Chapter 191: Gargoyle
The cage weighing over twenty tons lifted with Batman's single-handed grip. The massive weight drove his feet deep into the floor, concrete buckling until it nearly reached his knees.
CRASH!
Batman hurled the metal cage one-handed onto adjacent open ground, exposing the thick steel plate beneath.
Even as the large-headed old man's body shifted to reddish-brown inside the cage, Batman completely ignored him. Without hesitation, he strode toward the steel plate, bending to pry it open and access the underground passage.
The facility's entire surface level had been completely compromised by Batman's electronic warfare virus. The cage's electronic locks were similarly disabled.
Just lift the steel plate, enter the facility, locate Norman Osborn, extract him—and Batman's New Mexico mission would be half complete.
Everything proceeded smoothly. Once again, most of his prepared contingencies would go unused.
Simultaneously, among the soldiers Batman had rendered unconscious with anesthetic smoke grenades, an enormous figure silently rose to its feet.
Though not as massive as Professor Connors's lizard form, the creature was far more heavily built than the Hulk. Its body was covered in thick keratinous scales forming heavy armor plating at the joints with protruding bone spurs. Its ears had mutated into shark-like structures.
His name was Emil Blonsky. Former KGB operative. Embedded deep within General Ross's command structure.
On the night Ross had seized Oscorp Tower with military force, Blonsky had stood alongside the General on the rooftop. Batman had knocked him unconscious first—but the Hulk's roar had jolted him awake moments later. He'd witnessed a scene that would haunt him forever.
Connors transformed into the Lizard. Banner became the Hulk.
Between those two monsters, Batman's comparatively tiny form had erupted with tremendous strength, continuously engaging both creatures simultaneously.
That moment, Blonsky discovered his life's purpose. He craved power. Yearned for the strength to casually punch through foot-thick concrete like Professor Connors or the Hulk possessed.
But such power seemed unattainable—especially after General Ross's imprisonment had seemingly destroyed all hope.
When Ross dragged his Batman-shattered legs to reassemble his subordinates, relocating covertly to New Mexico's gamma bomb research facility and bringing Norman Osborn along, Blonsky knew his opportunity had arrived.
He'd chosen to confess his espionage background to General Ross, trading that honesty for undisputed access to gamma experimentation.
The underground entrance sat directly beneath the steel plate. Ostensibly, the large-headed old man Yuri Topolov served as primary guardian. But in reality, Blonsky—
No. His transformed self possessed a new designation: "Abomination." He was the true defensive measure preventing intruders from reaching the underground levels.
Abomination's transformation sounds had been masked by Batman lifting and slamming the iron cage. Now he positioned himself on all fours behind Batman, slowly raising one massive fist and pulling back, coiling with power.
The instant Batman's hands gripped the heavy steel plate to lift it—
WHOOSH!
A fist nearly half the size of an adult's torso compressed the air, hurtling toward Batman. The tremendous force generated hurricane winds throughout the facility.
Within that maelstrom, the fist closed on Batman's back. The thick keratinous scales covering the knuckles would shatter Batman's spine on contact.
Just as Abomination believed his strike would connect, Batman—who should have committed all strength to lifting the steel plate—rolled forward without warning, evading the blow completely.
"Huh? When did you detect me?" Abomination's scale-covered face showed confusion as he watched Batman rise from the roll to face him directly.
"The moment I arrived here." Batman's expression revealed zero surprise at Abomination's appearance.
Though Peter Parker's body provided tremendously useful superhuman strength, that didn't mean Batman would abandon his tactical mind.
When Batman had used spider-robots to confirm personnel distribution, then visually calculated the smoke grenades' maximum coverage area, he'd already memorized every soldier's face.
General Ross wasn't present. Of the fifty soldiers who'd accompanied Ross on Oscorp Tower's rooftop, forty-nine were similarly absent.
But Emil Blonsky was the exception. Batman had seen him on that rooftop.
Now Blonsky was the only former Ross subordinate mixed among the soldiers guarding the large-headed old man. His expression showed no tension whatsoever—quite the opposite. Complete relaxation.
Therefore, from the operation's opening move, Batman had maintained heightened mental alertness, actively extending his trained spider-sense.
He'd suspected Blonsky was compromised.
"The peaceful old man in the obvious cage" made too conspicuous a target. Anyone would focus primary attention there. But not Batman.
Even if this large-headed old man's body had shifted to reddish-brown, remaining completely unaffected by the smoke grenades, even if the cage truly sat above the underground passage entrance—
Everything indicated the old man existed to protect the passage. Eliminate him and proceed without complications.
Batman refused that easy assumption. He habitually overestimated opponents, preparing comprehensive responses to various scenarios.
Most contingency plans Batman had prepared since arriving in this world had gone unused.
Here at the gamma bomb research facility, Batman similarly chose to overestimate his enemies.
Before approaching this location, Batman had even hypothesized the entire facility might contain Hulk-level threats.
Therefore, every single Hydra soldier—regardless of how ordinary they appeared—received Batman's complete vigilance.
This was partially why Batman could dominate the facility yet still moved with extreme caution, neutralizing Hydra soldiers systematically. Why he'd avoided traditional interrogation, instead having Venom bond with subjects to extract intelligence directly.
Events proved Batman's caution justified. Blonsky was definitely compromised. This facility was definitely conducting gamma radiation human experimentation.
And the large-headed old man was exactly the trap Batman suspected—his presence designed primarily to absorb Batman's attention. Blonsky was the actual threat.
As Batman and Abomination faced off, the metal cage Batman had discarded suddenly buckled at the top bars. The large-headed old man brushed dust from his body, smiling as he regarded Batman:
"It seems I've been overlooked?"
Batman glanced at him without responding.
Abomination similarly turned his head toward the large-headed man, lips peeling back to reveal rows of razor teeth:
"Gargoyle. Get lost."
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Aboard the Helicarrier, SHIELD Director Nick Fury occupied an absolutely soundproofed dark chamber, conducting a classified meeting with the World Security Council Chairman and committee members.
"Based on Director Fury's assessment report, we confirm the New Mexico facility is simultaneously conducting gamma bomb research and Oscorp-related human experimentation."
"If Director Fury's intelligence from this 'Batman' proves reliable, Hydra is also present."
"I endorse the nuclear strike protocol. Regarding launch timing and coordinates, I will issue statements to all nations characterizing this as a training exercise."
The World Security Council members' projections loomed overhead, features obscured. Only the speaker's slicked blond hair remained identifiable.
Nick Fury nodded slightly, voice low: "I will personally supervise the launch sequence."
As Fury prepared to depart, a deep, commanding voice stopped him:
"Wait."
Fury turned, single eye focusing on the speaker—a figure with a thin, elongated face.
"Senator Stern, do you have concerns?" Fury asked.
Senator Stern's voice remained deep and authoritative:
"I understand and support our position requiring decisive threat elimination. But nuclear weapons aren't the only solution. Today we solve this problem with one warhead. What about next time? Another warhead? What if the next incident occurs in a densely populated metropolis—New York, for instance?"
"My recommendation: deploy a tactical team."
"Phase one: establish a containment perimeter, ensure the threat doesn't spread. Phase two: infiltrate the facility, assess and recover all core technology and data. Phase three: after confirming valuable assets are safely transferred, then discuss whether physical elimination is necessary."
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