Bai Ye was not interested in the situation at hand at all.
It was Bai Ye's doing in the first place, and he knew the condition of the office building far better than the reporters who had just arrived.
Bai Ye's current concern was whether Batman would appear, whether he would take off his mask and reveal his true face, and of course, whether the bomb would be defused.
"If Batman really takes off his mask..." Bai Ye grinned, drinking his coffee and mumbling, "Then I've stolen all the spotlight from the Joker this time."
As Bai Ye was thinking, the situation on the television screen descended into chaos. Police sirens blared, and then a large group of agents and a bomb disposal team headed towards the office building.
The reporters, like sharks smelling blood, rushed forward, eager for interviews, completely disregarding whether there were any victims inside the building.
In that instant, the reporters fully displayed the perversion of Gotham City.
The agents quickly pushed the reporters aside, escorting the bomb disposal team into the building. Unable to get interviews, the reporters began to fabricate stories and make their own conjectures. As long as they could attract attention, they didn't care about the truth; at most, they would apologize afterward.
After all, they were known as the uncrowned kings.
Bai Ye watched with great interest, glued to the television news.
Unfortunately...
Bai Ye did not earn any sin points.
This was because Batman did not appear, and the bomb did not detonate.
After half an hour of effort, the birthday gift Bai Ye had prepared for Miss Rachel was finally defused.
The bomb itself wasn't a high-end device, so its defusal wasn't too surprising. Bai Ye's intention was to cause trouble for Batman, or perhaps to retaliate slightly for Batman meddling in his affairs.
However, what Bai Ye did not expect was that Batman did not show up.
The person who appeared beside Miss Rachel was a man named Harvey Dent, the prosecutor of Gotham City. He was upright, incorruptible, and deeply loved by the people. While Batman was known as the Dark Knight by the people of Gotham, Harvey was called the White Knight.
Batman and Harvey represented the light and dark of Gotham City.
But what was interesting was that these two were allies. Harvey was not as resistant to Batman's existence as Commissioner Gordon. Harvey believed that to defeat the evil forces of Gotham and protect the city's order, certain violent means were necessary, and Batman's presence perfectly filled that void.
What was even more interesting was...
According to Bai Ye's memories from his past life, both of these fellows seemed to be fond of that Miss Rachel. Therefore, they were not only allies but also rivals in love.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Bai Ye chuckled. "To refuse to compromise, they'd even push their own girlfriend towards their love rival? As expected, if you want life to go smoothly, you have to wear a green hat at some point."
As Bai Ye spoke, he looked around.
The once lively coffee shop was now deserted. Not only were the customers gone, but even the staff who should have been working behind the counter had vanished.
The next moment, the coffee shop door opened, and the bell hanging on it chimed crisply.
A man wearing a black jacket walked into the coffee shop and sat in front of Bai Ye.
The man smiled and said, "Bai Ye? Is that right?"
Bai Ye raised an eyebrow and asked, "What business do you have with me?"
"I originally came for order points. As a ranked individual, taking you down would not only earn me basic order points but also an extra 100 points. Now, I have to add revenge, as you killed my cubs."
Bai Ye asked, "Those three guys who didn't know any better, were they yours?"
"Yes, they called me 'Old Man,' and I promised to look after them in the world arena," the man said. "But now you've killed them."
The man spoke with a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"Of course, it's not your fault, but mine. I was delayed and couldn't get there in time, which led to their unfortunate demise." The man looked at Bai Ye. "But since it's happened, all I can do is avenge them."
Bai Ye shook his head. "No, there's something else you can do for them."
The man asked, "What else can I do for them?"
Bai Ye replied, "For instance, you can go to hell and keep them company."
Instead of being angered by Bai Ye's provocation, the man actually burst into laughter.
"I think that sounds like a good plan," the man said with a smile. "So, either you kill me, allowing me to go and apologize to them, or I kill you, to avenge them!"
After the man finished speaking, the coffee shop fell silent.
Neither of them spoke, their eyes locked on each other.
Then...
The man was the first to break the silence. He suddenly grabbed the edge of the table and, with a heave, flipped it over, sending it crashing towards Bai Ye.
Bai Ye pushed off with his legs, sliding backward with the chair, then jumped up and swept his foot at the table, kicking it away.
They were now separated by two or three meters. Bai Ye silently took out the Predator's bio-mask and put it on.
Biometric scan activated...
Biometric scan completed...
Claude Leake (Chosen One) (Health Status): Chosen One from an异能 (supernatural ability) world. Former Rear Admiral in the Marine Headquarters. User of the Silver Wolf Fruit ability.
Strength: 80
Speed: 70
Stamina: 77
Spirit: ??
Intelligence: ??
Weakness Search: Seawater and Seastone
Possessed Items (Incomplete): Steel Fists (Weapon), Burst Revolver (Weapon), Silver Bell Flower (Magic Treasure)
Abilities (Incomplete): Six Powers - Soru (Martial Art), Six Powers - Tekkai (Martial Art), Six Powers - Rankyaku (Martial Art), Silver Wolf Fruit (Supernatural Ability), Stardust Bomb (Magic), Thorn Fire Ring (Magic)
...
Claude's data quickly appeared on the mask. At that very moment...
Claude's figure flickered, and he suddenly vanished. When he reappeared, he was behind Bai Ye, raising his fist to strike.
However, just as his fist was about to hit Bai Ye's head...
As if a copy-paste, Bai Ye's figure suddenly disappeared, leaving an afterimage in his place, and reappeared where Claude had been standing.
*Boom!*
Claude's punch missed, hitting the floor directly and shattering the wooden planks.
Claude frowned and looked up at Bai Ye. "Why do you also know Soru? Are you from the same world as me? Are you from CP9? Or did you learn this move in the world arena?"
Bai Ye shrugged. "Guess?"
Claude shook his head. "It's my mistake to ask these questions; they're meaningless. No matter the answer, only one of us can walk away alive!"
...