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Chapter 492: Doomsday Virus
Gotham City.
The sky remained densely overcast, a persistent drizzle falling, much like this complicated city itself.
Tony looked up at the sky. The annoying rain was still drizzling down. Tony didn't use an umbrella, nor did he use his power to avoid the rain. He walked through the downpour like an ordinary person, his clothes soaked through.
Night fell, and the city's dark side was revealed. Police sirens blared, chaotic crowds, furtive exchanges, and... the stench of sin.
"The only thing missing is the smell of blood." Tony pulled up the hood of his black robe, the large hood completely covering his head.
This city wasn't like this a few years ago, especially after Tony had given it a bloodbath.
The riots of the lower-class citizens, the influx of weapons, the flying bullets and corpses—all these gave this city of sin something it didn't have before.
A thick smell of blood, and a new life concealed beneath it.
But now the city was reverting to its state from seven years ago. The stench of sin was beginning to permeate the air again. Although it was far from being as thick and nauseating as it was seven years prior, it was definitely making a comeback.
Gotham City was Tony's final stop. He had to see some people.
The mayor's office was heavily guarded. After a busy day, the citizens' beloved mayor still hadn't gone home, sitting tiredly in his office, reviewing documents.
A spark flickered, and Tony appeared directly in the room, looking at the mayor, who now seemed more mature and steady.
"Thomas, you've done a good job these past few years. You even got re-elected." Tony smiled, and ignoring the dripping rainwater, he sat down on the sofa.
The mayor's pen paused. He looked up abruptly, a complex expression flashing across his face before being replaced by reverence. He immediately stood up and said respectfully to Tony, "Everything has been done according to your instructions."
Thomas Wayne, codenamed Owlman, was Bruce Wayne's younger brother. As an infant, the Wayne family believed he had died of an illness, but in reality, he was saved and secretly raised by the Court of Owls.
When Tony purged Gotham City, the Court of Owls chose to compromise with him, offering up Thomas as a bargaining chip.
Then Tony had Thomas assume a false identity to run for mayor, even injecting him with a brand-new super serum to cure him of the ill effects of the Dionysus Factor.
In seven years, he successfully won re-election by a landslide, nervously carrying out the duty Tony had given him: to monitor Batman.
"You're free, Thomas." Tony shook his head and said, "The freedom you wanted, I'm giving it to you. From this day forward, no one will ever order you to do something you don't want to do again."
Thomas trembled. He bowed his head deeply, his eyes revealing his excitement. He kept his head down, waiting, but there was no response for a long time. When he looked up in astonishment, Tony had already left quietly.
"Freedom...?" Thomas muttered, a sense of unexpected joy mixed with bewilderment. He gave a wry smile and sat back down in his seat.
After hesitating for a long time, Thomas once again began reviewing the documents, as serious as a true mayor.
In Gotham City under the veil of night, Tony moved like a phantom. He saw old Jack, whom he had praised for his "nice clothes," now decrepit with age. He saw the punk Anderson, whom he had beaten senseless, now with a few more scars and a vicious look on his face.
Familiar faces, strange faces.
The moonlight was blocked by dark clouds, and vast shadows fell over the area.
Batman, as always, was fulfilling his duty as Gotham City's guardian.
He knocked down a gang member with one punch, slammed him hard onto the ground, and then took out a flaming bat brand, pressing it fiercely onto the criminal's body.
"Aaargh!!!"
A shrill scream rang out. Smoke rose from the criminal's body, along with the smell of roasting meat. When Batman put away the bat brand, a bat-shaped scar had been seared onto the criminal's chest.
Just like the branding punishments in ancient prisons.
"Batman, you butcher!" the criminal cursed.
"Hopefully, this will teach you a lesson. Next time, it won't be this simple," Batman said in a hoarse voice. He knocked the criminal unconscious with a punch, tied him up securely, and bound him together with the other criminals he had knocked out and branded.
In a little while, the police would come and take them away.
Batman spread his wings, about to leave, when suddenly, he stopped. He looked toward the person in the shadows to his left, his gaze instantly becoming incredibly dangerous.
"Long time no see, Bruce." Tony stepped out of the shadows, not even glancing at the wretches on the ground.
He sized up the more imposing Batman. Years of arduous training had made Batman's physique surpass that of his youth, making him even more intimidating.
A more restrained demeanor, a deeper gaze in his eyes.
And, that scruffy, unshaven chin.
Batman was no longer young; he had entered middle age.
His methods had also become somewhat more extreme, but only just. Some principles had changed, but some had not.
"Tony..." Batman's hand moved to his waist, preparing for something.
"I didn't come here to fight you, just to say goodbye to an old friend." As he spoke, Tony seemed to suddenly remember something. He opened a portal and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from somewhere.
He had quit smoking a long time ago. The last cigarette he'd had was the one he offered to Batman, who was about to retire.
Now, there was nothing stopping him from taking one out again.
"Want a smoke?" Tony asked.
"What the hell do you want?" Batman couldn't help but roar. "You killed the president of LexCorp on your own authority, and then you dug out his brain to conduct cruel research... Tony, you're a real bastard!"
"I don't want to argue about this. That guy, Lex Luthor, is a menace. He'll bring countless crises to Earth." Tony frowned, his gaze shifting to Batman's utility belt. "Besides..."
"You've preliminarily developed the Doomsday gene, haven't you? As I expected, you didn't destroy Lex Luthor's brain. Instead, you took my research and continued to develop it."
Tony shook his head. Letting Batman take Lex Luthor's brain in the first place had been a very important move. He had indeed considered letting Batman continue the research because that was just Batman's nature. Otherwise, he wouldn't have prepared all those various "anti-XX" armors.
Tony really didn't care about an inferior version of Doomsday. He was more concerned about Ancient Doomsday. The moment he arrived in Gotham City, he had already obtained the research results Batman had stored on his computer, which were of little value.
It would be impossible for Batman to develop Ancient Doomsday in such a short amount of time.
Without the Codex, without a large number of Kryptonian gene samples, and without massive amounts of human experimentation, developing even an inferior Doomsday would already be quite astounding.
"Just a reminder, you'd better not touch what's in your utility belt. You'll turn into a monster."
Tony used his abilities to observe it for a moment, then lost interest. An extremely unstable gene pattern, worthless.
He lit a cigarette, the flame starkly visible in the darkness.
(end of chapter)
Gotham City.
The sky remained densely overcast, a persistent drizzle falling, much like this complicated city itself.
Tony looked up at the sky. The annoying rain was still drizzling down. Tony didn't use an umbrella, nor did he use his power to avoid the rain. He walked through the downpour like an ordinary person, his clothes soaked through.
Night fell, and the city's dark side was revealed. Police sirens blared, chaotic crowds, furtive exchanges, and... the stench of sin.
"The only thing missing is the smell of blood." Tony pulled up the hood of his black robe, the large hood completely covering his head.
This city wasn't like this a few years ago, especially after Tony had given it a bloodbath.
The riots of the lower-class citizens, the influx of weapons, the flying bullets and corpses—all these gave this city of sin something it didn't have before.
A thick smell of blood, and a new life concealed beneath it.
But now the city was reverting to its state from seven years ago. The stench of sin was beginning to permeate the air again. Although it was far from being as thick and nauseating as it was seven years prior, it was definitely making a comeback.
Gotham City was Tony's final stop. He had to see some people.
The mayor's office was heavily guarded. After a busy day, the citizens' beloved mayor still hadn't gone home, sitting tiredly in his office, reviewing documents.
A spark flickered, and Tony appeared directly in the room, looking at the mayor, who now seemed more mature and steady.
"Thomas, you've done a good job these past few years. You even got re-elected." Tony smiled, and ignoring the dripping rainwater, he sat down on the sofa.
The mayor's pen paused. He looked up abruptly, a complex expression flashing across his face before being replaced by reverence. He immediately stood up and said respectfully to Tony, "Everything has been done according to your instructions."
Thomas Wayne, codenamed Owlman, was Bruce Wayne's younger brother. As an infant, the Wayne family believed he had died of an illness, but in reality, he was saved and secretly raised by the Court of Owls.
When Tony purged Gotham City, the Court of Owls chose to compromise with him, offering up Thomas as a bargaining chip.
Then Tony had Thomas assume a false identity to run for mayor, even injecting him with a brand-new super serum to cure him of the ill effects of the Dionysus Factor.
In seven years, he successfully won re-election by a landslide, nervously carrying out the duty Tony had given him: to monitor Batman.
"You're free, Thomas." Tony shook his head and said, "The freedom you wanted, I'm giving it to you. From this day forward, no one will ever order you to do something you don't want to do again."
Thomas trembled. He bowed his head deeply, his eyes revealing his excitement. He kept his head down, waiting, but there was no response for a long time. When he looked up in astonishment, Tony had already left quietly.
"Freedom...?" Thomas muttered, a sense of unexpected joy mixed with bewilderment. He gave a wry smile and sat back down in his seat.
After hesitating for a long time, Thomas once again began reviewing the documents, as serious as a true mayor.
In Gotham City under the veil of night, Tony moved like a phantom. He saw old Jack, whom he had praised for his "nice clothes," now decrepit with age. He saw the punk Anderson, whom he had beaten senseless, now with a few more scars and a vicious look on his face.
Familiar faces, strange faces.
The moonlight was blocked by dark clouds, and vast shadows fell over the area.
Batman, as always, was fulfilling his duty as Gotham City's guardian.
He knocked down a gang member with one punch, slammed him hard onto the ground, and then took out a flaming bat brand, pressing it fiercely onto the criminal's body.
"Aaargh!!!"
A shrill scream rang out. Smoke rose from the criminal's body, along with the smell of roasting meat. When Batman put away the bat brand, a bat-shaped scar had been seared onto the criminal's chest.
Just like the branding punishments in ancient prisons.
"Batman, you butcher!" the criminal cursed.
"Hopefully, this will teach you a lesson. Next time, it won't be this simple," Batman said in a hoarse voice. He knocked the criminal unconscious with a punch, tied him up securely, and bound him together with the other criminals he had knocked out and branded.
In a little while, the police would come and take them away.
Batman spread his wings, about to leave, when suddenly, he stopped. He looked toward the person in the shadows to his left, his gaze instantly becoming incredibly dangerous.
"Long time no see, Bruce." Tony stepped out of the shadows, not even glancing at the wretches on the ground.
He sized up the more imposing Batman. Years of arduous training had made Batman's physique surpass that of his youth, making him even more intimidating.
A more restrained demeanor, a deeper gaze in his eyes.
And, that scruffy, unshaven chin.
Batman was no longer young; he had entered middle age.
His methods had also become somewhat more extreme, but only just. Some principles had changed, but some had not.
"Tony..." Batman's hand moved to his waist, preparing for something.
"I didn't come here to fight you, just to say goodbye to an old friend." As he spoke, Tony seemed to suddenly remember something. He opened a portal and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from somewhere.
He had quit smoking a long time ago. The last cigarette he'd had was the one he offered to Batman, who was about to retire.
Now, there was nothing stopping him from taking one out again.
"Want a smoke?" Tony asked.
"What the hell do you want?" Batman couldn't help but roar. "You killed the president of LexCorp on your own authority, and then you dug out his brain to conduct cruel research... Tony, you're a real bastard!"
"I don't want to argue about this. That guy, Lex Luthor, is a menace. He'll bring countless crises to Earth." Tony frowned, his gaze shifting to Batman's utility belt. "Besides..."
"You've preliminarily developed the Doomsday gene, haven't you? As I expected, you didn't destroy Lex Luthor's brain. Instead, you took my research and continued to develop it."
Tony shook his head. Letting Batman take Lex Luthor's brain in the first place had been a very important move. He had indeed considered letting Batman continue the research because that was just Batman's nature. Otherwise, he wouldn't have prepared all those various "anti-XX" armors.
Tony really didn't care about an inferior version of Doomsday. He was more concerned about Ancient Doomsday. The moment he arrived in Gotham City, he had already obtained the research results Batman had stored on his computer, which were of little value.
It would be impossible for Batman to develop Ancient Doomsday in such a short amount of time.
Without the Codex, without a large number of Kryptonian gene samples, and without massive amounts of human experimentation, developing even an inferior Doomsday would already be quite astounding.
"Just a reminder, you'd better not touch what's in your utility belt. You'll turn into a monster."
Tony used his abilities to observe it for a moment, then lost interest. An extremely unstable gene pattern, worthless.
He lit a cigarette, the flame starkly visible in the darkness.
(end of chapter)
