It was already 1 a.m., and Liu A'dou had hidden all the stolen goods. He stood alone on the rooftop of a tall building in Gotham City's downtown. Even though he didn't know the exact location of Penguin's underground arms factory, the direction of the police sirens and the distant sound of explosions told him where it was.
It was chaotic. Although he had never seen a "particle disintegration gun" before, he could imagine it—a weapon capable of making a huge hole with a single shot. Even Batman was probably facing a tough challenge.
Liu A'dou thought for a moment, then spread his triangular glider wings and headed towards the source of the explosion.
The first floor of Toy Land was just a small workshop with more than twenty employees. They made simple little toys here, painting and packaging them before selling them.
But in an inconspicuous corner, a hidden door was concealed behind a pile of stacked cardboard boxes. With the help of a remote control, Liu A'dou slid the boxes to the side, revealing an elevator.
Taking the elevator down to the basement, he found an advanced assembly workshop. Here, they assembled the weapons. As high-tech as these weapons were, they couldn't be entirely made in one place. The core energy blocks were produced by Wayne Enterprises, and Penguin had purchased a batch, modified them, and then assembled them into weapons.
The rifles looked normal, but every shot packed the explosive power of a grenade.
Penguin, a short, fat man in a custom-tailored tuxedo, with black monocle glasses, was inspecting one of the "particle disintegration guns." His eyes were small but sharp, giving off an aura of cold, calculated menace.
He held an umbrella with his deformed three-fingered hand, and his most notable feature was his pointed nose, resembling a penguin's beak. Despite his comical appearance, Penguin exuded a dangerous energy. As a weapons dealer, murderer, and financial criminal, Penguin possessed superhuman intelligence that belied his physical form.
Penguin's voice was sharp and unpleasant, almost like a duck's quack. "Good, we can ship them out." The $500 million deal was finally ready to ship. Once the goods were delivered, the money would be transferred into his bank account. Penguin's face relaxed with a pleased smile as he thought of the wealth to come.
A fully loaded container truck slowly moved forward. It had to travel through a long tunnel before reaching the surface road. Once on the surface, it would blend in with the nighttime traffic and leave Gotham City.
But Batman wasn't going to let them succeed. Onboard the Batplane, equipped with sonar systems that could penetrate the ground, Batman already knew where the underground factory was. When the truck emerged from the underground, Batman, piloting the Batplane, was already waiting.
Without hesitation, Batman locked onto the truck and fired, forcing it into the side of the tunnel. The truck lost control, crashed into the wall, and came to a stop, blocking the passage.
Batman pulled the control lever, and the Batplane executed a sharp turn, heading straight for Toy Land. He switched on autopilot and jumped onto the factory rooftop.
Batman's movements were swift and quiet as he infiltrated the factory, using advanced surveillance gear to find the entrance to the underground factory. He disabled the security system and opened the door, preparing to face whatever dangers lay ahead.
He crouched silently in the corner of the underground factory, squinting his eyes and quickly surveying the situation. He could confirm the function of the equipment and that this was indeed a weapons assembly plant.
The destruction of the truck had already alerted Penguin. Now, several large men stood beside Penguin, each wielding a high-end "particle disintegration gun."
These men looked like bodybuilders, and the high-tech weapons in their hands seemed to be no more than oversized toys to them.
Batman reached into his utility belt and pulled out a magnetic bomb. This bomb wasn't very powerful, but its magnetic properties allowed it to attach to metal, making it one of Batman's go-to gadgets. Of course, it was black.
He quickly grabbed four of them without hesitation. Batman moved with practiced ease, rolling out from the shadows, and tossed the magnetic bombs at the weapons of Penguin's men.
Beep-beep-beep…
The bombs immediately activated, emitting a short, sharp beep.
The henchmen, curious, looked down to see the bombs and quickly panicked, throwing their weapons away in fear.
Penguin shouted, "You idiots! You threw the weapons with the bombs onto the machines. Do you know how expensive these machines are?!"
Boom—
But the bomb showed no mercy, exploding and destroying the assembly machines.
"Aah, Batman—" Penguin almost exploded with rage. Not only did Batman ruin the goods, but he also destroyed the very tools Penguin used to make money. It was infuriating. He picked up his umbrella and furiously pressed the trigger.
Rat-a-tat-tat—
Countless bullets shot out from the tip of the umbrella, which served as Penguin's weapon. The gun's muzzle tracked Batman's movements as he rolled across the floor.
It seemed like Batman was about to be hit, but with a leap, Batman soared over the now-ruined assembly machine, narrowly avoiding the bullets. The bullets ricocheted off the machine, sparking and splintering.
"Batman, come out, come out." Penguin was nearly beside himself with rage. This $500 million deal, just moments from being finalized, was now being disrupted by Batman. How could he not be furious?
But of course, Batman didn't come out. What would he do if he did—let himself get shot?
"What are you waiting for? Attack!" Penguin ordered his large henchmen. To make up for his own lack of strength, Penguin had hired muscle-bound men with simple minds. Without orders, they didn't know what to do.
Once Penguin gave the order, the henchmen picked up the particle disintegration guns again or grabbed grenades.
Ding—
The safety was removed, and a grenade was hurled towards Batman's position.
Even Batman wouldn't dare to directly confront a grenade. He immediately dodged to the side.
Boom—
A wave of heat slammed into Batman's back, followed by countless shards. But Batman's armor was bulletproof. While the grenade's explosion was powerful, most of the shrapnel was blocked, though a few holes appeared in his cape.
The loud blast caused a sharp ringing in Batman's ears, and he was briefly exposed to Penguin's line of sight.
"Batman, die. Fire, shoot, shoot!"
The henchmen with the "particle disintegration guns" fired, and Batman quickly jumped back. The concrete floor in front of him seemed to have been scooped out by a spoon. This was the power of the "particle disintegration gun."
Batman gritted his teeth against the discomfort and, without knowing when, had several batarangs in hand. He threw them, targeting the henchmen's wrists and disarming them.
As Batman leapt into the shadows once more, Penguin's gun was already aimed in the direction of where he had been, but by then, Batman had vanished.
Penguin nearly exploded in frustration. He knew Batman hadn't disappeared—he was just hiding. But where? "Batman, come out! You damned bat! Come out! Why do you always ruin my business? Why?!"
Penguin's rage was palpable. Batman was his nemesis—time and time again, he thwarted Penguin's brilliant criminal activities, like an ever-present ghost. Today, Penguin was determined to kill Batman, no matter what. "Find him! Kill him! I want his mask to decorate my office!"
The henchmen began searching the factory, moving like a horde of invaders.
Batman, hidden in the shadows, remained still. His resolve was unshaken—pain, humiliation, or threats would never sway him. Right now, Batman was at a disadvantage. The enemy outnumbered him, and their weapons were advanced. He would need to rely on other gadgets to turn the tide.