Escape from Arkham!

The restroom where the guard Shimizu had replaced was being held.

Shimizu found the guard named Milovan again, first dressing him in Arkham Asylum patient clothes before dragging him near the control room.

"Whether I can get out next depends entirely on you, buddy."

In a corner of the corridor, Shimizu patted Milovan's cheek, then pinched his philtrum to wake him.

"You!"

Just as Milovan was about to cry out for help, Shimizu clamped a hand over his mouth and watched the terror on his face.

Of course Milovan was terrified, especially when the man before him looked exactly like him.

Shimizu reached into the pouch inside his bulletproof vest where spare magazines were kept and pulled out the dark green Titan II Venom. As Milovan looked on in despair, Shimizu extended the needle from the injector and plunged it into Milovan's chest, right over his heart.

That would make the drug take effect faster.

And the powerful regenerative ability after transforming with Titan II Venom would be more than enough to quickly heal such a minor wound.

The reason in Milovan's eyes gradually vanished, swiftly replaced by frenzy, while his body began swelling uncontrollably.

"Good, just like that."

A satisfied smile appeared on Shimizu's face. He put away the injector, which still had a little left in it, then gathered Chakra in his right hand and drove a vicious punch into his own shoulder.

Even with the bulletproof vest protecting him, blood seeped through around his shoulder.

Shimizu's expression immediately shifted into one of terror. Clutching his injured shoulder, he turned and ran back.

"N-No, this is bad! A monster has been released! Hurry! Get Nightwing here for backup! Only a superhero can deal with a monster like that!"

At the entrance to the control room, Shimizu shouted at Nightwing and the guards.

"Where?"

Nightwing stopped interrogating Harley Quinn, picked up his escrima sticks, and asked Shimizu.

"Out in the corridor! He'll be here any second!"

Nightwing turned to look at the surveillance monitors.

At the end of the corridor, a monster as terrifying as Bane was smashing things apart in a rampage.

Without hesitation, Nightwing raised his sticks and charged out.

"We're going to help too!"

The captain of the guards hoisted his gun and followed.

"Um... Captain, my shoulder's hurt. I can't use a gun..."

"Milovan, stay here and rest. Keep an eye on Harley Quinn while you're at it! Everyone else, come with me for backup!"

Once Shimizu and Harley Quinn were the only ones left in the room, Shimizu grinned at her before knocking her unconscious with a single punch.

"Now, it's time for the final step of the plan."

Shimizu examined the wall of surveillance screens with satisfaction.

Nightwing and the guards were tied down by the Titan monster Milovan had become.

At the top of Arkham, Batman was confronting Joker. Commissioner Gordon was tied to an electric chair and hanging upside down from an antenna, while Joker pointed an injection gun at Gordon.

After the injection gun fired, Batman blocked the needle with his body and, with a single "I am Batman," suppressed the mutation in his body through sheer, absurd willpower.

Left with no choice and enraged that Batman had ruined his grand show, Joker injected himself with Titan Venom and began another decisive battle with Batman.

"Excellent. Now no one can stop me from escaping."

Shimizu pressed the button, opening one heavily secured door after another throughout Arkham, then turned and left.

When the Titan giant Milovan had become was finally defeated, Nightwing and the others returned to the control room to find Harley Quinn unconscious in her chair. On the surveillance screens, every gate in Arkham had been opened, and all the criminals were trying every possible way to escape.

But Arkham Island stood alone in the water, making escape difficult.

Swimming away was no easy task for any criminal imprisoned in Arkham, aside from Killer Croc.

The best option was naturally boats and yachts, but those were not easy to seize, and there were not many of them.

Probably not many criminals would manage to escape.

But that had nothing to do with Shimizu now. His shoes were only a little wet.

"Whew... What a hassle. Good thing the water's fairly calm. Walking across it wasn't too difficult."

After reaching shore, Shimizu found an empty patch of woods and rested for a while.

He had long mastered the techniques of tree climbing and water walking.

Although the quality and quantity of Chakra in this body were not particularly high, inferior to his original body, techniques were not affected by that. At most, their effects were a little weaker.

"There isn't much Chakra left. I'll find a way to rest up here first, then head to Gotham. I'll disguise myself with the Transformation Jutsu, and after that, I can start figuring out how to gain fortune and improve my combat strength."

Having escaped the sunless place that was Arkham Asylum, Shimizu felt as though the sea was wide enough for fish to leap and the sky high enough for birds to fly.

After all, he had graduated from the talent-packed Arkham. With such impressive credentials, he should be able to make a name for himself in Gotham's underworld, right?

"Excellent. My incarnation has left Arkham, and I'm about to officially join the Puppet Force here!"

Shimizu patted the fat man and looked at the System Panel.

The fortune bar had now reached 17.9.

He wondered how much it would increase this time.

After putting the fat man and Tom into a large wooden box resembling a wardrobe and strapping it to his back, Shimizu set off for the Puppet Force headquarters.

A month had passed since the previous selection.

Of the eighty Puppeteers who had taken part in the selection, only a little over ten percent had passed. Twelve people in total had become new members of the Puppet Force.

Naturally, before officially joining the Puppet Force, they still had to undergo a month of training to improve their puppetry skills in every respect, make up for their weaknesses, and learn some advanced Puppet Technique knowledge.

"Puppet Technique in the village was founded by the Second Kazekage. Over the past thirty years, it has developed into multiple branches and formed a complete system. For example, there is the foundational Sand Secret Technique, and the White Secret Technique passed down from Monzaemon. Today's final lesson will cover another Puppet Technique that bridges the two: the Black Secret Technique."

Inside a classroom built from rammed sand and stone, a Puppeteer wrapped from head to toe in a black robe lectured the twelve newcomers to the Puppet Force.

He was a Special Jonin skilled at teaching, and he was currently demonstrating with two puppets controlled simultaneously by both hands.

"The Sand Secret Technique is meant for building foundations and generally allows you to control only one puppet. Of course, that does not mean its upper limit is low. If the puppet you control is powerful, and you can fully bring out all of its strength, you will still be a powerful Puppeteer. The special feature of the Black Secret Technique is that it allows you to use Mind Divided in Two, or even divide your mind into three, controlling multiple puppets by yourself."