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The moment Harvey saw Batman rush in to save him, his entire world turned bleak. He roared and shouted like a madman, demanding to know why Batman had come for him instead of Rachel. But it was all too late. Just as Batman, by the narrowest of margins, dragged Harvey out of the house in the final seconds, the pre-planted bomb exploded with a deafening blast.
Intense sparks sprayed onto Harvey's face, and the half of his face soaked in gasoline instantly ignited. Searing flames spread across his face, but the physical pain could not obscure the despair in Harvey's heart.
"Rachel, Rachel!"
Harvey, dragged out by Batman, let out a mournful cry, as if something precious had been lost to him forever.
Harvey's heart ached as if dead, and he fell unconscious in endless agony.
His premonition was not wrong. When numerous police officers rushed to the other location, before they could even enter, the entire house exploded, nearly blowing away the officers closest to it.
There was a traitor among these police officers, someone who leaked information, causing the enemy to detonate the bomb a few seconds early. But no one knew who it was.
The biting wind howled, and the large trees outside the window swayed gently, their leaves rustling softly against each other.
It wasn't just Harvey who suffered; Bruce suffered even more.
It was a choice between two, the most difficult decision. No matter what he chose, he would surely regret it, paying a lifetime of penance for today's decision.
He sat on the sofa, staring around blankly. The curtains were tightly drawn, and the entire room was dim, much like his bruised heart. When Alfred entered to find him, he showed no reaction at all.
"Did I kill Rachel? I only wanted to inspire people towards goodness, not madness and death..." Bruce murmured.
"You did inspire people," Alfred said. "But you struck too hard at the evil Factions in Gotham City. Did you never consider there would be casualties?"
"But that was Rachel..."
"At least Rachel believed in what you symbolized. Gotham City needs you, and misfortunes always occur before things can turn for the better," Alfred consoled. "If you truly need help, I suggest you find someone, for example, Tony."
"He wouldn't trust me. I can't speak for other things, but I'm somewhat confident in my judgment of people. The darkness in Tony's heart is no less than anyone else's," Bruce gently shook his head.
Alfred chuckled, "He should have killed you directly a few hours ago. He has the Mutant Faction backing him, and openly, he's one of the major shareholders of Stark Industries. Few people can touch him; he fears nothing. Yet he didn't make a move, even after how you treated him, especially when you last claimed to have a Hostage."
Alfred poured Bruce a glass of plain water and pushed it towards him.
"Young Master, I am old, but at least I can discern subtle things. He didn't inquire about the Hostage, perhaps because of his cold nature, but more likely because he believed you wouldn't harm the Hostage, even though you and I both know that 'Hostage' was yourself."
Alfred's footsteps gradually faded, leaving Bruce alone in the darkness, lost in thought.
...
Tony's promise to release him once he got the information made the Talon's eyes shift instinctively.
He had Dionysium within him, and if treated promptly, he could still recover a healthy body. However, he would also forever lose the Court of Owls' trust.
The Court of Owls, to put it plainly, was an assassin organization, a group of ancient, undying beings who thought themselves superior, dominating Gotham City. Coupled with Dionysium, a game-changing factor, the Court's methods were extremely strict.
Even if this Talon survived, his future would not be easy.
"Impossible. Even if I'm sent back, I'll likely be executed. The Court of Owls doesn't accept failures," the Talon said.
"Why must you go back? Can't you just leave the Court of Owls? The world is vast, why cling to a single tree?" Tony said, pulling out a towel to wipe the blood from his body.
The Talon said indifferently, "Ninety-nine percent of the Court's assassins are dead men. Only a handful like me are augmented living individuals. I myself am an internal member of many prestigious families; betrayal is impossible."
He twisted his neck, completely resigning himself to fate.
Tony frowned. Although he had been prepared, facing a fanatic was still infuriating and helpless.
"You chose your own path. Don't blame me if you go mad."
Tony couldn't be bothered with more idle talk; it was useless. He directly took out a small canister of Fear Gas and violently smashed it onto the Talon's head. The entire canister shattered, and the Fear Gas surged out, completely engulfing the immobile Talon.
This was the Fear Gas manufactured by Crane, his latest product.
The previous version of the Fear Gas had knocked out Batman; one must remember that Batman had undergone several years of grueling training in the League of Shadows, with will and mental training being paramount. Yet, such a Batman was knocked out by Crane in a single encounter, nearly dying.
The one being used now was an upgraded version, with even more astonishing power and more severe consequences.
It could potentially turn a highly trained individual into an idiotic lunatic.
"What have you done?" The Talon had undergone extensive training, but once enveloped by the Fear Gas, certain chemical elements seemed to move with intent, rushing directly to his brain's core and utterly scrambling the nerves in his cerebral cortex.
The entire world seemed to be made of water; everything became irregular, constantly twisting like currents, sometimes expanding, sometimes shrinking. Even more terrifying, he began to hallucinate. This dilapidated house instantly transformed into a demonic lair, with countless horrifying, indescribable grotesque creatures flying around within it.
Tony before him transformed into a distorted psychic Monster, with countless faces extruding from his mouth, covering his original face only to be immediately covered by new ones. Masses of seemingly unwilling human organs stubbornly clung to Tony's face, refusing to be easily obscured.
Tony became an amalgamation of countless faces and organs, an unspeakable entity existing only in concept.
Finally, a deformed owl with one large and one small eye flew from Tony's face, opening its mouth to shriek, revealing an endless array of teeth. The Talon was swallowed, bitten to pieces within rows upon rows of teeth, then restored, then bitten to pieces again...
His sanity showed signs of collapse, letting out unconscious gurgles.
"This Fear Gas..." Tony's eyes showed wariness. His body had already retreated, covered entirely in a layer of Allspark Energy to resist the Fear Gas's invasion.
Scarecrow Crane truly was a genius, a prodigy. This ability to create Fear Gas alone could produce miraculous effects.
"Tell me, where exactly is the Court of Owls' Stronghold?" Tony asked.
The Talon rolled inside the deformed owl's mouth, and a deafening roar that seemed to echo across the world interrogated him: "Tell me, where exactly is the Court of Owls' Stronghold?"
"In the south of Gotham City, Harbor Tower! They're all there, the Court of Owls' Elders are all there! Let me go, let me go!"
The Talon showed signs of madness, barely managing to utter that sentence before starting to babble incoherently to himself.
(end of chapter)
Intense sparks sprayed onto Harvey's face, and the half of his face soaked in gasoline instantly ignited. Searing flames spread across his face, but the physical pain could not obscure the despair in Harvey's heart.
"Rachel, Rachel!"
Harvey, dragged out by Batman, let out a mournful cry, as if something precious had been lost to him forever.
Harvey's heart ached as if dead, and he fell unconscious in endless agony.
His premonition was not wrong. When numerous police officers rushed to the other location, before they could even enter, the entire house exploded, nearly blowing away the officers closest to it.
There was a traitor among these police officers, someone who leaked information, causing the enemy to detonate the bomb a few seconds early. But no one knew who it was.
The biting wind howled, and the large trees outside the window swayed gently, their leaves rustling softly against each other.
It wasn't just Harvey who suffered; Bruce suffered even more.
It was a choice between two, the most difficult decision. No matter what he chose, he would surely regret it, paying a lifetime of penance for today's decision.
He sat on the sofa, staring around blankly. The curtains were tightly drawn, and the entire room was dim, much like his bruised heart. When Alfred entered to find him, he showed no reaction at all.
"Did I kill Rachel? I only wanted to inspire people towards goodness, not madness and death..." Bruce murmured.
"You did inspire people," Alfred said. "But you struck too hard at the evil Factions in Gotham City. Did you never consider there would be casualties?"
"But that was Rachel..."
"At least Rachel believed in what you symbolized. Gotham City needs you, and misfortunes always occur before things can turn for the better," Alfred consoled. "If you truly need help, I suggest you find someone, for example, Tony."
"He wouldn't trust me. I can't speak for other things, but I'm somewhat confident in my judgment of people. The darkness in Tony's heart is no less than anyone else's," Bruce gently shook his head.
Alfred chuckled, "He should have killed you directly a few hours ago. He has the Mutant Faction backing him, and openly, he's one of the major shareholders of Stark Industries. Few people can touch him; he fears nothing. Yet he didn't make a move, even after how you treated him, especially when you last claimed to have a Hostage."
Alfred poured Bruce a glass of plain water and pushed it towards him.
"Young Master, I am old, but at least I can discern subtle things. He didn't inquire about the Hostage, perhaps because of his cold nature, but more likely because he believed you wouldn't harm the Hostage, even though you and I both know that 'Hostage' was yourself."
Alfred's footsteps gradually faded, leaving Bruce alone in the darkness, lost in thought.
...
Tony's promise to release him once he got the information made the Talon's eyes shift instinctively.
He had Dionysium within him, and if treated promptly, he could still recover a healthy body. However, he would also forever lose the Court of Owls' trust.
The Court of Owls, to put it plainly, was an assassin organization, a group of ancient, undying beings who thought themselves superior, dominating Gotham City. Coupled with Dionysium, a game-changing factor, the Court's methods were extremely strict.
Even if this Talon survived, his future would not be easy.
"Impossible. Even if I'm sent back, I'll likely be executed. The Court of Owls doesn't accept failures," the Talon said.
"Why must you go back? Can't you just leave the Court of Owls? The world is vast, why cling to a single tree?" Tony said, pulling out a towel to wipe the blood from his body.
The Talon said indifferently, "Ninety-nine percent of the Court's assassins are dead men. Only a handful like me are augmented living individuals. I myself am an internal member of many prestigious families; betrayal is impossible."
He twisted his neck, completely resigning himself to fate.
Tony frowned. Although he had been prepared, facing a fanatic was still infuriating and helpless.
"You chose your own path. Don't blame me if you go mad."
Tony couldn't be bothered with more idle talk; it was useless. He directly took out a small canister of Fear Gas and violently smashed it onto the Talon's head. The entire canister shattered, and the Fear Gas surged out, completely engulfing the immobile Talon.
This was the Fear Gas manufactured by Crane, his latest product.
The previous version of the Fear Gas had knocked out Batman; one must remember that Batman had undergone several years of grueling training in the League of Shadows, with will and mental training being paramount. Yet, such a Batman was knocked out by Crane in a single encounter, nearly dying.
The one being used now was an upgraded version, with even more astonishing power and more severe consequences.
It could potentially turn a highly trained individual into an idiotic lunatic.
"What have you done?" The Talon had undergone extensive training, but once enveloped by the Fear Gas, certain chemical elements seemed to move with intent, rushing directly to his brain's core and utterly scrambling the nerves in his cerebral cortex.
The entire world seemed to be made of water; everything became irregular, constantly twisting like currents, sometimes expanding, sometimes shrinking. Even more terrifying, he began to hallucinate. This dilapidated house instantly transformed into a demonic lair, with countless horrifying, indescribable grotesque creatures flying around within it.
Tony before him transformed into a distorted psychic Monster, with countless faces extruding from his mouth, covering his original face only to be immediately covered by new ones. Masses of seemingly unwilling human organs stubbornly clung to Tony's face, refusing to be easily obscured.
Tony became an amalgamation of countless faces and organs, an unspeakable entity existing only in concept.
Finally, a deformed owl with one large and one small eye flew from Tony's face, opening its mouth to shriek, revealing an endless array of teeth. The Talon was swallowed, bitten to pieces within rows upon rows of teeth, then restored, then bitten to pieces again...
His sanity showed signs of collapse, letting out unconscious gurgles.
"This Fear Gas..." Tony's eyes showed wariness. His body had already retreated, covered entirely in a layer of Allspark Energy to resist the Fear Gas's invasion.
Scarecrow Crane truly was a genius, a prodigy. This ability to create Fear Gas alone could produce miraculous effects.
"Tell me, where exactly is the Court of Owls' Stronghold?" Tony asked.
The Talon rolled inside the deformed owl's mouth, and a deafening roar that seemed to echo across the world interrogated him: "Tell me, where exactly is the Court of Owls' Stronghold?"
"In the south of Gotham City, Harbor Tower! They're all there, the Court of Owls' Elders are all there! Let me go, let me go!"
The Talon showed signs of madness, barely managing to utter that sentence before starting to babble incoherently to himself.
(end of chapter)
