Chapter 298: Mantlescramble Battle

Chapter 298: Mantlescramble Battle (End)

Luckily, Feng Bu Jue had taken a vitality value supplement before launching his attack, which allowed him to narrowly escape death. Otherwise, he might have collapsed from overexertion while activating his skills, leading to fatal exhaustion.

Still, his stamina value had ultimately dropped to zero. Instantly, he felt his entire body go limp, collapsing helplessly as his strength vanished.

At the same time, the amplified spiritual pressure flash had completely dispersed the Pegasus Comet Punch and engulfed Seven Kill’s figure.

“Good heavens… I can’t believe it…” Gordon lowered his telescope, staring in awe at the black shockwave piercing the sky.

Even the experienced Nightwing wore an expression of shock. For once, he considered calling for heroes outside Gotham City for backup.

“Chief! Did you see that? My God!” The officers in the two helicopters had an even clearer view. They clutched their radios, struggling to articulate the surreal spectacle.

After the collision of the two ultimate techniques, a jagged, deep trench scarred the rooftop of Wayne Tower. The two combatants who had unleashed those moves now lay motionless on the ground.

Seven Kill lay on his back, gasping for breath. For those few seconds he’d been hit by the spiritual pressure flash, it felt as if molten lava had poured over his body, evaporating every cell.

After the flash faded, his Batman suit was in tatters, six or seven parts ruined. However, the game uniform beneath remained nearly intact, protected by the system.

If Seven Kill’s Batman suit had been purchased from the “Scare Box,” a legendary-grade item like that wouldn’t have been easily destroyed. But now, the suit he wore was equipment acquired within the scenario itself—one that couldn’t be taken out of the scenario. In other words, this equipment existed under the original “DC Universe environment” rules, so it wasn’t protected by the system. Instead, it followed the physical laws of this universe.

For example, the same logic applied to why Cold Blood Armor could be destroyed by an Rpg. If Cold Blood Armor had a version that could be taken out of the scenario, wearing it would protect the player even from missile strikes (though damage exceeding its defense would still affect the player). But versions that couldn’t leave the scenario had to adhere to the current world’s rules. Materials had limits, and once those limits were exceeded, destruction was inevitable.

“Hehehe… Hahahaha!” After catching his breath, Seven Kill burst into laughter toward the sky. “You still had an ace like that… Hahahaha…” He laughed as he struggled to rise. “Unbelievable…” His laughter carried both genuine joy and a hint of resignation. “You’re full of surprises.”

Pew—

A white beam suddenly shot toward him.

Feng Bu Jue, lying on his side, had used his last ounce of strength to fire the Frozen Pulse Rifle.

His posture was awkward—head tilted right, cheek pressed to the ground; both arms extended at a 90-degree angle from his body, right arm flat on the ground, left arm stacked atop it. Only this position allowed him to fire while lying down.

“Tch… So stubborn…” Seven Kill hadn’t fully stood when the Frozen beam struck. The impact hit his legs, spreading rapidly from there, freezing him mid-lunge in a half-crouch.

Meanwhile, Feng Bu Jue suffered his own agony. This felt even worse than when his stamina value had hit zero before. It was like being trapped in a nightmare, paralyzed and helpless, unable to move a muscle.

Firing while lying down wasn’t some stylish pose Feng Bu Jue chose—it was the only way he could shoot. He focused intently, gritting his teeth to squeeze the trigger, channeling all his effort into maintaining the beam.

All he could do now was keep the beam active, praying its spreading effect would encase Seven Kill entirely in ice, suffocating him.

But then… an unwelcome situation arose.

After sustaining the beam for dozens of seconds, the pulse rifle’s charge ran out.

Two seconds after the beam cut off, clack—Feng Bu Jue released the trigger, letting the rifle clatter to the ground.

A gentle night breeze swept through the sky…

Seven Kill stood frozen in his half-crouch, his body encased in ice from the waist down, only his head and forearm free to move.

Feng Bu Jue lay sprawled like a dead pig, motionless. His eyes repeated a single word—“F*.”

“Well, I’ll deal with you after the ice melts,” Seven Kill said, feigning calm.

“Once I recover, you’re the one who’ll die,” Feng Bu Jue shot back, his voice raspy, as if he’d swallowed a mouthful of wasabi.

“The helicopters will report our condition. Police and superheroes will swarm here soon. To arrest me, they’ll break the ice,” Seven Kill explained. “The moment I break free, I’ll charge at you and finish you off with one strike.”

“Your analysis is terrible,” Feng Bu Jue replied, his voice regaining some strength despite his effort. “When they arrive, I’ll just lie here, looking like I’ve just been… violated. By then, I’ll be carried to the street and rushed to an ambulance long before you escape the ice.”

“Fine… You’re really pushing me,” Seven Kill strained his right arm, bending his elbow with visible effort, bringing his forearm closer to his torso. A white light flashed, and he successfully pulled a handgun from his satchel.

“Ha! Like you could hit me anyway,” Feng Bu Jue mocked before the gun even fired.

The distance between them was less than twenty meters, but Seven Kill’s shooting proficiency was only E-rank (Batman’s special effects had long faded), and his awkward arm position made hitting the target nearly impossible.

“I’d advise against it. Firing like that might break your arm from recoil,” Feng Bu Jue taunted. “From what I’ve deduced, your only extreme stat is martial arts proficiency. Other proficiencies? Not great. But shooting proficiency, from N/A to E-rank? Easy. Just grab a gun and practice occasionally. You’re level 31, so I’d guess… E-rank.” He pushed himself up with his hands, finally sitting upright. “Based on my knowledge of DC comics, Batman’s Batarangs have tracking functions, but they require the helmet’s positioning system. Your earlier test attacks were precise because of that, right? But now, your helmet’s damaged… Throwing projectiles with just your wrist? Even if you hit me, you couldn’t kill me.”

Feng Bu Jue took a few deep breaths, checking his game menu. Stamina recovery was slower than expected—much slower. It seemed that once stamina hit zero, the damage wasn’t just numerical. It was like real-life athletes: when physical stamina ran out, they had to pace themselves to recover. Pushing through led to cramps at best, shock at worst.

Terrifying Paradise replicated this realism. In this game, recovering from total exhaustion was completely different from slowly regaining stamina with some left. Last time he’d used the Infernal Unparalleled Blazing Wave Cannon, he’d collapsed until K2-Chieh T’ieh revived him. Without help, he might’ve lain there for hours.

“So you chose a gun,” Feng Bu Jue continued. “But I told you—under these conditions, this attempt is futile.”

Seven Kill sighed. “Hmph… Guess I should’ve trained marksmanship in-game too.”

“What?” Feng Bu Jue’s detective instincts triggered his usual reckless reflex. As soon as the words left Seven Kill’s mouth, Feng Bu Jue blurted, “Are you a cop? Soldier? Shooter or hunter association member?”

Still stunned, Seven Kill faced another barrage. “Your expression says you don’t want anyone to know… Could you be a killer? Spy? Poisoned arcade addict?”

“Uh…” Seven Kill found himself speechless.

“Never mind. Doesn’t matter. I’m not even interested,” Feng Bu Jue said, struggling to lift his hand and pull out the Endless Grenade Magazine from his satchel.

Seeing the grenade launcher, Seven Kill sensed danger. Testing his luck, he asked, “Feng Bu Jue, in your current state… can you really throw a grenade over here?”

Feng Bu Jue pulled out his anti-gravity launcher again. "I don't even need to think about this kind of problem", he said. "All I need are three values: the time interval between pulling the pin and the explosion, the speed at which the grenade flies in a straight line, and the distance between you and me." He let out a long breath. "The calculations after that are something even an elementary school student could handle."

"What do you mean...?" Seven Kill's eyes locked onto the anti-gravity launcher in Feng Bu Jue's hand. Though he hadn't seen the device's effects firsthand, Feng Bu Jue's words had already given him a good idea of what to expect.

"Hehe... It means you're in a bad situation", Feng Bu Jue said with a smile. "After taking my spiritual pressure flash move—which the system prompt told me the name of—you haven't taken any vitality value supplement, have you?" As he spoke, he prepared to fire. "If you think you can survive the blast damage of two Mark II Grenades at point-blank range even at full health, then by all means, drink that potion now. Otherwise... I'd advise you to save your game currency."

When Feng Bu Jue first spoke, Seven Kill instinctively reached for his Blood Vial. But after hearing the second half of Feng Bu Jue's words, he paused for a few seconds before putting the vial back.

"Hmph... Hahaha..." Seven Kill laughed in relief, shaking his head. "Mad Bu Jue... I'll remember this ID this time."

"Goodbye, solo enthusiast", Feng Bu Jue said, pulling the grenade's pin.

...

In the real world, S City, L Park.

The park at night was already empty, but a swing deep within the park continued to sway back and forth.

"Has it ended already?" Wen Sent's hands gripped the iron chains on either side of the swing, gently rocking it back and forth.

"Hehehe... You're using such a bored tone to talk to me, you must have some scheme up your sleeve..." Wooly's figure abruptly appeared two meters in front of Wen Sent. He didn't answer the question but instead glanced around before pointing at another swing to Wen Sent's right. "That's the 'death swing,' right?" He paused. "You're sitting on this ordinary swing, acting relaxed and carefree, creating a psychological suggestion. You're trying to lure me into sitting next to you so I'll get launched into the air like a pile of crap by the death swing."

"Heh..." Wen Sent couldn't help but laugh. "Sigh... It seems this level of trickery can only fool Xi De."

"I'm also curious... Is this thing really as powerful as the legends say?" Wooly asked, looking at the swing.

"Do you think that's why I came here?" Wen Sent replied.

"Oh... Hehehe..." Wooly smiled knowingly, having figured it out the moment he heard the question. "The last guy sent to retrieve the swing died because he couldn't keep his hands to himself, right?"

"That's exactly why I wanted to lure you over to test the swing's power", Wen Sent said.

"Hehehe... This is just as confusing as your last plan where you tried to kill me with the 'one-hit instant kill tomato,'" Wooly laughed. "But let's talk about the bet. Feng Bu Jue has already won, right? Hehehe..." He couldn't help but cackle at the end.

"So it was him in the end..." Wen Sent calmly responded, his expression showing he had already predicted this outcome.

"You must be feeling pretty smug right now", Wooly said.

"Smugness? That kind of genuine happiness is something you and I can't even dream of", Wen Sent replied.

Seeing that Wen Sent was dodging the issue, Wooly decided to be direct. "Before I came here, I spent about ten seconds guessing your entire plan", he said. "I think it mainly consists of two parts... First, by giving up these forty-eight hours, you can keep Li Ruoyu at a moderate to high power level, preventing her from entering the strongest group too early. She already plays the game sparingly, so two days of lost time isn't that significant, is it?"

Wen Sent smiled, essentially confirming this.

"Second, you had your own reasons for choosing the battle we bet on", Wooly continued. "Six powerful individuals gathering in a chaotic battle is good for their growth. Even the losers won't come away empty-handed. Just the experience of fighting top experts is invaluable." His expression shifted slightly. "But the most critical point is... in a scenario like this, the ultimate winner will experience a transformative improvement. Hehehe..." He laughed again. "It seems you're trying to create someone who can rival gui xiao."

"What's wrong with that?" Wen Sent countered.

"Tsk tsk, so devious, hehe..." Wooly's sneaky laugh carried a chilling undertone. "Right before the game enters its mid-phase, you're attempting to dismantle the existing power structure at the top. This is laying the groundwork for 'confusion.'"

"Would you rather see gui xiao dominate alone?" Wen Sent asked with a smile.

"Hehe... That's not it either, but if I had to choose now, I'd be the same as you. I'd keep my chosen player behind the leading group, in a safer and more advantageous position, rather than revealing my strength too early", Wooly replied.

"Blame me if you will, but blame Feng Bu Jue more", Wen Sent said. "When you don't even know how far the piece in your hand can go... can it still be considered a mere piece?"

"Hmph..." Wooly adjusted his glasses. "From the very beginning, I never saw him as just a piece. People like Feng Bu Jue are destined to be the player, not the piece.

They can only be played against, never controlled."

...

A few minutes earlier, in the game world, Gotham City.

Feng Bu Jue launched both grenades, sending Seven Kill out of the scenario.

As Seven Kill's name turned to 【deceased】 on the enemy team interface, the system prompt immediately followed: 【Current task completed, main quest has been fully completed】

The task bar's 【Become the sole surviving player in the scenario】 was also checked off.

【You have completed this scenario. Automatic teleportation in 180 seconds】

"Phew..." Feng Bu Jue staggered to his feet, gazing at the night sky with a long breath.

Once his stamina value slowly climbed back above 30, he felt much better. At least sitting, lying down, or walking no longer posed any obstacles. It seemed this number was a threshold. When a player's stamina was completely depleted, the period from 0 back to 30 acted as a hidden debuff state.

"It seems you've resolved your business. Now it's time to settle our accounts", Nightwing's voice came at that moment.

Feng Bu Jue turned around. Six or seven heroes from the Net of Gods stood in a line, exuding authority.

"Tim isn't dead", Feng Bu Jue said bluntly. "The video was fake. He's alive, in Two-Face's hands. I and Mr. Dent planned to frame the Penguin and provoke you. That way, he could become the king of the basement levels, while I... could raid the Batcave while you lost your minds and rushed out recklessly. Of course, my original plan was completely disrupted later."

In just a few short sentences, he delivered a massive amount of information. The heroes' expressions changed several times, a mix of shock, joy, and suspicion. In the end, Nightwing, the leader, stepped forward to reply. "Even if what you say is true, the fact remains that you killed police officers and aided Two-Face. You..." He hadn't finished speaking when Feng Bu Jue's sudden action made him freeze.

Feng Bu Jue didn't do anything else—he simply pulled out a tattered mantle.

"There are some things Bruce will never teach you", Feng Bu Jue didn't put on the mantle. He simply held one corner of the fabric in one hand, letting it flutter in the air.

"Don't talk to me about so-called 'crimes,'" Feng Bu Jue's tone became rhythmic. "In this city, there are many people you consider madmen. They spread anarchism and insane ways of living.

But as long as they still understand what anarchism and insanity truly are in their hearts, they can't be called completely mad.

These people can still understand what 'crime' means."

As he spoke, he stepped back toward the building's edge. "But I... am different from them", he said with an eerie smile. "My existence is the embodiment of anarchism and insanity."

"What are you doing!" Nightwing seemed to realize something, quickly stepping forward toward Feng Bu Jue.

"Sinners can be executed, but sin cannot be eradicated. Evil itself cannot be judged, and those tempted by it will never disappear", Feng Bu Jue was already at the roof's edge. One more step back, and he would fall. But he still wore his smile fearlessly, one hand holding the mantle fluttering in the air. "I made my opponent take off this mantle because I didn't want to fight someone wearing it."

"Listen, jumping from here..." Nightwing realized what Feng Bu Jue was about to do and tried to persuade him.

"Those who defend justice will carry the belief and responsibility represented by this mantle", Feng Bu Jue took his final step. "While those who pursue chaos will ultimately return to chaos."

Nightwing rushed forward to grab Feng Bu Jue but only caught the mantle that Feng Bu Jue had thrown.

Manic laughter roared through the wind, gradually fading into the night sky as Feng Bu Jue fell.

But in the end, there was no corpse hitting the ground...

That moment of madness seemed to become eternal.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end