Catwoman and Batman

The vendor stalls overturned, and the so-called "artifacts" rolled across the ground like trash. Malzahar murmured drunkenly amid Void energy, "Witness the fragility of life. Only the Void is eternal. Abandon resistance and embrace evolution."

"Refuse."

"Bugs are too disgusting."

Two Sunstones between Dust's fingers collided precisely, merging into a blue-glowing orb. "Orb of Deception!" The spinning gem traced an arc of death. The Void flames that ignited on contact reduced the swarm to ash, while the scattered souls were absorbed by the orb.

The Fire Spirit Hairpin in Yan Lingji's hand glowed crimson throughout, fire-based inner energy surging through her extraordinary meridians. This meteorite-forged conductor could manifest inner energy into flaming weapons, transforming at will into fire swords or fire shields for both offense and defense.

Scorching energy continuously surged from the Fire Spirit Hairpin, becoming supple fire serpents dancing through the air. The three-meter fire whip moved nimbly, precisely pursuing the rapidly moving Void swarm. "Whoosh—crack—"

Yan Lingji elegantly flicked the fire whip as though performing a magnificent dance. Even if a target dodged the first strike, the elastic whip immediately changed direction and pursued from an awkward angle.

Her flames were not as domineering as Dust's Sunstone orb, but they were enough to rob the Void swarm of mobility. In barely a dozen seconds, one bug could be reduced to ash.

The two stunning girls fought side by side, their graceful figures appearing and vanishing in the firelight. Three ghostly blue foxfires suddenly bloomed beside Dust, automatically locking onto Malzahar as if they possessed intelligence.

Yet the foxfire passed straight through his body without causing the slightest harm. Malzahar had temporarily slipped into another dimension using his Void traversal ability, a skill that could only be used once every thirty seconds.

"Spell immunity?"

"There should be some kind of restriction."

"One attack isn't enough to judge."

"Perhaps there's a time limit or usage limit."

Dust was slightly flustered at first, but she quickly calmed down. She knew there was no absolutely invincible power in this world; otherwise, he would have crushed them long ago.

"The power of the Void cannot be defeated. Abandon your futile resistance." Malzahar hovered in midair and spoke coldly. "Final warning: submit, or **."

"Strange Foxfire!"

Dust ignored him and gathered three blue flames before firing them again. This time, Malzahar's expression changed slightly as he raised a hand to release Void energy and intercept them—clearly, his traversal skill had not finished cooling down.

"So there really is a weakness," Dust murmured.

Yan Lingji, who had honed her instincts in the pleasure quarters, also keenly caught that detail.

Gotham City Hall was brightly lit. Five fully armed young men in red were silently infiltrating it. Carrying sophisticated equipment, they cautiously searched for an important target.

"Beep—"

A faint electronic sound rang out. Someone had triggered an infrared sensor. The stairway to the upper floors immediately sealed shut, blocking the intruders outside.

"What happened?"

"Boss, I didn't mean to..."

The leading youth complained irritably, "The Umbrella Corporation actually sent us to steal biotechnology. We have to get paid more for this!"

"What do we do now?"

"Idiots! Just saw it open!"

The shrill whine of an electric saw immediately echoed through the corridor, metal scraping against saw teeth with a teeth-grating screech. Four stood guard while one operated the saw to cut through the iron door.

"Boss! Look outside the window!"

"Damn, there's a huge bird outside!"

Hearing that, the leader hurried to the window and indeed saw a massive black shadow sweep past outside...

Faced with ant-like creatures provoking him again and again, Malzahar finally flew into a rage. Violent Void energy surged around him, changing the very color of heaven and earth.

"Since you refuse to submit, then be destroyed!"

"Ignorant creatures, the descent of the Void cannot be stopped!"

"Void Summoning!"

As his hands came together, two Void portals opened on opposite sides of the town. What poured from them was not living creatures, but destructive energy.

"Danger! Retreat immediately!"

Dust and Yan Lingji decisively activated their return devices, teleporting back to League headquarters just before the energy erupted. In the blink of an eye, the entire market was reduced to nothing...

**

A black shadow flashed past. The man in a bat cape swung out a grappling hook, caught the wall, and dove sharply downward. "Idiot! That's the Black Cat Sheriff!" "I'm Batman!"

Bruce Wayne crashed through the glass and burst into the room, knocking out the stunned red-clad boy with a clean chop to the neck. He grabbed the boy by the ankle, and his grappling gun shot onto the ceiling with a whoosh. Both vanished in an instant.

When the remaining men in red arrived, only the shattered window remained. "Damn it! Number Four is gone!" "Where is he, where is he, where is he..."

"Shut up!" Veins bulged on the red-clad leader's forehead. "Repeat yourself again and I'll shoot you!" If this guy were not decent in a fight, he would have pulled the trigger already.

Seeing the team in turmoil, Red Number Two cleared his throat. "Calm down, everyone. Look on the bright side. Maybe Number Four was only dismembered." He counted on his fingers as he analyzed, "Besides, he's the ugliest one. We didn't lose out, right?"

The four suddenly fell into an eerie silence. Why did that consolation sound so strange?

But the red-clad gang, with their bizarre thought processes, quickly reached a consensus. "Makes sense." "Indeed." "He's right."

At that moment, Red Number Four, hanging upside down in the Batcave, struggled frantically. Why am I the ugly one?! The boss's horse face should be at the bottom!

"Now we split up." The red-clad leader made the decision. "Number Two and Number Three, check the right corridor." "Understood!" the two replied in unison. "I'll keep watch." "Boss, boss! What about me?" The dimmest of them, Red Number Five, bounced up and raised his hand.

The red-clad leader looked at this useless burden and sighed. "You... just stand here and shout 'help' as bait." "Got it! Help, help, help—"

The four scattered in different directions. Their thoughts might be erratic, but they would never abandon a companion.

—Yeah, right. Number Four simply owed each of them one hundred dollars and had not paid them back!

They were about to die and still thinking about money? Just how awful were they?

The bright tactical light of an M4A1 assault ** cut through the darkness, its barrel sweeping over dust-covered corners. Gotham City's municipal cleaners had clearly been seriously neglecting their duties; the dust was thick enough to write in. "Boss! Found Number Four!"

"Good work, Number Four. We'll untie you now. Remember to pay me back that hundred dollars when we get home." "Wait? Damn it!"

Red Number Two suddenly froze, as though something had wrapped around his combat boots. A brutal force yanked him to the floor, and the sound of his body being dragged echoed through the corridor. "Help!"

"Red Number Two!!!" "Oh my God, oh my God..." "Huh? Why are you crawling on your stomach?" "Who crawls upside down in your house?!" "—"

Watching their companion get dragged down the stairs, the red-clad captain let out a heart-wrenching scream. This was already the third missing teammate. Damn Batman!

Number Two had mooched toothpaste from him just this morning, and now he was gone! "Look on the bright side, Boss. At least Number Four came back, so that hundred dollars is accounted for." "Makes sense. Consider Number Two fed to the dogs." "What?!"

Before the words had faded, a Bat-cable wrapped around Red Number Four and yanked him into the darkness with a whoosh. "Number Four is gone!" "Quick, form a defensive formation!"

The three mercenaries stood back to back on guard. As an internationally renowned elite squad, they had somehow been toyed with by a single bat.

"Batman, show yourself and I'll give you one dollar!" "Boss, that offer..." "Then... 1.1 dollars! No, 4.1!" "Boss is wise!"

Batman, high above them, listened to their idiocy and rubbed his forehead. Would Gotham's richest man really lack that much pocket change?

"Oh my God, God, God..." "Shut up! You've been repeating that for half an hour!" "Do you know what diversion means? I can keep howling for another three hours..."

Batman looked down at this bunch of clowns and helplessly rubbed his forehead. If he did not need to protect the biotechnology coveted by the Umbrella Corporation, he could not have been bothered to act. In the end, a miniature flashbang still dropped toward the crowd...

Thick white fog rose around them, obscuring all vision.

Only the fully equipped Batman, relying on high-tech gear, could precisely lock onto his enemies in the smoke.

The Bat-helmet on his head used an impact-resistant synthetic graphite shell and a bulletproof fiber coating. It could withstand light firearms, while its lead-containing material protected against radiation and X-ray vision.

Integrated beneath the helmet were night-vision goggles, thermal imaging, sonar detectors, a gas-mask system, miniature wireless **, and communication devices.

It also contained concealed mechanisms that could release tear gas ** or electric sparks, preventing others from forcibly removing the helmet.

"Swish—swish—"

"Boss, save me!"

"It's over, it's over..."

After two screams, Batman had dealt with all the red-clad underlings.

As the ** smoke gradually dispersed, Batman leaped down and knocked the M4A1 ** away with a straight punch, beginning a one-on-one duel with the red-clad leader.

"Hmph, Batman, now it's just you and me." The red-clad leader cracked his neck and assumed a fighting stance. "Watch me smash your head with military boxing!"

"Horse stance straight punch!"

"Horse stance straight punch!"

"Horse stance straight punch!"

"Is that the only move you know?!"

Batman's eye twitched slightly—this guy was incredibly underhanded. He shouted horse stance straight punch, but concealed a devastating kick to the groin beneath his feet, nearly catching Batman off guard.

Even though the Batsuit could negate most of the damage, if that area got hit, it would probably leave a lifelong shadow.

"Horse stance straight punch!"

"Punch your own head!"

Batman threw a backhand punch, landing squarely on the red-clad leader's face and breaking his nose on impact.

The force of a six-hundred-pound punch knocked him unconscious instantly.

Without counting equipment enhancements, Batman's Ugly Woman Mask test value was 1.2, 0.2 higher than Mumen Rider, the former unit of combat measurement.

But with his full set of high-tech Bat equipment, he was enough to rank among the entry-level C-class fighters.

"You over there, stop immediately."

"No, I refuse."

While Batman was teaching the red-clad leader a lesson, a sneaky figure quietly infiltrated the area and used special methods to steal the biotechnology disc.

She also held another disc marked with strange symbols, which seemed to contain an even more important secret.

"Do as you're told, or you'll regret it."

Batman clenched his fists and spoke in a low voice.

Selina, the world-class thief known as Catwoman, specialized in valuable works of art such as jewelry and antiques. Her thieving skills were peerless, allowing her to easily succeed despite any tight security. Her abilities were on par with Kaito Kid's.

She and Batman had been battling each other for a long time, with victories and defeats on both sides.

"Goodbye, little bat."

Without the slightest hesitation, Catwoman immediately fled along her planned route after succeeding. She moved as swiftly as a cat and vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.

"Damn it! With my 6.8-second hundred-meter speed, I won't lose to you!"

Batman rushed into the elevator shaft. The elevator was currently stopped on the first floor, and the shaft was empty. Catwoman was rapidly climbing upward along the cables.

"Looks like I can only take the stairs."

Batman slammed his fist against the wall and turned toward the stairwell. However, luck was not on his side. The moment he stepped into the stairway entrance, three guns were aimed at him.

Several people in police uniforms appeared to have arrived after receiving the City Hall alarm. Not every hero enjoyed the privileges granted to the League of Heroes. Vigilantes like Batman, who worked alone, were not exactly welcomed by the authorities or the law.

Of course, it would be different if he belonged to the League of Heroes—not only would police forces everywhere cooperate fully, but the military would provide support when necessary.

"Don't move, Batman!"

"Finally caught you!"

"The three flowers of our police station will never let you escape!"

"To prevent Gotham City from being destroyed—"

"To protect Gotham's peace—"

"To carry out love and justice... Hey! We haven't finished our slogan!"

"Boss, aren't our lines a little too long?"

"Shut up, none of your business!"

Batman could not be bothered with them. He directly drew his grappling gun from his waist and fired it upward. Using the pull, he soared into the air and rapidly gave chase.

Catwoman reached the rooftop first, seemingly waiting for someone to pick her up. Batman followed close behind, with no intention of letting her leave.

"It's not even yours. Why are you chasing me so relentlessly?" Catwoman turned around and asked helplessly.

"Hand over the disc. The biotechnology inside must never fall into the hands of the Umbrella Corporation. They'll cause a disaster!"

"No. I already accepted an advance payment. Besides, you ugly freak!"

"Not true."

"Bounce back."

"Hey, how old are you?" "You started it!"

Catwoman and Batman began bickering.