Chapter 1694: The Prisoners of Bruce Wayne and the Batcave (Part V) (Patreon)

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The first-person perspective holding a knife walked through a dark corridor for a long while. After ascending a flight of stairs and pushing open a door at the end of the hall, the scene suddenly brightened, and the whole screen lit up.

However, once the initial dazzling light faded, what appeared before everyone’s eyes was nothing short of a bizarre congregation of monstrous figures.

The room was divided into two sides by a large poker table. Standing against the left wall was an extremely muscular giant covered in oozing mud.

To his right stood an equally hulking figure with green skin, his upper body covered in cold-blooded reptilian spikes, and sporting a crocodile-like maw filled with razor-sharp teeth.

In front of the terrifying Crocodile Man was a portly man wearing a reddish-purple pig mask, casually caressing the cards spread before him. His white apron was stained with permanent black bloodstains, and a gleaming butcher’s knife was tucked into his belt.

Behind him, half-hidden, was a disheveled woman with black hair, her body entangled with fine strings. A grotesque puppet stood behind her, manipulated to make bizarre expressions.

At the head of the table on the right side was a half-human, half-bat creature with dark brown, wrinkled skin and two large wings, plus a set of abnormally sharp fangs. It was twitching its bat-like snout, sniffing around under the table.

On the sofa behind him, to the left, sat a man in a green suit, trembling slightly and muttering continuously, seemingly reciting mathematical formulas and theorems.

To the right on the sofa was a bald man in a white lab coat, wearing a pair of round glasses that reflected a cold gleam. Leaning on the sofa’s armrest beside him was a stiff figure wearing a tattered burlap sack over his head, resembling a scarecrow straight out of a field.

At the back of the room stood a short figure dressed in a flamboyantly bright green suit, wearing an oversized top hat and sipping from a tea cup intricately carved with ornate patterns, as if leisurely enjoying afternoon tea.

Near the back door, a woman with hair dyed in red and blue and wearing exaggerated makeup was seen. A man covered in ammo belts was playing with spider-patterned cards on the table, while a shark-headed figure lurked behind him.

“Damn it!”

Everyone who witnessed this scene couldn’t help but curse with the filthiest words they could muster. JARVIS lightly patted Wanda on the shoulder and said, “I finally understand what you meant by bizarre.”

Wanda shook her head gently and said, “Oh, it’s weirder than you think. The girl who connected with me told me that this terrifying group of monsters is somehow all devoted fans of a superhero.”

“What???”

“We’re not here to kill time playing cards, everyone. We need to come up with a good plan to take back our city. More importantly, to reclaim Batman. Are you all content with just watching him abandon everything?”

“Hugo, easy for you to say.” The short man sipping tea took off his oversized hat, spun it twice in his hands, and scoffed, “Batman fled like a coward, leaving us behind. Naturally, we should, uh, destroy his city in retaliation for what he’s done to us!”

“Hugo, are you seriously considering cooperating with that fool Amanda?” The scarecrow-like man next to him turned his head toward Hugo and said, “You know she’s as dumb as a rock. She actually expects us to work for her? I can’t fathom how she’s survived this long!”

“We don’t have any other options,” came a deep, sludge-like voice from the other side of the room. The massive mud-covered monster opened its mouth and said, “It’s pure chaos out there, like a world war just broke out, and Batman chose this critical moment to abandon his city. Even the Joker doesn’t know where he’s gone.”

“Correction, I don’t know where Batman went,” said the female Joker, casting a glance around the room. With a bored expression, she added, “I can’t even find the Joker. I don’t know where my dear little cookie went off to have fun on his own. It’s maddening.”

“We can’t just fight our way out with bare hands,” said the man loaded with ammo next to the female Joker. “I know how intense the firepower is outside. The whole city’s nearly been blasted to ruins.”

“If you ask me, it’s not so bad,” the female Joker said with a sly look. “That FBI chief, though obviously up to no good, knows no one here is a pushover. If she wants us to work for her, she better show some sincerity.”

“Hugo, you still haven’t said what Amanda wants us to do.”

“Humph, nothing new, just the usual,” Hugo said, adjusting his glasses. “She thinks Gotham’s chaos is her golden opportunity to take control of this city. She believes her biggest obstacle is the Wayne Group. Perhaps it is, in fact; she’s never beaten Bruce Wayne.”

The monsters exchanged knowing, sharp laughter, as if the mere thought of comparing those two individuals was a colossal joke. But they all fell silent, no one bothering to explain it further.

“So, what now? She doesn’t actually expect us to kill Wayne, does she?”

“She wants irrefutable evidence of a crime,” Hugo said, rising from the sofa and approaching the poker table. He lightly tapped on the table with his fingers. “Evidence that can be used to blackmail Bruce Wayne into cooperating with her. She hinted that we can fabricate it, just enough to deal a significant blow to Wayne Group in the court of public opinion, forcing Bruce Wayne to concede.”

A round of sneering chuckles erupted, turning into hysterical, uproarious laughter. Everyone in the room understood, while those watching from the screen remained utterly perplexed.

“What are they laughing at?” Coulson asked, puzzled, pointing at the screen.

Natasha, ever diligent, analyzed the situation from an agent’s perspective: “If I heard correctly, this city is quite unique. Until now, the FBI hasn’t been able to get involved in its intelligence operations. You know how control-obsessed they are—they want to control all intel, even if it’s useless.”

“Now something’s caused a mess in this city, and the FBI sees a chance to exploit it. That Amanda, either a top agent or at least someone with special field operations authority, has decided to recruit this, uh, this…”

The female agent searched for the right words, struggling to describe the grotesque creatures she saw in the room.

“These… special talents,” Nick Fury concluded definitively.

From his years working at S.H.I.E.L.D., the Director had learned one thing: the weirder they look, the quicker they get the job done.

“Alright, so she wants to recruit these special talents to gather incriminating evidence and blackmail a powerful, wealthy figure in this city, and now these oddballs are debating whether or not to cooperate.”

“The FBI’s methods sure haven’t changed in decades,” Charles commented diplomatically. “Even in two different spaces, the approaches of field agents are shockingly similar. It’s truly remarkable.”

“All agents are the same, corrupt,” Nick shook his head, pulling out a case of beer from under the sofa and handing out cans. He opened one for himself and said, “I can’t say his line of thinking is completely wrong. After all, those uniquely talented misfits in our space have contributed quite a bit to the solar system development plan.”

“I’m talking about how the Federal Bureau of Investigation once tried to recruit mutants like this.” Charles shrugged lightly. “They wanted to strike a deal with the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. We would send them special agents, not even with an official status, mainly for dirty work. Of course, I refused.”

“Because I knew they’d turn around and use those dirty records to blackmail me, or simply expose my choices to make all the young mutants believe I was just a human trafficker.”

Charles spoke with such a calm tone, as if these matters hardly counted among the slings and arrows he had faced, more like a minor conspiracy wind that brushed past him.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in recent years, it’s this: if you truly want people to work sincerely for you, you must learn to accept and respect their flaws, then acknowledge that they’re the best choice within your reach,” Nick emphasized. “The most important part is that last point: if you hire them with the mindset of ‘I’m only using these monsters because I have no other choice,’ you’re bound to face disaster.”

“It’s just like marriage,” Charles lowered his gaze slightly. “If one party constantly feels they deserve better, a breakup is only a matter of time.”

“We have to acknowledge that Amanda is the best candidate available to us now. Who can blame us for ignoring external changes and missing the best time to leave here, or losing track of Batman?” Puppet Master Woman said. “Our foolish actions have led us to collaborate with fools. I think you all need to face that reality.”

Hearing this, Coulson sucked in a sharp breath and clicked his tongue. “Well, we’re screwed now. Even though she’s telling the truth, the truth is often the hardest to accept. And saying it so bluntly... those monsters are going to lose their minds.”

Natasha nodded slightly. As agents, they were highly sensitive to human interactions. Sometimes, blunt words don’t make someone more charismatic; in a tense atmosphere, a single remark can ignite conflict.

Most people present agreed with this view. After all, this room full of monsters didn’t seem like the forgiving type. That statement was practically an insult to their intelligence. Even regular people might not tolerate it—let alone these vicious-looking monsters.

“Appearance means something to ordinary people, but for those who are outcasts and rejected by normal society, they are far more sensitive and vulnerable,” Nick analyzed from experience. “Usually, the liaison agents who interact with them must be carefully selected—gentle, tactful, and able to deeply understand their situation to provide comfort.”

“It’s not an easy job,” Charles said with a touch of admiration in his tone. Looking at Nick, he added, “And you, Director, have practically perfected this impossible task. The other day, I ran into Mr. Electro in the hallway. His mental state seemed much improved.”

“Hah, of course he’s better. He’s started dating his handler! That damn bastard charmed the best recruit of this cohort,” Nick said through gritted teeth.

At that moment, the sound from the screen drew their attention again. Surprisingly, there was no heated argument, just an eternal-seeming silence.

“I agree. Even though this incident came too suddenly, we had at least ten chances to intervene before it escalated to this point. At the very least, we could’ve kept an eye on Batman. But now, we’ve lost everything, and starting from scratch will be difficult. So working with Amanda isn’t entirely unacceptable.”

Scarecrow’s tone was cold, but his logic was sound. “But even if we’re paying the price for our mistakes, that doesn’t mean Amanda can take advantage of us and boss us around. We know who we are, but she and the Federal Bureau of Investigation may not.”

“That’s definitely something to note,” said a short man in a top hat. “We need to carefully evaluate this. Once we accept her employment, it means, to some extent, opposing the Wayne Group. Whether it’s just an act or we truly have ill intentions, the consequences won’t be something everyone here can accept.”

“We do need to be careful,” even the Female Joker lost her manic tone, seemingly reverting to her psychologist Quinn persona overnight. She mimed pushing up non-existent glasses and said, “In this plan, everyone should be in their proper place, but not necessarily under Amanda’s thumb. We need to leave ourselves enough room to maneuver. After all, the Bat is still watching from the attic.”

“Punishment or performance?”

“Perhaps both.”

“Well then, let’s refine this plan. Batman has given us such a vast stage—how can we disappoint him?”

The people before the screen fell silent. At that moment, they realized these monsters were not the same as the lunatics here.

They were not a mountain of corpses made up of ever-boiling frenzied blood, wild and uncontrollable limbs, or minds so twisted by madness that they were beyond saving. Nor were they social misfits, cowering from the eyes of others.

Because they were calm, cautious, and extremely objective in evaluating both others and themselves. They engaged in friendly dialogue and cooperation with personalities more stable and complete than ordinary people, revealing a glimpse of glowing souls beneath their menacing exteriors.

This sudden realization was reminiscent of a garden in ruins—where the meticulously cultivated rare plants had long since withered away, leaving only bizarre flowers growing wildly from the barren earth, unafraid and untamed.

Strange, absurd, like a lighthearted scene in a tragedy—almost… art.

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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