American comics: Starting in Arkham, a system-based Batman

Chapter 33 Save me, save me, save me...

"Young Master? Young Master? Are you alright, Young Master!"

Alfred's calls grew more urgent with each call. He couldn't know Batman's specific situation from inside the Batcave, but Batman's headset was on, and he could hear clearly the conversation between the two inside Arkham.

"Savor the fear I bring you, Batman."

Klein put on the hood, a costume he had specially prepared for his spectacular appearance. Although he only had time to change into the hood in his haste, it was enough.

The withered and shriveled hood was ugly and tattered, with two holes in the eyes and a slit in the mouth area, loosely sewn together with coarse needle and thread, resembling a scarecrow standing in a field.

He intended to intensify Batman's fear, but the overlap of illusion and reality meant that the sudden appearance of the monster only stimulated Batman and amplified his stress response to his surroundings.

Batman punched Klein in the chin. The force of the impact caused Klein to lose control of his momentum and stagger back several steps before falling to the ground.

Klein then realized that while fear can indeed lead to chaos and loss of control, not everyone's fear manifests as confusion and panic.

He was stunned by the punch and dared not get any closer.

"Remember my name, Batman." He spoke from a distance, his tone still impassioned.

"The Scarecrow, a name that brings you fear, and will soon bring fear to all of Gotham!"

The two figures were reflected in the lens, and Jung Eun could see everything that had just happened clearly through the telescope.

"This scarecrow is all talk and no action; he's just a master of empty words."

This penetrating telescope was one of the initial mission rewards he received. He hadn't had a chance to use it before, but when he did need it, it proved to be exceptionally useful.

For example, right now, Zheng En is unsure how far Batman's operation has progressed, but he can find out his movements by tracking him from a distance outside Arkham using a penetrating telescope.

They wouldn't have to worry about being a burden, nor would they be mistaken for enemy troops and brutally beaten.

Seeing that things had come to a close and that Batman had apparently been poisoned by Fear Gas, Zheng En knew it was time for him to step in.

He put the binoculars into his personal storage space, and with the bamboo dragonfly on his head, he was about to fly into Arkham.

They had only flown halfway when they heard a loud "bang" coming from Arkham.

This sound seemed to be just the beginning; like lighting the fuse of a string of firecrackers, a series of booming sounds echoed through the buildings of Arkham.

The explosion illuminated Arkham more brightly than ever before, and Jung Eun realized that the Scarecrow was trying to kill him to cover it up.

Once Arkham is destroyed, everything he did at Arkham Asylum will be rendered meaningless.

"Damn it, Batman is still in the underground factory!"

Zheng En took off the bamboo dragonfly from his head. He originally intended to land directly on the top floor and then take the elevator down to bypass the security guards and patrolling workers at the main entrance and go straight to the first floor.

But given the current chaotic situation, no one cares about these things anymore.

Jung Eun went against the flow of people to the underground factory. He didn't find Batman, but he did see the caregiver who had been knocked unconscious by Batman.

If we don't wake them up, they'll probably be buried here.

Jung Eun: I don't really want to save him, but it's still a human life, so I'll try to save him anyway.

He woke them up in no time. Without him having to explain the situation, the entire Arkham was shaken by the explosion, and they knew as soon as they woke up that they had to run away.

In the time it took to wake these people up, Zheng En discovered the tunnel that had been created by the tremor.

The entrance to the tunnel was an automatic door, which was originally hidden tightly and blended seamlessly with the surrounding environment. However, after this violent tremor, the obstruction was displaced and tilted by more than half.

There were obvious marks on the ground from thick-soled boots, indicating large shoe sizes and complex patterns, clearly designed to maximize friction.

This immediately reminded Zheng En of a certain nocturnal creature that needed to move around in various places.

However, what truly confirmed his identity was the pattern on the heel of the shoe.

A small bat icon.

Fun fact: Batman marks his belongings with various bat symbols. These include, but are not limited to, the Bat logo, the Batmobile, the Batplane, and the Bat-cow...

Zheng En chased after him and found a slightly smaller footprint in the tunnel. He guessed that Batman had followed the Scarecrow after it escaped.

As he ran, Jung Eun could clearly feel the ground shaking, and bits of dirt and debris were falling down. He had no idea how many bombs the scarecrow had planted to destroy Arkham.

He was terrified of being buried in the ground, so he didn't dare linger for a moment and ran wildly through the tunnel.

The tunnel wasn't built very high; he couldn't even fly over it using a bamboo dragonfly.

After running for a short while, Zheng En spotted Batman ahead.

He seemed to be in a state of confusion, completely disregarding the dangerous environment around him, dragging his feet and inching his way out.

The clods of dirt hit him, but he didn't react at all.

"Holy crap!"

At this rate, it would take him forever to get out of the tunnel!

In an instant, several decisions flashed through Zheng En's mind.

Explain the situation to Batman in a soft voice and beg him to leave immediately—but no, the negative effects of the fear gas on him are still there, and he probably can't understand human speech.

Forcibly helping him or pulling him out—no, the last character to appear in front of him was a scarecrow, who was punched two meters away as soon as he finished speaking. Zheng En believed that he could not withstand the other party's merciless iron fist.

That leaves only one option...

Ignoring all the other details, Zheng En kicked him from behind, then ducked past him when he wasn't looking.

"Come and chase me if you dare, old bat!" Although, in terms of seniority, age, and debut time, this is just a fledgling young bat.

Batman, whose consciousness is in a state of confusion, will only take action after being stimulated by external factors, so Jung Eun decided to give him a big slap on the wrist and provoke him severely.

Sure enough, Batman burst out like a robot vacuum cleaner that had been turned on, relentlessly chasing after Jung Eun.

As Zheng En ran wildly, he heard the approaching footsteps behind him and couldn't help but swallow hard.

He turned around and saw the crazed Batman right in front of him.

Jung Eun turned around instantly, feeling as if a battle hymn was igniting around her.

"Khaki is too..."

If this were a comic book, his face would be drenched in a waterfall of noodle tears.

But that's not it.

So Jung Eun could only silently shed tears in her heart while frantically calling her mentor, Batman.

"Help me, help me, help me..."

"Come out and do something about your counterpart!"