Chapter 219 The Last Hope!
Zartan was not adept at combat, but as a master of disguise, he excelled in deception and understanding human nature.
He could completely transform into another person, replicating their every move, speech pattern, and even the tiniest details of their daily life.
In the original movie, Zartan impersonated the President, successfully replacing him and wreaking havoc from the pinnacle of power.
Of course, as a villain, his end was predictably grim.
For now, within this temporary Cobra squad, excluding the uncontrollable Winter Soldier, Zartan served as the primary commander.
"Our mission is simple: rendezvous with Destro, then split up the four nano-worm warheads.
Spread the word to draw out Batman, activate the warheads, destroy New York, and kill Batman!"
Zartan tone was calm and deliberate as he laid out their objectives.
"No, our enemies aren't just Batman," another team member interjected in a low voice.
"Zartan, there are over a dozen superheroes hiding in New York City.
To activate the nano-worm warheads, we must avoid their surveillance.
Otherwise, our plan will fail, and we'll be caught in the fallout."
The speaker was Firefly, Cobra demolition expert. In addition to his exceptional martial arts skills, he was proficient with various firearms, combining the traits of both a soldier and a ninja.
On the plane, excluding the Winter Soldier—who wasn't part of Cobra—Firefly and White Ghost were undoubtedly the strongest fighters.
Zartan, White Ghost, and Firefly were the core members of the Cobra organization, while the others were mere grunts.
The Winter Soldier, however, was an outsider, brought in by Cobra commanders as a hired assassin from another organization.
This organization, a colossal force deeply rooted in the underworld for decades, was so powerful that even Cobra had to look up to it.
In other words, the Winter Soldier rank and authority far surpassed theirs.
"That why we need speed—so fast that no one has time to react," Zartan said confidently.
"Once we land, we'll split up immediately. Each of us will carry a nano-worm warhead and disperse them throughout New York City.
Afterward, we'll regroup at Destro hotel and spread the news to incite mass panic, forcing Batman to come out of hiding."
He paused briefly before adding, "Even if we draw out more than just Batman, we'll have the firepower to handle it."
"Agreed," Firefly and White Ghost exchanged glances and nodded.
They had absolute confidence in the power of the nano-worm warheads.
As members of Cobra, they had witnessed the weapons' destructive capabilities firsthand.
In a short amount of time, the test site was completely annihilated.
An entire civilization achievements couldn't withstand the onslaught of just a few nano-worm warheads.
It was clear that these weapons were designed to destroy civilizations—the ultimate tools of devastation.
With the plan finalized, Zartan turned his gaze to the window. The city lights outside glowed with neon brilliance, and his expression sharpened.
"We've arrived!"
New York Airport.
A plane circled the sky once before slowly descending.
Inside the aircraft, the passengers looked out at the city skyline. Suddenly, one of them froze, their expression turning suspicious.
"Why is there another plane descending with us?"
"Something not right!"
"That looks like a fighter jet… Do you see it? Doesn't it look like a giant bat?"
"A bat?"
Firefly and White Ghost expressions changed instantly.
Zartan, staring out the window, saw the Batwing descending in perfect synchronization with their own plane. His heart sank.
"This isn't good—it Batman!"
Zartan had studied Batman extensively, profiling his personality and strategies.
The deep unease welling up inside him now left no doubt in his mind: this aircraft belonged to Batman.
It was the enemy.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Before anyone could react, several cannon barrels emerged from the Batwing wings.
Powerful projectiles shot out like meteors, trailing fiery tails through the night sky before slamming into their plane with devastating force.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thunderous explosions echoed as MARS-1, the aircraft carrying Zartan and his team, was critically damaged. It spiraled uncontrollably toward the ground.
Luckily, the plane had already been in its descent phase and was only tens of meters from the ground. Even a crash landing wasn't a fatal threat to these highly trained operatives.
"Jump out of the plane!"
Zartan shouted, knowing full well that Batman wouldn't give them any respite. "They'll keep firing—this plane is going to explode!"
Crash!
Before Zartan finished speaking, the Winter Soldier stood up and punched open the cabin door with his metal arm.
Without hesitation, he leapt out into the open air.
Clearly, his assessment aligned with Zartan.
As a cybernetically enhanced soldier, the Winter Soldier physical durability far exceeded that of ordinary humans. Even a high-altitude fall posed no risk to him.
The Cobra operatives swallowed hard, taking the opportunity to follow the Winter Soldier lead and jump from the out-of-control plane.
In a split second, with the aircraft just a dozen meters from the ground, the operatives leapt to safety.
For these rigorously trained individuals, the height presented some difficulty but was far from insurmountable.
Each used their own techniques and equipment to land safely.
Zartan, White Ghost, and Firefly—each holding a case containing a nano-worm warhead—remained unscathed.
The lesser-trained foot soldiers weren't so lucky. Many failed to escape in time and met their grim fate in the fiery wreckage.
As Zartan had predicted, Batman and his team had no intention of letting them go.
The Batwing cannons continued their relentless assault until the enemy plane was completely destroyed. Only then did it cease fire and begin its descent.
Boom!
The wreckage of the Cobra aircraft erupted in a massive explosion, sending a towering mushroom cloud into the sky and bathing the airport in firelight.
The earlier barrage from the Batwing and the subsequent explosion left everyone in stunned silence.
Chaos erupted across the airport.
Wee-oo, wee-oo, wee-oo!
Alarms blared.
All non-essential personnel inside the airport quickly evacuated.
Whoosh!
Moments later, the Batwing landed.
Under the tense gazes of the airport staff, several familiar figures emerged from the aircraft.
Their tense expressions softened as they recognized the group.
Leading them was none other than Batman, accompanied by his Justice League allies.
"Batman, Cyborg, Green Arrow… wait, is that Wonder Woman?"
Inside the airport, staff members were stunned, immediately reporting the sighting to their superiors.
One of them couldn't resist pulling out a phone to snap a photo.
Under the night sky, at the airport:
The wreckage of the plane burned fiercely, sending waves of heat crashing against the nearby Cobra operatives, making the air around them feel unbearably hot.
The rising heat mirrored the escalating tension in the atmosphere.
Zartan and his team watched the figures emerging from the recently landed Batwing. Instinctively, their muscles tensed, and their fists clenched.
"We've been discovered!"
"They knew from the very start!"
"How did they manage it?"
Zartan face darkened as he stared at Batman and his allies stepping out of the Batwing.
His gaze swept over the group, his heart pounding with a mix of fear and shock, his skin crawling.
For a brief moment, they caught sight of a bound and battered figure inside the Batwing interior.
It was Destro!
"We've been exposed. Every move we've made has been under their watch. No wonder!"
Zartan finally pieced it all together, but this realization only deepened his fear of Batman and his team.
"They captured Destro and forced information out of him… Damn Destro!"
Seeing Destro in their custody, everything became crystal clear.
Cobra entire operation had been laid bare, completely under the control of Batman and his allies.
It was no surprise they had flown in with the Batwing to intercept Zartan group.
Anton stood motionless, his expression cold and detached, as he observed the burning wreckage of the plane and the figures who had jumped from the sky.
Faint screams of agony still emanated from inside the aircraft.
It was clear that the grunts left behind were now succumbing to the flames, with no chance of survival.
However, since Cyborg was the one piloting the Batwing, Anton actions didn't technically violate Batman no-kill principle.
Movies often played this kind of loophole.
While Batman adhered to a no-kill rule, he never interfered with others killing.
Now, the remaining Cobra operatives were reduced to the few standing before him: Zartan, Firefly, and White Ghost.
The High Table had provided detailed intelligence on Cobra, including the identities of its key leaders.
These three were senior members of the organization, ranking just below Destro and the Commander.
Destro served as Cobra financier and arms supplier, while the Commander was the supreme leader—the two functioning as the "eyes" of Cobra.
Notably, Baroness Anna held a unique position within the organization.
She was both the Commander sister and Destro lover, giving her a status that was somewhat above the rest.
However, regardless of her lofty position, Anna was now a captive.
And soon, her comrades would meet an even worse fate.
"Do you still plan to resist?"
Anton calm gaze locked onto the cases in their hands.
"Batman!"
Zartan sneered. "Don't think capturing Destro means we'll just surrender to you!"
"Let not forget," Firefly said, his expression lighting up with excitement as he stared at Anton Batman,
"our mission is to release the nano-worm warheads in New York."
His tone carried an uncontrollable fervor, an eagerness that only grew when faced with a dangerous and formidable foe.
The more fearsome the enemy, the more Firefly felt the thrill of the challenge.
"Gentlemen, you're being overly optimistic," White Ghost said grimly.
He carefully set down the case in his hand and drew two katanas from his back. Beneath his mask, his face was stern and solemn.
As a highly trained ninja, he could sense a kindred spirit in Batman—an aura that only a master ninja would possess.
Anton gaze remained steady, unyielding as it fell on Zartan, Firefly, and White Ghost.
Yet his silent scrutiny made their skin crawl, as though they were being hunted by a terrifying predator.
It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling—they had experienced it once before, on the plane, when the Winter Soldier had opened his eyes.
But the sense of threat Batman exuded was far more intense.
"Go!"
"We have no way out!"
Zartan gritted his teeth.
"I don't need you to tell me!"
Firefly sneered, stomping his foot and hurling several handmade bombs from his pouch.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The bombs detonated mid-air, bursting like fireworks in a dazzling display.
Firefly froze in shock.
He hadn't even seen what caused his bombs to explode prematurely.
Bang!
The next moment, a massive force slammed into his chest, radiating throughout his body.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sound of bones breaking echoed as the power coursed through him, filling his body with unbearable agony.
"Shit!"
The thought barely flashed through Firefly mind before his eyes locked onto a man clad in silver, his appearance robotic.
Fear surged uncontrollably within him.
"That… Cyborg!"
Whoosh!
Before he could process it, Firefly body was flung like a ragdoll, crashing heavily to the ground.
Thud!
The impact created a crater in the airport floor.
Firefly lay limp in the crater, covered in blood, completely unconscious.
"What?!"
The others' pupils dilated in disbelief.
They hadn't expected Firefly—one of their strongest—to fall in a single blow.
Gulp!
White Ghost hesitated for a moment, then brandished his twin blades, seizing a momentary pause in the battle to strike at Cyborg.
But his path was intercepted by a man in green garb with a quiver strapped to his back.
It was Green Arrow.
"Your fight is with me," Green Arrow said, his sharp gaze as piercing as his arrows.
"You…"
White Ghost barely managed to speak before Green Arrow turned his bow into a makeshift sword and drove it through his shoulder.
"What?!"
White Ghost shoulder erupted in pain.
But his shock far outweighed the physical agony.
He hadn't even seen Green Arrow movements clearly.
Zartan, watching this unfold, was even more stunned.
Known for his cunning and ruthlessness, Zartan had always been terrified of death.
This fear had driven him to become a master of disguise, excelling in evasion over combat.
What he witnessed now shattered all his assumptions.
Of the three of them, the two strongest—White Ghost and Firefly—couldn't even touch their opponents, as though their efforts were nothing more than a mild nuisance.
Zartan had never imagined that their combined strength would be so utterly outmatched.
"No!"
White Ghost growled, his voice trembling. "It not over yet! Zartan, don't forget him!"
His eyes glimmered with determination as he clenched his teeth.
While White Ghost knew their group wasn't enough to threaten Batman and his allies, there was one person who could.
If that person intervened, it would be their chance to escape.
"Right!"
Zartan snapped out of his despair, hope flickering in his eyes.
There was still one person left.
The Winter Soldier.
The last hope for their survival.
Over the past fifty years, the Winter Soldier had carried out over twenty high-profile assassinations.
If there had only ever been one Winter Soldier during those five decades, it could only mean one thing:
He was an enhanced soldier, a superhuman.