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Chapter 28: Electric Shock Anesthesia
"From this morning until now, I've visited over thirty law firms. Not a single person is willing to take a case against Kingpin."
"Even those willing to accept were persuaded by their colleagues to give up."
For the first time, Batman felt truly stumped by something.
Whether it was the Justice League being infected by Joker's virus, or having his spine broken by Bane and thrown into the demon's pit, Batman had never found anything as difficult as simply finding a lawyer.
Because lawyers frequently dealt with various forces, they understood better than ordinary people about Kingpin—this underground gang emperor who'd begun massively expanding his influence in New York a year ago and now practically controlled all of Hell's Kitchen.
Precisely because they understood, no lawyer was willing to take this business.
"You might try those rookie lawyers. Maybe they don't know Kingpin's power and would dare team up with you?"
"Of course, more likely you and that rookie lawyer will both be found in a dumpster some morning. By then, you'll both be in countless pieces."
This was advice from the bald, broad-shouldered lawyer at the twenty-fourth firm Batman visited.
Batman responded with a heavy punch to the guy. This big man, two heads taller than Batman, showed extreme weakness—after taking the punch, he covered his face without a sound, not daring to say another harsh word.
The search for lawyers returned empty-handed.
"Perhaps I should try Plan B...?"
Batman continuously considered a series of problems in his mind: Dr. Otto, Kingpin, cooperation with Stark, the Tesseract, the Osborn murder case...
Meanwhile, his feet never stopped as he shuttled through various New York locations purchasing a large pile of components.
These included parts for making night vision goggles, thermal imagers, sonar devices, gas masks, miniature wireless receivers, ice skate blades, bugs...
Virtually everything whose components could be purchased on the market.
It could be said that aside from the cape, Batmobile, Batwing, and their accompanying equipment like electromagnetic launchers and missiles, Batman armed himself to the teeth as much as possible.
Too many items. Batman rented a pickup truck for transport, wearing different clothes, hairstyles, and accents when meeting different sellers each time.
Batman even occasionally wore elevated shoes or deliberately slouched to make his appearance varied.
Though this seemed overly cautious, to successfully achieve returning to Gotham, Batman didn't mind perfecting all these details.
Screech!
Driving the rented pickup, Batman stopped the vehicle in an empty alley twenty miles from the abandoned shipyard, then wrapped all purchased components in waterproof bags and threw them into the sewers.
He'd already explored New York's sewer system in advance. From here, he could follow the sewers to within two kilometers of the abandoned shipyard.
Batman spent the next several hours busy with this task, until he ensured all components were complete and dry in the sewers.
Once darkness fell, Batman could bring these components one by one to his temporary operations center.
"Wonder how Dr. Otto is now... If he really murdered those researchers on Oscorp's third floor, I can't continue cooperating with him."
New York's sewers weren't as clean and tidy as rumors suggested. Foul stench remained the main theme here.
Even someone as iron-willed as Batman had no intention of suffering unnecessarily. After finishing his work and returning the rented pickup, he returned to Peter's apartment for a thorough shower.
'Tonight I need to visit Oscorp to investigate whether it was really Dr. Otto.' Batman thought.
...
"Target confirmed as Dr. Otto... He has four metal tentacles behind him, just like... like an octopus. Chief, please give the order."
In Brooklyn's sewers, the atmosphere was extremely tense.
Over fifty fully-armed SWAT officers from Manhattan and Brooklyn precincts held rifles or submachine guns, slowly forming an encirclement around the temporarily constructed "laboratory" in the sewers.
Close enough now, the officers could clearly see that among the various experimental equipment at different heights, the disheveled, overweight Dr. Otto was busily conducting experiments.
Behind Dr. Otto, four mechanical tentacles about three meters long cooperated, allowing him to operate four or five different instruments almost simultaneously.
These instruments connected to wires pulled from the sewer walls, occasionally sparking.
The officers all hid around sewer corners, temporarily undiscovered by Dr. Otto absorbed in his experiments.
"Send one person to disarm and negotiate with Dr. Otto. Avoid stimulating him as much as possible. Prioritize appeasement."
"We don't yet know what special abilities Dr. Otto's octopus tentacles have. Currently known: extremely strong. Don't rule out other functions..."
"Dr. Otto is a world-class nuclear physics expert. Unless necessary, don't shoot. Prioritize electric shock guns for anesthesia."
Above ground, George Stacy sat in a police car giving instructions.
"Yes, sir." The officer reporting from the sewers responded.
Soon Brooklyn's Special Operations Team Captain Kisk removed all firearms except a pistol at his lower back, raised both hands, advanced a few steps around a corner, and emerged from hiding:
"Dr. Otto, my daughter has loved physics since childhood and idolizes you. Never expected to meet you here."
"Who?!" Dr. Otto whipped around, staring at Kisk with raised hands.
Almost simultaneously, his four metal tentacles abruptly left their respective experimental instruments, all pointing their tips at Kisk.
Like the claw marks left in the now-empty laboratory above ground, Dr. Otto's metal tentacles also had three-pronged ends at their tips, opening and closing.
Gulp.
Even though Kisk was an experienced SWAT officer, simultaneously facing a scientist who'd seemingly gone mad plus four tentacles swaying slightly like pythons made him somewhat nervous.
"I'm Kisk, Doctor." Kisk forced himself to stay calm. "Conducting experiments underground must be hard, right? We've prepared a new laboratory for you above ground. Would you come see it with me?"
Dr. Otto shook his head. He glanced at his fusion device:
"No, not going. My experiment is almost complete. I've discovered the problem. Success isn't far... Changing locations would waste too much time."
"Doctor, believe me, the new laboratory won't waste your time. Instead, it'll provide a more comfortable environment, shortening your experiment time..." Kisk worked hard to persuade him.
"No, Kisk, I ask you to trust me instead... Give me some time. My fusion will definitely change the world!"
Dr. Otto still refused. He couldn't wait to see his experiment succeed. He didn't want more delays.
"Fusion is dangerous, you..." Hearing "fusion," Kisk seemed to immediately grasp the key point, pointing at the constantly sparking exposed wires.
But before he could finish, Dr. Otto angrily interrupted. His tentacles waved menacingly. One extended, almost touching Kisk:
"You don't understand at all! No energy is safer than nuclear fusion! I won't blow up all of Brooklyn like in movies. I'll only usher the world into a new era, no longer troubled by energy..."
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Just as Dr. Otto explained fusion energy, whether due to his emotions or his tentacles making police perceive him as a threat, dark gun barrels immediately aimed at Dr. Otto.
"Don't shoot. My tentacles pose no threat." Dr. Otto raised his hands. "Behind me is a chip firmly protecting my brain. I'm not some out-of-control Terminator, just a scientist wanting to change the world."
Seeing words couldn't make Dr. Otto voluntarily leave the sewers, Kisk could only change tactics. His lips moved slightly, speaking quietly into the communication system:
"The target's tentacles can connect instruments to power. They likely have insulation functions. We need to anesthetize Dr. Otto and destroy the chip behind him... Shooters one through four, prepare. Fire electric shock guns."
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