; it was too slow to make money, and he couldn't wait.
"To Stark Tower."
Batman hailed a taxi and told the driver.
He intended to use some of his past AI technology to attract corporate partnerships in exchange for funds.
This AI did not include Alfred AI, Brother Eye, etc., but was simply civilian-use technology previously used in the batmobile for intelligent obstacle recognition.
New York had countless companies that might invest in this technology, but Batman ignored them all, choosing only Stark Industries.
Batman vividly remembered that Howard Stark's name had appeared in the CIA's records of the Tesseract.
This was a good opportunity for him to quickly acquire funds, engage with Stark Industries, and try to learn about the Tesseract.
In a law firm in Hell's Kitchen, Matt Murdock, who had just taken off his dark red suit and put on a suit, wearing dark red glasses, was adjusting his suit while asking his colleague in the office:
"Foggy, did anyone come in to commission a case just now?"
Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock's classmate, colleague, and partner, spread his hands:
"Come on, Matt, our firm has only taken one case since it was founded. You just went out to take a piss, how could there be a case to take on?"
"But honestly, if we don't get any more cases, our firm won't be able to stay afloat."
Matt Murdock smiled slightly and didn't reply, sitting in his chair and silently pondering the opponent he had just faced, who was arguably the most difficult and almost impossible to deal with since he became "Daredevil."
"His heartbeat and breathing were very stable, even during intense combat; his moves almost integrated all the fighting techniques I know, and also included parts I've never seen before..."
"Is he a 'friend' or an enemy?"
