Chapter 2439: The Cape Struggle (IV)

Poison Ivy stood before the floor-to-ceiling window; a vine suddenly shot out from in front of the bookshelf, and Poison Ivy whipped around, freezing for a moment when she saw the figure standing in the darkness.

"Batman? I should be happy to say, you're still not dead?"

"You know I don't die that easily." Batman emerged from the shadows for once, yet still kept his cape wrapped tightly around himself, looking like an elegant gargoyle perched on a church eave.

"However, regrettably, I am not the Batman you know." Batman shook his head slightly and said, "Regarding that portal underground, I think there are some things you need to tell me."

Poison Ivy's expression stiffened slightly; she parted her lips a little, then pressed her deep-red lips together again and said, "So that was a portal?"

"When did you discover it?"

"A long time ago." Poison Ivy sighed softly and told Batman anyway, "Back then the Joker was still alive — I mean he hadn't died yet — someone was giving me trouble, and when I drove them back with vines, I accidentally discovered a mysterious basement directly beneath Wayne Tower; the portal you speak of is inside it."

"But believe it or not, I never examined it closely, and I never mentioned it to anyone."

"Why?"

"Obviously, that was most likely Batman's handiwork, wasn't it?" Poison Ivy said, "He suddenly wanted to expand his base with another basement level and placed a weird device inside — what need was there to investigate further?"

Batman understood; he said, "Then have you ever seen it activated?"

"I don't know if that counts as activation, but just a few days ago it started emitting a strange radiation, an eerie dark power that severely affected the root systems of nearby plants and the groundwater."

"I thought it was a radiation leak from a Batman experiment accident, so I sought him out, hoping he'd deal with it quickly, otherwise it would surely cause large-scale environmental pollution."

"You're saying that before the incident, he already knew it was a portal?" Batman narrowed his eyes.

Poison Ivy shook her head and said, "At the time I didn't think it was a portal, and I didn't know whether he knew it was a portal."

Batman, however, knew the other Batman well, because if someone placed a strange object on his turf that kept emitting radiation, he would certainly find a way to determine what it was.

Since he had already made preparations, the Arkham Batman would not be killed so easily; he was more likely trapped right now.

"The portal will open again." Batman told Poison Ivy with certainty, "Many evil things will pour out from there."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Some delaying measures." Batman said, "If a large horde of monsters appears, wipe out as much of their fighting strength as possible; if it's a single monster, delay its advance to the surface."

"And then you'll have a way to destroy them?"

"There will be a way inside Wayne Tower." Batman said, "If the other Batman realized it was a portal, he must have set up some safety precautions."

"But they had zero effect." Poison Ivy challenged, "Otherwise how would that guy have made it to the Capitol?"

Batman knew Poison Ivy meant the Batman Who Laughs, but he still insisted on his view and said, "He's their leader, naturally special; I'm more inclined to think he used some means to conceal himself so he never triggered the security alarms in the first place."

"Looks like you're going to adjust the defense systems." Poison Ivy guessed his next move and said, "I can help you, even call in more people, and all you have to do is promise me you won't let that damn big-headed punk brat actually take over Gotham — that would be a disaster."

Batman's gaze fell on the sky outside the floor-to-ceiling window; it was twilight again, but this city's Gotham was exceptionally gloomy, its buildings and streets lacking a few degrees of the heavy historical sedimentation of his home, and possessing much more of the coldness of technology and machinery.

The Batman Who Laughs must already be eager to complete yet another coronation atop Gotham's ruins, and the preparations and arrangements the Arkham Batman made beforehand prevented him from being easily killed, buying time against the Batman Who Laughs.

And what Batman and all reinforcements must do is prepare a feast for him before the Batman Who Laughs arrives, warmly welcome his coming, and present a spectacular fireworks display for his coronation ceremony.

After Batman left, Poison Ivy still stood quietly by the window, listening to the news broadcast one dead superhero name after another, acting indifferent.

She merely looked with slight worry at the few patches of green left in Gotham City — those flowers striving with all their might to thrive in such a harsh environment — they must not lose the sunlight they fought so hard to win because of humanity's malicious intentions; she would exert every effort to prevent that from happening.

Poison Ivy suddenly saw the originally clear glass below begin to blur; faint mist climbed up the window frame until it spread across the entire pane.

Poison Ivy frowned slightly; she instinctively reached out to wipe the glass, then discovered the mist was on the outside.

The next second, the mist abruptly surged toward her; Poison Ivy instinctively blocked with her arm, but found the mist passed through her; she turned back and saw the dense fog condense into a figure behind her.

Countless vines surged out along every wall; just as the tip of the nearest vine was about to pierce into the dense fog, the tip of a black umbrella pointed straight at Poison Ivy's forehead.

The mist dispersed; Poison Ivy's eyes widened slightly; she saw a gray-eyed man, face somewhat familiar — Poison Ivy remembered she seemed to have seen him somewhere, but should never have truly crossed paths with him, so the impression wasn't deep.

"Who are you?"

Shiler folded his umbrella, not even glancing at the vines above his head, set the umbrella upright before him, hands resting on the handle, and looked straight at Poison Ivy: "My name is Shiler. Where is Batman?"

"He just left." Poison Ivy wore an I-knew-it expression; she shook her head and said, "You don't look like his enemy, so I'll tell you — barring accidents, he should be headed to Wayne Tower."

Shiler didn't rush to leave; he said, "I need some of your neurotoxin, the higher the concentration the better."

"What are you planning?" Poison Ivy frowned and said, "You're not thinking of using that to take down Batman, are you?"

"Of course not; you know that's impossible. I'll disperse the neurotoxin across all of Gotham through the fog, anesthetize the citizens first, then transport them out."

Poison Ivy slowly opened her mouth; she looked Shiler up and down, glanced to the side, then looked back, shook her head gently and said, "Do you have a student named Peter Parker? He came here a while back and spent a crazy night here."

Shiler nodded lightly and said, "I'm extremely proud of him."

"Proud my ass!" Poison Ivy raised her voice and shouted, "It's you who taught him to destroy Gotham before criminals destroy Gotham so the criminals can't succeed, right?! He nearly destroyed Gotham overnight! Twice!"

"That's why I say I'm extremely proud of him."

Poison Ivy covered her eyes, let out a long sigh, shoulders drooping; she planted one hand on her hip and waved the other vigorously: "Get out get out get out! I don't have what you want, don't come bother me!"

"I see." Shiler showed no surprise; he said, "Seems Peter's actions left you with quite a psychological shadow, but I still maintain this is a special method for special times, and in my view it hardly counts as extreme measures."

"This hardly counts as extreme measures?! Do you know what he did that night?!!"

"Of course, I observed the whole process." Shiler's attitude remained calm, tone flat: "Objectively speaking, his plan was formulated quite well, but execution was slightly impatient; considering the pressure he faced, this performance was already quite good."

"What does that count as?" Poison Ivy spread her hands and asked, "An entrance exam for antisocial maniacs? Don't tell me you people have a club."

Shiler fell silent.

Poison Ivy narrowed her eyes.

After a long while, she could only sigh again, turn around, walk back to the sofa and sit down: "If you want to anesthetize the whole city like Peter and send them out to guarantee their safety, I think there's no need for you to go to the extra trouble."

"After the citizens were sent out last time, the timid ones basically packed up their families and fled; after all, Gotham has Wayne Enterprises, the economy's not bad, it's a big city, housing prices are high, selling the house and moving elsewhere isn't hard — even the bottom-dwellers in the slums can go live in small villages around Bludhaven."

"Gotham has no walls, and it's not a whirlpool that forces people in; those who come back after experiencing all this are either lunatics or doing it for their assets, already unafraid of death — you have no obligation to guarantee their safety; even if you send them out, they'll just come back again."

"I'm not doing it to guarantee their safety." Shiler stroked the umbrella shaft gently and said, "Chasing prey, listening to screams, appreciating blood and death, feeling the fear of one's kind — that's slaughter; hauling a 100-plus-pound piece of meat from the muddy ground, beside a trash can, from a cramped room and putting a knife to it — that's butchery."

"The Batman Who Laughs wants to come to Gotham for a grand slaughter, only to find the living people who would run, scream, and bleed have turned into unmoving dead meat — guess how disappointed he'll be?"

"You're doing this just to disappoint him?"

"Why else?"

Poison Ivy stared at Shiler speechlessly; Shiler added reluctantly, "As long as he's disgusted, he'll inevitably investigate who ruined his fun."

"You want him to come find you?"

"This is what I'm most worried about right now." Shiler sighed and said: "I don't know why, but they're all more interested in Batman, but I think he can do more good for the world with me."

"You sound like some kind of psychopathic lunatic... you're not, are you?"

Shiler remained silent.

"No, I won't give it to you." Poison Ivy shook her head and said: "Don't look at me like that. Even if you knock me out now, or even dissect me, you still won't get what you want, because I don't have it."

Poison Ivy then looked at Shiler's expression and said speechlessly: "You think neurotoxin is what, my hair? That it grows back every few days?"

"The neurotoxin used to anesthetize the entire city before was provided by me, and the serum used to neutralize the residual poison was also provided by me. Where would I get that much toxin?"