Blackgate Penitentiary,
Rooftop.
The moment Li Zu stepped out with his left foot, the bitter wind wrapped around his ankle, its chill pricking into his pores like needle-like bees.
"Whew~" He shuddered, hugging his arms as he trembled.
It was Christmas Eve, and snow still drifted from the sky.
As Li Zu tilted his head up to watch the snowflakes, he noticed a helicopter flying away. Black Mask was visible inside.
As Black Mask departed, his gaze lingered on Li Zu for several seconds.
Li Zu's very presence here was "unreasonable." In this world of superpowers, without super strength, super magic, or super intelligence, one simply could not get involved.
Yet Li Zu had joined as an ordinary person, as though he had obtained a peculiar pass.
Proof that he was anything but ordinary.
"Wait for me!" Li Zu raised his middle finger in a very "friendly" farewell to Black Mask aboard the helicopter.
Whoosh—the wind howled sharply.
From the corner of his eye, a black figure came crashing toward him, targeting Li Zu and Deathstroke!
Two seconds before impact, Deathstroke casually stepped to the left, easily avoiding it. He folded his arms and watched what happened next.
With Deathstroke out of the way, only Li Zu remained to face the black figure hurtling toward his face!
If it hit him, with Li Zu's slight build... he would definitely suffer broken bones.
No one believed he could dodge it.
Deathstroke thought so. The person who had thrown the black figure from afar thought so. Even the "black figure" itself thought Li Zu could not avoid it.
But something astonishing still happened. Li Zu rose onto his toes and gave a light jump.
His body floated effortlessly into the air like a sheet of paper carried upward by the wind. Hugging his knees, he spun through two backward flips before landing on the tips of his toes.
The instant he landed, his body twisted awkwardly and staggered sideways, making the flawless dodge seem somewhat pathetic.
Thud!!
Only then did the black figure smash into the ground.
The intense pain made him writhe and squirm all over. The bat cowl on his head also revealed his identity.
Batman raised his head, his gaze falling on Li Zu.
A guy who looked so frail actually possessed such extraordinary agility?
Judging from that move just now, he looked exactly like a circus acrobatics expert, with first-rate jumping ability and balance!
Even Deathstroke's exposed eye involuntarily narrowed.
"I don't really like this way of greeting each other again."
Li Zu slowly raised his lowered head and looked toward the culprit who had thrown Batman—Killer Croc.
The weapon Black Mask had left behind to deal with Batman was Killer Croc.
"Monkey, get lost!"
Though Killer Croc had also been shocked by Li Zu's incredible agility, he did not believe Li Zu was capable of hurting him.
But Li Zu slowly walked toward Killer Croc, completely ignoring his threat.
He even had a faint smile on his face.
And he deliberately recalled Superman, recalling the fear brought to him by the Lasso of Truth and the others.
A strange mental fluctuation radiated outward from Li Zu's body.
Killer Croc, the closest person to Li Zu, was the first "lucky one" to be affected. His mind became dazed.
Fear surged into his heart in an instant.
That figure, those steps, and that strange smile on his face made Killer Croc suddenly remember his former "nightmare." In that nightmare, a terrifying man who looked exactly like Li Zu had turned him into a toy, even sealing his soul inside it!
In the dream, he lived in the sewers and could only hide while eating people.
That figure was the unlucky bastard who had accidentally fallen into his "feeding bowl." Yet in the dream, it was Killer Croc who had instead fallen into his toy box.
Li Zu had already walked up to Killer Croc. Under Killer Croc's wary gaze, he said words that made him tremble with terror: "Do you want to become a toy again?"
"What? How did you... Could it be? That world was real?"
Killer Croc stared at Li Zu in fear. He instinctively took two steps back, widening the distance between them.
"Huh?"
The sinister expression vanished from Li Zu's face. He scratched his cheek in confusion. "That world? You crossed over too?"
"No matter what you are, I'll never let you turn me into a toy again!!" Killer Croc threw back his head and roared. He intended to strike first and kill Li Zu outright.
As long as this monster capable of turning people into toys died, he would have nothing to fear.
Bang!!
The giant claw came down... and missed!
"I'm over here, Killer Croc~" A voice came from behind him.
Then a hand lightly poked Killer Croc in the back.
The cold-blooded Killer Croc actually shivered. He whirled around and swung a backhand chop.
Yet... he still hit nothing.
Batman, sprawled on the ground, watched Li Zu circle around Killer Croc.
The powerful acrobatics skills Li Zu displayed even made him subconsciously forget the pain from his fractured ribs.
But as time passed, Li Zu appeared to be "running out of stamina," and his breathing grew louder and louder.
An acrobatics master was actually in poor health?
There was no joke more amusing than that.
"I say, Deathstroke, if you don't step in now, then I'll... I'll..." Li Zu panted heavily and waved to Deathstroke beside him for help.
"Die, die, die!!"
A massive shadow had already enveloped Li Zu's entire body.
A black figure flashed past.
Batman grabbed Li Zu by the back of his collar and dragged him out of Killer Croc's attack range.
"Wait here. I think anyone who belongs in Blackgate Penitentiary should not be allowed to leave!" Batman's deep voice entered Li Zu's ears.
After saying that, he spread his cape and soared into the sky again like a massive humanoid bat.
With his bat wings spread, Batman rode the freezing wind, using ropes to swing through the air overhead.
He found Killer Croc's blind spot and instantly dove down to attack!
Batman and Killer Croc's fight progressed rapidly.
Aside from his mouse-gray defensive scales and immense strength, this hulking brute was sorely lacking in combat technique.
After using two little gadgets, Batman easily gained the upper hand and knocked him to the ground.
"Now, you should answer my questions!" Batman suddenly paused and slowly turned his head, only to discover that Li Zu had vanished.
The helicopter landed at the docks.
Before the police arrived, Li Zu and Deathstroke fled, avoiding even greater trouble.
To leave, they had hijacked a military helicopter.
Li Zu still regretted that his ability was insufficient and that he could not perfectly take the helicopter for himself.
"Aren't we partners?" Li Zu walked shoulder to shoulder with Deathstroke and asked, "Why didn't you save me just now? That bastard Killer Croc nearly turned me into ground meat."
"If that's all you can do, there was no reason to save you." Deathstroke stared straight ahead with his single eye as he spoke.
"Mhm, mhm, mhm~" The anger vanished from Li Zu's face, and he nodded in agreement for once.
Perhaps even his earlier accusation had been an act.
At the very least, Deathstroke had a powerful feeling that it was.
(End of Chapter)
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