Chapter 82: Apartment Attack

The red alert on Batman's HUD meant there was no way to block the attack—he had to dodge. But the enemy came out of nowhere, and Chu Cheng, who was focused on scanning in detective mode, didn't have time to react.

Batman was hit, and it was like getting hit by a truck throwing through the door and crashing into the living room.

The attacker was a big guy, wearing just a white tank top that looked like it was about to burst from his swollen muscles. His face was twisted, his bloodshot eyes bulging out of their sockets, and he was breathing heavily like an angry bull.

The face was so distorted that it was hard to tell what he looked like, but Batman's helmet scanner quickly recognized him.

"Yoshimura?" Chu Cheng was surprised when the name came up.

Without the powerful facial recognition of the Batcomputer, there was no way anyone could've recognized the missing tea shop owner, Yoshimura, from his deformed face.

But Yoshimura looked a lot stronger than he did in the photos.

"You're not taking her from me! Not while I'm here!" Yoshimura growled, his words barely understandable.

Chu Cheng had no idea what he was talking about, but there wasn't time to ask. Yoshimura charged at Batman with a wild scream.

Batman sidestepped, landing two quick punches to Yoshimura's vital points. A regular person would've been paralyzed by those hits, but this infected guy shrugged off the hits.

Yoshimura was strong and fast, as shown by how quickly he countered. Batman slid to the side, dodging his punch, and then threw a batarang. Yoshimura caught it in his hand, but suddenly, the Batarang released a shocking electric current.

His body jerked, black smoke rising from his skin, smelling like burnt meat.

Batman got to his feet, but before he could grab another gadget, he heard a loud crash behind him.

Chu Cheng, using the gaming headset, could hear every sound around Batman. If you had enough experience and listened carefully, you could tell where the sound came from and how far away it was.

This sound was from behind. And once again, it was too late.

The wall was smashed through again, and a fierce figure flew out, screaming. It was a woman with wild black hair and claws for nails, coming straight at Batman.

There wasn't enough time to dodge, so Chu Cheng pressed the defense button. Batman blocked one of her hands, but her other hand raked across his chest, leaving a long scratch on his Batsuit, exposing the armor underneath. Batman countered with a backhand punch to her face, sending her stumbling back.

Facial recognition identified her as Mrs. Yoshimura, the missing wife.

At the same time, Yoshimura had rushed in again, and the red warning sign flashed on the screen. Chu Cheng made Batman dodge, but Mrs. Yoshimura's attack was already right there.

Their infection was severe, making them stronger and faster than regular infected people, but also more unstable.

This level of infection gave them immense strength, but they were on the verge of collapse.

Their high infection level made them super quick, and their attacks came fast and furious. From Batman's perspective as a master fighter, each of their moves was full of flaws. He could think of at least a dozen ways to counter each one. But their advantage was their speed, toughness, and their ability to regenerate.

Batman used all his skills to fend off and dismantle the attack from the infected couple. His cape swirled with his quick movements as he darted through the storm, changing directions swiftly to avoid their attacks.

Normally, Batman excels in planning and preparation. He prefers to set up the right equipment and tactics in advance. But sometimes, there's a simpler, more direct approach.

Batman broke a window and jumped onto the lawn outside. The infected couple followed, breaking through the windows on either side. Batman crouched on the ground and threw a smoke bomb. It exploded with a bang, filling the area with thick smoke that concealed his figure.

The infected couple rushed through the smoke but found the lawn empty.

Or at least, it was empty on the ground.

Suddenly, the Moonlight Knight appeared on their roof. Clad in pure white with a flowing cloak, the Moonlight Knight stood tall against the bright moon.

Mark Spector, in his Moonlight Knight form, glided down and kicked Yoshimura with powerful legs. Yoshimura, a large, infected figure, was sent flying like a kite with a broken string.

Mrs. Yoshimura screamed and lunged at the Moonlight Knight with her long nails. The Moonlight Knight grabbed her wrist and kicked her in the stomach. Mrs. Yoshimura was thrown into the flower beds on the lawn.

Yoshimura struggled to stand and rushed at the Moonlight Knight, swinging his fists.

But the Moonlight Knight wasn't just any fighter. He easily caught Yoshimura's punch with one hand. An invisible shockwave blasted from his palm, making his cloak ripple. The Moonlight Knight stood firm, unaffected.

The Moonlight Knight dodged Yoshimura's next attack and countered with a powerful punch to the abdomen. Yoshimura flew through the air, spitting blood.

"Who's this'she' you're talking about, Yoshimura?" the Moonlight Knight asked as he stepped closer. "Is she your child?"

"Our children... nobody can take them... our family..."

Yoshimura tried to rise but was too injured. After struggling a few more times, he fell to the ground and lay still.

Mrs. Yoshimura, in the flower bed, stared blankly with no movement.

Chu Cheng sighed in relief. At least the mystery was somewhat resolved.

After the cooldown for switching roles, Chu Cheng took over as Batman. He went back to collecting DNA samples and scanning objects in the house—tasks he had planned to complete before being interrupted.

The next step was to use the Nine Offices' database to compare the DNA samples and find out who the mysterious child in the house was.

As he uploaded the samples and awaited the analysis, a large red exclamation mark appeared on the map, not far from Batman's location. It was an unusually large and eye-catching warning.