Chapter 612: I Am the Joker (Ten)
Chapter 612: I Am the Joker (Ten)
"First Squad, arrived at designated location. Over."
"Second Squad, arrived at designated location. Over."
"Third Squad...
Sixth Squad, arrived at designated location. Over."
"All six squads have assembled. Ready for orders, sir!"
Several voices reported through the radio to the Batcave.
"Hold formation, tighten the encirclement, and await Batman's signal", ordered Gordon from the command center, watching the live feeds on the main screen with a crisp tone.
"Understood, sir!" The response came back firm and unified.
"Did you hear that, Bruce?" Gordon switched frequencies swiftly, addressing The_Bruce.
"Of course", Bruce replied gravely. "From here on, I'm taking over."
"Understood." Gordon acknowledged, then activated the universal frequency, shouting, "Long live Batman!"
"Long live Batman!" The synchronized reply echoed.
At this moment, fifteen minutes had passed since the "smile" had climbed onto Gotham's Sky, and the [Less Hasty Repair] time limit had just expired.
Meanwhile, The_Bruce and his Robin squad had completed the encirclement of the Gotham Police Station.
Right now, over two hundred heavily armed soldiers and ten armored combat vehicles were assembled on the ground. Above, more than twenty disc-shaped patrol boats and a backup Batman Aircraft hovered in the sky.
The entire Gotham Police Station was wrapped in a firepower net ready to unleash hell. At The_Bruce's command, this historic building would be riddled with bullets like Swiss cheese.
"Ahh~ Ahh~ They came charging in all fired up..." Xiao Tan stood at the center of the rooftop, gazing skyward.
Nearby, Xiao Ling leaned casually against a rocket launcher as thick as a tree stump: "A while back, you were all smug. Now remember—your survival comes first. If things get too rough, abandon the plan and eliminate The_Bruce to complete the mission."
"Got it. You watch yourself too", Xiao Tan replied.
At this moment, only the two of them remained on the rooftop. Feng Bu Jue, Ruo Yu, Qiao Yi, and Maya had already left.
"Two-Face, Poison Ivy", suddenly boomed from the Batman Aircraft's loudspeaker, The_Bruce's voice rang out, "I don't know where you got your strange, evil Strength, but if you think you can escape justice with it, you're terribly naive..."
Before his words faded, the Batman Aircraft's hatch opened. The next second, Bruce leapt from his seat, unfurling his dragon-wing-shaped Mantle, gliding toward the police station rooftop.
"Huh? No way..." Xiao Tan muttered, eyes wide with surprise. "This guy has air support but chooses to fight us hand-to-hand?"
"He's here for you", Xiao Ling patted Xiao Tan's shoulder, smirking sideways. "I couldn't beat him anyway."
Boom—
With a thunderous crash, Bruce landed firmly, his heavy combat armor sending cracks rippling across the ground beneath him, radiating immense momentum.
"My subjects..." Bruce straightened up, shouting proudly, "Witness with your own eyes—Batman's true Strength!"
"Is he talking to us?" Xiao Tan whispered, tilting his head.
"Definitely not", Xiao Ling replied, glancing at the patrol crafts above. "As the commander speculated, the 'live broadcast' has resumed. He's performing for the 'audience.'"
"Oh! Perfect timing then." Xiao Tan flicked his wrists, military dagger and claw blade already in hand. "I'll knock him flat for the whole city to see."
"You're surprisingly enthusiastic..." Xiao Ling remarked, sounding almost bored. "Well then, you two have fun." Without finishing her sentence, she grabbed the rocket launcher and turned to leave.
Xiao Ling's strategy was clear. With The_Bruce now on the rooftop, the surrounding firepower net was useless—Batman's army wouldn't dare fire on their own leader. So, she simply cleared the space, letting Xiao Tan fight to his heart's content.
"Don't forget the commander's basic strategy", she added as she reached the rooftop entrance.
She carelessly set down her weapon, leaning against the wall to watch the show.
"Got it", Xiao Tan turned back, "don't worry, I..."
Whoosh—Boom!
As Xiao Tan's attention wavered, a black blur suddenly flashed before him, landing a heavy punch across his cheek.
"Ugh..." Unprepared, Xiao Tan staggered sideways, reeling from the blow.
"Aww, got slapped", Xiao Ling remarked calmly, watching Bruce ambush Xiao Tan. She showed no concern, fully confident in his abilities.
"How's that, Two-Face? Feeling good?" Seeing his opponent wobble, The_Bruce pressed his advantage, stepping forward to smash his knee into Xiao Tan's ribs.
This time, however, the attack missed.
With a twist of his waist, Xiao Tan executed a fluid sideways flip, effortlessly evading the strike.
"Oh? Seems you've got some skill", The_Bruce remained unfazed, his tone light. "At least you're better than Gotham's usual rabble."
"You underhanded bastard..." Xiao Tan wiped a bruise on his lip, glaring at Bruce. "First you tied me to your flyer, crashing into me mid-air, and now you attack without warning..."
"Underhanded?" Bruce scoffed. "Hmph... Two-Face, did your brain short-circuit?" He sidestepped, searching for an opening. "This isn't a martial artist's duel—it's a fight to the death."
Before he finished speaking, Bruce lunged again, slashing twice with the fin-like serrated blades on his forearm armor.
Clang! Clang!
Xiao Tan reacted swiftly, shifting his stance and raising his dagger and claw to block.
"Tch... Stronger than I expected..." Xiao Tan mused internally. "Is this guy really just a commoner?"
Meanwhile, The_Bruce was even more astonished: "Unbelievable... Those two slashes each packed about 1,300 pounds (roughly 590 kilograms) of force. Even someone blocking with an alloy shield would get blown away. Yet he parried with two short weapons, barely retreating a few steps!"
"Hey, Xiao Tan, you hearing me?" Suddenly, Feng Bu Jue's voice crackled through Xiao Tan's earpiece (modified by Mushiro Koganei from a corpse at the parking lot).
"I'm kinda busy!" Xiao Tan muttered.
"I can see that", Feng Bu Jue replied. "The city's big screens are broadcasting it live."
"Then why interrupt now?" Xiao Tan grumbled, frustrated. He wasn't good at multitasking, and Feng Bu Jue's interference was distracting.
"I'm reminding you—you're playing a super criminal, a brutal antisocial villain", Feng Bu Jue said. "But so far, you've been acting way too normal."
"Aww..." Xiao Tan whispered sarcastically, "Sorry I lack innate talent for playing villains!"
"No problem, I'll coach you", Feng Bu Jue continued. "First, unleash some hysterical laughter."
"Ah... Ha... Hahahaha!" Obediently, Xiao Tan burst into maniacal laughter.
It worked—seeing "Two-Face" suddenly cackle, The_Bruce instinctively tensed. Assuming a surprise attack, he boosted his combat armor's defense energy and paused cautiously.
"Next, fake confusion", Feng Bu Jue instructed.
Xiao Tan hesitated, picturing a confused expression. Two seconds later, he half-opened his mouth, rolled his eyes upward, and groaned, "Eh—?"
"If I had to describe your current state, it'd be 'a man fresh from a lobotomy picking his lunch,'" Feng Bu Jue quipped over the channel.
"I'm mad now!" Xiao Tan hissed.
"Alright, no more jokes", Feng Bu Jue chuckled. "Now, take out that Monster Kingdom Coin, toss it, and check the result."
Xiao Tan complied.
"Finally, act like you've had a sudden realization... then rush over and force a kiss on Poison Ivy."
"What did you say?" Before Xiao Tan could reply, Xiao Ling's voice cut in.
"Wait, this channel's shared?" Feng Bu Jue blinked.
"Yeah, I heard it too", Qiao Yi's voice joined the channel.
"Feng Bu Jue, what exactly are you doing...?" Xiao Tan groaned. "Just messing with teammates for sadistic humor?"
"Not at all", Feng Bu Jue explained. "To make Two-Face believable, you must show his 'toss the Monster Kingdom Coin for every decision' trait. Think—real Two-Face often does reckless acts after flipping the coin." His tone sounded suspiciously like a con. "Actually, as long as you do something unpredictable, it works. You don't have to kiss Poison Ivy—you could even kiss The_Bruce. He's a Malenpc, and the system won't penalize you for sexual violence tendencies as a heterosexual..."
"Cousin sister, punch him!" Xiao Ling's voice activated the channel, cutting Feng Bu Jue off.
A second later, a scream echoed, and Feng Bu Jue's signal cut out...
"Who knows what he's up to..." The_Bruce, unaware of the chaos, saw only Two-Face making bizarre expressions and muttering to himself (the earpiece merged with the player's image, so no visible mouth movements showed). He was utterly baffled.
"Aha! I've decided!" Xiao Tan, forced to improvise, played along, pretending he'd genuinely made a choice with the Monster Kingdom Coin. "I'll... I'll..." His expression shifted suddenly as he turned, "...run away!"
"Huh?" Among everyone, Xiao Ling was probably the most shocked.
"Hmph..." The_Bruce sneered inwardly. "So that's it... I overestimated him. Those two slashes must've worked. He looks fine, but he's actually badly injured... So he's putting on this act to stall time and create an escape window."
"Ha..." Xiao Ling sighed deeply. "Always making things complicated."
Muttering, she grabbed the rocket launcher, then kicked her left heel up. In one smooth motion, she hoisted the massive cannon onto her shoulder.
"What about our roleplay? What about stalling time?" Her tone clearly showed her annoyance.
"Sorry... I just couldn't think of anything else to say", Xiao Tan replied, running toward her.
"Alright, no blame", Xiao Ling said, stomping her foot and leaping five meters high, angling the Rocket Launcher's barrel downward, targeting the police station below...
(End of Chapter)
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