Unexpected Intelligence About Batman

Blood Baron sighed, a mocking expression appearing on his face.

"The reason is simple: distrust."

"Distrust?" Pietro immediately frowned.

"Yes. Alliances between villains are nowhere near as solid as you imagine."

Blood Baron sneered and continued.

"Why do you think Red Skull, despite wanting to conquer the world, can only huddle up here as some so-called fucking ‘leader’? He may seem powerful now, but in truth, the other villains are only giving him face. When it comes down to business, no one listens to him."

"Indeed. Ever since we left Hammerfall City, everything we saw and heard along the way had already gone beyond Red Skull’s control." Pietro nodded thoughtfully.

"That was because, after that battle, although the heroes were wiped out, the villains were badly weakened too. Those lunatics wanted to borrow the power of Dormammu and other dimensions, but inviting a god is easy; sending one away is hard. The villains had no choice but to fight those Dimension Lords again."

Pietro fell silent upon hearing that.

By now, he understood that those villains had begun disregarding all consequences just to defeat the heroes.

"The battle at Atlantis was the real disaster. I heard the entire Canary Islands were dragged into the vortex. Chaos broke out all over the world, and things spiraled completely out of control. If Red Skull, Doctor Doom, and Magneto hadn’t stepped in to stabilize the situation, an even greater civil war would have been unavoidable."

Blood Baron gave a sorrowful smile, then pointed to the ground beneath his feet.

"Do you know how much I paid to preserve my own miserable life and my people? There were too many villains who fought in that war. He couldn’t possibly reward every single one according to merit. To ease the pressure, Red Skull once planned assassinations against everyone capable of threatening his position. Not one of the villains still alive today is someone to be trifled with."

"I think I understand." Zhang Ye nodded. "In other words, after the battle in which the heroes fell, the villains entered a period of open and secret infighting as well. During that time, the entire world descended into an era of chaos and darkness. Is that right?"

"You could say that. The first ten years saw the most severe population decline. By the time the rulers realized what was happening, it was already too late. They could only feel their way across the river and make sure they had enough resources for themselves," Blood Baron replied.

"One more question."

Zhang Ye reached into the inner pocket of his trench coat, took out a Batarang, and placed it before Blood Baron as he slowly asked,

"You’ve lived in the wasteland for decades. You must know far more than we do. I want to ask whether you’ve ever happened to see anything connected to this."

"This is?" Blood Baron froze slightly when he saw the Batarang. He took it and began examining it carefully.

"The craftsmanship and material are both first-rate. Judging by its appearance, it definitely isn’t a product of this era. It might be some military weapon from the old days, but this design is rather…"

"That isn’t what I’m asking. I want to know whether you’ve heard of anyone in the wasteland who uses a weapon like this." Zhang Ye cut him off and spoke quickly.

Seeing that Zhang Ye was somewhat displeased, Blood Baron immediately stopped admiring the Batarang. He raised his head and thought for a moment before speaking uncertainly. "I do seem to have heard some rumors, but I can’t guarantee they’re related to this thing."

"Go on." Zhang Ye folded his arms.

Blood Baron carefully searched through the intelligence in his mind, his features nearly scrunching together.

"That should have been three years ago. Back then, I heard rumors of a vampire operating in the Lizard Kingdom. There was a bat emblem on his chest, and he was continuously slaughtering Lizardmen."

"Are you sure!?"

At those words, Kara and Pietro immediately became excited. Even Zhang Ye raised an eyebrow.

Blood Baron was startled by their reactions. He took two small steps back, and only after calming down did he continue.

"Y-yes. The information came from an old client of mine. We’re close, and he wouldn’t dare lie to me. At the time, he suspected that perhaps a Blood Clan member stranded outside had become so hungry that he attacked those Lizardmen, or perhaps it was a daylight walker like Blade, punishing evil and upholding justice."

"Then there’s no mistake. A bat mark on the chest, along with this Batarang… We can now confirm that there really is a ‘Batman’ in this world." Zhang Ye murmured, his heart filled with complicated emotions.

"By the way, what exactly are these Lizardmen?" Pietro could not help asking.

"They’re Doctor Connors’s creation. He believed the human body was too weak and fragile, while Lizardmen were tall and robust, with extremely impressive regenerative abilities. He believed that was true ‘evolution,’ so he tried to turn all humans into Lizardmen."

Blood Baron spread his hands. "Then Red Skull drove him off to the coastal border. The land there is vast and sparsely populated, and supplies are scarce. It’s perfectly suited for these malformed products of ‘evolution’ to survive."

"Was the person with the bat symbol on his chest male or female?" Pietro asked again. He remembered Zhang Ye saying that Batwoman also existed among Batman’s allies.

"Male. I’m certain of it." Blood Baron answered firmly, then curiously looked over the three of them. "You know him? Could he be your friend?"

Yet no one answered his question. Zhang Ye and the others looked at one another, considering the intelligence Blood Baron had provided.

"What we can confirm now is that a Batman appeared here three years ago. But whether he’s still alive, or where he is now, we have no way of knowing." Pietro frowned.

"And we don’t know whether there are others." Kara took over. "Barry Allen might be in this world too, or other members of the Justice League he mentioned."

"The possibility exists, but it isn’t very high. If many outsiders had arrived in this world, it would be impossible for there to be no rumors whatsoever. Unless they were truly keeping an extremely low profile. But that ‘Batman’ last appeared three years ago, so we need to prepare for the worst."

"Wait!"

Kara suddenly interrupted Pietro. Her ears twitched, and her gaze abruptly locked onto Blood Baron.

"You secretly called for reinforcements?"

"How could I!? All my thralls were killed by you!"

Blood Baron immediately jumped up.

Seeing that Blood Baron’s reaction did not seem fake, Kara could not help saying, "Then someone has been following you the whole way? Could they be assassins sent by Red Skull?"

"Impossible. I may not be able to beat you, but my counter-surveillance skills are still very strong. I’ve survived under Red Skull’s nose for so many years by relying on methods like these," Blood Baron immediately retorted.

"Then that’s strange…"

Kara knitted her brows tightly.

"If they aren’t after you, then who could they be after?"

Everyone slowly shifted their gazes and looked in the direction Kara was watching.