PFC Chapter 3762 Rapid Pursuit (7)
Chapter 3762 Rapid Pursuit (7)
Chapter 3762 Rapid Pursuit (Part 7)
Batman miscalculated.
He knew that this universe might be different from his own, but because he had rushed over there, he didn't have much time to investigate the situation in this universe, so much so that he didn't know that there was no Batman or Robin in this universe.
Although he sensed Jason's strange attitude when they first met, every Jason in every universe has a rather strange attitude towards him, and Batman is used to it.
Dick's attire was also somewhat unconventional. But from the moment Dick left Robin's team, everything he wore seemed unconventional to Batman. Dressing like an owl wasn't much different from wearing a blue and black bodysuit, and Batman subconsciously ignored this change.
He could certainly tell that the two birds didn't seem to know him very well. But most of the time, the two birds would make themselves appear not to know Batman, so Batman hadn't expected that they were genuinely not familiar with him.
He yelled and then turned and ran. Logically, even the most rebellious teenager would choose to temporarily trust Batman in a situation like this. Even in the Arkham Knight universe, Jason Voorhees wouldn't cause trouble for Batman at such a critical moment.
However, this universe was too unique; there had never been a Batman before. Dick and Jason had no idea what this strange man in the black bodysuit did, let alone trust his judgment.
Batman had already rushed out of the hospital, but these two were still standing there dumbfounded.
More importantly, the Joker was a step too slow, and he knew he couldn't escape. Although his knife wounds healed quickly, he really didn't want to be stabbed again. So he nimbly darted over and hid behind Jason, ready to let the unfortunate little brat take the blow for him.
Jason and Dick instinctively sensed danger when they saw Schiller carrying such a long knife. However, they didn't know exactly how dangerous it was, so they immediately assumed a fighting stance.
Batman turned around and the sky fell down! What are you two doing standing there?!
There's another downside to this world not having Batman: the birds haven't received his training. While Jason has risen to become president through his own efforts, and Dick has become a claw of the Court of Owls, their fighting skills are far inferior to those of Robins from other universes who have been trained by Batman.
Jason got into a fighting stance, only to be knocked down by Schiller in a single exchange. As Schiller charged, he slammed his right shoulder into Jason's chest, deliberately holding back some of his strength. Jason didn't fly away, but fell backward. Schiller used the momentum to pull back to the right, then swung his longsword in a wide arc and slashed down hard, tearing Jason's left arm off.
Dick stepped forward, and a sharp claw shot out from the back of his hand, slashing at Schiller's knife-wielding hand. However, due to insufficient distance, he failed to sever the arm, only leaving three extremely deep wounds.
The moment the stench of blood filled the air, the clown almost wanted to cheer. But the next second, the long sword came hurtling towards him again, and he hurriedly rolled to the right, barely dodging the blow.
Dick realized he wasn't the target and even felt insulted, so he insisted on joining the fight. His earlier successful wounding had given him the illusion that he could harm Schiller in this way.
Taking advantage of Schiller's momentary lapse in concentration as he sheathed his sword, he crept up from under Schiller's arm, his claws aimed straight for his heart. Suddenly, he felt his wrist gripped tightly, followed by a tremendous force. He was violently pulled forward, and in the instant he lost his balance, he was twisted by the arm and thrown to the ground. As he lay on his back, he saw a sharp, long sword slash past his eyes.
Clang! Clang!
A piercing metallic clang rang out as the batarangs struck the long guillotine, sending sparks flying. While batarangs are less impactful on humans due to the cushioning effect of muscle and fat, they can still cause some damage when hitting objects. Batman's movements were decisive and precise; three batarangs were launched in succession, each one more powerful than the last. Aside from making the long guillotine clang, they did indeed deflect some of the force. Schiller's guillotine struck Dick's shoulder.
The guillotine didn't have a sharp, pointed blade; the blade was a flat rectangle, only good for chopping, not stabbing. Schiller had already leveled the blade, preparing to chop straight at the neck, but the impact only resulted in a cut on the shoulder. Although it was deep enough to expose the bone, it wasn't fatal.
"Ugh!" Dick cried out in pain. But as a Claw, he wasn't entirely without skill. He seized the opportunity, flipped over to dodge the second slash, clutched his shoulder, got up from the ground, and took a few steps back.
The Joker didn't seize the opportunity to escape because he realized Batman was right. Schiller's target was him, and if he ran, he would only be taking the enemy with him. He knew he couldn't win a one-on-one fight against Schiller. By staying, he could at least use the clumsy birds to fend off Schiller's attacks, giving him a chance to survive.
Seeing Batman return, the Joker breathed a sigh of relief. Why? While he didn't think Robin from any other universe was anything special, this one was clearly exceptionally weak. Even two of them tied together wouldn't be enough for Schiller to chop down; it had to be Batman!
The Joker had never felt such reverence for his old nemesis. Any talk of practicing martial arts, becoming a vigilante, or throwing punches at criminals being a waste of time would be forgotten after this day.
Regardless of whether it's philosophically or sociologically meaningful for a super-rich man to take to the streets to stop crime, at least for now, it's about putting in the effort for the moment, and building up to ten years of experience for one minute on stage. If the main universe's Batman hadn't spent over a decade battling Gotham's criminals, he'd probably be lying on the ground looking just like these two birds. And if Batman were cut into eight pieces, wouldn't he be sliced into sashimi?
As Batman charged towards him, the Joker was almost moved to tears. He dodged behind Batman, and looking at the imposing figure and the cape fluttering in the wind, he empathized with the victims of Gotham's night.
These two old rivals have faced a common enemy before, but the Joker always manages to betray Batman at crucial moments, joining forces with the enemy to push Batman into the abyss. This is simply because the Joker is confident he can take on the remaining enemy alone. However, this time it's clearly not going to work, so they'll have to rely on Batman again.
Batman ignored him. He simply picked up Jason's severed arm as quickly as possible, shoved it into Jason's arms, and told him to quickly step back with his arm. Then he pulled Dick back from Schiller's knife and made him step back as well.
But Dick wouldn't listen to him. He thought the previous attack was just a mistake, and besides, claws are less sensitive to pain and have self-healing abilities, so the shoulder wound hadn't caused him much damage. The knife on his arm sprang out again, and before Batman could react, Dick was already charging forward again.
“Come back, Dick!” Batman shouted.
But Dick thought he had seized a good opportunity. Schiller was switching hands with the longsword, and Dick took advantage of the opening to strike with his claw, leaving three deep, bloody gashes on Schiller's left shoulder.
“You should try it too,” Dick said. Then, like a ghost, he appeared behind Schiller, his sharp claws reaching for his neck.
Clang! The batarang struck Dick's arm, causing it to tilt and weaken slightly. It failed to slash Schiller's neck, leaving only a few scratches below his neck, which, though not very deep, were still bleeding profusely.
“Enough, Dick!” Batman shouted. His point was that if Batman kept adding to his wounds, none of them would escape. But Dick was clearly unhappy with his attitude.
“You’re all in cahoots, aren’t you?” Dick swooped up onto the roof beam like an owl, his eyes gleaming in the darkness.
Batman was momentarily at a loss for words. He couldn't very well tell these people that Schiller acted according to certain rules and was more like a ghost than a human, could he?
Regardless of whether these people would believe it, Batman knew perfectly well that Schiller wasn't out of his mind or suffering a seizure. He was mentally sound and clear-headed, yet he seemed very bothered by being called inhuman. If you called someone a ghost to their face, wouldn't they actually retaliate with a vengeance?
Besides, he really didn't have time to explain. The wounds had little effect on Schiller; if there was any effect at all, it only excited him more. In the few seconds it took to speak, he charged forward again, knife in hand.
Jason is basically incapable of fighting now, Dick doesn't trust them at all, the Joker is useless, and even Batman isn't entirely confident he can beat Schiller. He had no choice but to grab the Joker from behind and shove him forward, saying, "Run into the hospital, find somewhere to hide, I'll hold him off!"
The Joker didn't want to listen to him. They were already at the entrance; running out of the hospital would be like flying free. But he knew Batman wouldn't speak without reason; there must be a reason why he'd left him in the open and prevented him from going into the hospital. He could only do as he was told.
The Joker sprinted down the corridor, and Batman shoved Jason, saying, "You go too. I'll try to reattach your arm later."
Jason felt as if he had fallen into a kingdom of madmen. Everyone here was mentally unstable, but the excruciating pain in his arm prevented him from thinking any further. Seeing the Joker run away, he ran after him.
Batman's thigh wound was still bleeding, and he was already feeling dizzy from blood loss. He tore off a piece of his cape to make a simple bandage to stop the bleeding, then blocked Schiller's path as he chased the Joker.
Batman has gone all in. It's not just about saving the Joker, but also about stopping Schiller from targeting anyone else. He has to at least curb Schiller's actions, otherwise everyone in the city could be in danger.
Targeting someone like the Joker, who's not worth dying but can't be killed either, is manageable. But if they target ordinary people who can't even kill a chicken, it could be a brutal massacre. Batman absolutely cannot allow that to happen.
Just as Batman was considering tactics to find the most effective way to deal with Schiller, a sound suddenly came from the stairwell. Batman turned his head and saw a large mouth looming in the darkness.
He suddenly remembered why he was at the hospital—surveillance video from the helicopter crash site in the old town showed a thin, pale figure drugging Elliott with an anesthetic. Both the origin of the medical anesthetic and the direction he was walking proved that the Batman Who Laughs had kidnapped Elliott and brought him to the hospital.
(End of this chapter)