Chapter 843: Perilous Encounter (Part 2) (Patreon)

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As the night in Gotham grew darker, Savage stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of his room at Sockworth Grand Hotel, observing the gradual dimming of the city's lights. However, a few spots remained lit, particularly the construction sites, where the noise and activity persisted throughout the night.

Gotham was undergoing extensive construction, and Savage believed that the timing of his choice was quite favorable. If he happened to coincide with the city's infrastructure renovations, it would create more chaos, making it easier for him to blend in and manipulate the situation.

He had already sent Piper to investigate the nearby construction sites, with the intention of discreetly interfering with the infrastructure. This would provide him with additional leverage during negotiations with the local gangs.

Just as Savage turned to retire for the night, he noticed a dark figure by the window. Instinctively, he moved to the side, and in a swift motion, a bat-shaped dart whizzed past his neck.

Savage turned his head and saw a figure with pointed ears behind him. Before he could utter a word, Batman's fist was already approaching.

Batman had no intention of engaging in conversation with Savage. When one is controlled by money, there is little room for words, and Bruce Wayne was no exception.

Savage attempted to grab Batman's wrist with his arm, but as soon as he touched the bat suit, a crackling electric surge followed, causing Savage to retract his hand, feeling a burning sensation in his fingertips.

Sharp pain surged through him, prompting Savage to step back, regain his balance, and execute a spinning kick toward Batman's neck. Batman, however, remained unfazed, bending to evade the attack and pressing forward until he had cornered Savage in the room.

Savage let out a disdainful snort and feigned an attack to the right. Batman evaded to the left, and Savage swiftly pivoted, positioning himself behind Batman, shifting the dynamics of their confrontation.

But Batman seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, bending in place to dodge Savage's punch, and he hurled three bat-shaped darts, once again cornering Savage in another corner of the room.

In that momentary eye contact, both men understood that they had encountered a formidable adversary.

Batman's combat skills were honed through relentless training, but Savage was no novice. His lengthy life and extensive combat experience compensated for any lack of natural talent. When a natural talent faced off against a seasoned veteran, every move was calculated and deadly.

Both men were sparing with fists, so despite several rounds of combat, they refrained from exchanging introductions. However, Savage found himself at a disadvantage due to his physical condition.

Since arriving in this city, he had noticed the peculiar climate of Gotham—perpetual darkness, incessant rain, and any injury sustained in the rain would inevitably lead to infection and fever. His radiation-enhanced constitution was of little use in these circumstances.

Slow wound healing meant low margin for error. As this thought entered his mind, his attacks became more cautious. But the more cautious he became, the less advantage he held. After just a few dozen exchanges, Savage contemplated retreat.

"What are you doing here, Batman?" Savage asked coldly. "We have no quarrel. Why are you causing trouble for me?"

"No quarrel?" Batman's deep voice reverberated. "You broke into my Batcave. Is that not reason enough?"

"Broke into your..." Savage began, but then he paused, his face suddenly contorting with boundless anger. In an instant, his face turned crimson, and he erupted in fury.

"That was your base!!!" Savage roared. "You set a trap deliberately!! You treacherous scoundrel!!!"

Batman was momentarily taken aback by Savage's outburst. Why was Savage so furious? What had he lied about? Where was the trap?

In truth, Batman had not even realized that his plan file had gone missing. On one hand, so much had happened in the past three years, with many changes, that Batman had never considered using his old, discarded plans. He had forgotten about them completely.

As he rummaged through the materials cabinet that Savage had opened, Batman counted twice, convinced that nothing was missing. The plan he had formulated during his teenage years had been erased from his life entirely.

But Savage had fallen into the pit of that very plan.

His attempt to deal with Alberto had not succeeded, which was no big deal. Alberto had been busy with his internship and had not bothered Savage. Savage then turned his attention to Schiller.

Schiller was preoccupied with overseeing internship students and college students from the vocational college. He hardly returned home and moved back and forth between Gotham University and Arkham Asylum. Most of the time, he stayed at Gotham University.

To deal with Schiller, Savage had to infiltrate Gotham University. According to the materials, Gotham University was an ordinary place, easy to enter and exit, just an unremarkable spot in the city.

At least, that's what Savage believed. Consequently, he had entered Gotham University without any suspicion. The nearest building to the east gate, where Savage had entered, was the laboratory building. Within three minutes of entering, he encountered Victor.

When Batman had written the materials, Victor had not yet arrived, so there was no record of such a professor. Savage assumed him to be an ordinary person.

And because Savage believed that Victor had seen his intrusion, he contemplated silencing him, but then... he got frozen.

At that time, there were still five minutes before class started. Victor realized he had forgotten his lecture notes and hurriedly returned to the laboratory to retrieve them.

After freezing Savage, Victor didn't pay much attention, assuming it was just another student idling around. In Gotham University, almost all students knew about Victor's Freeze Gun, which could freeze people without causing them to feel cold or any lasting effects. So, when students misbehaved and were caught, they would often be frozen for a few hours and then released.

Gotham had no tradition of reporting to parents, and if these students dared to complain to their gang-leading parents about being frozen and cried to them, they would only end up facing a mixed beating.

Knowing that there would be no serious consequences, Victor didn't think much of it and planned to return to free this student after class.

However, coincidentally, on that day, Copperpot was working in the lab with Victor. When he saw the ice sculpture as soon as he stepped outside, he remembered Savage's provocative attitude towards him and Alberto. Copperpot's cunning surpassed that of Schiller and Batman.

He simply called a few newspaper boys who often delivered to Gotham University and had them load the ice sculpture onto a truck used for transporting waste. The truck carrying Savage's ice sculpture left the scene, leaving behind the setting sun and the remnants of Savage's youth.

In the end, the truck unloaded its cargo at the landfill, and Savage was dumped along with various kitchen waste and foul-smelling dirty water into the pile of garbage.

At that moment, Savage hoped someone would free him, but at the same time, he hoped they wouldn't.

Unfortunately, Victor knew that he had a forgetful streak, and he didn't want to accidentally forget about a frozen student, which could lead to starvation. So, the Freeze Gun he used in school had a time limit. It could freeze for a maximum of four hours before automatically thawing.

Savage would never forget the sound of the ice sculpture shattering, which was louder than the footsteps of a savage beast, the fluttering Roman eagle flag, the thundering hooves of French cavalry, or the cry of an eagle on the vast grasslands.

And now, with the sound of the bat-shaped dart slicing through the air, Savage was reminded of that gruesome scene from that day, and his anger overwhelmed all reason. His roar echoed through the skies of Gotham:

"Batman!!!!"

Although Batman had no idea why Savage was angry, he stuck to his original plan. He pretended to be overpowered and led Savage out of his room, through the corridors of Sockworth Grand Hotel.

Their fight, with each of them trading blows, had turned the once elegant hotel into a complete mess. While the broken furnishings didn't matter much, the doors were smashed, and chandeliers came crashing down. Countless guests who were in the lobby at the time fled in terror.

Security personnel arrived promptly, but they were helpless against two melee warriors who were both formidable in their own right. Batman, an Omega radiation-infused individual, was not deterred by mere machine gun bullets.

As they continued to run and fight, the Sockworth Grand Hotel had suffered irreparable damage. However, the hotel had a well-equipped security force, and because of Savage's slow wound healing and susceptibility to infection, it had some deterrent effect on him.

After thinking it over, Savage decided to find another place to stay. His second choice was Wayne Hotel, but he didn't last a night there either.

The room he checked into seemed haunted, with the sound of running water from the faucet, creaking bed frames, buzzing from the ceiling, and occasional arguments from downstairs.

Savage wasn't afraid of ghosts, but he did need to sleep. Before the situation became uncontrollable, he had to leave.

After that, he stayed at several luxury hotels, but either Batman pursued him there, causing chaos, or there were inexplicable disturbances that prevented him from resting.

After three days, Savage realized that the city was against him. However, he had no intention of giving up. Throughout his long life, he had experienced countless failures, with the Battle of Waterloo being the most famous but not the last. He firmly believed that a great king would never fear failure and that he could still create a great empire with his own efforts.

Savage turned his attention to renting a place to stay. Short-term stays in hotels were no longer an option, but could he not rent a long-term residence for himself?

After careful consideration, Savage found an excellent location with a strategic advantage. This location was in the southern part of the East District, surrounded by several construction sites with heavy foot and vehicle traffic. It had complete commercial facilities, and if he could establish himself here, he would have a strong presence radiating throughout the entire East District.

As Savage's figure disappeared into an alley, a weathered mailbox behind him swayed in the wind, revealing a few handwritten letters: "Living Hell."

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

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 844: Foolish People with Deep Pockets, Hurry In! (Part 1)