Chapter 149: Three-dimensional maze

"You mean there might be more than one Leng Ji?"

Chu Cheng looked at Leng Ji, who was now blown to pieces on the ground. That idea actually seemed to make sense.

"I'm just saying it's possible," Friday replied. "It could be some kind of cloning ability. All the ID data shows he's the same as the Leng Ji we met before, but there are some small differences. It's like they're different versions of the same person."

"Sounds like cloning," Chu Cheng said.

No matter what, fighting this type of elite enemy twice meant double the experience, which was double the fun for Chu Cheng. He set his doubts aside for now and continued controlling his character.

Spider-Man temporarily left the scene, and Chu Cheng switched his focus back to Batman.

"The holographic simulation is back online," Friday announced.

A light blue stream of data quickly scanned over Batman's body, reapplying the holographic disguise. Within seconds, Batman looked just like Agent Snake in his standard combat uniform again.

"The projection system is still working fine, sir," Friday added.

"Good. Now, let's see if our new friend is done for," Chu Cheng said.

The entire underground ruins were pitch black, making it hard to see anything. Luckily, Batman's detective mode had night vision, so Chu Cheng's view wasn't affected by the darkness.

Even though he had turned off the holographic disguise for a moment during the fight, it had been a chaotic battle and fall. Chu Cheng was confident that the new guys above hadn't seen anything.

Looking up, Batman could see the platform they had fallen from. Chu Cheng, through Batman's eyes, scanned the area above them.

The fall was quite steep, and the platform was just at the edge of what Batman's night vision could detect. The jagged rocks around the edge made it hard to see clearly.

Batman used his grapple gun, which shot out a claw that latched onto a boulder. The rope tightened quickly, and the powerful pull lifted him up to the edge of the platform in one go.

Chu Cheng made sure Batman looked like he barely made it up, rather than flying straight from the bottom. Batman climbed up and found the platform empty—there was no sign of Liang Ye.

Chu Cheng wondered if Liang Ye had given up on the rescue, thinking his team had already left. But on closer inspection, it seemed something else was going on.

Not only was Liang Ye missing, but the black monsters they had just fought had vanished too.

This was puzzling. Even if Liang Ye was the type to scavenge, he wouldn't have taken all the bodies with him.

And there was something else odd: Leng Ji, who should have fallen through the wall after Gwen's kick, was now gone, and the wall itself seemed to have disappeared.

"This isn't where we were before."

"Friday, did we get lost?" Batman asked.

"No, sir," Friday replied. "We're at the coordinates we should be. The ruins must have shifted while you were falling."

"In such a short time?" Batman wondered, feeling increasingly uneasy. It was like being trapped in a maze where every room or platform led to an unpredictable new location. It felt like a supernatural experience where the room changed every time you looked back.

In the darkness of the underground, strange, zombie-like creatures appeared from time to time. If he were here alone, he might be panicking. Luckily, others were waiting safely.

Using the technology adapted from Miyazaki's tracking system, Batman checked the radiation signals. He found that the location of the evidence had shifted and the direction it pointed to had changed.

After about ten minutes of searching, a new enemy showed up on the radar.

"Four targets, sir," Friday reported.

"Got it."

The new enemies were still those weird, dark creatures. They didn't seem very rational and were more like the ruin's guards, trying to entertain those who wandered in.

But they picked the wrong opponent.

One of the creatures tried to sneak up on Batman from behind, but Batman didn't even turn around. He landed a solid punch, sending the creature flying. The hit was so precise that it left the creature dazed and reeling.

The other three creatures charged at Batman. He dodged one's attack with ease, landing an uppercut that knocked it back. As the second creature came from behind, Batman quickly turned and punched it hard, sending it crashing into its teammate.

These creatures were strong, but their fighting was wild and uncoordinated. With his advanced armor and expert skills, Batman easily handled all four opponents.