The chaos in Gotham City was quelled in a matter of minutes. Shin simply performed a Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, instantly creating tens of thousands of clones that spread across the city like a tactical net.
Although these clones lacked the enhanced durability or powers of Superman and Devil Fruits due to their fragile bodies, their combined strength and speed far exceeded those of ordinary people. In coordinated unison, they quickly suppressed the rioting crowds and scattered criminals.
Most of the supervillains, sensing the tide turning, had already fled into the labyrinth-like sewer systems. The rest of the petty criminals, looters, and gang members were swiftly captured. From start to finish, the operation took less than five minutes.
Once the situation was under control, Shin dispelled his clones in a puff of smoke and transformed into a streak of light, instantly appearing on the rooftop of a tall building where Batman stood, watching the aftermath unfold in silence.
Next to him was a hulking figure, slowly shrinking as his body deflated. He had two canisters strapped to his back filled with a glowing green liquid. A respirator-like device covered his mouth, attached to the tanks by thick tubing, now severed, leaking green gas into the night air.
Shin took in a breath, frowned slightly, and with his medical expertise and advanced chakra-based diagnostics, quickly identified the substance.
"Super-concentrated stimulant," he muttered. "Must be some kind of hyper-adrenaline derivative. Temporary strength boost, followed by massive cellular breakdown. Basically a fast track to sudden death."
The figure, clearly a villain, had been inhaling this gas like it was oxygen. It was clear he had no regard for his own life. Winning seemed more important than surviving.
Watching Batman approach the weakened man, Shin raised a brow. "There's no saving him. The way he's been abusing those stimulants, he's already a dead man walking."
Batman didn't pause, his voice calm. "Bane's physiology is different. Titan Venom doesn't affect him the way it does most people."
[T/N: Titan Venom is a derivative from the Titan (drug) and Bane's super steroids named Venom.]
Shin blinked. "This is Bane?" He looked again, his expression curious. The man had shrunk from over two and a half meters to barely one eighty-nine. So this was the infamous brute who, in certain stories, had snapped Batman's spine like a twig.
But that was in the films. In the comics, Bane relied almost entirely on Titan, an enhanced compound that, when injected, made him virtually unbeatable in close combat. Without it, he collapsed like a deflated balloon, both physically and mentally.
It was a double-edged sword. The strength Titan gave him was offset by his total dependence on it. Cut off the gas, and Bane crumbled.
"So… strength enhancer or self-destructive drug?" Shin muttered. "Who knows whether this stuff empowered him or doomed him."
He shook his head and grabbed Bane by the collar. "I'll handle it."
In an instant, Shin vanished and reappeared at the gates of Blackgate Penitentiary. Dozens upon dozens of unconscious criminals were already piled high like a makeshift mountain. His previous sweep of Gotham had yielded quite the collection. Among them were numerous supervillains, but plenty of regular crooks too. Shin hadn't taken the time to separate them.
One by one, he had used precise chakra control to temporarily sever neural connections in their brains. None of them would be waking up for at least three to five days. That would give the authorities plenty of time to sort through the mess.
In less than ten seconds, he reappeared beside Batman once more.
"Things are still critical," he said bluntly. "Why are you wasting time fighting small fry?"
Batman didn't turn to look at him. "Most cities have begun restoring order. The main chaos caused by Brother Eye has already passed."
"But Grid hasn't been dealt with," Shin said, narrowing his eyes. "As long as that AI is still out there, the threat's not over."
He paused for a beat. "When you built Brother Eye, didn't you leave some sort of backdoor in the system?"
"I did," Batman admitted. His tone was grim. "But Grid is a strong AI, far more advanced than I anticipated. The logical traps I set were dismantled. The explosive failsafe I placed on the Brother Eye satellite? Disarmed by his nanobots."
Shin tilted his head thoughtfully. "Still, you can't tell me that's all you had. You're Batman, not some rookie. You had to account for other AIs possibly hijacking Brother Eye."
Batman exhaled slowly. "I designed a virus, an electronic one. Specifically tailored to Brother Eye's architecture. If Grid absorbed enough of Brother Eye's data, the virus could affect him."
"But let me guess," Shin said. "It won't last."
"Correct. Against something like Grid, it would only paralyze him temporarily. Maybe three hours—at best."
"And you're just sitting on it?" Shin said, incredulous. "Why haven't you used it?"
"Because I'm waiting for the right moment," Batman replied coldly. "Without a coordinated strike, we'd be wasting our only advantage."
Shin nodded slowly. "Okay, fine. At least you kept a backup plan this time. Honestly, if you'd let another world-ending crisis spiral out of control without contingencies, your reputation as the all-seeing strategist would've been in tatters."
Batman rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
Shin smirked. "You've got that virus ready, you're waiting for the perfect moment, and I'm guessing… you don't want Luthor anywhere near it."
Batman's silence confirmed the suspicion.
"Let me guess again," Shin continued. "You think Brainiac, the AI Luthor developed, is just another ticking time bomb. Maybe even the next Grid?"
Batman finally nodded. "Luthor may act like an ally now, but he's always been unpredictable. Brainiac could become an even greater threat."
Shin folded his arms. "Can't argue with that. I mean, with a name like Brainiac, you know that thing's going evil."
Then his eyes gleamed. "But tell me… how did you figure out everything that's happened while stuck here in Gotham? Joker tell you? Or did Green Arrow spill?"
Batman didn't answer, but Shin waved off the question and kept going.
"Let me guess one more thing. You're delaying because you want to launch a simultaneous strike one that takes out both Grid and Brainiac. You're building another virus, one designed specifically for Brainiac, and you're hoping to release both AIs into the digital battlefield, where they'll clash."
He grinned. "And then you hit them with a kill switch. Clean. Efficient. Classic Batman."
Batman's face remained stoic, but his silence spoke volumes.
Shin laughed. "You know, for a guy who acts like he has no superpowers, you really do enjoy playing god."
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