What Bad Thoughts Can Batman Have 61

## Chapter 61: The Man Behind the Scenes

“With my help…” Before he could finish his sentence, Bane went around the back of the tank and pointed to the half-handprint deeply imprinted on the armor next to the clearly replaced tank entry door, saying, “This seems to be one of the tanks from the National Guard that I destroyed with my bare hands.”

“How is that possible?” Penguin’s eyes widened, causing his monocle to fall from his eye socket. “I’m an honest and reliable Penguin, how could I possibly do something like looting and selling other people’s equipment?”

The muscle-bound, explosive muscle freak remained silent.

“Okay, okay,” Penguin surrendered under the other’s stare. “Fine, I picked up those pieces of equipment, but I fixed them all. It’s simple, just need to replace some armor parts…”

Bane said nothing.

The tanks he had destroyed were severely damaged. Even if Penguin had picked up the equipment, the fact that he was able to fix them in such a short time was a testament to his own strength.

The exchange was proceeding pleasantly, with Bane’s men moving the weapons Penguin had brought.

“By the way, Bane, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Penguin puffed on his cigar with a click-clack sound. He put his monocle back into his eye socket.

“You know my nuclear bomb was stolen recently, right?”

“Nuclear weapons?” Bane paused.

He immediately said, “Damn, you actually possess such dangerous things.”

Penguin narrowed his eyes slightly.

This gesture was quite intimidating, even though he was a short, fat, hook-nosed ugly fellow under five feet tall, this act of narrowing his eyes while smoking still sent chills down one’s spine.

“You didn’t know my nuclear weapons were stolen?”

Bane immediately retorted, “Should I have known?”

They locked eyes for a moment, and the atmosphere began to slowly freeze over.

Some of the smarter ones among Penguin’s and Bane’s men began to sense something was off. They lowered the weapons they were exchanging and stared at their respective bosses.

“Hahahahahahaha!” Penguin suddenly burst into laughter. “It’s okay, buddy, I just wanted to ask you, if you know where the little thief who stole my nuclear weapon is, remember to let me know as soon as possible so I can come over and tear him to pieces!”

But Bane remained tense, staring coldly at Penguin.

“Haha, hahaha…” Penguin chuckled dryly, then fell silent.

He casually beckoned to a subordinate, directly telling him in front of Bane, “Tell the armed helicopters on standby above us to pull back. This probably wasn’t done by Bane, there’s no need for them to keep their missiles pointed at our dear customers.”

Bane relaxed.

The atmosphere began to thaw, the tense standoff disappeared without a trace. Penguin stroked his chin, his eyes darting back and forth.

“My friend, these weapons might greatly enhance your strength,” he said.

“But I don’t have high hopes for you. You’ll soon meet the same fate as countless others who have challenged Batman over the years.”

Seeing Bane appear somewhat downcast, he didn’t care.

He could see that Bane wasn’t as emotionally transparent as he portrayed, but he enjoyed playing the role of a mindless musclehead, so he played along.

After all, his goal was to make Bane fight Batman longer so he could continue to sell his wares, so he stated bluntly:

“For the sake of our cooperative relationship, Bane, I’ve seen a lot of Arkham’s talents before, and they all told me the same thing.”

“Bane is no Batman, so let me point out a simple fact, my dapper ally.

“No matter how many assassins and strongmen you bring from Santa Prisca, or how many scum you reclaim from Blackgate Penitentiary, these Arkham crazies have seen worse, they’re not afraid of you.”

Bane remained silent.

The rest of the exchange was uneventful, and in an odd silence, the unique customer and merchant completed the transaction.

“The next batch of weapons will be delivered to you in two days. My ally, this time you’ll need to pay real money, you know, the super deal where a body can exchange for so many weapons, there’s only that one time.”

He handed Bane a price list detailing the cost of purchasing different quantities of weapons. Then, Penguin swaggered out under Bane’s watchful eye.

A few minutes later, in a secluded corner.

Bane motioned for a few of his men to guard the entrance ahead, then placed his finger on his earpiece, saying, “So, my ally… any advice?”

“I’m not your ally.”

A British voice, sounding like a butler carrying a tray in a noble manor, came through Bane’s earpiece.

“We’re just engaged in a blatant quid pro quo, Bane. No need to tie ourselves together… are you addicted to playing allies with Penguin?”

This was a rude taunt, but Bane remained silent.

“I provide you with the necessary information, I give you money, you just need to repay me, to achieve what you should have wanted all along – to destroy Batman, that’s my purpose.”

The mysterious voice said, “No matter what method you use, even if you destroy Gotham, go and achieve your great cause.”

“I smell conspiracy,” Bane said, “I never believe in gratuitous help.”

But the mysterious voice ignored him. He continued, “The last payment for the purchase of weapons will be in place soon, and then we won’t see each other again.”

“Give me as much as you can,” Bane said.

“Of course, Bane,” the shadowy figure paused with his cane. “Enough to arm all the men under your command to the teeth.”

Bane hung up the phone. He turned around, just about to tell his men to take the weapons and leave, when he heard a loud commotion.

“What’s going on? Zombie, go and see.”

Before the man Bane called “Zombie” could react, a voice came from behind:

“No need for that, you’re Bane, right?”

“Pfft!”

A faint laugh came, and Bane frowned. He saw the man called “Zombie” beside him laugh.

Bane silently activated the venom behind him. The dark green liquid flowed, raising his body by a couple of inches.

“Oh, no need to be so cautious, we’re both dealing with Batman, we’re allies!”

“Pfft! Hahahahaha!”

The “Zombie” suddenly fell to his knees, beginning to laugh hysterically.

Bane looked at the pale figure before him: “Joker!”

(End of chapter)

**Notes:**

* **National Guard:** A military reserve force in the United States.

* **Santa Prisca:** A fictional island nation in DC Comics, known for its brutal and lawless nature.

* **Blackgate Penitentiary:** A fictional prison in Gotham City, often used to hold supervillains.

* **Arkham Asylum:** A psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane in Gotham City, known for its infamous patients like Joker, Scarecrow, and Harley Quinn.

* **Gotham:** A fictional city in DC Comics, the home of Batman.

* **Batman:** A fictional superhero in DC Comics, known for his detective skills and dark, brooding personality.

* **Penguin:** A fictional supervillain in DC Comics, known for his obsession with penguins, his umbrella-based weaponry, and his criminal activities in Gotham.

* **Bane:** A fictional supervillain in DC Comics, known for his superhuman strength, his intelligence, and his rivalry with Batman.

* **Joker:** A fictional supervillain in DC Comics, known for his chaotic and unpredictable personality, his iconic green hair and purple suit, and his deadly pranks.

* **Harley Quinn:** A fictional supervillain in DC Comics, known for her chaotic and unpredictable personality, her relationship with Joker, and her jester-like appearance.

* **Alfred Protocol:** A contingency plan in case of Bruce Wayne’s death or incapacitation, involving Alfred Pennyworth taking control of Wayne Enterprises and other assets.

* **Amber Gold:** A fictional substance used in the comics, often as a rare and valuable resource or an illegal trade commodity.

* **Bat Knight:** A more grandiose and heroic title for Batman, often used in storylines or by allies.

* **Muscle Monster:** A description for someone with immense physical strength, emphasizing their muscular build.

* **Five-Faced Person Harvey Dent:** This likely refers to Two-Face, a fictional supervillain in DC Comics, known for his scarred face and his tendency to make decisions based on a coin flip.

* **Titan Toxin:** A fictional chemical substance in DC Comics, known for its effects on enhancing strength and aggression, often used by Bane.

* **Niema Mr.:** This might be a mistranslation or a reference to a minor character that doesn’t directly translate to the DC universe.

* **Perry White:** A fictional character in DC Comics, known as the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet newspaper, Clark Kent’s (Superman) boss.

* **Clark Kent:** A fictional character in DC Comics, Superman’s alter ego, a mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet.

* **General Zod:** A fictional supervillain in DC Comics, a Kryptonian general and Superman’s primary antagonist.

* **Card Writing:** A possible mistranslation or a term specific to the web novel, not directly translating to the DC universe.

* **Leave of Absence:** A period of time taken off from work or responsibilities.

* **Outline:** A summary of the plot points and events in a story.

* **Subplot:** A secondary plot within a larger story, often providing context or additional development for the main story.

* **Exclamation Mark:** A punctuation mark (!) used to express strong emotions or to indicate emphasis.

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