LRAB Chapter 581: We Are Alike (3)
Chapter 581: We Are Alike (3)
chapter 581: we are alike (3)
in the laboratories of gotham university, the standoff continued, with lex gaining the upper hand. his advantage was overwhelming.
joker focused on batman's susceptibility to mental attacks, while the task of delivering physical blows was left to freeze's technology. lex's intelligence seamlessly coordinated both, resulting in a flawless tactical collaboration. at this moment, batman found himself in dire straits.
with a wave of lex's hand, the pervasive icy mist slowed batman's movements. his attempts at evasion were only slightly delayed, and in a moment, an ice shard grazed his waist, slicing through his bat-armor and leaving a gaping wound.
the maniacal laughter filled batman's head, and the extremely low temperatures slowed his thoughts.
to dodge the ice shard, batman shifted his body to the side but lost his balance due to the slippery ground. he stumbled, colliding with a desk and emitting a low groan of pain.
"batman! hahaha! batman! is this really you? who's defenseless now? who's suffering defeat after defeat? do you think you can save gotham like this? what a colossal joke! hahaha!"
lex launched verbal attacks alongside physical ones. while he may not have been as mad as the joker, his physical prowess far exceeded jack's, making batman's situation even more desperate.
batman's tactics against the joker were primarily tailored to deal with a joker like jack, one who excelled in mental attacks but lacked physical strength. this led to a lack of adequate defenses against opponents with physical armor-piercing attacks, leaving him with no option but to dodge.
what went unnoticed was a small figure that had been in the laboratory but had now vanished. copperpot had slipped away quietly, though not for his own survival.
as batman expended more energy trying to evade the frigid mist, he reached a point where he could no longer continue. he revealed a vulnerability, slipping and falling to the ground with a thud, while lex, in a frenzy, raised the ice shard.
suddenly, the laboratory door swung open with a pair of loud bangs. both combatants were caught off guard and were frozen in place.
victor, with a dark expression on his face, appeared at the door, glaring at the chaotic state of the laboratory. he was furious from the core.
no researcher could allow their laboratory to descend into such chaos. to victor, the presence of batman, the joker, or even lex was inconsequential.
at that moment, his focus was solely on the two troublesome students who had turned their teacher's experimental space into a disaster zone. they not only lacked discipline but also failed to respect their instructor.
victor took a deep breath, trying to calm his desire to harm someone, and then walked over to the two frozen figures at the center.
first, he glanced to his left, where batman remained sprawled on the ground, resembling a campus bullying victim. then, he turned his gaze to the right, where lex, though slim, held the ice shard menacingly.
with his arms crossed, victor stood between them and said, "could someone please explain to me what, exactly, is happening here?"
"you! what's your name? lex, right? on your very first day in my laboratory, you dare to wreak havoc to this extent. and you have another four years to spend here!"
"my goodness, i should really look up your parents' phone numbers in the directory and have them withdraw you from the university immediately!"
"and you, bruce..."
as victor began to address batman, the dark knight's mouth moved slightly, indicating that he wanted to be called "batman."
"all right, batman, if that's what you prefer to be called." victor understood batman's intent and continued, "but let me remind you that no matter what you call yourself, you are a student of gotham university. you are expected to abide by the rules, and fighting or causing disturbances on campus is a fundamental lack of respect!"
with that said, he turned his head to lex and inquired, "what exactly were you planning by wielding that thing? do you think bullying is acceptable here? you're just a freshman, and you're already involved in such behavior. if copperpot hadn't come to fetch me, what else did you intend to do? endanger lives in here?"
meanwhile, copperpot, who had gone to inform victor, sat in a nearby chair, gleefully observing the two students receiving their reprimand. he wore an unusually happy smile.
"listen carefully, both of you. tomorrow... no, right now! i am going to call the academic affairs office and have them register disciplinary actions against you. don't even think about talking back to me!"
"oh, there's one more person here. isn't this thomas? previously, you orchestrated a murder case, leading to your own imprisonment. what's this? are you here to extend your sentence?"
as victor spoke, a knock came at the door. he turned to see copperpot standing up to answer it. schiller stood outside the door.
schiller nodded at copperpot and then entered the laboratory. upon seeing the two frozen figures within, he appeared perplexed and asked, "what's going on here? why is it so chaotic?"
during her struggle to resist taichi's control, angel experienced numerous hallucinations. in her efforts not to harm her friends, she ended up injuring herself while en route to committing murder.
and so, three cases that closely resembled serial murders unfolded.
lex wanted to borrow victor's laboratory for his experiments due to a project assigned by schiller. however, thomas, fearing for belenna's safety after learning of threats against her, escaped custody in haste and rushed to the experimental building where belenna often worked, coincidentally running into lex.
batman, who had been chasing thomas, unintentionally ruptured the storage container for the freezing material, turning lex into a three-in-one adversary. the two engaged in a fierce fight, causing extensive damage to the entire laboratory.
copperpot, who had come here with the intention of killing lex, couldn't simply stand by and watch. he opted for the most efficient solution: informing the teachers.
he located victor, who was sleeping in his dorm room, and summoned him to the scene. victor, a seasoned freeze, quickly froze both lex and batman.
schiller, having just finished digging pits for hugo and taichi, hoped to enlist victor's help or, more accurately, save a front-row seat for his good friend victor. he planned to enjoy the show together.
however, when schiller tried to call victor's dorm room, he found out that victor had been summoned by copperpot, and the call couldn't get through.
knowing victor's schedule well, schiller figured he must be in the laboratory and decided to join them.
in this manner, they all gathered together.
after recounting these events, everyone fell into a speechless silence. schiller sighed and, in a disappointed tone, addressed batman, "bruce, how many times have i told you, does daily combat training lead anywhere? did you win against him?"
batman stood silently in place, adopting a stern posture, and said, "call me batman."
schiller turned his head to look at lex and said, "and you, do you intend to train yourself to superman's level just to throw punches at him?"
"are your two supposedly brilliant minds no longer functioning?" schiller surveyed the wreckage-filled laboratory.
batman glanced up at the ceiling's patterns, while lex looked down to admire the cracks in the floor.
"neither of you passed this assignment!" schiller's final words finally broke through their psychological defenses. "your final grades reflect it as well!"
both lex and batman turned to schiller. schiller continued, "disregarding school rules, causing such a big mess, and having such poor grades – you're just one step away from expulsion, do you understand?"
hearing this, batman and lex unexpectedly breathed a sigh of relief. lex looked at schiller and said, "professor, i'm truly sorry, but i'm more than willing to make amends. i'll donate an entire laboratory building... oh no, two state-of-the-art laboratory buildings, complete with all the equipment and necessary research materials for ten years..."
batman interjected, "energy systems and lighting systems, permanently."
"do you think this can sway me?" schiller's expression remained unchanged as he said, "even if this sorts out your mess, what about your grades?"
after a brief pause, schiller continued, "your fists have had enough exercise. now it's time to test your brilliant minds to ensure they haven't rusted."
"batman, later on, one of the culprits behind this mess will come to you in your dream. i assume i don't need to instruct you on what to do, right?"
"additionally..." schiller looked into batman's eyes and said, "another person participating in this exam is named clark. i believe you wouldn't want to lose to him."
batman immediately narrowed his eyes, his mouth turning downward, displaying that classic expression.
after batman departed, lex looked at schiller and inquired, "professor, what about me? what am i being tested on? i believe i can handle being clark's opponent..."
schiller, who was walking forward, halted in his tracks, turned around, looked into lex's eyes, and said, "lex luthor, we are alike..."
"so, your opponent is me."
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