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Chapter 218: Opening a VIP Passage
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
“Fire! Everyone, fire!”
The one shouting was the leader of the group of henchmen in the room. He had already pulled the trigger as he spoke.
“Take him down!”
Among Gotham's street-level thugs, Batman already commanded an unspoken aura of intimidation. It had even developed into something of a "Bat-Fear Culture" among the local underlings.
Being afraid of Batman was not something shameful among these tough guys with their cigarettes, booze, tattoos, and perms. In Gotham, Batman was like a natural disaster, akin to an earthquake, tsunami, or hurricane. If someone yelled "Come at me!" at a tsunami, his buddies wouldn't admire his courage; they'd just think he was a lost cause and haul him off to Arkham.
The only thing giving them courage now were the supposedly all-powerful high-tech weapons in their hands. They weren't firing bullets, but energy beams, and they had seen with their own eyes how one shot from these things could melt steel.
Unfortunately, today's Batman was a little different.
The bat-like figure suddenly accelerated, like a tempest of black. He weaved through the crisscrossing beams with the ease of a leisurely stroll, treading on electric arcs as he swept effortlessly through the armed thugs.
Batman’s footsteps halted, his cape settled, and in an instant, the henchmen were all lying on the ground.
A silent projectile cut through the air from behind. Orin Vale casually raised a hand, catching it between two fingers of his right.
A playing card was stopped precisely in his hand.
It was a projectile thrown by Human Bomb.
His projectile had been caught, yet a sinister smile appeared in his eyes.
“Hahaha, you fell for it, Batman! That playing card has been touched by me, Human Bomb!”
Human Bomb’s ability was Contact Detonation. He could make any object he touched explode.
Boom!
The small playing card erupted with astonishing energy. A storm of an explosion swept outward, and the ceiling collapsed with it. The muffled blaze swallowed Batman's figure, sending documents and book pages flying everywhere.
But as the smoke cleared, Human Bomb's smile froze.
He saw the black, textured leather and the bat symbol on the chest slowly emerge from the smoke.
Flames and the shockwave had licked at the black figure, leaving it completely unscathed.
Human Bomb was stunned.
Wait, what's going on?
Did I walk onto the wrong set?
*Batman: Man of Steel*?
Even The Penguin's eyes widened as if he'd seen a ghost. The entire Penguin turned into a dazed bird.
When Batman came to stand before him, Human Bomb felt as if he were facing a dark mountain peak. The pressure nearly stopped his breath, making it impossible to even move a finger.
It was the fear of the unknown, like facing some god or demon beyond common understanding.
Human Bomb stood frozen, his throat moved with difficulty, and he squeezed out a sentence.
"I... I was wrong."
Thump.
Cobblepot didn't see what the other man did at all. He only knew that the next moment, Human Bomb was also sent flying across the office, crashing into a bookshelf and being drowned in an ocean of knowledge.
When he came to his senses, Batman was already in front of him.
Orin Vale was very satisfied with Cobblepot's trembling legs.
At first, he had considered that to make the act complete, perhaps he should have done things Batman's way to be more convincing and to more easily frighten the other party into talking.
But on second thought, it wasn't necessary.
Batman was already a demonized urban legend. Showing off the abilities of phasing, superspeed, and invulnerability, giving the people of Gotham a little "Bat-shock," and adding some vivid color to the urban legend wouldn't be a bad thing.
*I originally wanted to play with you as an ordinary person, but all I got in return were schemes and underestimation.*
*I'm done pretending. I'll lay my cards on the table.*
*I'm actually Superman under this cape...*
He didn't know how the urban legend would evolve in the future, but for now, Cobblepot's worldview had already been reshaped. He looked at the familiar yet terrifying figure before him and could only manage a strained smile.
"Hahaha, impressive, truly impressive. I knew you could do it, Batman, I never doubted it for a second." He laughed it off and said, "Here's the thing. My informants discovered these superpowered criminals had infiltrated Gotham. As a dyed-in-the-wool, law-abiding citizen of Gotham, my soul of justice couldn't allow it, of course."
"But I was outnumbered and no match for them, so I pretended to cooperate. In reality, I was gathering them all together to make it convenient for you to catch them all in one fell swoop."
Orin Vale stared at Cobblepot with a blank expression.
His eyes seemed to say, *Do you think you're an idiot, or that I am?*
He didn't even say a word, but Cobblepot's voice grew smaller and smaller, as if he felt he couldn't keep up the lie.
So he changed his tune, waving a hand grandly. "Jeez, you're so late this week, I was worried you weren't coming. I'm telling you, we're so familiar with each other, you should stop climbing through windows, picking locks, and blowing up my rooftop.
"How about this? I'll leave a VIP passage for you at the skylight. From now on, if you need something, just come through the exclusive door. It'll save me from having to repair the window. How about we call it the 'Bat-Door'?"
"Those weapons," Orin Vale said, ignoring him, in a voice so grim it seemed to rise from the grave. "Where did they come from?"
"Intergang gave them to me," Cobblepot obediently confessed.
"I mean the source. You should know," he said grimly.
"I really don't know about that," Cobblepot said with a pained expression. "I'll just be honest with you. You know as well as I do, my Iceberg Lounge hasn't been open for long, so I'm not really familiar with the Metropolis Intergang. I've never even met their senior executives directly; we just have some business dealings at a lower level."
"This time, they approached me, which was a bit of a surprise. They brought out these weapons and gave us a demonstration... and honestly, it was truly impressive. It was all high-end stuff you've probably never even heard of."
"Frankly, if all my men were equipped with the top-tier models, I think I could take the Pentagon."
"But I know there's no such thing as a free lunch. They must have had ulterior motives for showing these off. Sure enough, they said they could sell the weapons to us at a low price, but on one condition: they had to be used against you."
"Why?" Orin Vale asked.
"Heaven knows. They said you messed up their plans, that you seemed to have found some clue you weren't supposed to. Simply put, you know too much."
"But as you know, our previous... confrontation... didn't go so well. That bunch from Intergang said they were very disappointed in the capabilities of Gotham's gangs and that they'd have to handle it themselves. After that, they cut off contact. I don't know anything else."
"Is that all?"
"Really! I don't know anything else!" Cobblepot exclaimed.
Orin Vale continued to stare at him, his expression unchanging.
"I swear, that's really all there is!"
Orin Vale continued to watch him.
"I can swear on my mother's grave!"
Orin Vale still watched him.
"What do you want from me? I told you I don't know anything else!"
Orin Vale kept watching him.
Sweat beaded on Cobblepot's brow, and he finally broke.
"Alright, alright, I remember something!"
Orin Vale nodded in satisfaction. "Speak."
He was starting to understand why Batman always liked to dress up like a bat in the middle of the night. This face really worked.
"During our collaboration, I also planted some informants to gather information... I don't know much, but I do know that Intergang has a follow-up operation they call the 'Critical Mission,' on the orders of some big boss."
"They call him 'That Lord,' and I suspect he's the one who gave them the weapons."
"What are the details?"
"I don't know the specifics, but they're coming to Gotham soon. I heard they're looking for someone, and it seems to involve... a prison or some place? They were originally supposed to contact me to make arrangements, but then we had a falling out and lost contact. That's all I know, really!"
As they were talking, Pal's voice suddenly cut in.
"Sir, sorry to interrupt," Pal patched in through the internal circuits.
"What is it? I'm busy."
"I know, sir, but I thought you would want to hear this. The scan of the deep space radar, adjusted per your request with the new data from the Guardians, has yielded a result."
Pal said.
"The radar has detected an anomalous energy signature. Suspected target identity... Parallax."
(end of chapter)
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
“Fire! Everyone, fire!”
The one shouting was the leader of the group of henchmen in the room. He had already pulled the trigger as he spoke.
“Take him down!”
Among Gotham's street-level thugs, Batman already commanded an unspoken aura of intimidation. It had even developed into something of a "Bat-Fear Culture" among the local underlings.
Being afraid of Batman was not something shameful among these tough guys with their cigarettes, booze, tattoos, and perms. In Gotham, Batman was like a natural disaster, akin to an earthquake, tsunami, or hurricane. If someone yelled "Come at me!" at a tsunami, his buddies wouldn't admire his courage; they'd just think he was a lost cause and haul him off to Arkham.
The only thing giving them courage now were the supposedly all-powerful high-tech weapons in their hands. They weren't firing bullets, but energy beams, and they had seen with their own eyes how one shot from these things could melt steel.
Unfortunately, today's Batman was a little different.
The bat-like figure suddenly accelerated, like a tempest of black. He weaved through the crisscrossing beams with the ease of a leisurely stroll, treading on electric arcs as he swept effortlessly through the armed thugs.
Batman’s footsteps halted, his cape settled, and in an instant, the henchmen were all lying on the ground.
A silent projectile cut through the air from behind. Orin Vale casually raised a hand, catching it between two fingers of his right.
A playing card was stopped precisely in his hand.
It was a projectile thrown by Human Bomb.
His projectile had been caught, yet a sinister smile appeared in his eyes.
“Hahaha, you fell for it, Batman! That playing card has been touched by me, Human Bomb!”
Human Bomb’s ability was Contact Detonation. He could make any object he touched explode.
Boom!
The small playing card erupted with astonishing energy. A storm of an explosion swept outward, and the ceiling collapsed with it. The muffled blaze swallowed Batman's figure, sending documents and book pages flying everywhere.
But as the smoke cleared, Human Bomb's smile froze.
He saw the black, textured leather and the bat symbol on the chest slowly emerge from the smoke.
Flames and the shockwave had licked at the black figure, leaving it completely unscathed.
Human Bomb was stunned.
Wait, what's going on?
Did I walk onto the wrong set?
*Batman: Man of Steel*?
Even The Penguin's eyes widened as if he'd seen a ghost. The entire Penguin turned into a dazed bird.
When Batman came to stand before him, Human Bomb felt as if he were facing a dark mountain peak. The pressure nearly stopped his breath, making it impossible to even move a finger.
It was the fear of the unknown, like facing some god or demon beyond common understanding.
Human Bomb stood frozen, his throat moved with difficulty, and he squeezed out a sentence.
"I... I was wrong."
Thump.
Cobblepot didn't see what the other man did at all. He only knew that the next moment, Human Bomb was also sent flying across the office, crashing into a bookshelf and being drowned in an ocean of knowledge.
When he came to his senses, Batman was already in front of him.
Orin Vale was very satisfied with Cobblepot's trembling legs.
At first, he had considered that to make the act complete, perhaps he should have done things Batman's way to be more convincing and to more easily frighten the other party into talking.
But on second thought, it wasn't necessary.
Batman was already a demonized urban legend. Showing off the abilities of phasing, superspeed, and invulnerability, giving the people of Gotham a little "Bat-shock," and adding some vivid color to the urban legend wouldn't be a bad thing.
*I originally wanted to play with you as an ordinary person, but all I got in return were schemes and underestimation.*
*I'm done pretending. I'll lay my cards on the table.*
*I'm actually Superman under this cape...*
He didn't know how the urban legend would evolve in the future, but for now, Cobblepot's worldview had already been reshaped. He looked at the familiar yet terrifying figure before him and could only manage a strained smile.
"Hahaha, impressive, truly impressive. I knew you could do it, Batman, I never doubted it for a second." He laughed it off and said, "Here's the thing. My informants discovered these superpowered criminals had infiltrated Gotham. As a dyed-in-the-wool, law-abiding citizen of Gotham, my soul of justice couldn't allow it, of course."
"But I was outnumbered and no match for them, so I pretended to cooperate. In reality, I was gathering them all together to make it convenient for you to catch them all in one fell swoop."
Orin Vale stared at Cobblepot with a blank expression.
His eyes seemed to say, *Do you think you're an idiot, or that I am?*
He didn't even say a word, but Cobblepot's voice grew smaller and smaller, as if he felt he couldn't keep up the lie.
So he changed his tune, waving a hand grandly. "Jeez, you're so late this week, I was worried you weren't coming. I'm telling you, we're so familiar with each other, you should stop climbing through windows, picking locks, and blowing up my rooftop.
"How about this? I'll leave a VIP passage for you at the skylight. From now on, if you need something, just come through the exclusive door. It'll save me from having to repair the window. How about we call it the 'Bat-Door'?"
"Those weapons," Orin Vale said, ignoring him, in a voice so grim it seemed to rise from the grave. "Where did they come from?"
"Intergang gave them to me," Cobblepot obediently confessed.
"I mean the source. You should know," he said grimly.
"I really don't know about that," Cobblepot said with a pained expression. "I'll just be honest with you. You know as well as I do, my Iceberg Lounge hasn't been open for long, so I'm not really familiar with the Metropolis Intergang. I've never even met their senior executives directly; we just have some business dealings at a lower level."
"This time, they approached me, which was a bit of a surprise. They brought out these weapons and gave us a demonstration... and honestly, it was truly impressive. It was all high-end stuff you've probably never even heard of."
"Frankly, if all my men were equipped with the top-tier models, I think I could take the Pentagon."
"But I know there's no such thing as a free lunch. They must have had ulterior motives for showing these off. Sure enough, they said they could sell the weapons to us at a low price, but on one condition: they had to be used against you."
"Why?" Orin Vale asked.
"Heaven knows. They said you messed up their plans, that you seemed to have found some clue you weren't supposed to. Simply put, you know too much."
"But as you know, our previous... confrontation... didn't go so well. That bunch from Intergang said they were very disappointed in the capabilities of Gotham's gangs and that they'd have to handle it themselves. After that, they cut off contact. I don't know anything else."
"Is that all?"
"Really! I don't know anything else!" Cobblepot exclaimed.
Orin Vale continued to stare at him, his expression unchanging.
"I swear, that's really all there is!"
Orin Vale continued to watch him.
"I can swear on my mother's grave!"
Orin Vale still watched him.
"What do you want from me? I told you I don't know anything else!"
Orin Vale kept watching him.
Sweat beaded on Cobblepot's brow, and he finally broke.
"Alright, alright, I remember something!"
Orin Vale nodded in satisfaction. "Speak."
He was starting to understand why Batman always liked to dress up like a bat in the middle of the night. This face really worked.
"During our collaboration, I also planted some informants to gather information... I don't know much, but I do know that Intergang has a follow-up operation they call the 'Critical Mission,' on the orders of some big boss."
"They call him 'That Lord,' and I suspect he's the one who gave them the weapons."
"What are the details?"
"I don't know the specifics, but they're coming to Gotham soon. I heard they're looking for someone, and it seems to involve... a prison or some place? They were originally supposed to contact me to make arrangements, but then we had a falling out and lost contact. That's all I know, really!"
As they were talking, Pal's voice suddenly cut in.
"Sir, sorry to interrupt," Pal patched in through the internal circuits.
"What is it? I'm busy."
"I know, sir, but I thought you would want to hear this. The scan of the deep space radar, adjusted per your request with the new data from the Guardians, has yielded a result."
Pal said.
"The radar has detected an anomalous energy signature. Suspected target identity... Parallax."
(end of chapter)
