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Chapter 79: I Am Everywhere
"To be honest, I was hoping to get things done before you arrived, or at least reach an understanding with Crane..."
Tony wanted to take out another cigarette, but he thought better of it. He offered one to Batman. "Want a smoke? Have one? I only picked it up in the last few days myself."
Batman's eyes, hidden behind his mask, were fixed on Tony. His entire being was shrouded in darkness, his tall, imposing figure exuding an indescribable pressure. At some point, the lights began to flicker, deepening the shadows and seemingly making Batman's frame appear even larger.
The atmosphere was heavy. Tony and Batman stared at each other, neither speaking. Tony's hand, holding out the cigarette, remained frozen in the air, the offering unclaimed.
"Put away your pointless tricks, Tony. I know you. I know everything about you," Batman said, his hoarse, muffled voice echoing slowly through the deepest level of Arkham Asylum.
"If you don't mind, I'll take that cigarette..." Crane said, looking at Batman. His first instinct was to tremble. This Dark Knight had left an exceptionally deep and bloody impression on him.
How powerful the League of Shadows had been. Countless battle-hardened assassins, led by Ra's al Ghul, had swarmed into Gotham City. Scarecrow Crane had been in his glory that day, taking down Batman face-to-face with his Fear Gas and meticulously orchestrating a mad plan to destroy the entire Gotham City. They were brimming with confidence; the League of Shadows had done similar things before, succeeding many times. This time would be no different, just like the Black Death that wiped out half of Europe, or the Great Fire that ravaged London.
Until Batman appeared.
All that glory vanished like smoke. Everything crumbled to dust before Batman. Countless elite warriors were struck down by him, and even the leader of the League of Shadows—Ra's al Ghul—had fallen, to slumber eternally in a raging inferno.
Crane gazed at Batman with awe. He was timid by nature, so facing Batman directly was unthinkable; the psychological shadow was just too immense. He was a high-IQ genius, and if he didn't know that Batman was reluctant to kill, he would have broken down long ago. He certainly wouldn't have dared to cause trouble for him.
Tony glanced at Crane in surprise. This Scarecrow seemed somewhat interesting... At least his Corruption hadn't progressed to the point where he reveled in crime for its own sake, let alone to the point where destruction and murder had become his life's creed.
If he had truly reached that stage, Tony wouldn't have bothered trying to recruit him. He would have just beaten the information out of him and left.
Tony glanced at Batman, then slammed his fist directly into the glass.
BOOM!
The small glass window shattered, spraying fragments all over the floor. Tony lit the cigarette and tossed it inside.
"Crane, don't even think about using my cigarette to pull a fast one and escape, or I'll personally drag you back myself. It won't be long. I'll get you out through other means," Tony warned.
Batman stood there silently, like a dormant mountain. His piercing eyes never left Tony, observing this man of mixed repute.
To ordinary citizens, Tony was an interesting fellow, someone approachable who wouldn't beat them to a pulp. But in the Dark World, Tony was known for his ferocity. His reputation was largely built upon the corpses of his enemies, especially the Vampire Faction. They had disintegrated in a remarkably short time, and many pinned the blame squarely on Tony, lamenting, "The man is a menace."
Batman whipped his cape, his phantom-like form darting forward. His movements were deceptively fast, a constant blur of motion. Despite his imposing frame moving at such high speed, he didn't make a single sound.
Tony's eyelid twitched. He shot a warning glare back at Crane before quickly following Batman. He wasn't afraid of Batman. No matter how formidable Mr. Wayne was, he was still a mortal man. It would be impossible for him to take Tony down easily.
The two of them eventually reached a rooftop in Arkham. It was still the rainy season, and the sky was characteristically gloomy and overcast. The biting wind that gusted intermittently made passersby shiver and quicken their pace.
"Mechanic tony, state your purpose for coming to Gotham City," Batman said slowly, the weapons on his belt poised for action, ready at a moment's notice.
Tony narrowed his eyes at the notorious Dark Knight. "I came to Gotham City for two main reasons: to find a person, and to find an object."
"Crane? I won't hand him over to you. He will remain in Arkham."
"But I'll do it through legitimate means," Tony said. "You know how things are in Gotham City better than I do. I can get Crane out through legal channels just the same."
Everyone was well aware of what a hellhole Gotham City was. Batman's mission was to capture the most vicious criminals and hand them over to be judged by the less-evil ones. But aside from a precious few like Harvey Gordon, the rest were hardly saints. It was merely a spectrum from despicable to slightly less so.
As long as Tony was willing to spend the money, he could absolutely get Crane out through legitimate, legal channels and walk him right out of Gotham City, open and aboveboard. It was a simple, direct, and highly effective method that not even Batman could stop.
From police officers to Council Members to judges, Tony could use his status to bribe his way through the system, opening backdoors at every level. All it would take for Crane to walk out of prison was a piece of paper—a pardon.
"Then what is it you want from Gotham City? All I've seen you bring is bloodshed and despair, making this city suffer even more," Batman's tone was icy. "You've been here for dozens of hours, and seventeen people are dead at your hands."
Tony remained unmoved. He had already smuggled the bodies out of the city, but that was no secret to Mr. Wayne. With his resources, he could monitor the entire city; every single cell phone was under Batman's surveillance.
"I killed people who deserved to die. Was I supposed to just stick my neck out and let those gangsters slaughter me?" Tony's tone turned cold as well. "As for what I'm looking for, it's useless telling you. It's nothing personal, you just wouldn't know what it is."
Batman watched Tony in silence. Their ideologies were completely different. He understood that, in the end, mere words were useless.
"I will be watching you, Mechanic tony. I'll be watching your every move in this city. Every turn you make, every action you take, I will see it. In this city, I am everywhere."
Batman spread his arms, his massive, custom-made cape rustling in the cold wind.
On this day, at this moment, in the biting wind, the Dark Knight of Gotham City delivered his final ultimatum to Tony.
(end of chapter)
"To be honest, I was hoping to get things done before you arrived, or at least reach an understanding with Crane..."
Tony wanted to take out another cigarette, but he thought better of it. He offered one to Batman. "Want a smoke? Have one? I only picked it up in the last few days myself."
Batman's eyes, hidden behind his mask, were fixed on Tony. His entire being was shrouded in darkness, his tall, imposing figure exuding an indescribable pressure. At some point, the lights began to flicker, deepening the shadows and seemingly making Batman's frame appear even larger.
The atmosphere was heavy. Tony and Batman stared at each other, neither speaking. Tony's hand, holding out the cigarette, remained frozen in the air, the offering unclaimed.
"Put away your pointless tricks, Tony. I know you. I know everything about you," Batman said, his hoarse, muffled voice echoing slowly through the deepest level of Arkham Asylum.
"If you don't mind, I'll take that cigarette..." Crane said, looking at Batman. His first instinct was to tremble. This Dark Knight had left an exceptionally deep and bloody impression on him.
How powerful the League of Shadows had been. Countless battle-hardened assassins, led by Ra's al Ghul, had swarmed into Gotham City. Scarecrow Crane had been in his glory that day, taking down Batman face-to-face with his Fear Gas and meticulously orchestrating a mad plan to destroy the entire Gotham City. They were brimming with confidence; the League of Shadows had done similar things before, succeeding many times. This time would be no different, just like the Black Death that wiped out half of Europe, or the Great Fire that ravaged London.
Until Batman appeared.
All that glory vanished like smoke. Everything crumbled to dust before Batman. Countless elite warriors were struck down by him, and even the leader of the League of Shadows—Ra's al Ghul—had fallen, to slumber eternally in a raging inferno.
Crane gazed at Batman with awe. He was timid by nature, so facing Batman directly was unthinkable; the psychological shadow was just too immense. He was a high-IQ genius, and if he didn't know that Batman was reluctant to kill, he would have broken down long ago. He certainly wouldn't have dared to cause trouble for him.
Tony glanced at Crane in surprise. This Scarecrow seemed somewhat interesting... At least his Corruption hadn't progressed to the point where he reveled in crime for its own sake, let alone to the point where destruction and murder had become his life's creed.
If he had truly reached that stage, Tony wouldn't have bothered trying to recruit him. He would have just beaten the information out of him and left.
Tony glanced at Batman, then slammed his fist directly into the glass.
BOOM!
The small glass window shattered, spraying fragments all over the floor. Tony lit the cigarette and tossed it inside.
"Crane, don't even think about using my cigarette to pull a fast one and escape, or I'll personally drag you back myself. It won't be long. I'll get you out through other means," Tony warned.
Batman stood there silently, like a dormant mountain. His piercing eyes never left Tony, observing this man of mixed repute.
To ordinary citizens, Tony was an interesting fellow, someone approachable who wouldn't beat them to a pulp. But in the Dark World, Tony was known for his ferocity. His reputation was largely built upon the corpses of his enemies, especially the Vampire Faction. They had disintegrated in a remarkably short time, and many pinned the blame squarely on Tony, lamenting, "The man is a menace."
Batman whipped his cape, his phantom-like form darting forward. His movements were deceptively fast, a constant blur of motion. Despite his imposing frame moving at such high speed, he didn't make a single sound.
Tony's eyelid twitched. He shot a warning glare back at Crane before quickly following Batman. He wasn't afraid of Batman. No matter how formidable Mr. Wayne was, he was still a mortal man. It would be impossible for him to take Tony down easily.
The two of them eventually reached a rooftop in Arkham. It was still the rainy season, and the sky was characteristically gloomy and overcast. The biting wind that gusted intermittently made passersby shiver and quicken their pace.
"Mechanic tony, state your purpose for coming to Gotham City," Batman said slowly, the weapons on his belt poised for action, ready at a moment's notice.
Tony narrowed his eyes at the notorious Dark Knight. "I came to Gotham City for two main reasons: to find a person, and to find an object."
"Crane? I won't hand him over to you. He will remain in Arkham."
"But I'll do it through legitimate means," Tony said. "You know how things are in Gotham City better than I do. I can get Crane out through legal channels just the same."
Everyone was well aware of what a hellhole Gotham City was. Batman's mission was to capture the most vicious criminals and hand them over to be judged by the less-evil ones. But aside from a precious few like Harvey Gordon, the rest were hardly saints. It was merely a spectrum from despicable to slightly less so.
As long as Tony was willing to spend the money, he could absolutely get Crane out through legitimate, legal channels and walk him right out of Gotham City, open and aboveboard. It was a simple, direct, and highly effective method that not even Batman could stop.
From police officers to Council Members to judges, Tony could use his status to bribe his way through the system, opening backdoors at every level. All it would take for Crane to walk out of prison was a piece of paper—a pardon.
"Then what is it you want from Gotham City? All I've seen you bring is bloodshed and despair, making this city suffer even more," Batman's tone was icy. "You've been here for dozens of hours, and seventeen people are dead at your hands."
Tony remained unmoved. He had already smuggled the bodies out of the city, but that was no secret to Mr. Wayne. With his resources, he could monitor the entire city; every single cell phone was under Batman's surveillance.
"I killed people who deserved to die. Was I supposed to just stick my neck out and let those gangsters slaughter me?" Tony's tone turned cold as well. "As for what I'm looking for, it's useless telling you. It's nothing personal, you just wouldn't know what it is."
Batman watched Tony in silence. Their ideologies were completely different. He understood that, in the end, mere words were useless.
"I will be watching you, Mechanic tony. I'll be watching your every move in this city. Every turn you make, every action you take, I will see it. In this city, I am everywhere."
Batman spread his arms, his massive, custom-made cape rustling in the cold wind.
On this day, at this moment, in the biting wind, the Dark Knight of Gotham City delivered his final ultimatum to Tony.
(end of chapter)
