Chapter 53: Pretend You Didn't See Anything

The moment Shen You entered the space, he knew he had struck gold.

The magical subspace seemed to interfere with the armor's sensory equipment on some level, making it difficult to detect anything from the outside. But once inside, everything became clear.

Several heat signatures were immediately marked one after another, scattered throughout the various areas of the subspace. Shen You was no stranger to these energy frequencies.

They were all demonic spirits.

And so the current scene unfolded.

Within the eerie hall, flames flickered, and shadows flew about. A variety of grotesque demonic spirits surrounded the red-silver armor, dancing like a horde of devils.

It was the perfect opportunity to test the performance of his second-generation armor.

With a flick of his palm, a golden beam shot from Shen You's hand, hitting a demonic spirit who thought it was sneaking up on him from his blind spot. The spirit's face immediately exploded, and it crashed down, its chin plowing a long trench across the ground.

A chin-brake is always fatal.

Seeing this, another spirit thought, "Here's my chance," and charged at Shen You, teeth bared and aiming for his neck.

But Shen You, as if he had eyes on his back, effortlessly dodged the attack. With a swift elbow strike, he shattered the spirit's cheekbone, sending it sprawling to the ground, pinned under his foot.

Meanwhile, his shoulder-mounted launchers fired, and three spirits flying by were engulfed in the resulting explosion, leaving nothing but dust in the wake of the destructive Spacium energy.

The Spacium missiles were not as powerful as his Spacium Beam, being slower and weaker. But Shen You kept them as a regular weapon for a reason.

They didn't require charging, aiming, or activation from him; the AI system handled all that. Plus, they were launched from his shoulders, leaving his hands free, and they consumed no energy — a stark contrast to the more draining Spacium Beam.

Two spirits charged together, one aiming high and the other low, demonstrating a coordinated attack.

But Shen You didn't even flinch. He opened his right hand, and energy surged, forming a spinning, electrified light wheel in his palm with a crackling sound.

**Eight Slugger Blade!**

This time, though, he didn't throw it but kept it spinning in his hand like a close-range energy saw.

He moved, closing in on the two spirits, and swung the spinning blade horizontally like a cutting saw!

The light flashed as it cleaved through both spirits, leaving a glowing trail. Shen You passed by them in a blur of red and silver, and the spirits froze in place. A white line appeared on their bodies, from which light burst, and then their upper halves slid off with a thud, their wide eyes frozen in disbelief.

Shen You didn't stop. His boots ignited with a thrust, propelling him at high speed to the next spirit, leaving a trail of afterimages.

Another **Eight Slugger Blade** strike!

This time, it came down vertically, splitting a spirit from head to toe, its body sliced in two, spilling its innards as it collapsed in a grotesque mess.

If this were a GIF: **Ultraman with a Chainsaw.**

The surrounding spirits trembled in terror, shaking as they watched their comrades get butchered.

The owl demon, their leader, sensed danger. It flapped its wings, broke through the magical barrier, and shot upwards, smashing through the underground structure and soaring into the night sky of Gotham.

Sensing it was a tough foe, it chose to flee.

There's an old saying: "When dad dies and mom remarries, it's every demon for itself." The demonic spirit race had long mastered the tactic of "run and let others die," seeing comrades as mere sacrifices for their own escape.

But not this time.

Shen You had already identified the owl demon as the most valuable experience pack in this subspace, judging by the darkness it exuded.

As the owl demon burst from the ground, the armor system locked onto it.

Shen You raised his arms, linking the positive and negative energy nodes on his forearms. A massive beam of brilliant blue light cut through layers of obstacles, chasing after the fleeing demon.

**Spacium Beam!**

The owl demon flapped its wings frantically, feeling safe after breaking free into the night. But halfway through its flight, something felt off. Glancing down, its heart sank as it saw the scorching beam of light roaring toward it from below.

In an instant, the owl demon was consumed by the overwhelming light and heat.

**Boom!**

The owl demon exploded into a firework of blazing colors in Gotham's night sky.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Gotham.

"The Riddler is plotting something big."

On the rooftop, Batman emerged from the shadows. Jim Gordon, one of the last upright officers in the Gotham PD, was so startled he dropped his cigarette, staring wide-eyed at Batman.

"Jesus, where did you come from? I didn't hear a thing…"

But Gordon was used to this by now, quickly accepting that the Bat had shadow-stepping powers.

"The Riddler hasn't been active for two weeks," Gordon said. "Are you sure it's him?"

"A known thug was caught on surveillance earlier tonight. His name's Crone Scott. I fought him last month. He's working for the Riddler."

Gordon frowned. "Maybe the Riddler went underground, and he found new work?"

"No. My equipment picked up residual signals at the scene — signals in a specific frequency. At first glance, they seemed meaningless. But on closer inspection, the pattern resembled a question mark."

Gordon blew out a smoke ring. 

"So he's issuing a challenge?"

"I believe so," Batman said coolly. "Scott also left behind a handprint. I detected traces of phosphate and calcium — rare compounds in Gotham. It likely came from the catacombs, a historical site. In the 18th century, they were built to protect the city from disease, but quickly became overrun. People could only keep a single bone when burying their loved ones."

Gordon took the file, flipping through the pages as he adjusted his glasses.

"So there's a good chance the Riddler's hiding there… Your ability to track things so quickly is as impressive as ever."

**Boom!**

A powerful explosion lit up the night sky in the distance, drawing Gordon's attention. He turned, just in time to see Batman about to fire his grappling hook and slip away unnoticed.

The awkward pose was undeniable, as Batman stood there, grappling gun half-raised, caught red-handed.

A cool breeze lifted the edge of Batman's cape, and an awkward silence filled the air.

After a moment, Gordon blew out another smoke ring and said softly, "You know, I could turn my head right now. You could try that again, and I'd pretend I didn't see anything."