Chapter 200: Abandon
"Sometimes you get so close to someone that you end on the other side of them."
- Unknown
...
Due to the unspoken conflict that had just happened, there was a temporary silence in the Batwing.
However, this silence didn't last long.
After dismissing the idea of forcibly taking the antidote for the Man-Bat virus from the Phantom Thief, Batman activated the communicator in the Batwing and called Jim Gordon's number.
"Is this Batman? Gotham's in chaos everywhere, and I really hope you can bring some good news."
Soon, Jim's voice came through the communicator.
The number Batman dialed was their secret contact number, known only to Jim and the members of the Bat-family.
Batman hadn't told anyone, not even Jim's daughter Barbara; at least that's what he thought.
Therefore, when Jim answered the call, he suspected it was Batman.
"Jim, the swarm of Man-Bats ravaging Gotham right now originates from the East District..."
Batman told Jim all the information he had gathered and then warned him.
"The Man-Bat virus is rapidly spreading, so make sure all GCPD personnel wear gas masks and find a way to inform the uninfected citizens in the city."
"I have found a solution to the Man-Bat virus, but it will take some time."
"Understood, I'll forward the orders immediately. Batman, you need to act quickly!"
Jim quickly hung up the phone and ran to the GCPD weaponry as things were getting bad. He had to quickly figure out where all the gas masks were and give a single order to all precincts in Gotham.
More importantly, the GCPD sent out a red alert to the whole city, informing people that the Man-Bat virus could be spread through the air and telling them to wear masks even if they didn't have good gas masks at home.
The doors and windows must be tightly locked to prevent the virus from entering.
...
Meanwhile, in Gotham's Diamond District.
Four black cars raced speedily on the road, with countless Man-Bats chasing after them from behind and above.
This situation meant that the Man-Bat virus in the East District had already spread to half of Gotham!
"Can someone tell me who the hell leaked this so-called Man-Bat virus? I swear I'll make them see their own brains!"
In the first car, Penguin was covering his mouth and nose with a scarf and cursing angrily.
In the early half of tonight, there were riots in Gotham because of the Black Mask and False Face Society.
In order to quickly calm the situation and prevent any loss to his own business, the Penguin took a large group of henchmen and willingly joined the forces defending Gotham.
He had even fought in fierce battles with the main force of the False Face Society.
Later, when Phantom Thief led the False Face Society to Robinson Park, Penguin didn't stop his actions.
The Penguin did not stop his actions but instead moved to other districts with the GCPD to suppress the rioters.
The situation was going well, and it seemed like the large riot was about to be resolved. Suddenly, a large number of Man-Bats flew out from the east, like bloodthirsty beasts, attacking any living thing they saw.
Whether it was a person, a cat, a dog, or even birds flying in the sky, they were all attacked by the Man-Bats.
What's even more terrifying is that, due to the spread of the Man-Bats virus, many people transform into bats within seconds after experiencing rash in their throats and attack others with other Man-Bats because of the bat virus.
Nobody knows how many lives were lost in this sudden attack; nobody knows how many enemies or allies have turned into monsters; and nobody knows when they themselves will experience a mutation.
All the gangs and criminals who had previously fought in the streets were completely terrified by the overwhelming Man-Bats.
They had no time to consider their opponents and hurriedly fled the scene.
Penguin did the same thing.
He hurried back to his headquarters with the last dozen of his men while desperately trying to get away from the Man-Bats who were after them.
"How much longer until we reach the Iceberg Lounge?"
"Soon! Boss, we're almost there!"
The driver hurriedly replied.
"Drive faster! Those monsters are about to catch up!"
Penguin glanced back at the situation behind them.
The swarm of Man-Bat was getting closer and closer to the car.
"I've already pressed the gas pedal!"
The driver's face was covered in sweat as he anxiously replied.
"Damn it!"
The Penguin cursed silently. He immediately made up his mind, opened the sunroof of the car, and climbed out from inside.
He raised the umbrella he always carried with him and aimed it at the approaching Man-Bats. He fired laser beams one after another.
These beams were as thin as the tip of an umbrella and looked very delicate. They were much smaller than the lasers fired from the batplane.
However, the laser beams fired by the Penguin had much greater power.
They directly pierced through the body of the Man-Bat flying at the front, instantly inflicting powerful damage and causing them to fall from the sky.
The beam of light kept going out and hitting the Man-Bats behind it.
The henchmen in the three cars behind the Penguin saw their boss taking action and rolled down their windows, opening the sunroof, and using their weapons to counter-attack the Man-Bats behind them.
There were gunshots all during that moment.
The Man-Bats were lucky that their skin wasn't too thick, as bullets could still hurt them. It didn't do much damage, but it did slow them down.
"Boss, we're almost at the Iceberg Lounge. We'll be safe soon!"
Shortly after, the Penguin's driver exclaimed with joy while looking at the slowly appearing sign of the Iceberg Lounge.
"Keep speeding up! These disgusting bat freaks can't break through the Iceberg Lounge's defense!"
With this piece of good news, the tension on the Penguin's face eased, and he looked out at the Iceberg Lounge from the sunroof.
At the entrance of the Iceberg Lounge, a group of people had already gathered and ready to defend the place. The leader among them was Ignatius Ogily.
'It was the right decision to leave Ignatius and others to guard the headquarters...'
The Penguin thought in his mind.
However, in that instant, Ignatius slowly raised his hand in the distance while holding an umbrella identical to the Penguin's.
Whoosh!
A beam of light shot out of Ignatius' umbrella and pierced through the driver who was driving the Penguin's car in the next second!
"What!"
The Penguin exclaimed in a mixture of shock and anger.
The car was already going at the fastest speed on the road, which made it hard to steer. When the driver died, his body fell over the steering wheel, immediately throwing the car off balance!
With a loud crash, the out-of-control car smashed a nearby utility pole and then slammed heavily into the wall of a building behind it.
It left a big dent in the wall, and the front of the car was completely destroyed.
That was not the end.
The Man-Bats clinging to the Penguin like bloodthirsty sharks, went crazy and pounced on the car.
In this situation, the Penguin's chances of survival were less than one percent.
Seeing this scene, Ignatius' face displayed a cold smile.
"From now on, I am the King of Gotham!"
...
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