The Aftermath and New Strategies

Adam was flying over rooftops, switching between legs for wide spaces and wheels for flat surfaces. Bane, despite his best efforts, couldn't keep up. Fight? Hell no, can I even beat that? I'll just run. Hitting 70 miles per hour, he felt a sense of exhilaration. Bane, rockets, they were all just background noise. 

"Bane, giving up the chase?" 

The pale man, nicknamed Zombie, carried a rocket launcher, sweating and bruised. He'd gotten too eager and strayed from Bane, resulting in a dinosaur punch to the face. How dare you interfere with my escape! - If Bane hadn't picked him up, he'd probably be in the ICU now. Damn it! He'd never seen anyone run so fast. Well, it was a dinosaur, and he'd never seen anything that bizarre. 

Bane's other two men, Caveman and Birdman, looked as miserable as Zombie. They couldn't catch up and were constantly targeted by Deadshot. This wasn't fun. When Bane finally called off the chase, they all sighed in relief. Bane stood silently in the middle of the street, gazing at the rooftop where Batman had vanished, like a teenager embracing the cool breeze on a firefly-filled summer night.

"Caveman, the situation has changed." Caveman, wiping sweat from his brow, replied, "Understood, Bane. I'll compile a detailed analysis of Batman's weaknesses and unknown abilities immediately." 

"No need. We need a new plan, and we need time. Find something to keep Batman occupied, so 

he can't interfere with us." Bane's voice, usually low and menacing, now rose in pitch, like a bloodthirsty beast. "Batman ran because he wasn't sure he could win. Coincidentally... neither was I. I wanted to test his strength, but he wouldn't allow it. He's more cautious than I anticipated."

He leaped, soaring between buildings like a comet. The distant sirens wailed for him, a symphony of fear. "The game is changing... Everyone, prepare yourselves. Stay in contact. And avoid the police. We don't want unnecessary damage to the city. After all... this will be mine eventually." 

Meanwhile... 

Thump. 

After a half-hour sprint, Deadshot, Catwoman, Killer Croc, and Ventriloquist were thrown into a small alley by Adam. The recent fight and chase felt like a distant memory. 

"Hmm..." 

Catwoman, still a bit dazed, murmured, "I don't remember Batman having those moves." 

"Clearly, the guy couldn't decide between being Batman or Dinosaur Man," Deadshot quipped, gritting his bloody teeth. 

"So, we're just dumped here?" Killer Croc roared. "Where's the employer? Where's Batman? Where's my damn money?" 

Deadshot ignored Croc's outburst. This time, he was seriously reconsidering this whole mission. 

Bane, Batman, and that Tattooed Man with superpowers... If it were a few years ago, he would have taken on any challenge for the right price. But things were different now. He had a daughter. When Bane had his throat, he couldn't stop thinking about what would happen to Zoe if he died. The answer was: nothing much. Zoe had adoptive parents. If he died, she might be sad for a while... but ultimately, she'd forget him. 

His existence would fade away like morning mist. No one would remember, no one would miss him. He wouldn't even live on in anyone's memory, just like Javelin, Slipknot, or Tattooed Man. Floyd Lawton couldn't accept that. He knew he was a scumbag, a villain. His love for his daughter wasn't pure or selfless. It was tainted with possessiveness, ugly but genuine. 

He wanted to watch Zoe grow up! He wanted to be with her always! He wanted to see her get married, have a family of her own! He wanted to witness every milestone in her life! He wanted to die in a hospital bed with his daughter by his side, tears streaming down her face! This was Floyd Lawton's selfish and cowardly wish! 

So even if it meant being called a coward and a fool, the mercenary known as Deadshot had to live. He had to. He turned to Ventriloquist, who was still searching for his lost glasses on the ground.

"Enough, Arnold. Tell your employer behind you I quit." 

... 

Ding! 

The elevator doors opened. 

Adam stepped out, ascending to the top floor of the Gotham City Police Department. A officer dropped her file folder with a clatter, her eyes wide with surprise upon seeing Batman. Adam maintained his stoic expression and calmly detoured to the stairs, making his way to the rooftop. 

'Damn, why is this grappling gun so difficult to use.' 

Commissioner Gordon was waiting for him, muttering to himself. "I turned on the Bat-Signal, I turned it off. Hey, I turned it on again, I turned it off again." Adam crept up behind him. "Gordon." 

"Whoa— 

... 

It'd be great if the National Guard could just send 400,000 or 500,000 troops to storm Gotham, beat Bane into a pulp, and then just wipe out all the villains with overwhelming force and send them to the electric chair. Then he, Batman, could finally retire and enjoy his wealth. Gordon pinched the bridge of his nose. "But they don't understand Gotham. They try to handle these lunatics like ordinary criminals. It doesn't work." 

"This is going to end badly... But our idiotic mayor sees it as just another election stunt. I'm worried too, but what's worse is that they've now targeted you for elimination.

"So you're asking me not to interfere with the National Guard's purge of Bane and Gotham?" Great! Adam rejoiced inwardly. 

"Exactly." Gordon sighed, looking despondent. "I'll try to contain the army as much as possible, but you can't risk provoking those politicians any further. I know it's unfair to you." 

'Ah, not unfair at all.' Adam maintained his serious facade, which Gordon misinterpreted. 

"Alright, alright, Bats, you can keep working on the Bane case - as if you were going to stop anyway." 

"No, you misunderstand." Adam quickly reigned in his thoughts. "I really won't participate..."

"Beep beep..." 

At that moment, the Bat-Signal's alarm interrupted their conversation.