Chapter 1 Gordon

"Commissioner Gordon will come to this factory tonight and be captured by Mr. Freeze. Twenty-four hours later, a plot will occur in which Gordon defeats Mr. Freeze at another location." Feng Bujue wasn't in a rush to enter the factory; instead, he observed the surrounding terrain and escape routes.

"Speaking of which… the starting point of this script seems too early. All the important events haven't happened yet. The prison transport carrying Arkham inmates hasn't been hijacked. Only after that will Black Mask order the inmates to rob Two-Face's armory and attack the Gotham City Police Department, a series of actions. The heroes' cape-snatching battle is happening simultaneously…" He calculated in his mind, "To catch up with all of that, I'd have to stay in this script for two or three days, which is obviously impossible. Staying too long in this non-sleep mode script will exceed the game time limit… which means, in this slaughter game, the system isn't giving us much room to change the main storyline. It's just borrowing the Gotham City setting to give us a battle stage."

His grasp of the setting was accurate, and the task before him was undoubtedly arduous…

For Feng Bujue, the weakest combatant among the six players, reversing the disadvantage and achieving victory required utilizing every available resource in the script.

While reading the newspaper at the inn, he had come up with three strategies. The first: kill and impersonate Black Mask, taking his place. Then, control the Arkham inmates and have them attack other players. The second: infiltrate the Batcave, steal a large amount of equipment as his own combat capital. The third: rob Mr. Freeze's freeze ray…

The first strategy could be said to be the best, but it was very difficult to implement. Although Feng Bujue knew the real identity of the second Black Mask, and knew what he was going to do and how… finding this guy's hideout, killing him, replacing him, and advancing the prison break plan was fraught with too many variables. Any link in the chain had a high probability of failure.

The second strategy was a middle-ground plan. Time wasn't an issue, but the problem was still the risk and difficulty.

There were two Batcaves in Gotham City: one in Wayne Manor and one in the collapsed subway ruins under the city (born after the Great Quake of the No Man's Land event). Whether it was Bruce Wayne's Batcave or Jason Todd's DIY version, both should have a lot of equipment stored, at least of Fine quality or higher…

It wouldn't be difficult for Feng Bujue to find either of them. With his reasoning ability, he just needed to check the maps and city traffic information. The problem was… finding them was easy, getting in was hard, and getting out was even harder.

Now the "Godly Net" heroes all regarded the Batcave as a stronghold. Barbara (Commissioner Gordon's daughter, the former Batgirl, crippled by the Joker in *The Killing Joke*, now the "Oracle") also stayed there long-term. If he went in to steal things, running into any superhero would put Feng Bujue in a bind.

As for Jason Todd's Batcave, it was mostly empty, but if someone was there… Feng Bujue would be walking into a dead end. Todd was basically a version of Batman who used guns and killed people. According to the descriptions of the third Robin in the comics: his fighting style was extremely brutal, he had proficient combat skills, was a marksman-level shooter, walked in the shadows, moved in the darkness, and the criminals who encountered him couldn't even see his movements…

No matter which Batcave he targeted, Feng Bujue's combat ability meant there was a higher probability of no return…

Therefore, he chose the third strategy, which had the smallest profit but the greatest certainty.

Mr. Freeze's combat ability was average, and his weakness to heat was obvious. As long as he didn't confront him head-on while he was holding the freeze ray, dealing with him wouldn't be too difficult. Even an ordinary person like Commissioner Gordon could do it.

Moreover, even if Feng Bujue subdued Mr. Freeze before the police arrived, it wouldn't have any impact on the main storyline of this world, it would just be that Victor Fries was arrested a day early. Anyway, Mr. Freeze was being sent to Blackgate Penitentiary, which had nothing to do with the Arkham line.

"It would be great if the script was longer, as long as I could get connected with a more powerful villain and provide some intelligence to him. Then taking out the Justice League's lair and sending a few nuclear bombs to the other players wouldn't be a problem…" Feng Bujue muttered. By this time, he had walked around the factory once and returned to the place where he got out of the car. "Hmm… entering from the second-floor window seems like a good…"

"So, you want to rob Mr. Freeze's freeze ray, is that right?" A voice interrupted Feng Bujue's thoughts.

Hearing this, Feng Bujue's heart tightened. In an instant, he realized that he must have encountered another player.

"Judging by your words… it seems you've been following me for a while." Feng Bujue slowly turned around, pretending to be calm, and looked in the direction of the voice. "Why didn't you attack me by surprise?" He laughed, "Don't tell me… 'there was no need'."

Zhao Yingwang's unremarkable figure appeared in Feng Bujue's sight. He replied calmly, "Surprise attacks require surprise attack methods." As he spoke, he took out a pistol from his knapsack. "As far as I'm concerned, if I want to surprise attack you, I can only rely on this."

Feng Bujue had just become wary when, unexpectedly, the other party calmly put the pistol back into his knapsack.

"Heh… unfortunately, my Shooting specialization is only F-grade. If I'm a little far away, I probably won't be able to hit you." Zhao Yingwang replied with a smile, "And if I'm going to surprise attack you at close range, my Combat specialization is only E-grade, so I don't have much confidence either."

"Besides, everyone's around level thirty. Would you really not notice if I quietly approached you? Based on my observations along the way, you're a very cautious person. Anyone who gets within five meters of you, let alone pulls out a gun, will attract your attention if they even move their arm."

While listening to the other party's words, Feng Bujue was also observing his expression. After the other party finished speaking, he replied, "I can't see any signs of lying on your face. That means there are two possibilities… either you're a god-level liar, or everything you just said is true…" He paused, looking directly into Zhao Yingwang's eyes, "If you really are a player with terrible Combat and Shooting skills… then there are also two possibilities for your appearance in front of me right now." He held up one finger, "First, you're very weak, so you're trying to form an alliance with me to deal with the other players in this script." He raised a second finger, "Second, one or more of your Equipment, Sorcery, or Summoning specializations must be very powerful, giving you enough confidence to defeat me."

"Oh?" Zhao Yingwang seemed intrigued. "Although it's arrogant, it's the correct judgment." He continued, "Anything else?"

"Of course." The corners of Feng Bujue's mouth curved into a smile. "Whether I was walking or sitting in the taxi, I was always paying attention to whether I was being followed, but I didn't notice you at all."

"I think you yourself are also very clear that your tracking methods are imperceptible to me. In this situation where you are hidden and I am exposed, why are you showing yourself? If you wanted to kill me, wouldn't it be better to wait until I ambushed Mr. Freeze?"

Feng Bujue touched his chin and paced back and forth. "Combining the information you just told me, I've made this assumption… whatever form your tracking methods take, your combat methods… must be very ostentatious."

Zhao Yingwang's expression changed noticeably.

"For example, a giant robot, sorcery with grand visual effects, monstrous summons, etc…" Feng Bujue continued, "If you think about it that way, things make sense." He said faintly, "If you acted in the city, even if you could kill me, you would inevitably attract the police, superheroes, and other players."

Feng Bujue sneered, "And using the combat methods mentioned above, there's really no reason to wait until I fight Mr. Freeze before making a move, because it's the same here." He pointed to the road he came from, "This factory area is far from the city and sparsely populated. I think… actually, as early as when I entered this area in the taxi, you were preparing to act. It's just that you maintained a considerable distance from me while tracking me, so it wasn't until I walked around this factory that you approached and showed yourself."

Zhao Yingwang looked Feng Bujue up and down, "You are… [Madness Doesn't End]?" Since Shiva, Wu Si Can Xuan, and Qi Sha all showed their guild names on the combat power rankings, and [I'm Not Afraid] looked like a girl's nickname, Zhao Yingwang made this guess after seeing Feng Bujue's "Frontline of Hell" badge.

"That~is~me~" Feng Bujue replied. His tone was so contemptible that he seemed like a big shot himself.

"Your analytical ability is good. If I have the chance in the future, I'd like to try cooperating with you." Zhao Yingwang said, "But at this moment, I think you're dead." Under his ordinary appearance, a terrifying aura faintly emerged, "Players outside the top ten on the combat power rankings can't possibly be my opponents."

"Oh? Judging by that tone, you're also on that list, but anonymous?" Feng Bujue deliberately tried to trick him.

Zhao Yingwang didn't hide it and said bluntly, "Nineteenth place, title 'Shadow Person', Zhao Yingwang."

"Ranked nineteenth, but you say that people below the top ten can't possibly beat you?" Feng Bujue said, "Is that even allowed… then let me quietly tell you a secret." He said seriously, "Don't look at the fact that I can't even get into the combat power rankings, but none of the people on the list can beat me."

"Hmph… you think I'm bluffing, right?" Zhao Yingwang smiled, and while he was talking, he took out a small knife from his knapsack.

Feng Bujue was prepared, because he was the one who was bluffing… Death Poker had already been quietly used. If the other party suddenly attacked, he could use [Shield] to block it.

As soon as he said that, Zhao Yingwang stabbed himself with the knife…

"Hey… buddy… what are you doing…" Feng Bujue said, "Trying to scare your opponent to death… let me advise you, you can't scare me…"

"Hehe… sorry, because I need to use a lot of my own blood, and it has to be fresh, so I have to do this kind of thing every time." Zhao Yingwang said with a wry smile, "At first, I had no experience, and I scratched my arms and legs randomly, resulting in wounds everywhere, which wasted hemostatic items instead. Later I understood, stabbing the liver… cough…" As he spoke, he spat out a large mouthful of blood.

"What's going on…" Feng Bujue immediately took out [Moxxi's Bad Touch] from his knapsack, aimed it at the other party and started shooting, "Looks like you're releasing a dangerous skill with a high price!"

Feng Bujue's Shooting specialization was D-grade, and the distance at which he was shooting at this time was just right. Dozens of bullets were fired in a few seconds, almost all hitting the target.

Unfortunately, when those bullets were about to touch Zhao Yingwang's body, they first hit an invisible barrier and were all bounced away.

"I bought a whole set of armor specifically for defending against bullets at a high price, all with the [Refraction] attribute." Zhao Yingwang laughed, "It's just to buy these few seconds…" His blood quickly spread on the ground, turning into a round pool of blood at his feet.

In that instant, a light flashed in Zhao Yingwang's eyes.

The next second, the blood on the ground surged as if boiling.

Feng Bujue didn't change to a second magazine. After seeing that the bullet attack was ineffective, he decisively put away the gun. Instead, he took out [Death Poker], and a "straight flush" immediately flew out. At the same time, he himself stepped forward, following the poker like an arrow leaving the string.

Zhao Yingwang pulled out the knife, covered the wound, and retreated. But he staggered, unable to stand firmly, and his speed was no different from that of an ordinary person. It was obvious that he couldn't avoid the Death Poker and Feng Bujue's joint attack.

As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. Feng Bujue had already taken out a folding stool from his knapsack while rushing halfway, waiting for the other party to have his defense broken by the Death Poker, and then beating him up.

Unexpectedly, just as the poker flew in front of Zhao Yingwang, a giant arm suddenly protruded from the pool of blood on the ground. A burst of bloody energy exploded, actually causing the "straight flush" level Death Poker to be shaken off its original trajectory.

Seeing this, Feng Bujue slammed on the brakes and flashed to the side. Using the strength of his foot arch, he stepped again, bypassed the giant arm, and continued to attack Zhao Yingwang himself.

Zhao Yingwang couldn't dodge and was caught by Feng Bujue.

*Pa pa pa…*

The folding stool rained down on Zhao Yingwang. Feng Bujue's use of this leader of the eighteen weapons could be described as skilled…

"So you're a Summoning specialist! So your Combat specialization is E! You're so weak!" Feng Bujue beat the other party wildly, showing no mercy.

In Feng Bujue's mind, there were two reasons for the failure of villains:

First, when they have the advantage, they like to dawdle. In countless movies, you can see similar scenes: a villain, pointing a gun at the head of a protagonist, doesn't shoot, but instead babbles, rambles, and whines. In the end, the protagonist uses this time to find an opportunity to turn the tables.

Second, they go to unnecessary lengths. Also in movies, we can see villains like this. They have guns in their hands, but they always like to tie the protagonist somewhere, put a bomb next to them, and then leave. What kind of behavior is this? It's as baffling as divorcing before taking a mistress.

Feng Bujue wouldn't make this mistake. When the other party stabbed himself in the waist, he quickly opened fire and attacked continuously, which is what led to the overwhelming advantage he had right now. And at this moment, Feng Bujue was also very firmly implementing a policy, that is, the attack would never stop before the other party turned into white light and disappeared.

Unfortunately, this "overwhelming advantage" was just an illusion…

"Hehehe… hahahaha…" Zhao Yingwang covered his head and squatted down, looking disheveled, but he was still laughing.

"A masochist…" Feng Bujue felt that the other party wasn't dying fast enough, so he switched to a pipe wrench and slammed it down on the other party's head, "First he stabs himself with a knife, now he's so happy to be beaten?"

"How much health do you think your attacks have depleted?" When Zhao Yingwang asked this question, his arm protecting his head happened to take a heavy blow from the pipe wrench, causing the skin to split and the bones to be exposed, but judging by his tone, he didn't seem to feel any pain at all. "80%? 90%?"

"Then tell me." Feng Bujue pulled his arm back to his ribs, then pushed it forward, stabbing Zhao Yingwang's chin. Even Feng Bujue himself didn't expect that the front half of the pipe wrench would directly pierce into the skull. Judging by the depth, he estimated that the other party's brain should have been destroyed, and his health should have instantly dropped to zero.

"Cough… gag…" Having his chin pierced made it impossible for Zhao Yingwang to speak normally. Unexpectedly, he simply put down his hands, revealing his deformed face, and squeezed out a sentence vaguely from his mouth, "My… cough… health… is… still… ninety…ty…ty…"

"You're a pretty serious person… you actually told me, was that necessary? Is this a show of strength…" Feng Bujue had already realized something. He moved his gaze away from Zhao Yingwang and looked back at the bloody arm that had risen from the pool of blood.

At this time, it wasn't just an arm that had come out, but the entire monster.

The monster was humanoid, five meters tall, and extremely strong. At first glance, it looked like the Hulk. The surface of its body was covered with layers of wavelike, semi-solidified blood plasma armor, the colors being bright red and gold.

The monster's face had two black, hollow eyes and a mouth. It couldn't be said to be terrifying, but the feeling it gave people was just one word… strong.

"From just now on, I, and this Blood Stone Demon, share a health bar." Zhao Yingwang's voice returned to normal.

Feng Bujue took a few steps back to avoid being caught in a pincer attack. When he looked at Zhao Yingwang again, the wounds on the other party's body were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Don't worry, I told you, I'm very weak." Zhao Yingwang said, "But if you keep staring at me like that, getting punched in the back, I won't care."

Feng Bujue looked up at the Stone Demon and thought to himself, "What kind of people are at the top of the rankings in this game…"