socalfunplaces Chapter 131 Gotham's New Master
Chapter 131 Gotham's New Master
Chapter 131 Gotham's New Master
He dared not delay for a moment, and immediately turned around and ran towards the alley behind the greenhouse.
In the corner of the alley, there was a modified off-road motorcycle. It was small and had excellent noise reduction. He had hidden it there specifically to deal with emergencies.
Li Wei straddled the motorcycle and quickly flicked the switch on the handlebars.
The engine made a barely audible hum, the wheels turned slowly, he gripped the handlebars, leaned forward, and chased after the off-road vehicle in the direction it had gone.
The night in Gotham is already shrouded in darkness, and at this moment it is even more oppressive and suffocating.
There were very few pedestrians on the street, and only a few streetlights were on. The dim yellow light shone through the fog and sprinkled on the ground, leaving blurry patches of light.
The buildings on both sides of the road were dilapidated, the walls were covered with graffiti, and some places had posters of Bane with cold eyes and a striking line of text: Gotham's new master.
Occasionally, a few gunshots rang out from the depths of the street, mingling with women's screams and men's curses, creating the chaotic symphony unique to Gotham's nights. Levi sped along the street on his motorcycle, maintaining a safe distance of several dozen meters from the SUV ahead, afraid to get too close lest he be discovered by Bane's men.
The SUV sped through Gotham's old town, heading towards the city center, the most bustling area of Gotham. Even at night, it was brightly lit, with neon lights flashing and painting the night sky in vibrant colors, yet they couldn't penetrate the fear deep in people's hearts.
Li Wei gripped the handlebars tightly, the sweat on his palms making them slippery. His gaze remained fixed on the taillights of the SUV ahead, that tiny red light like a guide in the darkness, or a deadly curse.
Images of Bruce being tortured by Bane flashed repeatedly through his mind: his broken arm, deformed spine, pale face, and the chilling words, "I broke the bat." Each image was like a hammer, slamming into his heart, filling him with endless guilt and anger.
He remembered the energy supplement he had left at the entrance of the Batcave, wondering if Bruce had had time to take it;
He recalled the intelligence he had secretly passed to Alfred, reminding him of Bane's plot; he remembered the escape route he had marked for Batman, hoping to help him avoid unnecessary battles.
But all of this seems so pale and powerless in the face of absolute power.
Bane's enhancement potion granted him world-destroying power, while Bruce, after a series of fierce battles with Two-Face, the Joker, and Scarecrow, was already exhausted both physically and mentally, and riddled with old injuries, making him no match for Bane.
Li Wei hated his own powerlessness, hated that even though he knew the plot was going to go and had made so many preparations in advance, he still couldn't stop it from happening. He could only watch helplessly as Bruce was shattered by Bane and as Gotham's hero fell into the abyss.
The SUV eventually stopped in front of the tallest office building in downtown Gotham City. This 58-story building is a landmark of Gotham, and from the rooftop, you can overlook the entire night view of Gotham.
The entrance to the office building had already been sealed off by Bain's mercenaries. A dozen mercenaries dressed in black combat uniforms, carrying submachine guns, surrounded the entrance, preventing any pedestrians from approaching. Occasionally, unsuspecting passersby would try to go forward, but they would be roughly pushed away by the mercenaries, or even have guns pointed at them, and would flee in terror.
Bain stepped out of the passenger seat, still the same tall and cold figure. He raised his hand, signaling the mercenaries to open the office building door, and then walked straight in. A mercenary immediately followed and pressed the button for his private elevator that went directly to the roof.
Li Wei parked his motorcycle in a distant alley, quickly pulled out the key, stuffed it into his pocket, and then crouched down, running along the wall of the office building to the entrance of the fire escape.
The fire escape door was ajar. Li Wei gently pushed it open, and a whiff of dust and mildew hit him. He slipped inside, closed the door behind him, leaned against it, and took a deep breath. His chest heaved violently, and his heart was still pounding wildly.
There were no lights in the fire escape, only a faint moonlight filtering in from the stairwell window. In the dim light, the steps were broken and covered with dust and cobwebs. Li Wei ran quickly, leaping up two steps at a time, towards the roof.
His knee slammed into the edge of the step, sending a sharp, piercing pain through him. His trouser leg was torn, and his skin bled, but he felt nothing. He had only one thought in his mind: to keep up with Bane and not let him do anything more to Bruce.
His breathing became more and more rapid, his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, dry and painful. Sweat slid down his forehead and dripped into his eyes, stinging them. He casually wiped it away and continued running uphill.
The fifty-eight steps seemed endless. Li Wei's legs began to weaken, and his muscles ached. Yet he did not stop. He knew that every second he wasted increased the danger to Bruce.
Finally, he climbed to the entrance to the roof, placed his hand on the doorknob, and could hear Bane's deep laughter outside, as well as the howling of the wind sweeping across the roof.
Li Wei took a deep breath, suppressing the tension in his heart. He gently turned the doorknob, pushed the door open a crack, pressed his body against the wall, and cautiously peeked out, looking at the center of the roof.
The rooftop was vast, and the night wind howled, biting at Li Wei's face like knives, whipping his hair into a tangled mess and making his clothes flutter wildly. The rooftop's edge was lined with transparent glass railings, below which flowed a busy street, where many passersby had already gathered, gazing up at the rooftop with expressions of curiosity and bewilderment.
Bane, holding Bruce, stood on the edge of the glass railing with his back to Levi. His tall figure looked particularly menacing against the backdrop of the night and neon lights.
Bruce's body lay lifeless in his arms. His mask had fallen off at some point, revealing a face as pale as paper. His hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat and blood, his lips were cracked, and the blood at the corners of his mouth had congealed into a dark brown. His brows were slightly furrowed, as if he was still enduring endless pain.
Li Wei hid behind the cooling tower on the roof, his body pressed tightly against the cold metal shell, barely daring to breathe. His eyes were fixed on Bane's movements. The wound on his palm reopened, and blood dripped from between his fingers, hitting the concrete ground with a soft pattering sound that was completely drowned out by the wind.
Bane looked down at Bruce in his arms, his eyes behind the mask filled with cold mockery and smugness. He slowly raised his hand and lifted Bruce's body up, suspending him outside the glass railing. Below them was a drop of tens of meters into the air, the cold concrete ground like a gaping maw waiting for its prey to fall.
Li Wei's heart stopped instantly, his pupils contracted sharply, and his blood seemed to freeze at that moment. He almost rushed out, but he held himself back with his reason. His fingers gripped the metal shell of the cooling tower tightly, his knuckles turned white, and his nails dug into his palms. The pain almost made him faint.
He knew he couldn't move. If he were exposed, he wouldn't be able to save Bruce, and he would lose his own life as well. Bruce would then be truly hopeless.
Bane held Bruce's body up at the edge of the roof for a few seconds, as if showing off his trophy to the whole of Gotham, before suddenly hurling Bruce's body into the open space below.
Bruce's body traced an arc in the night sky, his black suit, under the flashing neon lights, resembled a withered black feather as it plummeted towards the cold concrete.
This scene was witnessed by all the passersby below. The wind on the rooftops seemed to stand still for a moment, and the street fell into a brief silence. Everyone stared wide-eyed as the black figure fell from the sky, and time seemed to slow down countless times.
The next second, piercing screams suddenly rang out, one after another, echoing throughout the night sky of downtown Gotham City, like countless needles piercing the tranquility of the night.
Some people turned and fled in panic, pushing and shoving, some fell to the ground and were trampled by the crowd, letting out painful cries; some people took out their phones and cameras and frantically pressed the shutter, the lens fixed on Bruce who had fallen to the ground, their eyes filled with fear and despair, their fingers trembling so much that they couldn't even aim the lens properly; others leaned against the wall, covered their mouths with their hands and made sobbing noises, unable to believe what they were seeing.
Gotham's hero, Batman, their hope, was thrown from a great height and crashed in front of them, covered in blood and motionless.
Li Wei hid behind the cooling tower, watching the black figure crash heavily onto the concrete ground with a dull thud. His heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain almost making it hard to breathe. A metallic taste rose in his throat, and he nearly vomited blood.
Bain stood on the edge of the roof, looking down at the chaos below, letting out a low, maniacal laugh. The laugh was carried by the wind, drifting into the night sky like the hiss of a venomous snake, piercing and menacing. He raised his hand and patted the glass railing, as if completing a masterpiece, then turned and walked towards the roof entrance, his mercenaries following behind in perfect unison, quickly disappearing from Levi's sight.
Unable to bear it any longer, Li Wei rushed out from behind the cooling tower, ran quickly to the edge of the roof, leaned on the glass railing, and looked down at the open space below.
Bruce's body lay in the center of the open space, covered in blood. His black battle suit was shattered even more, revealing his wounds and deformed spine. His face was pressed against the cold cement ground, his eyes closed and lifeless. His detached mask rolled around him, stained with blood and dust, making him look particularly desolate.
Li Wei dared not delay for a moment. He immediately turned around and ran towards the entrance of the fire escape. His steps were so fast that he almost tumbled and crawled. The fifty-eight steps seemed to become incredibly short in his eyes at this moment.
He had only one thought in his mind: save him, he had to save him, Bruce couldn't die, Gotham couldn't be without him.
When they reached the bottom of the office building, the chaos continued. Bane's mercenaries were trying to maintain order, but they were overwhelmed by the panicked fleeing crowd and couldn't attend to everything, leaving no time to look after the corners. This gave Levi an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Li Wei bent over, shrinking his body to its smallest size, and used the crowd as cover to quickly weave through the panicked people. His eyes were fixed on Bruce in the open space. He took each step carefully, avoiding the mercenaries' gaze and the chaotic crowd.
Occasionally, when a mercenary's gaze swept over him, he would immediately stop, hide behind the pedestrians, and hold his breath until the mercenary's gaze moved away before continuing forward.
The stench of blood in the air grew stronger, mixed with screams, cries, shoving, and the wailing of police sirens, coming from afar and getting closer. Gotham's police finally arrived at the scene, but they were still unable to quell the chaos.
Li Wei finally rushed to Bruce's side, squatted down, and quickly reached out to check Bruce's breath. It was so weak that he could hardly feel it; there was only a very faint breath that brushed past his fingertips, proving that Bruce still had a sliver of life.
His fingers touched Bruce's skin, which was icy cold, devoid of any warmth, like a block of ice, making Jive's fingertips go numb. His heart sank to the bottom, but he still did not give up. He quickly put one of Bruce's arms on his shoulder and used all his strength to lift his body up.
Bruce's body was heavy, but it seemed limp due to his serious injuries. Levi gritted his teeth, his jaw clenched, and the muscles in his cheeks tensed as he half-supported and half-dragged Bruce toward the alley next to him.
The alley was dark, with no lights and graffiti covering the walls. Trash cans and discarded cardboard boxes were piled up in the corners, but it was the only safe place in downtown Gotham City at this moment.
Just as Li Wei was about to enter the alley, a Bain mercenary noticed him, immediately shouted, and walked towards him with a submachine gun in hand. His steps were heavy, his eyes were cold, and he was shouting in a foreign language that he couldn't understand, as if warning him to stop.
Li Wei's heart skipped a beat. He immediately quickened his pace, shielding Bruce behind him, and slipped behind a nearby trash can. He pressed his body tightly against the outer wall of the trash can, holding his breath and not daring to make a sound.
The mercenary strode over, circled the trash can, and swept the ground with his flashlight, but he didn't spot Levi and Bruce hiding on the other side. He cursed and turned back into the crowd to continue maintaining order.
Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief. His back was completely soaked with sweat, and even his hair was stuck to his forehead. He could hear the sound of his heart beating, which was particularly clear in the quiet alley.
He dared not linger for a moment, and once again half-supported, half-dragged Bruce into the depths of the alley, leaning him against the cold wall, letting Bruce's body slowly slide to the ground and curl up in the corner.
Li Wei also squatted down, panting heavily, his chest heaving violently, his throat dry and painful, as if it were about to burst into flames. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead before remembering the communicator in his pocket.
He immediately took out his communicator and quickly adjusted the frequency. His fingers trembled, and he pressed the wrong button several times. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Finally, he heard the buzzing sound of electricity coming from the communicator, followed by Alfred's calm and gentle voice.