Bane was dead.
Just like that.
He really died… just like that?
The crowd stood frozen. This was the man who broke Batman's spine, held Gotham hostage for months, and scared the Department of Defense into standing down. That Bane—that symbol of raw terror and brute strength—had been crushed in mere moments?
"I'm here to kill Bane, do you believe it?"
Jack Kadere's earlier words echoed in everyone's mind. At the time, they had laughed, thinking he was bluffing. A joke. Turns out, it wasn't.
In the stunned silence, Jack strolled toward one of Bane's henchmen. The thug's eyes widened in terror. His knees buckled, and he instinctively tried to back away—but his legs had turned to stone.
Jack stopped in front of him, smiling.
"I remember you were the one who said only an idiot would believe me, right?"
"Y-Yes."
"Yes... I'm sorry," the man stammered, nearly choking on his own fear.
Jack patted him on the shoulder with exaggerated gentleness. "Relax. I just want to ask… do you believe me now?"
"I believe it! I believe everything you say. I'm sorry—I really am an idiot!"
Jack chuckled. "Good. Then let me ask you something else. If I said I was going to blow your head off with one punch… do you believe that too?"
The thug froze. His face went pale. Say yes, and that might be a death sentence. Say no, and he might be challenging Jack again.
His body trembled. Beads of cold sweat poured down his temples. And then… a sharp, awful smell spread through the air.
Jack winced. "Man, it was just a hypothetical. You really had to wet yourself? Ugh. Fine. Since you're that terrified, I'll…"
"Spare me?" the thug interrupted, eyes wide with hope.
Jack smiled coldly. "Kill you."
His fist moved before the man could even scream. The strike landed with a crack, the force of twenty times normal human strength collapsing the man's face like wet clay. He flew backward, landing in a heap, completely still.
"Sometimes," Jack muttered, brushing dust from his knuckles, "you don't know what real despair is… until you've tried your hardest—and it still doesn't matter."
He turned his gaze toward the crowd, now paralyzed with fear.
"What are you all standing around for?" Jack barked. "Get moving. Do what you're supposed to."
The shout broke the trance.
Bane's thugs, once full of bravado, broke into a full retreat. Their morale, shattered. Commissioner James Gordon didn't hesitate. With years of experience behind him, he led the counterattack, shouting orders as GCPD officers swarmed to clean up the chaos.
This was a reversal. This was how you flip the script.
Barbara Gordon, having broken free from her handcuffs, dragged a still-dazed Talia al Ghul to Jack's side.
"Was this the plan?" she asked, wide-eyed with excitement. "You pretended to betray us just to draw Bane out? Why didn't you say anything beforehand?! I actually thought you turned on us! And that punch! You really planned all of this?"
Looking at the excited and eager-to-learn Barbara Gordon, who had seemingly forgotten he'd just punched her, Jack Kadere gave a faint smile and said seriously, "Pay attention to details. Start with the small stuff—because, well… you simply can't handle the big stuff."
Barbara's face froze.
She had braced herself to take mental notes: paying attention to details, starting from the ground up… but he was mocking her? Was this guy incapable of not being an ass for just five minutes?
This bastard—he's only happy when he's pissing people off.
"It looks like this mess isn't over yet. What, are you just gonna stand there and admire me all day?" Jack remarked flatly, glancing her way.
At that, Talia al Ghul's expression shifted. Was he about to blow her cover? This man had killed Bane with ease—Bane, the centerpiece of her entire Gotham operation. Everything she built was falling apart because of this unpredictable lunatic!
"The nuclear core! We've gotta find the core before it's too late!" Barbara exclaimed. She grabbed Talia by the wrist, ready to storm into City Hall.
Talia reflexively tensed to strike—but then she heard Jack casually mutter, "Good luck."
What…? He wasn't exposing her?
Wide-eyed, Talia turned back to look at Jack in disbelief, but he just gave a sly smirk and walked off.
Why expose her now? Let her stay hidden and keep stirring chaos. Gotham needed its devils just as much as its dark knight. After all, when Batman returns and finds Bane already dead, he'll need someone to punch. Justice only lives where evil breathes. A calm Gotham… isn't really Gotham.
As the chaos unfolded behind him, Jack slipped out from the crowd and left City Hall. Minutes later, the roar of jet engines echoed overhead—the Batmobile had entered flight mode and soared into the sky.
Eventually, the chaos waned. Gunfire faded, voices quieted. Peace returned—momentarily.
Down the road, the car Jack had driven earlier still sat parked in the middle of the street.
Suddenly, it rattled. Bang. Bang. Bang. Then—snap—the trunk lid flung open, and Harley Quinn, hair a mess and makeup smeared, dragged herself out on trembling legs.
She glanced around the empty, wrecked street, completely dumbfounded.
She'd snuck into the trunk hours ago, thinking she'd follow Jack on his next crazy adventure.
And yet… she'd been forgotten.
Yep. If you don't try hard enough, you'll never truly understand what despair is.