Neither Dr. Otto nor anyone else could withstand a full-force strike from the Incredible Hulk or Professor Lizard, but Dr. Otto could easily handle Professor Morbius's strength, which measured under five tons.
The group did not stay on South Brother Island; instead, they relocated to Bat Island, gathering in a large open area behind the gradually taking shape Parker Manor.
Batman watched Dr. Otto and Professor Morbius spar with each other, while Dr. Banner and Professor Connors frowned deeply beside him.
Like Batman, they noticed that no matter how fast Professor Morbius moved or from what angle he launched his attacks, Dr. Otto—with the reaction time of a mere ordinary human—could surprisingly keep up completely and even had energy to spare.
Four mechanical tentacles raised and fell; their agility was even smoother than a normal person controlling their own limbs.
It wasn't just agility—relying on the prosthetic technology mounted on the suit, co-developed by Dr. Otto and Professor Connors, the micro-movements and force output of the mechanical tentacles were controlled to perfection.
As a result, Professor Morbius found himself temporarily unable to best Dr. Otto, slowly becoming suppressed by him instead.
"Stop," Batman called out.
Whoosh!
The moment Batman's voice fell, Dr. Otto's mechanical tentacles instantly retracted. Operating like an octopus, they supported him against the ground as he swiftly slid backward over five meters, avoiding Professor Morbius's incoming offensive before Morbius could pull back.
Professor Connors and Dr. Banner's brows knit even tighter, and both turned to look at Batman simultaneously.
"Doctor, describe your state just now," Batman said.
Dr. Otto nodded and walked back to Batman and the other two alongside Professor Morbius.
"My focus was extraordinarily concentrated. Everything around me seemed to subtly slow down, and my control over the mechanical tentacles became significantly more nimble. The moment Professor Morbius initiated an attack against me, I could clearly perceive the direction he was going to strike in my mind."
"I don't know how to describe it specifically, and that state only exists during combat—it can't be maintained indefinitely."
Batman understood completely. From Dr. Otto's simple description, he had gotten the exact information he wanted: during combat, Dr. Otto entered a state similar to when Spider-Sense was activated.
It was precisely this unique state that allowed Dr. Otto to suppress Professor Morbius in battle.
"Doctor, I need to perform a brain scan on you," Batman said.
"I also suspect something went wrong with my brain, though fortunately, it seems benign," Dr. Otto did not object to Batman's suggestion.
"The Batcave has the necessary equipment. Follow me," Batman said, taking the lead as he headed down toward the Batcave situated beneath Parker Manor.
The Batcave had been completely finished during this period. The ground-level foundation of Parker Manor used for cover had also been completed, leaving only above-ground construction work remaining.
Entering and exiting the Batcave was no longer as convenient as before; it now featured multiple entry methods controlled by different hidden mechanisms, most of which were located inside Parker Manor.
This was the first time Dr. Banner and the others had entered Parker Manor. Seeing that Batman didn't lead them directly into the Batcave, but instead brought them to a room that was clearly the manor's wine cellar, they looked around curiously.
As they were looking around, Batman suddenly raised his foot and stomped down hard on the ground.
A force exceeding thirty tons struck the floor of the wine cellar, instantly producing a heavy yet crisp click.
Dr. Banner and the others were startled. As they looked on in uncertainty and suspicion, the ground beneath their feet suddenly began to sink.
Professor Connors and Dr. Otto exchanged a glance. Since Batman had caused this noise and was currently standing completely motionless after that stomp, they simply remained where they were as well.
It wasn't as if Batman was going to harm them.
"Is this the mechanism to enter the Batcave?" Professor Morbius couldn't help asking as he watched their group slowly descend beneath the ground.
Batman nodded slightly, offering no further explanation.
Among the entry mechanisms for the Batcave, this was the only simple and crude one, and it would be decommissioned once Parker Manor was fully constructed.
"The passage is a bit dark," Professor Connors remarked, looking at his surroundings. As they descended deeper underground, pitch blackness swallowed everything around them.
Seeing that no one responded to his complaint, Professor Connors stretched his body. The bones all over his body popped sharply like crackling beans as he transformed from human form into a Lizard form standing over three meters tall.
His cold, golden vertical slits of pupils were remarkably striking in the dark. Professor Lizard nodded in satisfaction: "Now I can see clearly."
Batman and the other scientists looked at each other in the dark. Professor Morbius even caught a rare glimpse of helplessness on Batman's face.
"Professor, when we get into the Batcave in a moment, you'll see an oversized version of you striking a pose," Dr. Banner teased.
"What do you mean, an oversized version of me?" Professor Connors's golden vertical pupils narrowed slightly, a momentary flash of confusion passing through them.
Among the members of the Justice League, he was the only one who hadn't visited the Batcave yet, so he naturally didn't know the setup inside.
Dr. Banner gave a chuckle without explaining. Dr. Otto and Professor Morbius were also quite happy to watch Professor Lizard get bewildered later, so they stayed quiet as well.
A few minutes later, the group finally arrived at the Batcave located tens of meters underground.
Professor Lizard stepped into the cave first. His golden vertical pupils scanned the surroundings before locking onto the center of the Batcave.
Though called a "cave," the underground space of Bat Island actually closely resembled a massive subterranean vault, boasting a ceiling height of fully over fifteen meters.
The geological structure of Bat Island alone could not possibly support such a tall hollowed space, so over half of the interior was encased in metal support structures of varying sizes and thicknesses.
Combined with a small portion of the natural rock formations, the entire Batcave looked filled with a striking mix of industrial and primitive aesthetics.
Row after row—a total of twelve frost clubs and giant axes of different yet equally rugged designs—were displayed around the perimeter of the Batcave, adding an extra chill to the air out of nowhere.
In the central area of the Batcave stood a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex over five meters tall and fifteen meters long, frozen in a fierce, aggressive posture.
Had it not remained completely motionless, its blood-red, cavernous jaw—carrying a faint metallic scent—and its taut, defined muscles would have made anyone believe it was still alive.
Scattered around the feet of the giant T-Rex were pieces of Frost Giant armor, looking like its hard-earned trophies.
In a relatively level area, a massive holographic projection was cast from an unseen source, displaying a map of the entirety of North America with various streamings of data and information rapidly refreshing across it.
The interior of the Batcave was not entirely flat. When constructing this place, Batman had clearly made adaptations according to the specific terrain. Professor Connors even noticed an underground river flowing through the cave, with a faint blue light gleaming from beneath the water, concealing who-knows-what underneath.
The arrival of Dr. Banner and his group startled the creatures hiding in the unrefined stalactites and crevices of the giant rocks hanging above.
Flap-flap-flap!
Over a hundred bats flapped their wings, sweeping low through the air before disappearing into the distant darkness.
Professor Lizard pulled his gaze away from the giant T-Rex and looked toward the spot where the bats had just flown from. He discovered a Batwing with folded wings hanging upside down over there.
And only now did he realize that the Batcave was far larger than he had imagined.
Apart from this vast expanse of underground space illuminated by lights and visible to the naked eye, there were several pitch-black tunnels extending off in other directions.
He sniffed. With his acute sense of smell, he was surprisingly unable to gauge the true scope of the Batcave. It was like a massive, three-dimensional labyrinth—once a person stepped into the dark, they might very well never be able to walk back out.
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