"The Lizard's current physical strength is estimated to be between eighty and ninety tons."
Batman was perched on the Lizard's back. Although he wasn't bearing the brunt of the creature's stomping and charging himself, the specific combat performance and the reciprocal forces transmitted from the ground through the Lizard's body were being calculated by the Arkham Suit.
"Before heading to the Baxter Building, I instructed the Hulk to restrain his strength as much as possible to avoid destroying too much of the building's structure."
Batman's caution was natural; he feared that if the Hulk truly unleashed his power, a strength with no known upper limit might bring the entire Baxter Building crashing down. While the Lizard's current combat prowess was approaching the Hulk's baseline, Batman could already judge that the Hulk's strength far exceeded the eighty-ton mark.
"Biological strength is often limited by the structural integrity of one's own muscles, bones, and blood vessels, as 'strength' itself is the result of various bodily tissues working in tandem."
"When I arrived at South Brother Island, the Lizard was in a conflict with the Hulk. I noticed that the Lizard's claws, which could easily slice through the walls of the Baxter Building, failed to leave so much as a scar on the Hulk's skin."
"Based on this performance, the Hulk's strength likely exceeds five hundred tons—perhaps by a significant margin."
"Whether from General Ross's records of previous attempts to capture the Hulk or my own communications with Dr. Banner, everything indicates that the Hulk's strength increases in direct proportion to his rage."
"This surge in power also causes the Hulk's physical durability to skyrocket. My current arsenal might not even be capable of breaking his skin."
Batman remained seated on the Lizard's back, allowing the creature to crush and tear through the dinosaurs ridden by the primitives. He only intervened briefly when the Lizard attempted to bite the head off one of the tribesmen.
His eyes were busy scanning for any traces left behind by the young girl, Lunella, while his ears worked to filter out the surrounding war cries, screams, and bestial roars. Simultaneously, Batman's mind raced, calculating how he would handle a situation where the Hulk lost control in the future.
"The previous 'Project Battering Ram' designed for the Hulk needs a total overhaul. That plan could contain monsters like the Gamma Green Goblin or the Abomination, but the Hulk would likely tear through it like paper."
"I don't just need a serum that can forcibly revert the Hulk back into Dr. Banner; I need a combat force sufficient to withstand him if he ever goes rogue."
"Once Lunella is rescued, I might try to infiltrate Pym Technologies. They may have Pym Particles related to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s 'Project Goliath' that I can put to use."
As he finalized his next move, the Lizard beneath him finished uprooting the group of primitives and dinosaurs surrounding them. Massive, bloody dinosaur carcasses were piled around the yellow-green vortex portal, the thick, metallic stench of blood tingeing the Lizard's golden slit pupils with a predatory red.
"I smell the girl, Batman," the Lizard rasped, his voice a low growl. "Her scent is coming from the same direction as that irritating noise."
Batman nodded. Even as he planned for the future, he had been meticulously gathering clues, reaching the same conclusion as the Lizard:
"To the left, approximately five kilometers from here."
There were no footprints from Lunella on the ground, and Batman couldn't communicate with the primitives. He relied on olfactory analysis, detecting the lingering scent of modern life—such as soap—that Lunella carried.
The Lizard's method was more primal and sophisticated; he tracked the various signaling chemicals released by human tension. Pheromones of fear.
"Hold on," the Lizard growled. The moment Batman leaned forward to steady himself against the creature's dorsal fins, the Lizard launched himself.
They covered the five kilometers in less than a minute at the Lizard's full sprint.
Unlike the area near the vortex, which was thick with vegetation, this was a clearing adjacent to a massive rock formation. Batman immediately spotted the girl, Lunella. Her clothes were stained crimson with what appeared to be dinosaur blood, and she was currently being shielded by a dinosaur huddled over her.
It was a massive beast, nearly fifteen meters long—the only Tyrannosaurus Rex Batman had seen since arriving from the Baxter Building. However, this T-Rex was slumped motionless on the ground, teetering on the brink of death.
A ring of raging fire surrounded Lunella and the Rex, the crimson tongues of flame nearly licking against them.
No—Batman saw it clearly. Because of the T-Rex's immense size, the fire had already begun to scorch its body, turning its olive-green skin a searing, angry red, making it look like a demon crawled out of hell. Scattered on the ground around the ring of fire were charred or bleached human bones. Clearly, a group of primitives had already been cast into the flames to be turned into ash... or cooked meat.
Unlike Batman, the Lizard's first instinct wasn't to look at Lunella, but at the primitives surrounding the bonfire. More specifically, he looked at the pack of dinosaurs behind them, centered around a super-predator that far exceeded the size of any terrestrial carnivore from Earth's history.
It was a monster over twenty meters long, standing on its hind legs with its head towering more than eight meters above the ground. Its silhouette was similar to the T-Rex currently burning in the circle, but its hide was a dusty yellow rather than olive green.
Atop its head sat a pair of spiraling horns pointing forward and upward. It was from these horns that a continuous stream of infrasound was being emitted—the very noise that the Lizard found so unbearable.
The arrival of Batman and the Lizard drew the attention of everyone present. While the dying, red T-Rex in the fire managed a weak glance, every primitive and dinosaur outside the circle turned their gaze toward the newcomers.
The gaze of the giant, horned Rex carried a regal majesty, as if it possessed true intelligence. It seemed to be using the infrasound to suppress the burning red Rex while simultaneously commanding the other dinosaurs to encircle Batman and the Lizard.
"Can you communicate with it?" Batman asked the Lizard in a low voice.
"No." The Lizard's golden pupils were locked onto the giant Rex. "And its presence is suppressing my abilities. I can't take control of the other dinosaurs."
Batman gave a slight nod. During the suppression of Norman Osborn on Bat Island, the Lizard had demonstrated the ability to control reptiles via pheromones. But today, faced with a pack of dinosaurs, the Lizard had been forced to fight his way through rather than commanding them. Now, the reason was clear: the giant, horned Rex.
Batman leaped off the Lizard's back, landing firmly on the ground with a dull thud.
"I'll get Lunella. You deal with the big one," Batman said, his voice low and commanding.
The Lizard turned his head, his monstrous visage offering a slow nod. Then, the two of them lunged simultaneously—one toward the ring of fire, the other toward the giant Tyrannosaur.
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