"It's wonderful! This is absolutely wonderful!"
Jonathan Crane was intoxicated by the surge of power in his body, and couldn't help but feel ecstasy from the bottom of his heart.
He felt that he, who was so thin, could easily defeat anyone now!
At his feet was a man with dilated pupils, a look of horror on his face, and he was so frightened that he had lost his life.
It was originally just a small entertainment activity after he successfully researched and upgraded his fear potion and returned to experiment, but he didn't expect it to bring him such a big surprise! A random test subject, under the effect of the latest fear potion, was able to give him unexpected power!
From childhood to adulthood, he had never felt the power within his body. With his frail frame, he had always been the target of bullying. But now things were different!
He punched the wall next to him. When he swung his fist, a layer of red and yellow energy wrapped around his fist, amplifying his strength and making his fist penetrate through it as if it were a thin wooden board.
He didn't feel any recoil or pain at all. The energy perfectly protected his palm and achieved his goal.
This is like a power bestowed by God!
No!
Or is it that you are that god?
God of Fear?
Klein's face, hidden beneath the scarecrow mask, revealed a slightly sinister and eerie smile. He loved this power, which he hadn't known how to obtain! It was a perfect match for his dream!
He wanted to spread fear, which was exactly what this energy wanted. The stronger the power of fear infection, the stronger the power he gained!
He is no longer the skinny character who can only bully others with his brains and equipment. If any barbarian dares to bully him by relying on his strong body, he will regret why he took action.
Red and yellow energy spread throughout his body, and Klein felt his body become extremely light. Under his surprised gaze, his toes began to gradually float off the ground. He had mastered a new method of applying power: he had mastered flight!
Although he was still not proficient, this was enough to surprise Klein.
He could feel that this power came from the scarecrow mask he was wearing. Before, it was just an ordinary mask, but since last night, it seemed to come alive and kept communicating with him.
That is knowledge!
A knowledge of manufacturing instruments that expand its energy collection!
A forbidden knowledge that can transform him into a superman and even dominate this city!
He has verified this today.
"Don't worry, I've verified that knowledge. Next, I'll gather more fear for you. I'll feed you till you're full! Hahahahaha!"
In the remote, narrow and dim alley, a sinister laughter that was both depressing and terrifying was heard.
…
On the top floor of a building somewhere, a spotlight projected a pattern of bats into the sky.
Jim Gordon lit a cigarette in the dim light, and the darkness reflected his face, which was bright and dark in the dim light.
"What's the matter?" A deep male voice suddenly sounded behind Gordon.
Jim Gordon's body tensed at first, but then relaxed after hearing the voice. He turned around and saw a figure half-exposed in the light not far away.
"I just wanted to share some recent intelligence with you." Gordon dropped his cigarette butt and crushed it on the ground with his shoe. Then he looked up at the visitor.
"Whose information?" Batman asked.
"Scarecrow." Gordon shrugged, not at all surprised by Batman's cold and brief answer. He was already familiar with this style of Batman. Sometimes, he had to admit, this kind of behavior was very trustworthy. "He's been too active lately. A bit abnormally active. A lone wolf, he's even started recruiting subordinates. This is different from his usual style. There's news that he has a big plan."
"I'll take care of him." Batman replied simply.
"There's some news that I don't know if it's true, and I can't confirm its authenticity." Gordon hesitated, but after thinking it over, he warned, "You'd better be careful when you act. He's not normal anymore! Some people saw that he seemed to have mastered some incredible ability, able to easily knock down anyone. He's so strong that he doesn't even seem like himself.
It's hard to say whether he was hallucinating or something else. But there is no doubt that he upgraded his tools and made them more terrifying."
"Poison gas? I'll keep an eye on it." Batman nodded.
"What have you been busy with lately? If it were in the past, you would have dealt with the Scarecrow without my reminder." Gordon was a little worried about Batman's silence these days. He didn't know what had happened.
"Don't worry, I'm just keeping an eye on another troublesome guy. Compared to him, Scarecrow is no trouble at all." Batman was silent for a moment, but still selectively said some information.
"Another troublesome character? A super criminal?" Gordon frowned. Anyone who could make Batman feel difficult and troublesome must not be a small character. He racked his brains to think if there was such a character in Gotham?
It seems like there are indeed a lot of top criminals like this in Gotham.
Gordon's mind flashed through many famous names, names that were well-known in the Gotham underworld.
"It's not a super criminal. Things are a bit complicated, but I will handle it. I'm going to deal with Scarecrow first." Batman shook his head.
"This is the address I found of the other party. It seems that the other party did not hide his whereabouts carefully. This is completely different from Scarecrow's previous cautious style. Be careful, this may be a trap." Gordon took out a note and handed it to Batman. When the other party reached out to take it, he held the note tightly and reminded him.
Batman glanced at him, pulled the note from his hand, and nodded slightly.
…
"Boss, this is all we have gained today."
Inside a tightly closed factory, a group of people were nervously handing over their harvest to a man sitting on a box with a scarecrow mask on his head.
"It's too little." Klein looked at the money they handed over, feeling extremely unhappy. He felt that his bright and glorious future shouldn't be limited by money. His financial constraints limited the development of his abilities.
He was short of money before, and he is even short of money now.
"All the wealth in this city is concentrated in the hands of the upper class and gang leaders. We can't touch them at all. And the lower class people are just like us, a bunch of poor guys. They can hardly support themselves with the money they have. These days we have robbed everything we can from the surrounding areas." One of them carefully defended himself.
"You reminded me." Klein pointed at the speaker with joy. "There's really nothing to be gained from poor people. Asking you to provoke those gangs is like asking for your own death."
Many of the men nodded. Although they had guns, they were no match for the gang leaders. Their sheer numbers alone could overwhelm them. Unless their own boss was willing to intervene.
"I want to make a big one. Who is the richest person in this city?" Klein asked meaningfully.
"Bruce Wayne?" A group of people looked at each other and gave their answers tentatively.
"Yeah, that playboy. I believe if I kidnap him, or someone he cares about, I should be able to get what I want." Klein's eyes lit up slightly. If it were in the past, he certainly wouldn't have so easily provoked or offended those upper-class people, but now? He couldn't wait any longer!
He recruited these people to accumulate wealth and resources more quickly, but in reality, they were somewhat useful, but not much. The daily income was a drop in the bucket compared to his planned expenditures. Achieving his goals with these random, unskilled recruits was likely a long way off.
He has to do it himself!
Even after all the materials and money were in place, Klein still faced a dilemma: he didn't have enough research talent! He couldn't get his men to fight with guns, rob, rape, or commit other crimes—they were all very good at it. After all, without these skills, they wouldn't be able to survive in this city's lower class.
But asking them to do delicate work, like assembling some kind of instrument, was a bit much. After all, the most proficient handwriting they had was their own names. In this city where survival was difficult for even the lowest classes, higher education wasn't available to everyone. Even those who managed to graduate from a general education were considered rare talents within the gang.
At that time, Klein would have to either assemble the equipment himself or teach these reckless people step by step. This was truly a painful thought.
So, Klein decided that after obtaining sufficient resources and money, he needed to visit his university colleagues. They would definitely be extremely helpful and friendly to work for him.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, Klein jerked his head up. He saw a ghostly, bat-like figure descending from the sky like a spirit.
"Look who's here?" Klein asked in surprise. "Gotham's messenger of justice, the nemesis of evil, the citizens' savior, the embodiment of darkness—too many titles. Batman."
Batman ignored Klein's men, their guns pointed at him. His gaze fixed on the Scarecrow, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes. Based on his psychological profile of the Scarecrow, if he saw him, he would probably try to escape first, using various weapons and poison gas to tangle with him, rather than standing there carelessly, unafraid, perhaps even somewhat delighted at his arrival.
However, he checked the surroundings and found no other forces involved, nor were there any ambushes outside, except for those in the warehouse. He only had to glance at the people in the warehouse and could tell they posed no threat to him, even if they were armed.
So, what gave Klein confidence and supported him?
Batman didn't think much of it. He figured that if he threatened his opponent, they would definitely reveal their true strength. Then, it would all come down to the abilities and strengths of both sides.
So Batman immediately rushed towards Klein. Klein's men who blocked his way did not stop Batman's advance at all.
The gunshots rang out, but the bullets landed on Batman's raised black cape and armor, creating only a few sparks and having no effect, even though they were very close to Batman.
"Idiot! Don't shoot! How are you going to compensate for the damage to the goods?" Klein cursed angrily, snatched the gun from a nearby subordinate, and fired several shots at the wooden box at his feet.
The wooden box was smashed into pieces and the sound of glass breaking could be heard from inside the box.
Klein nimbly jumped back from the box. Streams of gas emanated from the box, spreading to the surrounding area.
As if they had witnessed something terrifying, Klein's men ran in a panic, in the opposite direction of the gas's spread. However, their speed was still too slow. The gas diffused and evaporated in the air at an extremely fast speed, covering most of the warehouse in a very short time.
Some people who accidentally breathed in some poisonous gas staggered and fell to the ground, twitching all over. Their expressions looked as if they had seen something that terrified them. They cried loudly with tears streaming down their faces, while struggling to move on the ground using their hands and feet.
But their movements were irregular, as if they were avoiding being chased by something. Some of them even tried their best to escape, but they were just moving in a relative space like a ghost.
"Ah, energy!"
Klein took a deep, intoxicated breath, feeling the energy flowing into him. He opened his eyes and looked at Batman, who seemed unaffected as he charged forward. He looked at the miniature gas helmet on his face and raised an eyebrow slightly. "How cunning! He's actually taken some anti-gas measures himself?"
Batman didn't respond to Scarecrow's words, but instead punched him in the face. But he was surprised to find that his fist was blocked by a layer of red and yellow light. His fist seemed to hit a quagmire, and all its power was gone.
"You shouldn't have attacked me." Klein's face showed an unfathomable joy. "You smell of fear. Is it possible that someone like you also has fears in their hearts? This is truly wonderful! I believe that your fear should bring me more and stronger power!"
In response to Crane, Batman launched a violent attack.
However, the layer of red and yellow energy protected Klein without any blind spots. Batman's powerful punches and kicks fell on Klein who was standing still, and all his strength was lost.
"Anyone who comes into contact with the power of fear will inevitably face his own fear. Good luck!!" Klein's mouth curved into a terrifying arc under his mask, reminding Batman.
Batman suddenly stumbled, and he found that the scene before his eyes was illusory, like an illusion.
The scarecrow before him was overlapping, its body constantly growing, or perhaps it was shrinking. He could no longer tell from his surroundings whether he was shrinking or the scarecrow was growing. The dullness of his other organs had benefited his hearing. From all directions, he could hear the sound of flapping wings and the familiar, memorable, fragmented and chaotic cries.
That's the sound of bats!