There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 220, Section 117: Superman Returns

(July 15th Leave Request: I was busy all day and didn't get home until 9 pm. I had heatstroke and a headache, so I'm requesting a day off.)

A faint light shimmered in the distance, and beyond the thick clouds, the outline of the metropolis became increasingly clear before the two.

Bain frowned, then reached for William's head.

"Bane, what are you doing?!"

The injured William cried out anxiously, only to be met with a short, cold laugh from Bane: "Ha! Sorry, I have to go. But before that, you can't fall into Superman's hands."

Without hesitation, Bain crushed William Cobb's head and found the amber gold in the brain tissue scattered on the ground.

After killing the witness, Bane climbed out of the cabin and jumped from 3,000 feet in the air with his arms outstretched.

Bane's fall was like a small meteorite exploding on the outskirts of Metropolis. Amidst the billowing dust and debris, he groggily crawled out of the crater and stumbled as he fled towards Gotham City.

He wasn't foolish enough to provoke the Kryptonians' authority. Even though this wasn't Kryptonian territory, he still had to be wary of their super hearing.

But in reality, Superman didn't have time to deal with the sudden earthquake in the suburbs. His attention was completely drawn to it after his wife Louise shouted "omg".

The farmer in Smallville, Kansas, put down his pitchfork and appeared almost instantly over Delaware on the East Coast.

At that moment, the jet carrying the nuclear bomb was almost touching the Daily Planet building. The surging air blast shattered the window of the editor-in-chief's office, and Louis Lane's terrified face was reflected in the shards of glass.

Because of the urgency of the situation, Clark didn't even have time to dig out his long-forgotten red and blue battle robe from under the bed.

The beeping of the countdown to the nuclear missile inside the spaceship pierced Clark's ears. He threw off his glasses, brushed aside the shards of glass floating in the air, and turned to shield his wife with his arms.

The bio-force field spread out like an invisible barrier, covering the entire block within 0.01 seconds before the nuclear bomb exploded.

boom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A spectacular display of fireworks lit up the night sky over the metropolis. The shockwave spread outwards from the Daily Planet building, filling the streets like a bucket of ink being poured over them, and paralyzing the city's power system.

That night, a huge mushroom cloud rose up amidst raging flames, etching this dazzling and awe-inspiring scene deeply into the retinas of every citizen who looked up.

Protected by the biological field, the urban area directly below the explosion's epicenter remained unharmed. Instead, high-rise buildings a few blocks away were damaged; massive glass curtain walls were shattered by the shockwave, and the rooftop signal tower and GG sign were blown back to the explosion's epicenter under immense pressure.

However, because it was late at night and the unrest in Gotham City made the city's residents uneasy, the streets of the main city were deserted, and the violent explosion naturally did not cause any casualties among innocent civilians.

Clark surveyed the area from the air and, finding no injured persons, flew back to Louise's side.

Are you alright?

Louise nodded and silently nestled into her husband's arms.

In order to get the latest updates on the Gotham City riots, Louise chose to work overtime in the office. When she was busy until the early hours of the morning, she was so sleepy that she put her head down on the table to rest until the jet fighter shook the glass and woke her up.

"Do you think this was an accident?" After calming down, Louise looked up and asked her husband.

The implication is that Clark has been retired for thirty years, and even Lex Luthor has put aside his hostility towards Superman, so who else would want to target the Kent family?

"Could it be Jonathan?"

Clark pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow, his deep nasolabial folds revealing the same doubt as his wife.

Although Jonathan Ive, the Superboy, took over his mantle as the guardian of Metropolis a year ago, in all fairness, supervillains have almost disappeared in recent years. Many times, the police can handle the situation without the Superboy even having to lift a finger.

In this situation, how will Superboy make enemies with the villains?

Thinking of this, Clark realized that such a big mess had occurred in Metropolis, yet his son had not appeared.

Where is Jonathan?

It was just a casual question, but Louis instinctively turned his gaze to the side.

"Honey, I hope you'll answer honestly. He wouldn't have gone to Gotham City, would he?" Clark frowned; he had already learned about the turmoil in Gotham through the news.

However, the invasion by General Zod thirty years ago dealt him a great blow. Clark, who had always considered himself a son of humanity, began to think about and accept his Kryptonian identity and began to doubt his long-held beliefs.

His conversation with his foster father, old Jonathan, at the top of the barn late at night finally resolved his inner conflict.

"What humanity needs is not a savior, but to respect the destiny that humanity has chosen for itself."

After that conversation, the superhero who had once amazed the world disappeared from Metropolis. Only in cases of superhuman events that the military and police could not solve, and natural disasters, could that red and blue figure representing hope be seen occasionally.

Not long after, outside the Planet Daily's recruitment room, a country bumpkin clutched his resume and nervously pushed up his glasses that had slipped off his nose.

Clark Kent became the assistant to Louise, a rising star reporter for The Daily Planet, and eventually won the girl's heart with his sincere and gentle personality.

Thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye. The two, now in their fifties, have wrinkles all over their faces, but their love has never faded.

"Clark, I'm sorry, I should have discussed this with you, but Jonathan is worried you'll stop him."

"Well—indeed, I don't recommend he go, but I wouldn't necessarily stop him either." Clark forced a comical smile at Louis's guilty expression. "But honey, this isn't a school football game, so I hope you can respect my opinion, or at least listen to it."

Clark wasn't particularly worried about Jonathan. Although Superboy Jonathan was only nineteen years old, he was much stronger than Clark had been back then, and Clark didn't think the trip would be too dangerous.

Clark's only concern was the opinion of Gotham's guardian, the mysterious "Judgment Knight."

According to the unwritten rule that superheroes are all based in one city, the Judgement Knight probably wouldn't welcome Jonathan's arrival.

But the jet carrying the nuclear bomb gave Clark a reason to intervene, since the war had already threatened Metropolis.

After taking Louis home, Clark took out a spare battle robe that he hadn't worn in a long time from the closet.

Louis sewed this dress for her by hand after he learned her identity.

He could have changed clothes in the blink of an eye, but he chose to have his wife help him put them on.

"Honey, you've gained some weight." Louis pinched Clark's little belly.

"I'm not young anymore, but the good news is that you're still as beautiful as a rose." Clark tucked his wife's hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead.

The figure in the flowing cloak disappeared into the bright moonlight as the window was opened.

Louis rubbed his throbbing temples.

Recently, she has been feeling particularly exhausted due to long hours of overtime. Since becoming the editor-in-chief, her work has been even busier than when she was always on the go, and even outsiders can see her fatigue.

Yes, it's Joseph, the young reporter from Gotham who came to Planet Daily for training last week.

"I think you need to rest; you're too stressed."

"Have you noticed? I've been using melatonin to help me sleep lately, but the results haven't been very good —"

Joseph possessed immense personal charm; not only was he highly skilled in his profession, but his demeanor also exuded elegance and confidence, which prompted Louis to open up and begin talking.

"I'm surprised! Why is a reporter as outstanding as you only an intern? If Gotham Daily can't offer you a satisfactory salary and position, Planet Daily is willing to open its doors to you!"

Before leaving, Louis considered recruiting the other party, but the other party's answer was puzzling.

"Thank you for your recognition. I think we'll meet again soon, in Gotham."

After washing up and changing into his bathrobe, Louis reached for the melatonin on his bedside table.

I hope I can get a good night's sleep tonight.

Louis swallowed the pills with water, and his eyelids quickly began to droop.

But unlike before, this time the drowsiness came on particularly hard, accompanied by intense dizziness.

She sensed something was wrong, but was too weak to speak.

Meanwhile, inside Wayne Manor, Thomas Jr., having confirmed Bane's departure, breathed a sigh of relief, followed by a barrage of questions.

"Damn it! Bruce!!! How is it you? And who was that person just now? Wait, what's with the mask on your face?"

How many mouths do you think a person can have?

"One!"

"Then why are you asking so many questions at once?"

After confirming that Bane had discovered the truth, Qin Wei removed Roman Siennis's manipulative mask—

Tool.

After wearing it for only a short while, the mask seemed to be stuck to his face, accompanied by auditory hallucinations and mental confusion, but these side effects were negligible in the face of the mask's powerful effects.

Qin Wei didn't know the exact usage of the black mask, but he remembered that as long as he put it on and put a sub-mask on the person he wanted to manipulate, he could control that person.

So Qin Wei thawed William Cobb's body parts from the refrigerator and stuffed the amber gold and the mask into the other person's hands.

A strange thing happened: Qin Wei's soul seemed to split in two. One half could still control the body freely, while the other half occupied William's body.

As for why he did this, it was obviously to find a scapegoat to take the brunt of Bane's firepower.

This scapegoat must meet the following requirements: be no less skilled than him, and not be easily killed by Bane. At first, Qin Wei was also struggling to find a suitable candidate, until Thomas's words reminded him.

What claws? Those are just my spoils of war.

Since it's spoils of war, we must make the most of it and squeeze out every last bit of value.

To be honest, the battle with Bane was not easy. Although he was not the one who experienced it, Qin Wei, who shared William's body, seemed to be wearing VR glasses. The terrifying aura emanating from Bane almost overwhelmed him.

It's no exaggeration to say that if Bane hadn't borrowed William's body enhanced by Amber Gold, he could have easily shattered him with a single punch.

Yes! It's about smashing, like jumping off a train and being hit head-on by a bullet train traveling at full speed, being shattered into pieces without any embellishment.

His opponent was two levels stronger than he had imagined; even Deathstroke would likely be easily defeated with one hand.

What made him even more desperate was Bane's defensive capabilities. Chato's flames couldn't kill him, machine gun fire couldn't break through his defenses, and it was highly likely that even a nuclear bomb wouldn't be able to deal him a fatal blow.

So, at the last moment before the scapegoat William boarded the plane, Qin Wei made a bold decision.

He's launching Plan B; he's going to drag the Kryptonians into this mess!

Whatever the reason Clark Kent stepped down from Superman, he couldn't possibly ignore the nuclear explosion in Metropolis, especially since it was aimed at the Daily Planet.

Of course, there are many variables in this plan. What worries Qin Wei the most is that the nuclear bomb may affect innocent people, or even Lois Lane, which would force him to go to war with Superman.

The good news is that it's better to fight a morally upright gentleman than to die at the hands of a despicable scoundrel.

Meanwhile, Superboy Jonathan had arrived in Gotham half an hour earlier. His first stop was the GCPD, where he rescued twelve police officers who were surrounded by thugs on the police station rooftop.

The real test began from that moment.

Jonathan descended from the sky dressed in a similar battle suit to his father. He tried to persuade the mob to retreat, but was met with several bullets fired at him.

He could have dodged it, but he thought it would be a good option if the public could vent their anger on him.

So Superboy stood still, attempting to awaken the conscience of the people through non-resistance.

Little did they know that this action would exacerbate the conflict.

Superboy's name had already spread throughout the United States, and when his act of saving corrupt cops was witnessed by the public, people naturally regarded him as a henchman and accomplice of the government.

"Go to hell, Superboy!"

"You're nothing but a lackey!"

"Go back to your metropolis, nobody in Gotham needs you!"

The public's thinking is simple: when they were oppressed by the oligarchs and the government, the superheroes didn't stand up for them, but on the day of reckoning, these guys suddenly appeared under the guise of maintaining order. This behavior is infuriating.

Jonathan remained silent, letting the bullets fall on his chest.

His abilities had been awakened for less than a year, and his strength and speed were far inferior to his father's. Although the bullets could not hurt him, they hit him like heavy raindrops, making it impossible for him to open his eyes.

Amidst the cacophony of gunfire, someone threw a Molotov cocktail at Jonathan, followed by a rocket fired by a gang in the distance.

boom!

Jonathan, who was hit in the chest, took a half step back.

Beaten and verbally abused by the very people he had always wanted to protect, Superboy's spirits plummeted. A growing mob surrounded him, and even after they ran out of bullets, they didn't retreat, hurling the most vulgar insults at Jonathan standing in front of the police station.

Those who insulted Superman, those who insulted his mother, and those who questioned his lineage.

Jonathan clenched his fists, and a flash of red light disappeared beneath his tightly closed eyelids.

But he wasn't from his homeland after all, and Jonathan, unable to bear it, eventually chose to leave.

As he soared into the sky with his fists raised, a triumphant cheer erupted from the crowd. People brandished their weapons and shouted as they stormed into the Gotham Police Department and set it ablaze.

Young Jonathan didn't understand why the war started, but Clark, hovering behind the clouds, had already seen through the nature of the war.

This is a war that rises from the bottom up; it is a war within humanity itself.

"My dear child, what humanity needs is never a savior. Respect the destiny they have chosen for themselves."

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