Chapter 4: next task

Batman crouched halfway on the edge of the rooftop of a towering skyscraper, gazing across the brightly lit modern building across the street. A circular bat mark, resembling the iconic bat searchlight from the original series, adorned the top of the building, guiding the player to the mission location as a nod to the source material.

While playing games, like many other players, Chu Cheng seldom paid attention to the plot, only caring about the mission objective, target identification, and number of enemies. However, after the rigorous tutorial, he had come to realize the sophistication of the game's NPC intelligence. The novice tutorial had taught him that reckless behavior had no place in the game, and blindly charging into gunfire was a futile and deadly endeavor. In this game, Discretion is the better part of valor.

So, he didn't rush in, but instead manipulated Batman to stay on the periphery and carefully observe the situation of the building with the help of detective mode.

The detective mode is still very powerful. After scanning and cooperating with Batman's personal analysis, different colors are automatically used to mark the entrances in the scanned area that can be used for sneaking.

In detective mode, the other backgrounds on the screen are all cool tones of ice blue, while the marked people or objects are in warm tones, making them very eye-catching in the player's field of vision.

The first thing to be marked is the main entrance of the building, which has two security guards at the door and cameras in the corner.

However, Chu Cheng hardly considered this option, or subconsciously took it as the last option when there was truly no other route available.

Just kidding, have you ever seen Batman knock on a door? I mean, seriously, it's not his style. But then again, there was that "New Batman" movie I saw not too long ago.

In the film, Batman was a rookie who had just started out and was not yet proficient in his job. He went to the bar run by the criminal leader, Penguin, to gather information and knocked on the door like an amateur.

"Batman: In? Have you eaten? I punched me without eating!" he said, according to the movie.

He then proceeded to punch and kick all of the bodyguards who had been protecting Penguin and barged his way into the establishment.

Watching the scene gave me a strange sense of déjà vu. It didn't feel like I was watching a Batman movie, but rather playing Assassin's Creed.

There's something bone-chilling about the new Batman's approach. He's scrapped the stealth skill tree altogether, favoring a beefed-up outfit and high-tech armor loaded with a pistol, rifle, and shotgun. With sheer brute strength and cold calculation, he shows what it truly means to be a silent killer – taking out anyone who lays eyes on him and still managing a flawless sneak.

Chu Cheng realized that the Batman in this game was still a traditional assassin, and not a brute force fighter with a meaty outfit and black-tech armor. Therefore, planning the route was crucial. He decided to save the experience of using guns and brute strength for a character like Superman in the future.

This game was different from the previous Batman series that Chu Cheng had played, and most of the games he had played in general. The operation was incredibly free and allowed the player to choose how to act. It was not like the typical false freedom that only allowed the player to follow the game's planned route.

Using the detective mode, Batman marked at least seven alternative infiltration routes around the building. Chu Cheng had the freedom to choose any of these routes, or he could even choose none of them. He could also choose to rush in through the door, similar to the new Batman movie, or smash any glass and forcibly enter the building - but this option would be more dangerous.

Although the idea of being a berserker was tempting, Chu Cheng decided to choose one of the routes marked by Batman's professional eyes. Batman pried open a window of a utility room outside of the building and entered from there. Chu Cheng scanned the partition wall in detective mode and noticed a camera in the corner outside the door, which Batman had marked in a more conspicuous color.

Chu Cheng used the number keys on the keyboard to access one of the small gadgets on Batman's utility belt - the universal decipher.

He watched as Batman crouched in the image, using the decipher to disable the camera outside the wall. With his hands in black leather gloves, he operated the holographic projection screen of the black tech gadget, leaving Chu Cheng in awe. Soon enough, the camera was hacked and rendered useless.

Of course, Batman's arsenal of outlandish black tech gadgets has been showcased in previous games and animated movies, and true fans are familiar with them.

Chu Cheng quickly directed Batman to push open the door and confidently strode down the corridor, despite the disabled camera.

As he turned the corner at the end of the corridor, he noticed a security guard leisurely strolling in their direction. However, Batman's detective mode had already detected him from afar.

Chu Cheng instructed Batman to crouch behind the corner and patiently wait for the security guard to approach.

When the guard got close enough, Batman swiftly emerged from the shadows, taking him by surprise. With a powerful grip, he pressed the guard's head against the wall and subdued him without causing harm.

As we all know, Batman doesn't resort to lethal force. In the game, players have the freedom to unleash their creativity in combat, from breaking bones to throwing enemies into transformer boxes, or even using the Batmobile as a battering ram.

...but in any case, you don't need to worry about them dying because Batman doesn't kill people. At most, they will be disabled or become vegetables. It's right that they can't die.

After successfully sneaking into the building, the detective mode marked several figures concentrated in a certain room upstairs. It was not a difficult task for the stealth master Batman. Chu Cheng thought it was much easier than the novice tutorial. He even felt that the NPCs in the first level were not as smart as the ones in the tutorial, and he didn't know if it was because he had become proficient.

Soon, Chu Cheng controlled Batman to the top floor of the building. Detective mode scans revealed multiple heat sources in the top-floor office, and a group of people gathered around a long conference table, seemingly in a meeting.

This time, Chu Cheng still didn't go the conventional way but chose the classic old friend of the Batman series - the ventilation duct.

But Chu Cheng didn't expect the game to uphold the principle of high fidelity, and even unnecessary details in the ventilation pipes were brought to life.

For example, the somewhat exaggerated accumulation of dust, the mold growing in the condensed water, the rodents and various bugs that crawled across the sides of the screen from time to time. The picture made Chu Cheng shiver even through the screen.

It's true that killer spy superheroes aren't as glamorous as they seem in movies. Ventilation pipes in movies and games are often shiny, but seeing the scene in this pipe made Chu Cheng put himself in Batman's shoes and he felt it was more like "as long as you don't vomit, you win".

Batman is really not an ordinary person, as he turns a blind eye to the choking dust particles and crawling creatures.

Chu Cheng controlled Batman to the end of the pipeline, but he was not in a hurry to get out. From there, he could clearly hear what those people in the conference room were saying, which might be related to the main plot.

However, the people in suits and ties were not speaking at this time; they seemed to be engaged in some kind of activity.

At the end of the conference table stood a short-haired man with an indifferent smile on his face, while a small square box was placed in front of him. One by one, the individuals seated around the table got up, walked to the box, reached inside, retrieved something, and then returned to their seats.

Chu Cheng activated the reconnaissance function to enter Batman's first-person perspective, zooming in to see clearly that each person retrieved a note from the small box. They were drawing lots.

The crew-cut man looked down at the note in his hand, then raised his head to sweep his gaze across the room.

"So, who's the lucky one today?" he asked.

Soon, a stocky blond man with a typical Western face stood up from the table. It was only then that Chu Cheng noticed that about two-thirds of the people in the room had oriental faces, and only one-third looked like Westerners. It seemed odd for a superhero-themed game.

The crew-cut man stepped forward, took the note from the blond man's hand, checked it, and then patted him on the back with a smile.

"Lucky guy, Edge," he said.

Edge smiled and followed the crew-cut man to the front of the table.

The flat-headed man took out a knife from under the table. Judging from the curvature and shape of the blade, it appeared to be a samurai sword. He solemnly handed the knife to Edge.

Edge held the handle of the knife in his right hand, and all eyes were on him.

What happened next on the game screen was something Chu Cheng felt he might not forget for at least a week.

He saw Edge swing the knife without hesitation in an odd gesture.

The sound of a sharp blade cutting through iron like mud.

In response, Edge's head fell and landed firmly in the palm of his own open left hand.

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Translating can be difficult, so please let me know your thoughts on how I can improve.

Also, if you guys have any MTL novels to translate I'm open to suggestions, So please let me know.