There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 216, Section 113: Encounter - Bane

Chapter 216, Section 113: Encounter - Bane

The first to notice something amiss was the Death Shooter, who was on guard at the top of the castle. After the attack on the rainy night, he had become extremely cautious, especially after Qin Wei told him that a big guy might come to visit while he was away.

"The safety of the others is in your hands."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely complete the mission!"

Freud made that boast.

So when he saw the uninvited guest approaching from a distance through the infrared scope, he immediately became extremely vigilant.

"Damn, Wei wasn't kidding me, this is a huge guy!"

The visitor in the magnifying glass was a terrifying 9 feet (about 2.7 meters) tall. His thick body made him look like a polar bear standing upright. Even though the two were several hundred meters apart, Freud felt a strong sense of oppression from the other.

Should we really fire and alert this Titan?

Floyd hesitated to shoot, a first in his career.

Fortunately, this hesitation was quickly suppressed by her high level of professionalism.

"Calm down, Floyd Lawton II! You're fucking alive to shoot guns! What else are you going to do? Pull the trigger and teach that big guy a lesson!"

Thinking to himself to cheer up, he aimed at the throat, pressed his finger against the trigger, and pulled it hard.

"Bang!"

With the help of a silencer, the gunshots were hidden in the night.

He was very confident in his ability to modify firearms and was convinced that the other party would not be able to hear the gunshot at this distance.

But the plot always unfolds in a dreamlike way. A .62 caliber bullet spun and hurtled toward Bane's exposed right eye, but was blocked by his hand at the last second.

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The bullet pierced Bane's skin, but was stopped by the high density of muscles in his forearm. It looked like throwing a pebble into cement that was about to solidify. It's not that it had no effect at all, but to say that it had little effect would be an exaggeration.

Freud was stunned. What shocked him was not the other person's terrifying muscle density. After all, Gotham was full of cyborgs and mutants, so it was only natural that a few powerful freaks would emerge.

What he truly couldn't understand was the other party's reaction speed.

These are sniper bullets!

Of course, as shocking as it was, Floyd did not stop his attack. He aimed at Bain's massive body and pulled the trigger repeatedly, emptying the entire magazine in an instant.

Bane wasn't foolish enough to take the bullets head-on; he nimbly dodged to the side, disappearing instantly from the Death Shooter's scope using a blind spot on the manor's outer wall.

The speeding bullets struck the concrete wall, creating several fist-sized dents in the solid surface.

Seeing these marks, Freud could basically rule out the possibility that it was a problem with the bullet. But at this point, he preferred to put all the blame on the bullet, otherwise Bain would become the most troublesome opponent he had ever encountered.

Just as he switched to a more powerful modified explosive bomb, something suddenly flew high up from behind the courtyard wall and fell towards him.

The whistling wind made Floyd feel as if he were facing a formidable enemy, and he subconsciously thought that the other party had jumped over him using a rocket.

Floyd leaped from the castle tower and landed firmly on the roof ridge, then raised his gun and fired.

Bang bang bang!

Three bullets, fired in a straight line, pierced through the falling shadow in the air, causing a violent explosion at the point of impact.

This was his tactic: if one bullet couldn't penetrate the defense, he would use three. Each bullet contained a high explosive charge. Under such a fierce attack, not only could it not penetrate a human body, but it could even drill a hole in a bulletproof steel plate.

Sure enough, the shadow exploded in mid-air.

But the stone dust splattered on his face told Floyd that he had the wrong number.

Losing sight of the target is a major taboo for a sniper, especially when the enemy is in the dark and you are in the light. In an instant, cold sweat poured down Freud's back.

At the same time, two more giant rocks came crashing down on us.

Freud was too lazy to delve into how the other party had lifted and thrown that stone, which was the size of a small van. The commotion outside the castle must have reached everyone's ears. He had already completed his guard duty, and his immediate priority was to evacuate as soon as possible.

After all, Bane is not a formidable enemy that can be dealt with single-handedly.

However, just as Freud dodged the second stone, a thick, mortar-like arm suddenly emerged from behind it.

"Oh no!"

Death Shooter hadn't expected his opponent to approach in this way. He was caught off guard and could only watch helplessly as the giant hand, like a cage, descended upon him.

boom!

The slap landed, and the roof tiles and soil flew everywhere.

The shockwave, carrying dust, spread out, and the castle's stained-glass windows shattered with a deafening roar as they trembled.

Poor Freud defied the "no harm in smoke" rule, being slammed from the rooftop into the castle, where he became trapped in the collapsed wooden floorboards, blood gushing from his mouth.

Above him, Bane leaped high, ready to unleash a crushing blow.

Ruined!

At that moment, Freud had only one thought in his mind.

The two's first encounter lasted only a few dozen seconds before it came to an end. Bane demonstrated not only super strength and formidable physical abilities, but also, and perhaps more terrifyingly, exceptional tactical acumen and reaction speed that was practically superhuman.

Faced with such a disparity in strength, Freud couldn't even control the basic combat distance, let alone stop his opponent's advance.

Just as Bane was about to pierce through his body, a nimble black figure flipped up the stairs and pulled him out of the attack zone at the last second.

"Thomas II? I didn't expect to see you here!"

The usually taciturn Bane finally spoke upon seeing an old acquaintance. At the same time, driven by his relentless fighting spirit, he landed, dissipated his energy, and rolled over. With agility far exceeding his size, he quickly adjusted his position and rammed into the Night Owl with his shoulder.

What could the Night Owl do? Bane's bulging arm muscles were like a sledgehammer swinging down from the highest point, and the wind pressure alone made it impossible for him to open his eyes.

Taking the hit head-on is no different from suicide.

As he thought of this, Night Owl twisted his hips while holding Freud, using the force of the rotation to forcibly change his course. At the same time, he also lost his center of gravity in an instant, like a race car that went out of control on a curve and crashed into the wall.

In desperation, the owl stretched out its right hand, its steel claws sweeping across the wall, leaving five claw marks amidst the blinding sparks.

However, Thomas's skills were mostly taught by Bane, who seemed to have foreseen this move long ago.

Bane turned in the opposite direction and, using the momentum, threw a backfist.

Thomas, who hadn't fully regained his balance at this distance, was unsurprisingly included in the attack range, and it seemed there was no way to avoid it.

"Thomas II, in my eyes, you are the very 'flaw'!"

"It's so noisy!"

Thomas clicked his tongue impatiently, and before Bane's attack could reach him, he spun around again, performing a backflip and leaping behind him.

Just as Bane anticipated his movements, he also anticipated Bane's movements. The first turn was just a feint, and the second change of direction was the opportunity he had been trying to create.

Of course, this kind of play also comes with great risks. If Bain doesn't react to his first step, Thomas will crash headfirst into the other's chest without thinking and perform a backflip.

But Thomas understood that all suspicion and predictions were necessary simply because the other party was Bain.

Unable to steady his heavy body, Bain crashed headfirst into the wall, smashing a large hole in the dilapidated castle wall.

The risky decision bought Thomas nearly ten seconds, during which he used the opportunity to throw the seriously injured Floyd to Jason.

"Take all non-combat units and leave this place. Retreat according to the original plan, the farther the better!"

Initially unsure of the enemy's attack direction, Qin Wei refrained from hastily deploying an evacuation plan. Now that Bane has appeared, the outside world is temporarily safe. Thomas Jr. has also kept his promise.

However, contrary to the original plan, Thomas, who was supposed to cover the evacuation of personnel, chose to stay behind to hold off Bane.

This was the second time he had disobeyed Qin Wei's orders.

"Idiot! You must be after Bruce, after my brother, right?" Thomas shouted, raising his fists and heading in the direction Bane had disappeared.

"Yes, my old friend!"

Bane didn't emerge from the wall; a dull thud echoed from the castle's ventilation ducts.

Here it comes: the League of Assassins' unique stealth technique, a move even Thomas Jr. hadn't learned.

Having such strength, this man still thought of sneaking in and launching ambush. This caution gave his opponent, Thomas, a real headache.

"Bane, you've been used! Joseph just wants to see the two of you fight."

"Think about it carefully. You don't have any conflict at all. If you want to find a powerful person to vent your anger on, whether it's Uriah in the court, Deathstroke the mercenary, or Solomon in the sewers, they would all be better choices!"

Thomas licked his lips and slowly retreated towards the stairs.

He didn't try to persuade the other party. With Bane's intelligence, he probably knew he was being used. The only reason he didn't turn against the Joker was that he was willing and enjoying it.

"Yes, I will look for all the people you mentioned, but Joseph told me that Bruce Wayne is used to winning against the odds. He has not only killed elite Talons, but even Deathstroke has suffered at his hands."

"He's just like me when I was young."

"Is Bruce Wayne here? I can't wait to see him."

"He's already gone. You scared him away!" Thomas replied sarcastically.

"But Joseph told me he would never abandon his companions and run away. If he's not found in the castle, he's probably looking for a way to defeat me. So I'll stay here until he shows up, or until I kill you all!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the ceiling behind Thomas suddenly collapsed, and Bane reached out his claws amidst the billowing smoke and dust.

God knows how this big guy managed to sneak upstairs so silently; in any case, the attack gave his opponent no time to react.

Thomas was forced to bend his arm to block, but how could his unenhanced body withstand Bane's full-force attack?

In the instant the fist struck, Night Owl's forearm bent at a ninety-degree angle, the powerful impact penetrating through the fractured arm and reaching his internal organs.

Boom!

As if he had been hit by a grenade at close range, Thomas spat out blood and flew backward, crashing into the wall and bouncing high into the air.

However, this was not his full-force attack.

Bain stared intently at Thomas, who was rebounding towards him. He took a step forward and pulled his heavy punch back to his waist, seemingly intending to use this blow to finish off his opponent.

"I call this next move the 'Death Home Run'!"

Just as the heavy punch was about to strike Thomas's heart, a beautiful figure appeared suddenly, accompanied by a flash of light.

Talia landed on Bane's shoulder like a feather. As she sheathed her longsword, the tube that was continuously supplying poison to Bane's brain suddenly exploded, sending dark green liquid and metal fragments flying everywhere.

Bain's figure visibly shrank.

His heavy punch still landed on Thomas's chest, still as powerful as ever, but no longer lethal.

Before Bane could retract his fist, Talia drew her knife and stabbed again, delivering three stabs in an instant, each aimed at the exposed brain tissue of her opponent caused by the burst pipe.

Talia landed on her toes and gracefully pushed the blade back into its sheath.

Snapped!

With a crisp, decisive sound as he sheathed his sword, Bane let out a furious roar of resentment, swayed, and collapsed heavily to the ground.

Boom!

The entire castle trembled incessantly as the colossal object fell.

When Bane set his sights on Floyd, Talia also noticed the arrival of this uninvited guest. She even arrived at the top of the castle before Thomas Jr. However, as an experienced assassin, the woman adhered to the principle of killing with one blow and would never make a move unless the perfect moment arrived.

She watched as Floyd was knocked down by Bane, and watched as Thomas Jr.'s arms were broken by a hammer, all so that she could seize that one moment to cut off the poison tube.

It must be said that Bane was cautious and never placed those two pipes directly in a dark corner where people might be hiding, which prevented Talia from finding a suitable opportunity.

Just now, perhaps due to a surge of murderous intent, or perhaps due to the effects of the poison, Bane momentarily forgot to be on guard.

Talia did not miss this excellent opportunity.

Of course, as a professional assassin, she didn't forget to finish off her opponent.

She stabbed the exposed brain tissue several more times; if Bane hadn't been so physically strong, she would have cut off his head.

"I heard we're no help in the war except for being a hindrance and creating monsters?"

Finally seizing the opportunity, Tali Adams curled her lips into a smile and returned the heart-wrenching words from the previous episode to Thomas.

"Damn it! Shut up—help me get out of here—get as far away from this giant as possible!"

The owl was still on guard.

"What are you worried about? He's dead, he's not breathing—" Talia's eyes changed as she said this.

That attack just now was indeed aided by a sneak attack, but in terms of direct combat, she believed that even her father could have delivered such an attack. After all, the poison tube behind Bane was far too conspicuous; to a master swordsman, it would have been an obvious target.

But why did Father still lose?

dong dong!

dong dong!

dong dong!

The heavy, powerful heartbeat pulled her back to reality; the deceased's clear, strong heartbeat caused Talia's pupils to dilate gradually.

What terrified her even more was Bane's ever-changing aura; after experiencing a round of deaths, he seemed to have become even more powerful.