Bruce sat in the Batmobile, his expression unchanging.
Nothing around him seemed capable of stirring his emotions.
Even in this situation—one that most would consider a death trap—he remained unmoved.
As War Machine had said, this place was a battleground, a land of certain death.
Yet, just like their later actions, those words were soon proven false.
With a flick of the switch on the central console, the Batmobile—previously low to the ground—transformed in an instant, its chassis rising.
The tires were reinforced with collision armor.
Before the armored vehicle drivers around him could react, Bruce had already made his move.
He accelerated the Batmobile, charging toward the wreckage of an armored vehicle he had already destroyed.
With immense power and its altered stance, the Batmobile tore through the remains effortlessly, as if they were never an obstacle to begin with.
"Boom!"
The wrecked armored vehicle was sent flying under the Batmobile's impact.
"Don't let him escape!" The gang leader inside another armored vehicle roared.
His subordinates scrambled to reposition their vehicle, preparing to pursue.
Yet they never stopped to consider—Bruce wasn't trying to escape.
Compared to the armored vehicles, the Batmobile was far more agile.
In the blink of an eye, it had circled behind them.
The 20mm Vulcan cannons roared to life once again, unleashing their devastating firepower.
Before the armored vehicle could fully turn itself around, its rear armor had already been torn apart.
Meanwhile, another infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) fired its cannon in response.
The 25mm autocannon was indeed powerful, but against the Batmobile, it was useless.
That wasn't to say it left no mark—at the very least, it managed to scratch the Batmobile's pristine surface.
Bruce slammed the accelerator, charging straight at the IFV that had just fired.
The twin Vulcan cannons on his vehicle continued their relentless barrage, dismantling the IFV piece by piece.
Yet the enemy remained defiant, their main cannon firing continuously at the Batmobile.
It wasn't until Bruce was nearly upon them that the other IFVs seemed to remember they, too, had weapons.
But whether it was due to poor aim or the Batmobile's sheer speed, none of their shots found their mark.
Meanwhile, Bruce had already shredded another IFV and vanished from their sight.
Having lost yet another vehicle, the gang leader was on the verge of losing control.
He knew his reckless days in New York wouldn't last forever.
But he refused to let anyone trample over him while they did.
Seething, he yanked the gunner out of the main cannon's seat.
At this moment, he trusted no one but himself.
That bastard had to die by his hands!
"This time, let's see if you can survive!" He locked his eyes onto the targeting scope, waiting for Bruce to reappear.
He knew that if Bruce wanted New York to return to order, he would have to come back for him.
Return to eliminate those heavily armed foes.
"Before destroying them, I recorded their models and approximate paint schemes. Check it out."
Bruce reconnected the communication link and sent the details of the three infantry fighting vehicles he had destroyed—including their models and paint schemes—back to the Batcave.
He wanted Jessica to find out what was really going on.
He needed to understand why infantry fighting vehicles were appearing in Manhattan.
This was already far beyond normal reasoning.
Not to mention, they were using active-duty armored vehicles currently in service with the U.S. military.
"No serial numbers, just standard Army paint. From their condition before you destroyed them, it looks like they've never been officially deployed," Jessica reported after quickly running a search on the vehicles Bruce had sent over.
There were no service records.
These were brand-new vehicles.
"Got it," Bruce nodded. By now, he had maneuvered the Batmobile in a wide arc and was about to return to the vicinity of the infantry vehicles.
"Be careful, they might have—"
"No TOW missiles. I already scanned for them," Bruce interrupted, confirming his next course of action.
Instead of charging directly onto the street controlled by the infantry fighting vehicles, he veered sharply and drove straight into a parking garage.
"Alright," Jessica pursed her lips but said nothing.
On the other end, Aunt May simply chuckled softly.
Jessica wasn't exactly suited for logistics—she probably preferred being out in the field herself.
"Vroom—"
The aggressive roar of the Batmobile's engine caught the attention of the armored vehicles. Their turrets immediately swiveled, aiming toward the sound.
They didn't expect the Batmobile to emerge from another direction entirely.
As the engine noise grew louder, the gunner controlling the turret instinctively turned toward it.
But he hesitated—after all, there was nothing but a parking garage next to him.
"Bang!!"
A waist-high concrete barrier shattered into pieces in an instant.
The Batmobile burst through, launching downward.
With its immense power and weight, it crashed directly into one of the armored vehicles, flipping it onto its side.
Without losing momentum, the Batmobile swiftly adjusted its angle and charged toward the next infantry fighting vehicle.
"Boom!!"
The infantry fighting vehicle, though not overturned, was still affected by the impact.
Bruce's Batmobile sped through the gaps between the armored vehicles.
Without hesitation, he floored the gas pedal, charging toward another infantry fighting vehicle.
"Damn it! Is this guy insane?"
"Shit!"
"I'm going to kill you!"
The gang leader cursed furiously while controlling the onboard weapons, firing relentlessly at the Batmobile.
But there was nothing they could do—the Batmobile was simply too difficult to deal with.
"Boom!"
"Screeech!!!"
The sound of the Batmobile's tires skidding across the pavement echoed through the streets, shaking the very air.
One of the gang members quickly grabbed a portable rocket launcher and aimed it at the Batmobile.
"Bang!"
The blast sent a shockwave through the air, momentarily causing Bruce to lose control of his vehicle. The Batmobile spun out, and its rear end crashed through a nearby wall.
Seeing this, the gang leader was ecstatic. He immediately pressed down on the trigger of his machine cannon, unleashing a barrage of firepower at the Batmobile.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Sparks erupted across the Batmobile's armored exterior as Bruce quickly maneuvered the vehicle out of harm's way.
Realizing that their target was slipping away, the gang leader barked orders at his men, clearly intending to use the rocket launcher again.
But Bruce wasn't going to give them another chance.
The Batmobile suddenly swerved, turning its nose directly toward the gang leader's infantry fighting vehicle and charged straight at it.
Just as the gang leader was about to fire again, he realized in horror that no matter how many times he pressed the trigger, the machine cannon wouldn't respond—it was completely jammed.
All he could do was watch in terror as the Batmobile crashed head-on into his vehicle.
"Ahhh!!!"
After the violent collision, Bruce emerged from the Batmobile.
He stepped up to the now-ruined infantry fighting vehicle.
His calculations had been slightly off—perhaps the gang leader hadn't properly braced himself for impact, leading to severe head trauma.
Bruce reached out, grabbed the man, and yanked him from the turret.
The gang leader might not be in a state to answer any questions now, but the items he carried might hold the answers Bruce was looking for.
(End of Chapter)
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