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In the building where Rachel was killed by an explosion, it was a scene of devastation. Large swathes of crumbling walls and broken debris lay everywhere, with fine glass shards occasionally visible.
It was a terrible explosion that almost completely destroyed the tall building. Even vehicles several meters outside were affected and utterly scrapped.
The night was deep and the entire building was silent, with only its main structure barely standing, recounting its former glory to the world. A gentle breeze carrying a chill brushed against people's faces, seemingly stirring ripples.
But it was an illusion. Gordon understood there were no poetic ripples, only bone-chilling cold.
The old Commissioner had worked diligently and tirelessly for most of his life, always maintaining the justice in his heart. He once believed that dawn would come, and Harvey would lead everyone down a bright path.
But he failed, everyone failed. The moment Rachel died, everyone knew they had failed.
"Harvey! Don't hurt my family! All the responsibility lies with me! Damn it, don't you dare point that gun at my family again!" Gordon grew more frantic as he spoke, watching helplessly as his wife and two children were held captive by Harvey, only able to let out a powerless roar.
Even now, he could barely believe it – was this person before him still the Harvey imbued with justice? Was he still the Knight of Justice?
"Rachel died in this building, brought here by your men, and then they blew her up. And now you tell me not to hurt your family?" Harvey twisted his lips, the one intact half of his mouth a stark contrast to the other half, which was almost completely burned away.
"Why was it my Rachel who died, and not someone else? Gordon, tell me, why wasn't it your family who died?" Unlike the insane Joker, he was still trying to maintain his former composure.
Harvey grabbed a young boy, dragging him to the edge of the building. Looking at the softly sobbing child, he suddenly revealed a crazed expression. If everything had gone smoothly, he and Rachel would have had a cute child too, but now, none of that was possible.
"Gordon, do you think I would still choose to run? I've long since had nowhere left to run!" Harvey's expression was ferocious.
"You won't hurt that child. That's not who you are."
A giant bat silhouette swooped in from another building. He was panting heavily; despite dealing with the Joker and hurrying all the way, he was still a step too late.
"It's not about what I want or don't want, it's about fairness! Do you still think I can be a righteous person? Ridiculous! There's only one thing in this world without prejudice..." Harvey took out his coin, holding it carefully in his hand. This small object was the fairest thing in the world.
This tiny coin had become Harvey's entire life, because it was the fairest thing, with only heads and tails.
The cold wind howled, emitting a terrible wailing sound, as if mourning for Harvey, though it was unclear whether it was a curse or pity. Leaves rustled with the sound of the wind.
"First, you, Batman. Heads, you live. Tails, you die!" Harvey flipped the coin as usual, caught it in his hand, and slowly opened it.
It was tails.
Bang!
Harvey unhesitatingly shot Batman. He didn't care about the outcome; though he knew Batman was wearing bulletproof armor, he didn't care. One shot was enough; he only ever fired one.
Batman lay on the ground, motionless, as if shot dead.
"Next is me..." Harvey rationally put the gun to his own head and coldly flipped the coin. The coin was the fairest judgment; whether he lived or died would be decided by it. If fate demanded his death, he would unhesitatingly pull the trigger.
This time, it was heads.
"Now it's your son's turn. Let's see if this cute child lives or dies..." Harvey said, turning his head to look at Gordon, revealing a ferocious grin.
Harvey, at this moment, had become so unfamiliar, like a robot devoid of emotion.
Batman, lying on the ground, seized the moment Harvey was distracted. He roared and lunged, knocking Harvey off the tall building!
The two of them fell from the tall building together, one after another!
Harvey, dressed in a suit and completely unprotected, fell to his death on the spot. A pool of blood slowly spread, growing larger.
Gotham City's conscience, the people's Knight of Justice, was ultimately ended by the Dark Knight.
The Dark Knight killed the Knight of Justice he so valued. What an irony.
"Indeed, the Joker still won. You lost everything... You should have listened to me, killed the Joker with your own hands or let me do it. It's still not too late, otherwise, more people will turn out like Harvey in the future." Tony had followed all the way, coldly witnessing everything from the shadows.
He could have intervened to save everyone, he could have stopped Harvey, but he wouldn't. What one saw with their own eyes was often more reliable than what one heard. He wanted to force Bruce to witness Harvey's transformation firsthand, and even, if some accident truly occurred, he would force Bruce to kill Harvey.
A Superhero whose belief was to protect the populace should be ruthless against terrifying enemies. Right now it was just ordinary people like Harvey; in the future, more and more alien visitors would arrive on Earth, drawing back the curtain on grand plays.
Was Batman going to try and capture them all alive, one by one? Many of them would come to Earth directly with armies; there would be no way to capture them all.
"I will never become like you! Don't think you've won, Tony, I will never become a villain like you!" Batman said, each word distinct, lying on the ground.
Although his armor protected him, falling from such a height still caused him injuries.
"Suit yourself. Anyway, I can't win an argument with your stubborn ways... You have belief, which is good. At least I don't have to worry about you turning into someone like Harvey. Don't forget, you personally chose Harvey. Believe me, if one day you become like him, I will kill you with my own hands, because at that time, you will surely make killing me your primary target."
Tony squatted down, his gaze complex, and picked up the coin clutched in Harvey's hand. After gazing at it for a long time, he walked towards Batman and, while Gordon warned him sternly from upstairs, placed the coin into Batman's hand.
"Remember Harvey. You should remember him. He owed no one anything, but you owed him a great deal... Harvey was just an ordinary man; he was crushed by you. I could have changed him, but I didn't, because it was already meaningless. The Knight of Justice is gone forever. Harvey wasn't the first person you killed, was he? You must have killed many people when you broke away from the League of Shadows, right?"
"What exactly do you want to say?" Batman painfully clenched his fist. Being a hero was never easy. He had taken his no-kill principle as his belief, attempting to avoid becoming a murderer without a bottom line.
But he had indeed killed many people, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Every time his hands were stained with blood, it could never be washed away.
Tony stood up and, illuminated by the occasionally peeking moonlight, slowly walked away. He no longer paid attention to Batman, who lay powerlessly on the ground. Batman was the biggest loser; he had lost everything he could lose, seemingly becoming utterly alone.
"If I were you, I wouldn't repent. People like Harvey are better off dead. A Knight of Justice, recognized by everyone, when he suddenly reveals the darkness in his heart, the consequences are more terrifying than the Joker. Wouldn't it be better to let the image of justice forever remain in people's hearts?"
"By the way, I'm leaving Gotham City soon. Before I go, I'll give you a gift, consider it a weakness I'm leaving behind to control you later." Tony suddenly stopped, and with his back to Batman, slowly uttered words that stunned the latter.
"Rachel is still alive. I sent someone to rescue her. You want to make yourself perfect? How could that be? I won't allow my enemies to be without weaknesses."
(end of chapter)
It was a terrible explosion that almost completely destroyed the tall building. Even vehicles several meters outside were affected and utterly scrapped.
The night was deep and the entire building was silent, with only its main structure barely standing, recounting its former glory to the world. A gentle breeze carrying a chill brushed against people's faces, seemingly stirring ripples.
But it was an illusion. Gordon understood there were no poetic ripples, only bone-chilling cold.
The old Commissioner had worked diligently and tirelessly for most of his life, always maintaining the justice in his heart. He once believed that dawn would come, and Harvey would lead everyone down a bright path.
But he failed, everyone failed. The moment Rachel died, everyone knew they had failed.
"Harvey! Don't hurt my family! All the responsibility lies with me! Damn it, don't you dare point that gun at my family again!" Gordon grew more frantic as he spoke, watching helplessly as his wife and two children were held captive by Harvey, only able to let out a powerless roar.
Even now, he could barely believe it – was this person before him still the Harvey imbued with justice? Was he still the Knight of Justice?
"Rachel died in this building, brought here by your men, and then they blew her up. And now you tell me not to hurt your family?" Harvey twisted his lips, the one intact half of his mouth a stark contrast to the other half, which was almost completely burned away.
"Why was it my Rachel who died, and not someone else? Gordon, tell me, why wasn't it your family who died?" Unlike the insane Joker, he was still trying to maintain his former composure.
Harvey grabbed a young boy, dragging him to the edge of the building. Looking at the softly sobbing child, he suddenly revealed a crazed expression. If everything had gone smoothly, he and Rachel would have had a cute child too, but now, none of that was possible.
"Gordon, do you think I would still choose to run? I've long since had nowhere left to run!" Harvey's expression was ferocious.
"You won't hurt that child. That's not who you are."
A giant bat silhouette swooped in from another building. He was panting heavily; despite dealing with the Joker and hurrying all the way, he was still a step too late.
"It's not about what I want or don't want, it's about fairness! Do you still think I can be a righteous person? Ridiculous! There's only one thing in this world without prejudice..." Harvey took out his coin, holding it carefully in his hand. This small object was the fairest thing in the world.
This tiny coin had become Harvey's entire life, because it was the fairest thing, with only heads and tails.
The cold wind howled, emitting a terrible wailing sound, as if mourning for Harvey, though it was unclear whether it was a curse or pity. Leaves rustled with the sound of the wind.
"First, you, Batman. Heads, you live. Tails, you die!" Harvey flipped the coin as usual, caught it in his hand, and slowly opened it.
It was tails.
Bang!
Harvey unhesitatingly shot Batman. He didn't care about the outcome; though he knew Batman was wearing bulletproof armor, he didn't care. One shot was enough; he only ever fired one.
Batman lay on the ground, motionless, as if shot dead.
"Next is me..." Harvey rationally put the gun to his own head and coldly flipped the coin. The coin was the fairest judgment; whether he lived or died would be decided by it. If fate demanded his death, he would unhesitatingly pull the trigger.
This time, it was heads.
"Now it's your son's turn. Let's see if this cute child lives or dies..." Harvey said, turning his head to look at Gordon, revealing a ferocious grin.
Harvey, at this moment, had become so unfamiliar, like a robot devoid of emotion.
Batman, lying on the ground, seized the moment Harvey was distracted. He roared and lunged, knocking Harvey off the tall building!
The two of them fell from the tall building together, one after another!
Harvey, dressed in a suit and completely unprotected, fell to his death on the spot. A pool of blood slowly spread, growing larger.
Gotham City's conscience, the people's Knight of Justice, was ultimately ended by the Dark Knight.
The Dark Knight killed the Knight of Justice he so valued. What an irony.
"Indeed, the Joker still won. You lost everything... You should have listened to me, killed the Joker with your own hands or let me do it. It's still not too late, otherwise, more people will turn out like Harvey in the future." Tony had followed all the way, coldly witnessing everything from the shadows.
He could have intervened to save everyone, he could have stopped Harvey, but he wouldn't. What one saw with their own eyes was often more reliable than what one heard. He wanted to force Bruce to witness Harvey's transformation firsthand, and even, if some accident truly occurred, he would force Bruce to kill Harvey.
A Superhero whose belief was to protect the populace should be ruthless against terrifying enemies. Right now it was just ordinary people like Harvey; in the future, more and more alien visitors would arrive on Earth, drawing back the curtain on grand plays.
Was Batman going to try and capture them all alive, one by one? Many of them would come to Earth directly with armies; there would be no way to capture them all.
"I will never become like you! Don't think you've won, Tony, I will never become a villain like you!" Batman said, each word distinct, lying on the ground.
Although his armor protected him, falling from such a height still caused him injuries.
"Suit yourself. Anyway, I can't win an argument with your stubborn ways... You have belief, which is good. At least I don't have to worry about you turning into someone like Harvey. Don't forget, you personally chose Harvey. Believe me, if one day you become like him, I will kill you with my own hands, because at that time, you will surely make killing me your primary target."
Tony squatted down, his gaze complex, and picked up the coin clutched in Harvey's hand. After gazing at it for a long time, he walked towards Batman and, while Gordon warned him sternly from upstairs, placed the coin into Batman's hand.
"Remember Harvey. You should remember him. He owed no one anything, but you owed him a great deal... Harvey was just an ordinary man; he was crushed by you. I could have changed him, but I didn't, because it was already meaningless. The Knight of Justice is gone forever. Harvey wasn't the first person you killed, was he? You must have killed many people when you broke away from the League of Shadows, right?"
"What exactly do you want to say?" Batman painfully clenched his fist. Being a hero was never easy. He had taken his no-kill principle as his belief, attempting to avoid becoming a murderer without a bottom line.
But he had indeed killed many people, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Every time his hands were stained with blood, it could never be washed away.
Tony stood up and, illuminated by the occasionally peeking moonlight, slowly walked away. He no longer paid attention to Batman, who lay powerlessly on the ground. Batman was the biggest loser; he had lost everything he could lose, seemingly becoming utterly alone.
"If I were you, I wouldn't repent. People like Harvey are better off dead. A Knight of Justice, recognized by everyone, when he suddenly reveals the darkness in his heart, the consequences are more terrifying than the Joker. Wouldn't it be better to let the image of justice forever remain in people's hearts?"
"By the way, I'm leaving Gotham City soon. Before I go, I'll give you a gift, consider it a weakness I'm leaving behind to control you later." Tony suddenly stopped, and with his back to Batman, slowly uttered words that stunned the latter.
"Rachel is still alive. I sent someone to rescue her. You want to make yourself perfect? How could that be? I won't allow my enemies to be without weaknesses."
(end of chapter)
