"That's the power of a veteran player!"
Robin's suspicion only made Ben Tennyson smile wider.
No matter how you looked at it, he'd earned his way onto that battlefield with real results. And in the final stretch of the fight, he'd even snatched Superman's finishing blow—personally sending Darkseid back to Apokolips.
"I didn't just fight Darkseid," Ben bragged. "I stole Superman's kill and landed the last hit!"
Listening to the exchange, Commissioner Gordon couldn't help being surprised that this shape-shifting kid had been in that war.
What shocked him even more was what Robin had let slip—
"Wait," Gordon blurted. "You're only fifteen?"
Ben paused, then remembered: Robin had basically exposed his age while grilling him about how he'd gotten into the Justice League.
It wasn't exactly classified intel anyway. Gordon was one of the few cops in Gotham with a conscience.
Ben didn't need to perform his "memory wipe"—knock him out and tell him it was all a dream when he woke up.
Ben lifted a clawed finger to his mouth.
"Shhh. Commissioner—help me keep that a secret, yeah?"
Just then, a heavier-set detective hustled onto the rooftop, waving his phone.
"Gordon! We've got movement—check your messages! The gangs are making a big play tonight!"
Gordon's phone lit up with reports from multiple informants embedded in Gotham's smaller crews.
Nearly at the same time, they'd all sent the same update: their bosses were heading out—with their right-hand men—to attend a meeting.
And the meeting place?
The Iceberg Lounge.
Ben's smile faltered. "Penguin? Again?"
He'd just dealt with him.
"Didn't he say he wanted to do business?" Ben muttered, genuinely confused. "How did he pivot to 'villain event planning' this fast?"
For a moment, Ben couldn't figure out which timeline's "plot" this was supposed to be.
But if Penguin was involved, he and Robin probably wouldn't have to burn too much energy. Either way, it was better to keep things under control until Batman got back.
Because if they dragged this out until Batman finished defusing the dirty bomb, Batman would show up and solve everything himself—leaving them with nothing but dust and shame.
Ben turned toward Robin like a coach before a big game.
"Alright, Robin. Let's move. You don't want to waste a perfect chance to prove yourself to Batman, do you?"
Robin—still stinging from learning Batman had vetoed his League nomination—felt the bait sink in.
He wasn't trying to act tough for the sake of it.
He just wanted to prove he was worthy.
That he was the best possible successor.
Gordon looked between them, alarm rising.
"You two can handle this? Shouldn't we call Batman to come personally?"
He scratched the back of his head, watching Robin get talked into it like a kid being dared into a bad decision. The last thing Gordon wanted was Batman returning to find his partner missing—or worse, caught in the crossfire of a gang war.
Ben didn't take the suggestion seriously at all.
Until that dirty bomb was dealt with, Batman would not have time to detour.
"I say let him handle the bomb first," Ben said. "If that thing isn't stopped, half the city dies."
As a temporary contractor hero who'd just happened to run into a major gang gathering, Ben decided he was going to steal a little spotlight from the Bat-books and actually live in the rhythm of a Gotham night.
"Alright then," Ben said, waving. "I'm off."
After reminding Gordon how urgent Batman's mission was, Ben vanished in a blue-black streak—gone from the rooftop in a blink.
"Hey!" Robin rushed to the edge. "What about me?! You're just leaving me here?!"
Robin hadn't been allowed to drive the Batmobile. The Iceberg Lounge was at least ten kilometers away.
He was already reaching to contact Alfred at Wayne Manor to send a car when—
XLR8 popped back into existence beside him.
Robin jumped. "Why are you back?"
Ben's faceplate slid open. Even at top speed, he'd realized a crucial oversight.
He had no idea how to get to the Iceberg Lounge.
Sure, Penguin's club was famous, but it wasn't like Wayne Tower or Gotham's clock tower—some landmark you could spot from a distance and just run toward.
"I don't know where the Iceberg Lounge is," Ben admitted. "Which way do we go?"
Robin's expression flatlined.
For a second, he'd thought Ben had come back because he remembered he'd abandoned his partner.
"Carry me," Robin said through gritted teeth. "I'll navigate."
After years running Gotham with Batman, Robin could reach any destination in the city with his eyes closed.
Ben didn't waste a second.
He scooped Robin up and secured him against his back, then launched forward—following Robin's directions at full speed.
Gordon watched the two of them disappear into the night, a headache forming behind his eyes.
Hand Gotham to those two and the city was absolutely, unquestionably doomed.
He sighed.
"Yeah… I'd better tell Batman to get over there the second the bomb's dealt with."
The Iceberg Lounge — Top-Floor Private Suite
Following Thomas Wayne's instructions, Penguin had his people rearrange the entire room in record time.
A round table dominated the suite. One by one, the gang bosses who still maintained decent relations with Penguin filtered in and took their seats.
It wasn't midnight yet—Thomas Wayne's chosen time—but Penguin could already tell the truth:
Anyone who wasn't here by now probably wasn't coming.
And Thomas Wayne still hadn't declared the meeting open.
So Penguin sat off to the side and waited, silent and tense.
The men who had shown up weren't exactly patient saints.
A hulking thug—leader of a smaller outfit—cracked his knuckles, irritation plain on his face as he leaned forward.
"Penguin," he growled, "you drag us here just to make us sit around doing nothing?!"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 150)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 110)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter69)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter100)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 60
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 50
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 50
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 50
The Way the Umamusume Look at 31
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 26
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 26
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