Chapter 31 Night Continues...

The night continued...

At this moment, beneath the high platform of Bat Castle, a large crowd had gathered once more.

In the past, they came to this place for only one purpose: to worship. But tonight, they had come to demand blood.

"Hand over the Bat!" "Kill that liar!" "Bring him out!" Cries rose and fell in the crowd.

They were angry, they were excited, they were impulsive, they were insane.

And all of this...began with that smiling face in the sky. That smile seemed to possess a kind of magic, planting rebellious emotions in the depths of everyone's heart. And Feng Bujue's excellent speech had become the final catalyst.

"Sir, the situation is getting out of control." On the high platform, a Robin ran quickly to Gordon's side and reported, "There are too many people surrounding the castle. Our troops are simply not enough..." He paused for a second, the expression on his face becoming very strange. "They haven't launched a frontal assault yet, but it's only a matter of time. Once they start to advance..."

"Alright, you don't need to come and report these things specifically." the_Bruce's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting the Robin's narration.

The Robin was startled when he heard this. He quickly turned his head and was surprised to find the_Bruce standing two meters away from him. "S-sorry, sir, I didn't see you..."

"I know," the_Bruce said. "I'm testing the optical camouflage function of this armor." He walked forward slowly, his tone as calm as ever. "Looks like it's working well."

"Go back to your post," Gordon said at this moment, gesturing for the Robin to leave. After the latter left, Gordon turned to Bruce and said, "It seems...we underestimated that clown's ability to incite."

"Hmm...not entirely," the_Bruce mused. "Actually, it's that these rioters' tastes have changed...After so many years of staged performances, they have gradually forgotten my true strength. These people are tired of the blood of those so-called super criminals...They want my blood."

"But we still have an absolute advantage in numbers," Gordon continued. "Those rabble don't have airships or armored vehicles, let alone heavy weapons..."

the_Bruce replied, "Humph...an advantage in numbers? A mere thousand or so troops, and among them...who knows how many people...have already entertained the thought of opposing me." He paused for a moment. "Although the city's population has declined and regressed due to years of war, it still numbers nearly a million. That communications officer was right, our troops are simply not enough. Even if our people can trade one for ten, or even one against a hundred, it's still useless."

Hearing this, a strange thought flashed through Gordon's mind, but he remained outwardly calm.

"Faith," the_Bruce continued, "is the most solid barrier. If their faith collapses, they will tear me, this 'god', to pieces and elect a new one – just like I did before." He snorted coldly. "Humph...in this game, that 'clown' has gained an absolute advantage. He is very powerful...and not only in skill, but his strategy and courage surprise me even more. However..." He immediately changed the subject. "...no matter how strong the advantage, until it becomes a tangible victory, there remains the possibility of a reversal."

At this point, the old and cunning King of Gotham had already come up with a countermeasure.

"Gordon..." the_Bruce said, "I've thought of a plan..." He looked at the other man. "But I need your help."

Gordon's expression changed slightly, and after a moment of deliberation, he replied, "I will do my best to serve, master."

"You will replace me," the_Bruce said.

"What!" Gordon's first reaction was—this is a trap. "No...how dare I..."

"Of course, I don't mean for you to really replace me," the_Bruce immediately continued. "I want you to pretend to revolt, declare that you're overthrowing me, and I...will cooperate with you in a play..." He explained, "Anyway, those rioters don't know what I really look like (according to the original comics, the_Bruce's face has long been fused with the Bat mask, and he can't take it off at all). In a moment, we'll just find a scapegoat, put the Bat mask on him, and throw him out."

As Gordon listened to the other man's words, he was calculating in his mind...In fact, he had already entertained the thought of defecting. If possible, he didn't want to act; he wanted to throw the real the_Bruce down and replace him as the god of Gotham.

But...he still lacked that kind of courage, because he was not "Gordon." The real Commissioner Gordon had died more than half a century ago. This Gordon, who served as the_Bruce's top henchman, was actually a Robin...

He was the first Robin to follow Bruce. When he was thirty years old, he underwent Dr. Clipper's "cosmetic surgery," transformed into the legendary "Commissioner Gordon," and smoothly became the prophet of the Bat-God and the nominal chief executive of Gotham City.

"Okay...I'll do as you say..." After making up his mind, Gordon turned to the two soldiers ten meters away and said loudly, "You two, immediately prepare a corpse with a build similar to the Bat-God and dress him in a Bat-suit."

The two men looked at each other, hesitated for two seconds, and then replied in unison, "Yes! Sir."

After they left, Gordon walked to the edge of the high platform, turned on his headset, and began the last speech of his life: "My children! You have been deceived!" he roared. "I have been deceived too! the_Bruce is a hypocritical god, this is a hypocritical game, a hypocritical game!" He emphasized his tone as he shouted. "the_Bruce has gone mad, but you don't have to worry, I have taken control of the situation!" He spread his arms. "Children of the Bat, follow me! Support me! I have taken over Bat Castle! Defeated the_Bruce!" He waved his arm. "Now...let me deliver the blood of that false god to you...Ah!"

His words stopped abruptly there, because the_Bruce had grabbed his waist from behind, lifting his entire body horizontally.

In that instant, Gordon understood...there was no "plan" at all, only a trap, a trap he had failed to see through.

"Gordon is the hypocrite, a failed servant, a liar." the_Bruce was worthy of being a great hero of his time. His strategy was truly vicious. "You see...he is the one who's mad. He has coveted my position for many years, and has been faking things in the rituals, deceiving me. And now, he's talking nonsense...saying he's replacing me."

"No! No! It was...it was him who made me..." Gordon tried to explain, but Bruce's arm secretly exerted force at this time, crushing a section of Gordon's spine, causing him to scream in pain.

"Look at this complete madman, his mouth is full of lies and roars," the_Bruce continued. "I...your Bat-God, will now hand him over to you...to be judged."

Before the sound of his voice faded, he threw the man who had served him for many years, Gotham's number two figure...off the high platform.