Chapter 89: Chapter 89 George Proposal

"Batman!"

George was both surprised and delighted. "I knew it—you wouldn't let The Foot Clan run amok!"

"Batman!"

Pinned under Anton foot, Shredder let out an enraged roar. His arms bristled with blades, shooting out like a porcupine spines as he twisted to strike at Anton.

Whoosh!

Anton grabbed George and dodged backward, retreating to the entrance of the Sykes Corporation building.

Outside.

A small crowd of onlookers, unafraid of danger, went wild at the sight of Batman, screaming like fanatical superfans.

Of course, they weren't oblivious to the risks—they kept their distance.

"Batman!"

"Go, Batman! Take down those thugs!"

The deafening cheers around them made George feel a mix of awe and helplessness.

It was clear that Batman popularity in New York had reached an extraordinary level.

Even when the NYPD Task Force was in action, no one cheered for them—not even a single "good luck." All they got were onlookers ready to enjoy the spectacle.

But now, it was like being at a Batman concert, with the crowd cheering him on with relentless enthusiasm.

Returning his thoughts to the present, George looked at Shredder in his gleaming silver samurai armor. His expression turned serious.

"Batman, you'll leave him to the NYPD this time, right?"

George wasn't worried about Batman taking action—he was worried about Batman defeating Shredder and then whisking him away.

If Shredder were taken again, it would be difficult to explain to his superiors.

But what came next caught George completely off guard.

"That not a question you should ask me," Anton said. "He not my opponent. Today, I'm just an observer."

"What?"

George was dumbfounded, unable to make sense of Batman words.

Shredder opponent isn't you?

You want to be an observer?

Have you seen your fans behind you? Would they let you just watch?

A flurry of questions raced through George mind, only to be interrupted by a stunning sight.

Suddenly, several humanoid turtles burst through the lobby wall, stepping onto the first floor and standing in front of George.

"This!"

George turned to Batman in shock. "Who are they? And why are they here?"

"They're Shredder opponents," Anton replied calmly.

"Turtles?"

Shredder hesitated for a moment, then glared at Batman, clearly unimpressed by the turtles before him.

"You'd pit them against me? Batman, is this how little you think of me?"

Shredder growled, his pride as a warrior deeply offended by the apparent slight.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

With a flick of his arms, his blades sprang back up.

Then, with a swift motion, he launched them. The blades shot out like a torrential rain, forming a dense barrage aimed straight at Anton and George.

The whistling sound of blades slicing through the air grew louder.

George expression shifted slightly.

Beside him, Batman remained still, calm and unshaken.

"Relax, George," Anton said, even taking the time to reassure him. "The turtles will help the Task Force take care of The Foot Clan."

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The turtles stepped forward, weapons at the ready, intercepting the barrage of blades.

The clash of metal echoed through the air.

The four turtles swarmed Shredder, skillfully engaging him in combat.

"What are they exactly?"

George swallowed hard as he watched the turtles' agile movements and their astonishing appearance. Memories of the recent Lizard incident surfaced in his mind.

"Batman, are you sure… they're really not working with the Lizard?"

"Of course not. They're creations of The Foot Clan."

Anton didn't hide the truth from George and explained, "This is revenge—these turtles are here to settle the score with The Foot Clan."

Though Batman explanation clarified some things, George still found himself puzzled.

At the very least, he understood that these turtle-men were on his side and not supervillains.

"You're really not going to help them?"

After another moment of silence, George couldn't help but ask.

The battle between the four turtles and Shredder was fierce, so much so that the incapacitated Task Force members gradually withdrew, leaving the battlefield to the two sides.

They didn't dare open fire for fear of hitting the wrong target.

Both Shredder and the turtles moved with incredible speed, constantly shifting positions. Without top-tier marksmanship, it was nearly impossible to provide meaningful assistance.

Besides, Shredder silver samurai armor was bulletproof.

And as for the turtles, from their previous encounter during the Green Goblin incident—when they broke through the Task Force defenses unscathed—it was evident that their shells were no less durable than Shredder armor.

The turtles clearly didn't need outside help.

Moreover, even if the turtles lost, wasn't Batman standing right there?

From everyone perspective, Batman seemed to have shown up mainly to train his subordinates.

And it was obvious that these turtles were Batman subordinates.

Just like Spider-Man, who had appeared during the Green Goblin incident and followed Batman orders to the letter.

It was clear—among the animal-themed superheroes, the "bat" was in charge.

Probably because the "bat" packed the hardest punch.

"No one looks down on me!"

After struggling against the turtles for a long time without making progress, Shredder let out an enraged roar.

His thoughts mirrored those of the Task Force members.

To him, the turtles were just Batman underlings.

Batman presence here, combined with his refusal to directly engage, made it obvious: Batman was using Shredder as a training dummy.

This was an insult.

For the proud ninja master Shredder, this outcome was utterly unacceptable.

What Shredder didn't know was that the turtles were, in fact, the product of an experiment conducted by his subordinate and adoptive son, Eric Sykes, over a decade ago.

Shredder was only aware of the toxin plan he had no knowledge of the experiment details.

Even if he knew about the turtles' vendetta against The Foot Clan, it wouldn't have lessened his fury.

Because Batman actions now aligned perfectly with his suspicions: Batman looked down on him.

"You'll pay for this!"

Blinded by rage, Shredder gritted his teeth and launched a frenzied assault on the turtles.

He slammed Leonardo, wielding his katana, to the ground and punched Michelangelo, who was spinning his nunchaku, into submission. Then he turned his sights on Donatello and Raphael, who stood blocking his path.

"Our fight isn't over. You're not getting past us!" Raphael declared firmly.

"Exactly," Donatello added in a deep voice. "If you want to face Batman, you'll have to get through us first."

"Your opponent is us!"

Behind Shredder, Leonardo and Michelangelo struggled to their feet once more—one gripping his katana and the other spinning his nunchaku.

Their expressions were unified in their determination.

Not far away, Anton smiled at the sight.

George, witnessing this, was inexplicably moved.

Coming back to his senses, he suddenly had an idea. Tentatively, he asked, "Batman, these turtles… they're new superheroes, right?"

"What are you trying to say?"

Anton, still focused on the battle, glanced at George from the corner of his eye, sensing the man anticipation but not understanding his intent.

"Well, since you're training them, have you ever considered letting them join the NYPD Task Force?"

Rubbing his hands together with a sly grin, George added earnestly, "The Task Force is in desperate need of talented reinforcements! Uh… and turtle-men could certainly be considered a type of talent. I'd be more than happy to have them on board!"