The rain was getting heavier, Ivy had already removed the vines blocking the road, but everyone else was looking at the three members of the Justice League present, subconsciously waiting for their say.
Su Ming nodded to Oliver; among these people, there might be impostors or spies, unknown as yet. Su Ming wasn't in a position to expose himself, so letting Green Arrow give orders was just as well.
Oliver wasn't at all inferior to Batman; rather, each had their strengths. For instance, he could make faces and spew vulgarities to taunt the enemy, something Batman couldn't do. Batman, on the other hand, had more resources, with the power armor and a bunch of fantastic gadgets, which were things Green Arrow lacked.
However, assigning cleanup tasks now was straightforward, even Diana could issue orders without any problem.
Green Arrow understood and raised his hands, clapping them in the air to attract everyone's attention. He then gestured for them to gather before starting to assign tasks.
Damian, Himeko, and Barbara, take Batman and Catwoman back home, and also brief Ah Fu on the situation. Right now, the heart-wrenching screams in Batman's earpiece are so loud even outsiders can hear them; you'd know his pointed ears are directional sound transmitters.
The Humiliation Squad will help search for traces of the Mad Laugh; Charise's high-level connections are extensive. Regardless of black or white, she knows people in Gotham City, and surely has backup, able to maintain communication and surveillance in this chaotic Gotham.
Giant Spirit and Wally will make a solo trip to take Joker to Arkham for treatment, with the dual assurance of magic and Divine Speed, no worries about accidents along the way.
Crush and Billy Wu will return to the Eternal Rock, providing close combat protection to the Shadow Contract Team and Bo Bo, and keeping an eye on Pandora, preventing her from causing trouble.
As for Harley and Ivy...whatever they want; he can't manage the mentally ill and those even more extreme than mental illness in plant protectionism.
Upon hearing she had no tasks, Harley immediately sidled up to Diana, sticking to her like glue.
"When will this end? Let's go to Paradise Island to play, shall we?"
Wonder Woman glanced at the gloomy sky; it was already past five, the darkest time of day.
She, of course, wanted to finish the task and go home for sleep too. But really, the Justice League's actions failed, Batman got exchanged by Joker, and the next situation was far from the optimism Deathstroke mentioned.
The original plan was for the Justice League to hold off the Destruction Legion, Batman to stall Joker, while others would tackle the Laughing Bat. But now, two out of three fronts had folded, leaving all the pressure on her.
While she was about to respond, Deathstroke suddenly reached out to press her lips with a gloved hand, cold and interrupting her words.
Su Ming shook his head at her; Harley's questions were simply traps he'd encountered too often.
Diana, like Arthur, often thought directly, relying on instinct, and her response would probably be to agree.
Yet things like 'going home for Christmas this year,' 'getting married after this battle,' 'as long as the volcano doesn't erupt, the Takeda family remains rock solid' and the like... Such words are best left unsaid, as sometimes the world is rather uncanny. Even if you don't believe in mysticism, believing in science, making promises you can't guarantee can lead to overexcitement and agitation in battle, affecting performance.
Diana already had a personality prone to getting carried away; what she needed most was calm judgment, not like a Berserker wielding a giant windmill amid crowds.
Wonder Woman swatted Su Ming's hand away, glared at him; he'd caught Joker and hadn't washed his hands!
Yet due to this interruption, Harley's attention was diverted, losing interest in traveling to Paradise Island, recalling Sea King was here, and she hadn't been to Poseidonis yet.
"What's our next move?" Oliver walked up to Su Ming and asked softly.
"All of Gotham City's sewers are flooded; although we haven't found traces of the Laughing Bat yet, his original plan has at least been delayed by us. This isn't his Gotham; he doesn't have many ways to handle floods. What do you think he'll do?"
"You mean..." Oliver squinted.
Su Ming pulled out a cigarette, lighting it under his hat brim: "He's likely hiding in a building directly connected to the sewer, prepping for an alternate plan. I scrapped his original plan, but we also lost Batman; at the big picture level, it's only a tie."
"I don't know how many such buildings are in Gotham; if it were Star City, generally only a few sewage treatment plants have buildings directly connected to sewer entrances."
Green Arrow took the cigarette, lighting it with a casual puff; the sight of him lifting his cape to smoke resembled a temp worker crouched waiting for a gig rather than a big boss.
Su Ming also looked down at the water surface by his waist, where complex ripples spread circle after circle; he gently exhaled: "Bad news, Gotham and Star City are not alike. This city has been controlled by the Owl Court for too long; secret passages under tall buildings are all too common."
Oliver chuckled wryly, shaking his head; he felt a bit out of place in Gotham, many approaches that worked in Star City didn't suit here. Should he, like Deathstroke, travel the world more?
"Can we keep fishing? The bait is intact, so it can be reused."
"The bait that has been bitten by another, Laughing won't bite again; don't underestimate his intuition." Su Ming flicked the ash from his cigarette and looked into the distance. "Let's go check below Challenger Mountain first; there's a Bat Cave there belonging to the Laughing Bat. Let's observe the situation first."
"I heard that after you left, Batman sealed Laughing's Bat Cave. Now only he can get in, and in his current condition, he couldn't even recall a three-digit code," Green Arrow spread his hands.
Su Ming pointed at Green Arrow's chest with his finger. "You have the key."
"Alright, I almost forgot about this. My bad." Oliver suddenly remembered that he had the Inquirer's Key, so Batman's security door was indeed not a problem.
"That's normal; after all, you've never used mystic powers before. It's understandable to forget suddenly, but you'll need to get used to it in the future."
Su Ming smiled and comforted, as he couldn't let their financier get too disappointed. He still relied on him to speak on his behalf in the Justice League.
Diana was listening on the side, and it seemed these two had no intention of returning the Magic Box, which made her roll her eyes. "Can you anticipate what the Laughing Bat will do next?"
Su Ming chuckled and shook his head at her; did she really take him for an Immortal?
The Laughing Bat's strategic goal is to win, to surpass Batman and the Justice League, to triumph over this world, and that much is clear.
However, Su Ming couldn't guess how he planned to make his moves; it's a monstrous amalgamation of Batman and Joker, often difficult to fathom its train of thought.
If it weren't for the clues gathered from Penguin Man, he wouldn't have flooded Gotham directly. Without that, Laughing Bat might have already been poisoning the city via the sewer lines feeding into the water supply.
The flood cut off his plans as well as Su Ming's only clues, but without damaging the city and lacking informational support, Su Ming had achieved all he could.
"I don't have any leads for now. An enemy in the shadows has always been difficult to deal with, let alone the Dark Knight." Zorro flicked half his cigarette into the distance, watching it get swept away by the water. "But he's still in Gotham; there are things he hasn't finished. I can feel his malice towards this place."
"Feelings?" Diana pinched her delicate chin, nodding slightly.
Su Ming wasn't caught up with uncertain factors. As the flood hadn't forced Laughing and his cronies onto the streets, the original plan couldn't unfold. He had to seek new clues and tracks, make haste to find the enemy.
"Let's go, Harley? A bit more focus?" Su Ming turned and grabbed Harley's ponytail as she was talking to Arthur about opening a circus in Poseidonis.
Arthur internally rejected the idea because, although he hadn't interacted with her, her reputation for madness was widely known.
Popeidonis is such a peaceful and harmonious place, hardly suitable for Harley's circus antics.
Harley turned around with a smile, relinquishing her pestering of Sea King and jumping back to Diana's side: "Oh, coming! I'm so obedient; can I get some cake later?"
"Hmm."
Su Ming sighed, wondering why it felt like he was teaming up with Wade. Except her mouth was a lot cleaner, and she smelled pleasantly fragrant.
"Strawberry, chocolate, vanilla ice cream, yay!" Harley was unaware, cheerfully bouncing around.
Ivy walked over to hold her back; otherwise, she might have started an impromptu swim.
The dark clouds not only obstructed Su Ming's satellite surveillance, but Laughing Bat's situation should be the same. So long as the magic was discreet and not too conspicuous, it would be fine.
The Inverted Man's teleportation gate fit this requirement perfectly. It didn't have any light or shadow effects, just looked somewhat gross, like a living organism.
After passing through this tunnel, the group arrived at the foot of the black mountain.
Since Barbatos' invasion, this black stone mountain had stood firm in Gotham City Center. Its material was unknown, and there was no good way to deal with it. The battlefield from the last battle was flat on that mountain, and the Laughing Bat's Bat Cave was now right in front of them.
As Green Arrow said, beyond the passage was a yellow and black caution tape, and not far off in the darkness was a heavy steel door.
Not only was a bat symbol drawn on the door, but it also had Batman's trademark warning 'keep out!' which translates to 'stay away.'
That's typical Batman. If it were Su Ming, the wording would be more tactful, as the aim was merely to encourage the overly curious to move along, right?
'Irregular adventures bring tears to loved ones,' writing that on the door, with mines buried in the hallway and a couple of automated turrets hidden in obscure places should suffice, shouldn't it?
Lost in thought, Su Ming nodded toward Green Arrow—it was his turn to step up.