Venom Robin finally let out a sigh of relief, stepping out from the corner of the laboratory on South Brother Island and running happily over to Batman and Benjamin.
Possessing a portion of Batman's memories, he knew all too well that whenever a homeless young boy with a tragic backstory appeared, there was a high probability Batman would bring him back to the Batcave.
He had been feeling anxious and uneasy all day long, terrified that a new Robin would appear and steal Batman away from him.
Seeing now that the cloned guy hadn't been gifted the title of "Robin," but was instead named "Benjamin Reilly"—a name symbolizing all kinds of beautiful blessings—Venom Robin's mouth curled up into a wide grin on the spot.
"Ben Reilly!" Venom Robin offered a bright, cheerful greeting to Benjamin.
The name "Benjamin" itself could be shortened to "Ben."
"Robin?" Hearing a voice behind him, Benjamin hurriedly turned his head, smiling warmly at Venom Robin.
Batman was not the least bit surprised by Venom Robin's sudden appearance. Having raised several children, how could he fail to notice Venom Robin's little scheme?
In fact, the moment Venom Robin failed to find Batman on the neighboring Batcave island and came over to South Brother Island, Batman had already noticed him.
However, Batman not taking Benjamin in as Robin had nothing to do with Venom Robin eavesdropping.
Having stayed hidden in the dark to spy, Venom Robin only now got a clear look at Benjamin's face. Watching that all-too-familiar face, he froze for a moment.
That face was identical to Batman's, except Batman rarely curled the corners of his mouth, always maintaining a cold, stoic expression.
In contrast, Benjamin was smiling with extraordinary brightness at this moment, looking like the boy next door.
Seeing this face identical to Batman's caused Venom Robin's heart to skip a beat, but in less than a second, Venom Robin returned to normal:
"Ben, come on! Let's fight!"
"What?" Benjamin Reilly asked subconsciously, doubting he had misheard.
"You didn't mishear! Let's fight!" Venom Robin repeated. "Hurry up, I can barely hold back!"
Benjamin Reilly looked at Batman. Seeing Batman make no move to stop them, he cracked his knuckles and readily agreed:
"Alright!"
From the moment he woke up, Benjamin Reilly had discovered sensory capabilities far surpassing his former serum-injected body, along with the immense power residing within this new vessel.
He could tell that he was more than five times stronger than before.
Although he didn't know why Venom Robin wanted to pick a fight with him right off the bat, Benjamin Reilly welcomed the opportunity to familiarize himself with his new body.
"Ooh!" Seeing Benjamin Reilly accept his challenge, Venom Robin threw a punch from a distance.
One second, Venom Robin was still dozens of meters away extending his fist; the next second, his four-foot-eleven frame darted forward, instantly closing in right before Benjamin Reilly.
This sudden movement startled Benjamin Reilly. Almost without hesitation, he leaned his body backward, falling to the ground just before Venom Robin's fist could hit him.
At the same time, he dug his hands into the ground, raising both legs to kick fiercely toward Venom Robin.
However, halfway through the kick, Benjamin felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, as if an electric current had passed through his body.
He implicitly sensed that once his legs kicked forward, Venom Robin would instantly grab his legs with one hand and toss him straight into the East River.
And so, Benjamin Reilly forcibly altered his posture right before completing the kick. His extended legs bent sharply to plant on the ground, while his hands pushed off forcefully.
Clearly, he intended to execute a kip-up to spring back to his feet.
Unexpectedly, an accident occurred: Benjamin Reilly had underestimated the power of this new body, pushing off with far too much force in his palms.
Bang!
The ground beneath his palms produced a dull thud. His arms lifted his entire body up, but the excessive force sent him tumbling through the air several times, looking at first glance like an acro-performer.
Venom Robin blinked. Instead of pressing his advantage, he pulled back his fist and waited for Benjamin Reilly to land. He then comfortably extended his fist, striking Benjamin with a gentle blow.
And so, Benjamin—having just landed—flew back out again.
Thud!
The instant he hit the ground, Benjamin Reilly bounced right back up, looking at Venom Robin with eager enthusiasm:
"Again!"
He wanted to take this chance fighting Venom Robin to get properly acquainted with this body.
"No more, no more." Unexpectedly, Venom Robin shook his head like a rattle, repeatedly refusing.
Sneaking a peek at Batman and seeing that the Old Bat wasn't angry, Venom Robin instantly felt immensely proud of himself.
He had only done this because he couldn't beat Batman in a fight, using Benjamin Reilly—who possessed an identical face—to compensate and achieve a form of "spiritual victory."
It wasn't like he could actually engage in a life-or-death duel with Batman.
Benjamin Reilly had no idea what Venom Robin's little scheme was. Seeing that Venom Robin was calling it quits, he let out a somewhat disappointed sigh.
Throwing a few punches and kicks in the air, Benjamin Reilly returned to Batman's side, standing on his right while Venom Robin stood on his left.
"I'll give you one week to familiarize yourself with your body..." Batman said.
Venom Robin perked up his ears, even though those words weren't directed at him.
"One week? That should be enough." Benjamin nodded repeatedly; he had just been about to mention this to Batman.
"One week from now, I'm sending you to school," Batman paused briefly before finishing the second half of his sentence.
The moment those words were spoken, both Venom Robin and Benjamin Reilly fell silent.
After several seconds, Venom Robin burst out laughing, unable to hold it in.
Benjamin Reilly scratched his head in embarrassment:
"School?"
Back when he was still Jack Monroe, he had indeed been at a school-attending age. Having just gotten accepted into Columbia University, he had suffered a relentless string of life tragedies.
Yet no matter what, he never expected that even after dying once, obtaining a new body, a new life, and even a new name, he would still have to go to school.
"Hahaha..." Venom Robin couldn't hold back his laughter, so he stopped trying.
Only when Batman's gaze swept over him did Robin hurriedly tuck away his grin and suppress his laughter.
"Yes, school. To continue your unfinished education," Batman said. "I will legalize your identity and prepare a new suit for you."
"Okay." Benjamin Reilly nodded.
A week later, in the Batcave on Bat Island, Batman called Benjamin Reilly over, handing him a red, blue, and black suit with a webbing pattern, along with two web-shooters.
"This is your new suit," Batman said.
"When I put this suit on, the title of 'Second Bucky' no longer seems suitable for me," Benjamin Reilly said, taking the suit and looking at the black spider emblem emblazoned on it.
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