American comics farmer: start by adopting the villain savior.

Chapter 143 Bats
"Your place?"

The man strode into the private room, his gaze sweeping over Elana, who was standing to the side, her face pale with fright.

Young, beautiful, and expensively dressed, with wet tear stains and obvious fear on her face, she looked as if she were confiding in Dior.

Is it because of her?
He skipped his uncle's crucial birthday banquet and ran off to this filthy place just to meet this woman in secret?!
"What the hell is today?!"

Clark's gaze finally settled on Dio: "You actually disregarded your uncle's birthday for a woman like this and a filthy place like this?!"

"Shut up!"

"Go home! What do you think you know?!"

Dio growled, his voice filled with undisguised ferocity, "When did it become your place, you long-missing bastard, to interfere in my affairs? This is no place for you!"

"Get home right now! Kneel down in front of your uncle and aunt and apologize! You utter scoundrel!"

"Why should I apologize? Why should I get out?!" Clark took a step closer without backing down, his gloved fingers almost poking Dio's stone mask: "You're the one who should get out!"

"Look at the state you're in now! Wearing that ridiculous mask, hanging around in this filthy place with gangster women! I didn't expose you before, but on this day, you actually dare to be here! How can you face your uncle?!"

Upon hearing this, Dior smiled.

Laughed in anger.

How dare he mention his father? The culprit who made his aunt cry and his uncle fall silent.

This deserter who stole money and left without saying goodbye now dares to stand on his turf and play the role of a righteous messenger protecting his family's honor?
What a big joke!
"Me? How could I be sorry?"

He scoffed, his tone dripping with sarcasm, "And my dear brother? You disappeared without a word for so many days, leaving your uncle and aunt worried sick and in tears! Is this what you call being worthy?"

"Or…"

His voice suddenly turned even colder, "You think stealing my money, stealing my car..."

"Now it's barging into my private space like a mad dog, knocking out my people..."

"Is this all you've done for me? Huh? My 'dear' brother!"

"What did you say?!"

Clark's eyes flashed red, and his fist clenched suddenly!

In an instant.
The two were on the verge of exchanging blows, a chilling killing intent filling the luxurious private room, almost freezing the air. Elana, standing nearby, was so frightened she didn't dare breathe, cowering in the corner of the sofa.

"Looks like I'm going to have to wake you up today, my brother!"

Clark let out a low growl, refusing to waste any more words, and his fist, imbued with terrifying power, slammed straight into Dio's face without any fancy moves! The speed was so great that it created a deafening sonic boom!

Dior's eyes narrowed, and he did not choose to take the hit head-on!

"THE WORLD!"

Time seemed to freeze for an extremely short time!
At this critical moment, he barely dodged the devastating punch by turning to the side, and at the same time, he used his feet to deliver a powerful sweeping kick to Clark's lower body!

Time is flowing again!

"boom!"

Clark's fist missed its mark and slammed hard into the wall behind Dio!
"Boom——!!!"

A deafening roar! The wall, which should have been sturdy, was blasted open as if hit by a heavy artillery shell, with steel bars twisted and bricks flying out like shrapnel!
The music and noise from the dance floor outside suddenly poured in!
At almost the same moment, Dior's sweeping leg also hit Clark's calf squarely!
However, the feedback felt like kicking a mountain with all your might!

Clark's body swayed only slightly, but the terrifying force that rebounded sent a clear tingling and numb sensation through Dio's ankle!

"Is that all the strength you've got? All you learned on the farm was smashing things?!"

Dio used the momentum to leap backward, sneering mockingly, while shaking his slightly numb feet.

"asshole!!"

Clark's rage was completely ignited. He ignored the hole in the wall behind him and, like a raging prehistoric beast, charged at Dio with overwhelming force, his arms outstretched, trying to capture and lock him in the most primal way!
"boom!"

The two crashed through the broken wall in an instant, tumbling and falling into the Halloween main dance floor on the third floor, where the party was in full swing!
"what--!!!"

The beautiful music and ambiguous atmosphere were instantly shattered!

The laughter was replaced by terrified screams!
Several gang leaders instinctively reached for the guns in their pockets, but...
When they saw that inhuman destructive power and the figures fighting in the air at speeds that were difficult for the naked eye to perceive.

Their hands froze, and for the first time, their faces showed an almost childlike bewilderment and fear.

What the hell.
Which family broke the rules and actually brought a superhuman into Gotham?!

This is not the kind of fighting that should exist in their world!
"Om-!"

The enormous crystal chandelier began to shake violently due to the vibration!

Dior twisted in mid-air, kicked Clark in the chest, and used the momentum to somersault backward, landing steadily on a champagne tower table, with wine and glasses splashing everywhere!
"Your attacks are as straightforward as your brain! My foolish brother!"

"Shut up!"

Clark roared, his eyes suddenly bursting with a fiery red light, and two scorching gazes swept across like the red whips of death!

"Whoosh—Boom!!!"

The champagne tower table was cut in half by the high temperature and exploded violently!
Even the downward momentum hasn't diminished!

Half of the stage and part of the ceiling were also neatly cut open, allowing rubble and decorations to fall down!

However, Dio anticipated this and jumped up just before the heat vision was emitted.

"Om-!"

Time stops.

Dio stood in the air, only to see the scorching red beam of light brush past him.

Heat vision?!

He emitted laser beams from his eyes?!

The thought flashed through his mind almost simultaneously with his dodging movement.

A feeling of utter absurdity and irritation welled up inside me.

He thought he knew his brother, with whom he had grown up, well enough.

but.
He's firing energy beams from his eyes?!

My brother really kept this a secret!
With a cold snort, Dio precisely changed the trajectory of several boulders that had fallen from the ceiling, giving them additional kinetic energy!

Time resumes its flow.

"boom!"

"boom!"

Clark didn't dodge or evade at all; he simply punched the flying boulder into dust!

Then he turned his head, his heat vision sweeping across Dio's movement like the scythe of death!
Everything along the way—

Ruthlessly cut and detonate!
The entire third-floor dance floor looked like it had been bombed!
People cried out and lay on the ground, or frantically searched for cover.

But for Dior, the speed was still too slow.

He dodged with lightning speed, like a ghost! Seizing an opportunity, he stomped on an overturned table and shot towards Clark, who was frantically firing his heat vision, like an arrow!

"boom!"

A heavy flying kick landed squarely on Clark's cheek!

The kick was so powerful that it caused Clark's head to snap to one side, his heat vision was cut off, and he disappeared after leaving a huge, charred crack in the ceiling.

"A mouse that only knows how to dodge!"

Clark roared and reached out to grab Dio's rapidly moving ankle!

Can.
“Anger will only make your head stupider! My dear brother!”

Dio nimbly flipped in mid-air to dodge, and instead grabbed Clark's thick arm, using the momentum of his forward charge to execute a clean and decisive over-the-shoulder throw!

Then, like a boulder thrown from a catapult, it was slammed hard into the already cracked floor in the center of the dance floor!

"Click——!!!"

This time, the floor could no longer withstand it!

With a sickening cracking sound, the marble floor tiles and the precast concrete slab below were completely smashed through! The two men, along with more rubble and dust, plummeted downwards again, crashing heavily onto the second-floor corridor!
"Uh!"

The massive impact caused Dio to grunt, but he quickly rolled over to absorb the force and steadied himself by crouching.

Clark once again acted as a human ram, smashing a deep crater in the second-floor corridor.

And the battle is far from over!

His brother, seemingly oblivious to the pain, roared and sprang up from the crater almost the instant he landed, lunging at him again!

It made the two of them like two ferocious beasts going berserk.

Right there in the second-floor corridor, another frenzied close-quarters fight broke out!
"Bang! Bang! Boom!"

The dull thuds of fists colliding with flesh and the terrifying sounds of bones clashing against each other rang out in rapid succession!

Let every clash cause the walls to tremble violently!

Clark's strength gave him an absolute advantage; every punch he threw was powerful and heavy!
"boom!"

He punched but missed, instead slamming into the wall next to him, instantly creating a huge hole that revealed a terrified room attendant inside!
This is Dior's advantage.

Although he lacks strength, his skills far surpass Clark's!

While using techniques such as time stop, dodge, block, and deflection to neutralize heavy blows, one can look for opportunities to launch a fierce counterattack!

The world is yours.

He slammed his elbow into the man's ribs and then slammed his knee into the man's abdomen!

Although it couldn't cause decisive damage, it was enough to make Clark even more frenzied!
They fought their way from one end of the corridor to the other! Everything in their path was a mess!
The wall was smashed through!
The gorgeous wallpaper has been torn to shreds!

An expensive decorative painting fell to the ground and was trampled to pieces!
The fire alarm was triggered by the violent vibration, its piercing ringing out. The automatic fire suppression system activated, and water sprayed from the ceiling sprinklers, but it did nothing to extinguish this man-made fire—

Fire!

Finally, Clark delivered a violent charge that sent Dio flying!

It caused his back to slam heavily against the thick marble railing at the entrance to the main staircase leading to the first floor!

“Crack—boom!”

The exquisite stone railings simply couldn't withstand the impact and snapped instantly! They even dragged the entire corridor down with them!
The two of them lost their balance again!
"Bang! Bang! Boom!"

Smoke and dust filled the air, water sprayed, and alarms blared.

Two massive bodies crashed down like meteorites, slamming heavily onto the gleaming lobby floor on the first floor!
It smashed the third and largest crater there tonight!
Spiderweb-like cracks spread out!
The terrifying shockwave spread out in a ring, shattering all the expensive floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows on the first floor!

Even the most dazzling central crystal chandelier, weighing several tons, finally let out its last groan!

The chain snapped, and it plummeted to the ground!
Tens of thousands of crystal shards rained down like a deadly storm!

The panicked crowd cried, pushed and shoved, desperately trying to escape, and the scene was completely out of control!
but.
The two men burst forth from the ruins and dust almost simultaneously, charging toward each other at astonishing speed once again!

The brutal sounds of fists colliding with flesh echoed like a series of muffled thunderclaps in the lobby on the first floor!
Each clash caused the luxurious club building to tremble violently, with more decorations peeling off the ceiling!
"boom!"

They even broke through the lobby floor!
It crashed through the thick concrete foundation, ultimately plunging into the deepest and widest part of the iceberg's underground parking garage, accompanied by countless steel bars and concrete fragments!
"THE WORLD!"

Dior activated Time Stop again!

In the stillness, he unleashed all his power, lifting dozens of luxury cars around him like toys, and then slamming them down on Clark!

Then let time flow again!

"Qiang——!"

The heavy metal objects were simultaneously imbued with kinetic energy and slammed into Clark!

"Show me your true abilities! Or are you utterly useless outside of the 'world'?! A pathetic wretch who only relies on external things!"

Clark roared, neither dodging nor avoiding, his heat vision sweeping wildly!
At the same time, his fists pounded out like pile drivers!
“BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!”

Expensive cars were precisely cut by thermal imaging and torn apart by immense force.

Then, one after another, explosions began!
Fireballs kept rising, and thick smoke billowed out!
The leaking gasoline flowed everywhere and was quickly ignited, turning into a sea of ​​fire!
The load-bearing column was broken, and the ceiling began to collapse in large areas!

"You're trash! Trash! Dior!"

Clark roared amidst the flames of the explosion.

He punched a burning car wreck that sent it flying towards Dior!
Like the calm before a storm.

“There used to be a graying tower alone on the sea~”

"You became the light on the dark side of me~"

The luxury car was driving smoothly along the coastal road.

Soothing pop music was playing inside the car.

"Kiss from a Rose is pretty good, Afu. I heard it could even win a Grammy. Should we buy the company?"

"If you'd like, of course you can."

In the driver's seat, the meticulous old man, dressed in a crisp butler's uniform, glanced at the slightly tired, handsome young man in the passenger seat, a hint of satisfaction on his lips.

"After all, Mr. Bruce, you did a very good job this time," Alfred praised. "You single-handedly neutralized most of the Luther Group's aggressive financial offensive."

"is it?"

Bruce rubbed his throbbing temples, shook his head helplessly, and said with a deep weariness in his voice, "Ah Fu, don't flatter me to death. I feel like my eyes are glued to the screen because I'm so focused on watching their betting odds and doing the opposite."

"Honestly, this is even more deadly than those combat training sessions with you."

“Haha…” Alfred chuckled easily as the vehicle smoothly rounded a bend, the brilliant lights of the Iceberg Club coming into view in the distance. “But you succeeded, didn’t you? This is the situation you had to face and completely control sooner or later. This crisis management is enough to prove your ability and courage to everyone, including yourself.”

"..."

Bruce did not respond.

Silently turning his head, he looked out the window at the city rushing past and the huge road rollers on the construction site.

He wanted to tell Afu that he didn't want to.

After all, this means more responsibility than just an ordinary victory.

but.
Just like how he doesn't really like drinking the black tea that Afu brews, but he drinks it every day.

Bruce Wayne didn't want to disappoint the old man.

Noticing his young master's low spirits, Alfred smiled knowingly and didn't pursue the topic further. Then, as if by magic, he took out an exquisitely crafted, sharply defined black bat mask from a storage compartment beside him and handed it to him.

"Alright, my young master." "The serious matters are temporarily put aside. Tonight is Halloween, so put aside your work and go to the club to relax. The Iceberg Club's costume party is a melting pot of all sorts of people, making it the perfect place for you to temporarily 'disappear' and enjoy the freedom of anonymity."

"That's more like it." Bruce took the mask, which was clearly made for him, with a hint of annoyance. He weighed it in his hand and snorted, "Then I'm not going back tonight. I'm going to stay out all night, so don't call me in the middle of the night to wake me up."

"Of course, if you are sure..."

Alfred's easy words came to an abrupt halt.

The gentle smile on his face vanished instantly, his war-tested sense of danger taut to the extreme!
His sharp gaze fell upon the brightly lit Iceberg Club not far away!

really
All I could see was that enormous building.
It was actually swaying slightly!
Moreover, at the main entrance and all exits, countless panicked people surged out like a tidal wave, and their cries could even be faintly heard through the soundproof car windows!
"Afu? What's wrong?"

Bruce also noticed the butler's unusual behavior. He sat up straight and looked in the direction of his gaze, puzzled.

"Master."

Alfred's voice turned serious; he could even sense it.
An abnormal, dull tremor came from the ground beneath my feet.

It was as if some extremely terrifying energy was accumulating deep underground.
It's just like.
Signs of an impending explosion?!
"Master!!"

Alfred suddenly let out a loud roar!
Almost instinctively, he put all his strength into his right foot and kicked hard at the door hinge on Bruce's side!

"boom!"

The heavy car door was kicked open by his explosive kick!

At the same time, he darted out with his left hand and grabbed Bruce, who was still in shock, with all his might. Using his own body as a shield, he carried Bruce out of the car in a disheveled but swift manner!

"boom!!!"

Just as their bodies left the car—

The solid ground of the seaside boulevard suddenly arched upwards and tore apart!
A terrifying pillar of fire, a mixture of flames, thick smoke, and rubble, shot into the sky, hurling their luxury car into the air!

The shockwave even caught up with the two people still in mid-air! It violently blew them away!
"Boom!"

The two crashed heavily onto the cold, rough ground more than ten meters away, rolling uncontrollably several times before finally coming to a stop.

Bruce was thrown around in a daze, feeling as if his internal organs had shifted, his ears were ringing, and his vision was blurring.

He hadn't fully grasped what had happened; he only remembered a blur before his eyes, and then Afu pounced on him with brutal yet precise movements, followed by an explosion that nearly shattered his soul.
what is that? !

His gaze unconsciously drifted to the towering pillar of fire, and he seemed to see two figures rushing out of the explosion's epicenter at inhuman speed, but his chaotic mind was unable to process this information.

Before he could even sort out his thoughts…

"cough"

A painful cough rang in his ears.

Immediately, a warm liquid splashed onto his cheek.

"?!"

Bruce froze abruptly.

"Afu? Afu!"

He struggled to get up.

But he felt an unusual weight pressing down on him from Alfred's body, and...

It was trembling slightly.

He forcefully pushed away the old butler's arm that was protecting him, and only then, by the light of the distant explosion and the dim, flickering streetlights, could he see clearly—

That all-powerful butler.
Alfred's face was as pale as paper, his brows were furrowed in extreme pain, and blood kept spilling from the corner of his mouth!

A terrible bruise was spreading rapidly on his back near his shoulder, and he was swollen!

Even more fatally, a sharp piece of gravel was deeply embedded in his muscle, possibly even damaging his internal organs!

He was hit by debris from the explosion!

"Hey... Ah Fu? Don't... don't joke with me like that... it's not funny at all..."

Bruce's voice trembled violently as he helplessly tried to help the old man up, to stop the bleeding, and to do something.

But he found that his arms were so weak that he seemed to have lost even the strength to help the old man sit up.

"Never mind me...Young...Master...Quickly...you..."

Alfred struggled to open his eyes, his gaze already somewhat unfocused. With his last ounce of strength, he tried to push Bruce away, to get him out of danger. But before he could finish speaking...
His head suddenly slumped to one side, and his pupils began to dilate slightly.
"?!"

Bruce was completely stunned, his mind went blank.

He looked at Afu's pale face, feeling his breath, which was rapidly weakening and turning cold, pressed against his neck...

"Afu! Wake up! Get a grip! I'll call an ambulance right away... I'll call an ambulance right away! Hang in there!"

"Cellphone...cell phone!"

His fingers were stiff and clumsy from panic, and he finally managed to pull out the cold communication device.

But the screen was blurred by rain and bloodstains.

He frantically wiped his hands with his sleeve, unlocked the phone, and pressed the three numbers that should have brought him hope—

911.

however…

Beep...beep...beep...

Only a monotonous busy tone.

"No...impossible..."

He muttered to himself, his breathing becoming rapid.

He hung up, then dialed again, his fingers turning white from the force.

Beep...beep...beep...

The same busy tone, like a cold crossbow bolt, pierced his heart.

"Answer the phone, you bastard!"

He roared into the phone, his emotions spiraling out of control. He hung up defiantly, and this time, he tried dialing the Wayne family's private emergency line, a number directly connected to the highest priority response service—

Theoretically, it is absolutely impossible for the line to be busy.

He held his breath, placing all his hopes on this.

Beep...beep...beep...

It was still that same despairing, monotonous busy tone.

At that moment, the cold reality shattered his last shred of hope like a heavy hammer.

Gotham…

It's always like this. When disaster strikes, even calling for help becomes a luxury.

An unprecedented, chilling despair, mixed with anger and helplessness, quickly entered Bruce's heart and spread to his limbs.

He suddenly raised his head and looked at the chaotic world around him.

Several young people dressed in exaggerated Halloween costumes tumbled and crawled past him.

One of them even accidentally kicked up some mud, splashing it on him, but they didn't even look back, their faces showing only pure fear, before quickly disappearing into the rainy night.

Further away, a few scattered people noticed his predicament, their faces showing a moment of hesitation or sympathy, but they were quickly pulled away by their companions:
"Get out of here! Don't cause trouble! Who knows if it might explode again!"

Their figures quickly blended into the fleeing crowd, without looking back.

Occasionally, vehicles would pass through this chaotic road, but most of them would honk their horns frantically and drive at full speed, as the drivers just wanted to get away from this troublesome place as quickly as possible.

The cold headlights swept briefly over him and Afu, but like merciless searchlights, they illuminated their disheveled state and despair, only to quickly abandon them in the darkness.

"Boom—Rumble!"

Thunder roared across the sky.

雨.
It started to fall in a light drizzle, icy cold, and soon became dense.

It washed over his face, soaked his black hair, and drenched his expensive suit.

But it couldn't dispel that bone-chilling cold.

He could almost hear the city mocking him with a cold laugh.

You can't save him. You can't even save his closest relatives, just like your parents.
Rainwater mixed with mud soaked through the butler's clothes, causing the blood to slowly spread beneath the old man.

With trembling hands, Bruce tore open Alfred's torn clothes at his chest, attempting to provide first aid.

But when his fingers touched Afu's cold neck and chest—

There is no pulse.

I can't hear a heartbeat.

He mechanically performed CPR!

Pressing hard, performing artificial respiration... over and over again... disregarding everything...

But it didn't work.

Afu's eyes, which were always full of wisdom, had now completely lost all their luster, and the pupils were unconsciously and slowly dilating.
"don't want…"

"Ah Fu...please...don't do this..."

Under the stormy, rain-soaked Gotham night sky, Bruce's voice was low and almost a whisper, filled with broken pleas.

“Afu.”

He murmured in despair.

"Boom——!!!"

A pale white bolt of lightning tore through the night sky, and a deafening clap of thunder boomed at that very moment!

The sound was deafening, as if the heavens and earth were echoing his endless grief and anger!
The tears he had held back for years finally burst forth, gushing out and mingling with the cold rain as they rolled down his cheeks.

I swore to myself that I would never cry again after the night my parents passed away...

But why...

Why must fate be so cruel, taking away once again the last support in his life, his family who were both father and friend…
"Feel sorry."

An unusually calm male voice pierced through the roar of the downpour, quietly sounding behind him:

"I'm so sorry, child."

"Wow—"

A coat, still warm from his body, was draped over his cold, trembling shoulders.

immediately
Another hat was gently placed on his soaking wet head, its wide brim perfectly shielding him from some of the rain.

"I'll take care of it."

"Neither your life nor his should stop here."

The voice continued, its tone carrying an undeniable promise.

Bruce was stunned, his roar and tears stuck in his throat.

He wanted to turn his head and see clearly who this stranger who had suddenly appeared and was spouting such nonsense was!

but.
"Zi la——!"

A faint yet clear electrical sound exploded in his ears, and at the edge of his retina, a flash of blue-white lightning seemed to pass by very briefly!

Upon closer inspection, there was nothing behind him!
Only cold raindrops pounded on the empty ruins.

The man who had just been speaking to him and giving him his clothes and hat vanished without a trace, as if by ghostly means!
Only the coat draped over his body and the hat on his head proved that what had just happened was not an illusion.

But before he could even react...
"Bruce... young master..."

A faint call, like heavenly music, came from behind him!

Bruce froze, almost unable to believe his ears!

He almost held his breath, turned around abruptly, and looked cautiously at Alfred.

A miracle happened.

The old man's face, originally as pale as paper and lifeless...
Incredibly, a trace of color returned to its face at that moment!
Although still weak, his eyes had regained focus and were looking at me with concern.

the most important is--

His chest began to rise and fall slightly but clearly.

one more time.

That once dormant heart has started beating again!

Was that the man from earlier?!

Who is he?! What did he do?!

Bruce was overwhelmed with turmoil.

The thunderstorm continued to pour down, and the fighting raged on in the distance, seemingly spreading to the city center.

But Bruce Wayne, kneeling in the cold mud...

But he subconsciously raised his hand.
He gripped tightly the unfamiliar hat on his head that had offered him protection.

Looking at Afu, who had regained his breathing, he felt for the first time that this cold, sinful city seemed to conceal things he couldn't comprehend, things that appeared and disappeared like lightning.
Miracle.

In Gotham.
When you feel that the world has become so dark and hopeless that there is no more hope.

perhaps…

There really might be a glimmer of light, a miracle.

after all
Gotham itself is a mystery, isn't it?
-
Anyone can be a hero, even an ordinary person who does something insignificant:

Put a coat on a helpless boy and tell him that life can go on.

—The Dark Knight Rises

(End of this chapter)