Ripple (Hamon), a power that grants its wielder superior physical strength, extraordinary healing, and powerful combat ability. And because Ripple energy is akin to sunlight, it's especially lethal against vampires.
Zombies weren't vampires, but they were still vulnerable to Ripple. "Ripple Overdrive—" Liu A'dou's white gloves, made of pure wool, were excellent conductors of Ripple energy.
Golden arcs of electricity sparked from his gloves as he charged forward. A single punch hit a zombie's skull.
Ripple energy surged with intense heat, instantly turning the zombie's head into a swollen balloon that burst with a loud pop. His feet didn't stop, nor did his fists. He spun through the crowd like a deadly top, tearing through the zombie horde.
Ripple Overdrive was the most basic form of Ripple energy flow. By using a special breathing technique, oxygen in the bloodstream generated Ripple energy, which circulated through the whole body, charging every cell. As long as breathing remained steady, the energy wouldn't stop. It was a legendary technique praised by Tibetan monks as the way of the immortals.
Now, Liu A'dou was unleashing Ripple to slaughter the zombies.
"Do I really have some kind of cursed fate with these disgusting things?" Ada Wong, waiting in the sewer, had also been spotted by zombies, and couldn't help but complain.
But Ada was no stranger to chaos. She didn't hesitate for a second. From her waist, she pulled out her grappling gun.
Raising her delicate hand, the cable snapped out and wrapped around a zombie's knee. Her high heels tapped rhythmically as she leapt gracefully, flipping over the zombie's head.
With a perfect landing, she twisted her wrist, yanking the zombie off its feet.
She spun around, her steps quick and precise. In a single motion, she drew her handgun from behind her waist and fired three shots into the struggling zombie's skull.
In just a few seconds, Ada displayed her deadly skills with flawless finesse. She was born from battles like this, but her lethal moves never took away from her beauty. Only someone like her could make killing zombies look so elegant.
With the handgun in hand, Ada glanced at the remaining zombies, smiling slightly. Her refined features looked almost unreal, like a painting. She flicked the gun and a bullet tore through a zombie's forehead, shredding its brain, and bursting out the back.
One above, one below—one in red, one in white. The two of them fought in their own unique ways, slaying zombies with ease. If anyone from Ada's old world, constantly hunted by zombies, had seen this, they'd die of envy. After all, these were zombies—monsters that could infect with a single bite.
Soon, the two regrouped.
"What happened?" Ada asked.
"It was that lunatic Bane. He made one of his men drink half the virus. This is what we got." Liu A'dou kept it brief. "Do you think these zombies can infect rats?"
"No. Look at their bodies. Once their brains are destroyed, they turn to ash. There's no lingering infection." Liu A'dou looked and saw that, indeed, the zombies were shriveling up and crumbling into black ash.
He let out a breath. At least they didn't have to worry about zombie corpses spreading it further.
"There shouldn't be any left." Liu A'dou listened closely. The space around them was silent now. "Bane escaped. I have no clue where he's hiding this time."
"That guy's a maniac. The virus can't stay in his hands," Ada said, her face tense. She wasn't blaming Liu A'dou, just shocked by how chaotic this city really was. "There are way more crazy people in this world than I thought."
Seeing the tone of Ada's comment, Liu A'dou couldn't help but say, "Gotham City's already not bad. You haven't been to New York yet—that place is chaos on another level." But now wasn't the time for small talk. "Let's go, see if we can find Bane."
As they came out of the sewer, a ray of sunlight was just breaking over the horizon. The two of them got into the red Jaguar and headed toward the coastal warehouse. Liu A'dou was going to have to use the "Eye of God" again. No choice—criminals in this city were just too good at hiding. And the virus was too dangerous. One slip could mean disaster, so there was no time to waste.
"I didn't expect you to have another hideout in the city," Ada said. She thought this place was much better than the previous secret room.
They drove the car straight into the warehouse and shut the rolling gate. Liu A'dou activated the "Eye of God." "Go rest upstairs, finding someone with this thing takes time." Even though the software had improved, Liu A'dou's hardware still wasn't on Batman's level. He still had to rely on his ears for analysis.
Ada walked up to the second floor of the warehouse. It was more of a loft platform, really, with a window looking out to the sea.
Sunlight squeezed through the window, shining onto a military cot Liu A'dou had set up earlier. Next to it was a bottle of mineral water. When things got too exhausting, Liu A'dou would rest here. Then Ada noticed a blue file folder on the bedside table and, curious, started to flip through it.
Inside were design schematics—for a small aircraft. Ada only knew a bit about mechanics, but she could tell the design was advanced, especially the engine section. This tiny, intricate turbine engine was something she'd never seen before. If the design could be realized, the entire aircraft would be under three meters in length.
But at the end of the plans was a list of design issues, with the biggest question mark on the battery problem.
Ada picked up two blue cubes next to the folder, each bearing the Wayne Enterprises logo. Small text described them as high-energy batteries. These two cells were salvaged from the particle disintegration gun Liu A'dou had taken from Penguin's factory. But sadly, they still weren't enough to power a flying machine.
In this world, Gotham's Wayne Enterprises focused on new energy and communication tech, along with wide investments in research institutes. These investments didn't always return profits, but to stay ahead globally, they were essential.
Meanwhile, Stark Industries in New York specialized in military tech. Many of their projects were joint ventures with national defense forces, letting them rake in public funding. Stark's main clients were governments and wealthy warlords worldwide.
The contrast between the two was clear—one focused on consumer goods, the other on military gear; one funded external research, the other developed everything in-house.
Batman's gadgets were mostly selected from various research institutes and modified himself, while Iron Man built everything from scratch. This gave Batman more time to analyze criminal cases, since others were handling his gear. Iron Man, though, spent his free time obsessing over suit designs, crafting different models for different enemies—all by himself.
These two rich guys had chosen different paths. As for Liu A'dou, all he could do was envy. With no money, all he had were sketches. With no funds, all he could make were designs.
Walking the path of "poor tech" left only one option—crime. How many scientists had been pushed into crime because of lack of funding? Like Green Goblin in Spider-Man, or Mr. Freeze, who only wanted to save his wife. Liu A'dou was already on that path, so he could have fully embraced the tech route, but he just had to be a busybody. So tech could only take him halfway. Luckily, he had his "plugin"—the other half could be covered with cultivation and training.