On what was already a bustling night, the citizens of Gotham huddled in their homes, trembling with fear.
Everyone's minds and habits differ, and their choices in moments of helplessness vary.
Those who enjoy daydreaming will hide under their blankets in bed like turtles, praying for a hero to come save them, shivering as they wait for dawn;
While the realistic ones have already grabbed weapons hidden beneath their floorboards at home, leaning against sofas or coffee tables as cover, panting heavily while bracing against intruders.
The sharp sound of breaking glass, followed by wailing alarms, cars being furiously honked, accompanied by gunshots and explosions, this is the nightly routine in Gotham.
It might sound exaggerated, but the frequency of incidents is not as high as it sounds; however, when these things happen, the citizens of Gotham seem as if they have experienced them countless times in their dreams, they are very accustomed to this.
Only today, amid the routine performances, came a rather unfamiliar sound.
It sounded like thunder, and upon closer thought, it resembled galloping horses, and quick-minded people suddenly realized.
Oh no, it's a tsunami!
This sound is deep and continuous, like a group of 'Godzilla' monsters running closer, with their stomachs rumbling!
As for which unfortunate soul would be swallowed, only heaven knows.
The city encountered a flood in the morning, and at deep night it comes again? Who can withstand this?
However, as the smart ones packed their belongings and ran to the rooftops of residential buildings waiting for rescue, they found....
This time, the tsunami was surprisingly....miniature?
Expecting scenes of apocalypse, the galaxy hanging upside down, but instead, they saw something akin to artificial waves in a swimming pool at a water park.
If you were close enough to the coastline, you could see the aggressive force of distant waves, but as they approached the shores, they remarkably weakened, resulting in rising water levels in the city without causing any structural damage.
The people on the rooftops looked at each other, though not understanding why, it was a good thing, wasn't it?
Similarly, Su Ming was also quite satisfied with the outcome.
Don't be fooled by Arthur's usual recklessness and foolishness, once you detail the requirements of the combat plan to him, he never lets you down.
Holding Poseidon's trident, his mastery over the sea truly lives up to the name of the Sea King, his control over seawater is exceptional indeed.
Turns out, Zhang Fei, besides wielding the Eight-footed Snake Spear, can also handle embroidery needles.
The seawater arrived swiftly, gently entering the city; this technique is impressive.
"Should be about done, today's heavy rain really helped me a lot." Arthur touched his beard after finishing his work, not in the least arrogant, instead speaking matter-of-factly.
The current position of the four was on the rooftop of an old factory near the coastline, which should be Charise's family industry, though it hadn't been used for many years.
Su Ming fiddled with the terminal beneath his cloak; if the rain provided convenience for Arthur, then the overcast clouds were an obstacle for him.
Sometimes satellites aren't as useful as drones, simply because many drones have all-weather capabilities, whereas satellites can easily have their vision obscured by clouds or sandstorms, not to mention Green Arrow's second-hand satellites are decades old and inherently unclear.
As Green Arrow, Arthur, and Diana were chatting, Su Ming could only strive to differentiate the Laughing Bat's traces among patterns resembling pandas or camels.
Like their own side, they were also four people; any slight mistake can expose them.
This was why he had Cindy bring the Nightfall Greatsword to the Justice League, precisely because Laughing Bat also had various metals, and can sense the location of N Metal.
Su Ming's armor was now made by Strangulation, with not a trace of N Metal on him, as the Magic Floating Cloak offered ample magic resistance; the armor only needed to focus on physical defense.
So his Holy Statue Armor in the Strangulation version was entirely made of Vibranium, under the Leopard God's tacit allowance, he snuck Vibranium and Heart-shaped Grass from Wakanda, naturally remembered to let Strangulation consume some.
Heart-shaped Grass had no enhancing effect on symbiotes, Strangulation even expressed it as unpalatable.
Vibranium, however, had some effect, though its ability to mimic molecular structures was limited, it couldn't produce something as soft as Black Panther's suit, only maintaining the shape of the Holy Statue Armor, as Half Chest Armor combined with Chain Armor.
Vibranium wasn't the hardest material in the Marvel Universe; adamantium processed was even harder, but Original Vibranium had energy-absorbing properties, also known as Nirvana Steel.
Not only was the physical defense substantial, but it also compensated for the past weakness against blunt force impacts.
While looking at the terminal in his hand, he contemplated the timing to call Cindy back, at least wait until he ambushes and kills a Dark Knight.
Otherwise, if Cindy comes too early, and gets discovered by Laughing Bat, it would raise alarm amongst them.
"Hmm?"
Diana turned her head, Green Arrow and Arthur also ceased their conversation, as they heard Su Ming's curious nasal sound.
"What's wrong?"
Wonder Woman approached him, leaned in to look at the terminal's display, but even if there wasn't rainwater obscuring the screen's visibility, she still couldn't discern what the twisted and constantly fluctuating image represented.
"Not sure yet, let's go check." Su Ming raised his hand pointing to the ground beside them: "Teleportation Gate, Gotham City 12th Street subway station exit."
After stepping out from the teleportation gate, they saw the Teen Titans and the Humiliation Squad carrying the 'bodies' of Batman and Catwoman, slowly wading through the waist-deep water.
Batman stared blankly at the cloud-filled sky, as if voicing a silent protest, while Catwoman, with eyes wide open in death, had red blood flowing down her body.
"What happened? Just took my eyes off for a second and there's a death?"
Seeing the Titan and Humiliation members with bitter faces, Su Ming's heart skipped a beat. Batman could go mad or become disabled, but he must not die.
Without Batman handling those annoying tasks, the Justice League was just for show, and Su Ming wouldn't work for free.
Su Ming looked around. Besides seeing Harley and the Joker fighting in the water as if 'water-fighting,' there was only Poison Ivy looking quite relaxed.
Huge vines clung to the buildings on both sides of the street. Empowered by the Green of All Things, she was very powerful and easily manipulated plants she never dared imagine before, controlling them to form a complex and beautiful net.
Indeed, it was as precise as a fishing net, with a cluster of red flowers decorating the middle.
She leaned against the wall, the vine on her head fanning out a large leaf like an umbrella to shield her from the rain.
"Hey, Ivy, what's happening over here?"
He quickly walked over, the water splashing, while Ivy just watched the battle with a madly laughing Harley.
"Catwoman's dead, Batman was made dumb by the Joker, and I can only be sure it's not poisoning. You'll need to find a doctor for the exact reason."
"But the doctor's in a fight." Diana pulled down her hood to prevent rain from obstructing her view, but she already saw Harley going crazy again.
Poison Ivy shrugged, a vine pointing to a spot not far away: "Yes, as you can see, the best psychologist is over there, brawling with her former patient like street thugs."
"Arthur, take care of the Joker. Be sure to sneak up and knock him out from behind."
Su Ming turned to give the order, and Arthur glanced at Batman with worry before nodding silently.
Raising his Trident, he opened his mouth and let out a silent roar. A solid sheet of water appeared under his feet like a surfboard, propelling him swiftly towards the Joker along the street water.
The remorseful Joker, upset that his plan wasn't entirely successful, was trading insults with Harley and seemingly hadn't noticed the group's sudden arrival—unless he had looked deeply into Su Ming's eyes for a moment...
Arthur swung his weapon, striking the Joker on the back of the head with the gun's butt.
"Ugh!"
The Joker let out a short sound like laughter before plunging headfirst and creating a splash.
Harley didn't care whether he fell or not, raising a large hammer and pounding down like knocking on sticky rice cakes.
"Hee hee hee! Ho ho ho!! Ha ha ha!!" With a classic three-part villainous laugh, she placed her foot on the Joker's back and gently stroked her ponytail while looking skyward.
"Cough, cough! That's enough; he is dying." Su Ming stopped her, pushing her aside, and fished the Joker out of the water.
Though a concussion and pulmonary edema could be considered serious injuries, it was nothing significant for the Joker.
"Hold on; there's another Joker here?" Arthur retrieved another identical Joker from the underwater nearby, except this one's belly was swollen, seemingly drowned.
Su Ming drew a thin sword and quickly slashed a Z-shaped cut, revealing the 'Joker' in Arthur's hand to be like a shedding with a mummified human figure falling into the water.
"Yours is a fake called Nameless, a famous chameleon assassin in Gotham."
"So, she came for the Joker's money... but without Batman's planning, we might not even save Earth; what's the point of money then?"
Arthur immediately discarded the counterfeit skin and wiped his palm on himself with disdain.
Su Ming checked the Joker he held, who, after being washed in the water, looked white and furry like aged bacon. He was genuine: "Many don't know what we're truly facing. That the world-banging catastrophe is still a secret, remember? Even those who know are divided into two types, with completely different perspectives. Can you guess which two?"
"Isn't it obvious? It's men and women!"
With a certain-look expression, Arthur's bushy and wet beard quivered as he stated the answer.
Oliver immediately covered his face. Would Deathstroke ask if it were that obvious?
Su Ming smiled and shook his head. Arthur could be endearingly straightforward sometimes, but with Catwoman's body not yet cold, cracking jokes felt a bit inappropriate here.
"Cough, cough! The human division into male and female can be discussed later, but I'm not talking about that. Currently, there are two types of people: one believes that Batman is essential for saving the world, and without him, the Justice League is just scattered. The other favors the Justice League, thinking even without Batman, others can protect our Earth; which one do you lean towards?"
Arthur firmly planted the Trident into the asphalt road, touched his beard, and pondered for a moment: "You're right. With your help now, Batman's absence isn't such a big deal. Besides, aren't we all capable in our own right?"
Su Ming nodded approvingly, though he could only agree halfway. He had already picked out the useful ones, and those remaining in the Justice League weren't of much use.
Batman was now targeted, even though it was the Joker's doing. Yet, why did this tactic seem so familiar.....
First banning the Bat, then banning Superman, followed by breaking the Justice League one by one, could it all be part of the Laughing Bat's plan?
Thus, Cindy can't be brought over; she must stay with the Justice League to maintain the deterrent effect. Meanwhile, I need to hurry up and track down the Rat before anyone else. Let's see who acts faster and strikes more stealthily.