Chapter 28

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...

Batman had long ago hacked into the communication lines of the Army and their headquarters, so he could hear their conversations and discussions from Chu Cheng's side. Consequently, he naturally learned about the way to stop this mental storm and Detective Luo's intention to sacrifice himself to fulfill this mission. 

He certainly couldn't stand idly by. 

Chu Cheng asked himself if he were in Detective Luo's position, he definitely couldn't be so fearless and courageous. That's why the detective's actions were even more admirable. 

But fortunately, he didn't need any noble spirit of self-sacrifice to accomplish this important mission. 

Because he was just a gamer. 

Because it was a game, he could confidently do things that his real self wouldn't dare to do. Because it was a game, he could utilize abilities he didn't possess in reality, without worrying about getting hurt or killed, without worrying about attracting unnecessary attention, and do what was right as he pleased. 

It even vaguely aligned with the ideals that Bruce Wayne had when Batman was born. 

As a person, no matter how rich and well-trained one may be, they are still flesh and blood, vulnerable to being targeted and killed. But if they transform into someone else through a mask, embodying a symbol, they become invincible. 

And now, relying on the operation of a keyboard and mouse, Chu Cheng also transformed into that invincible symbol. 

Batman entered the heart of the storm, and soon the contagious laughter swept through the air. The headphones on Chu Cheng's head echoed with the piercing laughter, surrounding him in a 360-degree immersive experience. 

It was a sign of infection. That voice would resonate directly in a person's mind, growing louder and more deafening. Those with weak willpower simply couldn't reach the eye of the storm. 

However, Chu Cheng had a simple way of dealing with this annoying sound. 

He lowered the volume of his headphones. 

By reducing the volume, the eerie laughter naturally diminished. In fact, if necessary, he could even mute the game's audio altogether or simply open a music application in the background, playing the Teletubbies theme on loop. 

This was a common trick players used to deal with horror games. Whether it was ghosts or ancient deities, those tricksters who liked to play mind games were no match for the Teletubbies. 

It didn't take long for him to arrive at the heart of the storm. 

Standing there was a man. He still bore the appearance of the man named Guan Ye, but he was no longer human on the inside. Irreversible deep infection had transformed him into a spokesperson for some ancient non-human entity, becoming a mobile source of contagion. 

As soon as the figure appeared in his field of vision, Chu Cheng, controlling Batman, had already locked onto the target from a distance. He selected a weapon from his inventory, held down the right mouse button to lock on, and tapped the left mouse button. A small dart flew from his hand like a bat cutting through the air. 

However, the man seemed to have sensed the dart's approach from afar. He slightly tilted his head, causing the dart to miss and embed itself with a thud into the wall behind him. 

"Missed, huh?" The man's mouth twisted into an even more chilling grin. "Looks like your aim isn't that great." 

But he failed to notice that the dart lodged in the wall flickered with a faint red glow twice before detonating with a resounding blast. 

The wall shattered into pieces, and the shockwave sent debris flying in all directions. The man was blown back, covered in dirt and looking disheveled on the ground. 

Just as the man had stood up before Batman reached him, he didn't even have time to adjust his stance. He launched a straight punch, but Chu Cheng skillfully sidestepped with a pivot, allowing Batman to slide to the side and swiftly counterattack. 

The man reacted quickly, extending his right palm with all five fingers spread out to block Batman's punch, seemingly relying on his immense strength to take the blow head-on. 

But he miscalculated. 

In the instant Batman's black-gloved fist struck his palm, a brilliant blue surge of electricity erupted. Countless arcs of electricity burst forth from the point of impact, causing the flesh of his palm to become a bloody mess. Even through the screen, Chu Cheng could almost smell the scent of seared flesh. 

Batman's gloves were equipped with a powerful electric shock feature. Although he never used lethal force against common street thugs, he had no such qualms when dealing with non-human entities. He turned the power to the maximum. 

Chu Cheng: "A wild Infected has appeared! Go, Batman! Use 100,000 volts!" 

The effect was remarkable! 

Although the electric shock couldn't deliver a killing blow, the Infected's arm visibly weakened, and his muscles seemed to relax due to the electric shock. A prompt for execution immediately appeared above the Infected's head in Chu Cheng's game interface—this prompt would appear when the opponent was stunned or immobilized, allowing different techniques to be chosen for Batman's final strike. 

On the spot execution! 

Anyone with an infection level exceeding 80% had long since perished. The Infected were nothing more than walking corpses resembling zombies, so Batman's no-killing principle naturally did not apply. 

Batman swiftly moved behind the man, a Bat-shaped throwing dart clicking open in his hand. Restraining and immobilizing the man from behind, Batman raised his hand and the dart descended, its razor-sharp blade effortlessly slicing through the man's throat like a hot knife through butter. 

The blood-stained dart trailed a long streak of blood as the man's head severed cleanly from his neck. 

The headless body convulsed twice, then fell to its knees and collapsed, sprawled on the ground, blood gushing from the severed neck. 

The decapitated head, leaving a trail of blood, rolled twice on the ground before coming to a stop in a pool of blood. 

The laughter ceased. 

However, the storm surrounding them showed no signs of abating; if anything, it seemed to grow even more intense. The streets and buildings around them were engulfed in an endless tempest, with dark clouds overhead suffocating the air. 

Miraculously, the severed head that had fallen to the ground rolled in a complete circle, turning to face the screen once again, leaving a streak of blood in its path. 

But as it turned back, Chu Cheng saw that it was clearly no longer the face of the man named Guan Ye. 

It was the face of a middle-aged man with distinct Western features, sporting a small mustache. Although traces of handsomeness could still be seen on that face, it had been severely marred by the gruesome state of death. 

In that instant of seeing this face, the Batman in the game suddenly retreated uncontrollably, taking two steps back as if struck by a heavy blow. 

"Father!?" 

Chu Cheng's heart trembled as well. 

At that moment, he realized that this face belonged to Batman's father, Thomas Wayne. 

But how was it possible for him to be here? At a time like this? In a place like this? 

Chu Cheng suddenly realized that, at some point, the camera angle in the game had subtly tilted. The screen filter had darkened, and the edges of the screen had become slightly blurred. 

He quickly realized that this was a way for the game to hint at the protagonist being poisoned or experiencing hallucinations, using visual cues in the gameplay. 

Yes, what Chu Cheng is currently seeing through the screen is the Batman's perspective within the illusion. 

In other words, even as the player controlling Batman, he is unable to be immune to the effects of the infection once immersed within the depths of the mental storm. 

"Why didn't you stop him?" 

Thomas Wayne's eyes bulged, his hollow gaze resembling that of a dead man. However, his withered and pale lips continued to speak. 

Familiar with the Batman story, Chu Cheng quickly realized that he was referring to the criminal who shot and killed the Wayne couple that night. 

"You should have tried to stop him, like a man." 

Chu Cheng knew this was utter nonsense. Batman was only eight years old at the time, a helpless child. If he had truly attempted to confront the criminal head-on, playing a deadly game, the course of events could have changed drastically, and it might have been him, not the Wayne couple, who perished. 

This wasn't the real Thomas Wayne speaking, and the real Thomas would never think that way. It was just Batman himself getting caught up in self-blame, still tormented after all these years, still wondering if his parents would still be alive if he could turn back time, if even the slightest thing had been different. 

"I... I..." 

The image of Batman in the scene became somewhat chaotic. He stumbled back a few steps, unable to face the horrifying head on the ground. 

But as he turned around, a new scene emerged from the pitch-black storm behind him. 

A dimly lit alley with a few long-neglected street lamps. A broken necklace, with pearls that had once adorned it, scattered all over the ground like mermaid tears. 

A beautifully dressed woman lay in a pool of blood, her head tilted unnaturally, her eyes fixed intensely on Batman. 

"Bruce, save us. It's so dark here. I'm so scared." 

Batman's body trembled once again, stumbling back. 

"Mother." 

Though somewhat cruel, this is the core of Batman's character. Just like how every Spider-Man writer can't resist bringing up poor Uncle Ben, Batman storytellers always love to drag out his parents and subject them to repeated torment. 

There have even been instances of extreme cosplayers specifically cosplaying as the Wayne couple and throwing themselves at Batman when they see him at comic conventions. It may be funny to witness such a scene, but one laugh could erase twenty years of good deeds. 

Chu Cheng quickly maneuvered Batman's perspective away from the illusion of the Wayne couple. The WASD keys on the keyboard still controlled Batman's movement, but his steps were noticeably slower. He could only walk and not run or jump, and the attack key had no response. 

Then he knelt down, and the filter darkened to the extreme. 

The alley disappeared, and the surroundings turned into a chaotic storm once again, as if an endless void. A voice echoed from the depths of the void, a piercing laughter. 

"You see, this further proves that I am right." 

The voice resonated in the emptiness. 

"Everyone is afraid of the void, afraid of uncertainty, that feeling of not being in control of anything." The voice continued, "And you especially, aren't you? Although I don't know who you are, I can sense it. 

You are strongly afraid of something, more fearful than the average person. And the way you choose to confront that fear is by dressing yourself up in this demonic appearance." 

You are trying your best to fight against that uncertain void, attempting to keep things under your control, precisely because deep within you harbors a fear that surpasses that of ordinary individuals." 

Batman remained in a kneeling position. A flashing exclamation mark appeared in the top left corner of the screen. 

The instructions in the beginner's tutorial had explained its meaning. The exclamation mark indicates that the hero is nearing the limit, be it in terms of health, stamina, or even mental strength. Once the hero reaches a state where they cannot continue the mission, the system will forcefully recall them. 

Essentially, it is equivalent to the death of a character in traditional games. 

Another burst of laughter echoed through the void. 

"You see, in fact, we are exactly the same, or one could say we are carved out of the same mold." The voice said, "You put on this tight suit, attempting to confront fear in this manner, while I choose to directly embody 'nothingness.' 

My abilities are born for this purpose. For all those who feel anxious about the unknown, those who cannot control their own lives, my abilities can make them become the masters of their own destinies once again." 

Everyone can unleash their true inner thoughts, tear away the constraints, and no longer need hypocritical disguises. They can happily be their most authentic selves. They can all become 'nothingness' and make those who think they control the rules experience the terror of 'nothingness'." 

As he spoke, the figure of "Guan Ye" reappeared. He laughed manically and eerily, approaching while holding a fire axe of unknown origin. 

Chu Cheng was practically face-rolling on the keyboard, but the Batman in the screen still did not respond to his inputs. However, the camera slightly trembled along with his inputs. 

"Guan Ye" stopped in front of Batman, still smiling, and raised the fire axe. 

Whether it was an illusion or not, Chu Cheng seemed to see Batman's fingers twitch. 

Almost as a reflex, Chu Cheng unleashed the lightning-fast speed he had honed over more than twenty years of being single, frantically clicking the right mouse button. That was the key for defense and counterattack, allowing Batman to counter while under attack. 

The fire axe descended. In the split second before the sharp and heavy blade was about to strike, Batman moved. He suddenly struck his palm against the opponent's swinging wrist, deflecting the direction of the axe's fall. At the same time, he rolled on the ground, narrowly evading the deadly blow. Only a corner of his cape was severed in the process. 

"What!?" The opponent seemed astonished that Batman regained his mobility in such a situation. 

But he had no time to retrieve the axe. Two consecutive punches from the electric shock gauntlets struck him, delivering a full charge of electricity that paralyzed his nerves. Batman seized the opportunity, grabbing his arm and pulling him close, with a batarang positioned at the man's throat. 

"Why?" 

"Guan Ye" displayed a look of shock, and even the crazed smile on his face diminished slightly due to his astonishment. 

"Even someone like you, who isn't even a metahuman, how is this possible?" 

He couldn't comprehend it, and it was impossible for him to comprehend. 

Only metahumans possessed the ability to resist infection. And even among metahumans, they could only resist the majority of infections. Once they encountered an infection beyond their tolerance, even metahumans could not regain their senses from the infected state through their own power alone. 

Even something that even metahumans couldn't accomplish, let alone this Batman dressed lunatic who isn't even a metahuman. 

And he received only one cold and resolute answer. 

"Because I am Batman." 

The batarang flew through the air, and the head fell to the ground. 

The dark storm ceased.