"How… how is that possible?" Alfred's voice trembled with disbelief, eyes wide as he stared at Bruce in utter astonishment.
"The vampires' regenerative abilities healed me," Bruce said slowly with deep seriousness, eyes burning with restraint, "but every moment I remain infected the parasite erodes my will, attempting to make me their servant."
Alfred's shock deepened, even more than when he first learned his master had been transformed.
"You're saying you've resisted the vampires' mind control?"
"Yes," Bruce whispered, heavy pain flickering in his eyes. "It's excruciating, and I fight it every second. But I don't know how much longer I can hold my sanity."
He turned his back, refusing to let Alfred see the toll the infection had taken on his body.
"I have something for you, Alfred."
Bruce walked over to the weapons rack and removed a small glass bottle, handing it to his butler.
"What is this, Master Bruce?"
Alfred examined the pale yellow powder inside with a sudden pit of dread in his chest.
"It's a synthesized compound of ultra‑fine quartz," Bruce explained, voice strained, "a crystal infused with concentrated ultraviolet particles that destabilize vampire physiology on contact."
Alfred paused, absorbing the implication.
Bruce continued, fighting the creeping madness — the burning hunger — that clawed at his mind.
"I don't know how effective it will be against this evolved strain of virus," he admitted, voice tense, eyes flickering dangerously red.
"If it fails…" Alfred began.
Bruce didn't hesitate. He walked over to the equipment bench and pulled out a heavy battle axe.
"If medicine fails," Bruce said simply, handing it to Alfred, "then we use the simplest tools."
Alfred stood quietly, stunned, before giving a slow nod.
"You will be fine, Master Bruce," he said with reassurance, even if he wasn't entirely convinced.
Bruce moved to the multi‑screen display showing Gotham's night skyline and said in a low voice, "I don't believe emotional bonds alone can end this. Before truly irreversible outcomes unfold, I must confront this head‑on."
He glanced at the blood analysis machine — halfway through processing his own sample — and nodded. He was studying his own blood, searching desperately for an antidote to this virulent strain.
"I've contacted Lucius Fox. He'll be here soon. With him, we can decipher this blood's composition faster, maybe even devise a cure."
Bruce's face tightened with pain. Waves of torment and intrusive hallucinations gnawed at his judgment. The hunger for blood and carnage pulsed like living maggots beneath his skin.
"I… I don't have much time left."
In Metropolis, Adrian stood amidst the chaos of combat as a State Defense Force battalion — now fully infected and commanded by a corrupted official — marched toward him under military authorization.
Displayed on a massive screen in the state government command center, the battle unfolded in real time.
General Sam Lane, gray‑haired and firm, sat at the head of the strategy table. Beside him, a government official named Meli voiced her concern.
"General, even if you can guarantee military oversight, I'm not sure this operation is legal."
Most faces in the room were pale and hollow, drained and infected by the vampire contagion, yet Meli stood out with her clarity and hesitation.
"Even if the target is dangerous," she continued, "deploying the State Defense Force seems extreme."
Lane exhaled smoke from his cigar, watching the large screen in silence.
Then…
Boom!
The ground in front of the armored units trembled.
On the command screen, a figure emerged through swirling dust — Adrian descending from above, expressionless and composed, his eyes flickering with cold intent.
The soldiers raised their weapons immediately and opened fire.
Bullets rained in a storm, but Adrian didn't dodge; he crossed his arms and let the volleys strike him.
After withstanding the barrage, he triggered his combat speed and surged toward the nearest Humvee.
With a single punch, he sent the multi‑ton vehicle flying.
Rumble!
The Humvee crashed into another military vehicle, causing an explosion that lit up the battlefield.
Amid sparks and smoke, Adrian advanced, unfazed by rifle fire.
He smashed a rifle with his fist, then struck the soldier holding it so hard that the man flew backward through the air.
Next, he grasped one soldier by the neck, then launched himself at another, pinning the soldier's throat with lightning‑fast precision.
He twisted and hurled them apart.
Bang! Bang!
Bodies crashed into armored cars as others fell where they stood, defeated before they even knew what hit them.
Meli watched on the screen in stunned silence.
"This… how is this possible?!" she murmured, unable to comprehend a human displaying such inconceivable power.
Even military units were no matching Adrian. To stop someone like him would take weapons far beyond conventional — approaching the level of tactical nukes — just to make a dent.
General Lane stood still, cigar in hand, brows deeply furrowed.
At the battlefield's edge, Jena of the Wonder Twins hid behind a tree, using her chameleon‑like ability to blend into her surroundings.
She watched Adrian's unmatched strength, watching him destroy soldiers like they were toys.
Her jaw hung open, eyes wide. In all her life, she had never seen combat power like this.
Conclusion dawned in her mind, surprising even her:
Adrian wasn't just extraordinary… he was alien too, like she was.
Adrian leapt high and struck the ground with crushing force, collapsing a military vehicle beneath him.
The vehicle became mangled scrap metal, metal fragments and debris scattering underfoot.
Expressionless, Adrian turned to face a lone soldier firing a pistol.
When the bullets ran dry, the soldier lunged at him with fangs bared, but Adrian seized his head and hurled him into another vehicle.
Bang!
The body impacted metal, turning into a grisly blur of flesh and blood.
Adrian's gaze remained icy — no mercy for those who fought with "immortal" brutality.
A shark‑headed warrior with predatory intent charged like a torpedo. His entire form bristled with ravenous ferocity.
With a single punch from Adrian's fist, his head cracked, spraying crimson.
Boom!
The Shark Man crumpled to the ground, stunned before he could register defeat.
Adrian grabbed him by the throat.
The creature squinted up at him, blood trickling down its muzzle.
Then…
Bang!
Heat vision sliced clean through its head.
The corpse collapsed heavily to the earth.
Back in the operations command room, Meli stared at the screen with mounting horror.
Something was... wrong.
The soldiers' movements were growing less human.
===
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