บท 75: C 75
"Batman, the green figure just now—do you know who it is?"
Seeing Batman deep in thought, George Stacy, ever the detective, couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know. I'll leave it to you now!"
Anton shook his head, glanced at the NYPD officers, then rushed into the shadows and disappeared in a flash.
Later that night.
A high-end apartment somewhere in Manhattan.
The violently shaking bed finally calmed down after a long while. The woman beside Eddie was fast asleep, her breathing even and serene.
Meanwhile, Eddie felt utterly drained, his body hollowed out from exhaustion. Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, a voice exploded in his head.
"Don't sleep!"
Eddie groaned, annoyed. "Venom! What now? Let me rest!"
"Anton is outside!"
"What?"
Eddie's eyes snapped open in alarm. He scrambled out of bed, quickly got dressed, and opened the door.
Sure enough, Anton was standing there, smiling faintly.
"Man, you know I'm not into guys, right?" Eddie said with a weird look. "You show up at my door this late, and it's giving me ideas."
Anton wasn't in the mood to joke. "You mentioned at the bar that the Foot Clan robbed Oscorp's chemicals from the Brooklyn Pier earlier..."
His expression turned serious. "Do you know why the Foot Clan was after that shipment? What experiments was Oscorp planning with those chemicals?"
"Uh, I don't know," Eddie admitted. He noticed something off about Anton and hesitated. "Wait—what's going on? You don't look right."
"Took a bit of a hit," Anton replied, waving it off. "Ran into a tough guy at the pier. Eddie, I'm telling you, New York won't be peaceful for a while."
"That bad?" Eddie asked, startled.
He had known Anton for a few months now and had never seen him this grim.
"What happened? Who could hurt you?"
"An old guy who likes skateboards and wears green armor has started causing trouble," Anton explained. His tone was serious as he glanced into Eddie's room and realized his timing wasn't ideal.
"Since you don't know much about Oscorp, make sure to bring April to the Daily Bugle tomorrow. I need to ask her something."
"Got it," Eddie replied with a nod, watching Anton leave.
As he stood in the doorway, Eddie frowned. Something about Anton's demeanor unsettled him. In the past, when dealing with the Life Foundation or Kingpin, Anton had always been confident, almost cocky.
But tonight, at the dock, something had shaken him.
Still confused, Eddie turned back to his bed. For now, no matter how serious things might be, nothing was more important than a good night's sleep for a man thoroughly spent.
…
After returning home, Anton removed his shirt, revealing a large, conspicuous bruise on his right chest.
"Damn it, that hurts like hell!"
He winced, every slight movement pulling painfully at his chest muscles. He could already tell it was going to be a sleepless night.
Grimacing, Anton applied some medicine to the bruise, put on his pajamas, and began replaying the encounter with the Green Goblin at the docks in his mind.
"Of all times for that lunatic to show up..."
Just thinking about the fight made his chest ache even more.
Flying knives. Flying skateboard. Pumpkin bombs.
The Green Goblin's standard three-piece arsenal.
Though they seemed straightforward, each of them represented cutting-edge technology, especially the pumpkin bombs—compact, easy to carry, and devastatingly powerful.
Anton shuddered at the thought. 'If the Goblin had dropped a few more of those bombs before leaving, there's no way I'd have been able to help the cops without getting obliterated myself.'
To be honest, with the emergence of Iron Man marking a new technological era, more and more advanced tech was starting to appear, and it was becoming increasingly out of step with this timeline.
Oscorp and Stark Industries were both tech giants with different focuses, yet their advancements were on par with each other. Compared to Oscorp, Anton's current rabbit armor was beginning to feel outdated in the rapidly evolving world.
And soon, Tony Stark would debut the Mark 3 and Mark 4 suits…
Anton frowned, reluctant to admit it but unable to deny the truth: the maneuverability and combat capabilities of the Iron Man armor far outclassed his rabbit armor.
Moreover, once Tony became Iron Man, his wealth and genius would combine in ways that made his progress exponential—one plus one becoming far greater than two. His ability to develop new suits would outpace Anton's ability to exchange for heroes or upgrade his own armor.
Anton sighed, opening the system space and glancing at his justice value balance: 13 million.
Then he looked at the list of special Batman armor upgrades available in the system. He hesitated, gritting his teeth. He had just enough to purchase a high-grade armor set.
"It's definitely better than this rabbit armor I've been using," he muttered.
The truth was, he couldn't afford to stay behind in this rapidly advancing world.
It wasn't so bad now since the Goblin's appearance was an anomaly. But the issue was that his cyborg project wouldn't be ready for another week. And gathering the 20 million fan value required to finalize it would take even longer.
During that time, Anton couldn't guarantee the Green Goblin or the Foot Clan wouldn't strike again.
If something serious were to happen, and Anton had to fight as Batman with only the rabbit armor, it would be almost impossible to turn the tide. Without the ability to play a decisive role, Batman's appearance would be meaningless.
Moreover, based on the timeline of future events, the world was set to face even greater crises—like the Hulk incident shortly after Iron Man's debut.
The Hulk versus the Abomination. That would be a battle between true monsters.
Whether in the present or the future, if Batman needed to step in—not just as a symbol but as a game-changer—he needed power.
And power came from strength.
A hard enough fist ensured that people would listen.
Even if they didn't want to, a fist with enough force could make them listen.
"Arkham Knight armor, 10 million justice value," Anton murmured, studying the system panel.
This was the most expensive armor he could afford at the moment, leaving him with only 3 million justice value afterward.
He hesitated, his heart pounding slightly.
Of course, what drew him in wasn't just the price—or even the stats of the armor—but the sheer appearance of it.
It looked incredible.
It was leagues better than the bunny-eared rabbit armor.
"I'm buying it," Anton said through gritted teeth, confirming the purchase.
A moment later, a new set of armor materialized on his body, the cloak billowing behind him.
The Arkham Knight armor featured a sleek design dominated by black and gray tones. The most striking detail was the golden utility belt wrapped around his waist.
The suit was constructed with a triple-layered woven armor, complemented by an inner layer of titanium-reinforced liquid protection.
The liquid armor, developed using Wayne Technology's MR fluid system, reacted dynamically to impacts. Upon receiving a blow, the fluid hardened to absorb the force while simultaneously redirecting it to enhance counterattacks.
This added shock absorption and defense, creating more opportunities to neutralize enemies effectively.
For mobility—Anton's most immediate need—the liquid armor improved the flexibility of ceramic and fiber components, allowing for better maneuverability and precision.
The Arkham Knight armor could even integrate with the Batmobile, being fully compatible with its electromagnetic ejection system. This meant Batman could launch himself from the Batmobile like a bullet fired from a railgun.
It also featured armored airbags for crash protection and an enhanced grappling gun system built into the arms, enabling advanced aerial combat.
Anton stood in front of a mirror, striking a few dramatic poses.
A smile crept across his face as he admired the sleek, imposing look of the Arkham Knight armor.
All thoughts of the expense faded in an instant.
It was worth every bit of justice value.
….
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