Soulmate

Bane had never felt such a peculiar sensation.

The other party only needed a glance to understand his intentions; with just a single gesture, the other person would immediately respond accordingly.

This coordination, akin to soulmates, was so bizarre it almost drove him mad.

They didn't seem like enemies who had been trying to kill each other just a few days ago; instead, they were like twin brothers who had practiced countless times, their coordination flawless.

"Damn it, how could you guys..."

The monster from The Black was no match for them.

Large chunks of wood were torn away, as easily as peeling the flesh from a dragon fruit. He was already very weak; there was no way he could withstand the combined assault of Bane and Batman.

The Black's power still lingered on Bane, unable to corrupt him, and equally useless against Batman, who could turn into metal at any moment.

Even dead things lost their ability to resist when dismembered. The Plant Master's body was already severely damaged. Even with the Three Hunters doing their best to control it, if the body were physically shattered...

The Three Hunters reluctantly commanded the controlled individuals to charge forward for a final resistance, but they only managed to send crisis energy to Chen Tao.

BOOM!

The Black's creation fell. The Plant Master, completely consumed by decay, collapsed onto the ground, trembling uncontrollably. All sorts of rotten matter seeped from the wounds punched into his body by fists. Bane, gasping for breath, leaned against a nearby tree. After destroying armies and being manipulated, his body and strength had reached their limit.

Chen Tao spat on The Black, who was twitching on the ground, then pulled out a large bottle of Lazarus Water and poured it over him.

With a sound like roasting meat, the monster from The Black lay on the ground, completely immobilized.

Poison Ivy regained her strength. Green vines slowly began to wrap around the Plant Master. "Jason can't die. He's an important part of The Green—"

"I have no intention of killing him," Chen Tao replied to Poison Ivy, looking at her slightly wary eyes. "Control him."

Poison Ivy breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright. After all, Jason isn't human... I was really worried you would..."

Batman had killed so many of the sentient plants she created in the past.

Chen Tao ignored her.

"And then there's..."

Bane leaped high into the air before Chen Tao could turn his head. "We'll meet again, Bat. This is definitely not the last time we'll see each other—"

Chen Tao shook his head.

He turned his attention to Cheshire Cat and the others. The Black's power receded from them. They helped each other up, staggering to their feet foolishly.

[Cheshire Cat's Mask: A cat never takes off its mask, even when facing those it trusts most. Her father forced her to marry a master of poisons, which directly led to Cheshire Cat running away from home. But one day, the cat will have to accept her fate.]

["My beauty has only brought me tragedy."]

[Ventriloquist's Glasses: Arnold never felt the warmth of the world until Batman came into his life.]

["Batman! My divine lord!"]

Their insignificant scratching attacks brought Chen Tao nearly 14 points of crisis energy and three more useless Batmen. However, what Harley Quinn brought him made him pay attention:

[Harley Quinn's Broken Baseball Bat]

[Description: Harley Quinn's baseball bat was made from the broken handle of the large wooden hammer given to her by the Joker, personally crafted by Poison Ivy. Although Ivy often objected to Harley keeping Joker's belongings and always turned the bat into a wooden snake to scare Harley, this bat remained Harley Quinn's most cherished weapon.

Before Harley Quinn was corrupted by The Black's power, this bat was the last to break. But extraordinary affection cannot change the fate of destruction. Even the most twisted and loyal love in the world cannot earn half a response from the cruel Pale Man. You might be able to use it to summon a parallel universe Bat...]

[Error! Error!]

???

Chen Tao was startled. This was the first time he had seen the Alfred Protocol exhibit such a strange change.

[But would a being summoned by a twisted love for the Pale Man truly be Batman?]

["No, my Puddin'! He loves me! I believe he loves me! Why? Why are you always thinking about Batman? I'm the one who loves you the most!"]

[Converted Crisis Energy Units: 40]

[Crisis Energy Units Currently Held: 124]

[Warning! Targeting downloadable...]

[The Batman Who Laughs...]

[Error! Error!]

[Targeting complete—]

[Joker-Man]

[Danger Level: D]

Gotham City's Iceberg Lounge is the stronghold of the supervillain Penguin.

It was once Gotham's largest casino and liquor smuggling center, but now only the smuggling remains. Under Batman's relentless crackdown year after year, Penguin Oswald Cobblepot finally gave up on running a casino business in his lair.

It was now past nine in the evening, and the evil and cruel Penguin was having his late-night snack: a slice of pink strawberry cake.

The Iceberg Lounge was nearing closing time. Even a mob boss who had spent the day breaking the law needed a slice of strawberry cake to reward himself.

--Then again, it wasn't surprising he was short and fat, looking like a giant, wrinkled, plump penguin, always eating sweets this late at night.

The Penguin was a bit distracted today.

Recently, those lunatics who escaped Arkham Asylum had almost destroyed Gotham's order—everyone had gotten out.

Joker, Scarecrow, Zas, Riddler, Two-Face, it was a complete circus. They had turned Gotham into a mess. Every day, lunatics were fighting in the streets and launching terrorist attacks. Business was either interrupted by the police or by accidents. It was impossible to do business.

"Sigh, everyone's gone mad." Thinking this, the Penguin let out a long sigh and poured himself a glass of milk. He wasn't drinking coffee; at his age, too much caffeine would keep him awake.

Nowadays, it was one madman after another. The recently arrived Bane in Gotham was also a madman. It was getting harder and harder for legitimate criminals like him to get by. He'd close up shop early these days and wait for Batman to sort out all this chaos.

The Penguin smacked his lips, his brain going a bit blank thanks to the sugar.

His casino and arms dealing businesses were constantly being cracked down on. His old ventures weren't doing so well; he needed to think of new ways to increase revenue and reduce expenditure...

Maybe he could invest in some ice cream trucks or taco stands endorsed by the Penguin? Then he could have his heavily armed goons guard the doors. Surely no one would dare rob him then?

Or maybe he could try stock trading. He heard something called Bitcoin was doing well lately...?

But just as the Penguin was enjoying his quiet moment eating cake and contemplating the future of his business, a henchman stumbled into his office, his face filled with terror. He tripped on the plush, shiny carpet.

"Bad news, boss! It's Joker! Joker's here!"

"!"

With a pfft, the Penguin, holding his cup, inhaled sharply. Milk sprayed out of his aquiline nose.