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Chapter 118: Bruce, Full of Mixed Emotions
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
In a hospital in the Old City, security was paramount. Tony had arranged for a large number of his subordinates to guard the hospital, and Anderson would check in every few hours. Rachel was recuperating there, hence the extreme security measures.
That night, although they rescued Rachel in time, several fragments still pierced her delicate body. Fortunately, they were not fatal, and after emergency surgery, she was out of danger.
This was the best hospital in the Old City, with a relatively good location. It offered convenient transportation while being far from large residential buildings and shopping malls, making it more tranquil and ideal for patients to recuperate quietly. Along the road to the hospital, a batch of bare saplings with few green leaves had been planted on both sides. They looked somewhat amusing, yet radiated an inexplicable warmth.
Bruce immediately shed his armor and, in a rare panic, rushed here to guard the sleeping Rachel. The Dark Knight, who struck fear into countless hearts, now meticulously peeled an apple with utmost gentleness, placing it softly on the table, as if afraid to wake the sleeping beauty.
He had repeated this action many times. Since apples easily oxidized after a while, Bruce would peel a new apple every few dozen minutes, discarding the discolored one.
Tony was right; Bruce was indeed by his woman's side.
Bruce should thank him, because he had given Bruce hope.
Honestly, Tony truly felt that Rachel shouldn't have died like that. From beginning to end, Rachel was dragged into this because she was Harvey's girlfriend, and her relationship with Batman was complicated.
She was very innocent and unfortunate, somewhat of a victim.
Tony went to such lengths to save this woman not just out of self-interest. While he was a pragmatist, that didn't mean pragmatists lacked their own emotions; otherwise, what would be the difference between them and a robot? Rachel was truly pitiful, and considering her special identity, he saved her when he could.
On the night Batman fought Tony, before the battle began, Tony had secretly dispatched Anderson and Crane. Rachel and Harvey absolutely could not die in the explosion; if they had to die, their deaths needed to be more valuable.
In the end, everything went smoothly. Tony stood in the darkness, coldly watching Harvey be killed by Batman. Even if Batman hadn't acted, Tony would have found a way to force him to. Harvey's sudden corruption overnight was, in part, because Batman hadn't clearly seen the dark side of Harvey's heart. Batman had smugly believed he'd found a Knight of Justice and heaped immense responsibilities onto Harvey, a mere mortal.
To bring Harvey back, or at least partially, was actually very simple: just tell him that his beloved Rachel was still alive. Unfortunately, Tony had no intention of doing so.
Moreover, while having "no killing" as a guiding principle was fine, a Batman who was willing to deliver a fatal blow when truly pushed to the limit was a good Batman.
Bruce undoubtedly understood in his heart that Tony had acted intentionally. Through a series of visible and invisible actions, he had been forced to act by Tony.
As for Rachel, as long as this woman was alive, she could serve as a chess piece to restrain Batman. With Rachel, a mortal, in the picture, Batman would always hesitate when dealing with Tony.
Emotionally, no matter Tony's motives, he had ultimately saved Bruce's childhood sweetheart, erasing a lifelong regret. Rationally, with Rachel still alive, if Bruce were to wage war against Tony again, that scoundrel Tony, with his extremely low bottom line, would undoubtedly threaten him with Rachel's life.
Just like the difficult choice between two options that night, whether Bruce saved Rachel or Harvey, he would surely spend the rest of his life in endless regret. Bruce knew all too well that whether he reconciled with Tony or went to war, he would damn well regret it.
If he reconciled with Tony, he would regret it, as his principles wouldn't allow him to dance with someone like Tony. If he went to war with Tony, Rachel would surely be doomed; Tony would use every means to use Rachel as a hostage against him.
Bruce knew perfectly well that scoundrel Tony was definitely capable of such a thing.
During this time, Bruce had never stopped analyzing Tony, attempting to build a detailed model to find Tony's weaknesses. But to Bruce's dismay, he couldn't seem to find any obvious weaknesses, which meant he couldn't launch an overwhelming attack against Tony.
Tony himself was a lone wolf with no relatives, just a few limited friends. Yet his connections were so intricate that anyone wanting to deal with him had to consider the consequences.
For someone like Tony, having no obvious weaknesses was his greatest advantage.
He heard that just now, that cursed scoundrel Tony had publicly announced on Twitter his support for a council member running for a high position in the government, sparking immense public outcry. This only worsened Bruce's mood. Tony possessed an incredible knack for seizing any opening; he could always deliver a sudden, ruthless strike when there seemed to be no opportunity, using it to gain advantages.
In short, Bruce's perception of Tony was exceptionally bad now—a feeling of utter chaotic awfulness. Killing him wasn't an option, capturing him wasn't an option, and reconciliation was simply a joke. The League of Shadows had never taught him how to deal with someone like Tony.
It seemed he could only maintain a terrible and awkward relationship.
"Where is this?"
Rachel had opened her eyes at some point, her beautiful gaze lost as she looked at the white walls around her, finally focusing on Bruce.
"It's alright, you've been rescued. Our people arrived a bit late that night, which is why you were injured in the explosion." Bruce, whose thoughts were adrift, quickly put down the apple in his hand and gently pressed Rachel's shoulders with minimal force, preventing her from trying to sit up—Rachel's wounds were only stitched and bandaged, and she couldn't move freely yet.
"What about Harvey? How is Harvey? Those criminals told me only one of us could live! Bruce, how is Harvey?" Rachel was flustered. With a slight exertion of her body, several wounds sent sharp, stinging pain through her, making her let out a groan.
"Don't move, your wounds haven't healed yet," Bruce said, feeling a little troubled. How should he explain Harvey's situation to Rachel? Should he tell her directly that Harvey went mad and he killed him?
Rachel would probably fight him to the death; after all, they were engaged.
"Harvey... he's actually fine. I rescued him that night. The Joker tricked us; he swapped your locations before telling us." Bruce feigned calmness, speaking lightly.
Rachel was very smart, so smart that at this moment, she wished she could be a fool who understood nothing. She closed her eyes in agony, and quietly, a tear slipped from her eye.
Something must have happened to Harvey. Otherwise, Harvey should be the one guarding her here, not Bruce. If he were merely injured, Bruce wouldn't have said "he's fine"; he would have told her directly that Harvey was hurt.
Something definitely happened to Harvey; he was dead.
Tomorrow's the weekend, going to watch Avengers 3~ Anyone want to come along~
Also, do you think it's better to update once in the afternoon and once in the evening, or both updates at once?
(end of chapter)
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
In a hospital in the Old City, security was paramount. Tony had arranged for a large number of his subordinates to guard the hospital, and Anderson would check in every few hours. Rachel was recuperating there, hence the extreme security measures.
That night, although they rescued Rachel in time, several fragments still pierced her delicate body. Fortunately, they were not fatal, and after emergency surgery, she was out of danger.
This was the best hospital in the Old City, with a relatively good location. It offered convenient transportation while being far from large residential buildings and shopping malls, making it more tranquil and ideal for patients to recuperate quietly. Along the road to the hospital, a batch of bare saplings with few green leaves had been planted on both sides. They looked somewhat amusing, yet radiated an inexplicable warmth.
Bruce immediately shed his armor and, in a rare panic, rushed here to guard the sleeping Rachel. The Dark Knight, who struck fear into countless hearts, now meticulously peeled an apple with utmost gentleness, placing it softly on the table, as if afraid to wake the sleeping beauty.
He had repeated this action many times. Since apples easily oxidized after a while, Bruce would peel a new apple every few dozen minutes, discarding the discolored one.
Tony was right; Bruce was indeed by his woman's side.
Bruce should thank him, because he had given Bruce hope.
Honestly, Tony truly felt that Rachel shouldn't have died like that. From beginning to end, Rachel was dragged into this because she was Harvey's girlfriend, and her relationship with Batman was complicated.
She was very innocent and unfortunate, somewhat of a victim.
Tony went to such lengths to save this woman not just out of self-interest. While he was a pragmatist, that didn't mean pragmatists lacked their own emotions; otherwise, what would be the difference between them and a robot? Rachel was truly pitiful, and considering her special identity, he saved her when he could.
On the night Batman fought Tony, before the battle began, Tony had secretly dispatched Anderson and Crane. Rachel and Harvey absolutely could not die in the explosion; if they had to die, their deaths needed to be more valuable.
In the end, everything went smoothly. Tony stood in the darkness, coldly watching Harvey be killed by Batman. Even if Batman hadn't acted, Tony would have found a way to force him to. Harvey's sudden corruption overnight was, in part, because Batman hadn't clearly seen the dark side of Harvey's heart. Batman had smugly believed he'd found a Knight of Justice and heaped immense responsibilities onto Harvey, a mere mortal.
To bring Harvey back, or at least partially, was actually very simple: just tell him that his beloved Rachel was still alive. Unfortunately, Tony had no intention of doing so.
Moreover, while having "no killing" as a guiding principle was fine, a Batman who was willing to deliver a fatal blow when truly pushed to the limit was a good Batman.
Bruce undoubtedly understood in his heart that Tony had acted intentionally. Through a series of visible and invisible actions, he had been forced to act by Tony.
As for Rachel, as long as this woman was alive, she could serve as a chess piece to restrain Batman. With Rachel, a mortal, in the picture, Batman would always hesitate when dealing with Tony.
Emotionally, no matter Tony's motives, he had ultimately saved Bruce's childhood sweetheart, erasing a lifelong regret. Rationally, with Rachel still alive, if Bruce were to wage war against Tony again, that scoundrel Tony, with his extremely low bottom line, would undoubtedly threaten him with Rachel's life.
Just like the difficult choice between two options that night, whether Bruce saved Rachel or Harvey, he would surely spend the rest of his life in endless regret. Bruce knew all too well that whether he reconciled with Tony or went to war, he would damn well regret it.
If he reconciled with Tony, he would regret it, as his principles wouldn't allow him to dance with someone like Tony. If he went to war with Tony, Rachel would surely be doomed; Tony would use every means to use Rachel as a hostage against him.
Bruce knew perfectly well that scoundrel Tony was definitely capable of such a thing.
During this time, Bruce had never stopped analyzing Tony, attempting to build a detailed model to find Tony's weaknesses. But to Bruce's dismay, he couldn't seem to find any obvious weaknesses, which meant he couldn't launch an overwhelming attack against Tony.
Tony himself was a lone wolf with no relatives, just a few limited friends. Yet his connections were so intricate that anyone wanting to deal with him had to consider the consequences.
For someone like Tony, having no obvious weaknesses was his greatest advantage.
He heard that just now, that cursed scoundrel Tony had publicly announced on Twitter his support for a council member running for a high position in the government, sparking immense public outcry. This only worsened Bruce's mood. Tony possessed an incredible knack for seizing any opening; he could always deliver a sudden, ruthless strike when there seemed to be no opportunity, using it to gain advantages.
In short, Bruce's perception of Tony was exceptionally bad now—a feeling of utter chaotic awfulness. Killing him wasn't an option, capturing him wasn't an option, and reconciliation was simply a joke. The League of Shadows had never taught him how to deal with someone like Tony.
It seemed he could only maintain a terrible and awkward relationship.
"Where is this?"
Rachel had opened her eyes at some point, her beautiful gaze lost as she looked at the white walls around her, finally focusing on Bruce.
"It's alright, you've been rescued. Our people arrived a bit late that night, which is why you were injured in the explosion." Bruce, whose thoughts were adrift, quickly put down the apple in his hand and gently pressed Rachel's shoulders with minimal force, preventing her from trying to sit up—Rachel's wounds were only stitched and bandaged, and she couldn't move freely yet.
"What about Harvey? How is Harvey? Those criminals told me only one of us could live! Bruce, how is Harvey?" Rachel was flustered. With a slight exertion of her body, several wounds sent sharp, stinging pain through her, making her let out a groan.
"Don't move, your wounds haven't healed yet," Bruce said, feeling a little troubled. How should he explain Harvey's situation to Rachel? Should he tell her directly that Harvey went mad and he killed him?
Rachel would probably fight him to the death; after all, they were engaged.
"Harvey... he's actually fine. I rescued him that night. The Joker tricked us; he swapped your locations before telling us." Bruce feigned calmness, speaking lightly.
Rachel was very smart, so smart that at this moment, she wished she could be a fool who understood nothing. She closed her eyes in agony, and quietly, a tear slipped from her eye.
Something must have happened to Harvey. Otherwise, Harvey should be the one guarding her here, not Bruce. If he were merely injured, Bruce wouldn't have said "he's fine"; he would have told her directly that Harvey was hurt.
Something definitely happened to Harvey; he was dead.
Tomorrow's the weekend, going to watch Avengers 3~ Anyone want to come along~
Also, do you think it's better to update once in the afternoon and once in the evening, or both updates at once?
(end of chapter)
