Drip, drip.
Blood gathered into thin rivulets, flowing down the heavy armor of Batman, picking up more along the way before finally dripping to the ground.
Even for a body as perfectly conditioned as Peter Parker's, Batman was now breathing in great heaving gasps, rapidly regulating his physical state to prepare for whatever crisis came next.
One hundred and fourteen gamma mutants. The fight between Batman and these creatures had lasted a full forty minutes—at a pace of roughly three takedowns per minute.
Though none of the monsters individually matched the Hulk's power, with the exception of the six that were either headless or just heads and completely incapable of fighting, every single one of the rest could have torn a full-throttle Iron Monger suit into scrap metal in seconds.
"Tired?"
For the entire forty minutes, the Leader had done almost nothing except put on his headband in the first few minutes and scribble something by hand. The rest of the time he simply lounged in his reclining chair, enjoying Batman's performance like it was a private show.
Because both layers of his battlesuit had sacrificed almost all electronic systems—including power assist—to cope with extreme combat, Batman had no way of knowing what stage Norman Osborn was currently in.
To avoid damaging the glass pod containing Norman, Batman had carefully controlled the trajectory of every gamma monster he sent flying, never once letting a corpse crash toward the Leader or General Ross's position.
As a result, most of the underground plaza was a smeared mess of blood and flesh, while the area around the Leader and General Ross remained relatively clean.
Now, watching Batman gasp for air, the Leader gave a satisfied smile and tapped the headband device on his skull with one finger.
"I'm very pleased with your performance. You'll make an excellent second human experimental subject—after Norman Osborn, of course."
"What did you do to Norman?" Even though he already had suspicions, Batman's voice still grew colder by degrees.
"You care about him that much?" The Leader countered instead of answering. "From what I know, you've appeared at Oscorp Tower twice, Hell's Kitchen three times, Queens five times, an abandoned shipyard in Manhattan once, and Metropolis General Hospital once…"
He rattled off nearly every location where Batman had operated in New York, then continued:
"Doctor Octopus, Kingpin, Green Goblin, Shocker, Scorpion, Vulture… and that black unknown creature."
Batman stood motionless, ears listening to the Leader's words while his eyes stayed fixed on Norman Osborn's glass pod.
It looked as though Batman was completely ignoring the Leader, but in reality every nerve was pulled taut; he never let his guard drop for an instant.
He was wary of that headband device on the Leader's skull.
"I first learned of your existence from General Ross. After you ruined his operation at Oscorp Tower, I began analyzing your behavioral patterns, Batman."
The Leader spoke as casually as if they were chatting over coffee. He even crossed his legs, one arm draped over the armrest while the other propped up his oversized head with a clenched fist.
"You've always operated within New York. This is the only time you've ever left the city—for Norman Osborn."
"Let's keep analyzing. Aside from the big-name villains, you've delivered more than three hundred ordinary criminals to various precincts… Oh, right—there's a woman called Black Cat. After you put Kingpin behind bars, she immediately took control of his remaining forces and then sent herself to the precinct as well."
"You know her, don't you? And you also know Silver Sable—the president of the security company who testified for you in court. Though now it's a rescue company."
"Speaking of rescue companies, I looked into the source of the equipment supplied to Silver Sable… Parker Industries."
"Through oxidative Harry Osborn, the person behind you selected that broke college student Peter Parker to open a factory on the surface as a cover."
"Also, I gave a large sum of money to a man named Shocker. He told me a name—Bruce." (Chapter 94)
The corners of the Leader's mouth slowly curled upward, his eyes narrowing as if trying to peer through Batman's thick armor plating to see the face beneath.
"Let's continue the analysis. Someone with Parker Industries backing him, who cares this deeply about the Osborn family's gamma experiments, who chased them all the way here, who relentlessly crushes criminals, who possesses superhuman strength and an extraordinary mind and technology…"
"Who else could it be but you, Bruce Banner?"
Batman's expression did not change.
The Leader continued:
"From what I know, during S.H.I.E.L.D.'s operation in Dharavi, not a single eyewitness on site saw or heard the Hulk."
"Being attacked and arrested without any reaction can only mean that wasn't the real Banner."
"The real Bruce Banner fused Hulk and Banner into one long ago. To hide his identity, he put on a suit of armor and has been carrying out S.H.I.E.L.D. missions in New York ever since."
"Did I analyze that correctly, Dr. Banner?"
Oscorp Tower, 20th floor—Professor Warren's laboratory.
Bzzz!
Electric current coursed through the wires into Professor Morbius, who was seated in an insulated chair.
Beside him, Professor Miles Warren and Harry Osborn watched Morbius nervously, their eyelids twitching with every pulse of electricity.
Even though he wasn't the one enduring the pain, Miles Warren still felt his heart leap into his throat.
Fortunately the current remained within safe limits—aside from numbness and brief convulsions, it wouldn't kill him.
After one round of electroshock treatment, Professor Morbius hurriedly rushed back to the electron microscope to examine his blood sample, only to return to the chair moments later with the same disappointed expression he'd worn the previous times.
"Morbius, stop. You can't keep using yourself as a lab rat. You're not a mindless animal—we need to try a different approach…" Professor Warren said with worry.
"Lab rat? Animal?" Morbius's eyes suddenly lit up at those words. "The human body is already a product of fusion between different species. Different viruses infiltrate human nucleic acids with their own…"
Harry Osborn had no idea what the two scientists were talking about, but he could tell Morbius might have found a new direction for treatment.
"Professor, do you have an idea?"
Morbius nodded at Harry, then turned to Professor Warren.
"Warren, there exists a mammal on this planet that feeds exclusively on blood—a type of bat…"
"They're called vampire bats. There are three species," Warren replied.
"Exactly." The melancholy air around Professor Morbius vanished in an instant; he had discovered an entirely new approach to treating his blood disease. "To drink blood, those bats produce saliva containing a unique anticoagulant."
"If we implant vampire bat genes into your body, your system could produce the same anticoagulant…" Professor Warren murmured, completing the thought.
Morbius's gaze shifted to the laboratory's glass jars lined wall-to-wall, each containing preserved biological specimens.
"Warren, you have samples of those bats here, don't you?"
Professor Warren nodded.
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