Although Gordon had been tasked with destroying the viaduct, Kara and Bruce did not relax. They still needed to uncover the true source of the incident—Lars and his associates.
If simply destroying the viaduct was enough, wouldn't it have made sense to do it immediately? Kara questioned the decision aloud: why did Gordon have to travel to the city to destroy the other end instead of handling it nearby on Naihe Island?
Bruce sighed helplessly. "Can't you stop complaining about me?"
Kara shrugged, effortlessly kicking an attacker who had suddenly lunged at her into the air. "It's just a rant, don't take it too seriously."
Her complaints, however, gave Bruce a headache. Kara wasn't wrong. If the viaduct needed to be destroyed to prevent Lars from leaving, why not destroy it from the island itself? That would also have avoided the potential devastation of Gotham City.
Still, what was done was done. Gordon was already in action, and arguing about it further wouldn't change anything.
The chaos on Naihe Island had reached new heights. Everyone had been infected with the fear toxin, driving them into madness.
People fought each other in the streets, trapped in hallucinations of their deepest fears. When their fear became unbearable, they lashed out violently, hoping to destroy the source of their terror.
Kara frowned as she observed the carnage. Innocent civilians were attacking others in their hysteria, forcing her to intervene. She knocked them unconscious one by one, though her strength meant they would likely need to recover in the hospital for a few days.
Bruce was also busy. Armed with a variety of gadgets, he incapacitated attackers without causing permanent harm. Perhaps even then, he had already committed to his no-kill principle.
Suddenly, Kara grabbed Bruce's cape, nearly pulling him off balance.
"What?" Bruce asked, not annoyed but curious.
Kara closed her eyes briefly, listening intently. Then she opened them with urgency. "Your Miss Rachel—is she on the island?"
"What?" Bruce's eyes widened in shock. "Rachel?"
Kara nodded. She had picked up on the Scarecrow's voice, catching it amidst the chaos. A sinister tone had given her the information she needed.
"I'm not just any scapegoat," the voice had said. "I'm the Scarecrow."
Kara's enhanced senses had allowed her to pinpoint the speaker's location. In doing so, she also detected Rachel.
"Follow me!" Kara called as she darted through the streets.
Bruce didn't question how she knew where Rachel was. His concern for Rachel overpowered his curiosity. Together, they navigated Naihe Island's chaos, eventually reaching an alley.
There, they found Rachel huddled with a young boy, trying to evade a group of armed prisoners who had escaped from Arkham. They were clearly under the influence of the fear toxin, wielding makeshift weapons and closing in on Rachel.
Bruce charged forward, using his combat skills to take down the assailants with precision and restraint. However, he didn't notice that Kara had slipped away.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, a horse galloped wildly through the streets. Its rider, wearing a crude burlap hood and armed with gas canisters, clung desperately to its back. It was the Scarecrow, fleeing in a panic.
Moments earlier, he had attempted to capture Rachel, only to be repelled by her self-defense stun gun. Now, he was frantically trying to escape his pursuer.
Kara soared through the air, her cape billowing behind her like the wings of a great bat. Her eyes locked onto the Scarecrow as she descended rapidly.
The Scarecrow let out a terrified scream, mistaking her for Bruce. He had already faced Batman once and wasn't eager for a rematch. Little did he know, Kara was far more dangerous.
As she approached, Kara deactivated the gliding function of her suit, dropping straight into the Scarecrow's path. She landed with a thunderous crash, startling the horse and causing it to rear up.
The animal instinctively lashed out at her with its front hooves, but Kara responded swiftly, grabbing the horse's head and flipping it over her shoulder.
The horse, dazed and confused, lay on the ground, and the Scarecrow was thrown off its back, landing with a painful thud. He scrambled to his feet, attempting to crawl away, but Kara stepped on his back with immense force, pinning him to the ground.
"Who are you?" the Scarecrow croaked, gasping for air.
Kara smirked coldly. "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that you're going to pay for what you've done."
She pressed down harder, causing the Scarecrow to cry out in pain as his spine cracked under the pressure. Kara didn't kill him immediately. Instead, she let him experience the slow, agonizing approach of death.
"You like to use fear against others," Kara said with venom in her voice. "Let's see how you handle your own medicine."
The Scarecrow's screams filled the air as his internal organs were crushed. Kara's expression remained impassive, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.
At the edge of death, the Scarecrow managed to choke out one final observation. "You're… not him. Batman wouldn't… do this…"
Kara's smirk widened. "Congratulations. You got that right. Here's your reward."
With a sickening crunch, Kara ended the Scarecrow's life.