The Trump Card

Invisible Batplane, model: Heavily Armed Tuxedo.

This was the bomber variant of the Tuxedo-Class Batplane. Although it had lost the ability to transform into a combat vehicle, it had greatly increased bomb capacity and energy-weapon payload.

Alfred was sitting in the Batplane's cockpit at that moment, holding a photograph and staring blankly at it.

Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne stood on the lawn of Robinson Park with young Bruce. Little Bruce was excitedly lying on the grass while his parents crouched beside him, smiles in the corners of their eyes. Alfred stood in the distance.

He still remembered how excitedly little Bruce had shouted at him that day, demanding delicious chocolate pie and the sandwiches in the basket...

"Beep beep beep... Batman calling Penny One."

(Note: Penny One was Alfred's codename on the Bat Family communications channel. His daughter was Penny Two.)

"Received, Batman."

The voice over the communicator interrupted Alfred's memories. He straightened up and pulled the microphone to his mouth. "How may I help you, sir?"

"Are the M77 Napalm, High-Potency Herbicide, and Cluster Bombs ready?"

Hearing this familiar question, Alfred couldn't help but grow slightly dazed.

"Penny One?"

Alfred collected himself.

"They're ready, Master. Standing by at any time."

He spoke in a low voice.

"Just give the word, and I can pour them all over the ground immediately."

"..."

"Alfred~ Alfred~ Are the delicious chocolate pie and chicken sandwiches ready?"

"Oh, they're all ready, Master! You can eat them at any time. Just give the word, dear little—Bruce, and I'll have hot snacks brought to you right away!"

"Wow, that's wonderful! Thank you, Alfred!"

"Mm, very good. Thank you, Alfred—"

Alfred heard Bruce on the other end let out a faint sigh. "I don't want the worst to happen, but we have to be ready to deal with it if it does. Thanks for the effort."

"It's nothing. It's what I should do, Batman."

"It's nothing. It's what I wanted to do, little Bruce."

"I'll be ready to... await your orders at any time." x2

Alfred stared at the red launch button. Whatever pressing it would cause, he thought, it would still be better than Bruce returning to the Batcave covered in blood.

The main battlefield below the aircraft.

Chen Tao looked grim.

That's it?

He had gone to such lengths to find Harley Quinn because he had counted on her being able to make Poison Ivy change her mind.

Under normal circumstances, Poison Ivy's ability to control plants should have been roughly equal to Plant Master's. Coupled with a surprise attack from the mercenaries under his command, dealing with the enemy should have been more than easy.

He hadn't expected Poison Ivy's control over plants to be far beyond Chen Tao's imagination, practically suppressing the enemy completely. But she was too reckless, walking right up to the enemy's face, only to be taken out with a single punch!

Harley Quinn ran over wailing and grabbed the unconscious Poison Ivy from the ground.

Unlike Plant Master, even after being strengthened by The Green, Poison Ivy's body, like that of most magic users in the DC Universe, was still nothing more than that of an ordinary person with slightly greater physical strength.

When they weren't using magic or their powers, they were all fragile. Once, Joker had thrown Zatanna into a water tank before she could finish casting a spell, nearly drowning someone who was very likely the strongest user of Backwards Magic in history. That was the current state of the DC mages.

Chen Tao ran to Poison Ivy's side. "Ivy, are you all right?"

Chen Tao admitted that, for one second, he had indeed secretly fantasized about the so-called Alfred Protocol suddenly activating and telling him through Poison Ivy that it had matched him with an incredibly awesome parallel-universe version of Batman, ready to await his expenditure of Crisis Energy for deployment.

All he would have to do was click, and he could tear through everything before him like a magical girl after transforming. He would never again have to turn his feet into wheels and flee with his tail between his legs.

But sadly, fantasies were ultimately only fantasies. The Alfred Protocol showed no reaction whatsoever to the unconscious Poison Ivy.

"Pamela, you really are an idiot..."

While Plant Master was still spouting nonsense at Poison Ivy lying on the ground, Tim moved closer and quietly asked Chen Tao, "Batman... should I call Ventriloquist?"

"No."

Chen Tao spoke in a low voice. "It hasn't reached the worst-case scenario yet. There's no need to bring them in."

He lowered his voice and said to Robin, "Quick, go get ready. Put everyone in protective suits."

The High-Potency Herbicide was fatally poisonous to both humans and plants. Therefore, if Chen Tao didn't want to kill all his subordinates, he had to—

"What about you? Batman, who will deal with Plant Master..."

"I will."

"Then you won't have time to put on a protective suit—"

"I'll help you." Cheshire Cat pressed a hand against the Katana at her waist. The Freeze Grenades at her waist had already been mostly used up.

Welding Dog silently walked over to Chen Tao. His limbs had been twisted like strands of dough, yet he still wasn't dead. He could even move normally.

Deathshot looked at him with a strange expression. That appearance truly didn't look human.

Harley Quinn held Poison Ivy in her arms. "Does anyone have water? We need to give Little Red some water!"

"Then hurry up and bring out the protective suits. We really can't hold out much longer."

Dizzy Earl had no intention of wasting a single word on Chen Tao. There was nothing in this world more precious than his own life.

He hurried over to Robin. "Quick, quick, bring out the protective suits!"

"Are you treating me like I don't exist?" Jason Wood's voice rang out. "Do you think those dark and filthy schemes of yours can work before the great Green?"

Chen Tao let out a long breath.

"Don't worry about me, Tim. Put them all in suits first."

Silvery-white particles trembled over his body. Everything was utterly quiet. Even the dust floating in the air seemed to slow down, drifting gently toward the ground.

Chen Tao raised his eyes and met Plant Master's dark-gold, inhuman pupils with his own cold, vertical ones.

"Roar!"

The enormous green dinosaur let out a spirited battle cry and lunged forward, opening its fangs and teeth as it stirred invisible resonance through the air!

Boom!

As Plant Master raised both arms, layers of enormous plants came rolling back once more.

Flames burst from Chen Tao's rear, while a liquid-nitrogen thruster fired from the end of his tail, launching his entire body high into the air and sending him headfirst into the giant tree that had burst from the ground!

Then it struck him so hard that the entire dinosaur was sent flying backward. He tumbled several times across the ground, dazed and disoriented.

"Those people..."

Plant Master's attention shifted to Deathshot and the others, who were desperately rushing to put on their protective suits.

"What exactly are you trying to do? Don't tell me..."

Then, in the next second, he heard Chen Tao scream at the top of his lungs, "Penny One!"

"Activate it now!"