After Bane finished speaking, the deathly silence in the basement was broken by heavy breathing.
Fear spread through the air like a virus.
Cobblepot the Penguin gripped the specially made umbrella with his short, chubby fingers, his knuckles turning white from the force.
His mind was in complete chaos.
The news that Bruce Wayne is Batman is far less shocking than the news that Thomas Wayne is alive and a killer.
"We... we have to think of something." Riddler Nigma, the Nygma, adjusted his glasses; his eyes behind the lenses were bloodshot, his mind filled with the bloody scenes Bane had described.
To be erased from existence? To be crushed? This is beyond his understanding of "punishment".
"What method?" Harvey Dent, the Two-Face, spoke coldly. He didn't flip a coin; he clutched it tightly in his hand, his intact half of his face contorted in the same way as his burned half. "To reason with a monster who can blow Black Adam to pieces with a single shot?"
"Run!" the Penguin suddenly screamed, his voice shrill with fear. "Get out of Gotham! This hellhole can't be left!"
Scarecrow Jonathan Crane, his lips trembling, chimed in, "Yes, let's go! Anywhere! Central City, Star City... or..."
He stopped speaking, and all eyes turned to him.
"Or go to Metropolis," the Penguin chimed in, a shrewd glint in his eyes, "To find Lex Luthor!"
This suggestion surprised everyone present.
Lex Luthor? That bald guy who's always at odds with Superman?
"That's right!" the Penguin exclaimed rapidly, as if grasping at a straw.
" Lex Luthor and Wayne are rivals, and he's always wanted to take on a 'god' like Superman! Isn't that old Wayne just another 'god'? The enemy of my enemy is my friend! Let's tell him this information and seek his protection! He has LexCorp, he has all the resources and technology!"
This idea was like a pebble thrown into stagnant water, creating ripples.
Yes, they can't handle it themselves, but Lex Luthor can.
At least, Lex Luthor has the ability to go toe-to-toe with that kind of monster.
"I agree," the Riddler immediately stated. "Logically speaking, this is our only way out at the moment."
"I..." The Two-Face was about to speak.
Sudden--
"Squeak--creak--!"
A piercing, teeth-grinding metallic clang came from the heavy alloy door of the conference room.
The sound wasn't like an explosion or a cut; it was more like an invisible giant hand twisting and tearing the several-ton alloy door like a pretzel.
All the villains' conversation abruptly ended.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
Penguin's umbrella-shaped gun barrel, Two-Face's pistol, Bane's bulging muscles—everyone instantly assumed a battle stance, their eyes fixed on the transforming gate.
Inside the ventilation duct, Damian also gripped the hilt of his samurai sword at his waist.
Is it Father arriving? Or a surprise attack by the Justice League?
No, that's not my father's style; he's much quieter.
Damian's nerves were stretched to the limit.
Under the horrified gazes of everyone, the twisted alloy door was torn open, leaving a gap large enough for one person to pass through.
A figure slowly walked in through the gap.
The newcomer was dressed in a well-tailored vintage three-piece suit, tall and imposing, with a face... exactly like the Thomas Wayne photograph in a newspaper decades ago.
But those eyes held a world-weary look that seemed to see through everything, and... a hint of amusement.
It was Thor.
He glanced around at the " Gotham elites" in the conference room, who looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
What? Aren't you surprised to see me?
His voice was calm, yet it made everyone present's heart skip a beat.
It's him! It really is him!
"Fire!"
Victor, the Mr. Freeze. Freeze, was the first to react. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
A beam of icy blue light, imbued with the power of absolute zero and carrying the aura of freezing everything, shot fiercely toward Thor.
However, the ray that was powerful enough to freeze a building instantly Oblivion silently half a meter in front of Thor, like a snowflake thrown into a furnace.
Not even a trace of cold air could be released.
Thor looked at Mr. Freeze, his face still bearing that faint smile.
He gently raised his right hand and snapped his the Snap.
"Snap."
A crisp sound rang out.
The next second, the priceless cryogenic armor that kept Mr. Mr. Freeze alive lost all its components, from the helmet to the boots.
"Jingle bells..."
Countless intricate armor plates, pipes, and wiring lay scattered on the ground like building blocks without their skeletons, while he himself collapsed helplessly among the pile of scrap metal, his body rapidly heating up, emitting painful groans.
One move.
He didn't even move his hand.
Thor's gaze swept across the entire arena.
An indescribable, terrifying pressure, like a tangible tide, instantly swept across the entire underground factory.
This is not an imposing aura, nor a murderous intent, but a suppression from a higher dimension.
Just like when a human steps on an ant, there's no need for a reason or emotion.
"Thump!"
"Thump! Thump!"
Penguin, Riddler, Two-Face... all the villains who were standing suddenly collapsed to their knees.
They felt as if they were being crushed by an invisible mountain, making it incredibly difficult to breathe, and their hearts were pounding so hard they felt like they were going to jump out of their throats.
Bane roared, his muscles bulging, and the Venom tubing glowing green as he tried to resist the oppressive force.
But he only lasted for less than two seconds before his kneecaps cracked under the strain, and his massive body slammed to the ground, creating two deep craters in the concrete.
fear.
The purest form of fear stems from the disparity in the levels of life.
Inside the ventilation duct, Damian also felt that oppressive aura.
Although most of the pressure was concentrated in the conference room below, the lingering effects still made him feel dizzy and had difficulty breathing.
He lost his footing and stepped on a loose piece of metal.
Click.
The sound was extremely faint.
But in the deathly silent basement, it was like a thunderclap.
Swish!
Below, Thor's gaze instantly rose, precisely locking onto the ventilation duct where Damian was hiding.
It's over!
Damian's scalp tingled instantly, and a chill ran from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.
He had only one thought in his mind—Vandal Savage, who had been "erased from existence."
Am I going to die?
At that very moment, his father Bruce roared through the communicator with an unprecedentedly urgent and anxious voice:
Damian, retreat immediately!
Thor stared at the small, frozen figure in the ventilation duct, his fingers clenching loosely, and divine power began to surge within him.
Damian felt as if his body was bound by countless invisible threads, unable to move, and could only watch helplessly as the "grandfather" raised his hand to him.
However, the expected death did not occur.
Thor's loosely clenched fingers suddenly flipped, and something appeared in his palm.
It was a palm-sized, dark, soft ball with two small, pointed ears, resembling a cute, chibi-style black bat plush toy.
Thor snapped his fingers.
"Whoosh--"
The black Bat Tuotuo traced a precise parabola, landing squarely on Damian's face with a "smack."
"Chirp~"
The Bat Tuotuo let out a soft, cute, yet slightly mocking cry.
Damian: "..."
He froze, something soft pressed against his face, his mind blank.
"Splash!"
The factory's glass windows shattered with a crash, and a black figure rushed in like lightning, landing steadily on the ground.
The matte black uniform and flowing cape revealed Batman, his face wary and his breathing rapid.
Bruce immediately spotted the familiar yet unfamiliar figure in the arena, along with the villains kneeling on the ground and his son with an unidentified object stuck to his face.
Thor's smile deepened as he watched Bruce burst through the broken window.
"Don't be nervous, Bruce."
He waved his hand, as if everything that had just happened was just a joke.
"I just came to deliver a small gift to my grandson, and by the way..."
His gaze shifted to the group of trembling criminals on the ground, who dared not even lift their heads, and his tone became nonchalant.
"... I'll help you clean up this pile of non-recyclable trash."