Batman meets his nemesis.
The entire dark world of Gotham was shaken by this news. No one likes a meddling messenger of justice, not just the dark world, but also the authorities.
But no one knew more information about Batman, so they had no way of finding the Knight of Justice hiding in the darkness and destroying him.
The opponent is powerful enough and well-equipped. Since he appeared in Gotham, the underground world of Gotham needs to pray before doing anything, praying that they will not be unlucky enough to encounter the black shadow that is rampant in the dark night.
There is no gang member who has not tasted Batman's iron fist. Batman treats everyone equally, from gang bosses to low-level minions.
In terms of his style of doing things, Batman generally likes to deal with bosses.
Many big guys were thrown to the police station door by Batman after they were unable to resist.
In fact, those leaders don't care whether they go to jail or not. After all, they have plenty of money and connections. Even if they really go to jail, they can be acquitted easily. In turn, they can bite Batman.
However, this humiliating act of being tied up and thrown in front of the police station can easily make them socially unfit for death in the circle.
The only consolation is that Batman is so powerful that many bigwigs in the dark world have experienced this kind of social death.
When the embarrassment wasn't just for them, the so-called social death was naturally much lessened. At the same time, they also formed an alliance in their shared hatred of Batman. As long as you attack Batman, we may not be friends, but I will definitely give you a little help.
But some big guys have been sent to prison for the second time, and Batman is still active, still a sword of Damocles hanging over everyone's head.
Some people in the dark world and the upper class hate Batman to death, but they still can't do anything to him.
Just when most gangs had to accept Batman's existence and could only blame themselves for their bad luck, news suddenly came that Batman had failed and was injured. This was beyond their imagination.
Many leaders initially doubted the authenticity of the news. However, after a video lasting an hour and a half was widely circulated, the entire dark world became agitated.
Scarecrow and his team, who were responsible for Batman's failure, instantly became the hottest stars in Gotham.
Many people hope to join Scarecrow's army, and many bigwigs in the dark world have extended olive branches to him for cooperation and recruitment.
All in all, Scarecrow's fame and status rose rapidly at an incredible speed by stepping on Batman.
After a period of time, Batman was completely silent, and no unlucky person was thrown at the door of the police station. The people in the dark world began to celebrate like prisoners who were let out for some fresh air.
Gotham had once again returned to the bustle and chaos it had been before Batman appeared. Even as if to vent their frustration, this bustle and chaos was intensifying even more than before.
Gunshots, flames, chaos, fear.
The Scarecrow almost cheered at the unexpected sight of him appearing openly in the city again. His power grew stronger as he absorbed more energy amidst the fear bred by this chaos.
Even more gratifying was that, with his suddenly increased status and position, he easily gathered the materials he needed. He recruited some collaborators and began to implement his terrifying plan!
First, create an instrument to collect energy.
Then, using the upgraded fear potion, he would plunge the entire city into periodic terror. By then, he would completely become the king of darkness, the unique master of this city!
He spreads fear, reaps fear, and enjoys fear.
…
Wayne Manor.
A sturdy man rang the doorbell.
"Who are you?" Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne family's butler, a gray-haired, elegant old man, stared at the newcomer cautiously. "I don't remember my master having a friend like you."
"I may not have met Mr. Bruce Wayne, but I have had friendly exchanges with Batman." The visitor said softly.
Alfred's expression remained calm. "Sir, I don't want to listen to your nonsense. If you don't explain your purpose and prove your identity, then I can only ask you to leave."
"Batman is Mr. Wayne, isn't he? Don't be nervous, I have no ill intentions, I'm here to help him." The man said gently.
"I don't know what you're talking about. This joke is not funny at all. I think you have to leave, sir." Alfred shook his head and made a gesture to see him off.
"Is this really okay? I know what he is going through now, and what happened to him is related to me to some extent. Please don't doubt me, I am really here to help. At least, let me meet Mr. Wayne, or let him make his own decision, okay?" The man's tone was still firm.
Alfred's eyes flickered. He didn't sense any malice from the man across from him. Instead, he felt he was sincere and trustworthy. This was a strange feeling. Although he wasn't as extreme as Bruce Wayne, he was just as stingy with his trust as his master.
"What's your name?" Alfred asked.
"Steve Rogers. The person he has been eyeing for a long time." The man showed a bright smile on his face and gave his name.
…
"His mood has been a little off recently. He seems to have returned to a certain time period in the past. He is weak and helpless." After Alfred turned back, he had a friendly smile on his face. On the way to take Rogers to see his master, he whispered to him about Bruce's current condition.
As a listener, Rogers didn't seem to confirm something until he met Bruce Wayne, and then he sighed.
"Can I talk to him alone? Don't worry, I can solve his problems, but we need to have a good talk." Rogers looked at the old butler beside him and asked.
The old butler first glanced at his silent master, and after receiving a hint from his eyes, he took two steps back, stepped to the door, held the door handle and replied, "Of course."
After saying this, he did not forget to close the door when leaving the room.
"The energy of fear." Rogers took the seat across from Wayne. Wayne looked ill at the moment. He was dressed in pajamas, his face radiating weariness, his spirits drooping, his features haggard. But his gaze and expression remained calm and composed. It was like the waves surging beneath the sea, while the surface remained unruffled.
"You know?" Bruce's eyes moved, and he looked more lively.
"Sorry, this must be the impact of my arrival," Rogers said apologetically. He raised his right hand, and the ring on his right index finger suddenly flashed with a faint light. Then, a golden energy, like the light from a light bulb, shone towards Bruce Wayne across from him.
Wayne was stunned at first, and his body subconsciously wanted to dodge, but because of his physical fatigue and the suddenness of the light, he was directly enveloped by the light emitted by the ring.
An uplifting energy suddenly surged into his body along with the light, soothing and relieving his spirit and emotions that had been tormented for a long time.
"He is just like you, with overflowing light, and there is no way to hide from it. It will evoke the most fearful things in your heart and continue to expand them. Under that emotion called fear, I have no fighting power at all. It turned me into a coward. If I hadn't run away, I might have been kneeling on the ground trembling." Wayne's voice was hoarse and dry, but his eyes were still bright, and he looked quietly at Rogers who was sitting face to face with him.
"The power of the mind, or emotional energy, is an energy closely related to life. Its creator is a friend of my universe. The more this energy accumulates, the more incredible its power becomes." Rogers knew exactly what Wayne wanted to know, and he didn't intend to hide it. "At the same time, this power also has a powerful corrosive and infectious effect on users and living beings. To master it, one must possess an extremely strong and unyielding will, otherwise they will be influenced and assimilated by it, becoming a slave to their emotions."
"How can we destroy it?" Wayne asked coldly.
"It's indestructible," Rogers said helplessly. "To paraphrase its creator, it's been indestructible since its birth. Even if you destroy all life, you'll only temporarily limit its growth. But it will eventually regenerate with the cycle of life and the universe. It hasn't grown to that level yet in this world, but it already sees the life on your world, this planet, as a breeding ground for nutrients. Can you eliminate all life on this planet? Can you destroy this planet?"
"You released it?"
"I didn't want to release it like this. But it's obvious that it has its own logic of operation. I'm just the user of a part of it, not the creator who sets the rules for it. I had no idea that it would have such changes in the alien universe. Just like other life forms, in a strange place, it wants to save itself and reproduce. I'm sorry that I became the starting seed." Rogers looked apologetic.
"Is there no way to control your world?" Wayne frowned. He wasn't prone to trusting others easily, but there was always a force within them that made him believe. He considered it a manifestation of emotional energy, a subtle influence. Even with his strong doubts, he couldn't resist the subtle influence. He could only maintain his composure, preventing the infection from worsening. In a short period of time, he gave Rogers the same trust he had given his old butler, Alfred.
"There is a way to filter it. Its creators will make some filtering devices to remove the emotional toxins inside this energy and purify it. Purified energy is just a universal energy and is not too corrosive to people's spirit and consciousness. Of course, relatively speaking, its quality will be greatly weakened after purification." Rogers explained.
"Then this filtering device..." Wayne said, and saw an awkward smile on Rogers' face. He immediately realized something and shut his mouth.
Rogers rubbed his hands awkwardly. "This is a technology only its creator possesses. He only authorized the sharing of this technology with a small group of mages. I'm not a researcher, and I never imagined that I would one day face this situation."
"I see." Wayne nodded in understanding. "What about the Scarecrow? Why is he able to use such power? Didn't its creator put a lock on it or something, allowing anyone to use it?"
"This, as far as I know, is locked. In our place, only those who are authorized to use this energy must be bound to this ring." Rogers raised his right hand with the ring on it, thought for a moment, and speculated: "But this may be a different world. After losing control of the data dimension, its rules and priorities have changed.
As for the scarecrow capable of harnessing the power of fear, it must have been viewed by the power of fear as a symbiotic vehicle. According to its creator, the energy will automatically seek out nearby beings whose mental fluctuations are most compatible with its own, much like a child seeking out its favorite toy.
"That means there will be a second, third, and even more scarecrows appearing, right?" Wayne's tone lowered.
"I don't want to discourage you or deceive you, and I can't do that. If nothing unexpected happens, things may be worse than you imagine. The atmosphere in this city is simply too suitable for the birth of certain negative emotions, and these negative emotions are highly contagious. They will intertwine and infect each other, eventually forming a huge energy source that gathers all negative emotions.
They favor those whose vibrations align with theirs, and these people, unsurprisingly, are evildoers and criminals. Under the influence of negative emotions, they often become worse and more stubborn, making it difficult to change. Can you imagine how bad that situation would be?
"You have really brought a huge trouble to this world." Even with Wayne's strong spirit, he couldn't help but twitch his lips when he thought of that terrible scene.
"Is there no solution?" Wayne asked.
"Perhaps only its creator can fully resolve it. If you ask me, my advice is to do everything in your power to change the city's atmosphere before it spreads and becomes complete. Transforming it into a city dominated by positive emotions is much easier than eliminating this energy. You'd better make a plan, even if it's radical. I don't know how much time you have left.
Finally, I have some bad news to tell you." Rogers hesitated.
"Is there any news worse than what you said?" Wayne raised his eyebrows.
"I think for you personally, there is still some." Rogers shrugged. "Aren't you curious about how I know your identity? Yes, it's just as you thought. The ring led me to you. It memorized your emotional frequency. Similarly, if I can do this, I can't guarantee that others can't do it. As long as they study harder, this skill is not difficult to develop. You know who I'm talking about."