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Several massive Transformers, accompanied by the sound of grinding metal, transformed their arms into cannons and began a brutal slaughter of the Falcone Crime Family's forces!
The smallest among them, Arcee, patrolled the perimeter with two long swords, occasionally cutting down stragglers or those attempting to flee.
The seemingly heavily armed and menacing Falcone members were laughably fragile when facing the Transformers. Any single Transformer could have wiped them all out.
The roaring explosions and blazing fires carried far into the night, startling the entire Old City. Many people climbed out of bed, opening their windows to gaze at the astonishing scene in the distance. Had the residents of the New City District seen this, they might have assumed it was merely an explosion and a large fire. But in the turbulent Old City, people's first thought was of war, because the resistance forces had been growing like a snowball.
"What's going on this time? Such powerful explosions. Could a stronger faction have gotten involved?"
"Hard to say. I just hope it ends soon. When will these days ever be over..."
Tony paid no more attention to the chaotic scene. He looked at the towering flames, as if they were foreshadowing the brutality of the coming war. Tony had taken the initiative to come to the Old City; he'd been baiting the hook for a long time, and now, under the influence of various forces, things had finally reached this stage. He had taken such a great risk in anticipation of a hefty reward.
Tony didn't know if Batman had noticed, but that guy, the Joker, had definitely discovered something. He had almost begrudgingly lent him a hand.
"I just don't know what that guy Bruce is thinking. But looking at the state of this Old City, he probably hates my guts. After all, he's only been Batman for a little over a year. He's still a ways off from the weathered, cynical, yet principled hero he'll become, the one who has seen through all of life's ups and downs... I'm also very curious, just what methods will you use against me..." Tony took out a cigarette, casually lit it on a nearby fire, and took a satisfying drag.
He tossed the remaining cigarettes to the stunned leader, gesturing for them to share without reservation.
"Tony? You're the legendary Mechanic tony? They said you were the one who gave us weapons and taught us to fight force with force." The leader was agitated. He took the pack of cigarettes with trembling hands, and they were still shaking as he passed them out.
"Mm, I only provided you with a channel to obtain weapons. Whether you took them up was up to you. If you had chosen to remain slaves, there's nothing I could have done," Tony said, leaning against the wall of a ruined building, looking casually at this group of admirable warriors.
"What are you doing here? I mean, why would you come here? Shouldn't you be at Wayne Tower?"
"Why can't I be here? Don't forget, you all owe me a lot of money! It's an installment plan, you know! If you all die, who am I supposed to collect from?" Tony joked. His casual, laughing demeanor formed a stark contrast with the gangsters who had been slaughtered in terror.
Not far from him, Optimus Prime and the others had already finished slaughtering the Falcone forces. They had transformed back into their vehicle modes and were now waiting quietly.
Tony looked at the sallow, gaunt-faced resistance fighters, and a trace of pity rose in his heart. He had incited the people of the Old City to fight the gangs to the death, and many, many people had already died in these past days. Tony knew full well that it didn't have to be this complicated. If he wanted to, he could have single-handedly wiped out the entire Falcone Crime Family. But as he had told Agent Coulson, doing so would be meaningless.
The moment the people of the Old City defended their homes with their own two hands, no one in this world would ever be able to oppress them again. The people of Gotham City can be destroyed, but they can never be defeated. No matter what predicament they faced, no matter what enemy they confronted, the people of Gotham City would maintain their precious courage. They would tell themselves: I defended my home once, and this time will be no different.
This was Tony's goal. Tony would not hand them the result, but he would give them different choices. The process was something they had to fight for themselves.
The group chatted beside the massive fire. A stark and intense contrast formed between what was within the flames and what was outside them. It was foreseeable that this contrast would continue for some time, until the people of the Old City had completely grasped their own destiny.
When Tony threw his last cigarette into the fire, he waved his hand and formally bid farewell to the group. He reminded them, "Don't come out again tonight. Everyone, get back home quickly."
Tony jumped into a vehicle, leading his convoy toward another fringe area of the Old City. There, Batman had already made it clear he was waiting for him. And Tony had a reason he had to go. After all the effort to get this far, he couldn't let it all go to waste.
Neatly arranged Blue Barrier Panels completely sealed off a vast area, their tall forms blocking any prying eyes. At some point, the road construction crews had vanished completely, leaving the entire area silent. The road had become wide and clean, the ground so spotless that a hard stomp would produce a clear, crisp echo.
Only a few lights bloomed with brilliance, barely managing to cover the roads in this area, making them stand out starkly under a sky of black clouds pressing down on the city.
Thud! Thud!
From the roiling black clouds, a few heavy drops of rain slowly fell, crossing the space to strike the ground. In the very next second, countless more, equally heavy raindrops descended eagerly from the dark clouds, calling out joyfully, finally culminating in a torrential downpour.
The rain was too heavy!
It came too fast!!
And it was getting heavier and heavier!!!
Countless dense raindrops fell from the heavens as if a giant hole had been torn in the sky! Innumerable droplets smashed down through this gash, crashing upon this cursed area. The dense rain obscured all vision as it began a frantic cleansing of this chaotic world, determined to wash away all the filth that filled the sky, leaving behind only the purest of realms!
RUMBLE!
First came the lightning that tore the sky apart, splitting the firmament in two. It was immediately followed by a deafening peal of thunder, as if a Deity was about to shatter the entire starry sky!
Another bolt of lightning tore across the sky, illuminating this corner of the world!
In the center of the clean, wide street, a two-meter-tall armored figure stood silently. He seemed to be waiting for something. A large cape clung tightly to his armored back in the rain.
Tony was soaked to the bone, rainwater streaming down his body to the ground. He had walked here without a word, coming to a stop directly in front of that armored figure, and they stared at each other in silence.
The two stood thirty meters apart, gazing at each other from a distance. This was another reunion, but this meeting was suffused with an unconcealable, murderous atmosphere. A biting chill rushed forward.
"Tell me, Tony..."
From within the Armored Suit came Batman's hoarse voice. He raised his head, the two eye-slits on his heavy helmet glowing. He looked at the motionless Tony and said slowly:
"Do you bleed?"
(end of chapter)
The smallest among them, Arcee, patrolled the perimeter with two long swords, occasionally cutting down stragglers or those attempting to flee.
The seemingly heavily armed and menacing Falcone members were laughably fragile when facing the Transformers. Any single Transformer could have wiped them all out.
The roaring explosions and blazing fires carried far into the night, startling the entire Old City. Many people climbed out of bed, opening their windows to gaze at the astonishing scene in the distance. Had the residents of the New City District seen this, they might have assumed it was merely an explosion and a large fire. But in the turbulent Old City, people's first thought was of war, because the resistance forces had been growing like a snowball.
"What's going on this time? Such powerful explosions. Could a stronger faction have gotten involved?"
"Hard to say. I just hope it ends soon. When will these days ever be over..."
Tony paid no more attention to the chaotic scene. He looked at the towering flames, as if they were foreshadowing the brutality of the coming war. Tony had taken the initiative to come to the Old City; he'd been baiting the hook for a long time, and now, under the influence of various forces, things had finally reached this stage. He had taken such a great risk in anticipation of a hefty reward.
Tony didn't know if Batman had noticed, but that guy, the Joker, had definitely discovered something. He had almost begrudgingly lent him a hand.
"I just don't know what that guy Bruce is thinking. But looking at the state of this Old City, he probably hates my guts. After all, he's only been Batman for a little over a year. He's still a ways off from the weathered, cynical, yet principled hero he'll become, the one who has seen through all of life's ups and downs... I'm also very curious, just what methods will you use against me..." Tony took out a cigarette, casually lit it on a nearby fire, and took a satisfying drag.
He tossed the remaining cigarettes to the stunned leader, gesturing for them to share without reservation.
"Tony? You're the legendary Mechanic tony? They said you were the one who gave us weapons and taught us to fight force with force." The leader was agitated. He took the pack of cigarettes with trembling hands, and they were still shaking as he passed them out.
"Mm, I only provided you with a channel to obtain weapons. Whether you took them up was up to you. If you had chosen to remain slaves, there's nothing I could have done," Tony said, leaning against the wall of a ruined building, looking casually at this group of admirable warriors.
"What are you doing here? I mean, why would you come here? Shouldn't you be at Wayne Tower?"
"Why can't I be here? Don't forget, you all owe me a lot of money! It's an installment plan, you know! If you all die, who am I supposed to collect from?" Tony joked. His casual, laughing demeanor formed a stark contrast with the gangsters who had been slaughtered in terror.
Not far from him, Optimus Prime and the others had already finished slaughtering the Falcone forces. They had transformed back into their vehicle modes and were now waiting quietly.
Tony looked at the sallow, gaunt-faced resistance fighters, and a trace of pity rose in his heart. He had incited the people of the Old City to fight the gangs to the death, and many, many people had already died in these past days. Tony knew full well that it didn't have to be this complicated. If he wanted to, he could have single-handedly wiped out the entire Falcone Crime Family. But as he had told Agent Coulson, doing so would be meaningless.
The moment the people of the Old City defended their homes with their own two hands, no one in this world would ever be able to oppress them again. The people of Gotham City can be destroyed, but they can never be defeated. No matter what predicament they faced, no matter what enemy they confronted, the people of Gotham City would maintain their precious courage. They would tell themselves: I defended my home once, and this time will be no different.
This was Tony's goal. Tony would not hand them the result, but he would give them different choices. The process was something they had to fight for themselves.
The group chatted beside the massive fire. A stark and intense contrast formed between what was within the flames and what was outside them. It was foreseeable that this contrast would continue for some time, until the people of the Old City had completely grasped their own destiny.
When Tony threw his last cigarette into the fire, he waved his hand and formally bid farewell to the group. He reminded them, "Don't come out again tonight. Everyone, get back home quickly."
Tony jumped into a vehicle, leading his convoy toward another fringe area of the Old City. There, Batman had already made it clear he was waiting for him. And Tony had a reason he had to go. After all the effort to get this far, he couldn't let it all go to waste.
Neatly arranged Blue Barrier Panels completely sealed off a vast area, their tall forms blocking any prying eyes. At some point, the road construction crews had vanished completely, leaving the entire area silent. The road had become wide and clean, the ground so spotless that a hard stomp would produce a clear, crisp echo.
Only a few lights bloomed with brilliance, barely managing to cover the roads in this area, making them stand out starkly under a sky of black clouds pressing down on the city.
Thud! Thud!
From the roiling black clouds, a few heavy drops of rain slowly fell, crossing the space to strike the ground. In the very next second, countless more, equally heavy raindrops descended eagerly from the dark clouds, calling out joyfully, finally culminating in a torrential downpour.
The rain was too heavy!
It came too fast!!
And it was getting heavier and heavier!!!
Countless dense raindrops fell from the heavens as if a giant hole had been torn in the sky! Innumerable droplets smashed down through this gash, crashing upon this cursed area. The dense rain obscured all vision as it began a frantic cleansing of this chaotic world, determined to wash away all the filth that filled the sky, leaving behind only the purest of realms!
RUMBLE!
First came the lightning that tore the sky apart, splitting the firmament in two. It was immediately followed by a deafening peal of thunder, as if a Deity was about to shatter the entire starry sky!
Another bolt of lightning tore across the sky, illuminating this corner of the world!
In the center of the clean, wide street, a two-meter-tall armored figure stood silently. He seemed to be waiting for something. A large cape clung tightly to his armored back in the rain.
Tony was soaked to the bone, rainwater streaming down his body to the ground. He had walked here without a word, coming to a stop directly in front of that armored figure, and they stared at each other in silence.
The two stood thirty meters apart, gazing at each other from a distance. This was another reunion, but this meeting was suffused with an unconcealable, murderous atmosphere. A biting chill rushed forward.
"Tell me, Tony..."
From within the Armored Suit came Batman's hoarse voice. He raised his head, the two eye-slits on his heavy helmet glowing. He looked at the motionless Tony and said slowly:
"Do you bleed?"
(end of chapter)
