Chapter 212: Restoring the Riddler's Glory, It Is Our Duty (Moon)

The Riddler is probably feeling a bit unwell.

At this moment, this should be the consensus among all the super-villains in the hall, which is quite understandable—what was supposed to be a crushing victory with a huge advantage, actually unfolded exactly as expected, and the situation was about to turn into a complete triumph within moments. For the Riddler, who prides himself on his intelligence, the process of winning from a thousand li away must have been exhilarating enough to shoot straight to the crown of his skull.

And most importantly, his great enemy was finally about to personally hand him victory today, or death; either result was something the Riddler could fully accept.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not talking about Batman, I'm talking about the Perverted Bicycle Hero; Batman would at most break a dozen of his bones, but the Perverted Bicycle Hero would make him lose all dignity—he wasn't even a selectable enemy target, he followed all of the Riddler's plans and arrangements, and showed him what true strategic patience was, what ultimate survival instinct was.

In any case, just as the Riddler was about to welcome his great victory, the situation suddenly underwent a small change: Batman appeared.

So he said to everyone: "It doesn't matter; even if it's not a complete victory, trading Killer Croc for the Ventriloquist is acceptable; at least Two-Face and the Perverted Bicycle Hero can withdraw."

Then, Batman saw through Croc's scheme and immediately used his grappling gun to quickly grab Harvey Dent.

It's fine, he thought to himself; judging by the current situation, it's basically impossible for Batman to miss the Perverted Bicycle Hero; let's just say we traded Killer Croc and Two-Face for the Ventriloquist and the Perverted Bicycle Hero.

This exchange wasn't a loss.

And then, Croc actually reacted; he directly caught the second grappling shot and smashed through the wall, carving out an escape route for Ma Ma Zhaodi.

Everyone secretly turned their gaze toward the Riddler; at this moment, he suddenly stopped speaking and just silently sat back down in his chair.

Crack—

He lit a cigarette for himself; amidst the swirling smoke, everyone else fell silent as well.

Just then, the sound of a subordinate's report rang out.

"Boss, the Perverted Bicycle Hero is back again."

"Tell him to get lost."

"Uh," the subordinate hesitated: "Boss, he said the mission is already complete; if we tell him to get lost right now, won't that hurt him too much?"

"Hurt your *head!"

The Riddler suddenly flew into a rage and hurled the phone away; this sudden outburst of anger instantly made the subordinate tremble with fear, and he immediately broke into a small run out the door.

"Meeting adjourned."

After coldly tossing out those two words, the Riddler left the hall.

"As the war between the Joker and the Riddler continues, the Park District, the Upper West Side, and the East Side of Gotham City remain extremely dangerous. But what deserves our attention is that recent bloodshed has decreased significantly; the medical pressure on Gotham General Hospital has dropped sharply. Everything indicates that the situation is improving; this city still has hope, still has a future."

"What's there to say about this? I told you long ago, Bill, this war is about choosing a side; only when one side defeats the other can we avoid more deaths—Bruce Wayne was rare in being smart; without his donations, these three districts would still be meat grinders to this day."

"Oh? According to that logic, why is Batman able to simultaneously contend with super-criminals from both sides with his own strength? Frank, look at this news: just last night, Batman first captured the Joker's super-criminal 'Ventriloquist' in a building, then captured the Riddler's subordinate Two-Face, and Killer Croc—and he hasn't joined either side."

"I know what you're going to say, Bill; you're just a fanatic of Batman, praising him day and night. Didn't Killer Croc and Two-Face subdue the Ventriloquist first yesterday? Batman merely reaped the benefits of others' labor; in reality, he was originally an illegal criminal himself; if he had already joined one side, perhaps the war would already be over."

"And you are a narrow-minded fool, Frank; even if Batman is truly saving people, in your eyes he is still a 'criminal'; but in fact, all Gotham citizens know he is providing security for the Kite Man's rescue operations; the two of them cannot walk the same path as criminals like the Joker and the Riddler."

"Today, let's probably discuss the follow-up plans."

The next day, the Riddler, his complexion restored, sat in his seat and assigned tasks with his usual expression.

"Although Batman has caused us some trouble, he at least captured the Ventriloquist last night and took away the thugs from that neighborhood; now, the Joker's subordinates are left with only Man-Bat, Mr. Freeze, the Mad Hatter, Solomon Grundy, and that former Falcone lackey, the Penguin."

"We have more people than them, which is obvious; so now we hold the advantage, and we must further expand this advantage—Thor."

Ma Ma Zhaodi immediately stood up: "Boss, I'm here."

If not for that reply, the Riddler might have been a bit happier; now, his face, like the Joker's, had lost its usual smile.

"You have already executed four missions and are very familiar with this kind of thing; this time, I am entrusting you with an important mission."

"What mission?"

"I have obtained some intelligence on the Joker's camp; the reason he can still control part of the Upper West Side with a few remaining troops is because he has the Mad Hatter, Tetch, among his subordinates; relying on Tetch's mind-control device, he has mentally controlled and hypnotically suggested a large number of Falcone family thugs; this means that without the Mad Hatter, he will have absolutely no thugs left under him."

"Do you still plan to send me as an informant?"

"That's right; I order you to depart immediately to deal with the Mad Hatter, Jervis Tetch; capture him and bring him to me, or kill him directly; as long as he is eliminated, there will be no doubt about the outcome of this war."

"Wait, what about my teammates?"

"You go alone; the Mad Hatter is just a crazy man who can hypnotize; you just need to shoot him once, and he will no longer be able to pose any threat to you—I trust your marksmanship."

"Uh, but if I get taken out by him—"

"Don't be a coward, Thor." The Riddler's face suddenly turned extremely gloomy: "My patience with you has reached its limit; if you want to disobey my orders, you know the consequences."

The surrounding super-criminals nodded in agreement and all gazed together at the Perverted Bicycle Hero.

In their view, at this very moment, the fact that the Riddler hadn't directly drawn his gun and blown Ma Ma Zhaodi away already showed he was quite rational.

"Alright, alright, but if Batman shows up, you must allow me to retreat."

"I'll give you triple the bonus."

"Restore the glory of the Riddler; it is our duty!"

(End of this chapter)