PFC Chapter 3767 Rapid Pursuit (2)
Chapter 3767 Rapid Pursuit (2)
Chapter 3767 Rapid Pursuit (Part Twelve)
"boom!"
As the police in front fired first, the security personnel behind them also stopped holding back and began shooting at the laughing man.
Most critically, the female teller whom Kuangxiao grabbed in his swift action was completely unsuitable to be a hostage. This woman was nearly 1.8 meters tall, weighed approximately 75 kilograms, and showed signs of working out in her arms; she had been struggling ever since Kuangxiao grabbed her.
Although the Maniac Laugh was Batman, he was a skinny, bony Batman. In this close-quarters combat, the difference in their strength was very obvious. To subdue the struggling woman, the Maniac Laugh had already expended a lot of energy, and the wound on his chest that was about to heal had reopened. The female clerk mustered all her strength and pulled hard, throwing the Maniac Laugh sideways to the ground.
The police officer fired a shot that struck him in the thigh. The female clerk broke free and quickly ran to the side. With the hostage gone, the security personnel behind her opened fire without any restraint, spraying bullets indiscriminately.
Fortunately, the Batman Who Laughs still had Batman's gear. The instant he fell, his grappling hook shot out, catching perfectly on the doorknob of the bank's back door. The hook retracted, propelling him out. Because of his speed, he wasn't hit by many bullets; instead, the bullets damaged the door lock, allowing him to escape successfully.
The moment he ran out, he looked back at the crowd, intending to see if the police had caught up, but instead saw Schiller standing there in the crowd, smiling at him.
With a bang, the door closed.
Kuang Xiao felt his heart pounding wildly. Some long-forgotten memories surged in his mind: a figure standing at the edge of a pale world, smiling at him in the same way.
He shook his head violently, trying to banish those unsettling memories from his mind. This wouldn't do. He thought, Schiller must have some kind of method to track him down; even if he fled to the ends of the earth, Schiller could still hunt him down. This couldn't go on.
He had to take the initiative. He needed to find something for Schiller to do to distract him and prevent him from causing trouble. Ideally, he should create some trouble for Schiller, keeping him busy extricating himself from his predicament.
The key lies with Elliott. He thought with a laugh that the weapons, equipment, and security personnel were all under Elliott's control. If he could control these troops, he could keep Schiller out of the defensive line.
Fortunately, before leaving the hospital, he had used the brainwave manipulation function of the spiked goggles to give Elliott a preliminary brainwashing. He would want to be Batman.
The maniac, having temporarily escaped, headed towards the Wayne Enterprises building. At the same time, Batman and the Joker also rushed in the same direction.
About half an hour ago, Batman took off his Batsuit, changed into a lab technician's uniform, and began patrolling the entire building. He didn't deliberately conceal his face, intending to attract the attention of certain individuals. Sure enough, as he patrolled the second basement level and passed a storage room, he was pulled inside by a pair of hands.
Batman turned his head and saw a familiar face again. He almost sighed: "The Joker?"
"Why are you back again?" the other person asked with a slightly manic smile. "Aren't you going to carry out your revenge plan?"
“I am not him,” Batman said frankly. “I am Bruce Wayne from another universe. Do you know where your universe’s Bruce is?”
The man in the janitor's uniform paused for a moment, then his expression darkened. He looked at Batman and said, "Are you the clone?"
"Clone?"
“That’s exactly what Elliott was planning. He locked Bruce up here so he could clone him, didn’t he? He wants his intelligence, the kind of cleverness Bruce could never have…”
The Joker started rambling again. For some reason, Batman felt a little relieved listening to his endless ravings. At least, this universe's Joker was insane. He meant that this universe's Joker was normal.
"Why are you helping him?" Batman asked.
"Didn't I already say that?!" the clown exclaimed, raising his voice, "Because of his intelligence!"
"Thank you. Please tell me where he went."
"Hmph, do you think I'm praising you? A fake is a fake, and you can never replace him!"
"Okay. I'll ask you: Is he in Arkham Asylum right now?"
The Joker's eyes darted around, and Batman already knew the answer. He continued, "Did he go to the Gotham Police Department? Did he go to the Old Town? Did he go to Wayne Enterprises?"
Batman keenly noticed the Joker's change in expression, then pushed open the door to the storage room and went out. It seems Bruce Wayne has gone to Wayne Mansion.
Doesn't he know that those people at Wayne Enterprises aren't genuinely interested in helping him? Wouldn't he be walking into a trap if he went now?
Batman was getting anxious. Joker had already gone to make other preparations, and now he had to head to the Wayne Enterprises building alone.
Batman raced against time to reach Wayne Enterprises. Standing at the entrance, he hesitated: if Bruce had already gone in, all the board members would be rushing this way, and Elliott and his backers would be there too. What followed would be a battle for control of Wayne Enterprises.
Batman wasn't sure if Bruce in this universe could win, or rather, he lacked confidence. After all, having spent so many years in a mental hospital, even if he managed to escape, his knowledge and experience would be considerably diminished. Could he really defeat the ambitious Elliott and the forces behind him?
Batman thought for a moment, sent a message to Joker, took off his mask, and walked towards the gate of Wayne Enterprises.
Upon entering the hall, he immediately revealed his identity: "I am Bruce Wayne. As the heir to the Wayne Enterprises, I now request a meeting of all shareholders. Contact the shareholders immediately."
The staff in the lobby were stunned. They thought the man in front of them had gone mad, but looking at his serious face and those blue eyes, no one could utter a word of rebuttal.
The receptionist quickly contacted someone. A woman rushed down from upstairs, stunned for a moment when she saw Bruce, but quickly put on a tearful expression: "My God, little Bruce! I'm Aunt Kane! The last time we met was at your parents' funeral... Oh God, I shouldn't have brought that up. How are you? What brings you here all of a sudden?"
Batman remained calm and collected, keeping a close eye on his surroundings. He had just instructed the Joker to patrol the area and, if he spotted anyone resembling Bruce from this universe, to capture him immediately.
After confirming with the Joker that the two looked alike, Batman conceived this plan to switch identities. In his view, Bruce, who had barely escaped from the mental hospital, needed time to recuperate, and it was better for him to resolve the current predicament.
These were minor events for Batman in the main universe, but astonishing enough for everyone in this universe. News of contacting the shareholders spread rapidly, leaving everyone stunned and rushing towards the location.
Soon, all the shareholders were gathered. Batman stood at the head of the group. A dark-haired woman rushed in like a madwoman, and froze the moment she saw Batman.
Talia's expression convinced Batman that the force that had been helping Elliott and nearly killed Bruce was the League of Assassins.
“Are you surprised to see me, Ms. Augu?” Batman gave her a cold shoulder. “Give my regards to your father.”
Talia's face instantly turned ugly.
Her father favored Bruce Wayne, and Talia knew this very well. Before he came to Gotham, her father had warned her: Elliott could never possess Wayne's potential; he wasn't the best choice for the League of Assassins. Talia disagreed, because that madman in the mental hospital couldn't possibly be as capable as her father claimed.
But when she actually stood before Wayne, all the disapproval and objections in Talia's mind vanished instantly. This man was so oppressive; Talia could barely breathe.
“No, that’s impossible,” Talia said. “You’re not him. You just look exactly alike, but you’re not Bruce Wayne!”
"Stop fooling yourself. Or rather, what solid evidence do you have that Bruce Wayne couldn't possibly be standing here?"
Talia's heart skipped a beat. They certainly had: she and Elliott had both seen Bruce's body—so pale, so cold, utterly lifeless. That was undeniable evidence.
But the body couldn't withstand close examination, otherwise it would expose what they had done to Bruce over the years. Talia gritted her teeth; she knew she had no choice but to accept it.
Batman knew they had no choice but to accept it, so he stopped looking at her and addressed the shareholders: "I'm afraid I have to reopen old wounds and bring up that regrettable accident. After that, my parents' friends, the Elliotts, adopted me and temporarily took over Wayne Enterprises. When I was grieving the loss of my parents and experiencing some emotional problems, I handed Wayne Enterprises over to my good friend Thomas Elliott."
“I was very fortunate to receive excellent treatment at Arkham Asylum and escape the shadows of the past. Now, it’s time to return it to its rightful owner. Ms. Augu, I think I must express my gratitude to Tommy in person. Where is he?”
Talia opened her mouth, but couldn't answer. From her perspective, Elliott hadn't appeared since he was kidnapped. But then again, he'd just been released from the mental hospital; he probably didn't know about Elliott's kidnapping.
“He was kidnapped,” Talia said. “Someone shot down his helicopter with a missile and then took the opportunity to kidnap him. We are still looking for the killer.”
"That's a real shame. Then I need to regroup at Wayne Enterprises even more to find my best friend more quickly. I remember the share loan agreement should be kept in court, right? I think now is the time..."
Batman suddenly stopped speaking. Everyone looked in the direction where his gaze had stopped.
In the deep darkness of Gotham's night, a golden light pierced the sky. A giant bat symbol was projected onto the city's skyline—it was the illuminated Bat-Signal.
Injustice 2 was recently on sale for 90% off, so I bought it on PC and played it again, only to get incredibly frustrated by the storyline.