Chapter 46: Maniacal Laughter

With just a single glance, Chu Cheng was certain that he had never seen someone like this before. It was a man with unkempt hair and a disheveled appearance, whose entire face seemed to be covered in a layer of grease. The corners of his mouth displayed a familiar and grotesque grin that struck a chord with Chu Cheng.

"So, Batman, that's how you refer to yourself, isn't it?" the man chuckled. "I knew we would meet again sooner or later."

Chu Cheng was momentarily taken aback but quickly pieced it together.

He recalled the individual who had taken on the appearance of "Guan Ye" during the previous incident, whom he had beheaded.

Combined with this oddly familiar and eerie smile, Chu Cheng immediately realized that behind the two different faces might be the same person.

The previous "Guan Ye" had merely been a puppet, and the true mastermind had never revealed themselves. The enemy had not been defeated, and the case had not been resolved.

"Hahaha, have you figured it out?" the man laughed. "That's right, you're still facing me. We meet again." He continued to laugh uproariously. "Quite unexpected, isn't it? I told you, I am 'Nothing.' I am the thing people fear, something that can never be eradicated no matter what you do or how you try."

Oh, don't pretend that you're not surprised at all. I can see what kind of person you are. You would have much less fun without me."

Before he could finish his sentence, Batman's cape fluttered, and a Batarang whizzed through the air. However, the man reacted astonishingly fast and, midway through his sentence, swiftly sidestepped to avoid it.

"You're quite impatient," the man's mouth stretched wider. "I bet you're the type who can't wait to skip the foreplay and get straight to the point, aren't you?"

Ignoring the remark, Batman took advantage of the moment when his opponent dodged the Batarang and closed the distance with a swift step, throwing a punch that crackled with electric currents.

The man agilely evaded it, saying, "Haha, is there a high-voltage shocker hidden in your glove? This time, you won't be able to hit me as easily as you did last time."

Batman caught him off guard in their previous encounter, but now the man was prepared for Batman's style and tactics. Coupled with his uncanny physical abilities and reflexes, even if Chu Cheng was controlling Batman, he couldn't immediately subdue him.

The man's strength was astonishing, overpowering even Batman, who possessed peak human physical abilities. Additionally, he displayed extraordinary reflexes and uncanny agility. On Chu Cheng's side, he frantically executed a series of combo moves with lightning-fast keystrokes and mouse clicks, leaving arcs of electricity in the air, but the man evaded each one.

Then, suddenly, gunshots rang out. Without any warning, the pitch-black muzzle of a gun almost pressed against Batman's chest armor and fired, unleashing a tremendous impact that reverberated through his entire body.

Despite the armor's cushioning, the force was formidable. Chu Cheng's screen momentarily flickered, and Batman was sent flying, crashing through the adjacent wall, shattering it.

The man had somehow acquired a gun.

No, that wasn't entirely accurate. It wasn't that he held a firearm in his hand; rather, his entire palm had transformed into a pitch-black gun barrel.

Chu Cheng was somewhat astonished.

What was this? Some sort of superpower?

"Whether it was the previous incident or this one, they were all part of an experiment I'm conducting, a test of abilities. Thanks to the previous test, my abilities have evolved even further now," the man explained.

The man paused for a moment and smiled.

"Your appearance was unexpected, an anomaly in the experiment. But I like it."

Felix, seizing the opportunity, immediately fired his gun—he had managed to reload during the previous exchange. However, the man didn't flinch or dodge. The bullet tore through his flesh with a sharp sound, piercing his body, but he remained motionless. He stiffly turned his head, fixing his terrifying smiling face on Felix.

Suddenly, the man swiftly redirected the barrel of his gun towards Felix. Senior Brother's pupils contracted, and in the instant the muzzle erupted in flames, he rolled and evaded behind cover, narrowly avoiding the gunfire.

But in the next moment, the man had closed in on Felix. He swatted away the firearm in Felix's hand and attempted to grab him. Senior Brother crouched low, avoiding the grab, and launched a sweeping kick that struck the man's knee joint. However, to his surprise, the man's legs remained immovable as if made of iron.

The man retaliated with a knee strike, and Felix crossed his arms in front of him for protection. The impact caused his arms to go numb, nearly losing sensation, and he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the side.

Meanwhile, Batman took the opportunity to unleash a thrown shocker. However, the man contracted his body and slid backward in a peculiar posture, gliding far away. The shocker whizzed past him, sticking to the wall with a snap and exploding in a flurry of electric arcs.

"Well, originally, for this experiment, I intended to use that girl," the man said casually, dodging and retreating as he continued to speak. "The girl who died in the snowy mountains."

"But unexpectedly, the darkness she left behind was too weak. She had no resentment towards the world, no strong grievances, not even a profound fear of death. So, she couldn't become a suitable subject for my infection experiment."

As he spoke, Batman had once again engaged in a fierce battle with the man. Chu Cheng relied on his extensive experience and the lightning-fast speed of his Kui Lin Arm to flawlessly defend and counter several moves from the man. He landed a reverse punch with the electrified gauntlet on the man's chest.

The impact forced him back, and the numbness caused by the electric shock interrupted the man's unfinished sentence.

Staggering back a few steps, the man continued his eerie laughter.

"Haha, but this boy, he revealed a treasure to me," he chuckled. "His self-blame for failing to protect the girl, witnessing the death of his loved one, doubting himself, regretting everything, dying in such immense grief—I guessed he would be a perfect specimen for the experiment."

"But I must say, the final result still surprised me. Haha, even I didn't expect him to harbor such self-deceptive illusions."

Originally, Xu Wenhao had been bewildered and at a loss, observing the situation of the mutations from the sidelines. But now, his pupils contracted, and he stared at the man in shock.

"It's you?" His eyes widened, "It was you who..."

"Yes, it was me who gave you this precious opportunity," the man tilted his head and chuckled. "You're welcome."

Xu Wenhao's face contorted in anguish.

Upon hearing the man's words, he suddenly understood why he was the only one infected, and he also became aware of another fact.

That was Guo Xiaoyun's peaceful departure.

She had no regrets, no resentment towards herself, no fear of death. She felt relieved before her death because she thought the rescue team had arrived in time, at least ensuring her boyfriend's safety.

If there was one regret remaining, it would be that she couldn't see her loved ones again.

She was so understanding, so gentle and beautiful, that even the most vile devil couldn't exploit her.

But he had let her down.

If she could witness the current scene from the depths of the underworld, if she could see his current state... she would be greatly disappointed, wouldn't she? It's all this guy's fault.

In Xu Wenhao's eyes, which had already begun to calm down, a blaze of anger reignited.

He let out a roar, like a beast raging with extreme anger and sorrow.

"Hahaha, that's good, just like that, now you have the motivation again," the man spoke as he sidestepped a gel explosive thrown by Batman. The gel from the explosion engulfed a collapsed table and scattered debris.

Xu Wenhao roared in fury and staggered towards the man.

But the man paid no attention to his anger, casually raising his arm. His arm transformed into a firearm, and with a single shot, he blasted the young man away.

However, Xu Wenhao's attacks, though ineffective, created an opportunity for Chu Cheng.

Batman took advantage of the opening and landed an electrifying right hook on the man's face, distorting his features. Saliva flew from his mouth, but he continued to laugh incoherently.

As Batman threw his second punch, the man's head swayed, avoiding the blow. He reached out and grabbed Batman's fist, intentionally avoiding the electrified knuckles.

With a powerful grip, the man crushed the built-in electric device in Batman's left gauntlet, causing sparks to fly from the back of his hand.

But Batman's right fist struck forcefully, delivering a full-powered punch to the man's chest. At the same time, the barrel of the man's other hand was already pressed against Batman's chest, precisely targeting the prominent bat emblem.

Both of them landed a hit simultaneously. Batman relied on his armor to withstand the impact, being forcefully pushed back. Electricity surged through the man's body, but he quickly recovered from the shock, continuing to laugh manically as he charged towards the retreating Batman.

However, Chu Cheng never stopped his rapid keystrokes on the keyboard. Almost in the instant that Batman's figure retreated, he pressed the newly unlocked "Switch" button.

Perfect timing. Let's test these new powers on this guy.

Batman crashed into the corner of a wall, creating a massive dent on the surface. Meanwhile, the man advanced once again, his maniacal laughter filling the air as he threw a punch.

Snap.

Batman deployed a smoke pellet, releasing a thick cloud of smoke that engulfed the Dark Knight, obscuring his presence.

The man with the laughing face charged into the smoke, his fist smashing through the wall, leaving a fist-sized hole. But he found nothing within the smoke.

Batman had disappeared.

"Huh?"

The man, still laughing, tilted his head in confusion and pulled back his fist, unsure of what was happening.

The sound of rushing wind echoed from behind him. He quickly turned around, only to be met with a flying disc-like object slamming into his forehead. The tremendous force sent his head reeling, and he toppled backward.

After striking his forehead, the disc immediately spun back and returned to the hands of someone else.

A burly warrior in a blue uniform, wrapped in a well-textured tight combat suit, wore a helmet with a cutaway visor that bore a pair of snow-white wings, prominently displayed a large "A" on his forehead.

Captain America.