169-171

Chapter 169: Annihilated! Falcone Gang's Six Thugs 

Hearing the system's notification sound, Cody casually opened the system panel. 

[Lethal Poison Ivy] Mission Brief: Anyone walking the criminal underworld should know some old sayings: Don't enter the woods if you can help it, don't cross the water either – that's the first one. Don't mess with beggars, monks, women, or kids – that's the second. If some poor saps manage to break both those rules at the same time, well, here's a third, more modern saying: When you're out causing trouble, sooner or later, it catches up to you. 

Note: Poison Ivy is seriously not someone you wanna mess with. Yeah, she's a vegetarian, but she's got plenty of strength and ways to make your life miserable. 

Status: Pending (0/6) Reward: Advanced First Aid Mastery 

The mission required rescuing six lives. It wasn't hard to guess they were the "poor saps who broke both rules at the same time." 

Just like the mission said, Poison Ivy was no pushover. Even in her own world, the messes Poison Ivy caused were pretty significant. 

Cody glanced at the Gotham map, marking the location he'd just sensed: "Botanical Gardens, three kilometers out – just a few minutes. Hope we can sort this out peacefully again. If I can talk my way through it, I'd rather not get into a fight." 

Cody twisted the handlebars, and the bike flashed through Gotham's streets and alleys at an unbelievable speed, tearing toward the Botanical Gardens. 

"Alfred, any sign of Joker or Riddler?" 

The Bat-cycle roared. Batman, only a year into the job, had been busy all last night but still hadn't nabbed Joker. And now, this afternoon, he was forced to show up early thanks to Joker's five bullet holes and Riddler busting out of Arkham. 

For anyone in Gotham, being a vigilante usually meant a totally messed-up sleep schedule and your physical and mental health just kinda falling apart. That was especially true for Batman. 

Cody wasn't like that, though. He was the freaky wheelchair guy, so when he was being freaky, he was totally happy. 

"I'm afraid there's no new information on either of them at the moment, Master Bruce," an old voice replied. "Riddler vanished from street surveillance after leaving a question mark in the square. I suspect he knows the blind spots in the cameras around there. As for Joker – absolutely nothing." 

Right then, Batman was quickly thinking it over. He knew Joker wasn't laughing when he went after him yesterday, so he naturally knew how much weight Riddler's taunt carried. Following that line of thought, Joker and Riddler were definitely gonna butt heads. 

Riddler ran, and he didn't even leave a riddle, so Joker was the one doing the searching. How would he do it? 

Just as he was still mulling it over, Alfred's voice came back through the comms. 

"Master Bruce, allow me to remind you again. Mr. Carmine Falcone has ordered everyone in the Falcone family to spare no effort in searching for Mr. Nygma, and he demands to see his body within one hour. That order was given twenty minutes ago." 

"Falcone..." 

Batman mused for a moment. Riddler and Carmine had zero connection before today. They probably didn't even know each other, maybe just seen each other on TV. 

Why was Carmine hunting Riddler? And why the rush? That question had been bugging him since he heard the kill order twenty minutes ago. 

"It's Joker." At that moment, a guess formed in his mind. Using leverage, playing dirty – that was Joker's usual style. And he probably put a time limit on Carmine, which is why we got this one-hour kill order. 

"Master Bruce, with the manpower the Falcone family has scattered across Gotham City, they could likely find Mr. Nygma within an hour. If we're not fast enough, Riddler is highly likely to be shot full of holes by family members who, shall we say, dislike riddles." 

"I know, Alfred," Batman replied. "One more thing, help me look into Carmine Falcone's family situation and find out where his family members are right now. I suspect Joker kidnapped his family. If any of his family members have been missing since around the time that TV broadcast aired, they might be his leverage against Carmine." 

"Very good—Oh, Master Bruce, it seems the Falcone family has some news. They work fast. A team has already headed out to the Botanical Gardens. If you want to save Mr. Nygma, you'll need to move quickly." 

"Send me the location." 

Hearing that the crew hunting Riddler had already gathered and shipped out, Batman immediately put Joker situation aside for a moment. Saving lives was the top priority right now. 

"Master Bruce, one more thing, if I may remind you." 

"What?" 

"Remember to bring an axe – surveillance footage from the Botanical Gardens area shows Mr. Nygma seems to have gone there looking for Ms. Pamela." 

"An axe..." 

Batman's mouth twitched. An axe against plants – Alfred's suggestion seemed logical, but thinking about the opponent being Poison Ivy, it felt more like a dark joke. 

He turned the handlebars. Blue flames shot out from the back of the Bat-cycle as he sped toward the location Alfred sent. 

By the time Cody reached the wall of the Botanical Gardens, about a minute and a half had passed. Clearly, if he hadn't been on a bicycle, he probably would've been pulled over by the traffic cops for speeding at that velocity. 

Seeing the wall, he first looked around, making sure there were no cameras nearby. Then, without hesitation, he tucked the bicycle into his system space, lightly leaped, and easily cleared the wall, flipping into the gardens. 

The moment he landed, the muscles in his back tightened, power flowing from his arm muscles to his back. Cody landed softly with a roll on the grass, barely making a sound the whole time. 

A hard landing was possible, of course, but the downside was it made too much noise and was easy for people to hear. 

He sprinted forward, guided by his sense of the poisonous vines, and dodged the surveillance cameras inside the gardens. After mastering Advanced Stealth, this kind of movement was practically second nature. 

After running for about ten seconds, Cody finally reached his destination. 

What lay before him were thick, green, thorny vines spreading from the woods. They were piled up layer upon layer, dense and overgrown, with sharp, menacing long thorns. 

Six ragged people were hanging from the vines, their black suits ripped to shreds, guns scattered on the ground. They were tightly wrapped by the barbed vines, sharp thorns digging into their bodies, making it impossible for them to struggle free. If they tried to tear themselves loose, they'd suffer pain worse than a slow, drawn-out torture, and lose a layer of skin and flesh in the process. 

But they weren't planning on struggling anyway. These vines were clearly poisonous, and the toxins inside had already knocked them all unconscious – and they were rapidly losing their lives. 

"Figured that'd happen..." 

Cody shook his head. Dealing with Poison Ivy in a botanical garden was like trying to fight Aquaman in the ocean. These guys basically had zero will to survive. 

Chapter 170: What Do You Mean I Didn't Tell You? You Gotta Ask! 

By the time Batman arrived at the botanical garden on the Bat-cycle, Alfred told him that Poison Ivy and Riddler had already left the area. 

But he couldn't just peel off and go after those two yet, because there was still a group of mobsters inside the garden, and they hadn't come out. This probably meant things hadn't gone well for them, and they were likely in serious trouble. 

Even so, Batman decided to check on their situation first. Maybe he could still save one or two lives. 

He rode the Bat-cycle straight into the botanical garden, speeding along the paths through the trees. He quickly found a section of the path that was overgrown with thick thorns. 

"This plant growth isn't normal," he judged instantly. "And the thorns have blood on them. Looking at the color and how it's clotted, these guys haven't been dropped into these thorns too long ago." 

Plus, the tips of the Poison Ivy vines had strange green droplets on them. It was obvious these plants, growing in such an unnatural way, were toxic. 

A path inexplicably opened up in the thorns, but it didn't look like someone had cut it with a sharp tool. Instead, it seemed like the plants had moved aside on their own. The path was even wide enough for him to ride the motorcycle through. 

But he glanced at the axe on his belt — he had ultimately listened to Alfred's advice. Thinking about it, there really weren't many weapons around that could specifically deal with Poison Ivy. The axe he'd found along the way actually seemed like the best tool for plants. 

Maybe he'd brought the axe for nothing, maybe not. Regardless, Batman still gripped it tightly, then rode the motorcycle down that small path. Just seconds later, he reached the other side of the overgrown vines. The thorns and obstacles vanished, revealing six figures on the ground and the person kneeling beside them. 

"Cody?" 

Batman immediately recognized the person. Last night, while chasing Riddler, he had entrusted Riddler, who he'd thought was a goner, to this police officer. What he hadn't expected was that Riddler would survive with those injuries and escape directly from the hospital. 

He had done a review today, combining it with Riddler's medical reports, and realized he had almost been completely faked out by the guy. Because of this, he'd formed a certain impression of this officer. And when he investigated the guy further, he discovered even more unusual things about him. 

Who could rescue over twenty people from Riddler's "joke killing theater" practically unharmed? Who, on their second day on the job, could crack Riddler's carefully planned, almost surefire escape plan? Who accidentally stumbled upon the car accident caused by Riddler, saved a driver along the way, and just happened to keep an eye on Riddler, who Batman had almost let go? Who, today, encountered the same driver who had been poisoned by Riddler's laughing gas and got the location of the attack from him? 

Most importantly, from the experiences of this seemingly 'superman' of the Gotham PD, he discovered a fact: in every incident where this officer was involved, aside from the few comedians fatally shot by Riddler at the very beginning in the theater, there hadn't been a single other death. 

It was as if, ever since he stepped onto that stage and into the spotlight of the comedy theater, Riddler and Riddler had lost their ability to kill. All subsequent victims were severely injured, but not a single one died. Even their wounds were strangely unfamiliar to doctors. 

Just this afternoon, he had even gone to Gotham Hospital. Right after he left, the condition of all the critically injured patients seemed to improve. 

Was it him? Batman thought. Could this officer have saved so many people? Could he, like Poison Ivy, Solomon Grundy, or Clayface, possess some secret or special ability that he wasn't aware of? 

Thinking further along this line of speculation, could his ability be healing or protection? 

In just a few short seconds, the person before him had sent Batman's thoughts spinning in multiple directions. He got off his motorcycle, re-hooked the axe to his belt, and walked straight over. 

"Batman. We meet again." 

Cody nodded at Batman. Just then, his phone rang, so he waved a hand at Batman and answered it. 

"Hey, Commissioner Gordon?" 

"Yeah, it's me, Cody. There are six guys in the botanical garden who look like mobsters. They were strung up by some vines. I got them down. It looks a lot like something 'Poison Ivy,' mentioned in the criminal database, would do, but she's nowhere to be seen. I guess she didn't plan on sticking around the crime scene." 

"Yeah, they're not doing great. They're all injured and out of it. Gotta get 'em to the hospital first." 

"Me? I was just passing by here, heard someone screaming in the botanical garden, and climbed over the wall." 

"Won't happen again, won't happen again..." 

While he was on the phone, Batman walked directly up and checked the six mob enforcers on the ground one by one. Strong heartbeats, scratches from thorns on their skin, not much bleeding from the wounds, all unconscious. These guys seemed to only have minor injuries. 

"No deaths..." Batman quickly assessed. "On my way here, I saw seven handguns and an assault rifle dropped on the ground. That's a lot of firepower. And this is a botanical garden... and Poison Ivy didn't kill anyone?" 

This wasn't right. 

He remembered the fluid he'd seen on the thorns when he came through the thicket. Clearly, causing only minor injuries was absolutely not Poison Ivy's intention. 

'Should have collected some of the vines as samples just now,' Batman mentally chastised himself. Having only been active for a year, his experience was still lacking, and he often missed the best opportunities. 

If he went back into the woods now to look for those toxic vines, he might not be able to find them again. 

Having finished his thoughts, Batman began to identify the six men. This step wasn't too difficult. Just like when Carmine issued the hit order, he knew about it immediately. Information on certain high-level Falcone personnel was unilaterally transparent to him and Commissioner Gordon. 

"'Big Gun' Carleno, 'Fishy' Christopher, 'Fan' Leonardo, 'Baby Face' Chino..." 

Batman's gaze swept over the mobsters lying sprawled on the ground, then shifted to Cody, who had just finished his call. He opened his mouth and asked, "You saved them." 

"They got lucky," Cody replied. "By the time I got here, Poison Ivy was already gone. I just had to get them down from the vines. Didn't take much effort." 

"That's not what I meant," Batman's expression remained unchanged. "The vines were toxic. And you detoxified them." 

"Yeah." 

Huh? 

Why did this guy admit it so readily? 

Chapter 171: Official Contact with Another Batman 

Batman didn't expect Cody's answer to be so direct. He paused, then emphasized the core of his question again. 

"You cracked Poison Ivy's toxins – a Gotham PD officer with no background in chemistry or botany, new in town, no fixed address, nothing to his name, yet able to crack Poison Ivy's plant toxins in minutes." 

He stared straight at Cody. His speaking style was almost identical to the Batman Cody knew from his own Gotham – you couldn't hear any emotional shift. 

"How did you do it?" 

"I've got this milk candy that can cure toxins," Cody shrugged. "It's that simple." 

Hearing that, Batman immediately shot him a look of disapproval. It was obvious Cody's explanation was way too vague and absurd – like if a doctor claimed he had a cure-all. That guy would totally be a quack who knew nothing about medicine. 

"Maybe you don't realize, first off, Ivy's toxins – just like Joker's laughing gas or Scarecrow's fear gas – the formula changes every single time. That means the antidote has to be figured out from scratch each time. Second, milk candy isn't going to cut it for curing poison." 

Batman stepped forward two more paces, his tall frame looming over Cody like a dark tower. He restated his question. 

"So, how exactly did you manage to neutralize her toxins?" 

Cody sighed. 

"Look, Mr. Batman, first off, when someone doesn't want to answer your question, you've got no right to force them. They're not obligated, and they're not a criminal." He shoved the cell phone in his hand back into his pocket. "Second, I'm not lying to you, but I'm not going to bother proving it. Third, neutral parties don't actively make enemies unless someone actively pushes them to the other side – and your attitude is doing exactly that." 

"Fourth, when you're asking someone for something, you should use the word 'please.' That's basic manners even kids know, unless their parents didn't teach them." 

He looked at Batman and said, "So right now, my answer is, 'I've got a milk candy that cures poison.' Got any other questions?" 

Batman didn't say anything. He'd been through way too much over the past year. This cold, hard way of dealing with people was a habit he'd picked up while handling crime. If he didn't act like this, he couldn't strike fear into criminals' hearts and his ability to keep Gotham under control wouldn't be enough. 

He had to project an image of being invincible precisely because he was giving it his all but still couldn't fix everything. 

When it came to Cody's answer, Batman's thoughts went even deeper. What if Riddler, Joker, or Poison Ivy were secretly in league with him, planning some larger conspiracy? 

What if this cop gained his trust, and Commissioner Gordon's trust, but then pulled a double-cross at the most critical moment? How bad would that blow back? 

This wasn't just some random thought. Riddler, Joker, and Poison Ivy suddenly stopped killing people, which could be because of Cody's ability, but it could also be a planned result between them. Plus, earlier today, before Riddler's breakout, he'd been to the hospital and even gone into Cody's room. 

Even though surveillance footage just showed him leaving some cash for Riddler and nothing else, the action itself was super weird. 

Look, everyone knows Batman's trust is layered – heck, he's not even at the absolute core of his own trust list. Even so, that doesn't mean he'd just hand over even the most superficial trust to some random guy. His grilling of Cody was really him trying to find a reason to actually trust the guy. It was his awkward attempt to recruit an ally and work together – he's just not very good at it, so the whole thing came off like an interrogation. 

"...It seems nobody's died in any of the incidents you've shown up at. Is that something you're involved with?" 

"Nah, forget it, just don't ask," Cody waved him off. "I'm not in the mood. Maybe some other time." 

Even though he got shot down pretty politely, Batman didn't get mad. He's not some moody super-criminal, but he's not exactly normal either; he's got some seriously strong emotional control. Plus, Cody's answer showed he wasn't exactly eager to get buddy-buddy with him, and weirdly, that made him less suspicious. 

He looked down at a young white guy on the ground and started talking. "His name's Christopher, nickname 'Fishy'. He's got three kids, and number four is on the way – his wife thinks he just sells seafood down at the docks." 

Batman then glanced over at the red-haired guy next to him. "Carleino, goes by 'Big Gun'. He married a guy named Sam, who was a fifth-grade teacher. A week later, Sam found out what he really did and... well, he took his own life." 

"Leonardo, nicknamed 'Fan'. His mother got diagnosed with breast cancer, and his family couldn't afford the medical bills, so he started working for Carmine a few months back." 

Batman paused there, his eyes flicking to yet another person. 

Chino, nicknamed 'Baby Face'... he's an undercover cop, working for Commissioner Gordon. He's the one who's been feeding us the intel on the Falcone family. 

He served a long stretch in the Marines and saw combat. Gordon showed Batman a letter he wrote to his wife – basically a will he left behind just in case something happened to him. 

His identity is classified. If he'd actually bought it here today, maybe Batman could've told Cody about him. But since he's still breathing, Batman can't spill the beans on his situation to anyone. As far as everyone else is concerned, he's just another run-of-the-mill gangster. 

"They're all Falcone thugs, sure, but they're also people," Batman said. "You saved these guys, and you can probably save a lot more people with this method. I'm not asking you to give me your secret or anything, I just want to know if you're willing to use it to help out other folks." 

Cody looked at Batman, secretly impressed by how fast he learned. In just a few minutes, he'd already pulled out what was useful from Cody's perspective and instantly switched gears to a way of talking that would help him get what he wanted. 

Batman's Batman, after all. No matter the universe, they're practically god-tier genius archetypes. 

"Okay, I'll just chalk that up as your apology then," Cody said. "Anyway, Commissioner Gordon did mention that Batman's got this huge image to uphold and just can't bring himself to say 'sorry.'" 

Batman's already expressionless face seemed to get a little darker at that. 

Right as they were talking, police sirens suddenly started wailing outside the botanical garden. Commissioner Gordon finally showed up with backup from the department. And right then, Alfred's voice chimed in over the comms again. 

"Master Wayne, regarding that relative of Mr. Falcone, we did turn up something," Alfred's voice came through. "His mother, Carmen Marie Falcone, seems to have split from Carmine a few years back. She left Gotham on her own and went to Metropolis, and hasn't popped up anywhere since noon today."