Chapter 44: Chapter 44 Mutual Respect
The missile soared through the air, leaving a brilliant trail as it aimed directly at the windshield.
Kingpin and Sloan's faces twisted in panic.
The car was bulletproof, but against a missile, it was no match. They barely had time to react, ducking behind the front seats to shield themselves from the inevitable blast.
Boom!
The explosion lifted the entire car several meters into the air.
Inside, Kingpin tumbled, emerging with bruises and scorch marks, but nothing severe. Thankfully, he had spared no expense in customizing the car for situations just like this.
If he had cut any corners, he wouldn't have come out unscathed.
Sloan, however, wasn't as resilient.
He had taken a hard blow to the head, bleeding as he crawled out of the shattered window, collapsing on the curb, breathing heavily and unable to move.
Meanwhile, Kingpin, now seething, kicked open the car door, glaring at the Rabbit Armor in rage.
Clenching his fists, his eyes burned with fury.
In all his years ruling the underground, he had never been humiliated like this.
"Batman!"
Kingpin spat the name, seething as he faced the Rabbit Armor.
"Kingpin, nice to finally meet you. Seems I left quite an impression," Anton taunted through the Rabbit Armor as he slowly advanced.
Kingpin didn't back down.
Though the Rabbit Armor's metal shell looked formidable, Kingpin had honed his body to an extraordinary level, his strength far surpassing that of a normal human.
Even against a machine, he felt no fear.
"I'm going to tear you apart!" Kingpin snarled, lunging with surprising speed for someone his size, closing the gap in an instant.
Boom!
Kingpin's fist collided with the Rabbit Armor's.
The suit's mechanical joints groaned under the strain.
Unfazed, Anton prepared to launch another missile.
But Kingpin seemed to sense the attack, abruptly retreating and grabbing a discarded cane from beside the wrecked car, quickly triggering a hidden mechanism.
Swoosh!
The cane fired a bullet.
It collided with the missile mid-air.
Boom!
The resulting fireball illuminated Kingpin's face, and the shockwave rippled outward, blowing his suit's coat tails dramatically.
With his face set in grim determination, Kingpin glared at the Rabbit Armor, clearly ready to fight to the end.
In Los Angeles, Anton narrowed his eyes.
He had underestimated Kingpin.
As New York's underground king Kingpin truly possessed extraordinary abilities.
After a moment's thought, Anton pulled the Rabbit Armor back a few steps.
He realized that brute force alone wouldn't settle things here, and he had already achieved his objective for the night. There was no need to engage in a prolonged battle with Kingpin.
They could settle this another time.
"You're going to run?" Kingpin sneered, sensing Anton's intent. He taunted, "Is that it?"
"There's always another day, Wilson Fisk."
The Rabbit Armor's voice echoed coldly, and Kingpin watched as it lifted Bullseye's limp body in one hand and then picked up Sloan, who lay helpless nearby.
"Do you think I'll just stand here?" Kingpin yelled, infuriated at the blatant disregard shown toward him.
Swoosh!
Unable to contain his anger, Kingpin lunged toward the Rabbit Armor.
Boom!
A powerful missile forced him to halt.
As Kingpin dealt with the explosion and the cloud of smoke dispersed, he found himself alone—the armored figure had vanished.
"Damn it!"
Kingpin yelled furiously into the dark alley, his face twisted in rage as he shouted after the retreating figure.
"Batman, I will find you!"
Ignoring the threats behind him, the Rabbit Armor dashed through the city streets, carrying Bullseye in one hand and Sloan in the other.
Even though it was night, New York was still bustling with traffic.
The sight of the massive figure moving through the city drew cheers from onlookers, who recognized it immediately.
"It's Batman!"
Although the armor looked different from before, the signature ears and the armored silhouette were unmistakable.
"Where's he headed?"
"Who are those people he's carrying? criminals?"
People buzzed with excitement, some sprinting with their phones out to capture the moment.
They followed the Rabbit Armor all the way to the NYPD headquarters.
As fate would have it…
George Stacy, after a long battle with traffic, had just arrived back at the station with the defeated Brotherhood members and Carlos.
Barely out of his car, he noticed a familiar figure approaching the precinct, depositing two more bodies at their feet.
"No need to thank me."
The Rabbit Armor's glowing red eyes flickered briefly, almost as if it were winking.
"What the—"
George Stacy was furious. "Thank you? Not a chance!"
The towering Rabbit Armor stood face-to-face with George, the two appearing surprisingly well-matched in their standoff.
It was a strangely harmonious scene—at least, if you couldn't hear what they were saying.
Click!
In the shadows, Eddie snapped a quick photo, reviewing it with a smug grin.
He already had tomorrow's headline in mind: "Mutual Respect: Heroes and Police Chief Unite to Capture Criminals!"
Eddie could almost see it on the front page.
Meanwhile…
Back in Los Angeles, at the party.
"Anton!"
A sweet voice caught Anton's attention. Turning, he saw the actress who played Rachel, smiling playfully and winking at him.
As the leading lady in the Batman movie, her presence at the party was perfectly natural.
Seeing her, Anton instinctively steadied himself, feeling his legs tense up.
She was… quite the force to be reckoned with.
"Anton!"
Another familiar voice chimed in. It was Betty, making her way over with a calm, poised expression that didn't lose out to the actress's charm. "Jim is looking for you."
"Oh, great. I'll go right now."
Seizing the chance, Anton quickly slipped away from the two women, disappearing in a flash.
Blending into the crowd, he paused as a realization struck him.
Wait… why am I running?
I've inherited all of Batman's powers; my current physical state could handle much more than just one or two encounters!
I can't let my pride as a man slip away so easily!
Just as he was about to turn back, Anton spotted Jim waving at him from across the room. Adjusting his mood, he made his way over.
Ah, forget it. Priorities first.
Behind him…
Betty and the actress exchanged glances.
The actress looked annoyed, while Betty smirked, mouthing a single word at her.
"B*tch!"