novelhk Chapter 114 Surrounded
Chapter 114 Surrounded
"Okay, I understand."
Li Wei nodded, his tone calm and steady.
"I'll leave here now and go to the place we agreed on before, and wait for you to come."
Also, Gordon, you must be careful. Bane is extremely cautious and ruthless.
He also has many informants scattered throughout Gotham.
When you are conducting your investigation, you must ensure that you remain discreet.
Don't let Bane's men find out, or the consequences will be unimaginable.
"Don't worry, I'll be careful."
Gordon's tone carried a hint of forced composure as he said, "You must also be careful and never push yourself too hard."
We'll be waiting for you at the agreed-upon place. Please come back safely.
"it is good."
After Li Wei finished speaking, he hung up the communicator.
He took a deep breath, lowered his body, and slowly walked along the wall of the alley toward the place he and Gordon had agreed upon.
The night was still dark, and the black market in the western district remained shrouded in darkness.
Bain and his men were still busy in the warehouse, brewing a huge storm.
With the clues he had gathered, Li Wei headed towards a safe place.
Before the morning mist in Gotham had completely dissipated, a deafening roar shattered the city's tranquility.
The sound waves, carrying with them gravel and dust, spread wildly through the streets.
The sound not only woke up the sleeping citizens, but also caused the police sirens to sound throughout the city instantly.
Li Wei had just returned to the police station and hadn't even had time to organize the clues he had gathered during his infiltration the previous night into a booklet when he was struck by a sudden, loud bang that made his eardrums ache.
He grabbed his coat, rushed out of the office area, and unconsciously touched the communicator at his waist.
Gordon's call came in simultaneously, his tone urgent and without pause.
"Leeway! The landmark clock tower next to Wayne Tower downtown has been bombed! Come over here immediately!"
Li Wei didn't say much, hung up the call and rushed to the parking lot.
His pickup truck sped down the street, and citizens along the way stopped and stared, their faces filled with fear and confusion.
The sirens wailed from all directions, and alternating red and blue lights pierced the morning mist, illuminating the streets of Gotham in a flickering light.
The closer they got to the city center, the worse the traffic congestion became. Li Wei had no choice but to abandon his car and run along the sidewalk.
His chest rose and fell slightly from the rapid running, and the stray hairs on his forehead were soaked with sweat and stuck to his skin.
When they arrived at the scene, the area around the clock tower had already been cordoned off.
Dozens of police officers are maintaining order and dispersing the crowd.
The clock tower's wall was blasted open, leaving a huge gap, with rubble scattered all over the ground and exposed steel bars, resembling a hideous wound.
At the very center of the gap, a pitch-black "broken bat" symbol is clearly visible.
The bat's silhouette is abruptly severed by a crack; the lines are rough yet impactful, conveying a strong sense of provocation.
It was as if it were announcing to the entire Gotham City that the former guardians of the night were about to collapse.
"Li Wei!"
Gordon strode up to him, his face ashen, his brows furrowed, and his eyes bloodshot.
Clearly, having not slept all night and then encountering this incident, his emotions were on the verge of exploding.
"Look at this damn thing! That bastard Bane, he's declaring war on us!"
Li Wei did not respond, but quickly walked to the collapsed wall and squatted down.
His fingertips lightly touched the explosive residue on the edge of the symbol; it was a grayish-white powder.
It has a delicate texture and a slight burning sensation when the fingertips glide over it.
He picked up a bit of powder, held it to his nose and sniffed it. A pungent chemical smell hit him, mixed with the smell of gunpowder.
Based on his experience accumulated over this period and his observation of Bain's armory last night, Levi instantly recognized the type of explosive.
It is a military-grade high explosive with extremely high stability and enormous destructive power.
Moreover, it is difficult to leave a trace, which is a unique feature of the arms network that Bain took over.
"It's a modified C4 explosive."
Li Wei's voice was deep and calm, his gaze fixed on the "broken bat" symbol, his fingertips slowly tracing the edge of the symbol.
"The detonation method is remotely controlled, with a very high degree of precision."
The explosion occurred precisely between the load-bearing structures of the wall, creating a symbol without causing the clock tower to completely collapse.
This is not simply destruction; it is a warning.
"A warning? What is he trying to warn us about?"
Gordon's voice carried a hint of suppressed anger as he kicked a nearby pile of gravel, which rolled and made a screeching sound.
Is he warning us that he has control of Gotham's underground arms trade? Or is he warning us that he can destroy any corner of the city at any time?
"Perhaps both."
Li Wei stood up and glanced around at the surroundings. The citizens outside the police line were talking amongst themselves, their eyes filled with fear.
"But more importantly, he's targeting Batman."
He raised his hand, gesturing for Gordon to look at the broken bat symbol.
"This symbol is directly aimed at Batman."
Bane is telling everyone that he has the ability to defeat Batman and destroy Gotham's hope.
He's undermining public confidence and enraging Batman.
Gordon fell silent, following Levi's gaze to the symbol, his expression growing increasingly grave.
He knew Levi was right; Gotham was able to survive in the darkness largely because of Batman's presence.
Once the citizens lose trust in Batman, once Batman is defeated.
The city would descend into utter chaos, which is exactly what Bain wants to see.
"What do we do now?"
Gordon looked at Levi, his tone tinged with dependence.
Whenever faced with a difficult case, Li Wei always provides the most accurate judgment and the most effective solution, and he has high hopes for him this time as well.
"First, seal off the scene and let the technicians examine it carefully to extract all possible clues."
Li Wei's gaze remained fixed on that symbol, his mind racing.
"In addition, inform the media to downplay the impact of this matter as much as possible and prevent panic from spreading."
Bane wants chaos, and we can't let him get his way.
"Fade it out?"
Gordon frowned.
"How can such a big thing be downplayed?"
The Clock Tower is a Gotham landmark, and now that something like this has been blown up, the whole city knows about it!
"We can claim that this was just a regular terrorist attack, a provocation by a small gang."
Li Wei spoke with certainty, his eyes fixed intently on Gordon.
"As for this symbol, let's say it's a mark of feud between gangs. Let's stabilize the situation first and buy us some time."
Gordon hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded.
He knew that although Li Wei's method was not the best, it was the only thing that could be done at the moment.
He immediately turned around and gave instructions to the officers beside him in a loud and decisive voice.
Li Wei didn't stop. He squatted down again and carefully observed every detail of the explosion site.
The distribution of explosive residue, the trajectory of flying debris, the extent of damage to the wall...
He memorized all these details, trying to reconstruct the entire explosion process, while also analyzing Bain's intentions.
Bain is an extremely cautious and planned person; he would not launch an attack without a reason.
This "broken bat" symbol is not just a warning; it could very well be the prelude to his next move.
For the rest of the day, Li Wei was shuttling between the police station and the explosion site.
The technicians found no valuable clues; Bain's operation was extremely clean.
Not only were no fingerprints or hairs left behind, but the source of the remote-controlled detonation signal could not even be traced.
This made Li Wei even more certain that Bane's strength was far greater than he had imagined.
His mercenary team was not only highly trained and well-equipped, but also operated with extreme secrecy.
In the evening, Li Wei returned to the police station and locked himself in his office.
He took out a map of Gotham City, laid it flat on the table, and then listed all the recent cases.
— Francis was killed, the arms network was taken over, and the clock tower was bombed—all marked on the map.
His fingertips moved slowly across the map, trying to find connections between the cases and discover Bain's patterns of action.
Francis's armory was in the West End black market, and the clock tower was in the city center. These two locations, one in the west and one in the east, seemed unrelated.
But Li Wei noticed that they were all very close to Wayne Group's properties.
Francis's armory is located near an abandoned Wayne Corporation factory, while the clock tower is adjacent to Wayne Tower.
More importantly, both of these locations are key areas where Batman usually frequents.
"Bain is testing the waters, and also wearing them down."
Li Wei muttered to himself in a low voice, his eyes sharpening.
He recalled the conversation he overheard in the armory last night: Bane had been trying to find out Bruce Wayne's whereabouts while also keeping an eye on Batman's movements.
He blew up the clock tower and created the "broken bat" symbol, partly to provoke Batman, and partly to lure Batman out so he could set a trap.
So what will Bane's next target be? Levi's gaze swept across the map, finally settling on the direction of Gotham Port.
Gotham Harbor is a major transportation hub in Gotham and a place where Batman frequently appears.
Moreover, there is a Wayne Group cargo terminal there, which stores a large amount of supplies.
If Bane wants to continue provoking Batman and further exhaust his stamina, Gotham Harbor is undoubtedly an excellent choice.
With this in mind, Li Wei did not hesitate at all.
He grabbed his coat, strode out of the office, and gave a brief instruction to the officer on duty.
"If Commissioner Gordon comes back, tell him I've gone to Gotham Port."
After giving instructions to the police officers, Li Wei rushed out of the police station again.
As night deepened, the lights in Gotham Harbor became sparse and dim, with only a few navigation lights flashing in the distance, illuminating the dark sea.
The sea breeze howled past, carrying a salty, damp scent.
The wind made the shipping containers on the shore clang, a sound that was particularly clear in the quiet night.
Li Wei parked the car in a secluded spot some distance away and changed into a black bodysuit suitable for covert operations.
Then, carefully move along the railing on the shore towards the cargo terminal.
He chose a high container as his hiding place and lay prone on the cold metal surface.
I pressed my body tightly against the edge of the container, trying to blend into the night.
He took out his binoculars, slowly adjusted the focus, and his sharp gaze swept across every corner of the dock.
The dock was deserted, with only mountains of containers and a few cargo ships moored on the shore, making it seem exceptionally desolate.
Time passed slowly, and the sea breeze grew stronger, making Li Wei feel cold all over, but he did not relax at all.
He knew that Bane's mercenaries could appear at any moment.
Batman could arrive at any moment, so he must remain highly vigilant and not miss a single detail.
About an hour later, a faint sound of footsteps came from afar.
The footsteps were orderly and heavy, clearly belonging to a group of well-trained people.
Li Wei immediately gripped the binoculars, adjusted the focus, and looked in the direction from which the footsteps were coming.
A group of mercenaries dressed in black combat uniforms and wearing black masks were seen slowly walking along the edge of the dock.
They were all carrying guns, standing tall and walking steadily; they were Bane's men.
They split into two teams, one responsible for guarding the perimeter, and the other moving towards the core area of the dock, clearly setting up a trap.
Li Wei's heart tightened slightly; his prediction was correct, Bane had indeed chosen Gotham Port.
He didn't move, remaining perched on the container, closely monitoring the mercenaries' movements.
He saw that they had planted explosives between the containers and set up tripwires on the road.
They also had snipers lying in ambush, and the entire dock had been turned into a huge trap, just waiting for Batman to walk right into it.
Just then, a black figure leaped down from a distant rooftop and landed lightly on the dock floor—it was Batman.
His black cloak swayed slightly in the night wind, and his eyes beneath the hood were as deep as an icy pool, his gaze sweeping warily over his surroundings.
Li Wei could clearly see that Batman's movements were much slower than usual.
He even staggered when he landed, clearly because his old injury had not yet healed.
As soon as Batman regained his footing, the mercenaries lying in ambush swarmed in.
The sound of gunfire shattered the silence of the night, and bullets rained down on Batman.
Batman reacted quickly, immediately dodging behind a shipping container and throwing out several batarangs.
The darts struck the guns of several mercenaries with precision, knocking their weapons to the ground.
However, the number of mercenaries was too large, and they were well-equipped. They split into multiple directions and surrounded Batman.
Batman retaliated with a punch, his fist still powerful, but his movements were clearly out of sync, and he was nearly hit by the mercenary's attacks several times.
Seeing this scene, Li Wei couldn't help but feel a sense of worry.
He could sense that Batman's stamina was severely depleted, and if this continued, he might be in danger.
Suddenly, a mercenary circled around to Batman's side, a glint of cold light flashing in his hand, and slashed towards Batman's arm.
Batman tried to dodge, but due to his slow movements, he was unable to completely avoid the attack.
The dagger sliced through his arm, and blood gushed out instantly, soaking through his black cloak and standing out starkly in the night.
Li Wei knew he couldn't wait any longer.
If this continues, Batman will not only be unable to break out, but his life may also be in danger.
He immediately pulled a smoke grenade from his pocket. It was an emergency device he had brought from the police station; it wasn't very powerful, but it was enough to create chaos.
He seized the opportunity, exerted force with his arm, and threw the smoke bomb toward the ground next to Batman.
With a "bang," the smoke grenade exploded, and white smoke instantly spread out, enveloping the entire battlefield.
The mercenaries' shots immediately lost their target, and they all stopped and cautiously observed their surroundings.