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Chapter 77: Scarecrow Crane
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
Gotham City, where the folk are simple; Arkham, where talent is deep.
This long-standing folk saying alone completely described Gotham City, a city of sin. The folk of Gotham City were so "simple" that theft and robbery had become commonplace. Countless criminals were so straightforward that if they said they were going to rob you, they wouldn’t mince words. The city’s renowned Arkham Asylum was a veritable breeding ground for talent.
To put it bluntly, Arkham was less a hospital and more a super-prison, outfitted with all manner of high-tech measures. Every year, a vast number of the most vicious and wicked criminals were locked away here.
It was no exaggeration to say that any criminal who could control Arkham would inevitably be the king of Gotham City.
Until today, Arkham received a special visitor: a shareholder of Stark Industries, a rather prestigious Mutant, Mechanic tony.
Honestly, when Tony arrived for his visit, the warden of Arkham Asylum was quite surprised. What was this guy doing at Arkham? This kind of prison made countless pampered individuals pale at the mere mention of it. Forget going inside—just a whiff of the stench, thick with sin, was enough to make them vomit.
No one knew Tony’s true purpose for coming here, nor did anyone understand what this Mechanist, who knew nothing about business, was trying to accomplish by joining Stark's ranks. Many speculations circulated in secret, but few were credible, and Tony never revealed anything to the outside world.
But the warden wore a wide grin, bowing and scraping as he opened the door for Tony and his entourage, his attitude one of utmost reverence. It was no surprise he acted this way; anyone would have to greet Tony with a smile, for he paved his way with money. In this day and age, who would turn their back on money?
Not to mention, the Arkham district was a notoriously poor part of Gotham City. Aside from the slums of the Old City, the Arkham area considered itself the second poorest, and no one would dare claim to be first. Dealing with this crowd of criminal maniacs all day put immense pressure on all the public officials. The fatal part was that there was no profit to be made from it, which was truly infuriating. With a tycoon like Tony making a rare appearance, anyone not a fool would cling to him tightly, at least for a hefty side payment.
"Damn, he really is the legendary Mechanist. Never takes the beaten path, coming straight to Arkham for a tour..."
The accompanying guards whispered among themselves. Small fries like them didn't know much about Tony; most of what they knew was hearsay. They only knew that this guy seemed very dangerous and was probably very powerful... but they didn't really care. Strong? Could he be stronger than Batman? Batman had taken down terrorists who had nearly destroyed all of Gotham City! The Mechanist was just a Mutant. Could he really be that strong?
The interior of Arkham was a labyrinth of cells with complex terrain, tight surveillance, and layered guards patrolling with batons. Yet, some of the facilities were old and worn, and the lights on the ceiling flickered, adding a touch of sinister gloom.
Anderson glanced left and right, sweat beading on his forehead, his steps trembling. The intimidating reputation of Arkham was too much; this place was utterly dangerous.
Seeing someone enter, an inmate in a cell brazenly provoked Tony, laughing wildly. Countless other inmates joined in the jeering, wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves.
"New meat's here! Everyone, give him a proper welcome, a little welcome ritual!"
"Come on, little birdie, we've got a big banana for you here!"
The inmates clamored rowdily.
"Mr. Tony, we had an agreement. You can look all you want, see the person you want to see, and then leave. Let's not get physical..." the warden was still rambling, but in the next second, he fell into helpless silence.
As they passed a cell, an arm suddenly shot out from between the bars and gave Tony the middle finger, accompanied by a crazed laugh.
And then that middle finger was snapped off.
Tony reached through the bars, dragged the screaming inmate over, and stuffed the bloody, severed finger into his mouth, squeezing his cheeks to force him to swallow it. The inmate's eyes were bloodshot and nearly bulging from their sockets. Even from a distance, Tony easily slammed the man against the wall. A thousand pounds of force was no joke.
A large bloodstain appeared on the wall and began to spread slowly.
The entire prison fell silent in an instant, as if countless defiant souls had been strangled at the same time, gurgling but unable to speak. The vicious criminals stared, dumbfounded, the torrent of curses from a moment ago punched back down their throats, just like that severed finger. Who was this ruthless bastard, killing someone right in front of the warden without even blinking? And that strength...
"Mr. Tony... a death will cause me a lot of trouble!" the warden's eyes flickered.
"Name a price. It's just one life. In a hellhole like Arkham, is there a shortage of deaths?" Tony said, his face expressionless, his knife-like gaze sweeping past one cell after another, silencing the criminals inside.
The warden gave a bitter smile. This big shot made it sound so easy. A human life wasn't worth much in Arkham, but that was a year ago. Ever since Batman had appeared, Arkham had practically become his backyard. He would toss in a new batch of criminals every few days and even "chat about life" with some of the major convicts. If this incident was discovered, he, the warden, would be the first one questioned.
"I'm looking for Crane, Scarecrow Crane! Not this bunch of worthless trash. Look at this lot, robbers? Rapists? What damn use are they! An old man with a kitchen knife is more useful than them!" Tony's voice suddenly rose, sharp and severe. "I gave you a huge sum of money to open the back door for me. Did you really think my money was that easy to take?"
Tony's tone grew heavier. He needed to meet with Crane before Batman arrived and then figure out a way to get him out.
The warden wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, the bitterness at the corner of his mouth deepening. He didn't understand Crane's use; he just felt the money in his pocket was getting a little too hot to handle. This Mutant, operating under the banner of Stark Industries, was still so brazen in his actions, with no regard for the consequences. He knew of that Crane; Batman had thrown him in not long ago. He was a strange fellow, but was he worth all this attention from Tony?
The warden felt like he was going to get beaten to death by Batman.
The group quickened their pace, led by the warden into the lowest level of Arkham Asylum. The ones imprisoned here were not the most heinous criminals, but rather those with exceptionally high intellect. If people like these were to be released, the harm they could cause was far beyond what other criminals could compare to.
In the innermost part of the lowest level, the warden finally stopped and pointed at a refined-looking young man staring blankly inside a cell. "He's Crane. A strange guy, Batman threw him in not long ago."
Tony stood at the entrance, looking at the legendary Scarecrow through the glass window of the thick iron door. His most important objective in coming to this city was to find the Dionysium, and Crane was currently the most critical lead he could access.
(end of chapter)
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
Gotham City, where the folk are simple; Arkham, where talent is deep.
This long-standing folk saying alone completely described Gotham City, a city of sin. The folk of Gotham City were so "simple" that theft and robbery had become commonplace. Countless criminals were so straightforward that if they said they were going to rob you, they wouldn’t mince words. The city’s renowned Arkham Asylum was a veritable breeding ground for talent.
To put it bluntly, Arkham was less a hospital and more a super-prison, outfitted with all manner of high-tech measures. Every year, a vast number of the most vicious and wicked criminals were locked away here.
It was no exaggeration to say that any criminal who could control Arkham would inevitably be the king of Gotham City.
Until today, Arkham received a special visitor: a shareholder of Stark Industries, a rather prestigious Mutant, Mechanic tony.
Honestly, when Tony arrived for his visit, the warden of Arkham Asylum was quite surprised. What was this guy doing at Arkham? This kind of prison made countless pampered individuals pale at the mere mention of it. Forget going inside—just a whiff of the stench, thick with sin, was enough to make them vomit.
No one knew Tony’s true purpose for coming here, nor did anyone understand what this Mechanist, who knew nothing about business, was trying to accomplish by joining Stark's ranks. Many speculations circulated in secret, but few were credible, and Tony never revealed anything to the outside world.
But the warden wore a wide grin, bowing and scraping as he opened the door for Tony and his entourage, his attitude one of utmost reverence. It was no surprise he acted this way; anyone would have to greet Tony with a smile, for he paved his way with money. In this day and age, who would turn their back on money?
Not to mention, the Arkham district was a notoriously poor part of Gotham City. Aside from the slums of the Old City, the Arkham area considered itself the second poorest, and no one would dare claim to be first. Dealing with this crowd of criminal maniacs all day put immense pressure on all the public officials. The fatal part was that there was no profit to be made from it, which was truly infuriating. With a tycoon like Tony making a rare appearance, anyone not a fool would cling to him tightly, at least for a hefty side payment.
"Damn, he really is the legendary Mechanist. Never takes the beaten path, coming straight to Arkham for a tour..."
The accompanying guards whispered among themselves. Small fries like them didn't know much about Tony; most of what they knew was hearsay. They only knew that this guy seemed very dangerous and was probably very powerful... but they didn't really care. Strong? Could he be stronger than Batman? Batman had taken down terrorists who had nearly destroyed all of Gotham City! The Mechanist was just a Mutant. Could he really be that strong?
The interior of Arkham was a labyrinth of cells with complex terrain, tight surveillance, and layered guards patrolling with batons. Yet, some of the facilities were old and worn, and the lights on the ceiling flickered, adding a touch of sinister gloom.
Anderson glanced left and right, sweat beading on his forehead, his steps trembling. The intimidating reputation of Arkham was too much; this place was utterly dangerous.
Seeing someone enter, an inmate in a cell brazenly provoked Tony, laughing wildly. Countless other inmates joined in the jeering, wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves.
"New meat's here! Everyone, give him a proper welcome, a little welcome ritual!"
"Come on, little birdie, we've got a big banana for you here!"
The inmates clamored rowdily.
"Mr. Tony, we had an agreement. You can look all you want, see the person you want to see, and then leave. Let's not get physical..." the warden was still rambling, but in the next second, he fell into helpless silence.
As they passed a cell, an arm suddenly shot out from between the bars and gave Tony the middle finger, accompanied by a crazed laugh.
And then that middle finger was snapped off.
Tony reached through the bars, dragged the screaming inmate over, and stuffed the bloody, severed finger into his mouth, squeezing his cheeks to force him to swallow it. The inmate's eyes were bloodshot and nearly bulging from their sockets. Even from a distance, Tony easily slammed the man against the wall. A thousand pounds of force was no joke.
A large bloodstain appeared on the wall and began to spread slowly.
The entire prison fell silent in an instant, as if countless defiant souls had been strangled at the same time, gurgling but unable to speak. The vicious criminals stared, dumbfounded, the torrent of curses from a moment ago punched back down their throats, just like that severed finger. Who was this ruthless bastard, killing someone right in front of the warden without even blinking? And that strength...
"Mr. Tony... a death will cause me a lot of trouble!" the warden's eyes flickered.
"Name a price. It's just one life. In a hellhole like Arkham, is there a shortage of deaths?" Tony said, his face expressionless, his knife-like gaze sweeping past one cell after another, silencing the criminals inside.
The warden gave a bitter smile. This big shot made it sound so easy. A human life wasn't worth much in Arkham, but that was a year ago. Ever since Batman had appeared, Arkham had practically become his backyard. He would toss in a new batch of criminals every few days and even "chat about life" with some of the major convicts. If this incident was discovered, he, the warden, would be the first one questioned.
"I'm looking for Crane, Scarecrow Crane! Not this bunch of worthless trash. Look at this lot, robbers? Rapists? What damn use are they! An old man with a kitchen knife is more useful than them!" Tony's voice suddenly rose, sharp and severe. "I gave you a huge sum of money to open the back door for me. Did you really think my money was that easy to take?"
Tony's tone grew heavier. He needed to meet with Crane before Batman arrived and then figure out a way to get him out.
The warden wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, the bitterness at the corner of his mouth deepening. He didn't understand Crane's use; he just felt the money in his pocket was getting a little too hot to handle. This Mutant, operating under the banner of Stark Industries, was still so brazen in his actions, with no regard for the consequences. He knew of that Crane; Batman had thrown him in not long ago. He was a strange fellow, but was he worth all this attention from Tony?
The warden felt like he was going to get beaten to death by Batman.
The group quickened their pace, led by the warden into the lowest level of Arkham Asylum. The ones imprisoned here were not the most heinous criminals, but rather those with exceptionally high intellect. If people like these were to be released, the harm they could cause was far beyond what other criminals could compare to.
In the innermost part of the lowest level, the warden finally stopped and pointed at a refined-looking young man staring blankly inside a cell. "He's Crane. A strange guy, Batman threw him in not long ago."
Tony stood at the entrance, looking at the legendary Scarecrow through the glass window of the thick iron door. His most important objective in coming to this city was to find the Dionysium, and Crane was currently the most critical lead he could access.
(end of chapter)
