Chapter 154: Round Three

Batman walked through the ancient door, which had been shut for who knows how long, and entered the other side.

Sticking to his usual strategy of letting his team handle the direct confrontations, Chu Cheng decided not to join them in facing the battle. Since he had already dealt with most of the unknown people from the pharmaceutical company, he figured it was better to set up a trap and let them handle themselves.

Before leaving, he hacked into the closed-circuit cameras and recording devices of one of the players and instructed Friday to keep an eye on and record key details. This way, he didn't have to be physically present or as Batman to monitor the situation, hear their conversations, and understand the motives of the pharmaceutical company.

As everyone was focused on the fight, no one noticed the door. This allowed Chu Cheng to scout ahead, search for important items, and gain more experience.

The door was sturdy and thick. The pharmaceutical team had clearly spent a lot of time trying to break through it, but with little success.

To make matters worse, after Batman went through the first door, Chu Cheng quickly found that there was another locked door just a few steps ahead. It was made of similar material but had a different design. So, after struggling to get through the first door, they would be met with an even tougher challenge right after.

Luckily, Batman has the unbeatable Allen system.

The high-speed oscillation of his armor's atoms lets him pass through any material, making him nearly unstoppable. The door is no obstacle for him.

The main drawback of this feature is its high power consumption. It doesn't use the armor's overall energy but drains the electricity stored specifically for the Allen system. This energy source is similar to the "Speed Force" used by the Flash.

On Chu Cheng's monitor, a light golden energy bar tracks the Allen system's power. Whenever he activates this mode, the energy bar depletes quickly. Once deactivated, it recharges slowly.

The longer the mode is active, the faster the energy drops, so Batman can't use it continuously without draining the system.

"Friday, I'm in," Chu Cheng said.

"The energy signature radiation of the evidence is at its peak, so we're in the right place," Friday confirmed.

"Wait, I think I see it."

Chu Cheng activated detective mode, lighting up the dark room on Batman's eyepiece. At the end of the room, he spotted a display table that had risen from the ground, with the evidence they were searching for, marked A-086, prominently placed on it.

"Friday, did you see that?"

"Yes, sir. The radiation source is locked. The object is identified as Secret Service Nine Lost Exhibit A-086, and its radiation level is increasing," Friday confirmed.

As Batman moved forward, Chu Cheng had a hunch about the dead phantoms' connection to a key. 

The object in front of him indeed looked like a key. It had a notch that perfectly fit the shape of the keyhole, and part of the object was already inserted into it.

"The rise in radiation levels is coming from underground," Friday said. "This object is a key to something. Once it was inserted into this device, something in these ruins started to activate."

"Could it be the sword that unlocked the seal of the ancient demon god?" Chu Cheng recalled the story but then hesitated.

Batman paused, and Chu Cheng shifted his view. A new figure appeared on the detective mode screen.

"Acquiring enemy images," Friday announced as the screen zoomed in on the figure's face.

"Facial recognition confirms identity as…"

"Leng Ji," Chu Cheng finished. He was certain he had seen this person die—twice.

"Sir?" Friday's tone was unusual, "It seems… it's more complicated than we thought."

Chu Cheng quickly understood what she meant.

More figures started appearing, entering the night vision range of Batman's detective mode. They came from every direction—front, back, left, and right—forming a massive, enclosing net. Even the direction of the door was blocked.

"Friday, are these all...?" Chu Cheng asked.

"Yes, sir. Though there are slight differences in each individual, facial recognition shows they are all Leng Ji clones."

"Perfect," Chu Cheng muttered. "Looks like we've found the clone nest."

All the Leng Ji spoke at once. Their synchronized voices filled the room, sounding like stereo surround from every speaker.

"round third ," they said in unison. "This time, you have no chance."

"Yeah, right," Chu Cheng thought. He didn't hesitate and made Batman attack immediately.

The number of enemies was overwhelming. If Batman stayed defensive, things would only get harder.

Tentacles surged forward from all directions, leaving no space to dodge. But Batman didn't need to dodge. He activated Hal Jordan's Flash system, allowing him to phase through all the tentacles in a blink.

As he moved, Batman threw a device. Two of the Leng Ji clones rolled out of the way, but one hesitated while retracting his tentacles. The device exploded in his face, releasing a brilliant burst of ice shards.

The Frozen Grenade, as its name suggests, was inspired by a Gotham fan's love for Mr. Freeze. Batman adapted the tech into a portable grenade, causing a small area of extreme cold and instantly freezing anything it hits.

One of the clones hit by the grenade froze solid, turning into an ice statue.

Batman leaped into action. The enemies' close formation restricted the movement of their tentacles, which Batman used to his advantage. The enhanced strength from his power armor shattered a jaw, and a high-voltage shock repelled one of the clones . At the same time, Batman spun around and delivered a powerful kick to another enemy's chest.

But a tentacle wrapped around his ankle before he could pull his leg back, and someone grabbed his arm. Batman skillfully redirected another clones 's punch into his teammate's face, but then his wrist got caught.

"The Allen system is activated," Friday announced.

Atoms vibrated, turning Batman into a blur. In an instant, the tentacles were flung away, and the clones that had grabbed him were left grasping at thin air.

Batman rolled away, escaping his disadvantaged position. He launched three bombs at the chests of different clones . The explosions ripped through their armor, sending them flying in different directions, like fish caught in a blast.

The Allen system's power dropped below half.

"More clones are coming from all sides," Friday warned. "Also, I've scanned the room's structure. The floor beneath us is hollow, and there seems to be something hidden underneath."

"My suggestion is to go down there, get the power back on, and figure out what's happening. We can work on a tactical plan in the meantime."

"Good idea."

Several agents charged toward Batman's location. At that moment, Batman activated Allen's system, turning into a gray-black blur. He seemed to vanish from the physical world, his figure becoming like a massless holographic projection, sinking directly through the ground.

The agents collided, realizing too late that Batman had vanished. They spotted a light blue grenade with a bat symbol on the ground.

Boom!

An ice explosion erupted, instantly freezing the agents.

Batman fell through the ground, free-falling. As the Allen system deactivated, his cape spread wide, allowing him to glide and land smoothly.

He found himself in another large, empty room with a high dome about 23 feet above. Switching on detective mode, Chu Cheng scanned the area and froze when he saw the only other presence in the room.

It was a man.

A naked man, arms outstretched, hung limply from a cross-like device, his head drooping to one side.

It's Leng Ji again.