Chương 57: Killer Croc
Both ladies were agile heroes, and with their long legs, they moved swiftly. They didn't need to outrun the Flash, just faster than the restaurant's customers. The two women took off like they were late for a Black Friday sale.
After running out of the restaurant and finding a spot with a clear view, they joined the crowd of onlookers.
As the hostess, Selina felt obligated to find out what had happened. Plus, she was curious herself. Under Thea's watchful gaze, she approached one of the gang members who had entered the kitchen earlier, engaged him in a brief scuffle in a corner, and returned to Thea's side.
"It's Killer Croc. Seems like he came out of the sewers and killed two people on the scene. I didn't expect him to be released as well."
Thea didn't bother asking who he was; she knew Batman's team had dealt with him before. That made things easier. Having a strategy was crucial; many villains were formidable at first but eventually became overshadowed by new adversaries. The key here was that the heroes had a strategy!
The same tactics wouldn't work the second time against the Saints. Similarly, many villains had mutant abilities, making them formidable initially, but easy to handle later with proper knowledge.
'Superpowers are temporary; technology is forever!' Thea became more convinced of her technological enhancement route. It wasn't like she had a choice; the situation forced her hand. If she had Kryptonian blood, she'd be lounging on a beach instead of training tirelessly. It was a matter of necessity. Who would train in martial arts to the point of exhaustion if there were a choice?
Just as she was about to ask Selina to explain the strategy, they heard a loud crash not far from the Japanese restaurant. The load-bearing wall outside the restaurant collapsed, causing the entire structure to collapse slowly, leaving nothing but rubble in the sight of the onlookers.
"Too bad, this place served really good fish," Selina murmured. Thea could only admire the strong psychological resilience of the Gothamites.
"Let's go," Selina said, pulling Thea along. But wait, shouldn't they stay and help? What about their role as the city's guardians of justice? It didn't seem right to just walk away. After all, they had eaten a lot and hadn't paid yet. Couldn't they at least help a little? Didn't they see the restaurant owner crying in the restroom?
Selina seemed to understand Thea's doubt and patiently explained, "Based on Killer Croc's past behavior, he doesn't come onto land when the crowd is dense. He often lurks in places with water, like sewers. Let's go back, change clothes, and get our gear. He won't go too far from here; there's a small artificial lake nearby where he's likely to go."
Hearing about the impending water battle, Thea scratched her head. If they had to go underwater, her equipment would be useless. She hadn't tested anything underwater, nor had she heard of that hero shooting arrows underwater. Moreover, she is very resistant to getting wet. If they all had to go underwater, she could only provide moral support!
As the two hurried back, Thea's phone rang.
It was Felicity's voice on the phone. "Thea, Thea, are you still at the scene? Listen to me, that so-called Killer Croc is in a small artificial lake not far from you. They really suck at naming things," she muttered under her breath. "Robin has already rushed over, and Barbara is a bit worried. Can you go help him out?"
Thea had a degree of respect for the reserved Robin, after all, he was Batman's protégé. If Batman had a daughter, he would definitely marry her off to Robin. Although Felicity didn't say the situation was serious, she assumed there was some danger.
"No time to grab our gear, shall we just go like this?" Thea hung up the phone and turned to Selina for her opinion. Selina was more concerned about her teammate. Even if it was Barbara, whom she didn't get along with, she wouldn't hesitate to help her, let alone Robin. She took the lead, and the two of them ran towards the artificial lake.
As they went further, the surroundings became more secluded, with fewer signs of human activity.
When they passed a sandy area, Thea finally saw the so-called artificial lake. It seemed to be part of a large amusement park, but it had long been abandoned and was in ruins. The broken carousel and the incomplete Ferris wheel added a touch of eeriness to this place that once brought laughter and joy.
The artificial lake was located in the northwestern corner of the amusement park, and as the two women ran closer, they discovered that Robin was already engaged in combat with the Killer Croc, wielding Escrima Sticks.
"He's really ugly," was Thea's first impression. All she could tell from his appearance was that he was a humanoid creature walking upright, with no clothes on the upper body, covered in dense, dark gray scales, with an unusually large head and a mouth full of sharp teeth.
Killer Croc stood over two meters tall, and judging by his thick arms and legs, he probably weighed over five hundred pounds. Thea shook her head in disbelief, wondering how much this guy must eat in a day.
"How did this guy end up like this? Was it a malicious experiment or bioengineering?" Seeing Robin fighting the behemoth without showing any signs of defeat, Thea wasn't too worried. She turned to Selina, wanting to gather more information out of curiosity.
This so-called "person" looked too bizarre with his sharp teeth and massive claws. Seeing him in this state, Thea couldn't help but wonder how Gotham still let him live happily until today without any dissections or analyses. Their "torch of love" campaign seemed to have done quite well.
Selina pondered for a moment. "Bruce collected his cells. Based on current clues, he hasn't undergone any experiments or modifications, he's just an ordinary human with some minor atavism."
Watching Killer Croc brawl with Robin in the distance, Thea couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in disbelief. 'A minor atavism? This guy has changed so much that even his own mother wouldn't recognize him. Are you telling me he's just a regular human? Are you kidding me? If this guy is a regular human, then I'm Superman's seventh aunt!'
Selina glanced at Thea, noticing her skepticism, and decided not to shoulder the blame. "These conclusions were made by Bruce. If you have questions, ask him when he returns."
With that, she ended the discussion, and the two focused intently on Robin and Killer Croc's battle.
It didn't take long for Thea to realize that Killer Croc hadn't received any training. His fighting style was clumsy, with no knowledge of martial arts techniques. From this perspective, Batman's assessment of him being an ordinary person didn't seem far-fetched.
She also paid attention to Robin's fighting prowess. This suitor of Barbara Gordon gave Thea the impression of being silent and reserved, but she didn't expect his fighting style to be so passionate. With his black hair dancing in the wind, he let out spirited shouts as he struck the Killer Croc with his Escrima Sticks, creating a rhythmic "smack" sound.
His strength was indeed impressive, and it was clear that he hadn't wasted the years of training under Batman. Thea was confident that, without using any technological equipment, she could match his strength. However, there was still an element of luck involved, and a major mistake from her side could lead to defeat.
The current situation resembled a martial artist fighting an ordinary person with brute strength. Although the ordinary person's every punch and kick were deadly, they were meaningless if they couldn't land a hit. Robin had the upper hand and was sure to win.
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Hopeless_Reader
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