Chapter 335: Batman vs Ant-Man
Batman had noticed something during last night's infiltration of Pym Technologies Tower.
Even though Ant-Man possessed Pym Particles—theoretically allowing him to enlarge food, slice it, then enlarge it again to create virtually unlimited sustenance for his ants—Ant-Man hadn't done so. Instead, he'd let the ants decompose and consume dinosaur carcasses they'd secretly transported.
Venom Robin's attention had been entirely focused on finding an opportunity to fight Ant-Man or on other surface-level concerns. That was simply because Batman hadn't finished training Venom Robin completely yet. Batman didn't blame him.
But for Batman himself, he would never easily overlook any detail he observed.
Just like with the Atom. That guy's favorite pastime was calling people on the phone, then riding the telecommunications signal for light-speed travel—behavior Batman considered thoroughly obnoxious. But Batman had conducted secret, in-depth research on the Atom.
Almost no one understood why the Atom's strength multiplied when he grew larger, why his strength didn't diminish when he shrank, and why his body weight changed with his size transformations.
But Batman knew.
The Atom used his own physiological mutation combined with compression matrices to control his weight. The mass that seemed to disappear or appear with size changes wasn't actually lost—it was transferred to another dimension.
Batman believed Ant-Man operated on the same principle. No matter how Ant-Man's size changed, his total weight remained constant, but a portion of his mass was temporarily stored in some dimension or underwent some reaction with the Pym Particles.
Either way, this meant that no matter how small Ant-Man became, his body still contained ten percent water.
And that water became the target for the Vulcan Armor's second unconventional defense system: microwave heating.
According to physics, microwave energy deposition density is inversely proportional to mass—meaning the smaller Ant-Man became, the greater the heating power per unit mass!
Shrunk to atomic size, he'd been nearly cooked through in an instant!
"Come out, Ant-Man." Batman stood in the corridor outside the laboratory, addressing Ant-Man currently inside his armor. "Trust me, you don't want to enter my body."
Though Batman hadn't engaged in any real combat with Ant-Man from start to finish, his own body was currently experiencing continuous, intense pain.
To prevent the microwave layer from being ineffective against Ant-Man, Batman had implemented a series of preventive measures in his own body as well.
One measure was making himself allergic—a tactic that sounded completely unrelated to combat but was actually extremely effective.
Batman had deliberately sensitized himself, then configured his immune system to treat Ant-Man as an allergen.
Once Ant-Man approached Batman's internal organs, Batman's immune cells would identify him as an abnormally sized pathogen and form a phagocyte encirclement within minutes.
Either Ant-Man would fall to the immune cell attack, or he'd have to grow large enough to ignore these cells—at which point Batman had yet another countermeasure ready.
Poison, for instance.
The waves of pain currently coursing through Batman's body came from toxins taking effect. These toxins had been integrated into his bloodstream and muscles, significantly reducing his physical strength.
This was precisely why Batman had abandoned the cape in favor of Vulture wings that required minimal physical exertion—just control.
Faced with Batman's various countermeasures and warning, Ant-Man's response was a resounding BANG.
Ant-Man first enlarged his body enough to fill the armor's internal gap, then punched through part of the Vulcan Armor's microwave layer.
But he'd only destroyed a portion. Other sections of the armor's interior still generated microwaves that continued washing over him relentlessly.
Ant-Man couldn't help but grunt. He couldn't delay any longer—he felt like he was about to be cooked through.
He had to escape the microwave layer, burrow into Batman's body to cause damage, and completely bring down this unidentified adversary!
"Come on, Batman! Let me see what you've got inside!" Ant-Man's face twisted with pain.
But before he could actually enter Batman's body, he suffered another attack—this time electrical.
Besides the unconventional first microwave defense layer, the armor's interior apparently also contained an electrical discharge system!
Shrinking triggered continuous microwave heating. Growing larger and touching the armor's inner layer resulted in electrical shocks.
Unless he returned to his normal six-foot height, Ant-Man found himself in an impossible situation before even reaching Batman's body.
But once he became normal-sized, Ant-Man knew he'd be no match for Batman.
In standard form, the suit was just clothing—it couldn't provide much defense or enhanced strength. He might not even be able to beat Black Widow, who'd mastered countless killing techniques.
In the blink of an eye, all three of Ant-Man's options had been blocked. Unless he became a giant, he had virtually no other choices.
"This is bullshit! I want to call the cops!"
Ant-Man muttered through clenched teeth.
He'd lived one hundred and four years. Yesterday, facing Batman's attempt to steal Pym Particles, he'd thought about calling the police for the first time. Today was the second.
But the moment the words left his mouth, Ant-Man's eyes lit up—he'd thought of a solution.
"No, I still have one option. Grow large to destroy his armor, then shrink back down and burrow in again! I don't believe he has any other tricks!"
Ant-Man didn't hesitate. He pressed the button on his suit, his entire body rapidly expanding from millimeter scale back to normal size.
BANG!
Ant-Man's sudden enlargement shattered Batman's Vulcan Armor. Except for the innermost lining, the outer plating and microwave layer had completely lost functionality.
"Yes!" Ant-Man's eyes brightened. His just-enlarged body shrank again, the entire process taking less than a second.
But just as he prepared to re-enter Batman's body, something else Ant-Man hadn't anticipated occurred.
Almost the instant Ant-Man burst through the armor, Batman had already been rapidly retreating.
By the time Ant-Man's body shrank, Batman had withdrawn nearly ten feet away. Then his wings beat sharply!
WHOOSH!
If Adrian Toomes's Vulture wings could lift Batman's body for flight, they could certainly generate wind strong enough to blow Ant-Man away.
The gust struck Ant-Man, blasting him away before he could approach Batman.
THUD! Ant-Man's sesame-seed-sized body slammed hard into a giant ant's abdomen, instantly tearing through the chitinous shell and embedding himself inside.
"I've had enough!"
An infuriated roar erupted from inside the giant ant's abdomen. Ant-Man bellowed in rage as he enlarged again, bursting through the giant ant's abdomen. Viscous, foul-smelling liquid drenched him completely.
He was about to transform into giant form and crush Batman with one hand when his field of vision no longer contained Batman—only the whooshing sound of beating wings.
The next second, Ant-Man watched helplessly as Batman flew upward from Pym Technologies Tower's first floor, gripping an unconscious Black Widow whose eyes were closed and limbs dangled limply.
In the blink of an eye, both figures followed the path of the initially shattered atrium skylight, flying out and disappearing into the vast night.
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