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"Bruce, I know you've been influenced by Tony, thinking that killing and bloodshed can solve problems—"
"Shut up, I've never been influenced by that guy! I'm just looking for the most effective way to save this decaying city!" Batman cursed in a hoarse voice.
Yes, Gotham City was decaying. All sorts of super-criminals were emerging one after another, leaving even someone as determined as Batman exhausted just trying to keep up.
Then, he started killing.
Although not directly, face-to-face, like smashing a throat with a punch or blowing a head off with a gunshot. He mostly used indirect methods—like shooting the gas tank of a speeding car.
As for whether the criminals in the car died... that was no longer a problem Batman needed to concern himself with.
Tony's ideology was influencing him, or to be more precise, cruel reality was forcing him to change his old ways of thinking.
Eight years ago, Tony came to Gotham City and went on a killing spree, wiping out the local gangs, distributing weapons to the poor, and inciting them to start a revolution.
After that, Gotham City was stable for five years. Its crime rate was among the lowest in the United States, making it one of the safest cities and creating a miracle of public order. The mayor Tony had installed at the time even received a medal from the President.
Then, it gradually descended into chaos again.
Batman suited up once more, believing Tony's methods had failed. He intended to manage the city his own way, but the situation not only failed to improve, it decayed day by day.
The revolving door of criminals—caught, released, and caught again—meticulously plotted against him time after time. Each failure meant a trip to prison to analyze their mistakes. Once their analysis was complete, they would break out again to test their new criminal methods on Batman.
This made Batman doubt his old ideals, and his methods gradually became harsher, subtly drifting closer to Tony's style.
But even this couldn't stop the rising crime rate. The city of sin had returned, becoming the same damn mess it was eight years ago.
His increasingly brutal methods violated the law and drew criticism from the "overly compassionate" experts, successfully attracting the attention of the nearby Superman.
And then, the two of them started fighting.
Currently, Batman was able to beat Superman down thanks to the Kryptonite he had excavated from the seabed. But without the Kryptonite, he couldn't harm Superman in the slightest.
"Violence won't solve this city's problems, Bruce. Stop this. Let's try another way," Superman said, staring at Batman.
"You should be saying that to the Avengers. Their way of dealing with criminals is to kill them. But first, you'll have to talk to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the various governments. Tell all the world leaders not to kill criminals, and only then will the Avengers listen to you," Batman mocked.
The Avengers' situation was complicated. They were hired by the government to resolve crises, and in the process, they would kill a few criminals along the way.
Although the Avengers, under Tony's leadership, had already left S.H.I.E.L.D. after the Chitauri incident to become a private organization, everyone knew this was just for show. The Avengers were still under the supervision of and in cooperation with the government.
They were essentially killing with a license, no different from the police or soldiers.
"I will negotiate with them, Bruce. The Avengers act as official partners of the authorities. Although their methods are extreme, they haven't broken the law. But what are you doing now? Taking the law into your own hands? You've seriously violated the very laws you claim to uphold. You've been influenced by Tony's ideology."
Superman persisted, saying gravely, "I'm building a new league, different from the Avengers, one that will act as a truly private entity, independently and freely protecting the safety of Earth. It's precisely because of this that I hold myself to a stricter standard. I cannot use extrajudicial means to kill people."
"I want you to join me. I want you on my team. The Justice League needs your wisdom," Clark said with sincerity.
Batman paused, his mind momentarily blank. The guy he was just trading blows with a few minutes ago now wanted to talk about cooperation?
And he wanted to form a new league, different from the Avengers?
All sorts of plots and schemes flashed through his mind. Subconsciously, Batman's mind raced, trying to figure out if some unknown, terrible conspiracy was hidden behind Clark's words.
But he couldn't detect anything wrong.
According to his research, this was just who Superman was... immensely powerful yet gentle, punishing evil and promoting good, and incredibly magnanimous.
It's just... why did this feel so awkward? Batman had never encountered an opponent like Superman before.
"Here, take this back. I hope you'll use it wisely. If one day I change, use this to kill me." Clark pressed the Kryptonite gun into Batman's hand.
Batman's expression stiffened. He looked down at the gun in his hand, loaded with a Kryptonite gas canister. With just a twitch of his finger, he could fire a new canister and take Superman down for good.
"...I understand. I will seriously consider what you've said."
Something within Batman was stirred. He fell silent for a moment, then put the gun away. He was truly at a loss as to how to deal with this kind of person, and he couldn't bring himself to attack again.
Just then, the voice of Green Arrow, who had been lying in ambush, came through Batman's earpiece—and Superman heard it too with his super-hearing.
"Guys, now is not the time for you two to be discussing your ideals... I've just received a highest-level alert from the Avengers! A powerful enemy has invaded Earth!"
The voice of Green Arrow, who had been brought in by Batman for backup, was panicked. As one of The Flash Barry Allen's best friends and life mentors, Green Arrow also had a good real-world relationship with Batman, and their companies had many business dealings.
In fact, Green Arrow had a small piece of Kryptonite tied to his arrowhead, which had been aimed at Superman the whole time just in case.
But the terrible news Tony had sent him had completely disrupted all their plans. The fight between Batman and Superman was insignificant in the face of a powerful enemy.
Green Arrow's shrill voice cried out: "It's Apokolips! Enemies from Apokolips have invaded Earth!!!"
The moment his voice fell, a loud buzzing sound suddenly erupted, extremely piercing in the rainy night.
Shadowy figures flew in at astonishing speed, casting a vast darkness against the already gloomy night sky.
That uniquely heavy and oppressive feeling of Apokolips descended upon Earth once more, suffocating people from a great distance.
This time, they brought true apocalypse and despair.
"Prepare for battle immediately! Alfred, contact the Avengers! I need detailed intel on the enemy!"
Batman said quickly, then turned his head to Superman and tossed out, "Looks like I'll have to team up with you after all."
Superman used his super-vision to look at the cloud-like Parademon Army. He could see through to the biological tissues inside the Parademons, and the enemy's powerful physical structure made his expression turn grim.
"This time, we don't have a Guardian," Superman said gravely.
In the original version of the Batman v Superman comic released decades ago, Batman also brought in Green Arrow for backup.
(end of chapter)
"Shut up, I've never been influenced by that guy! I'm just looking for the most effective way to save this decaying city!" Batman cursed in a hoarse voice.
Yes, Gotham City was decaying. All sorts of super-criminals were emerging one after another, leaving even someone as determined as Batman exhausted just trying to keep up.
Then, he started killing.
Although not directly, face-to-face, like smashing a throat with a punch or blowing a head off with a gunshot. He mostly used indirect methods—like shooting the gas tank of a speeding car.
As for whether the criminals in the car died... that was no longer a problem Batman needed to concern himself with.
Tony's ideology was influencing him, or to be more precise, cruel reality was forcing him to change his old ways of thinking.
Eight years ago, Tony came to Gotham City and went on a killing spree, wiping out the local gangs, distributing weapons to the poor, and inciting them to start a revolution.
After that, Gotham City was stable for five years. Its crime rate was among the lowest in the United States, making it one of the safest cities and creating a miracle of public order. The mayor Tony had installed at the time even received a medal from the President.
Then, it gradually descended into chaos again.
Batman suited up once more, believing Tony's methods had failed. He intended to manage the city his own way, but the situation not only failed to improve, it decayed day by day.
The revolving door of criminals—caught, released, and caught again—meticulously plotted against him time after time. Each failure meant a trip to prison to analyze their mistakes. Once their analysis was complete, they would break out again to test their new criminal methods on Batman.
This made Batman doubt his old ideals, and his methods gradually became harsher, subtly drifting closer to Tony's style.
But even this couldn't stop the rising crime rate. The city of sin had returned, becoming the same damn mess it was eight years ago.
His increasingly brutal methods violated the law and drew criticism from the "overly compassionate" experts, successfully attracting the attention of the nearby Superman.
And then, the two of them started fighting.
Currently, Batman was able to beat Superman down thanks to the Kryptonite he had excavated from the seabed. But without the Kryptonite, he couldn't harm Superman in the slightest.
"Violence won't solve this city's problems, Bruce. Stop this. Let's try another way," Superman said, staring at Batman.
"You should be saying that to the Avengers. Their way of dealing with criminals is to kill them. But first, you'll have to talk to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the various governments. Tell all the world leaders not to kill criminals, and only then will the Avengers listen to you," Batman mocked.
The Avengers' situation was complicated. They were hired by the government to resolve crises, and in the process, they would kill a few criminals along the way.
Although the Avengers, under Tony's leadership, had already left S.H.I.E.L.D. after the Chitauri incident to become a private organization, everyone knew this was just for show. The Avengers were still under the supervision of and in cooperation with the government.
They were essentially killing with a license, no different from the police or soldiers.
"I will negotiate with them, Bruce. The Avengers act as official partners of the authorities. Although their methods are extreme, they haven't broken the law. But what are you doing now? Taking the law into your own hands? You've seriously violated the very laws you claim to uphold. You've been influenced by Tony's ideology."
Superman persisted, saying gravely, "I'm building a new league, different from the Avengers, one that will act as a truly private entity, independently and freely protecting the safety of Earth. It's precisely because of this that I hold myself to a stricter standard. I cannot use extrajudicial means to kill people."
"I want you to join me. I want you on my team. The Justice League needs your wisdom," Clark said with sincerity.
Batman paused, his mind momentarily blank. The guy he was just trading blows with a few minutes ago now wanted to talk about cooperation?
And he wanted to form a new league, different from the Avengers?
All sorts of plots and schemes flashed through his mind. Subconsciously, Batman's mind raced, trying to figure out if some unknown, terrible conspiracy was hidden behind Clark's words.
But he couldn't detect anything wrong.
According to his research, this was just who Superman was... immensely powerful yet gentle, punishing evil and promoting good, and incredibly magnanimous.
It's just... why did this feel so awkward? Batman had never encountered an opponent like Superman before.
"Here, take this back. I hope you'll use it wisely. If one day I change, use this to kill me." Clark pressed the Kryptonite gun into Batman's hand.
Batman's expression stiffened. He looked down at the gun in his hand, loaded with a Kryptonite gas canister. With just a twitch of his finger, he could fire a new canister and take Superman down for good.
"...I understand. I will seriously consider what you've said."
Something within Batman was stirred. He fell silent for a moment, then put the gun away. He was truly at a loss as to how to deal with this kind of person, and he couldn't bring himself to attack again.
Just then, the voice of Green Arrow, who had been lying in ambush, came through Batman's earpiece—and Superman heard it too with his super-hearing.
"Guys, now is not the time for you two to be discussing your ideals... I've just received a highest-level alert from the Avengers! A powerful enemy has invaded Earth!"
The voice of Green Arrow, who had been brought in by Batman for backup, was panicked. As one of The Flash Barry Allen's best friends and life mentors, Green Arrow also had a good real-world relationship with Batman, and their companies had many business dealings.
In fact, Green Arrow had a small piece of Kryptonite tied to his arrowhead, which had been aimed at Superman the whole time just in case.
But the terrible news Tony had sent him had completely disrupted all their plans. The fight between Batman and Superman was insignificant in the face of a powerful enemy.
Green Arrow's shrill voice cried out: "It's Apokolips! Enemies from Apokolips have invaded Earth!!!"
The moment his voice fell, a loud buzzing sound suddenly erupted, extremely piercing in the rainy night.
Shadowy figures flew in at astonishing speed, casting a vast darkness against the already gloomy night sky.
That uniquely heavy and oppressive feeling of Apokolips descended upon Earth once more, suffocating people from a great distance.
This time, they brought true apocalypse and despair.
"Prepare for battle immediately! Alfred, contact the Avengers! I need detailed intel on the enemy!"
Batman said quickly, then turned his head to Superman and tossed out, "Looks like I'll have to team up with you after all."
Superman used his super-vision to look at the cloud-like Parademon Army. He could see through to the biological tissues inside the Parademons, and the enemy's powerful physical structure made his expression turn grim.
"This time, we don't have a Guardian," Superman said gravely.
In the original version of the Batman v Superman comic released decades ago, Batman also brought in Green Arrow for backup.
(end of chapter)
