Exposed

"But you're afraid of us, after all." The old man was a man of strong will, and he quickly regained his composure. "Because this time, it wasn't the police or the government making a move. It was a very powerful department! It has its own army, its own intelligence..."

Bruce walked behind Salvatore, adding to the pressure.

"A department like that only cares about results, not whether you have evidence or not... Besides, you—Gotham City's underground crime bosses—are undoubtedly guilty!"

Salvatore wavered. This was exactly what he feared. He and the other bosses hadn't received the slightest warning before this operation. In other words, the force behind it had come from outside Gotham City. And would a force like that really care about evidence, as Batman had said...?

After a moment of silence, the new godfather of the Manoni family spoke.

"All I know is that some desperados have gathered near Papa Degas Tavern, at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Third Avenue. That's a neutral zone we big shots all agreed not to interfere with. If the Joker really wants to hide, that's the only place he could be..."

Bingo!

Both Batman and Nick Fury and the others outside the interrogation room mentally snapped their fingers. The Joker might be as cunning as a fox, but his men couldn't have appeared out of thin air. Find those people, and they'd find the Joker.

And for the mob bosses who controlled every underground force in Gotham City, finding a group that belonged neither to them nor to their allies—or rivals—couldn't be easier. After all, these men's daily necessities, equipment, and everything else were controlled by the bosses. As long as they stayed put, that was one thing, but the moment they moved, the bosses would know where they were. They only needed a little time...

After questioning several other bosses, Bruce, Nick, and Hill agreed that the Joker and his accomplices were hiding at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Third Avenue. They were preparing to set out immediately when Gambo, the last mob boss in the interrogation room—a Black man who had always held a grudge against the Joker—suddenly said, "I know you're planning to go after the Joker, but let me warn you, sir or madam: this guy's not to be messed with!"

"I hate to admit it, but the guy's completely insane!" he told his old enemy, Batman. "He was planning to kill ten civilians, and the whole of Gotham City was part of his scheme... If those soldiers hadn't interfered..."

Bruce's eyes narrowed. He grabbed the mob boss by the collar and lifted him up. "What do you know? Tell me!"

"I don't know anything! Batman, I'm not saying this means we're even. I just can't stand that creepy bastard who gives me the chills just looking at him! Listen, all I know is that he got Salvatore of the Manoni family to supply him with a huge batch of explosives. Before that..."

"As for what he'll use them for..." The mob boss laughed like an owl. "I don't know!"

Black Widow and Hill narrowed their eyes, about to say something to Director Fury, but Nick waved first and said, "Find out where those explosives went!"

"Yes, sir!"

Hill and Black Widow hurried off to carry out his order.

Meanwhile, Batman slammed Gambo against the wall and snarled, "What else do you know?"

The Black man coughed in pain twice. Batman eased up a little, then offered, "Tell me what you know, and I'll put in a good word for you with the judge..."

The mob boss sneered. "The judge? You think Gotham City's underground kings are afraid of Gotham City's judges? Give me a break! If you hadn't brought in that army from who knows where, what do you think you could've done to us, Batman?"

Hearing yet another underground boss openly dismiss and provoke him, even Gotham City's mayor, who had been as inconspicuous as a ghost, couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.

Nick Fury glanced at him. "Relax, Mr. Mayor. We're not here to fight corruption. We're not interested in your mess..."

Whether or not he was telling the truth, the high-ranking official felt somewhat reassured. Forgetting all about maintaining his dignity, he smiled ingratiatingly. "Then, sir, may I ask..."

"Quiet!" Nick's expression suddenly changed.

Just as the mayor thought he must have said something wrong and that this man had no respect for him, he heard Batman, furious, throw the mob boss down in the interrogation room. "Is that true?"

Gambo groaned in pain, then burst out laughing. "Of course! You can look forward to identifying Harvey Dent and his girlfriend's bodies! Hahahaha!"

Aeo narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected the Joker to kidnap Two-Face and Rachel so soon, even though that wasn't how things had happened in the original plot. Wasn't Harvey supposed to risk his life by pretending to be Batman to draw out the Joker, then team up with Batman and Jim Gordon to capture him, only to get kidnapped afterward?

Sure enough, the plot was only ever a reference. Anyone who took it as gospel was an idiot... He hurriedly asked the Smart Terminal, "Eiffel! Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on Harvey Dent and his girlfriend? How did this..."

Only then did the Smart Butler realize something had happened to the targets. "I've found them. Just now, a group of men abducted Prosecutor Harvey and his girlfriend, Rachel... Master, one of them is heading to Second Avenue, while the other is on Cicero Boulevard!"

"Which one is the woman Batman cares about?" With no time to hide his abilities, Aeo lifted off the ground and began to float. Yes, after ten years, Zhou Xiao could fly!

"2505 Second Avenue!" Eiffel replied confidently.

Whoosh! Fortier, Galactic Remnant, the Empire's next Military Leader, finally bared his fangs!

Beep! Beep! Beep!

A shrill alarm suddenly rang out in the control room responsible for monitoring the airspace over Gotham City at the relevant agency.

"What's going on?" the colonel on duty barked.

"Uh..." A soldier operating the instruments checked for a while, then rubbed his eyes in shock, looking as if he'd seen a ghost. "R-report, sir! An unidentified flying object is rapidly crossing our airspace... It's a person?"

"What?" The colonel didn't understand at first and frowned. "Are you saying it's Iron Man?"

"No." The soldier looked conflicted, hesitating to speak. "It's not the one from the Stark family. That one has our military's identification code. It's..."

"Who is it, then?" the colonel snapped impatiently at the innocent soldier. "Answer me, soldier!"

After a long struggle, the soldier simply brought up the image. "A Superman?"

"..."