Chapter 227: All-In Is a Kind of Wisdom

The Man-Bat summarized the reason he had become this way to Ma Ma Zhaodi in a single sentence.

"I messed up, that's all."

"Sounds like you're playing it down."

"The truth isn't like that, but it makes me feel better in my own heart."

"Alright. So, you used the serum on yourself, and only then discovered it had a problem?"

"No, I knew from the start it wasn't fully developed, I knew it still had flaws, I had to do this, some mistakes happened because of me, and I could only make up for them by drinking the serum."

Ma Ma Zhaodi shook his head: "But the cost is far too high, just like this morning, you couldn't even speak a human word, like a beast barely retaining its sanity."

"Believe me, you haven't seen my worst side yet," the Man-Bat replied. "Since drinking the potion, my reason has been locked in a standoff against my beastly instincts; I myself am in a dazed state, rarely clear-headed, unable to maintain sanity."

"You're not even red-haired."

"In any case, if you see me starting to go mad, stay as far away from me as possible; in that state, my wild nature completely takes over, and I cannot distinguish friend from foe."

"You're right," Ma Ma Zhaodi agreed wholeheartedly. "Rest assured, if it were about other things, I might have little confidence, but when it comes to staying alive, I am an expert among experts—however, if we follow that logic, you really don't need to be a villain; if you locked yourself up like Batman, at least you wouldn't have to worry about hurting people anymore, right?"

"No, I... I seem unable to leave that potion anymore; it is addictive, and the addiction is very strong. Most importantly, if I don't help the Joker, my wife will be in danger; she is my beloved, I cannot let her get hurt because of me."

"Alright, that is truly a dilemma. Help the Joker, and you must continue being a villain; don't help him, and your wife is in danger; the Riddler's men will only kill, so you cannot lose either, right?"

"Yes, super-villains all kill people, hmm? Wait."

"Langstrom, have you reached the designated location?"

The voice of Mr. Freeze coming from the communicator interrupted the two's conversation; he issued a warning: "If not, you must hurry; time is running out, and the enemy forces are about to arrive."

"We have arrived, Fries," the Man-Bat responded. "I am currently in the airspace over the surrounding area, but I have not seen the forces you mentioned."

"There will be," Mr. Freeze replied. "You should detect an entire platoon; at that time, you will need to provide aerial—oh, has Thor's control not been activated yet?"

"Indeed not," the Man-Bat answered truthfully.

"No!"

Ma Ma Zhaodi could only manage a wail before falling silent.

"Did you press that button?"

"That's right—listen, perverted bicycle hero, from now on, you must act in accordance with Langstrom's orders; if he does not issue an order, you are free to improvise."

"Yes."

Hearing the mechanical and indifferent reply, the Man-Bat thought that the Mad Hatter's hat was no different from witchcraft.

He landed on the ground and set Ma Ma Zhaodi down; his usual means were a bicycle and a pistol, so keeping him flying constantly would prevent him from utilizing his advantages.

"Good luck to us, friend," the Doctor thought to himself; if we are lucky enough tonight, perhaps we will all have a chance to escape this situation where we have no control over our own fate.

But when he flew back into the sky, he discovered a new figure had appeared in the heavens.

He wore steel flight armor, the visor's eyes emitting a faint green luminescence like fireflies, holding a small flamethrower shaped like a pistol in his hand; several incendiary and gasoline bombs were mounted externally on the armor, and a pair of insect-wing-shaped steel wings were on his back; looking closely, one could see they were a pair of dual-wing jetpacks.

Ma Ma Zhaodi also looked up at the sky; obviously, that flamethrower and that flight armor were both homemade by Garfield—you said you had this ability long ago, why did you need to run over there?

"Garfield Lynn," the Man-Bat whispered. "The person coming tonight was unexpected; Mr. Freeze's intelligence was mistaken."

"There is something even more unexpected for you, Langstrom," the armored Firefly flew in the air, a wild and unrestrained scream coming from beneath the visor: "After tonight, you will not only lose the Man-Bat, but you will also lose the Mad Hatter!"

Wait, Ma Ma Zhaodi thought, who will fill the gap left by Mr. Freeze that I'm missing?

And above the sky, the two's conversation continued.

"You have stretched the front line too far, Garfield; there are few people available on either side; if you fail, you will be utterly defeated."

"But if you succeed, you can turn the tables and counterattack!" Firefly sneered. "Haven't you already fallen for my trap? You even brought the perverted bicycle hero; do you still think you can win against me?"

What does "even" mean? Ma Ma Zhaodi felt indignant in his heart; this guy simply doesn't know how to use conjunctions.

"It's two of us against one of you, Garfield; I have the beast's combat instincts, and Thor is a sharpshooter; you are just a former firefighter, what can you do?"

"Fool, you know nothing; I am a pyrotechnician, not some firefighter—and you will soon experience the taste of burning flesh!"

A pyrotechnician?

Ma Ma Zhaodi frowned; what that gang said was indeed unreliable; he had almost gotten Firefly's origin wrong.

However, given the DC reboot timeline and the attitude towards storylines being like playing with plasticine, who could determine that one version of Firefly's origin wouldn't be a firefighter?

While he was thinking, the Man-Bat and Firefly in the sky had already begun fighting; the giant bat suddenly pounced on the flying insect-like steel armor. The serum had granted Langstrom sharp claws and terrifying muscular strength; this strike tore out glaring sparks on the armor's outer layer and sent him flying directly away.

Firefly's armor protection was quite good; although five sharp scratches appeared on the chest armor, even slightly deforming it, he himself seemed unharmed. Using the high-pressure airflow from the wings on his back, he quickly adjusted his position, flying backward while raising his hand to draw the flamethrower, aiming it at the Man-Bat pursuing him instinctively from the front and pulling the trigger.

Whoosh—whoosh—

In the pitch-black night sky, a bright, scorching flame stream suddenly appeared; the raging firelight shone directly into the Man-Bat's eyes as he pursued forward; this sudden, piercing light was merely enough to make Ma Ma Zhaodi blink and frown, but in the eyes of the Man-Bat, who possessed certain bat characteristics, it was a high-flash stun grenade.

"Squeak!"

The intense light seemed to drill directly into the Man-Bat's brain; under the strong dizziness and discomfort, his forward-charging body immediately halted. And a moment later, Firefly's high-temperature flames swept over.

(End of Chapter)