"You want to borrow Max Dillon?" Tony Stark flipped up his faceplate, looking at Batman with a peculiar expression. "What do you want to do? All the necessary tests have been completed, whether the ones you thought of or the ones you didn't."
"It's not to continue testing him. It's just that I'm currently short a hand, and there is no one more suitable than Max Dillon," Batman said.
"You might as well be specific," Tony pressed.
Batman nodded slightly. Although his relationship with Tony Stark wasn't as close as with Dr. Banner and the others on South Brother Island, they could at least be considered friends.
Besides, what was to be done after borrowing Max Dillon would be out in the open; Batman didn't intend to hide it:
"I need him to return to his position at Oscorp."
"I disagree." Tony Stark didn't agree, but he knew Batman wasn't finished. "However, you can state your reasons. Maybe you can convince me."
"Two months ago, an explosion occurred at a Manhattan police precinct one night. You should know about this," Batman said.
Tony nodded. The NYPD publicly claimed it was a gas pipeline leak. At that time, Tony was still busy with the development of the Jericho missile and hadn't paid much attention to the matter, only hearing about it.
"The cause of the explosion was a creature named 'Green Goblin' throwing bombs at the precinct," Batman said. "The Green Goblin has another name you are more familiar with: Norman Osborn."
Tony Stark's expression suddenly became strange:
"That old man whose hair always looks greasy? The founder of Oscorp?"
Batman nodded.
"Oscorp really produces talented people," Tony Stark remarked casually. "But what does this have to do with you borrowing Max Dillon?"
"I need him to protect Norman Osborn."
"Wait... protect?"
"Correct."
Batman briefly recounted what had happened to Norman Osborn and explained the reason why he hadn't sent him to prison.
"Have you considered a problem? If a crisis occurs that even you cannot control, and Max Dillon fails to stop Norman Osborn from turning back into the Green Goblin..."
Tony Stark listened seriously to Batman's explanation, then asked a fatal question:
"When that time comes, the Green Goblin will commit crimes again, commit murder again... Have you considered that you must be held responsible for this?"
Batman remained expressionless, his voice low:
"I have considered it."
"Then what if the Green Goblin kills again?" Tony Stark pressed step by step. "Kills innocent people who wouldn't die because of him if you just locked Norman in a cage right now where he'd never see the light of day?"
"I have already taken preventive measures sufficient to stop such accidents from happening," Batman said.
A rare trace of seriousness appeared on Tony Stark's face, and he raised his volume slightly at Batman:
"If you ask me, you should immediately build a steel cage and lock Norman Osborn inside it completely, eliminating future trouble forever."
"Norman Osborn is also a victim," Batman's voice maintained an unchanging tone. "He needs a second chance at a new life."
"But that chance shouldn't be yours to give!" Tony Stark retorted without hesitation.
Venom Robin widened his eyes, watching the two men who fell into silence after Tony Stark's voice faded.
This was the second time the two had a difference of opinion, following the last time Batman, in the identity of Peter Parker, persuaded Tony to stop weapon sales.
Venom Robin stood up from Batman's feet, gearing up for a fight as he stood beside Batman, confronting Tony Stark in the Mark IV suit.
But soon, a large hand pressed down on Venom Robin's shoulder.
Venom Robin looked up at Batman, only to see Batman slowly shaking his head at him:
"No need for this, Robin. Stark is not the enemy."
"Oh."
Hearing Batman say this, Venom Robin immediately understood that there wouldn't be a fight today, and he sat back down unhappily.
"Tony, what you want to say is to hand Norman Osborn over to S.H.I.E.L.D., right?" Batman asked Tony after holding Venom Robin back.
"Of course," Tony Stark said.
"Do you trust S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Batman pressed.
"...Should I answer yes or no?" Tony Stark was slightly bewildered by Batman's question. "My dad helped found S.H.I.E.L.D. I feel I should choose to trust them."
"But..."
Before Batman could speak, Tony Stark used his brilliant brain to connect the dots regarding what Batman had just explained about Norman Osborn being the Green Goblin, and the issues within the series of events that had already happened to the Green Goblin:
"But, it's been two months since the Green Goblin appeared, and for most of that time, he wasn't even under your control... Where was S.H.I.E.L.D. during that time?"
Doubts rose in Tony Stark's heart, and at this moment, Batman dropped another bombshell:
"I have definitely collected information that Hydra did not go extinct after World War II. They have even infiltrated the government and S.H.I.E.L.D."
"I cannot trust them, Tony."
Tony Stark sighed:
"So you'd rather shoulder the crimes Norman Osborn might commit in the future yourself than hand him over to S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Exactly so," Batman said.
"I understand." With a clang, Tony Stark closed his faceplate. Flames spewed from the thrusters under his feet, lifting him up into the air. "I need to go back and think this over carefully, and get Max Dillon's opinion."
After speaking, Tony Stark turned and surged upward, rushing into the clouds.
"What if Max Dillon doesn't agree?" Venom Robin looked up and asked Batman.
Before his voice died away, Batman and Venom Robin simultaneously looked down at the cross street below the Empire State Building.
On the street, a truck was swaying as it rushed toward the intersection; clearly, the steering had gone out of control.
It just so happened that the intersection had a red light. If the truck were allowed to crash through, it would be nothing short of a disaster for the traffic flowing on the perpendicular street.
"Then we change the plan," Batman said, leaping from the edge of the Empire State Building. Venom Robin quickly shifted his butt off the ledge where he was sitting and jumped down after him.
On the cross street in front of the Empire State Building, Jack Monroe was desperately gripping the steering wheel, trying to regain control of his truck.
But in this damn tense moment, the damn brake pedal just wouldn't depress no matter what.
The out-of-control truck didn't slow down or stop; instead, it accelerated toward the intersection with the red light.
"Damn it! Damn it!" Jack Monroe cursed through gritted teeth in panic.
He had been driving the truck normally on the road, but seven or eight seconds ago, Jack Monroe had happened to glance at the top of the Empire State Building.
Jack Monroe's intention was to admire the magnificent building, but a streak of red fire shooting from the top of the Empire State Building into the sky had attracted his attention.
By the time he came back to his senses, the truck had lost control.
"Damn it!" Jack Monroe bit down hard on his back molars.
Ten meters, five meters... The truck was getting closer and closer to the traffic on the perpendicular street ahead.
Seeing that disaster was imminent, thoughts flashed through Jack Monroe's mind: his girlfriend whom he had just started discussing marriage with; his father, who was resting at home due to illness and had temporarily handed the transport task to him; and his mother, who worked hard for the family.
A happy life had not yet arrived, and everything was about to be ruined by his own hands. Jack Monroe couldn't help but close his eyes.
Four meters, three meters...
Just when Jack Monroe thought he was done for, the crackling sound of a dense rainstorm striking the carriage rang out.
It wasn't just the carriage; the cab, the surrounding road surface, and the roadside buildings all emitted this sound simultaneously.
It was daytime. Countless white spiderwebs shot out from Batman's wrists, sticking to the truck and the surrounding road.
The truck finally rushed into the intersection, but at the same moment, a massive pulling force came from all directions, causing Jack Monroe's truck to emit the creaking sound of overwhelmed metal.
Bang!
Amidst the muffled sound, the fast-moving truck jerked abruptly and was forcibly brought to a halt by an external force.
Jack Monroe did not wait for the accident to happen. He opened his eyes and saw a figure with two pointed ears standing in front of the truck. The figure was pitch black all over, with only an expressionless chin exposed.
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