The Batman Who Shoots

The Batman Who Shoots

Thick storm clouds blanketed the city like a thick quilt, shutting out the moon and stars.

The wind atop the rooftop felt cool.

Decadent neon lights pierced through broken tubes, and the night air mixed with the smell of alcohol; even standing atop a building over a hundred meters high, one could easily catch the city's peculiar smell of decay.

Li Zu gently pulled his right foot back.

His sole tested the edge of the skyscraper.

Rustle...

The sand on the rooftop was scraped off the edge as he pulled his foot back, tumbling down into that hundred-meter abyss.

A black shadow flashed before his eyes, quickly melting into the night.

Li Zu lowered his head, looking past his red-left and blue-right socks down at the hundred-meter abyss behind him.

He wanted to walk forward a couple of steps to get himself into a safe zone, but that pair of blood-red, panther-like eyes in the dark locked firmly onto his figure, ready to pounce at the slightest movement of his body!

Before Li Zu's eyes, visible only to him, was a bizarre blue window.

World exploration progress 10%

There was a detailed description below, but he no longer had time to look closely because the shadow in the dark suddenly struck, grabbed him by the collar, lifted him effortlessly, and heavily slammed him down onto the ground.

Thud!

His back hit the ground like a swung iron hammer, the pain shifting Li Zu's attention to his attacker.

All in black, wearing a bat cowl.

The black cape dragged on the ground.

Batman!

From Batman's series of actions toward him just now, it was not hard to tell that he was currently in a hostile relationship with Batman.

At least Batman never kills, Li Zu thought with a sigh of relief, glad that he could save his little life.

But Batman's next move made his heart, which he had wanted to relax, tighten up once more.

Batman actually raised his hand, drew a pistol from his belt, and pointed it at Li Zu's head.

"Kid, tell me where the Joker is."

"The Joker?"

Unfamiliar English popped out of Li Zu's mouth, but the next moment,

Bang!

A bullet grazed Li Zu's head, struck the ground, and bounced away with a metallic clink.

The scorching hot air brushed against his temple.

Li Zu was certain that his cheek was definitely bleeding.

"Where is the Joker?" Batman bent down and grabbed Li Zu; his arms were as thick as an adult's thigh, so lifting Li Zu required no effort at all.

Twisting his waist, Batman hoisted Li Zu up, suspending him right over that hundred-meter "cliff."

Li Zu kicked aimlessly twice, his feet dangling in the air.

His vision pierced past his mud-caked yellow leather shoes, catching cars the size of ants passing by.

Lifting his head again to look at the figure wrapped in darkness, Li Zu said with some awkwardness, "I'd really love to tell you, but you have to believe me, I genuinely don't know."

"You lunatics—" As if he had known Li Zu's answer all along, Batman abruptly let go of his right hand.

A sense of weightlessness washed over him.

"Ah—!!" Li Zu couldn't help but scream out loud as his body began to plummet rapidly.

And Batman hadn't applied a single protective measure to him.

He could watch with his own eyes as the surrounding buildings "rose from the ground," and after struggling to turn his body around, what awaited him was the ground rushing closer and closer.

Falling from a hundred meters and smashing into pulp—that was the only outcome he could think of.

Yet in that very instant.

A pair of steel arms with a slight upward thrust caught Li Zu.

Instantly cushioning all the downward force on his body while carrying him flying back up toward the rooftop.

Thud-thud!

Iron boots slammed onto the rooftop, causing Batman, who had just been about to leave, to pause and stop.

"Can't you change your methods for once?" asked the man of steel who had rescued Li Zu.

After being put down, Li Zu was finally able to get a clear look at the other person.

Wrapped entirely in metal, with only half of his side profile exposed.

Cyborg, Victor Stone!

A tremendously powerful superhero, and naturally a nightmare to all villains—among whom... Li Zu himself might be counted.

"That is their final resting place, Cyborg!" Batman didn't seem surprised that Cyborg had saved Li Zu, or rather, he didn't care about Li Zu's life or death at all.

"Your name is Cyborg?" Li Zu asked somewhat strangely.

"Right now we don't have the interest to chat with you about this, can you just obediently stand there and wait for the police car?" Cyborg asked.

Li Zu nodded cooperatively: "Gladly!"

Compared to being with Batman and Cyborg, he now hoped even more that he could hide out in a safe prison for a while.

Moreover, from those few words just now, it wasn't hard to gather that he apparently used to run with the Joker?

"Don't you plan to ask how I found you?" Cyborg asked.

"Thermal imaging, electronic hearing, once you tap into your satellite, you can know everything in Gotham!" Batman said with quite a bit of annoyance, evidently disliking others intruding on his turf.

"Simpler than that. Gotham is currently at night, you're out hunting, and the place where you last deal with your prey is always right here..." Cyborg paused, glancing out past the edge of the building. His eyes instantly spanned a hundred meters to spot the alley piled full of trash.

"...an alley you remember vividly!"

"Of course, I'm not here to complain about you," Cyborg said. "It's just that we need your help right now."

Cyborg's hand lifted, emitting a strange glow.

When Li Zu collected his wits, he found himself surrounded by superheroes.

There was Hawkman with his wings, and the identities of a few half-grown kids standing together were not hard to guess—they were definitely the Shazam family.

Green Lantern Abin Sur with his red skin, Captain Cold, Element Woman...

Even though their gear differed somewhat from his expectations, those iconic suits made it easy for Li Zu to figure out who these people were.

They were all supervillains, or superheroes, gathered together for a single cause.

"Everyone who has decided to step forward is here now," Cyborg said. "Let's put it to a vote. Who is willing to fight alongside me?"

The crowd was a chatterbox of noise. Standing at the edge, Li Zu watched the superheroes who only existed on screens and in comics arguing just like people haggling at a vegetable market.

"Sorry, we're not of one mind~" Among the kids, a boy leaning on crutches spoke up. "Perhaps we need one more vote."

"Eugene, does that wisdom of Solomon of yours tell us what we should do?"

The boy Eugene adjusted his glasses calmly and said, "We can ask our hero~"

"Right!" The kids seemed to have found a mutual understanding.

"Shazam!!"

They shouted in unison and were swallowed by lightning.

When the thunder vanished, a strong man wearing a red suit with a lightning bolt symbol on his chest replaced the positions of the six kids from just a moment ago.

Shazam the superhero!

What Li Zu saw today was definitely more exciting than his entire life up to this point!

"Wonder Woman left a deep impression on me, and now it's time to return the favor!" Thunder Shazam said fiercely, the rage in his eyes nearly turning into tangible flames.

With Shazam joining, this group seemed even more pumped.

"I'm not joining."

Batman projected a grapple line and swung away.

His decisiveness caught everyone completely off guard.

"What! Batman isn't participating?"

"Maybe we should reconsider."

"Perhaps this is too dangerous, or maybe this matter isn't as terrible as we imagined?"

The people in the holographic projection grew fewer and fewer.

"Wait!" Soon, only Cyborg and Li Zu were left on the rooftop.

This negotiation, which felt utterly baffling to Li Zu, ended just like that due to Batman's sudden exit.

Sirens wailed from the distance.

Cyborg looked at Li Zu: "Your private ride is here!"