Marvel: The Sole Player

Wayne Manor, the ancestral home passed down through generations of the Wayne family, is also the private residence of billionaire Bruce Wayne.

The manor is situated in the Gotham suburbs, wrapped in layers of dense woodland. A gravel driveway leads from the outer highway to the manor entrance, ending at two heavy wrought-iron carved gates.

Standing outside the gates, one can see the massive main building deep within.

Just like most buildings in Gotham, this mansion is in a classic Gothic style. Its overall tone is somber, looking just like a standard haunted house from a horror movie, making people always feel that something terrifying is hidden inside.

In fact, that feeling is not wrong.

This is Bat-man’s territory; his secret Base is hidden deep within the mansion.

To most criminals in Gotham, this area is basically equivalent to a maximum-difficulty death dungeon, where they might run into Gotham’s ultimate BOSS, that elusive Bat-man, at any time.

"This is the place."

Selina looked at the gloomy mansion, her eyes sparkling with an intense desire for wealth.

Bruce Wayne, the richest man in Gotham, possessor of money power, and a top-ranked billionaire in the entire U.S.—it was hard to imagine how many valuable treasures were hidden in his mansion.

Selina: =^￥ω￥^=

Darian asked, "Are you sure Bruce Wayne isn’t home?"

Selina patted her chest and nodded with certainty, "Of course. I’ve already scouted it out. He’s attending a charity gala tonight, which won’t end for at least three or four hours. By the time he returns, we’ll have long since made our getaway."

"Alright, let’s go in and take a look."

The walls of Wayne Manor were not low, but they were as good as non-existent to these two.

They easily scaled the several-meter-high wall, landing without making a single extra sound.

Selina lowered her voice, "Be careful. Wayne Manor’s security system is very advanced. Whatever you do, don’t trigger the alarm."

"Piece of cake."

Darian pulled out a hacker phone that hadn’t been used in a long time, his fingertips sliding quickly across the screen.

In just over ten seconds, a string of commands finished running. The flickering surveillance footage on the screen went out one by one, and the manor’s alarm trigger system was quietly severed.

He put away his phone and tilted his chin at Selina, "Done. I’ve turned off the manor’s security system. From now on, just act like you’re in your own home."

Selina was shocked, "That impressive?"

Darian waved his hand, feeling there was nothing to make a fuss about.

According to his investigations during this period, at this point in time, Earth was still calm, and supernatural events had basically not appeared yet.

The current Bat-man most likely hasn’t even seen an alien. His technology level is still within the realm of Earth. Not to mention the game items in Darian’s hands, even the alien hacker tools brought back from Marvel would only take a little time to crack this system.

Unlike other wealthy people’s manors, Wayne Manor covers a vast area, yet not a single bodyguard or servant could be seen along the way.

The two made their way to the main building and quickly locked onto a side window on the second floor.

Selina’s movements were agile. Using both hands and feet, she climbed to the windowsill in a few moves. She took out her tools and fiddled with them twice, silently prying open the window lock with quite professional technique.

Darian had it even easier. A strand of spider silk shot from his wrist, and with a swing, he landed steadily beside Selina.

The two pushed open the window and slipped inside.

This was a vacant guest room, extremely luxuriously decorated. Every piece of furniture looked expensive, filled with the aura of a tycoon.

Selina’s eyes were dazzled.

Even a guest room is this luxurious; other places must be incredible.

Darian looked around and said to Selina, "You go do your thing; I’ll wander around."

Selina couldn’t wait for him to say that. She crouched down and slipped out of the guest room, heading deeper into the mansion along the corridor.

Darian wasn’t lying; he really did walk out of the room to explore.

This mansion itself was a map teleport point. Since he was already here, he might as well activate it.

"This house is really big enough. I remember Bruce Wayne only has one butler, Alfred. How can one person manage such a large place?"

Darian seriously doubted if that Butler-man had some kind of superpower to be able to manage the entire manor alone and keep it spotless. This ability could practically be listed as one of the unsolved mysteries of DC.

He strolled through the house unhurriedly, as if he were in his own home.

With his footsteps, the lit-up area of the map expanded inch by inch, and the exploration progress continued to advance.

However, when Darian reached a long corridor, he suddenly stopped.

On the map interface, directly beneath the main house, there was a large black area that had not yet been lit up.

That wasn’t some ordinary underground storage room. Its area was a circle larger than the foundation of the entire main house, and its depth extended far beyond what a normal building structure should have.

Without even thinking, he knew that must be Bat-man’s lair, the famous Batcave.

Swoosh!

Darian was just wondering whether to go to the Batcave to check in and leave a "was here" message when a whistling sound suddenly came from the side.

His instinct was to reach out and grab it, but after seeing clearly what was flying toward him, he immediately changed from grabbing to dodging.

A bat-shaped dart streaked past him and nailed itself into the wall behind him.

Darian turned around and looked in the direction the Batarang had been fired from.

In the deep Shadow of the corridor, a blurry human silhouette slowly emerged, a pair of eyes locked onto him.

"Who are you?"

Darian said cheerfully, "Can’t you tell? I’m your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."

Bat-man:"..."

The other party had no reaction. Darian shrugged helplessly, "Well, it seems you haven’t read my comics. Actually, just like you, I’m a superhero who maintains World peace. We’re practically in the same line of work."

Bat-man’s voice was raspy and low, "Superheroes break into other people’s homes?"

Darian laughed, "Look at what you’re saying, as if you’ve never broken into anyone else’s home."

"..."

Bat-man wasn’t led astray and pressed again, "Why are you here? What exactly is your purpose?"

Darian made something up on the spot, "I suspected a thief had entered this place and came specifically to catch them..."

"Spider-guy! I’ve already succeeded! Hahaha, I stole so many treasures this time, we’re going to be rich!"

Selina suddenly appeared from the other end of the corridor, carrying a bulging bag, and shouted excitedly at Darian.

Darian:"...."

Bat-man:"..."

Darian’s expression changed, and he shouted righteously, "You little thief! To think you’d throw mud at me just to get away! Don’t even think about running!"

He lunged toward Selina in one stride, while the goggles on his face automatically slid open as he winked at her frantically.

Only then did Selina notice the dark human silhouette in the Shadow of the corridor. The smile on her face froze instantly. She gulped hard and decisively turned to run.

What a joke!

She was just a little newbie who had just created her character. To have her face off directly against Gotham’s ultimate BOSS—what was the difference between that and seeking death?

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Several whistling sounds came from behind.

Darian turned abruptly, his hands shooting out several strands of spider silk, accurately knocking down all the Batarangs in mid-air.

With his skills, he could have easily caught them to show off, but unfortunately, the person in front of him was Bat-man.

There is an unwritten iron law in the DC Universe.

That is, never catch anything Bat-man throws with your hands, because you can never guess what kind of heaven-defying thing it might be.

Superman is a living negative example. Relying on his body of steel, every time Bat-man throws a Kryptonite weapon, he catches it in his hand, and then gets caught every time, never learning his lesson.

"Catwoman, you go first. Let me play with this peer of ours."

Darian turned his head coolly, only to find that Selina had already disappeared.

Only a shout came from the distance, "Good luck, Spider-guy! I won’t hold you back!"

Darian:"....."

As expected, cats can never be tamed; dogs are more loyal.

Darian silently gave a point to the Paw Patrol in his heart, then turned back around to face the silent Shadow in the depths of the corridor.

Bat-man didn’t go after the fleeing Selina but instead walked slowly toward Darian.

With every step he took forward, a corridor light above his head would go out, ensuring that the light could only ever outline his silhouette without illuminating his features.

This was Bat-man’s most skilled fear tactic.

By constantly piling up a sense of pressure, he would imprint an indelible mark of fear in a criminal’s heart, making them never dare to commit a crime again.

In principle, it was similar to that Thunder Lord.

Seeing Bat-man approaching step by step, Darian suddenly snapped his fingers.

Click, click, click—!

All the lights in the entire long corridor instantly lit up.

Warm White light flooded every corner, illuminating Bat-man thoroughly from head to toe, leaving even that iconic butt-chin under his mask fully exposed, making him the brightest guy there.

"..."

Bat-man’s footsteps instantly froze.

His brain completed its analysis and judgment within a second: the opponent had not only cracked the manor’s security system but had also silently taken over the circuit control of the entire mansion.

Bat-man did not hesitate and threw a smoke bomb from his hand.

The next moment, thick White smoke instantly filled the entire long corridor.

Looking at Bat-man again, his figure had already disappeared into the smoke, his footsteps hidden, and even his breathing was so faint it was hard to detect.

Watching Bat-man go into hiding again, Darian complained, "Are you really that ashamed to be seen?"

Suddenly, a black arm broke through the smoke, attacking from behind him.

Buzz!

The Spider-Sense built into the Spider-suit instantly issued a warning.

Darian didn’t even turn his head; he simply tilted it to dodge the attack, then immediately bent down sharply to avoid a sweeping leg kick.

His movements were smooth and fluid. The moment he dodged the second strike, his left leg kicked backward in one motion.

Bat-man crossed his arms to block, but underestimated the power of this kick. He was carried by the impact and sent flying out of the corridor, crashing through the second-floor railing and falling toward the first-floor lobby.

As he fell, Bat-man suddenly spread his arms, his cape unfurling like bat wings, instantly neutralizing the downward force.

He pulled out a newly made grappling hook gun and fired it at a beam. The moment the hook bit in, he retracted the cable sharply, using the momentum to surge back up. His legs were pressed together like a cannonball as he kicked straight at Darian.

Darian raised a hand and shot two strands of spider silk at the ceiling, soaring into the air and sticking to the ceiling to avoid the strike.

He hung upside down from the ceiling, his wrists flicking repeatedly as he continuously shot spider webs at Bat-man.

Seeing this, Bat-man pulled his cape tight to wrap his entire body. In the blink of an eye, the White spider silk had wrapped him tightly, turning him into a human-shaped spider cocoon.

Darian flipped down from the ceiling. Upon closer inspection, the spider cocoon only contained a solitary Bat-man cape. A large hole had been smashed into the floor beneath, and Bat-man was nowhere to be seen.

"Sly Bat-boy."

Darian closed his eyes, and his Spider-Sense was activated at full power.

The next moment, he suddenly crouched down and punched through the floor.

Wood chips and brick fragments flew everywhere. His arm went through the hole, and his fingers accurately gripped the neck of the Bat-man hidden below, pulling him out in one go.

Darian smiled, "Underground tactics are all things I’ve already mastered."

Crackle!

A strong electric current erupted from all over Bat-man’s body, spreading along Darian’s arm to his entire body.

"Energy has increased by five percent," the artificial intelligence built into the Spider-suit reported in a timely manner.

"Not bad, it even comes with charging."

Darian chuckled and swung his arm, slamming Bat-man into the wall.

Bat-man let out a muffled groan, using the impact to roll and dissipate the force. The moment he landed, he threw several more smoke bombs, and the smoke screen quickly enveloped Darian.

Darian thought Bat-man was going to repeat the same old trick, but then he heard the voice of the artificial intelligence again.

"Toxic gas detected, it has been expelled from the suit."

"Hmph, as a superhero, you use nothing but these underhanded tricks. Can’t you be upright and open like me?"

Darian snorted coldly, expressing his disdain for Bat-man’s behavior.

He snapped his fingers, and the corridor’s ventilation vents immediately started up, the strong airflow drawing the smoke out.

Crash, crash—crash—!

The sound of breaking glass exploded in succession.

The indoor lights went out accordingly, and the entire corridor was instantly plunged into a patch of pure darkness.

Seeing that he couldn’t turn off the lights through the control system, Bat-man simply chose to turn them off manually and physically.

His figure completely merged into the darkness. This was his most familiar environment and his sharpest weapon.

Darian stood where he was, watching that black figure in the darkness moving stealthily on tiptoe, and blinked.

He had the King of the Shadow Order skill. To him, hiding in the shadows was even more conspicuous than hiding under the sun.

Unfortunately, Bat-man knew nothing about this.

With a flick of Bat-man’s wrist, two miniature devices slid silently from between his fingers, triggering simultaneously in mid-air.

One burst with high-frequency sound waves, and one exploded with a blindingly strong light.

The double interference was enough to make a well-trained special forces soldier instantly lose all combat senses.

However, the Spider-suit’s protective measures were very thorough. All kinds of interference were automatically shielded, and Darian was not affected in the slightest.

"Jie jie jie, you’re not quite up to it, Bat-boy."

Darian let out a series of friendly laughs, stepped forward, and threw a punch at the charging Bat-man.

Bat-man knew full well that this person’s strength far exceeded that of an ordinary person.

He didn’t choose to take it head-on. His entire body tilted and rolled at a nearly bizarre angle, just barely sliding past the edge of the fist’s wind.

Darian retracted his fist, and looking at Bat-man’s unscientific evasion trajectory, he couldn’t help but complain, "Is this really the physical fitness a human should have?"

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