## Chapter 13: The Assault Continues
Cheshire Cat and Killer Croc weren’t dead. Chen Tao couldn’t help but feel…
…immensely relieved.
He, along with the Ventriloquist, who had emerged from the shadows, pulled the three survivors out of the rubble.
**[Killer Croc’s Broken Scale]**
**[Description: This scale fell off Killer Croc after suffering inhumane beatings and witnessing the escape of his powerful opponent. His fierce spirit shattered along with the scale. Perhaps you could use it to summon a Batman from a parallel universe.]**
Chen Tao was slightly taken aback. He looked at Killer Croc, who was obviously still alive.
**[But, wouldn’t anything summoned by a non-human being be anything but normal?]**
**[“Bane escaped! How could he escape?! Is there actually some magical art in this world that lets you live without fighting? Then what was the point of all my hard work fighting?”]**
**[Crisis Energy Units Transferred: 50]**
**[Your Current Crisis Energy Units: 60]**
**[Warning! Downloading targetable Batman file]**
**[Bat-Dragon]**
**[Danger Level: E]**
**[Earth 27 is a world filled with dinosaurs. There is no Justice League, only the Jurassic League. All superheroes and villains are dinosaurs.]**
**[Synchronize immediately by consuming 20 Crisis Energy Units?]**
Chen Tao had no intention of synchronizing in front of the three of them.
He’d take the injured away first. He helped Deathstroke to his feet.
Deathstroke said miserably, “Am I going to Arkham Asylum?”
“I don’t want to go to Arkham,” Killer Croc muttered, dazed after being battered by Bane. He crawled up from the ground, eyes vacant, not even reacting to the large Batman standing close by.
He groaned, “I’m so hungry. Do you have anything to eat? My arm is broken.”
Only then did his eyes focus, seeing who was standing in front of him. He was startled and struggled to get up, but soon lay back down.
He had no strength left.
Cheshire Cat, even in this state, still wore her mask. She was in the best shape of the three, the only one who could stand.
She limped away, only to be knocked on the back of the head by Chen Tao.
Chen Tao found that his skill at knocking people out was becoming increasingly smooth.
Everything seemed normal. Things were finally heading in a stable direction. All Chen Tao needed to do was take them away, continue manipulating them from behind the scenes, recruit more fighters, employ more …
But Chen Tao kept thinking about one thing.
Bane…
Did he really just escape like that?
Chen Tao frowned at this thought, retreating behind the three seriously injured people, an old man, and three corpses.
He had a bad feeling about this.
From his knowledge of Bane in the comics, he knew the man was bold, meticulous, insidious and ruthless. Whenever he encountered Batman, he always tried to test the Dark Knight’s state.
Escaping without a fight wasn’t Bane’s style.
If he were Bane, he would definitely take advantage of Batman’s belief that he had been scared off and strike back suddenly –
He had just thought this when his face turned black, and he wished he could slap his own crow’s mouth.
…
…
…
“Alfred?”
No response.
“Alf? Alf?”
“Ah, sorry Tim, I was daydreaming – where were we?”
“We should grab Batman, beat him with a whip and a crowbar.” The third Robin, Tim Drake, crossed his arms, causing the iron chains on his wrists to clang.
He saw Alfred didn’t respond and said eagerly, “Don’t you believe it? He’s not the one I knew…”
“He’s not the Batman you knew. He’s Bruce.”
“He’s just pretending to be Br…”
“You don’t understand…” Alfred seemed lost in thought. “You don’t understand at all…Tim. Gotham, Gotham gave him back to me.”
“What?”
“He’s alive. The child who died in Crime Alley with his parents, my little Bruce, he’s alive! He was just a little boy back then…not that Batman.”
“But…”
“This filthy city, this awful city. I cursed it countless times. It took Thomas and Martha, my best friends, but today, it was merciful!”
“Wake up Alfred, he’s not…”
“No, no, I know him. He’s my little Bruce! Tim, Bruce talked to me. We’re going to retire, leave Gotham, go to Fiji and spend our twilight years there…”
Alfred was rambling. He used to be so sharp and capable, Tim almost forgot he was an old man in his fifties. And old people are sentimental, soft-hearted, prone to melancholy, and stubborn.
“Jean Paul (the Death Angel mentioned earlier), Jason Todd (the second Robin, beaten to death by the Joker with a crowbar), Bruce has lost too many people… Tim, let him go. Gotham isn’t Bruce’s responsibility.”
He lamented, “Bruce… my poor little Bruce. He’s suffered so much! He doesn’t have a single piece of cartilage left in his body. Every time he clenches his fist, two of his bones grind against each other, making him suffer. Two-Face, Riddler, Joker – the scars they left behind fester with every rainy season.”
“But what about Gotham? Who will save Gotham without Bruce?”
Alfred fell silent for a moment, “While I would love to say let Gotham be destroyed, Bruce said he’ll find a successor.”
He said, “He asked you to find him, but you didn’t find him. This person called Clark Kent. I don’t know why Bruce chose him, but…”
“My Bruce needs to be free. We all need to return to normal life.”
“And you…” He hugged the young Robin. “We’ll leave Gotham, your parents too. We’ll find a new life together, okay?”
Tim hugged Alfred, hugging his thin body and the scent of the old man who was no longer young.
He couldn’t refuse.
“If this Clark Kent Bruce mentioned can really protect Gotham.”
He promised, “I will.”
…
…
…
Chen Tao felt like he was about to be freed.
Seeing the muscle-bound monstrosity emerge from a corner, he felt the blood in his body rush from his anus to his skull, splattering every bit of brain matter.
“Bane…” Everyone in the area shivered at the sight of him.
Deathstroke struggled to his feet, loading his weapon. Ventriloquist hid behind him. Cheshire Cat… well, the petite lady was still unconscious on the ground.
Killer Croc didn’t lie down anymore. He jumped up and stood beside Chen Tao.
Woo hoo, it’s still safer to hide by a superhero’s side.
Killer Croc remembered seeing ordinary people protected by Batman. He finally understood their feelings.
He said, “This world is too crazy. I never thought in my life that I would fight alongside Batman.”
But nobody had the energy to deal with Killer Croc’s life reflections.
Everyone was ready for battle.
Batman slowly stood up.
Just this action made Bane feel suffocated.
The fighting spirit laced with fear made his heart beat like a drum, the venom flowing through his veins like lava, strengthening his body.
This pure power and killing intent could break a person – any person – like a twig.
But this man was different. He was unlike anything else.
He had never been so worried about his inability to break this “twig”.
“I knew you when I was in a goddamn hole thousands of miles away.”
Bane spoke in silence. His voice was raspy and deep beneath the respirator.
“I knew you in my dreams, and then I escaped from that hell, escaped from my dreams, with only one purpose. To find you, destroy you, and take your Gotham.”
“So you came to my city and hid in the shadows of a corner like a rat?”
He heard Batman say, “You released the madmen from Arkham, watched me deal with them until I was worn down to the bone, and you didn’t dare stand in front of me?”
Bane knew Batman was trying to provoke him. He wouldn’t fall for it.
“I’ve seen too many fools like you who think they’re better than everyone else. You’ve caused so many deaths, so many lives lost… just for the sake of ruling this city, for such a ridiculous reason?”
“I’ll kill for anything.”
Bane answered him. His momentum grew with each verbal clash. “I’ll kill to silence an annoying noise.”
His muscles contracted and stretched, his bones clicked. “I’ll kill to extinguish the light in the eyes of those who dare look at me.”
Bane clearly saw the fury in Batman’s eyes. He knew this was an unprecedented challenge –
Confronting the Dark Knight without being weakened to his core!
This was…
Exciting!
Then he saw the black bat, without a word, place Cheshire Cat and Deathstroke on his shoulders, left and right. He scooped up Killer Croc in one arm, tucked Ventriloquist under his other arm, brought his legs together, and with a whoosh, transformed into two wheels.
Bane: ?
(End of Chapter)
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