Sewer Monster

Li Zu stepped on the portrait of the Holy Son and stopped at the entrance to the second floor.

The door stood wide open, and rain slipped in through the shattered window.

The air was damp, thunder and lightning flashed.

There was also the sound of children sobbing.

After thinking for a moment, he turned and entered the room. A boy and a girl were crouched on the floor, their mouths sealed with tape.

A corpse lay nearby, its throat slit. It was the man who had rushed in with a gun earlier.

"Mm! Mm!"

When they saw him enter, the two children curled up tightly like startled kittens.

"Shh~" He raised a finger, signaling for them to be quiet.

He walked over to the corpse, pulled out a phone from the man's body, and found a number in the contacts.

It was labeled: Cobblepot.

"Jim?" The call connected immediately. The voice sounded like that of a gentleman deliberately pitching his tone higher, though the shrillness at its core was impossible to hide and made one instinctively frown.

"Is this Mr. Cobblepot?"

"It is. Who are you?" The voice on the other end sounded hostile.

"Dent's two children are here in the Bristol District. If it's convenient, drive over~"

"What happened to Jim?"

Smack!

Li Zu hung up and pointed out the window at the torrential rain. "Don't go outside. The rain is heavy, and you'll catch a cold~"

Under the gazes of the two children, both on the verge of mental collapse, he pushed himself up by the knees and swaggered downstairs.

The longer he stayed in this world, the more he understood that no corner was truly safe.

He passed through the creaking first floor, glanced at the dull portraits of the Holy Son, angels, and the like covering the walls, then strode into the downpour.

In an instant, the rain soaked him through.

His clothes grew heavy, but he seemed not to notice.

"Martha!"

Batman finally caught up with Joker and pulled her into his arms.

Even as she struggled.

"Martha, do you want to change all of this?"

"I only want a world without you!" Her voice was hysterical, but Batman's thick arms left her unable to resist. Like a chick trapped inside an eggshell, she could not break free and could only open her mouth wide and chirp.

"Even if that world doesn't have you in it either?" he asked.

"Martha, once upon a time, a man and a woman took their only son to see a movie, then walked into an alley."

"Shut up!" Joker snarled.

But Batman continued, "They encountered a robber. Bang, bang!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Joker repeated. The smile on her face looked as though it could have been cut out with scissors, so grotesque it was.

"The man and woman died. Their son survived." Batman gripped Joker's arm. "Now I have a chance to change the past and erase the present. So let me ask you, Martha... what do you want me to do?"

"Thomas, promise me you'll do it." Joker's voice softened. They both chose to believe in this utterly baseless possibility.

They kissed, just as they had decades ago, before the tragedy in that alley.

The rain poured down. Not far away, a thin figure in a green suit stood watching them.

He was observing the scene.

World Exploration Progress: 30%

"Tell me, Thomas. In that world, the world after we died, how was Bruce doing?" She was as gentle as a mother now.

"He inherited the family business," Batman replied just as gently.

"He became a doctor?"

"No."

Crack~, lightning flashed.

The tenderness vanished from Joker's face, replaced by terror.

"Bat..."

Her voice stuttered. "Oh God!"

"Ha ha ha!" Madness reclaimed her face.

With all her strength, she shoved Batman away and fled into the distance.

The rain was heavy.

The curtain of rain obscured everything.

Joker misstepped and fell into a pit.

"Martha!" Batman was a step too late. He failed to catch Joker by the wrist.

Joker's body lay twisted at the bottom of the pit.

Batman lowered his head, then slowly turned toward Li Zu.

"Bruce is still alive in that world, isn't he?"

This was their second meeting since encountering each other on the rooftop. Batman's attitude was vastly different this time.

Li Zu calmly turned and walked away.

His voice struggled through the rain. The patter of raindrops and the booming thunder overhead drowned out most of it.

Only a faint "Yes" reached Batman's ears.

The exposed corners of Batman's mouth curled upward. "Thank you!"

The next moment, he raised his gun and aimed it at the departing figure in the rain.

Bang!

The gunshot drowned out the thunder and rain.

Splash~

One foot sank into the mud.

Li Zu held his shoulder and trudged forward with difficulty.

Blood seeped between his fingers, ran down his green suit, and flowed into the filthy water.

The sewer was filled with the rotten stench of rainwater, enough to make anyone vomit.

"Pah!" He spat.

"Penguin!"

He gritted his teeth, yet the corners of his mouth rose involuntarily.

His heartbeat accelerated. The sanity he had only recently regained seemed to be getting overtaken and dominated by the madness within that Mental World.

The sewer stretched on endlessly, with no light anywhere, pitch-black all around.

Pursuers were behind him. Moving forward was the only way to remain safe for the moment.

There was an uphill slope ahead. The sewage gradually became shallower, going from thigh-deep to calf-deep.

He finally found a comfortable corner where he could crouch down and rest for a while.

Just an hour or two earlier,

Li Zu had turned to leave when gunshots rang out behind him, followed by Batman's voice. "If history changes, all the evil in this world will disappear. There is no reason for me to kill you."

"Of course there isn't, as long as I can leave before I'm erased from this world."

He paused for only a few seconds before continuing onward.

Batman had let him go, sparing him some trouble.

But the price of watching the show had still come due.

Penguin had arrived far too quickly, as though he had been waiting all along.

He had brought private police officers, a fully armed squad. Even though Li Zu reacted in advance, and Batman had forbidden them from firing, some bastard had still "accidentally" fired a shot. A stray bullet struck Li Zu's arm, causing him to fall into a damaged sewer by accident.

In the sewer,

From deeper within came the clang, clang of something striking an iron door.

There was also the sobbing of women, like a deranged witch in a dark forest stirring lizards, bats, and spiders in a cauldron with a spoon while making meaningless noises.

With his back scraping against the wall, he struggled to stand and continued deeper inside.

He walked for who knew how long.

At the end of the darkness, light appeared.

There was a cell here, occupied by ragged young women with haggard faces.

Only by sitting on the beds could they temporarily escape the foul sewer water.

They were delighted when they saw Li Zu, though their smiles looked far worse than their tears.

"Mon... monster!"

They pointed behind Li Zu and struggled to make a sound. It was as though they had been imprisoned for too long and had lost their ability to speak.

Splash!

Something suddenly burst from the water behind him, the tremendous noise drawing Li Zu's attention.

But he had no strength left to react.

A large hand instantly clamped around his throat, lifted him up, and forcibly turned Li Zu's body so they faced each other.

The figure was enormous, and the light could illuminate only half of his body.

A humanoid creature with gray scales, sharp teeth, and claws.

He opened his mouth, releasing the stench of rotting flesh.

Li Zu understood whose territory he had entered.

Killer Croc!

Thanks to "9527 Hua Xiao'an" for the tip.

(End of Chapter)