221-225

Chapter 221: When Everyone's Playing Angles in One Crew 

Even though last night was a win-win in Gotham for everyone involved, obviously, everyone still had to face the next day. Stuff that needed doing still needed doing; one win didn't guarantee the next. 

Just then, the Mad Hatter was picking out his audience for his stage, same as usual. Cody stood by, watching his play unfold. It was based on Alice in Wonderland, but it seemed a little different. The stage wasn't set up like a regular play; it was more like a man-made wonderland, a recreation of the fairy tale world from Alice in Wonderland. There was a huge rabbit hole, bubbling 'Drink Me' potions, a Colonel Caterpillar, the grinning Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts yelling, "Off with her head!", and a house with chimneys shaped like rabbit ears. He even built a small pond on stage, like the Pool of Tears from the story. 

"Alice, come play with me!" He pulled one of the blonde girls on stage and ducked into the rabbit hole with her, entering this artificial fairy tale world. They started dancing, and the girl, her eyes glazed over, answered like a puppet, "Okay, Jarvis Tetch." "No, call me Tetch!" "Okay, Tetch." And so, the blonde girl danced gracefully with the Mad Hatter. 

But even with his height-boosting shoes on, the Mad Hatter and 'Alice' weren't the right height match, and the Alice he was controlling didn't have the capacity to think like a normal person. After just a few steps, the Mad Hatter got stepped on twice and was even lifted up by his hand once. "Stop! Stop!" His frantic shouts echoed through the theater stage. The Mad Hatter was furious about the imperfect dance. Angrily, he snatched his hand away from the girl's and pulled a gun from under his coat. "This isn't a perfect day! You're a fake, too! Die!" Bang! A shot rang out, and the girl fell. A bloody flower bloomed on her chest, and after she hit the ground, her blonde wig fell off, revealing dark red hair. 

Underneath his dark robe, Cody's hand instinctively went to the pistol at his waist. At that moment, he finally understood why all the girls on stage had uniformly long blonde hair, and why they were under the Mad Hatter's mind control even though they weren't wearing hats. Wigs were a kind of "hat," too. 

"No! No, no, no..." After shooting the girl, the Mad Hatter cried out in surprise and put her wig back on her head. "No, no, my Alice is blonde, not a redhead! I should have stapled the wig on like I used to—no, no, I can't do that to Alice! Somebody! Somebody! Saul!" 

Cody walked over and answered mechanically, "Boss." "Get rid of her! I don't want to see her again! Throw her anywhere—doesn't matter where! And you over there, come clean up the stage!" "Yes, Boss." Cody picked up the girl from the floor and headed out of the theater. He already had some hard candy ready in his hand. Since the Mad Hatter said anywhere was fine, he had a legitimate reason to take her to a discreet area. 

I'll just call Batman or Catwoman tonight to get her out of here... 

When Cody returned to the theater, the blood on the stage had been cleaned up. The Mad Hatter went back up, picked out one of the other blank-faced blonde Alices standing on stage, took her hand again, and was about to continue dancing. 

"Hey, Tetch." A voice suddenly interrupted the Mad Hatter's dance party. The Penguin walked in from the front of the theater. 

"Hold up on your thing for a minute. Joker said Mr. Freeze scouted something out, some intel on the Riddler's crew's latest moves. He needs someone to go on a mission with Man-Bat." 

"Does he have to use my new guy?" 

"We're running low on available guys, Tetch. Whether you like it or not—it's the Joker's orders." 

Jarvis frowned and let go of the girl. He went below the stage and picked up his chipped mug. It had "Drink Me" written on it, another nod to the fairy tale. "What are you looking at?" He pulled a tea bag labeled "Soothing Tea" from his pocket, tossed it into the chipped mug, poured in hot water, and asked Penguin, "Can't you just take him yourself? It's not like I can tell the Joker 'no,' is it?" 

Cody's nose twitched. He caught a whiff of what was in the tea bag. To be precise, it wasn't tea at all. He carried all sorts of stuff in his pockets – belladonna, psilocybin, LSD... all kinds of psychoactive drugs, hallucinogens, stimulants, the works – totally high-tech and hardcore. He wasn't sure if the Mad Hatter got hooked on this stuff after overdosing himself, or if he just wanted to boost his fighting power with it. Bottom line, this guy was already as crazy as he could get. 

Penguin replied, "You know how it is, Tetch. Joker needs to use him, and that means he needs to control him. You gotta hand over his controller." 

"Fine, fine, take everything." The Mad Hatter sneered, "But remember, I'm the one keeping our army together right now. Mess with me, and nobody has a good time." He tossed a remote with buttons to Penguin. "You know how to use this thing. Stop bothering me." 

"Pleasure doing business with you, Tetch." Penguin pressed a button, and Cody dutifully followed him out of the theater. Before leaving, he secretly gave the Mad Hatter a little "buff" to make sure nobody else died anytime soon. 

After Penguin left the theater, he took Cody straight to the car. "Drive! We're going to see the Joker." "Yes, sir." Once the driver started the car, it sped off towards another luxurious grand theater in the Upper West Side, one of Falcone's properties. That was where the Joker was currently holed up. The Mad Hatter picked a theater to indulge his fantasies, while the Joker chose one simply because he liked jokes and performances. But Cody couldn't help but grumble to himself, What is it with you supervillains and meeting up in theaters? 

Just as Penguin's car was halfway there, the front suddenly turned. Cody raised an eyebrow, watching as the car pulled into an underground parking garage beneath a building, going down level after level until it finally stopped on the bottom floor. 

"Alright, Saul." Penguin waved a hand. "Let's get out." Cody got out of the car blankly. Several burly guys in suits emerged from the parking garage and firmly restrained him. "No tail?" "Nope, signal jamming's good too." "Excellent." Penguin reached out and pressed the control release button on the remote. "Mr. Saul, our deal isn't finished yet. Since you survived, now we can talk about what happens next, just us." 

Chapter 222: Deep Behind Enemy Lines - Why So Many Familiar Faces? 

"Oswald Cobblepot?" 

"That's me." 

"Why are you..." 

"Don't you remember, Mr. Saul?" the Penguin shot back. "What happened after you followed the Riddler's orders to kill the Mad Hatter?" 

"I was... caught." 

"You were set up." 

The Penguin chuckled at that. "You caused our friend a lot of trouble, remember? The Riddler used to have tons of supervillains working for him, but because you were playing both sides, all he's got left now are Poison Ivy, Firefly, and Mr. Zsasz. I'm guessing our friend might not have fully figured out your betrayal, but he definitely suspected something was off." 

"He sold me out?" 

"To be precise, he gave you away. He gave you to the Mad Hatter, and if things had gone according to plan, you should have ended up as cannon fodder for the Joker – unless, of course, I hadn't been there." 

"Guess I should thank him for not just shooting me." 

"Honestly, I thought he was too worried about appearances," the Penguin replied. "What was the point of giving you to the Mad Hatter to kill? If you could have been a more effective fighter under the Joker, he'd probably be kicking himself over his bad call last night." 

"Don't have to worry too much about that..." 

"Anyway, what's done is done." The Penguin shrugged. "There are hardly any supervillains left under the Riddler, and under the Joker, he's got two double-crossers in you and me. You've kept your promise by using Batman to take most people out of the picture, so we can move on to the next steps of our plan and take down the Riddler and the Joker in one fell swoop – though, ideally, with a few less people around." 

"Oh yeah?" 

Cody (Saul) looked at the controller in his hand and smiled. "Now that you've got control over me, why stick to the old plan? Why not just hog all the spoils yourself?" 

"You need me, pal," the Penguin answered. "Just like I need you. Our plan's going smoothly, but we're not in total control yet. I need you to help me get rid of a few more people, and you need me to completely overthrow the Joker and the Riddler. You want a substantial payout from me, and I want to go into business for myself and become Gotham's new Kingpin of Crime." 

"In other words," Cody (Saul) cut in, "just like before, I risk getting killed and keep being cannon fodder on the front lines. All you have to do is hang back at your villa, staying safely hidden behind the Joker. Even if I die out there, it doesn't affect you at all, and if I succeed, you just waltz in and take the biggest slice of the pie." 

"We just have different roles, Mr. Saul. You can't help the Joker take over Falcone's massive criminal empire and fortune, and you can't handle things like organizing his crew, managing intelligence, or laundering money for him. But I can. That's where my strengths lie, that's my value." 

Cody (Saul) stayed silent. 

"Besides, I offered better terms. After we succeed, I'd give you a cut of the businesses and power, or even a percentage of the profits every year. But you turned it all down. You just want a single payoff as payment for double-crossing the Joker and the Riddler – honestly, I could give that money to Slade or Floyd Jr., and they could do the same thing. The TV would even praise them for being good guys, for being heroes for once." 

The Penguin shook the remote control in his hand as he spoke. "I get it, maybe you're worried about the Joker and the Riddler coming after you later, or maybe you're even a mole sent by Batman, so you just want some 'legitimate earnings as a mole.' Even for the GCPD, nobody ever questions income from taking down criminals. But I don't care about any of that. Right now, whoever takes on the Joker and the Riddler is my ally." 

"I can help you break the Mad Hatter's control. I can even triple the reward I promised you. But you gotta do what you gotta do – so, do we have a deal?" 

"No problem," Cody (Saul) answered readily. "You've got a deal." 

"?" 

Damn it, the Penguin cursed inwardly. Walked right into that one. This guy only cared about the money; he would've done it even at the original price. 

How can someone be so greedy and yet so fearless? 

At this moment, in the Penguin's mind, the possibility of Cody (Saul) being a police mole or a Batman mole significantly decreased. 

Good guys fight for their beliefs, which is why they aren't afraid to die. This guy has no beliefs; he's not afraid to die purely because there's money involved. This is the classic definition of a desperado. 

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There were no more hitches on the way to see the Joker. In fact, the Joker couldn't even be bothered to look at Cody (Saul) again. With a wave of his hand, like he was tossing out trash, he had the Penguin outside take "Saul" to meet his action partners for the evening. 

"Take this guy straight to Man-Bat. Give the controller to Mr. Freeze for now; he needs to set up the mission, and I don't trust that beast – Saul, don't you think your current situation is hilarious?" 

Cody (Saul) didn't speak. 

The Joker pouted. 

"Fine, not that funny. You guys can beat it." 

"Alright, boss." x2 

In the office, the Penguin brought Cody (Saul) to meet Mr. Freeze and Man-Bat. Mr. Freeze still had that look of deep-seated grief, and Man-Bat was literally – well, a giant humanoid bat. 

"Saul, these two will be your companions from now on: Mr. Freeze, Victor Fries, and Man-Bat, Kirk Langstrom." 

"Mr. Saul, pleased to meet you." 

Mr. Freeze extended a hand in a gesture of friendliness, while Man-Bat stood his ground, making no move; his claws weren't exactly suited for shaking hands – actually, he wasn't exactly in his right mind at the moment. 

Naturally, Cody (Saul) didn't respond. 

"My apologies, allow me to explain briefly," the Penguin said to the visibly annoyed Mr. Freeze. "Mr. Saul was ordered by the Riddler to assassinate the Mad Hatter yesterday but didn't succeed. He's currently under control. He only retains basic motor skills and can't think or react to the outside world." 

Mr. Freeze's expression softened then. "So, he wasn't flipped by us?" 

"Exactly. All his actions are controlled by us now, and this is his remote – Victor, hang onto it." 

"No problem." Mr. Freeze secretly breathed a sigh of relief and took the remote. "Saw the Mad Hatter use one of these before. Guess I probably won't need a manual." 

"Excellent. Just remember, don't lift his mental control casually, at least not without being prepared – other than that, whatever you tell him to do, he'll do it." 

Mr. Freeze smiled and assured the Penguin, "Of course, I won't just lift his control whenever I feel like it." 

"But to be safe, I'd like to double-check which button releases the control, if that's okay?" 

Chapter 223: The Zoologist Turned Beast 

Penguin left. Beside them, the Man-Bat was making a racket, shrieking shrilly, which sounded pretty unsettling. 

"Dr. Langstrom, you might not be fully coherent right now," Mr. Freeze replied. "Maybe it would be better to talk to me once your senses are a little clearer—at least then, you'll be speaking English."  

"Eeeek... squawk..." "Regardless, tonight's mission starts this evening, and I'll inform you of the specific time and location beforehand. Dr. Langstrom, you'll be going on the mission with Saul tonight. 

I'll give him instructions to follow your command, but remember, he's under mind control, so you can't give him overly complicated orders." 

"Eeeech..." "Okay, I'll give you the mission briefing a little later—Saul, come with me." 

Cody's steps were mechanical as he followed Mr. Freeze out of the room and down to his underground cryo-lab. After joining the Joker's crew, he'd specifically moved his freezing equipment here. 

After bringing Cody inside, the lab door closed. This was Mr. Freeze's personal lab; he'd set up all the equipment himself, ensuring there was no possibility of being bugged. 

After confirming Cody had no metal objects on him besides his pistols, Mr. Freeze disarmed him immediately, then clicked the control release button.  

"Victor?" "That's me." "Is this... your lab?" "You were under the Mad Hatter's control, and then Penguin brought you over, remember?" Mr. Freeze said.  

"Mr. Saul, you don't seem very cautious. If Penguin hadn't handed you over to me, we might not have had a chance to talk."  

"Then I guess I owe you a thank you." "None of that matters now, Saul. If you die, how are you going to deliver on your promise?"  

"If I die, then I guess I can't," Cody replied. "It's simple logic. That's how a deal works: you give me what I want, and I give you what you want.  

You pull out of this war, and I'll help improve your and your wife's condition. I should say upfront, though, I can't completely cure either of you. I figure this world still has its own plans for both of you." 

"You think I don't want to get out of this war? You think I can't see that the Joker is at a disadvantage right now? But I have no control over when I'm deployed or when I get a chance to pull back." "You won't have to wait long, Victor," Cody replied.  

"There are only a few guys who can be sent out right now: Man-Bat, you, and me. Cobblepot is the Joker's logistics guy, and the Mad Hatter is his last source of troops. Maybe the Joker will eventually send Cobblepot out, but the Mad Hatter is pretty much useless."  

"So?" "So now it's just Man-Bat, me, and you. Your chance will come soon. You just need to pick the right time and a reasonable way to exit the battlefield."  

"I'm worried that before I can exit the battlefield, you'll be riddled with bullets by the Riddler's army. Cannon fodder under mind control can die just like that; the Joker won't care if you live or die."  

"Survival is my instinct. You can trust me on that." Mr. Freeze gave him a skeptical look.  

"Fair enough. So how exactly did you get taken down by the Mad Hatter?" "That was... a strategic adjustment. Don't ask." 

It was night in Gotham City, and the Man-Bat was soaring through the air with his wings spread. 

Although his arms were structured like a normal human's, a thin, light membrane connected them to his body, forming wings just like a bat's, giving the Man-Bat the ability to fly like one.  

His upper body and legs also looked entirely human in structure, but instead of human skin, his body was covered in thick, dark gray fur like a bat's—again, adding bat characteristics onto a human body.  

His hands and feet had turned into curved claws, his ears were pointy and stood up like a bat's, his nostrils looked like a pig's snout, and fangs had grown in his mouth.  

After mutation, these three organs also gained bat characteristics, allowing him to emit and capture high-frequency, short sound waves, letting him navigate in darkness and detect everything happening around him. At this moment, he was even using his claws to carry Cody's black robe and his bicycle through the air.  

True to his moniker, "Man-Bat," Dr. Kirk Langstrom seemed more like a human framework mutated to some extent towards a bat, with his human traits outweighing a considerable number of his bat traits. 

Cody looked up and said, "Didn't realize you were a doctor. Higher education than me." But in Gotham City, that wasn't really that weird. Mr. Freeze was a cryogenics expert, Dr. Hugo was a psychologist, Harley Quinn was specially hired by Arkham Asylum as a psychological consultant for patients, the Mad Hatter developed his own brainwave controller,  

Penguin was a top practical economic mastermind... It was hard to say whether Gotham City was a land of poor mountains and bad waters or a place of outstanding people and spirits. 

Anyway, whether you had superpowers, super abilities, or super cash, if you wanted to be a supervillain here, you pretty much had to have something going on. 

"I was a zoologist," the bat-creature replied, his voice now English, though still mixed with weird squawking noises, also due to his mutated vocal cords.  

"A nocturnist, a cross-species geneticist. I mean, I still technically am, but I don't really care about that stuff anymore. Honestly, I don't think I can continue that work."  

"But how'd you end up like this?" "I... you're not from Gotham, are you?" "Haven't been here for too long." "That explains it, then... Have you ever heard of any news reports from the GCPD about like, vampire bat sightings?"  

"Hmm... doesn't ring a bell." The doctor gave a couple of bitter laughs, but he seemed a little more relaxed. "To make a long story short, I was just a cross-species geneticist.  

That's it. My job was to research a serum that would give humans the ability to emit and receive sound waves like bats. The whole point of this tech was to help blind or hearing-impaired people, to give them another way to live." 

"Sounds impressive. Was Wayne Enterprises funding that?" "No, it was Elliot Caldwell, the owner of Caldwell Group.  

Anyway, for a while, I really thought the bat serum was a great project that could contribute to disabled humans, and even humanity as a whole." "And then what?" "I messed up." 

Chapter 224: All-In is a Kind of Wisdom 

Man-Bat summed up the reason he ended up like this to Cody (Saul) in one sentence: 

"I messed up. Simple as that." 

"Sounds like you're playing it down." 

"It's not, but it makes me feel a little better about myself." 

"Alright... So, you used the serum on yourself and then found out something was wrong with it?" 

"No, I knew it wasn't finished from the start. I knew it had flaws. I had to do it. Some mistakes... they happened because of me, and the only way I could fix it was by taking the serum." 

Cody (Saul) shook his head. "But that's way too steep a price. Like this morning, you couldn't even say a word that made sense. You were just like a beast barely holding onto its mind." 

"Believe me, you haven't seen me at my worst," Man-Bat replied. "Since I took the formula, my reason has been constantly battling against animal instinct. I'm mostly in a daze, not lucid very often, unable to stay rational." 

"You don't even have red fur...:" 

"Anyway, if you see me starting to lose it, just get as far away from me as you can. In that state, my wild side completely takes over; I can't tell friend from foe." 

"You got that right." Cody (Saul) nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, I might not be confident about much else, but when it comes to staying alive, I'm a pro – top of the line. However, based on what you're saying, there's no reason for you to be a bad guy at all. If you just let Batman lock you up, at least you wouldn't have to worry about hurting people anymore, right?" 

"No, I... I don't think I can quit that formula anymore. It's addictive, and it's a really strong addiction. Most importantly, if I don't help the Joker, my wife will be in danger. She's my true love; I can't let her get hurt because of me." 

"Okay, that's a real Catch-22. Help the Joker, and you gotta keep being a bad guy; don't help him, and your wife's in danger. The Riddler's guys are only out to kill, so you can't afford to lose... right?" 

"Yeah, supervillains all kill people... Huh? Wait a minute..." 

"Langstrom, have you guys reached the designated location?" 

Mr. Freeze's voice from the communicator cut off their conversation. He issued a warning: "If not, you need to hustle. Time's running out, and the enemy's troops are about to arrive." 

"Already here, Fries," Man-Bat responded. "I'm over the surrounding area right now, but I don't see the troops you mentioned." 

"They'll be there," Mr. Freeze replied. "You should detect a whole platoon. When they do, we'll need you to provide air support – oh, is Saul's control still not activated?" 

"That's correct," Man-Bat answered truthfully. 

"Nooooo!" 

Cody (Saul) only had time for a single wail before falling silent. 

"Did you press that button?" 

"Yep – Listen up, Psycho Biker. From now on, you'll follow Langstrom's commands. If he doesn't give you orders, feel free to do your own thing." 

"Yes." 

Listening to the mechanical, indifferent response, Man-Bat thought, This Mad Hatter cap is practically witchcraft. 

He landed, letting Cody (Saul) down. His usual methods involve a bicycle and a handgun, and keeping him flying wouldn't let him use his strengths. 

Good luck to us, pal, the doctor thought. If we're lucky enough tonight, maybe we'll both get a chance to break free from this situation we're trapped in. 

But when he flew back into the sky, he found another figure already there. 

He was wearing a steel flight suit, the eyes on his mask glowing with a faint green light like a firefly. In his hand was a small, handgun-shaped flamethrower. Several incendiary bombs and Molotov cocktails were strapped to his armor, and behind him was a pair of insect-wing-shaped steel wings. On closer inspection, they were a pair of winged jetpacks. 

Cody (Saul) also looked up at the sky. Obviously, that flamethrower and flight suit were Garfield Lynns' own creations – If you had this kind of talent, why did you even need to run over here? 

"Garfield Lynns," Man-Bat murmured. "The people who showed up tonight are unexpected. Mr. Freeze's intel was off..." 

"There's more that'll surprise you, Langstrom," the armored Firefly flew through the air, a wild, unrestrained cackle coming from beneath his mask. "After tonight, you won't just lose Man-Bat, you'll lose the Mad Hatter too!" 

Hold on, Cody (Saul) thought. Then who's gonna replace Mr. Freeze for me? 

Up in the sky, their conversation continued. 

"You guys have stretched your forces too thin, Garfield. You don't have many people to spare on each side. If you fail, you'll fail completely." 

"But if we succeed, we can turn the tables and counterattack!" Firefly sneered. "You already fell for it and came here, didn't you? Even brought the Psycho Biker with you. You still think you can beat me like this?" 

What do you mean "even"? Cody (Saul) fumed inwardly. This guy doesn't even know how to use conjunctions! 

"It's two of us against one of you, Garfield. I've got animal combat instincts, and Saul's a crack shot. You're just a former firefighter. What can you do?" 

"Idiot! You don't know anything! I'm a pyrotechnic effects artist, not some firefighter – and you're about to feel the taste of searing flames!" 

Pyrotechnic effects artist? 

Cody (Saul) frowned. Those mob guys were definitely unreliable. I almost got Firefly's origin story wrong. 

Then again, given how DC's rebooted timelines and storylines are like playing with Play-Doh, who's to say a version of Firefly couldn't have been a firefighter at some point? 

While he was thinking, Man-Bat and Firefly in the sky had already started fighting. The huge bat suddenly lunged at the insect-like steel armor. The serum had given Langstrom sharp claws and terrifying muscular strength. The attack ripped a blinding shower of sparks from the outer layer of the armor and sent him flying directly backward. 

Firefly's armor had pretty good protection. Although there were five sharp scratches on the chest plate, and it was even slightly dented, he didn't seem to be injured. Using the high-pressure air jets from the wings on his back, he quickly adjusted his position. As he flew backward, he raised the flamethrower, aimed it at the instinctively pursuing Man-Bat, and pulled the trigger. 

Whoosh! In the pitch-black night sky, a bright, scorching stream of flame suddenly appeared. The fire blazed, reflecting directly in the eyes of the pursuing Man-Bat. To Cody (Saul), this sudden, blinding light was just enough to make him blink and frown, but in Man-Bat's eyes, which had some bat characteristics, it was like a high-flash stun grenade. 

"Arrgh!" 

The intense light felt like it drilled directly into Man-Bat's brain. Under the intense dizziness and discomfort, his charging body immediately froze. Moments later, Firefly's high-temperature flames swept over. 

Chapter 225: The Flame-Engulfed Bat and the Firefly 

Whoosh— 

A wild stream of flame instantly engulfed Man-Bat. His tough fur and muscles, mutated by some bio-chemical stuff, might've been able to handle bullets and knives, but fire? Not so much. Under the blast from Firefly's flamethrower, Man-Bat turned into a giant fireball in no time flat. 

"Langstrom, how ya feeling now, huh? How ya feeling?!" 

Firefly zipped around in the air, gloating and taunting the burning Man-Bat. Down below, Cody, while thinking about how bad Man-Bat was against fire with all that fur, also hit both of them up there with a dose of his "I Didn't Kill Anyone" move. 

"Screech! Screech!" 

The burning Man-Bat shrieked twice and, catching Firefly off guard, charged right back up. The flames all over him seemed to have completely unleashed his rage and wildness. It was like any trace of "Langstrom's" sanity, along with his fear, had been ripped away, leaving behind only the husk of a beast consumed by a desire to attack, fighting Firefly like a cornered animal. 

"Thor, Thor! I'm releasing you from my control. Joker told me the Mad Hatter's theater is about to be raided. Did you and Dr. Langstrom deal with that squad of soldiers over there?!" 

"There aren't any soldiers, Freeze," Cody replied, watching the fight in the sky. "The intel's bad. There's no squad here, just Firefly." 

"Alright—but don't you guys have the advantage, two against one?" 

"If my gun could reach those two up there, then it'd be two against one. But if they insist on fighting way up high, I'm just stuck down here watching, totally useless. At best, this counts as two 1v1s, and not the kind with great odds either—so I've said all this, could you maybe come give us some backup?" 

"I can't do that. I'm heading over to the Mad Hatter's theater right now. He's too important at the moment; without him, we won't have any more soldiers to replenish our ranks." 

Hearing the news about Freeze heading to the theater, Cody raised an eyebrow, and an idea formed in his mind. 

"I get what you're saying," he replied calmly. "But I can't just hang around here waiting for Firefly to finish off Man-Bat and then come after me, can I? Plus, what if Batman shows up?" 

"Sorry, but you gotta stay put. So, I guess you'll just have to pray Batman doesn't show up on your end—resuming control now." 

The young man in the black robe instantly stood at attention, his body reverting to its controlled posture. 

"Give Dr. Langstrom your full support to defeat the enemy. You are not to leave the battlefield without authorization before the fight is over." 

"Yes." 

After hearing the monotone reply, Mr. Freeze cut the comms. Back at Falcone's villa, the Joker casually switched off his communicator too, couldn't be bothered listening to his lackeys talk anymore. 

Back with Cody, the fight in the sky was still going on. Man-Bat, way up high, had a death grip on Firefly, tearing at his armor with fangs and claws. The huge bat teeth bit right through his metal shell, sinking deep into his shoulder. 

"You freaking monster!" 

Firefly couldn't help but curse. He wasn't like Killer Croc or Bane, or even Clayface – those mutated metahumans with tons of health and high attack power. All his fighting strength came from his armor and weapons, and underneath the steel protection, he was still just flesh and blood, maybe even a bit weaker than a regular guy. 

"Screech! Screech!" 

The flames on the bat's body were still burning, but it held onto its prey with a death grip, letting out inhumanly sharp shrieks. In this moment, the more injured he got, the weaker his sanity became, and the stronger his beastly instincts grew. And a wounded, even dying, beast naturally fights back with the fiercest ferocity. 

Crunch—rip! 

The giant bat's claws and fangs hooked into the gaps in the armor. With a sickening sound of metal deforming, pieces of the armor were ripped right off, exposing the flesh and blood underneath, exposing Firefly's face. 

Charred black scabs and dark red new tissue twisted and intertwined, forming large wrinkles on his face. The sides of his nostrils were fused inward, making him hiss like a whistle when he breathed. His eyelids were everted, and his earlobes were melted and deformed into gnarled lumps of flesh. 

These shocking severe burn scars stretched from his face all the way down to his hands. It wasn't hard to imagine the gruesome, twisted sight likely hidden beneath his clothes. Looking at these injuries, Cody couldn't even begin to figure out how the guy had survived such horrific burns. 

"I'm gonna kill you!" 

Exposed, Firefly roared at Man-Bat. Guess he really didn't like people seeing his face. But right after that, Garfield, who could normally move freely through fire thanks to his fireproof armor, realized the flames on the Man-Bat were starting to burn his own body where he was exposed. Still, he kept his flamethrower aimed at Man-Bat's body, squeezing the trigger like crazy, all while letting out a wretched howl. 

The two of them, turned into a ball of fire, spiraled through the air. Listening to their sounds, Cody actually thought he heard a hint of pleasure in Garfield's howls. That's when he remembered another rumor he'd heard—that Firefly became an arsonist because of his obsession and fanaticism for fire. But he really hadn't expected that even burning himself could make Firefly feel happy. 

"Man, when's he gonna show up...? I gotta say, this twisted scene is kinda hard to watch, seriously." 

Whump, whump! 

As if answering Cody's muttered wish, just as he was looking up into the night sky, a pitch-black Bat-plane suddenly appeared from the darkness. It pulled a pale blue contrail behind it and fired two rounds at the two figures in the sky. Cody had excellent eyesight, and he saw clearly: they were rubber bullets. 

The two in the sky, the guy and the bat, took two shots and instantly froze up in pain. Then, another nozzle extended from beneath the Bat-plane. A clear, cold stream of high-pressure water, like a long blade, locked onto the two still tangled together. While pushing them towards the ground, it also extinguished the flames on both of them. 

That made total sense. Batman took a hit from Clayface last time, so of course he'd modify his Bat-plane to counter guys like that. Though, maybe this also meant Firefly was part of the plan all along. 

Cody, down on the ground, hit the fallen Firefly with another round of his "I Didn't Kill Anyone" skill. They'd been flying way too high just now, outside the skill's range, so Cody hadn't had much chance to apply the buff. 

Good thing that arsonist didn't just die outright mid-air. Guess he caught a break here. 

Then, Cody just pulled out his bicycle and hopped on. 

Freeze's order was "You are not to leave the battlefield without authorization before the fight is over." Well, the fight's definitely over now, so obviously it's time to make a quick getaway. Was he supposed to stick around and wait for Batman to grab him? 

(End of Chapter)