What Bad Thoughts Can Batman Have 116

## Chapter 116: The Fastest Kryptonite-Fueled Dump Truck Martial Arts Legend

“No way, no way, no way, you’re telling me that even after activating the Bloodlust buff, I still can’t beat the other three Kryptonians?”

Bruce Wayne crouched in a corner, muttering with a hint of grievance, “Kryptonians are that strong? Where’s the Superman of pure willpower? Where’s the Superman whose strength depends on how strong he believes he is?”

Boom!

On the screen, Clark and General Zod were battling with their heat vision, a passionate beam-to-beam exchange, only to be interrupted by a cross-beam of heat vision from Ekk. The two Kryptonians were sent flying.

“Clark lost this time purely because he was standing on the left.” Bruce confidently declared to Alfred, his old butler, “If he changes sides next time, it might be different.”

On the screen, Clark threw a punch at Zod, only to be caught. The other hand was the same old routine; Zod caught Clark’s two hands and pulled them apart, leaving him wide open.

Clark let out a blast of freezing breath with a putrid odor. General Zod vomited on the spot – directly onto Clark’s head. Under Clark’s minutes-long onslaught of foul-smelling attacks, Zod spontaneously learned the skill of making others nauseous.

So, Clark vomited too.

The two of them, simultaneously, began retching, trading blows while they vomited. The shockwaves generated from their fists clashing caused their vomit to splatter, even adding a splash damage effect.

Ekk, the Kryptonian musclehead, wanted to help, but upon seeing the scene, stopped in his tracks.

The situation was simply a battle of mutual disgust. The entire scene looked nothing like a high-end, stylish, interplanetary war, but rather some kind of childish web game like “Invincible Homeless Man” or “Debate Superman.”

Things were getting ridiculous. Once one side used underhanded but effective tactics, the other side had no choice but to follow suit.

“Oh, please, spare me this. It’s enough,” Alfred said. “If I keep watching this battle, I’ll throw up too.”

Bruce, on the other hand, watched with fascination.

“That’s good,” he said. “Everyone’s weakened. Clark will surely be able to defeat General Zod and his men with his own abilities.”

On the screen, Ekk was dodging left and right but was eventually caught in the splattering spray, finally losing any remaining reservations. The three of them were now spraying heat vision and bodily fluids at each other, fighting with gusto.

Alfred heard Bruce say, “Really, it’s not fair that you keep asking me, someone about to retire, to go out and fight. What’s the point?”

He mumbled to himself, “I promised I’d retire. If I go charging in when there’s no need, wouldn’t that be schizophrenic, acting out of character? My mind is perfectly fine.”

Alfred saw Superman being grabbed by Ekk, the cape wrapped around him, and then slammed to the ground. He gritted his teeth against the stench, and reached back to grab Superman. General Zod jumped at them from the front, pummeling Superman’s head left and right, making it bob like a bobblehead.

Clark tried to fly away to escape, but all three of them were taken to the sky. The three brawny giants, stacked like a human pyramid, crashed onto the street with a loud bang.

Two Kryptonians, one in front and one behind, fired their heat vision simultaneously, aiming at Clark’s head. The Man of Steel cried out in pain: “Stop it!”

Things seemed to be turning quite bad.

Alfred said, “Uh, I’m not sure—”

General Zod picked up a broken steel beam from a nearby building and slammed it down on Clark’s crotch.

“Ugh…” Alfred gasped.

Once the moral bottom line of combat is broken, it starts to race downhill towards the abyss, until it reaches a level of utter depravity.

Alfred made a decision: “Master Bruce, actually, if it’s just this one time, I wouldn’t…”

“Don’t worry, Alfred, there’s no need for me to get involved. Clark will definitely win.” Then he heard his little Bruce, like a fool, chuckle twice, and in a light, self-hypnotic voice, said, “He’s Superman. If it’s only this level of threat, it’s not enough to defeat him.”

Bruce confidently declared, “He’s going to have a power-up soon. You know how it is, it’s always like this in these stories, for the sake of love, justice, and magical girls or whatever.”

Alfred repeatedly studied the expression on Bruce’s face and discovered that he actually believed it.

He gasped again.

“Master Bruce… perhaps my thoughts have put too much pressure on you,” Alfred carefully chose his words. “Actually…”

But Bruce didn’t care what Alfred was thinking. He looked at the screen, waving his fist excitedly: “Go for it! You little punk!”

“Master Bruce?”

Bruce was engrossed in watching the three of them beat each other up, as if he was watching the 2013 movie “Man of Steel.”

“Master Bruce, I have something to tell you.”

“Ah, what is it?”

Only then did Bruce turn his head and see Alfred looking at another screen, his expression grave.

“There’s been some unforeseen developments.” He pointed to the screen and said, “That Fiora should have been fighting those airplanes, so we didn’t pay attention to her. But look now, isn’t this the Shiva that Penguin and the others mentioned, the one who caused them trouble in Gotham? And Red Hood too, how did they end up here?”

Bruce turned his head, and immediately slapped the table.

“Holy crap, Red Hood is about to die!”

…

…

…

Jason Todd gritted his teeth.

His rational mind told him that he shouldn’t be as crazy as Lady Shiva.

Mathematically speaking, even with the maximum dose of venom, it’s impossible to compare to the power displayed by the Kryptonians. This battle was unequal from the start.

This was a suicide mission. Jason knew that just because he had died once didn’t mean that he could always narrowly escape death, soaring like a phoenix.

The most sensible thing to do would be to turn around and go back to Gotham. He shouldn’t be involved in Batman’s shenanigans in Metropolis, and he should plan how to get revenge on Batman, kill the Joker, unite the Gotham underworld, keep Gotham’s darkness under control, completely change the old bat’s outdated system of cat-and-mouse games, and then when the old bat returns from Metropolis, give him a big surprise.

But he still came. He was such an idiot.

Actually, Jason wasn’t unaware of Lady Shiva’s underlying logic. Over the years, some extreme martial artists would deliberately challenge opponents who were stronger, or even several times stronger, than themselves, deliberately pushing themselves to the brink of life and death, actively cutting off all escape routes, seeking a breakthrough in their strength and limitations.

Lady Shiva, including Jason himself, and even his adoptive father, the legendary Batman, Bruce Wayne, many of the world’s top martial artists, had all gone through this along the way.

Breaking human limits doesn’t come without a price. They are countless successful individuals, but behind them are countless failed limit-breakers, their bones scattered across the land.

Therefore, knowing Shiva’s mindset, Jason knew that his teacher would never back down.

Martial artists who reached Shiva’s level were no longer simply engaged in physical confrontations, but also in a contest between the “divine”, something vague and mystical.

If Shiva turned and left today, then she would subjectively consider herself to have “failed”. She would still be the strongest martial artist, but no longer “indisputably” so.

That was something Lady Shiva couldn’t accept.

But the problem was that, before the appearance of the Kryptonians, both the challenger and the challenged were human. This precondition meant that the power difference between them would never be so great that it would be in different leagues.

He had just watched from his hiding place how she jumped onto the plane and slaughtered those poor soldiers. This was not a power that a normal human being could match.

So when Lady Shiva knocked down Fiora, you can imagine how shocked Jason was.

He walked out from his hiding place.

Fiora knelt on the ground, the severe dizziness and noise made her completely lose her ability to fight. The once powerful Kryptonian woman was like a fish stranded on the beach, kneeling at the feet of Lady Shiva.

She gasped for breath, making a gurgling sound, her eyes bloodshot.

“I won.” Lady Shiva said, making a gesture similar to a blessing in Christianity, her voice emotionless. It sounded like she was excited, yet devoid of emotion.

She said, “You’re wrong about one thing. We are enemies. We both compete for supremacy and decide the outcome. Even if we respect each other, it’s only right to fight to the death, to win by any means necessary.”

She drew a dagger from Fiora’s waist, the same dagger that she had used against Colonel Hardy.

“A glorious death is a death in service.” Lady Shiva said, raising the dagger. “Die!”

Fiora kept her mouth shut, unable to speak, unable to shout any key words like “Martha” to stop Shiva’s actions.

Clang!

Lady Shiva struck Fiora with a full-power blow in the softest part of her neck, sparks flying.

“Impossible.” Shiva gritted her teeth. She reversed her grip on the dagger, making a reverse-grip slash motion, and cut at Fiora’s most vulnerable eyes again.

Clang!

Shiva changed her attack again, this time using a straight thrust. The dagger seemed like a poisonous dragon, pecking out.

Ineffective.

Lady Shiva, without saying a word, activated the venom in her back, and attached a tube to her arm, her face emotionless.

Glug glug glug glug glug…

The sound of the venom pump was loud enough for Jason, who was walking over, to hear. One side of Lady Shiva’s body swelled up like an inflatable, gradually losing its human form.

Veins protruded from her bulging muscles, the bright green venom flowing through her blood vessels was clearly visible.

“Teacher Shiva, you’ve absolutely used too much venom.”

Jason urged from the side, “This is almost the maximum dose for Bane, but he’s a six-foot-tall muscular man weighing over 350 pounds (about 159 kg), and you…”

“And I’m an Asian woman who’s about 5’7” tall. I know.” Then he heard Lady Shiva’s emotionless voice.

“But I can do it.”

Lady Shiva’s height grew rapidly. Under the transformation of the venom, her tendons were torn, her bones were stretched.

Clang!

She thrust the dagger into Fiora’s temple again, but only made her head tilt slightly.

Clang clang clang clang clang!

The sounds of metal clashing echoed without end. Faster! Stronger! More resilient! Continuous strikes were being delivered by Lady Shiva to all the lethal weak points of Fiora’s body. Her movements created an afterimage as she attacked with all her strength. She was scratching at Fiora with all her might, but couldn’t do a single bit of damage.

“Venom, I need more venom—” Lady Shiva stopped her movements. She pressed the button on the tank behind her twice, but the venom in the tank ran out quickly. Lady Shiva immediately felt the surge of strength stop.

She turned to Jason, “There’s more venom in the car, right?”

It felt like she was just a little short. The feel of the opponent was so hard, but Shiva did feel like her attacks were having some effect.

“No, Teacher Shiva, you can’t inject any more venom. Too much, and you’ll die!”

But Lady Shiva didn’t pay any attention to Jason’s opinion. After getting an almost affirmative answer, Shiva took a step and left the spot. The venom not only gave her strength but also gave her a speed far beyond her original capabilities, making her movement like flickering.

A few minutes later, a devilish, muscular monster returned.

“My God, Teacher Shiva!” Jason swallowed under his Red Hood mask, “How much venom did you use?”

“I used it all.”

Jason took a deep breath, “But I calculated the limits of Bane’s body and dosage. Once the strength exceeds 120 tons, there will be a loss of sanity, memory loss…”

“If Bane can do 120 tons, I can do 240 tons. Enough with the nonsense.”

Lady Shiva once again swung a blow at Fiora, using all her strength, with all her might, right next to Fiora’s temple… leaving a white mark.

“I don’t believe it!”

Clang clang clang clang clang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed without end. Fiora slowly sat up from the ground.

The clang of metal continued, Fiora coughed twice, and looked up.

Lady Shiva’s temples throbbed, a severe headache eroding her sanity. She attacked the same spot again and again, hoping that this would break through the opponent’s steel-like defense.

But it was all in vain.

With a clear snap, the Kryptonian battle dagger crumbled and shattered under the immense force.

Fiora stood up from the ground, looking at Lady Shiva with indifference. Continuous attacks and the passage of time had finally allowed her to gradually break free from the enormous noise interference caused by the Kryptonian super-senses.

Jason’s heart completely sank.

“I’m sorry, Master.” Fiora said.

She slowly raised her fist, a warrior’s fist, slender but filled with strength.

“This is the end.”

Boom!

Jason felt the hairs on his body stand on end, the threat of death made his whole body tremble.

With a loud buzzing sound, before human reaction time allowed it, Fiora’s fist broke the sound barrier. There was no holding back, no sentimental compassion. As long as this fist hit, even Lady Shiva would be instantly…

The fist stopped at the tip of Lady Shiva’s nose.

The immense wind pressure caused Lady Shiva’s facial features and hair to ripple.

“What’s going on?” Jason asked, “What happened?”

“She’s dead.” Fiora looked like she was deeply regretful, and looked at the fist that landed on her chest ahead of time, “Did she commit suicide because she saw no hope of victory? In order to prevent herself from suffering a crushing defeat? I lost this round.”

Without the venom’s sustenance, Lady Shiva’s size was shrinking bit by bit.

Fiora bowed slightly, “You were a formidable opponent.”

Jason watched Lady Shiva stand there frozen, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth.

“So, next it’s your turn.” Fiora said, “Do you want to do it yourself like your Master, or should I help you?”

Jason was about to say something, but then he saw Fiora looking at the sky behind her with a suddenly grave expression.

A black spot fell from the sky, like a piece of night falling, passing through the stars, falling to earth.

Then Jason realized who it was.

Batman!

He never expected them to meet again under these circumstances.

Thud!

Fiora stepped aside, watching Bruce Wayne land in a superhero-style landing, black nanobots swirling around him.

“So.”

She crossed her arms and watched with interest, “Give me some entertainment, another new Master?”

She said, “What do you have?”

Under his Red Hood mask, Jason’s expression was complex.

He never thought he would see Batman again at this moment.

But he still said, “Damn it, Bat, get out of here, this guy is no human, we’re no match for him.”

He had already secretly clenched the sonic bomb in his hand, waiting for Batman to throw a smoke bomb so he could cooperate with the other man’s movements.

He knew Batman too well. As soon as Batman made a move, he knew what bat droppings he was about to release, and he could respond to the other man’s actions based on his movements—

Then he saw Batman put his feet together and, whoosh, turned them into two wheels.

Jason: ?

The drifting black sand condensed around Bruce, swirling into a monstrous Batmobile. Fiora saw a row of green spikes glowing green on the hood of the car.

She only heard the other man’s muffled voice, “Drink! Dump truck 居合斩!” (居合斩, Iaijutsu, a Japanese swordsmanship technique of drawing and cutting in a single fluid movement)

Then he just charged at her.

Hahaha, actually, when I was writing Volume 1, I used the protagonist’s words to say, “What’s the point of turning into a car? Just listen to me, I’m going to obliterate you!” This is what was meant in Volume 2.

(End of chapter)

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