Chapter 184: Provoke
"Things do not happen. Things are made to happen."
- John F. Kennedy
...
On the streets near Wayne Manor, the fierce battle between the False Face Society and the Penguin's gang suddenly stopped.
For some unknown reason, the False Face Society decided to leave the battle with the Penguin's gang and quickly retreated from the scene.
Dean's virtual livestream room could only accommodate up to five thousand viewers at a time, but there were thousands of escapees from Blackgate Penitentiary.
He couldn't let everyone see the livestream.
He specifically targeted the individuals who were mainly responsible for causing the riot in Gotham, so naturally, it didn't include the Penguin Gang members.
They couldn't see the livestream and could not know why the False Face Society had left the battlefield.
"Boss, those masked freaks ran away!"
One of the leaders of the Penguin Gang exclaimed excitedly at the Penguin himself.
"These freaks with their masks dared to challenge us, the Penguin Gang? Boss, you are still the King of Gotham; your position hasn't been shaken!"
The other henchmen started praising the Penguin as well.
Only the Penguin himself felt that something was not right.
In the recent battle, they didn't seem to have the upper hand, so there was no reason for the other side to retreat.
"Something doesn't feel right..."
However, the battle had ended at this point, and he couldn't lead his men to chase after them and continue fighting.
So he suppressed his doubts for now.
He turned to his henchmen and ordered, "Our work for tonight isn't over. There are still several gangs in Gotham who can't resist the temptation of chaos during the riots."
"Let them know that I'm still alive and that this city isn't theirs to control!"
...
"Black Mask, I've been waiting in Robinson Park for forty-seven minutes. Why haven't you shown up yet?"
Since the virtual livestream room started, "Bruce Wayne" has been having a conversation with Black Mask.
The words became increasingly provoking and bold.
"Are you afraid that this is a trap? Or maybe you never actually wanted to kill me in the first place?"
"Maybe you just want to enjoy being the leader and deceive those fugitives from Blackgate Penitentiary into thinking that you have the same goals as them, so they willingly call you their boss."
There were a lot of fast jeeps on the road to Robinson Park.
Normally, the GCPD traffic enforcement or the Batmobile patrolling at night would have stopped them.
Unfortunately, the GCPD and the Bat Family were both busy at the moment, and they didn't have the time or resources to deal with them.
Or rather, they needed to resolve their current issues before they could handle them.
Luckily, the riot that happened tonight made all the city residents stay home and not dare to go out.
There were very few people and vehicles on the road, or else there might have been several major accidents by now.
In one of the cars, while listening to Bruce's constant insults, the Black Mask stared at the virtual video on his phone, his eyes becoming more and more dangerous.
'You think you can anger me, huh? Bruce, it's too obvious. I know you've set up a trap in Robinson Park, probably with thousands of GCPD officers waiting for me the moment I step in.'
The Black Mask smirked inwardly.
'But do you think that can scare me? Tonight, no one can protect you, Bruce Wayne!'
In the virtual livestream room, "Bruce" continued to taunt the Black Mask.
"Black Mask, during your days as Roman Sionis, you never had the ability to be a qualified businessman. You never understood how to run a business, lacked intelligence, acted recklessly, and always shifted blame onto others. You could never earn real respect."
"So now you crave the obedience of criminals, which makes you feel respected. In order to gain this respect, you are willing to wear a mask that matches you with them while showing that you're one of them."
"Black Mask? I must say, that name suits you well, Roman. You truly live your life like a mask; whether it's in the past or now, you've never been without one."
"You're wrong, Bruce. I didn't put on a mask; I finally took it off."
Hearing this, The Black Mask stays calm and doesn't show any emotions. But his heart is already filled with a desire to kill.
"Now, I am the real me. Killing you won't be the end, but the beginning of my new life."
"Yes... Bruce Wayne, you ruined the first half of my life. If I don't kill you, I can never start anew."
At this point, the Black Mask throws his phone aside, no longer watching the livestream.
After observing for some time, he is already certain that Bruce Wayne is indeed in Robinson Park.
For him, that was enough.
As for what Bruce said to provoke him, it doesn't matter because the Black Mask's hatred and desire to kill Bruce have already reached their peak.
...
"Penny One! Report on the progress of Black Mask and the others!"
In another direction, Batman contacts Alfred in the Batcave while driving the Batmobile towards Robinson Park at high speed.
"The riots in Gotham have had a significant impact, with nearly half of the surveillance cameras destroyed. It's difficult to fully monitor Black Mask. The last time he appeared on the surveillance was six minutes ago, and he was about thirteen minutes away from Robinson Park."
In front of the Batcomputer, Alfred spoke rapidly.
Dean's virtual live streaming room included the entire Bat-family as part of the audience, so Alfred saw the live feed on the Batcomputer earlier.
However, the Batcomputer is still important, so Alfred places a phone next to the monitor to display the live stream, thus freeing up the Batcomputer.
The mechanism of the virtual livestream was to allow the designated group to see the livestream on the nearest electronic device, but that doesn't mean it will be displayed on all electronic devices.
When there are multiple electronic devices within line of sight, it will only appear on one device.
After listening to Alfred's report, Batman felt a tightening in his chest.
According to his calculation, he would arrive at Robinson Park two to three minutes later, and the Black Mask would already be there!
Even though the Batmobile was much faster than the jeeps, Batman's starting point was farther from Robinson Park.
Batman had some clues about the person disguising himself as him in Robinson Park.
The Phantom Thief!
Apart from him, there was no one else!
Since Batman learned about this Phantom Thief, he has frequently assumed his identity.
First, he stole a vial of Man-Bat serum while wearing a cheap Bat suit, and then he disguised himself as Matches Malone to cheat Penguin in a bet.
Now, he had directly posed as Bruce to lure the Phantom Thief!
What did the Phantom Thief want?
What is his purpose?
Why did he make Black Mask go to Robinson Park?
Batman couldn't figure out the Phantom Thief's behaviors, and this feeling made him very uncomfortable.
But no matter what the Phantom Thief's intentions are, Batman won't let Black Mask run off to kill him.
...
After a while
Gotham's Robinson Park
A number of jeeps burst through the outer wall of Robinson Park and parked in front of a huge forest.
It was easier to walk through the forest than to drive because the trees were so close together.
A lot of henchmen from the False Face Society got out of the cars, with the Black Mask leading the way at the front.
"Where is Bruce Wayne?"
...
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