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Chapter 128: The Anti-"Anti-Venom" Suit
"Dr. Banner and Professor Connors will most likely not follow my instructions tomorrow. They'll rashly rush onto Hoffman Island."
In the Batcave, Batman considered every possible scenario that might occur during combat with Anti-Venom—including situations where the Hulk and the Lizard Professor couldn't restrain themselves.
Even Ant-Man Hank Pym, whom he'd never directly contacted, was incorporated into his plans.
The previous combat location had been the Adirondack Mountains. Now it was Hoffman Island—extremely close to New York City's center.
Batman had to account for every person who might become involved.
Among these contingencies, the "David Plan" for dealing with Ant-Man, the "Battering Ram Plan" for confronting the Hulk, and the "Ouroboros Plan" for handling the Lizard Professor were all integrated into the "Anti-Anti-Venom Plan."
"Hoffman Island is uninhabited because it has concentrated virtually every virus in the world over the years. Additionally, due to a 1904 shipwreck incident, over a thousand people died near it."
"In urban legend, the place is essentially no different from hell on earth." Batman reviewed the information he'd collected about the Island.
"Using this as the battlefield against Anti-Venom, after success I can purchase this island from the government through trust funds and establish it as another operational base."
"This will perfectly compensate for the inability to land and dock the Batwing I'm designing at City Hall's Batcave."
Batman's plans were never single-purpose. He considered multiple angles, using one plan to achieve multiple objectives.
But correspondingly, Batman also prepared multiple contingency plans for each goal.
Aside from being too close to North Brother Island—potentially allowing the Hulk and Lizard Professor to interfere—Hoffman Island was the absolutely perfect battlefield choice.
Without further delay, three hours later, a suit completely different from Batman's current Arkham armor stood ready.
This suit no longer exposed the chin. Instead, it sealed completely from head to toe, the face forming almost a single unit with neither eyes nor jaw exposed.
For this combat operation, Batman wouldn't rely on fear or Peter's meticulous observation. He needed data collection on Anti-Venom from the Oracle AI.
Therefore, the opaque faceplate was actually an internal screen that would analyze Anti-Venom's comprehensive data in real-time.
The suit wasn't pure black but a combination of earth yellow, dark green, and deep red camouflage. However, the shoulder armor, arm guards, and chest plate remained pitch black—and the armor plating was thicker than the Arkham suit.
The cape on his back was eliminated, replaced by a design resembling aircraft wings that simultaneously housed high-pressure oxygen storage tanks, potent virus neutralizing agents, and jet-powered short-range flight capability.
This armor featured five layers of protection from inside out: carbon fiber, complete memory fiber weave, ceramic composite layer, liquid body armor layer, and external impact-resistant armor layer.
"Dad, is this armor you prepared for me?"
Venom in its containment had long been staring impatiently at the new suit, asking with anticipation.
"No, Robin." Batman's voice rumbled low. "This is the suit I'm using to deal with Anti-Venom."
"Oh..." Venom's eyes drooped slightly, but quickly adjusted its mood. "Then when will I have my own suit?"
"Soon." Batman answered.
Venom's head bobbed like a chicken pecking grain. It watched Batman don the new armor, the astonishingly thick chest plate displaying the bat symbol.
It lowered its head in thought for a moment. The pitch-black symbiotic material rippled slowly, making those white patterns form a small white bat symbol.
"You'll have your own symbol, Robin."
Batman spoke, then picked up the containment unit and carried it to the Batmobile, placing it on the smaller seat beside the driver's position.
"Where are we going?" Venom constantly kept its head raised watching Batman, its gaze never leaving him.
"To Hoffman Island." Batman said. "Tomorrow's battle, you're with me. But you must follow my orders."
"Then... if Robin is obedient, can I get one—no, two pieces of chocolate?" Venom's eyes brightened.
"Yes." Batman entered the Batmobile, activated it in stealth mode, and shot into the subway tunnels at high speed. At one exit point, he plunged into the sewer system, then followed the pipes into the East River.
This time the obvious opponent was only Anti-Venom. But Batman had simultaneously designated Anti-Venom, the Hulk, Ant-Man, and the Lizard Professor as potential adversaries.
He needed to spend nearly an entire night preparing Hoffman Island.
---
The Middle East had numerous helicopter rental companies, like the UAE's Falcon Corporation, which even offered models specifically for VIP transport and emergency medical services.
Leading her newly assembled rescue team, Silver Sable wore her signature gray-white combat suit, negotiating no prices as she rented three helicopters and flew toward the location Peter had provided.
"President Sable, I keep feeling like ever since Batman appeared, everything about us has been arranged... though this arrangement isn't necessarily bad."
Beside Sable, the bearded man who'd been pinned to the ground by Batman with a single move in Oscorp's underground second level spoke up.
"We've left the company. We're here in our capacity as a rescue team—you need to call me Captain." Sable didn't even glance at the bearded man. "Of course I know I've been arranged. But can you think of a reason for me to refuse Batman, or even refuse Peter ?"
The bearded man shook his head.
"Exactly—you can't. Neither can I." Sable still didn't look toward him. "Transforming and expanding Silver Sable Security has always been my dream. Rather than saying they're using and arranging me, I'm borrowing their momentum."
"We're about to reach the location Peter marked on the map. Stay sharp. Lookouts, observe carefully. We absolutely cannot let the target escape."
Sable pointed at the map. After speaking, she felt her tone was wrong—still like a mercenary. She quickly corrected herself:
"Our current objective is rescue. Once we find Tony Stark, immediately escort him back to New York."
"Understood, Captain."
---
Batman deployed his plan on Hoffman Island. Sable conducted her search for Tony Stark in the Middle East.
And at that moment in the Ten Rings cave, Tony Stark was beginning to don his armor with Yinsen's help.
He wouldn't wait until the deadline Ten Rings leader Abu Bakaar had given him.
He hadn't even tested the completed armor.
BANG BANG BANG!
"Open up! Open the door!"
Outside their cave chamber, Ten Rings members desperately hammered on the iron door Tony had locked from inside.
"Yinsen, stay behind me. After I take out these guys, we're getting out of this hellhole together."
Inside the massive silver-gray armor, Tony Stark had reached the final program loading phase. He addressed Yinsen, who'd been helping him suit up.
Estimated time remaining: one minute. But at that precise moment, a gunshot rang out beyond the closed iron door. The door produced a sharp metallic sound, then a Ten Rings member dropped to the ground.
Tony Stark knew it wasn't internal betrayal among the Ten Rings—they were using gunfire to force the door open. The fallen member had simply been unlucky enough to be hit by a ricocheting bullet.
CRASH!
The iron door was kicked open. Simultaneously, the bomb Tony Stark had preemptively installed behind it detonated, sending Ten Rings members screaming to the ground.
"Forty seconds remaining." Tony Stark gritted his teeth, enduring the heat wave from dirt and explosions.
Thud, thud, thud...
Outside the cave, footsteps approached faintly. Tony Stark stared fixedly at the armor's startup progress bar.
"I'll buy you time, Tony." Yinsen, seeming to have made his decision long ago, ran to the cave entrance, grabbed a gun, and charged outside while randomly pulling the trigger.
Yinsen didn't aim the gun barrel at the Ten Rings members. His purpose was merely to attract their attention and buy Tony Stark time.
But the Ten Rings showed no mercy just because Yinsen's gun wasn't pointed at them.
As a burst of submachine gun fire erupted, Yinsen took multiple hits and fell to the ground.
CLANG!
The armor's metal faceplate snapped shut with a definitive sound.