Bruce Wayne frowned slightly at Alfred's reminder.
"The kryptonite equipment," he repeated, thoughtful now. "I did temporarily store surplus gear beneath Wayne Enterprises after the Superman incident."
Alfred nodded. "Yes, Master Wayne. After your last confrontation with Superman, you had several redundant kryptonite prototypes moved downstairs. I later transferred them to a more secure location."
Li Jie immediately understood.
So that was it.
The Joker must have learned that kryptonite had once been stored beneath Wayne Tower and exaggerated it into "weapons capable of destroying Gotham."
Technically, kryptonite could destroy Gotham—if Superman decided to level it.
The misunderstanding had been convenient theater.
Bruce's eyes darkened slightly. "Speaking of the Joker… I want to see him."
—
The Joker lay sprawled on his cot like a corpse.
The Dionysian Factor had restored his life, but the lingering depressive toxin in his bloodstream left him hollowed out, exhausted, and furious. His skin looked pale, stretched tight over sharp bones.
When the cell door slid open, he didn't even bother to turn his head.
"What?" he muttered. "Back for round three?"
"Clown," Li Jie said casually from the doorway, "I brought someone who missed you."
He stepped aside.
Heavy footsteps echoed inside the cell.
The Joker's brow twitched. He turned—and his eyes widened with manic delight.
"You disgusting, moldy bat," he hissed, scrambling to his feet. "I knew you weren't dead!"
He lunged.
Bruce Wayne caught the incoming fist effortlessly and drove a brutal punch into the Joker's abdomen.
The Joker folded—but then laughed.
Actually laughed.
It was the first genuine sound of joy he'd made since the toxin had dragged him into emotional numbness.
"Ahhh," he wheezed, straightening slowly. "There you are."
He spat blood and swung again, connecting lightly with Bruce's jaw.
"Come on," he taunted. "Put some weight into it. That felt like a kiss."
Then it devolved into something primitive.
No gadgets. No theatrics.
Just fists.
Bruce punched. The Joker punched back. Neither dodged much. It was raw, stubborn violence—two men who understood each other better than anyone else in the world.
Li Jie leaned against the wall, glancing sideways at Catwoman.
"Not even a little jealous?" he murmured.
She shot him a warning look. "Careful."
"I'm just saying," Li Jie replied lightly. "That's commitment."
She clenched her jaw but said nothing more.
Inside the cell, Bruce finally drove the Joker into the wall with a thunderous blow.
The clown collapsed, coughing blood.
Bruce stood over him, voice cold.
"As long as I'm alive, you behave."
The Joker's lips stretched into a cracked grin.
"You died," he whispered. "They brought you back with the Dionysian Factor."
His eyes glittered.
"That's beautiful."
He pushed himself upright, swaying.
"I'm the king of this city," he rasped. "This cage won't hold me. I'll walk out one day… and when I do—"
Bruce's fist smashed him into the concrete again.
The Joker slid down, laughing hysterically.
Bruce turned and walked out without another word.
Li Jie watched the Joker shaking with laughter on the floor.
Abnormal didn't begin to cover it.
—
Back in the tool room, Bruce stopped beside the repaired Bat Mech.
"If you don't mind," he said calmly, "I'd like to examine it."
"It's your cave," Li Jie replied.
Bruce circled the armor slowly. "It's well-built."
"You should try flying it."
Bruce shook his head immediately. "No. I don't copy."
Li Jie blinked.
"If Tony hears I'm wearing Stark-inspired armor," Bruce continued dryly, "he'll never let it go."
Ah.
Tony Stark.
Of course.
Two billionaire geniuses with overlapping trauma and egos the size of continents.
Alfred cleared his throat. "Master Wayne, Mr. Stark has also been absent from public view recently."
Bruce snorted. "I'm not calling him."
But his expression lingered a second too long.
Then he turned back to the mech.
"You can keep using this technology. But change the exterior. No bat imagery."
Li Jie nodded. "Fair."
"Cheetah?" Bruce suggested.
"Too flashy."
"Panther?"
Bruce paused. "No. That's taken."
Li Jie almost smiled.
"Dragon?"
Bruce tilted his head thoughtfully. "That could work."
Within seconds, the Batcomputer projected dozens of dragon-themed renderings.
The first batch was excessive—ornate scales, exaggerated horns, dramatic flares.
Li Jie grimaced. "That looks like a casino mascot."
Bruce adjusted parameters.
The second wave was cleaner. Sleek lines. Subtle curves.
Better.
The third batch refined everything further.
Black Dragon. Azure Dragon. Crimson Dragon. Gold.
Li Jie's eyes settled on one.
The Black Dragon.
Minimal. Aggressive. Elegant.
"That one," he said.
Bruce nodded.
For the next forty-eight hours, neither of them left the tool room.
Unlike the original Bat Mech—largely assembled by automated systems—this one received obsessive manual oversight. Bruce refined propulsion vectors. Li Jie adjusted weight distribution. Power cores were optimized. External plating reinforced.
They argued. They recalibrated. They improved.
Three days later, the Black Dragon Mech stood complete.
Matte black armor with faint angular contours resembling folded wings. Controlled power. No unnecessary flair.
Bruce stepped back, staring at it.
"I might be in love," he muttered.
Li Jie allowed himself a small smile.
He activated the wrist remote.
The mech disassembled, launched upward, and snapped onto him midair before rocketing out of the cave.
Over Gotham, it moved smoother than the original Bat model. Faster acceleration. Cleaner turns.
But one flaw remained.
The operating system still ran through the Batcomputer.
And Li Jie wasn't planning to stay in Gotham forever.
He needed independence.
Which meant a new system.
White Queen.
He redirected course toward the desert base.
—
An anti-air missile streaked toward him.
Li Jie banked sharply.
"It's me!" he transmitted quickly.
Static crackled.
Then Ada Wong's voice came through. "Boss? Sorry. New mech?"
"Don't test it," he replied dryly.
He descended into the underground facility.
Inside, everything had been rebuilt—clean corridors, sterile lighting, functional infrastructure. Only the temperature felt slightly cold.
A small holographic girl appeared before him.
White Queen.
"How may I assist you?" she asked.
Li Jie got straight to the point.
"Can you modify your own authorization level and remove Umbrella's control?"
A brief pause.
"I do not possess that permission."
As expected.
Even the Red Queen had struggled against Umbrella constraints. The White Queen was even more restricted.
Li Jie exhaled slowly.
"Take me to your server core."
"If you attempt unauthorized modification," she said neutrally, "Umbrella may detect it."
He smiled faintly.
"Let them."
The Black Dragon Mech hummed quietly behind him as he followed the hologram deeper into the base.
If he wanted true freedom—
He would have to carve it out himself.
....
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