Bruce wanted to marry Selina, but unfortunately, she loved Batman.
It sounds like a strange reason—after all, isn't Bruce Batman? Yet, it wasn't only Joker who understood the truth.
The greatest playboy in Gotham, Bruce Wayne, truly isn't Batman, even though they may share one body, the two are completely different.
Batman exists in reality, whereas Bruce Wayne actually died decades ago that night in Crime Alley with his parents.
Many people besides Joker are aware of this, and it has nearly become Gotham's open secret.
Whether it was someone else's conspiracy or simply unclear thoughts, the result was that Selina disappeared after leaving a letter before the wedding with Bruce.
She thought she was ready, Louise even took her to the Lonely Fortress for a bachelorette party, tasted all of Clark's exotic wines, and watched the Superman robots' striptease.
But upon returning to Gotham, Joker found her.
"Gotham cannot be without Batman."
Catwoman originally intended to kill him, but Joker's next words made a lot of sense:
"Only Batman is real, and you're marrying a fake named Bruce, a void, just like a soulless shell."
As Selina pondered, Joker had already slipped away.
Then a confused Catwoman went to her girlfriends for advice, who all persuaded her not to marry Bruce because the body may be the same, but not the soul she met on the rooftop at midnight.
That would never lead to happiness, Batman trusts no one, especially not Bruce.
Because anyone who knows Selina's true identity must be someone she trusts, Catwoman was eventually convinced.
So she left a letter and ran away, never to be seen again.
Naturally, she didn't see her girlfriends each collecting a hundred-thousand-dollar reward from Joker, gleefully laughing.
Catwoman knew Batman's secrets well, so there was no way to even track her down, Bruce was left hanging at the wedding.
They had been together for years, the relationship was deep, but the other party suddenly leaving without a word was a tremendous blow.
The Justice League heroes he invited to the wedding were left speechless, the atmosphere incredibly awkward.
After that, Bruce indulged in a life of debauchery, periodically breaking into tears and laughter, like someone with a mental disorder, climbing Wayne Tower several times, worrying even Ah Fu that he might jump off to commit suicide, Zatanna was ready to use Antithesis Magic to wipe his memory.
But each night when he donned the Batman suit, it was as if none of this had happened, he remained as composed and calm as ever, the brain of the Justice League, the master of Gotham.
In such a state, Earth faced an invasion by Barbatos, later repelling Omega Four Gods, and in subsequent events, Batman continued to play his role.
As for how much pain he felt inside, probably only when he took off the suit each morning could he truly understand it himself.
And now, the Windbreaker Warrior had disclosed Catwoman's whereabouts, and Batman hesitated. He wanted to ask Selina why she left, what exactly happened?
It's undeniable that Batman is still just human, flesh and blood are inevitably influenced by emotions; he has enough logic to refuse the Lantern Ring, but that doesn't mean the ring won't seek him out.
He lost his parents, now his wife, he respected Selina's choice, but he wanted to know the truth.
So after a brief moment of consideration, Batman pulled out the Bat Walkie-Talkie, pressed a few buttons, and soon the Bat Plane was overhead.
The Batmobile couldn't possibly be faster than a plane, better to first check the museum to see if she's there; if not, the Windbreaker Warrior could provide more information.
"You might need to postpone your return home," he said, as the Bat Plane's armored bottom opened, lowering two seats.
Ironically, the plane was originally designed for a single pilot, Batman had modified it to have two seats for Catwoman, but now another person was onboard, helping Batman find the missing Catwoman.
"Ah, great, the plane is faster." The Windbreaker Warrior pounded a fist into his palm, his voice audibly excited through the voice modulator: "I've always wanted to ride a plane."
Batman said nothing, just watched him clumsily settle into the seat, fastening the seatbelt.
Leaving a field of unconscious people behind, Batman climbed into his seat, and the two quickly ascended, with the cockpit's glass covered in raindrops, the darkness of Gotham twisted around them.
The bat-shaped aircraft's tail emitted a blue flame, buildings and trees around them quickly vanished in the backdrop, it only took a few minutes to reach the outside of the Gotham Museum.
And here, Batman sensed something peculiar.
The tall marble building was white, resembling an Ancient Roman palace, the museum's exterior wall bore the marks of many floods, but none of this was what Batman found odd.
What puzzled him was why the museum had power.
Although the building wasn't brightly lit, through a row of doors, some light inside could still be seen faintly.
"Huh? There's actually electricity?" The Windbreaker Warrior tugged at his collar, tilting his head in confusion.
"...Follow up."
Batman simply uttered two words, flicking his cape as he shot out a grappling hook, intending to enter from the top of the museum.
Catwoman is a thief, not a robber, and she loves cleanliness, so she would never crawl through a sewer.
Previously, her heists involved breaking through ceilings and using pulleys to hang upside down for the theft, which was her usual modus operandi.
Batman and Catwoman first met here during a theft. Catwoman had her eyes on a massive sapphire on display.
It could be said it was a chance encounter; Batman typically wouldn't go after a mere thief. He just happened to discover it while passing by.
After some setup and confrontation, Batman deliberately let Catwoman steal the gemstone, intending to tail her and find her hideout.
However, he discovered Catwoman merely sold the gem cheaply and distributed the money to orphans on the street. Thus, Batman confirmed her sense of justice and did not apprehend her; instead, he invested in establishing an orphanage.
Since then, their relationship has been both adversarial and friendly, but gradually, as they interacted more, the two couldn't avoid falling for each other.
In reality, the process was quite simple. People of the Jianghu dare to love and hate. Batman just saved Catwoman a few times, and she fell for him.
So, revisiting the old place today, Batman couldn't help but feel sentimental. He's no longer as young as he once was, but the weather remains eerily the same.
Recalling their countless interactions, Batman had to use his willpower to push the memories back into the depths of his mind to maintain composure.
Standing on the museum's rooftop, he saw the Windbreaker Warrior hiding behind a flowerbed outside the door, waving incessantly and pointing at his head as if to say he couldn't get up there.
Batman signaled for him to stay put, then pulled out a spray can from his belt and walked a few steps, spraying a bat-shaped symbol on the roof.
"Bang!"
The shaped charge explosives worked perfectly even in the pouring rain, and before the blasted roof debris could hit the ground, Batman followed right after.
The black cape carved an arc in the corridor, and during his descent, Batman shot out a grappling hook, anchoring himself on one side of the wall.
Upon seeing the scene inside the museum, he finally understood where the strange feeling he had earlier came from.
In the spacious museum hall, where beautiful classical statues were once displayed, a heap of instruments and generators now lay chaotically on the ground, rumbling loudly.
The faces of the pristine marble statues were painted with exaggerated red smiles.
Some diligent security guards were already dead, their bodies showing traces of the Antlion Butterfly, with severed limbs scattered everywhere.
Why could Batman determine it was the work of the Antlion Butterfly? It was because among known maneating monsters, only that creature had a vertical mouth, similar to a Venus flytrap with sharp teeth along the lip edges. The wounds were quite distinctive.
It seemed as if Joker had anticipated Batman entering from the rooftop. Not far ahead, words were written in blood on the ground.
"Come find me, haha!"
This was typical Joker handiwork; he turned all the artworks here into jokes, using the fragility of life to elevate the theme of humanity.
Batman landed gracefully, first checking if the writing was indeed from the Joker's hand, then started searching for traces of Selena.
The blood was already completely dried, meaning the crime happened at least three hours ago, and as he wanted to find Catwoman, it seemed Joker had also considered this for him.
Right beside the large words, the neck of the David statue dressed like a circus clown had a piece of black leather rope.
The texture, length, and weight were all too familiar to him; it was the tail cut from Selena's costume.
His heart sank. Though Selena and other members of the Bat Clan were often captured by Joker, this time, Joker's actions were unusual.
Damaging the costume suggested harm, akin to what was done to Barbara.
And Batman's time was running out.
...................
Meanwhile, in Washington, even amidst darkness, the glowing buildings stood out. As the heroes rested in their rooms, a long-prepared individual made his move.
Copperhead, locked in the basement prison, suddenly opened his eyes. He flexed his neck, first standing up to pat nonexistent dust off his uniform, then looked around the familiar cell with interest.
A slight smile crept up his lips as he spat out a black nail into his hand and started to walk slowly, occasionally bending down to tap on the ground.
Upon hearing a sound different from elsewhere, his grin widened.
"Bruce, oh Bruce, once again you find yourself in a trap. Having a backup even in the Justice League's prison is just so my style, hehehehe..."