The sound of shattering glass echoed through the President's office, shocking everyone present.
Even Stark and Thor had never imagined that someone could appear before them in such a manner.
The surrounding agents reacted swiftly, raising their guns toward Bruce in an instant.
But not a single one dared to pull the trigger.
Because at that moment, the President had a Batarang pressed against his neck, held firmly by Bruce.
"If there's some kind of misunderstanding between us, I believe we can talk things through," the President said, displaying remarkable composure even in such a dire situation.
Of course, in American politics, such composure was essential—otherwise, how could he have reached the position of Secretary of Energy, even if his presence in the Cabinet was virtually nonexistent?
"What do you want?!" Carol couldn't fathom how the Bat had managed to follow them all this way.
"When exactly do you plan on dealing with all this chaos?" Bruce demanded, stepping down from the President's desk. However, his hand, still holding the Batarang against the President's throat, did not waver in the slightest.
"You must understand, some places are beyond our ability to handle," the President said. He had never expected that Batman would hold a blade to his throat over such an issue.
"And yet, the places under your direct governance—you haven't managed to control those either."
"You need to understand, we simply don't have enough manpower…" The President spread his hands, adopting an air of helpless indifference—perhaps even outright resignation.
"But you have the manpower to hunt down the Ultimate Alliance. You have the manpower to hunt down superheroes. And now you're telling me you don't have the manpower to quell the real chaos?!" Even through the voice modulator, the sheer anger in Bruce's voice was unmistakable.
In his mind, Thomas remained silent.
He knew this was something Bruce could never accept.
The reason Bruce had refused the android's invitation before was simple—he knew his limits. He wasn't capable of saving the world as they claimed.
Just managing Gotham City alone had already consumed all his strength.
Even though Bruce might appear no different from the others, in reality, there was still a gap between them.
At the very least, Bruce had never endured as many heartbreaking losses.
Nor had he ever faced situations where he was utterly powerless.
Thomas, existing within Bruce's mind, couldn't fully understand what Bruce was thinking—but he could sense his emotions.
That boy had buried all his emotions beneath his relentless logic.
But suppressing emotions like that would only lead to an inevitable, explosive backlash.
Still, Thomas saw this as a good thing. At least Bruce wasn't just a cold, unfeeling Batman—he was still a person, a boy who felt things deeply.
If Thomas was concerned about Bruce's mental state, then the Red Death, on the other hand, was absolutely thrilled.
He wanted to see the Bat break. He wanted to see Bruce finally unleash everything.
So much so that Bruce would set him free from this damned prison.
"No, no, no, no, no!"
Meanwhile, another voice in Bruce's mind—Barry Allen—was frantically trying to stop him. He didn't want to witness another Batman spiraling into reckless bloodshed.
Carol and Stark were both utterly dumbfounded by the scene unfolding before them, while Thor simply stood to the side, watching silently.
"Let's talk this through. Everything can be resolved through discussion, alright?" Stark tried to persuade Bruce to put down the president so they could have a proper conversation.
"We are here to restore order, but the problem is—not right now. We should at least eliminate the threats to the city first." The president seemed to be using these words to calm down the man in front of him, who looked like a madman.
But anyone with half a brain could tell that the president's words were nothing more than empty rhetoric.
"Looks like I had too much hope for you all." Bruce moved his Batarang away from the president's throat.
But in the next moment, he grabbed the president's hair and slammed his head hard against the desk.
"AHHH!!!"
The sharp pain of his fractured nasal bone was unbearable, and the president let out a pained wail.
Everyone around had assumed Bruce wouldn't take things further, but Batman proved them wrong once again.
"What th—" Stark was certain he was seeing things. Otherwise, why would he be witnessing Batman treating the President of the United States so brutally?
"Hurts, doesn't it? The people outside are going through far worse." Bruce yanked the president's hair, bringing his face closer, and whispered in his ear.
"You are now threatening and endangering the President of the United States. We have the authority to take you down!" Carol shouted at Bruce.
"Let him go now, and we can forget this ever happened." She was genuinely terrified of what Bruce might do next, especially after seeing the president's clearly broken nose.
Batman said nothing. He merely tightened his grip on the president's hair, forcing him to tilt his head back and meet his gaze.
"Now, tell me your choice."
Bruce hadn't explicitly stated what the choice was, but everyone in the room knew.
Blood started flowing backward, choking the president's throat. For the second time, he felt the terror of impending death.
The first time was when an antimatter bomb attack nearly wiped out Washington, and he had barely survived.
"If I agree to your demands, then what authority does America have left? Should the presidency be handed over to masked freaks like you?"
Even with blood covering his entire face, the president remained stubborn as he spoke to Batman.
"Bruce, listen to me. If we resolve the city's crisis first, everything else will fall into place." Stark interjected.
"And what about those who have already died? Will you take responsibility for them?"
When Batman's piercing gaze fell on Stark, even after all he had been through, Stark couldn't help but shudder.
"Don't worry, Mr. President. I'll let you carry out Stark's plan. But if the chaos isn't settled afterward, I have a feeling you'll enjoy life in the war zone."
Then, without warning, Batman pressed a button.
In the Batcave, Jessica had been closely monitoring Bruce's instructions. The moment he signaled, she sprang into action.
The Batmobile roared to life.
Batman fired his grappling gun and vanished from the president's office.
As soon as the president was freed from Batman's grasp, the agents in the room immediately opened fire on him.
But of course, none of them could land a hit.
All they could do was watch as Batman sped off in his Batmobile, disappearing from sight.
(End of Chapter)
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