The Attack

The fastest-germinating plant in the world is the soybean. Under suitable conditions, its seeds can sprout in just 3 to 5 days, while other common plants usually take more than 7 days.

However, with the push of some extraordinary power, 3 to 5 days can become...

0.3 seconds.

As the last freeze grenade exploded on the monster, Poison Ivy slowly pushed herself up, spreading her arms. In 0.3 seconds, thick green vines pierced the soil that nurtured them, binding the monster tightly.

Harley Quinn said tearfully, "Little Red, I'm so glad you're okay! Sniffle Sniffle, I was really scared to death!"

Chen Tao gave a slight nod to Poison Ivy.

Having read the comics thoroughly, he knew very well that The Black, as an important member of the magical side, their creations were essentially magical creatures. His father once said that only magic could resist magic.

These basic elemental powers were not immune to science and physics. For example, no matter how powerful the Plant Master was, he would kneel before herbicides, chemical substances synthesized by humans specifically to slaughter plants. Another example is when Dr. Slangton (Note: the Gotham supervillain Man-Bat) injected that vial of serum into his own artery, The Red, however unwilling, had to send its power to him.

However, magic is usually anti-physical. Chen Tao never thought he could make creations of The Black submit through physical means. That's why he had previously told Poison Ivy, who was already somewhat awake, not to wake up completely and to continue pretending to be unconscious. He, meanwhile, quietly took a few soybean seeds provided by her and threw them into the soil near the Plant Master.

"Damn The Green..." the monster struggled desperately. Ms. Vick's beautiful human skin completely peeled off and rotted, falling to the ground with a foul stench. Only the upper part of the skin was still bright and clean; the lower part was rotten black.

"The Black will not let you go, The Black will rule the world, our master Arcane will corrupt everything! And I, one of the Three Hunters, will..."

"Third-rate villain's lines," Chen Tao interrupted the villain's dying declaration disrespectfully. "Even an old fossil from a Shakespearean opera wouldn't say something so cliché."

"You dare to look down on The Black? The Black is..."

"The natural magical power representing death and decay—on par with The Red and The Green—" Chen Tao said with an insincere, dramatic tone. "And it has been quite active in the last few hundred years, wanting to overturn the balance of the three powers."

"Do you think I'm a savage living in the deep mountains? That I don't even know this?"

The monster's tone faltered, stuttering slightly.

What, was The Black actually this well-known?

He finally stopped talking nonsense.

He stared intently at Chen Tao's back. Poison Ivy met his gaze fearlessly. "I will return... We will return, and when that day comes, the blackness will—"

Poof!

The vines suddenly tightened, crushing the monster's head.

Poison Ivy said, "Why so much nonsense?"

But unfortunately, The Black itself represented death. For the creations of The Black, the word "death" simply didn't exist in their vocabulary.

The monster barely managed to reassemble its body. "Remember this, I am one of the Three Hunters. When The Black's power grows strong, I will..."

Before he could finish, under the threat of Poison Ivy's coiling vines, he voluntarily disintegrated his body, turning into a pile of rotten flesh on the ground, which then turned to dust in an instant.

"As long as The Black doesn't die, they will always return, but not now," Poison Ivy said after a moment of silence.

Chen Tao turned his head and saw her standing up from the ground, shaking off Harley's support. She sadly caressed the plants that had died from the herbicide.

"When you used those herbicides to murder these plants, I was almost furious enough to jump up," Poison Ivy said. "But The Black is more important. I understand your actions and tacitly approve of them."

At this moment, the green woman quietly mourned for the plants for a brief moment. "But I am sorry for them."

Clang!

Chen Tao turned and saw that everyone had thrown away the weapons he had provided.

Deathshot, in particular, stripped himself of all weapons provided by Chen Tao, including the Pulse Wave Gun he had cherished just a few hours ago.

That gun was now lying in the mud, and the man who had promised to love it forever just a few hours ago stood nearby, acting as if it had nothing to do with him.

Chen Tao showed a look of disapproval.

He said, "This is just a precautionary measure, a contingency plan for emergencies. A Plan B."

"What malicious intentions could I have?"

"You're making a fuss, you're being unreasonable, you're overreacting."

While saying things like "Hurry up and pick up your weapons," he activated his financial power, and a few minutes later, everyone was fully equipped with their deadly weapons.

Looking at the fallen Plant Master before him, Poison Ivy busy restoring the greenery of the area, and the messy but settled battlefield, Chen Tao let out a sigh of relief.

If nothing unexpected happened, things were finally coming to an end.

He wondered how things were going on Gordon's side?

"Roar!"

Venom had maximum power input.

In essence, Venom was not a one-time injection that was finished once administered. It was a cocktail poison formulated by scientists, a combination of greatly enhanced male hormones, a highly addictive synthetic steroid, and many different types of neural stimulants. Its effects were potent and its onset was rapid, leaving other drugs far behind.

Bane's subordinate, "Zombie," had set up a Venom circulation system for him, allowing Bane to integrate this poison into his blood circulation system, constantly drawing power from it.

Central nervous stimulants enhanced his energy. The dangerous combination of multiple drugs produced an explosive, unstable reaction within his body, which was then suppressed by X-Factor, achieving perfect balance.

But if, and we mean if, the dosage of Venom exceeded the upper limit that X-Factor could stabilize, then the explosive reactions that were originally suppressed would present an appearance of uncontrollable, production-mechanism-building. They would tear tendons and form stronger tissues, and the excessive central nervous stimulants would also affect the brain's...

intelligence.

"Tell me! Where is Batman?"

The soldier looked at the 4-meter-tall muscular monster before him. His legs grew warm, and urine streamed down his crotch.

Behind Bane were countless soldiers, crushed like dead mosquitoes on the ground.

Tanks were torn apart as if made of paper, bodies were everywhere, the long street was piled high with bones, and blood flowed like a river...

"Batman is... is is dealing with the incident of the scientist being kidnapped, Gordon told us..."

Bane's mind regained a sliver of reason. This was precisely the plan he had orchestrated.

He slowly put the soldier down. Before the soldier could even rejoice, Bane casually twisted off his head. He used the soldier's skull to forcefully tap his own head, ensuring it wasn't yet filled with muscle.

But just as Bane was about to pat himself on the back and leave, a missile loaded with Joker gas landed in the center of the battlefield.

With a "hiss!"

A bright and cheerful smile appeared on Bane's face, which had just barely regained consciousness.