Chapter 2376: Gotham Music Festival (78)_1

Merkel turned his head in surprise to look at Shiller, who tossed the cutlery on the table and walked to the door to get his coat. Merkel hurriedly followed and asked, "Do you need a ride?"

"No need, I'll be back soon."

Shiller drove towards the Gotham Police Department, noticing on the way that some drivers seemed hurried, all heading in the same direction. Looking up, he saw that they were all heading towards Black Island at the end of the coastline.

But he didn't have time to consider that, as he rushed to Gotham Police Department at top speed, only to hear Bruce swearing inside as soon as he entered.

"He's no Batman! When did I ever talk like that? ... Okay, but you've got to understand, that's what humans are like at 18! I..."

Bruce turned around and saw Shiller, choking on his words because Shiller was the first witness to his embarrassing past at 18.

"Deathstroke," Shiller blurted out a name. "He's impersonated Batman and kidnapped a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent,. This is his way of taking revenge using you to strike at another."

Bruce narrowed his eyes. He thought he had already rated the threat level of Deathstroke quite high, but, like Shiller, this guy was the kind who wouldn't sleep on a grudge.

"Alright, I was using the traffic system to guide Spider Man with Deathstroke towards the suspected City Federal Bureau of Investigation Secret Base. Indeed, a confrontation took place, but Deathstroke didn't hold back. I assumed he was playing along with the plan, but instead, he was waiting here for me."

"What now?" Gordon looked at Bruce and said, "He claims he's Batman, but you can't prove he's not because he indeed looks more like Batman than you."

Bruce glared at Gordon as if to say if you can't speak properly, then say less, but after a while, he sighed. He had to admit Gordon was right; Deathstroke, as Batman, certainly resembled the traditional idea of Batman more closely.

Firstly, Deathstroke was stronger than the present Bruce, mainly due to his broad build resembling that of the Primary Universe Batman, and as an unblinking killer, his demeanor was undoubtedly darker and more brooding. Combined with his raspy voice, if there were a contest for impersonating Batman, he might indeed overpower many of the real Batmen.

What's more preposterous was that he had the appearance of Batman and the core of Joker; rather than being the Dark Knight, he'd opted to kidnap hostages and play games.

By abducting a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent like that, the FBI would certainly not think it was the random act of a rash killer; they'd definitely believe it was long premeditated by Batman.

Because Bruce rarely took the spotlight, most organizations and powers in this universe had a limited understanding of him. They were quite behind on their "Bruce" version, whereas some things Bruce did while still in college were more famous.

In other words, most people's impression of Batman stayed in the traditional mode: high-tech equipment, inconceivably strategic plans, and the most renowned, almost insane, need for control.

The FBI indeed intended to take this opportunity to plant their pawns in Gotham. With them feeling guilty as a thief, how could they not think Batman caught them red-handed?

So, whether Deathstroke throws these agents down or not, the Federal Bureau of Investigation will definitely have an immediate reaction. They would certainly prepare themselves for a frontal battle with Batman because they believe Batman would definitely pick a fight with them.

If the Federal Bureau of Investigation decides to strike first, then Bruce would have no choice but to fight, even if he doesn't want to. It would be too late to explain that the Batman isn't himself but another killer in disguise, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation surely wouldn't listen.

Thus, the conflict between Batman and the Federal Bureau of Investigation was completely intensified; one could say that both sides had no choice but to fight.

Bruce took a deep breath, while Shiller pulled out his phone and, after tapping out a message furiously, sent it off.

Less than 10 minutes later, a loud boom sounded from the television. All three turned their heads to see a giant hole had been smashed through the wall of the chemical plant behind the hostages. A truck had rammed straight into the chemical waste pool, breaking through and spilling the contaminated water everywhere.

A figure dressed in a truck driver's uniform, with a grim expression, sat in the driver's seat.

"Joker! I'm..."

"You're a damn fake Batman!"

Joker Jack floored the accelerator, and the truck smashed through the chemical pool, hurtling toward Batman with an unstoppable force. The Batman on screen had no choice but to dodge.

However, his position meant that to avoid the truck, he could only dodge towards the camera—and the moment he appeared on screen, his bat suit would be completely exposed.

Deathstroke usually didn't indulge in dressing up as a bat. As an assassin, he wouldn't have invested his hard-earned money into crafting Bat Equipment, since he had his own Armor.

Thus, the best option for impersonating Batman would be to steal his gear, but that was a problem because Bruce didn't have any Bat Armor either. The bat suit technology Bruce had developed was already very outdated and was going to be discarded. For safety reasons, Bruce had destroyed them all.

The bat suit that Bruce usually wore was actually a performance costume, and to enhance the performance, they were made very snug. Bruce, who wasn't as robust as the other Batmen, just managed to squeeze into the extremely tight bodysuit, which Deathstroke could never have fit into.

So, Deathstroke's costume was, in fact, his Armor with some modifications, topped with a hastily made black cloak. Since the original plan only called for a shadowy figure to appear on screen, a cloak and some fake ears sufficed—after all, both time and budget were limited, and the effect just needed to be passable.

But Joker Jack's ramming forced Deathstroke to make an appearance on screen, and moreover, caused significant movement. When he leapt forward, he didn't have time to clutch his cloak, which sailed backward. As the joints moved, the distinctive yellow-and-black colored true Armor underneath was revealed.

Knowing his cover was blown, Deathstroke realized the plan was doomed to fail. With the real Batman likely sharpening his knives, he decided to execute a strategic retreat, to slip out of Gotham and lay low for a while.

He turned back to the large hole made by the truck, which seemed like the perfect exit. So he cast off the cloak and rushed towards it.

But in the next second, three metallic Batman darts, glinting coldly, whizzed past his scalp. A figure clad in metal Armor appeared at the entrance.

A scene shocking to all the viewers emerged: a Batman, an impostor Batman, and a Joker...

The three of them looked at each other in confusion.

Deathstroke was the first to look towards the Batman at the entrance of the cave. To tell the truth, his costume was actually inspired by the other Batmen he had encountered in Battleworld. He had not expected another Batman to show up here, though.

Deathstroke immediately realized that the man in front of him was incredibly powerful, far stronger than the two Batmen he had met in the Battleworld game. The metal armor that this Batman wore, different from the others, was no ordinary gear.

Bad news, Deathstroke thought, I've drawn the ultimate collector's edition plus of Batman. This is even worse than the youth version.

Then he turned his head to look at the Joker, who was cursing as he opened the truck door to step out.

Something was off, Deathstroke instantly sensed.

From the information he had gathered previously, one Batman matched with one Joker was the norm, and the ultimate Batman paired up with the truck driver Joker seemed just right. That would mean there should be nothing to do with him.

But why were they both looking at him?

Bruce in front of the screen couldn't help but burst out laughing.

But then his laughter stopped abruptly, as the cursing Jack opened the truck's cargo hold—the semi-truck's cargo bay was filled with bombs.

Deathstroke took off running.

But it was too late, much too late. In the instant of the explosion, he couldn't even get away from the center of the blast. With such a high yield of explosives detonating, Deathstroke's armor melted away within three seconds.

Upon landing, he had turned into a pitch-black Pyro, the pain from burns, impact, and tearing could not stop the roar in his heart—Batman and the Joker are both lunatics!!!

The live streaming footage was hastily cut back to the studio, where two smiling presenters said, "Thank you all for watching. How was this surprise performance?"

"I think it was quite good, especially the explosion effects at the end," the male host tilted his head and said, "I heard that the mayor personally approved a remote abandoned chemical plant, which means that explosion was real. If tourists rush to the scene now, they might still see traces of the explosion."

"Then what are we waiting for? Some lucky ones might even pick up pieces of the armor."

In fact, there was no need for their prompt, the real Batman and Joker had not yet arrived, but some tourists, oblivious to the danger, had already rushed there. They believed this to be a special performance, just like the previous plant madness, sea storm, and Spider-Man's sprint, all actors hired by the mayor.

And some meticulous bloggers had deduced a coherent plotline from clues in these performances. The plant madness introduced Barbados, the sea storm involved Atlantis, and Spider-Man said they came from another universe, so this new performance must also contain important clues.

Gotham was now red-hot with excitement. Being the first to grasp the clues meant being the first to post updates and attract viewers. These adventure and travel bloggers raced for the scoop, valuing hype more than their lives.

Because they set off first, they arrived just as Deathstroke crashed to the ground. Please note, at this time Deathstroke's clothes were burned off, meaning he was completely naked.

The leading female blogger let out an incredulous scream and quickly turned her face away, but the cameraman behind her kept snapping pictures relentlessly.

Deathstroke's Self Healing Power was not to be underestimated—it was on par with his little cousin Deadpool. In just a few short seconds, his charred black skin had peeled away, and unsurprisingly, there was that body comparable to the Primary Universe Batman's exposed underneath.

All the bloggers rushing to the scene let out a scream one after another, and yet not a single camera was turned off. They aimed their long lenses as if they wanted to press them against his face.

It wasn't until Deadpool finally arrived at the scene that he didn't immediately hand Deathstroke any clothes. Instead, he moved up to the camera, widened his eyes, and gestured with his hands, saying, "I've told you before, my cousin is a top-tier handsome man. It stands to reason that I have a very hot body too."

"Are you all rated for adult channels? Really? Can I take my pants off?... Oh, no, I've just remembered, I'm supposed to be family-friendly. Otherwise, I'd let you see my..."

"WADE!!!!!!!!" Deathstroke's roar came from behind.

At that moment, a hand passed a long towel in front of him; several Spider-Men descended from above, blocking the cameras and shouting, "What are you doing! What are you doing! No photos allowed! This is an invasion of privacy!"

"It's illegal to distribute someone's nude photos without their consent, and spreading such images is unethical. Which news agency are you from?!"

In that moment, Deathstroke saw the sun.

"Stop filming, can't you see we have an injured person who needs treatment? Make way! Move aside, we need to get him to the hospital!"

The Spider-Man passing Deathstroke the towel hoisted him up and started walking him towards the ambulance. Instinctively trying to break free, Deathstroke soon realized that Spider-Man's arms were as hard as steel. With his armor burned off and no weapons to hand, he was forcibly stuffed into the ambulance.

Immediately upon getting into the vehicle, this Spider-Man removed his mask—it was Peter. He pointed backward at the ambulance insignia with his thumb and said, "Wayne Hospital special expedited ambulance service, emergency evacuation fee totals 1.69 million US dollars. You pay, no need to thank."

The sun was extinguished.