Chapter 145: Holographic camouflage

"Can you see me, Friday?"

"Yes, sir."

"Does the system work?"

"Flawless, sir. The facial features are incredibly realistic, and the expressions are lifelike. Honestly, I can't see any flaws."

"…"

Not long ago, a Secret Service Nine plane landed near the ruins. The advance team got off the plane and headed to the camp, including Batman.

Of course, he couldn't be wearing the iconic cape and cowl since it would be too flashy for a covert mission. Right now, Batman wore the same uniform as the other agents from Secret Service Nine, looking like one of them.

His current identity was "Snake," one of Secret Service Nine's chosen advance team members.

This was possible thanks to new equipment Chu Cheng found after upgrading Batman—holographic digital camouflage.

This kind of disguise has always been Batman's specialty, even in his early days. Back then, it was more about makeup and acting skills, like Sherlock Holmes. But once technology caught up, Batman took it to a whole new level, using tech to mimic the abilities of his teammates and enemies.

He saw that Superman's heat vision was handy, so he came up with a plasma cutter. He admired Wonder Woman's wristbands, so he developed his own bat wristbands to absorb energy blasts. And after seeing Martian Manhunter shape-shift, he created this current tech.

The holographic digital camouflage, built into his armor, lets Batman appear as anyone by tweaking a few settings. He could even pass for a woman if he wanted to.

So, even though Batman looks like an ordinary agent in a suit and tie, he's likely armed to the teeth underneath this harmless holographic image.

Here's what really happened: Chu Cheng made sure the real Agent Snake was knocked out and sleeping in his own bathroom.

Then, using the holographic disguise tech, he made Batman look like Snake and snuck him onto the airship with the advance team, headed to the ruins.

When "Agent Snake" stood with his colleagues, Friday hacked into the body cameras to check how the digital mask was working and confirmed there were no issues.

Unlike normal buildings, the ruins didn't have ventilation shafts to crawl through or windows to pry open, so joining the advance team seemed the best option.

As soon as the plasma earth drill finished its work, the expert team went in to assess the situation. Once the experts gave the all-clear, the advance team moved in.

"Hurry up, don't lag behind," an officer grumbled when Chu Cheng made Batman follow.

To be fair, it wasn't that Chu Cheng was dragging his feet on purpose, but controlling Batman with such precision was tricky.

It's one thing to control a game character in a fight, but it's another to make them pretend to be a real person.

Especially when moving with a team, you can't walk too fast, or you'll end up bumping into the guy in front. But you can't be too slow, either, or the person behind will get annoyed. 

The underground space was pitch black. Even with flares, the light barely broke through the darkness, only revealing shadows and outlines.

Everyone was tense, their focus on any danger lurking in the ruins. Nobody noticed if someone moved a little weirdly nearby.

"We're moving in," said Luo Yajun, leading the team.

"Good. Start by mapping out the structure," Professor Miyazaki's voice crackled over their headsets. "The camp is still tracking evidence A-086 and will update you with its direction.

Remember, the main goal is to recover the evidence. We can explore and investigate more later. If things get dangerous, you're allowed to call off the mission at any time."

"Understood."

The sonar probe began mapping the area, but it would take time to complete. Meanwhile, Agent Duan Lan, who could act like a human sonar, was also sending out sound waves to get a preliminary layout.

Standing in the middle of the open space, her eyes shut, Duan Lan concentrated on the echoes coming back to her. Her eyebrows furrowed deeper with each wave.

"How's it look?" Luo Yajun asked, approaching her.

"This... I've never encountered anything like this before."

With her eyes still closed, her expression turned even more puzzled.

"It's huge down here, really huge, and the structure... it doesn't feel like a building. It's too complex. I can't figure out what it is."

Suddenly, her face changed. It was like she had sensed something that shocked her.

"Wait, no... it's not just my imagination. It feels like..."

"Like what? What do you hear?" Luo Yajun pressed.

Duan Lan opened her eyes, looking both shocked and confused.

"This place... it's like a living creature."

"What are you saying?"

"It feels like it's moving... it wasn't like this before. But it started right when we got here," Duan Lan explained, her voice trembling. "Maybe we should leave..."

But it was too late.

It felt like an earthquake had hit the underground space. The ground shook violently, throwing many agents to the ground. Dust fell from the ceiling, and cracks snaked through the floor.

Luo Yajun's face went pale.

"Something's not right. We need to abort the mission. Everyone—"

Before he could finish, a stronger tremor rocked the room.

It sounded like something had exploded directly beneath them. The solid ground cracked, with huge fissures opening up, turning the once stable room into a crumbling disaster. It felt like they were standing on a giant cake, suddenly sliced into pieces, each collapsing and dragging them into a dark, bottomless pit.

Chu Cheng hadn't seen this coming. He was using detective mode to scan the surroundings when an exclamation point flashed on his screen. In the next instant, everything started falling apart.

The ground beneath Batman's feet gave way first, sending him plunging into the darkness below.

Reacting quickly, Chu Cheng fired his grappling gun, hoping to grab onto a nearby ledge, but that platform also broke apart. The grappling hook snapped back, unable to hold.

Thinking fast, Chu Cheng activated Batman's cape. It snapped open, becoming rigid like a hang glider, slowing his fall.

Moments later, Batman landed with a roll, just as chunks of debris rained down around him, trapping him in a circle of rubble.

But he wasn't worried.

First, his gloved hand emerged, then his bat-shaped helmet and armor. Batman, vibrating so fast he looked like a blur, slipped through the gaps in the debris, escaping the pile of rubble.

"Alan's system disengaged."

"...hologram back on."

When Batman stood up, his armor and cape were gone, replaced by the pale blue light of the digital hologram. He was back to being Snake, Agent Nine.

The collapse had been chaotic, with no light when they fell. Even though his holographic disguise was briefly disabled, the chances of someone spotting him were slim. His detective mode scan showed no one nearby.

"Some kind of unknown event has altered the layout of the ruins. The agents may have been scattered," Friday reported. "I'm trying to locate them, but there's interference..."

"Hold on, Friday," Chu Cheng interrupted. "Looks like we've got company."

Batman's viewfinder zoomed in. The detective mode highlighted an orange-red figure in the darkness, not far away.