"This junk heap can't go any faster?"
Hearing Thomas grumble, Liu A'dou thought, Finally, you're starting to realize the flaws of this crappy car. But he couldn't spare the time to answer—he had to focus on driving. Whenever he was with Thomas, he basically turned into a full-time driver, while Thomas handled the filming, even though his footage wasn't nearly as steady as Liu A'dou's.
Liu A'dou drove, Thomas filmed, each busy with their own tasks inside the moving vehicle.
Ahead of them was a convoy of police cars chasing after a group of robbers who had stormed out of the stock exchange.
The robbers were riding mountain bikes, hostages strapped to their backs, racing out of Gotham City.
Wooo wooo wooo—
A faint engine roar reached Liu A'dou's ears. It was the sound of the Batcycle. He used to have one too, but it got destroyed during the mission to rescue Rachel.
"Cool! It's Batman! Today's ratings are going to explode!" Thomas quickly swung his camera to capture the black knight.
Liu A'dou felt a twinge of jealousy. Batman still has a motorcycle. When can I go swipe another one for myself? Zero shame.
This time, Batman's opponent was Bane. Bane had returned to Gotham City—and he was finally making his move. Liu A'dou just hoped Batman was ready.
"Step on it, we can't lose them!" Thomas shouted. "Quick, the robbers are splitting up!"
Sure enough, the bikes divided into different directions, and Commissioner Gordon's officers split their forces too.
"What do we do?" Liu A'dou asked.
"What do you think, you idiot? Follow Batman!" Thomas yelled.
Liu A'dou stomped the accelerator and raced forward.
The chase was tense—so tense that smoke started rising from the car's hood.
"What the hell?" Thomas screamed. We can't stop now! This is the biggest news moment! How can the car die now?!
"I don't know." The accelerator was dead. Liu A'dou could only let the car coast on inertia and pull off to the side of the road.
"Oh my God, no no no!" Thomas was stomping mad, practically cursing the universe.
Liu A'dou got out and popped the hood. A slow, steady plume of smoke wafted out.
"Thomas, I think it's time for a new car," Liu A'dou said.
"Dammit! Grab the gear—we're hailing a cab!" Thomas ordered.
A'dou didn't waste a second. He grabbed the camera and left the car unlocked. But it was like every cab in Gotham had a vendetta against them. None of them would stop.
"Oh God, oh God, you can't do this to me," Thomas moaned. This was the footage of Batman, a once-in-a-lifetime shot—and it was slipping through his fingers.
"Liu, do something!"
What can I do? Liu A'dou thought as he kept waving for a taxi.
Finally, one stopped. Thomas jumped into the front passenger seat. Liu A'dou slid into the back.
"Go! Follow the sirens!" Thomas shouted.
The driver said nothing—but the cab shot forward.
Thomas kept filming through the windshield.
But then the view skewed off course.
"Hey, I said straight ahead!"
"I don't take orders from you," the driver said flatly.
Thomas didn't explode—because he noticed the driver had a gun tucked into his waistband, pointed right at him.
"Buddy, if you're kidnapping us, you've got the wrong people," Thomas said dryly.
"You're reporters. That's exactly right. Relax, I won't hurt you. I just need you to do me a favor," the driver said, steering the car sharply down a different road.
Liu A'dou noticed that despite everything, Thomas remained surprisingly calm. That made him relax a little too.
All the way, Thomas tried to strike up conversation, but the driver stayed silent.
The car weaved expertly through the streets and soon veered into a tunnel.
At the side of the tunnel, there was a construction breach. The car drove straight into it. The breach was deep. As they kept moving forward, the surroundings grew pitch-black. After a few more minutes of driving, the car finally stopped. Then came the sound of machinery—the car was descending underground.
Thomas had no idea where he was anymore. All he knew was that he was being marched forward at gunpoint. Eventually, they came to a stop in front of Bane.
Not just Bane—Penguin was there too. Behind them stood a massive, pitch-black spherical object.
"No need to be afraid, gentlemen. I just need you to stay with us for a few days. In return, I'll give you some exclusive news material," Bane said.
There was no choice. Surrounded by armed men, if Thomas dared refuse, he'd be shot dead in seconds. So the two were shoved into a cell. Their cameras and phones were confiscated, and the phones even had their batteries removed.
The cell had only two beds and an iron-barred door. But at least they could still see what was happening outside.
"It's all that junk car's fault," Liu A'dou grumbled.
"Cut the crap. We don't even know what they're planning yet," Thomas said. He wasn't worried—as long as there was a story, he was fine. "Did you recognize that guy with the mask? Look at those muscles—he's a beast."
"Never seen him before. Might be a newly emerged criminal," Liu A'dou played dumb.
Thomas was clearly fascinated by Bane. "You think he's a mutant? With that size, even Batman might not beat him." Gotta hand it to Thomas—sharp instincts.
"Maybe," Liu A'dou sighed. "Let's hope Batman comes to rescue us soon."
Underground, cut off from the sun and moon, time lost all meaning. Meals were irregular, and soon they almost forgot the rhythm of a normal day.
Liu A'dou slept once and when he woke, an entire day had passed. Still, no one came to bother them. They got fed at mealtimes. When they needed to use the restroom, guards would escort them. Another day slipped by just like that.
Bane left the hideout and returned several times, but Penguin stayed, busy tinkering with that strange sphere.
The sphere was more than two meters in diameter, with a black outer shell covered in dozens of raised regular octagonal patterns—like a giant soccer ball.
"I wonder how things are at home..." Thomas muttered. A man with a family couldn't help but worry about the people waiting for him.
Liu A'dou didn't know how to comfort him, but he knew this imprisonment wouldn't last much longer. Since Bane had already hit the stock exchange, their other preparations must be nearly complete. The reporters' time was coming soon.
Sure enough, that night they were brought out again. Their camera was returned to them, and they were marched through the dim tunnels all the way into the sewers. They waded through filthy water until they reached a large junction of sewer pipes.
It was a huge space, with all sorts of pipes sticking out of the walls.
They waited in silence.
Finally, around midnight, a shadow appeared. The armed men moved fast, sealing all exits with steel mesh.
Inside the cordoned-off space, only Bane and Batman remained.
"Batman?" Thomas whispered, a sinking feeling in his gut.
Liu A'dou hefted the camera onto his shoulder, knowing the moment had finally arrived. He had warned Batman about Bane, but he didn't know if Batman had truly prepared.
Bane was terrifyingly strong.
A duel. A true battle between two men, deep within the reeking, polluted sewers, under the watchful eyes of dozens.
"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill—" Bane's men roared in unison, a thunderous cheer for their leader.
"Ah!" Batman shouted, charging forward to strike first.