"My friend, what brings you here today?"
Liu A'dou didn't waste words. Acting according to Bruce's personality, Bruce wouldn't bother with small talk, so he got straight to the point. "I heard you got your hands on a vial of alien liquid, so I came to have a look."
He had never heard of Bruce having any interest in collectibles. Wasn't he always just into luxury cars and beautiful women? The rich man was puzzled.
"I'm just curious. I've seen plenty of good stuff, but I've never seen anything alien before. I wonder if I can take a look?"
"Sure, but you'll need to wait a bit. I have to entertain another guest first. You can wait in the guest room," the rich man said.
"?" Liu A'dou didn't know what the rich man was planning, but he figured he couldn't push too hard. "Of course, I just hope there's something to eat. That workout this afternoon really drained me, I'm starving." He gave a cheeky grin as he spoke.
The rich man thought to himself, how did the Wayne family end up with such a playboy? But this request wasn't a big deal. He let Bruce go to the guest room and even had food prepared for him.
The rich man still had to wait for a guest even more important than Bruce, though this guest made him a bit nervous. Because this one wasn't an ordinary person.
The guest arrived right on time at the door.
Liu A'dou heard the screech of brakes outside. Judging by the sound, it was a big vehicle. Then he heard several footsteps. He thought to himself, this guest of the rich man's is definitely no easy mark. But the virus was more important, so Liu A'dou didn't want any trouble. He forced himself not to be curious and stayed put.
The rich man took his guest straight to the study. "Bane, here's what you needed."
Bane took the envelope and a satisfied look flashed in his eyes. "You've done well."
"It's my duty," the rich man said humbly. "With this, you'll be able to access the stock exchange network. After that, all those numbers in the virtual world will be yours to control."
"You'll get your share once it's done. I've never gone back on my word. So get ready to double your fortune," Bane said.
The rich man was happy inside, but didn't show it on his face.
Bane put away the stuff, then suddenly asked, "You seem to have another guest tonight."
"It's Bruce Wayne. Who knows what's gotten into him, suddenly showing up to check out my collection," the rich man said casually.
"Bruce?" Bane smiled. "Mind if I take a look at your collection?"
"Of course not, just a moment." The rich man didn't dare hesitate. He took a test tube from the safe in his study. "This is it. It's liquid that fell from space. I think it's a kind of liquid gem."
The test tube was barely the length of Bane's middle finger in his massive hand, showing just how huge Bane was. He gently shook the liquid inside, thinking about what it could be. If it caught Batman's attention, it definitely wasn't something ordinary. "Can I take this and keep it safe?"
"Sure." Compared to doubling his assets, this little collectible was nothing.
"Thank you." Bane was surprisingly polite, but the rich man knew that was only because he obeyed. If he went against Bane, he'd be dead and buried.
Bane left, but before he did, he glanced back at the mansion. He really wanted to face off with Batman, but now wasn't the time. He wasn't ready yet. Bane wanted Batman utterly crushed, so he'd lie in wait like a venomous snake, and when the time came, he'd strike hard—giving Batman no chance to fight back. He just had to wait, a little longer. "Batman, we'll meet very soon."
Inside the mansion, Bruce looked at the rich man, only to hear him say, "Sorry, Bruce, that item has already been given away. Come back next time when I have something new."
Damn, Liu A'dou was speechless. Could this guy be any less trustworthy?
There was no time for polite goodbyes. Liu A'dou rushed out. "Ada, we've got a problem. Did you see a car just leave?"
"Yeah, it just went by!"
"I'm on it!" Liu A'dou jumped into the car and shot off.
"He must be really pissed," the rich man muttered, watching the tail lights, but didn't care much. That playboy was always throwing tantrums.
How could this happen? The plan was perfect, and now it's all messed up—totally ruined his fun. "Ada, which way are they headed?"
"Still west," Ada was tracking them.
"I see you!!" Liu A'dou quickly caught up to the red car, then looked at the jeep ahead. That had to be the guest from earlier.
"No choice now, guess we're doing this for real." He slammed the gas, aiming to cut off the jeep.
Vroooom—his roaring engine tore through the night.
Bane had already noticed he was being followed. Damn persistent "Batman." But the more this happened, the more Bane was sure what was in the vial was something valuable.
"Keep going, don't stop. It's not time for war yet." Bane stayed calm, never ruled by impulse. As much as he wanted to fight Batman, for the sake of the bigger plan, he had to hold back.
But how could a jeep outrun a sports car? The gap was closing fast.
Bane had his way though. He leaned out of the car, a rocket launcher resting on his shoulder. "Let me greet you properly."
Liu A'dou saw someone leaning out from the jeep—oh no, wasn't that Bane? In a flash, the rocket fired. The already short distance disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Liu A'dou could practically touch the flaming tail of the rocket. "I'm just a thief, damn it!"
No time to dodge, and jumping out was suicide at over 100 mph with traffic all around—he'd be crushed. His only option was to jerk the wheel hard, hoping the rear of the car would take the blast.
He yanked the wheel, but the car felt like it was stuck in glue, turning painfully slow.
The rocket was almost on him. Liu A'dou's body tensed. Lights flashed before his eyes, and a deafening blast filled his ears.
The sports car took the hit, flipped once through the air, and crashed down.
His head was spinning, vision blurry, limbs still intact, just a bit of ringing in his ears. Someone seemed to be calling him, but he couldn't hear clearly. Then, someone pulled him out of the wreck.
Heat from the flames washed over his face.
"Thanks," Liu A'dou muttered, dazed. He knew it was Ada who'd rammed his car at the last second, helping him spin the car around to take the rocket in the rear.
The sports car he picked had a rear engine, which helped absorb the explosion's force—otherwise, he'd be in critical shape.
"No need to thank me. Who were those guys?" Ada asked. First time she'd seen someone so bold, firing a rocket in the middle of the city.
Liu A'dou gave a wry smile. "Troublesome folks. Now that they have the virus, we're in big trouble."
"We have to get it back," Ada said firmly.
Liu A'dou shook his head, clearing the fog, getting his focus back. "I know where to find them. We'll get that virus back, no matter what."