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Chapter 93: Anti-Tony Armor (7)
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
"Admit it, Batman. The one who changed this city wasn't you, it wasn't Harvey, it was us! You prowl the night like The Bat, taking down one criminal after another. And then what? The colluding officials just let them go again..."
"You piece of trash who only works for money!" Batman said.
"Don't talk like Maroni and his goons. You're not like them; you couldn't be even if you wanted to. In their eyes, you're more of a monster. Right now, those cops need you, so they'll do anything to suck up to you. But when you're no longer useful, they'll spew platitudes about righteousness and morality—just like a bunch of clowns. When trouble comes, they run faster than anyone. Not like us, we..."
"Enough! Harvey could have done everything you've done! Harvey would have done it better. He was a beacon of legitimate justice, and he would have changed Gotham City through legal means! Now, tell me—where is Harvey?!"
Batman grabbed the Joker by the collar, lifting him clean off the ground. His bloodshot eyes, wide as saucers, stared death at the Joker.
"You're such a hypocrite. Your heart is darker than anyone's, yet you insist on pretending to be nobler than everyone else. Look, just look at that face of yours. It's not even a human face anymore. Even when you take off your mask, it's still a mask!" the Joker jeered, pointing at Batman.
"Where is Harvey?!" Batman yelled, lifting the Joker and slamming him against the wall with a loud bang.
"Listen, I only have one principle. And you, you can only get the truth by breaking yours," the Joker said. "The only sensible way to live in this world is without principles. Tonight, you will break your one and only principle. Batman, I'll give you a choice. You'll have a chance to save the one you want to save."
The Joker kicked Batman, making a soft thud as his foot hit the armor, but he remained pinned firmly to the wall. He could only shrug nonchalantly. "You've caught me. But don't forget, there's another guy you consider utterly irredeemable, and he's far more trouble than I am. You claim to be Gotham City's protector, but you're powerless to protect this city."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Harvey Dent. You want to save him, but it's useless. Even if you get him out, someone else will just do the same thing I'm doing. I tried to negotiate with him, but I failed, so I had to start with you. Now, Batman, kill Tony, and I'll tell you where Harvey is. You're going to have to deal with him sooner or later anyway; that's what you've been thinking. Prove to me that you're not a hypocrite. You claim to be a protector, so just how far are you willing to go for this city?" the Joker let out a low chuckle.
Batman gritted his teeth and landed several heavy punches on the Joker, making his mouth bleed. But the Joker didn't seem to care at all, merely staring at Batman with a mocking gaze. Finally, Batman executed a shoulder throw, slamming the Joker onto a table. Though the Joker let out occasional cries of pain, he kept his jaw clenched, showing no intention of speaking further.
Behind Batman's mask was a grim, somber face. He slowly walked out of the dark interrogation room, exuding a dangerous aura. His massive, custom-made cape swished with his movements, scraping against the walls with a soft, grating sound.
Commissioner Gordon, who had been waiting outside, immediately stepped forward to block his path.
"I've already arranged for an emergency city-wide search with all available officers. Even if the Joker doesn't talk, we still have a chance to find Harvey. You don't have to listen to him. He's just provoking you into going after Tony. He's doing it on purpose!" A thin layer of sweat had appeared on Gordon's forehead. He stood in front of Batman, unmoving as a nail.
"He was right about one thing, at least. Tony is a huge problem, and I won't let him run rampant any longer. Countless people are dying every day. This has to be stopped at the source. As long as we have Harvey, we can reform Gotham City in a more reasonable and peaceful way," Batman's voice was hoarse. "I will bring Tony in, then find Harvey, and get Gotham City back on track. Everything will turn for the better."
The other officers fell silent. In a situation like this, it was hard to say who was right and who was wrong. But with Harvey currently in danger, his safety was naturally the top priority.
"Can you even beat Tony? I heard he's very powerful," a young officer suddenly asked the most critical question.
"He's not powerful at all. The moment he used those ridiculous methods to send civilians to their deaths, he exposed his own vile heart. If he were truly powerful, he wouldn't need to send the weak and poor to their doom. I am more than confident that I can take him down and capture him!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Batman vanished without a sound, leaving behind a group of dumbfounded officers. They all stood there, stunned into a long silence.
"Can Batman really capture Tony?" someone muttered.
"Yes. He never lies," Gordon said, nodding firmly.
"Then... is Tony really in the wrong? Sometimes I feel like he..." the young officer's voice trailed off.
Many of them remained silent.
In the end, it was the veteran Commissioner Gordon who managed to rally his spirits. "Our primary mission is to rescue Harvey. As long as we have Harvey, our city can become a better place! People like the Joker will have nowhere to hide, deprived of the soil they need to survive."
As night fell and countless people drifted into their dreams, a black, bat-like shadow glided silently across the sky.
In the Batcave, the old butler Alfred was already prepared. Dressed in his traditional butler attire with a white towel draped over his arm, he waited quietly.
The moment Batman returned to the Batcave, he shed his light armor.
"Alfred, how are the preparations?" Bruce asked.
"Everything is ready, but I must remind you, Master Bruce," Alfred said. "You are about to do something extremely dangerous. It could very well destroy everything you've built."
"It's because it's dangerous that I must be the one to do it. If even Batman won't do it, then who in Gotham City will? The entire city will be finished."
As he spoke, Bruce walked over to a tall, vertical glass cabinet.
Inside the cabinet, a colossal suit of armor, over two meters tall and incredibly heavily plated, stood like a silently lurking monster. When light occasionally glinted off its surface, it reflected a terrifying sheen that could make one's scalp tingle with just a glance.
It was a fearsome suit of armor. Even someone who knew nothing about it would recognize it as a dangerous object at first sight. To build this suit, which incorporated all of his high-tech resources, Bruce had spent countless sums of money and pulled innumerable strings to finally bring it to a near-complete state.
To counter Tony, to be prepared for any possibility of ending the Master Mechanic, Bruce had not hesitated to use his personal fortune, investing nearly twenty billion dollars in total. Bruce had already used his computer to calculate every possible tactic Tony might employ. This time, there would be no escape for him.
"Master Bruce, I haven't had time to install the communicator yet," Alfred reminded him.
"There's no need for that. We have no way of knowing if Tony has the ability to animate a tiny communicator. To be cautious, don't install it. Trust me, Alfred. I will win. I know everything about Tony, but he knows nothing about who I am now!"
With a sharp elbow strike, the glass shattered. The sealed armor was finally about to be revealed to the world, letting out a soul-shaking roar.
(end of chapter)
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
"Admit it, Batman. The one who changed this city wasn't you, it wasn't Harvey, it was us! You prowl the night like The Bat, taking down one criminal after another. And then what? The colluding officials just let them go again..."
"You piece of trash who only works for money!" Batman said.
"Don't talk like Maroni and his goons. You're not like them; you couldn't be even if you wanted to. In their eyes, you're more of a monster. Right now, those cops need you, so they'll do anything to suck up to you. But when you're no longer useful, they'll spew platitudes about righteousness and morality—just like a bunch of clowns. When trouble comes, they run faster than anyone. Not like us, we..."
"Enough! Harvey could have done everything you've done! Harvey would have done it better. He was a beacon of legitimate justice, and he would have changed Gotham City through legal means! Now, tell me—where is Harvey?!"
Batman grabbed the Joker by the collar, lifting him clean off the ground. His bloodshot eyes, wide as saucers, stared death at the Joker.
"You're such a hypocrite. Your heart is darker than anyone's, yet you insist on pretending to be nobler than everyone else. Look, just look at that face of yours. It's not even a human face anymore. Even when you take off your mask, it's still a mask!" the Joker jeered, pointing at Batman.
"Where is Harvey?!" Batman yelled, lifting the Joker and slamming him against the wall with a loud bang.
"Listen, I only have one principle. And you, you can only get the truth by breaking yours," the Joker said. "The only sensible way to live in this world is without principles. Tonight, you will break your one and only principle. Batman, I'll give you a choice. You'll have a chance to save the one you want to save."
The Joker kicked Batman, making a soft thud as his foot hit the armor, but he remained pinned firmly to the wall. He could only shrug nonchalantly. "You've caught me. But don't forget, there's another guy you consider utterly irredeemable, and he's far more trouble than I am. You claim to be Gotham City's protector, but you're powerless to protect this city."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Harvey Dent. You want to save him, but it's useless. Even if you get him out, someone else will just do the same thing I'm doing. I tried to negotiate with him, but I failed, so I had to start with you. Now, Batman, kill Tony, and I'll tell you where Harvey is. You're going to have to deal with him sooner or later anyway; that's what you've been thinking. Prove to me that you're not a hypocrite. You claim to be a protector, so just how far are you willing to go for this city?" the Joker let out a low chuckle.
Batman gritted his teeth and landed several heavy punches on the Joker, making his mouth bleed. But the Joker didn't seem to care at all, merely staring at Batman with a mocking gaze. Finally, Batman executed a shoulder throw, slamming the Joker onto a table. Though the Joker let out occasional cries of pain, he kept his jaw clenched, showing no intention of speaking further.
Behind Batman's mask was a grim, somber face. He slowly walked out of the dark interrogation room, exuding a dangerous aura. His massive, custom-made cape swished with his movements, scraping against the walls with a soft, grating sound.
Commissioner Gordon, who had been waiting outside, immediately stepped forward to block his path.
"I've already arranged for an emergency city-wide search with all available officers. Even if the Joker doesn't talk, we still have a chance to find Harvey. You don't have to listen to him. He's just provoking you into going after Tony. He's doing it on purpose!" A thin layer of sweat had appeared on Gordon's forehead. He stood in front of Batman, unmoving as a nail.
"He was right about one thing, at least. Tony is a huge problem, and I won't let him run rampant any longer. Countless people are dying every day. This has to be stopped at the source. As long as we have Harvey, we can reform Gotham City in a more reasonable and peaceful way," Batman's voice was hoarse. "I will bring Tony in, then find Harvey, and get Gotham City back on track. Everything will turn for the better."
The other officers fell silent. In a situation like this, it was hard to say who was right and who was wrong. But with Harvey currently in danger, his safety was naturally the top priority.
"Can you even beat Tony? I heard he's very powerful," a young officer suddenly asked the most critical question.
"He's not powerful at all. The moment he used those ridiculous methods to send civilians to their deaths, he exposed his own vile heart. If he were truly powerful, he wouldn't need to send the weak and poor to their doom. I am more than confident that I can take him down and capture him!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Batman vanished without a sound, leaving behind a group of dumbfounded officers. They all stood there, stunned into a long silence.
"Can Batman really capture Tony?" someone muttered.
"Yes. He never lies," Gordon said, nodding firmly.
"Then... is Tony really in the wrong? Sometimes I feel like he..." the young officer's voice trailed off.
Many of them remained silent.
In the end, it was the veteran Commissioner Gordon who managed to rally his spirits. "Our primary mission is to rescue Harvey. As long as we have Harvey, our city can become a better place! People like the Joker will have nowhere to hide, deprived of the soil they need to survive."
As night fell and countless people drifted into their dreams, a black, bat-like shadow glided silently across the sky.
In the Batcave, the old butler Alfred was already prepared. Dressed in his traditional butler attire with a white towel draped over his arm, he waited quietly.
The moment Batman returned to the Batcave, he shed his light armor.
"Alfred, how are the preparations?" Bruce asked.
"Everything is ready, but I must remind you, Master Bruce," Alfred said. "You are about to do something extremely dangerous. It could very well destroy everything you've built."
"It's because it's dangerous that I must be the one to do it. If even Batman won't do it, then who in Gotham City will? The entire city will be finished."
As he spoke, Bruce walked over to a tall, vertical glass cabinet.
Inside the cabinet, a colossal suit of armor, over two meters tall and incredibly heavily plated, stood like a silently lurking monster. When light occasionally glinted off its surface, it reflected a terrifying sheen that could make one's scalp tingle with just a glance.
It was a fearsome suit of armor. Even someone who knew nothing about it would recognize it as a dangerous object at first sight. To build this suit, which incorporated all of his high-tech resources, Bruce had spent countless sums of money and pulled innumerable strings to finally bring it to a near-complete state.
To counter Tony, to be prepared for any possibility of ending the Master Mechanic, Bruce had not hesitated to use his personal fortune, investing nearly twenty billion dollars in total. Bruce had already used his computer to calculate every possible tactic Tony might employ. This time, there would be no escape for him.
"Master Bruce, I haven't had time to install the communicator yet," Alfred reminded him.
"There's no need for that. We have no way of knowing if Tony has the ability to animate a tiny communicator. To be cautious, don't install it. Trust me, Alfred. I will win. I know everything about Tony, but he knows nothing about who I am now!"
With a sharp elbow strike, the glass shattered. The sealed armor was finally about to be revealed to the world, letting out a soul-shaking roar.
(end of chapter)
