Chapter 8 is about to begin: Bruce is a bat. ...
Preparations for apprehending the criminals had already been completed, and Wen Yue focused intently on leading the people to the waiting location outside the factory where the Batmobile No. 2 was parked.
This is the first time the newly built, expanded Batmobile has been used. I'll have to give Batman's chief scientist, Lucius Fox, a report on my experience when I get back.
However, the plan took many twists and turns, and Scarecrow was stopped by Black Mask's henchmen on his way to the Batmobile.
"Mr. Klein, where did the fear gas go on the assembly line?" the masked henchman questioned Scarecrow. "This is not in line with our plan."
Player: Isn't this being released right now? The air you're breathing is full of what you want.
"The fear gas has all been moved away by my men. If you want it, of course you can have it." The scarecrow calmed the other party down and gave one of his men a look.
Understanding his boss's meaning, the subordinate stepped forward and, without warning, punched the unsuspecting black-masked henchman in the face. The black-masked henchman staggered backward and fell to the ground, his gas mask falling off with a thud. "You dare to betray us? You treacherous scoundrel!" the man roared, his entire body exposed to the poison gas. "Attack!"
As soon as the order was given, the two teams collided and engaged in fierce combat, becoming entangled with each other.
Having achieved his goal, the scarecrow stopped pretending and laid his cards on the table. He smugly mocked his opponent, adding that the air was filled with fear and poison, and that anyone who wanted more could take a few more breaths.
The man in the black mask was so angry that he needed oxygen.
Black Mask and Scarecrow were collaborating to use fear gas as a deterrent weapon, but Scarecrow had just released all the fear gas he'd been making over the past few days, leaving none for Black Mask. A fierce battle ensued. Ultimately, Black Mask's men were outmatched, their gas masks stripped off completely.
The scarecrow halted his men, eagerly awaiting their grotesque reactions under the terrifying gas. The gas could make people see their deepest fears, causing mental instability and even self-harm.
The enemy wailed, the scarecrow laughed, but as time quietly passed, nothing happened.
"What's going on?" The smile on the scarecrow's face slowly disappeared.
"What happened?" The enemy leader patted his companion, who was screaming in fright but was completely unharmed.
The scene was very quiet for a time.
That's brilliant.
The smile didn't disappear; instead, it moved to the face of the player behind the screen.
The player who had been slacking off in the back suddenly had a burst of performance instincts. Looking around with a bewildered expression, he asked in an innocent tone, "Why isn't it working? Is this genuine Fear Gas? Or is it a humidifier instead of poison mist?"
One of Black Mask's clever henchmen raised a question: "Is the fear gas just a gimmick to swindle money?"
Were we all scammed?
The sky cleared, the fog dissipated, and the sun shone through. The scarecrow's cleverness once again prevailed; his astute gaze locked onto the player's face, which wore a gas mask. "You don't seem to be one of my men. Who are you? Did you do this?"
Everyone turned to look at Wen Yue, and the player also looked behind her. "Huh? Nobody's here?" She turned around in confusion and met everyone's gaze, still pretending to be clueless.
After a series of clever maneuvers that bought enough time, Wen Yue remotely controlled the Batmobile No. 2 to break through the wall and rush into the room. Amidst the chaos, the player instantly changed into Batman and knocked everyone down.
How lonely it is to be invincible.
Batman skillfully called the Gotham City Police Department to clean up the mess, and as he turned around, he saw Red Hood lightly stepping out of Batmobile No. 2.
Red Hood looked quite satisfied, hands in his pockets, leaning against the car. "Old Bat, your car is really nice!"
Every cause has its effect, and the player's karma has come back to bite them. Before, Wen Yue was going to roam the world with Red Hood on his motorcycle, but now Red Hood has just returned from his adventures in his new Batmobile.
The fickle player was caught off guard. This was the brand new Batmobile that had just arrived, and she hadn't even ridden it once!
How did this kid even get in? She clearly remembered driving the (old) Batmobile No. 1 for Red Hood! "How did you get in?"
Red Hood and Batman exchanged glances. Facing Batman's disapproving look, Red Hood demonstrated on the spot: "Open the door."
At a command.
"Beep beep." The Batmobile 2's built-in AI opened the car door.
"That's it." The red-hooded electronic eyes flashed, his face full of innocence. "Didn't you record my face and voice?"
—In fact, Jason's fingerprints were also recorded.
But the players didn't know that all of this was the same! They never expected that the two cars would share the same database.
Wen Yue sighed, "That's right, that makes sense... What about the original Batmobile?"
“Don’t worry, it’s parked outside.” Red Hood patted Batman on the shoulder reassuringly. “Do you need me to drive it away?”
"No need." Wen Yue remotely operated Batmobile No. 1, preparing to set up AI-powered autonomous driving to return to the Batcave.
“Okay, then I…” Red Hood hadn’t finished speaking.
"Crack—" It was the sound of shattering glass. Wen Yue, who had just finished setting up the Batmobile's control panel, suddenly looked up.
"Your act isn't over yet." The Scarecrow, who had been knocked unconscious, had gotten up sometime during the night. "Batman, do you think you've defeated me?"
The poisonous fog spread everywhere, and the scarecrow even had a tube of concentrated fear gas hidden on its body.
“Opening champagne at halftime is no good habit. You underestimate me, Batman. Try the taste of fear.” Scarecrow leaned against the corner, panting heavily. Although he had taken the antidote beforehand, he was still not in good shape. “You’d better enjoy this. This is the upgraded version.”
Thanks to the fully enclosed headgear, Red Hood was in relatively good condition compared to the others present.
"Scarecrow, you should have seized the opportunity to slip away." Red Hood rushed forward and delivered a powerful punch to Scarecrow. This martial arts expert quickly overwhelmed the weak professor, rendering him powerless to fight back.
The scarecrow fell heavily to the ground, completely unable to move, and this time it really couldn't get up.
"Not even using bullets. Tch, amateur." Red Hood fiddled with the two pistols at his waist and said disdainfully.
The player carelessly lost Jingzhou.
Wen Yue stared at the uncontrollable character panel and the blurry computer screen, burying her face in her hands and sighing. The antidote was in Batman's belt, but she couldn't control the character to retrieve it.
Every time this happens, I wonder why Batman's hood isn't fully covered. Wouldn't it be much less of a hassle if it were like Red Hood's helmet?
With no other option, Wen Yue brought up the semi-transparent game panel, her gaze settling on the feature that had appeared not long ago—
[Consciousness Transfer: Transfers the player's consciousness between the main body and the clone.]
Note: This function adheres to the principle of uniqueness of consciousness.
In other words, her consciousness must reside either in her main body or her clone; she cannot control both simultaneously. Therefore, if Wen Yue wants to transfer her consciousness to her clone, she must first settle her main body; at the very least, she can't just lie there carelessly in front of the Bat-like computer. Thinking of this, Wen Yue headed towards the changing room.
"Batman...Batman, are you alright...?"
Red Hood's voice came intermittently, as if from another world. Wen Yue, who had just regained consciousness, kept her eyes tightly closed. Waves of dizziness and panic washed over her, and she was panting heavily, unable to respond.
This feeling is comparable to motion sickness or low blood sugar. I don't know if this negative state is due to fear of poisonous gas or the game's teleportation.
After a while, Wen Yue was finally able to control part of her body and her language system returned to normal. She immediately asked Red Hood to take out the antidote from the bat belt and inject it.
With the main task completed, Wen Yue barely opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was the game panel.
[Consciousness transfer successful!]
Behind the semi-transparent game panel, instead of the Ace Factory, were various DC comic book or movie backgrounds, making Wen Yue feel as if she were in a giant 5D movie theater.
Various hellish scenes from the DC Universe unfold one after another. Jason and the others are nowhere to be seen. Only the worst possible scenarios that Wen Yue knows about the DC Universe, including the suffering of the Bat-family members during various major events, are constantly interwoven and looped.
The background image gradually cleared, and Wen Yue saw Jason, the most familiar figure she had encountered since coming to this world, and the various heartbreaking experiences that had truly occurred to the different Jason Todd characters in the DC Universe:
Jason, dressed in Robin's uniform, is covered in blood as he is brutally murdered by the Joker; Jason, wearing a hospital gown, is imprisoned in an empty ward at Arkham Asylum; Jason, caught off guard, is forced to wear a red hood and suffers severe burns to his face from the acidic liquid inside, leaving him in critical condition...
The scene shifts, and Tim Drake, whom Wen Yue had met just a few days prior, flashes onto the screen again:
Tim the Red Robin in Oz's prison, Tim imprisoned in the Phantom District by Injustice Superman, Tim killed by Zod, Tim the Third Robin who was driven mad by torture and turned into the Joker, and the lonely Tim who took over the Batcloak and became Batman...
The scene shifts, using a jump sequence to introduce Dick Grayson, whose whereabouts are still unknown:
Claw Dick, dismembered into five pieces by the Joker; Robin Dick, killed by the Angel of Death; Nightwing Dick, who fell from a high building; or Nightwing Dick, who landed on the back of his head...
The visuals gradually become unstable, rapidly shifting at an astonishing pace, from a warm and peaceful bat family gathering to the ruins of Wayne Manor, from a bustling city to a desolate desert. Each transition feels like a leap through time and space, showcasing different futures in parallel universes.
Wen Yue had never imagined her memory was so good. Many scenes she'd only vaguely recalled before, and she usually couldn't remember the details. But now, her recollection was comparable to hyperthymesia. Stimulated by the fear of the poisonous gas, her brain seemed to have become exceptionally sharp, unlike anything she'd had for over twenty years.
As the antidote takes effect, the image gradually fades away and eventually disappears from view.
The dim surroundings and the electronic eyes on the red hood became clear.
The feeling of lightness and floating in the air was exhilarating, and then, amidst the dizzying sensation, the feet finally touched solid ground. Players who revisited DC games felt like they were transported back to those days.
A note from the author:
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