"I hope you win the war you tell no one about."
-Unknown
...
A short while later, Penguin's Gang called in a thousand members.
The Penguin led the way, along with twelve other leaders, as they headed toward Wayne Tower.
A small group of leaders, including Ignatius, stayed at the Iceberg Lounge to keep an eye on things.
This arrangement worked well since Ignatius was injured and not good for the battlefield.
As the Penguin's personal secretary, he was fit to stay at the base.
"Farewell, Boss..."
Watching the Penguin leaves, Ignatius' eyes revealed a deep meaning.
"Everyone, let's go back and discuss how to teach those Blackgate fugitives who don't know their place a lesson."
He grinned slyly as he spoke to the other Penguin gang leaders when he turned around.
"While no one has dared to attack our headquarters, a number of bold ones have entered our territory."
"Hmph! I won't spare those bastards!"
One leader declared it with a fierce expression.
"That's right, anyone who dares to cause trouble in our territory shouldn't expect to leave alive!"
The other leaders sounded in.
Looking at his associates, Ignatius' face curled into a mysterious smile, and he turned to walk inside the Iceberg Lounge.
"Very well, I'm happy to see your enthusiastic attitude. So, please follow me."
...
On a certain street in Gotham, Batman was in a fight with a bunch of armed thugs.
He threw strong, quick punches that knocked down several people in just a couple of moves.
From a distance, it looks like one person is taking on dozens.
"Batman!"
At this moment, Robin's voice comes through the communication device in Batman's helmet.
Batman's expression remains unchanged as he continues to attack the surrounding thugs.
"Report, Robin!"
"It's bad, Batman. Black Mask's main forces are likely at Wayne Tower. Fortunately, most of the employees inside the building have already been evacuated."
"They call themselves the False Face Society. They have strong firepower, and both the GCPD and Wayne Enterprises' security teams are struggling to hold their ground. I thought their defenses were about to collapse until..."
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of Wayne Tower, Robin looks down through binoculars while reporting the situation to Batman and hesitates at the end.
At this point, the chaos was spreading throughout Gotham.
The GCPD was spread out, and there weren't many cops sent to help Wayne Tower.
They were up against hundreds of violent criminals and could barely hold their ground.
It was hard for them to make an effective counterattack.
"Until what?"
After delivering a strong elbow strike to a thug trying to attack him from behind, Batman calmly asks
"Until the Penguin showed up."
Robin answers.
"Wait, what did you say?"
"A while ago, the Penguin arrived with a large group of his henchmen and engaged in a firefight with Black Mask's forces. I'm not sure why."
At this point, Robin marvels, "You really should see the situation here. A group of masked weirdos is fighting with a bunch of people holding umbrellas. It's... indescribably spectacular."
Batman pondered for a moment and then said, "I understand. For traditional crime families like the Penguin's, the chaos in Gotham disrupts their usual business and balance. Black Mask's releasing prisoners and causing havoc are seen as provoking them."
"So, what should we do now? Should we fight alongside the Penguin's gang or observe from the sidelines for a while?"
Robin asks.
"Have you found the location of Black Mask and the Penguin?"
Batman asked in return.
"I spotted the Penguin. He's behind the Penguin gang's gunmen, and a dozen or so tough-looking guys are protecting him."
"But..."
Robin turned the binoculars towards the False Face Society's side, with a hint of intrigue.
"I haven't found Black Mask. At least, I can't find him in my current position. Maybe he's hiding in a corner that's not easy to discover, or perhaps he's not even here."
"Let's not act rashly and make sure no innocent people are caught in the crossfire between the Penguin and the False Face Society. I'll be there shortly."
As he finished speaking, Batman also took down the last, thus bringing him to the ground.
If it were a regular day, Batman would have taken some time to tie up these dozens of thugs and hang them somewhere high.
But the situation was urgent, and there wasn't enough time for that.
So Batman used a bit more force than usual when dealing with these thugs to ensure that they wouldn't wake up anytime soon.
Then he quickly ran towards Wayne Tower.
...
At the same time, in a building close to where the firefighters were working at Wayne Tower.
Black Mask was hiding here with a dozen of his most loyal subordinates.
Robin's guess was right; the Black Mask was indeed not on the main battlefield.
He didn't know how he managed to get to the back of Wayne Tower, the route everyone evacuated from the building, but there was no need to explain why he had set up an ambush here.
The Black Mask's main objective was never to destroy Wayne Enterprises; this was only an excuse they used to recruit prisoners from Blackgate Penitentiary into the False Face Society.
Black Mask had always had only one target in mind.
The one who had taken everything from him and made his life so miserable—Bruce Wayne!
If it weren't for Bruce, he would never have ended up in his current situation.
Bruce Wayne was to blame for all the suffering he had gone through!
Only by killing Bruce Wayne could he find a new life!
"Why hasn't he shown up yet?"
Watching the employees evacuating from Wayne Tower one by one, Black Mask couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"Is it possible that Bruce Wayne isn't in the company? Or did he escape through some hidden route?"
"Boss."
Just then, one of Black Mask's henchmen came up from behind.
"Take a look at your phone quickly; something unusual is happening."
"So what? I only want Bruce Wayne now; I don't have time to pay attention to anything unusual!"
Black Mask replied impatiently.
"The unusual thing is... Bruce Wayne; he's on the phone!"
The henchman continued.
"What?"
Black Mask frowned and quickly grabbed the phone to take a look.
On the phone's screen was a weird live streaming video that couldn't be exited, paused, or fast-forwarded.
The video didn't even stop when he hit the power button.
The video showed what looked like a scene in a forest, which reminded him of Robinson Park.
In addition, there was a person in the forest who stood facing the camera as if looking at the viewers.
That person was none other than Bruce Wayne.
"Roman Sionis, no, Black Mask, and all the prisoners who escaped from Blackgate Penitentiary, I know you can see this. Do you not want to kill me? Are you not here to bring down Wayne Enterprises? Come on over then!"
"I'm waiting for you all right here!"
...
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