The Cruel Knight lurked in the shadows beneath the tree, but the rain also covered his shoulders, the flood lapped at his thighs, yet the cold external environment could not affect the fire in his heart.
He knew he was somewhat paranoid because although his parents' death was related to Gotham's security situation at the time, was it really connected to the newly appointed Gordon?
Not necessarily.
But now Gordon is the director of the Gotham Police Station, he represents the decayed and outdated order and legal system of this city, the Cruel Knight's opponent has never been a single person, but the established order of the entire world.
So Gordon must die, but as a long-time friend, the Cruel Knight wouldn't kill him with a gun, he must speak everything clear with Gordon, then kill him with a dagger, letting him see how unforgivable his betrayal to Batman was.
Even though he knows this Gordon is not his Gordon anymore, so what? Every Gordon deserves to die, every world's Gordon has made it onto his kill list.
Fittingly, such traitors must be killed multiple times to appease his anger.
Now that the police station is right in front, all he has to do is rush in and get Gordon out, the disruption of communication really provides a lot of convenience.
The rain made the weapon behind him glow with a cold and deep radiance, he took out the assault rifle from his back, cocked it with a click, then quickly rushed towards the police station under the cover of rain and clouds.
Because of the chaos in the city, there are few officers left in the station, even if they saw Batman, the first reaction was just a moment of bewilderment.
Why is Batman carrying so many guns today?
Why does he look so grim?
Why is he firing at this side?
After pondering these three questions, the officers were already lying on the ground with doubts, even facing directly they were no match for the Cruel Knight, let alone when ambushed while lost in thought.
Batman represents vigilantes, now it's not like back in the day when everyone wanted to catch him, most officers would greet Batman amicably upon seeing him.
After all, here isn't far from Washington, models of Batman standing alongside other heroes in the Hall of Justice.
However, it's these past views that killed them, the existence of the Dark Knight Order was kept secret by the Justice League, resulting in ordinary officers knowing nothing at all.
When the Batman, once a hero in Gotham, changed, no one could react in time.
The Cruel Knight fired continuously while sprinting at high speed, with deadly precision, every shot was fatal. Without alarming too many neighbors, Batman rushed into the police station building in less than ten seconds.
The automatic rifle casually tossed aside, he drew two mini submachine guns from his waist, pushed open the door with his back and rolled in, firing a burst or rather ultra-quick point shooting at the officers in the hall.
These two new model submachine guns fire more than 5 rounds per second, emptying 300 rounds in a minute is effortless, he can control such high rate guns without wasting a single bullet, all targets hit within two seconds.
This made the gunshot sound as if it was just one burst, and the bodies fell almost simultaneously with different postures.
His performance here was better than in the Iceberg Restaurant, there he just fired randomly, but here, facing his old friend Gordon, he put all his skills to use.
Smelling the scent of blood and gunpowder, he tossed aside the two smoking submachine guns once more, took out the heavy machine gun, and loaded the ammo belt into the chamber.
He strode toward the interiors of the police station.
Though the firefight was brief, it wasn't without commotion, and with Gordon not showing up, it indicates he might be in a soundproof area like the basement instead of upstairs in the office or canteen.
The basement houses various file rooms, data rooms, evidence warehouses, arsenals, morgues, communication rooms.
Previously, Mad Laugh dropped an Otherworld's Bruce Wayne as bait in Gotham, the bait was dragged away by the police, considering the time now, the DNA report should be ready.
Therefore, Gordon is highly likely in the morgue.
Numerous possibilities proposed and excluded, leaving only the highest probability guess, for Batman this is just a brief moment, his pace hasn't slowed for a second.
Hesitation leads to defeat.
The Cruel Knight had the police station map in his mind, every world's building is mostly the same, he dashed straight towards the morgue.
Descending the stairs into the corridor, only his barely audible footsteps echoed in the narrow passage, just as he thought, there wouldn't be anyone in the data room at this hour.
But like will-o'-the-wisp, from the sudden darkness nearby, a light burst forth from the archive room.
Flash Bomb!
The Cruel Knight immediately turned to evade, simultaneously wielding his weapon with unreasonably quick backward roll.
At the moment of strong light explosion, he heard a faint crisp sound, a gleam of golden light skimmed over his head, one sharp ear on his uniform helmet spun off.
During the roll, he also set off a flash bomb, the attacking opponent must focus on the target, creating a time lag, flash bombs are effective at this moment.
If the foe gets flashed, it's his opportunity.
The blade was incredibly swift, the opponent is a Martial Arts Master, encountering melee combat experts in such tight spaces is bad news, must resolve quickly.
Fortunately, he has a gun, that is the significance of power's existence....
However, when the opponent flipped back to dodge the flash, the Cruel Knight's hand instinctively paused, the half-face revealed under the mask showed a look of disbelief.
"Zorro?"
In the darkness, a golden rapier was lifted against the hat brim, illuminating a handsome face. The elegant mustache of the opposite moved, revealing a smile with exotic charm.
"Don't be so polite, we are old friends. You can call me Don Diego, the top swordsman of Europe." The other replied, twisting his tongue in an accentuated, rhythmic Spanish.
"...pretending to be mysterious!"
The Cruel Knight's expression shifted wildly. He immediately raised the heavy machine gun and pulled the trigger at the opponent.
Zorro is not someone who exists in history; he is merely a character from a film. He represents chivalry and rebellion against the old order, and is one of the reasons Bruce became Batman.
On the day his parents were murdered, they had gone to the theater to watch a Zorro movie, and upon returning home through an alleyway, they encountered criminals...
If the Bat gave Bruce the incentive to become a masked man, then Zorro was his initial motivation.
To eliminate violence and uphold goodness, to resist the colonial society of the time, eventually leading the masses to awaken a spirit of resistance and achieve victory.
The image of Zorro means a lot to all Batmans, especially when he stands opposite you with a rapier.
It's like a nightmare shining back into reality.
If Zorro has appeared, does the death of loved ones lurk in the near future?
The gunfire and the sound of pearls falling to the ground suddenly echoed in the Cruel Knight's mind.
Has he strayed from the path of heroics, so Zorro has come to find him? Or is this merely a hallucination? Is he battling something that doesn't exist?
It's the opponent's use of a flash bomb—this must be fake, a hallucination.
Thus, the Cruel Knight promptly raised a Gatling gun, aiming and firing at the opponent. The electric engine roared, and the muzzle immediately spat flames.
Yet Zorro remained unflustered, maintaining a noble demeanor and adopting a fencing stance as the bullets approached, the golden Z flashing continuously in the air.
The blade accurately split each bullet, the sparks from the metal collision illuminating the ground between the two. The sound of bullets hitting the ground was like rainfall.
Zorro moved leisurely, defending impeccably with the rapier, while still having the capacity to step lightly, advancing towards the Cruel Knight step by step.
The Cruel Knight secretly gritted his teeth.
He began retreating quickly. If this guy is indeed from his imagination, then during his childhood, Zorro represented omnipotence in a child's mind.
This person is stronger than the Mad Laugh... unable to defeat by force; he must quickly come up with a plan.
However, the opponent had no intention of letting him go. Suddenly the speed exploded, leaving only faint afterimages as the golden rapier dragged a long glow, slicing the machine gun's barrel as if carving a carrot, then reversing the sword directly towards his chest, apparently planning to draw a Z.
The Cruel Knight let out a deep growl, throwing the wrecked Gatling gun at the opponent, instantly dodging backward, pulling out two handguns from his thigh, firing furiously.
This time, Zorro didn't chop the bullets; being close enough, he evaded all the bullets ghost-like, having already judged the trajectory as the Cruel Knight raised his hand.
Everything was laid bare...
"Don't rush off, how about coming to my Governor's Mansion for some seafood rice? Thomas and Martha are waiting for you." The Spanish bubbled over quickly.
"How dare you utter that name!"
When the handgun's bullets ran out, the Cruel Knight threw them at Zorro like a thrown weapon, dismantled by the opponent in mid-air to pieces.
He heard his mother's name at this moment and couldn't help but recall the gruesome scene from back then.
This long, narrow passage had somehow transformed into the appearance of Crime Alley, and looking down, he saw his parents' bodies lying beside him!
"Don't leave, Little Bruce, why do you wield a gun?" Zorro's smile gradually became eerie, like a sinister entity possessing his soul: "Isn't a sword better? It is the strongest power in the world!"
"No! Hallucination! You're hallucinations! You're all hallucinations!" The Cruel Knight removed the smoke bomb and sonic boom bomb from his chest. He had to leave this place; it wasn't right, really not right.
It seemed like he was experiencing vivid hallucinations, or perhaps time had reversed, seeing himself as a child once again, picking up the robber's handgun from the ground, aiming at the pearl-holding criminal from behind.
"Are you planning to mask your ugliness with smoke? Indeed, shooting someone from behind is truly cowardly behavior. You never have the courage to face an enemy; a rapier is too dangerous for a coward like you, isn't it?"
Zorro spat out a string of rapid words, his rapier flashing before the Cruel Knight's eyes. The Cruel Knight, deeply insulted, saw the skin beneath his jaw bursting with veins.
"No, I shot him head-on only when he faced me! Confronted him squarely, and won!"
"Oh? Let's see if that's true, shall we? Do you dare? Using your mother's name as a guarantee?"
"I am not a coward! The truth will prove everything!"
Triggered by his parents' dire situation, the Cruel Knight stowed away the smoke bomb, removing a black dagger from his shoulder, engaging Zorro. This dagger, of high-quality material, somehow wasn't cut apart, likely made of N Metal.
Yet the alley scene told another story. In the dark, damp alley, Little Bruce pointed the gun at the robber's back, with a grim expression as he pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"