Chapter 4 The Night Continues...

The night continued...

At this moment, beneath the high platform of Bat Castle, a large crowd gathered once more.

In the past, their sole purpose in coming here was to worship. But tonight, they had come to demand bloodshed.

"Hand over the Bat!" "Kill the liar!" "Bring him out!" Shouts rose and fell in the crowd.

They were angry, they were impassioned, they were impulsive, they were insane.

All of this... began with the smiling face logo in the sky. That smile seemed to possess a kind of magic, planting rebellious emotions in the depths of everyone's heart. And Feng Bujue's excellent speech became the final catalyst.

"Sir, the situation is about to spiral out of control." On the high platform, a Robin ran quickly to Gordon's side and reported, "There are too many people surrounding the castle. Our forces simply aren't enough..." He paused for a second, the expression on his face turning strange. "They haven't launched a frontal assault yet, but it's only a matter of time. Once they start..."

"Alright, you don't need to specifically report these things to me." The_Bruce's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting the Robin's narration.

The Robin was startled when he heard this. He quickly turned his head and discovered that the_Bruce was standing two meters away from him. "S-sorry, sir. I didn't see you..."

"I know," the_Bruce said. "I'm testing the optical camouflage function of this armor." He slowly stepped forward, his tone as calm as ever. "Looks pretty good."

"You should go back to your post," Gordon finally said, signaling the Robin to withdraw. After the latter left, Gordon turned to Bruce and said, "It seems... we underestimated the Joker's ability to incite."

"Hmm... not entirely," the_Bruce mused. "It's actually that the tastes of this mob have changed... After so many years of staged performances, they've gradually forgotten my true strength. These people are tired of the blood of those so-called super criminals... They want my blood."

"But we still hold absolute superiority in terms of troop strength," Gordon continued. "Those rabble don't have airships or armored vehicles, let alone any heavy weapons..."

The_Bruce replied, "Hmph... superior troop strength? Only a little over a thousand men in total. And among them... who knows how many... have already entertained the thought of opposing me." He paused. "Although the city's population has declined and experienced negative growth due to years of war, there are still nearly a million people. That communications soldier was right. Our forces simply aren't enough. Even if our people can take out ten for one, or even a hundred for one, it won't make a difference."

Hearing this, a strange thought flashed through Gordon's mind, but he remained outwardly impassive.

"Belief," the_Bruce continued, "is the most solid bulwark. If their belief collapses, then they will tear me, this 'god,' to pieces and elect a new one—just like I did before." He snorted coldly. "Hmph... in this game, that 'Joker' has gained the absolute upper hand. He's very powerful... and his power isn't just in his skills. His schemes and courage are even more surprising to me. However..." He then changed the subject. "...no matter how strong the advantage, before it becomes a tangible victory, there is still the possibility of a reversal."

At this point, the cunning King of Gotham had already come up with a countermeasure.

"Gordon..." the_Bruce said, "I've thought of a plan..." He looked at the other man. "But I need your help."

Gordon's expression changed slightly. After a moment of deliberation, he replied, "I will certainly do my best, Master."

"You will replace me," the_Bruce said.

"What!" Gordon's first reaction was—this is a trap. "No... How could I dare..."

"Of course, I'm not asking you to really replace me," the_Bruce immediately replied. "I want you to pretend to revolt, to declare that you're overthrowing me, and I... will cooperate with you in putting on a show..." He explained, "Anyway, those rioters don't know what I really look like (according to the original comic's setting, the_Bruce's face has long been fused with the bat mask, and he can't take off the mask at all). In a moment, we'll just find a scapegoat, put a bat mask on him, and throw him out."

As Gordon listened to the other man's words, he was calculating in his heart... In fact, he had already entertained the idea of defecting. If possible, he didn't want to act. He wanted to throw the real the_Bruce down and then replace him as the god of Gotham.

But... he ultimately lacked that kind of courage, because he wasn't "Gordon." The real Commissioner Gordon had died more than half a century ago. This Gordon, who acted as the_Bruce's top henchman, was actually a Robin...

He was the first Robin to follow Bruce. When he was thirty years old, he underwent Dr. Clipper's "plastic surgery," transformed into the legendary "Commissioner Gordon," and smoothly became the prophet of the Bat God, as well as the nominal highest administrative official of Gotham City.

"Okay... I'll do it right away..." After making up his mind, Gordon turned to two soldiers ten meters away and said loudly, "You two, immediately prepare a corpse with a build close to that of the Bat God, and put him in a bat suit."

The two men looked at each other, hesitated for two seconds, and then replied in unison, "Yes, sir!"

After they left, Gordon walked to the edge of the high platform, turned on his headset, and began the last speech of his life: "My children! You've been deceived!" he roared. "I've been deceived too! The_Bruce is a false god! This is a false game! A false game!" He emphasized his tone as he shouted. "The_Bruce has gone mad, but you don't need to worry. I've taken control of the situation!" He opened his arms. "Children of the Bat, follow me! Support me! I've taken over Bat Castle! Defeated the_Bruce!" He waved his arm. "Now... let me deliver the blood of that false god to you... Ah!"

His words stopped there, because the_Bruce had grabbed his waist from behind and lifted him up horizontally.

In that instant, Gordon understood... there was no "plan" at all. There was only a trap, a trap he had failed to see through.

"Gordon is the false one, a failed servant, a liar." The_Bruce was indeed a seasoned and cunning hero. His plan was nothing short of vicious. "You see... he's the one who's gone mad. He's coveted my position for many years and cheated during the rituals, deceiving me. And now, he's talking nonsense... saying he's replacing me."

"No! No! He... He made me..." Gordon tried to explain, but Bruce's arm secretly increased its force, crushing a section of Gordon's spine, causing him to scream in pain.

"Look at this utter madman. His mouth is full of lies and roars," the_Bruce continued. "I... your Bat God, will now hand him over to you... for judgment."

Before the words were finished, he threw the number two figure in Gotham, who had served him for many years... off the high platform.