Chapter 314: Infrasound
Peter Parker's body possessed tremendous developmental potential. Batman had confirmed this within three days of arriving in this world.
Reflected in the Batmobile, this meant the massive vehicle functioned less as Batman's transport and more as weaponry he could deploy when necessary.
Batman hadn't even installed an embedded motorcycle inside like previous designs. Instead, he'd added multiple thick metal armor plates.
When the Batmobile split in two, raised vertically left and right in Batman's grip—he resembled a bat with massive forelimbs.
THUD!
Hulk stepped forward. He locked eyes on Batman but didn't immediately attack, just breathing roughly through his nose.
"Hulk angry." Hulk rumbled. "Hulk want fight!"
"Hulk, you're a nuclear weapon. You can't strike wherever you want. Someone needs to help you decide—even help you think."
Batman gripped both split Batmobile sections, adopting a defensive rather than offensive stance while addressing Hulk.
If he could avoid this fight, Batman would try. The dinosaurs weren't fully handled yet. Now wasn't the time for Hulk causing more conflict.
"Hulk have own ideas!" Hulk roared at Batman.
Batman's heart stirred. One hand secretly released the Batmobile section, reaching toward his utility belt while speaking to follow Hulk's thread.
"Your idea is fighting me, defeating me easily? Or having a truly satisfying battle with someone like the Lizard Professor?"
"Of course big lizard!" Hulk grinned widely. "Where is he?"
Seeing Hulk had indeed engaged with the topic, Batman relaxed halfway. He slowly extended his hand toward Hulk, then WHOOSH—a chocolate bar appeared at his fingertips.
Hulk snorted through his nose, clenching his fist while walking toward Batman. Batman maintained his forward-extended chocolate position, unmoving.
Until their distance dropped below six feet, Hulk loomed overhead looking down at Batman, still wearing an angry expression.
Except at a certain moment, cunning flashed across Hulk's face. He rapidly reached out, snatched the chocolate, and tossed it in his mouth.
WHAM!
Almost the instant Hulk's massive jaws opened to swallow the chocolate like a bean, a black shadow dropped from above at extreme speed, smashing heavily into the ground beside Batman and Hulk.
Batman and Hulk's gazes immediately locked onto where the shadow fell. Neither retreated even half a step at this sudden development.
Batman knew the arrival was Venom Robin. Hulk's absolute confidence came from overwhelming strength.
The ground showed a shallow crater less than three feet across. Inside, Venom Robin looked up at Hulk and Batman, pointing at both while stuttering:
"You, you—"
Hulk rapidly swallowed the chocolate. Batman remained expressionless as if nothing had happened.
Venom Robin kept "you-ing" for ages. Facing Hulk whose pure strength completely crushed him, and Batman whose absolute power couldn't suppress him but whom he still couldn't defeat—Robin couldn't manage a single sentence.
"Give me!" Finally Venom Robin just extended one hand toward Batman.
"Robin, take Hulk back to North Brother Island. From here toward the Adirondack Mountains..." Batman handed Robin a chocolate bar while lowering his voice.
"Dinosaurs aren't completely handled yet." Venom Robin chewed chocolate, glaring at Hulk.
"The remaining dinosaurs don't need you and Hulk. Do as I say." As Batman spoke, he lifted Venom Robin and tossed him onto Hulk's shoulder. "Go now!"
His words finished, seeing Hulk had zero intention of following orders, Batman quickly added:
"Once current matters are resolved, I'll arrange for the Lizard Professor to fight you."
Only then did Hulk grin and bare his teeth. His knees bent slightly, creating a massive crater while launching skyward with a thunderous BOOM at an angle.
Several bounds later, Hulk and Venom Robin vanished from Batman's sight.
Almost the instant Hulk disappeared into the distance, a CRASH echoed from high up the Empire State Building. A knight in black armor riding an equally pitch-black winged horse tumbled out wrestling with a dinosaur that had leaped onto the horse's back.
Batman glanced upward at the knight, then lowered his voice again addressing Tony Stark—whom he'd earlier flung away with webbing.
"Tony, you alright?"
"If you'd arrived any later I wouldn't be. But now?" Tony's voice came through the communications channel. "Feeling great."
"This knight's background?" Batman asked. "Eleven minutes ago he flew to Manhattan from the Hudson River direction. Nine minutes ago he encountered you over Hell's Kitchen. Three minutes ago he entered the Empire State Building."
Batman's voice dropped extremely low, lips barely moving.
"During those six minutes between nine and three, he spent nearly all his time hunting dinosaurs within NYPD armed helicopter observation range."
"What are you suspecting, Batman?" Tony's voice came through encrypted comms. "You allow Peter to transform into Batman, but won't allow others stepping forward when New York faces crisis?"
"Did you suddenly experience discomfort—nausea, dizziness?" Batman asked.
Tony's voice paused.
"Yes. To reach the full-wave projector immediately, I injected myself with adrenaline. What I experienced were just side effects after time effectiveness wore off."
"You were affected by infrasound waves, Tony." Batman said.
"What do you mean?" Tony asked.
Batman didn't speak. He suddenly tilted his head.
"Batman? Hey!"
Tony kept calling. Batman had already leaped upward, using webbing at extreme speed to swing toward Baxter Building.
Earlier while confronting Hulk, Batman had subconsciously filtered distant sounds to concentrate.
But now Batman realized something was wrong with those sounds.
He'd heard Wilson Fisk's voice. Kingpin.
---
Several breaths after Batman swung away, atop the Empire State Building, Black Knight Nathan Garrett rode his winged horse looking down.
"Pity. They didn't actually fight?" Nathan Garrett sighed.
His plan involved hunting dinosaurs publicly before NYPD's eyes, rescuing civilians to earn trust.
Currently the first step was halfway complete. He'd deliberately kept all actions within the armed helicopters' observation range.
Compared to Batman's secretive methods, Garrett believed his completely opposite approach would earn NYPD trust.
If necessary, Garrett would even remove his faceplate and respond to NYPD questions as SHIELD Agent Garrett.
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