American comic book police officer survival manual

"The doctor said that this injury is just a common penetrating gunshot wound, without damaging the bone or important nerves. He can be discharged today after being bandaged up."

The female college student sitting on the hospital bed had a smile on her face, seemingly feeling genuine joy because of the arrival of a police officer.

A very ordinary penetrating wound—what an abstract term.

But in Gotham, where shootings are frequent, a gunshot wound of this severity might be considered a trivial matter by an experienced doctor.

"How are your expenses? Do you need any help?"

Followed all the way to the hospital by the third wheel beside him, a helpless Lucius could only softly comfort the patient who was about to be discharged under the watchful eye of Brock, trying his best to play the role of a "ladies' man" through a strange tone that even he himself found somewhat repulsive.

"It's alright, Wayne Group's medical suite covered more than 80% of the costs... It's just that because of this incident, my insurance premium might be higher next month..."

Although a hint of regret crossed her face, Pamela didn't seem discouraged, suggesting that the expenses were within the female college student's means.

"Wayne Group?"

A strange look flashed across Lucius's face, but he quickly realized what was going on.

Oh, by the way, our Lord Wayne runs a behemoth that spans the entire life of Gotham, from birth to death.

From banking and finance to healthcare and even daily necessities, there's nothing Wayne Enterprises doesn't get involved in; even insurance seems to fall within their business scope.

"That sounds pretty good, it covers more than 80%... I remember that health insurance in New York City usually doesn't go that far."

According to a conversation between Lucius and a candid "doctor friend," he had heard a lot about the shady dealings in the insurance industry and recorded these things in his diary.

Some unscrupulous insurance companies will refuse to pay out insurance premiums for various reasons when customers are involved in an incident... but obviously our Batman doesn't need that kind of money.

"Yes, but I also need to advance a batch of experimental materials for my supervisor next month, and if the insurance premium increases again..."

Thinking about the challenges ahead next month, Pamela's face fell, and even the freckles on her fair skin seemed to dim.

"...If you need anything, you can contact me anytime."

Feeling the piercing gaze from behind, Lucius had no choice but to reach out and grasp Pamela's hand while offering a warm but slightly stiff smile.

Clearly unprepared for Lucius's "aggressive" behavior today, the female college student, who had never been in a relationship, blushed upon feeling the warmth of his hand, and her voice began to stiffen.

"Thank you... thank you."

Pamela had always been treated as someone who was invisible and bullied, and this was the first time she had ever felt this kind of emotion.

But with this handsome police officer... it seems this is the third time she's received such attention and help...

"If you are injured due to such an uncontrollable crime, you only need to submit a list next month, and your premium will not increase."

The old policeman, Brock, leaning against the door, seemed to be very experienced in this kind of thing, but his tone was a bit strange, and he seemed quite dissatisfied.

"Heh, he didn't even tell the other party such an obvious message, but instead took advantage of the situation. He really is a philandering bastard."

With this assessment of Lucius in his mind, Brock became increasingly worried about the future of the Gotham Police Department.

The veteran officers at the police station have all been corrupted by the gangsters, while the new recruits are all the same type who can't resist women...

Despite his excellent performance in previous missions, given his past womanizing ways, can he really uphold his sense of justice in Gotham?

Gotham's various shady industries are so developed that they can corrupt anyone with a weak will... and the erotic world is naturally included in them.

Looking at the young man beside the hospital bed, Brock became increasingly troubled.

Of course, the lovely red-haired patient in the hospital bed didn't notice the old policeman's helplessness. Financially strapped, she immediately perked up at the mention of the insurance premium: "Really??"

"Of course, many of the victims we've encountered have submitted similar applications."

"Wayne Corporation sounds like a really conscientious company..."

As he said this sincerely, Lucius recalled a meme he had learned about online in his previous life.

Batman always manages to save Gotham from chaos, but don't ask why Gotham falls into chaos in the first place.

Whether Wayne Enterprises is the root of all evil in Gotham is unknown, but at least based on what Lucius has seen and heard so far, Bruce Wayne is indeed doing his best to patch up the city of Gotham.

"bite..."

The phone rang crisply, and Pamela, somewhat reluctant, withdrew her hands and took the phone out of her coat.

"Feed? Is it from the tutor?"

Having unwittingly overheard Pamela's phone call, Lucius used this opportunity to drag Brock out of the ward... finally able to temporarily stop playing along.

"Hello, is this a convenient time for an interview? I'm Clark, a reporter from the Daily Planet, and I'd like to interview you about the previous gas attack..."

Interview?

Lucius paused, startled by the sound coming from the other end of the hospital corridor.

According to the information he obtained from the diary, he remembered that the Daily Planet was a newspaper from the metropolis area. Could it be that they had also come to Gotham City to conduct interviews and investigations?

Just how impactful was the last gas attack...?

"wrong?!"

Suddenly remembering something, Lucius's expression changed drastically. He looked at the old policeman beside him, his tone tense and flustered: "What was the name of that reporter who just spoke?!"

"Clark? What, is our playboy trying to get some screen time on TV?"

Dissatisfied with Lucius's shameless flirting earlier, Brock retorted sarcastically, unaware that Lucius was completely oblivious to his words.

"Clark..."

That's right, the Daily Planet... Clark...

As Lucius made out the tall silhouette at the end of the corridor, the familiar square-faced reporter with his stiff, boring black-rimmed glasses, his expression grew increasingly blank.

He might not be familiar with American comic book plots, but even if Lucius was completely clueless, he'd still heard of Superman!

Superman and his super glasses...

This might be the strongest being in the entire American comic book universe, and it just appeared right in front of me like that?!

Seemingly sensing the strange look in his eyes, Clark, who was still interviewing patients in the ward, turned his head slightly and noticed the two policemen at the other end of the corridor.

"Hello, would you two be available for an interview?"

With a professional smile, Clark raised the microphone in front of the camera and pointed it at the bewildered Lucius.

On the officer's chest, in a place he couldn't see, the writing on the manual was slowly and spontaneously growing...

[Ability: Kryptonian Physique]

[Unlock progress: ...1%]

.....

"Professor Wood? You mean you want me to participate in an experiment?"

In the ward next door, Pamela was talking on her phone with her mentor.

"Yes, if you accept, credits and scholarships will not be a problem."

The excited voice coming from the other end of the phone made the girl in the hospital bed feel inexplicably flustered.

This news, which should have been good news, suddenly appeared in Pamela's life, leaving her somewhat at a loss.

From a well-meaning police officer to a professor who values ​​her... Has she been experiencing a lot of good things lately?

"Can't it be someone else?"

Pamela glanced at the policeman guarding outside the ward, vaguely sensing the goodwill he had shown earlier, and her face flushed again:

"I might be a bit busy lately, maybe a little..."

"Dating and stuff..."

Her voice trailed off, the guilty girl like a little mouse stealing happiness, afraid that her words would be heard by the person outside the wall.

Pamela, who had never been pursued before, could clearly sense that she seemed to have developed some special feelings for the gentle and reliable Mr. Lucius.

It seems the other person isn't hostile towards me...in fact, they were unusually proactive today, even with that colleague by their side...

Thinking about these things, her heart began to race uncontrollably.

"No problem! The experiment can be conducted within a week! As long as you agree, I'm willing to write you a letter of recommendation from Harvard University to facilitate your future graduate studies!"

The top university for botany, the hall of fame that Pamela once longed to enter.

Upon hearing that Professor Wood was even willing to use his connections to write her a letter of recommendation, Pamela's tone softened:

"Within a week? Well... let me think about it and give you an answer tomorrow."

"Okay! It's just a routine experiment related to botany. I extracted a very safe substance and want to verify its healing abilities through experiments."

"I heard you recently injured your ankle. This might have a powerful effect on self-healing, which is why I wanted to invite you to participate..."

The professor on the other end of the phone spoke very quickly, seemingly in a state of excitement, his voice even trembling slightly.

But Pamela, whose mind was completely focused on that person, obviously didn't notice these oddities.

"Yes, thank you for your invitation. I will definitely consider it carefully."

.....