Chương 57: Chapter 58: The Dunk Tank

Gotham, Underground Catacombs.

The pitch-black, damp environment exuded a deathly, eerie aura. A faint light cast dim, blurry shadows, illuminating the moss and lichen creeping up the walls.

Thin mist drifted through the catacombs. The Riddler stood at the end of a narrow passageway, with Batman on the other side of the mist. In front of Batman was a neatly paved floor, with green tiles forming a massive question mark on the ground.

Batman had found him. But the Riddler said this was only the beginning of the game.

The facility had already been modified by the Riddler and connected to Gotham's power grid. Batman had to follow his rules, stepping forward along the tiles that formed the question mark. He could only take one step at a time.

Each tile hid a deadly trap. To avoid triggering them, Batman could only advance by following the game's rules. The Riddler would pose a riddle for each step. If Batman answered correctly, he could move forward.

If he answered all the riddles correctly, he would deactivate all the traps, and the Riddler would surrender without resistance. However, if he broke the rules, all the traps would activate at once, and Gotham's entire power grid would crash instantly, causing untold damage to the city.

"Ah, correct again. You may take another step," the Riddler said gleefully, waving his cane.

"That's three riddles you've solved now. You really are clever, Batman. I'm starting to regret having this game end so soon…"

"Shut up and ask the next riddle, Riddler," Batman said, stepping forward as another green tile sank beneath his boot.

"Fine, fine. At your command. Let's make this one fun."

The Riddler took off his question mark-emblazoned hat, hanging it on his cane, and began to spin it.

"Here's your next riddle: 'My greatest strength lies in knowing my own value. Every time I am born, I tightly embrace myself. So, Batman, who am I?'"

Batman stared coldly at him.

"A sword," he answered flatly.

The Riddler's face lit up with excitement.

"Wrong, wrong, wrong! Haha, you finally got one wrong!" The Riddler raised his arms, overjoyed like a child. "The answer is 'a knot!' Specifically, the Gordian Knot, the famously unsolvable puzzle!"

He paused mid-celebration as he noticed Batman ignoring the trap and striding confidently forward. The tiles under his feet sank one by one.

The Riddler's eyes widened in disbelief. "How… my traps?!"

He should have won; Batman had answered incorrectly. By now, the death traps should have triggered, killing Batman instantly.

But Batman was walking forward as if the traps didn't exist. No, they really didn't. The elaborate series of death traps had failed to activate.

"I told you, the answer was 'a sword.' Ten seconds ago, I hacked your system. All your little gadgets are useless now."

Batman walked up to the Riddler, grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him effortlessly.

"You were right, not even Alexander the Great could untangle the Gordian Knot. So the emperor drew his sword…"

Batman's powerful punch struck the Riddler in the face, splitting his cheek and causing blood to spray.

"…and cut it in half."

The Riddler hit the ground hard, his mouth full of blood, his head buzzing with dizziness. But he laughed loudly anyway. "So, you did figure out the riddle. Impressive, Batman. I admire you, even though you cheated. You broke the rules, and now you must face the consequences."

He sat on the ground and casually snapped his fingers.

"Come forth, my dark friends. Punish this cheater!"

Batman tensed. He had encountered supernatural entities during previous encounters and knew that Gotham harbored demons that possessed criminals. This situation felt eerily familiar.

He held his breath, bracing for the attack of shadowy spirits from all around him.

But nothing happened.

The Riddler remained frozen mid-snap, the awkward silence stretching on.

The Riddler paused, furrowing his brow.

He must have done it wrong.

He changed his posture and used his other hand to snap his fingers again.

"Come forth, dark spirits!"

Silence.

A cold wind blew through the catacombs, bringing a chilling atmosphere and a touch of awkwardness.

It seemed the dark spirits he called upon were out of service.

Batman's expression grew stranger as he looked at the Riddler, as though considering whether to update his file, noting that the Riddler's mental state might be trending toward delusion.

The Riddler sighed deeply. "Sigh… as I suspected, you really can't rely on demons. They have no integrity."

Batman stepped forward and delivered another punch, this time breaking the Riddler's nose, causing blood to pour from his nostrils.

Yet, the Riddler still smiled, unfazed by the beating. "No matter. I wasn't expecting much from those supernatural beings anyway. It's a good thing I have a backup plan—a final trump card."

Boom!

An explosion.

The thunderous sound echoed from above, causing the entire underground chamber to tremble violently. Cracks began to form in the massive stones overhead, making the catacomb feel like it was on the verge of collapse.

"What did you do?" Batman demanded, slamming the Riddler against the wall.

"I knew you'd cheat, so I made sure to prepare a second contingency." The Riddler grinned. "And the penalty for cheating is that Gotham is about to play 'the dunk tank.'"

Batman's pupils contracted.

He knew the "dunk tank"—a mini-game where a person sat above a tank of water, with a switch underneath the seat connected to a nearby target. If the target was hit, the person would drop into the water and get soaked.

In the Riddler's twisted version, the person above the dunk tank was Gotham City.

The Riddler grinned, his bloody face twisted into a grotesque smile.

"I just blew up Gotham's main flood barrier. The city is about to become part of the Atlantic Ocean."