"Tony, do you copy?"
Having finished assigning the tasks to the members of the Justice League, Batman did not stop. He proceeded to patch into an encrypted communication channel with Iron Man.
"As long as you contact me, nine times out of ten I can respond instantly. When will you ever be able to do the same?" Tony's voice came through shortly after.
"My apologies." There was not a shred of actual remorse in Batman's tone. "Go check the area within a five-kilometer radius of the Baxter Building. See if there's anything you find unusual."
"Huh? What did you discover?" Iron Man asked, puzzled.
"I have obtained reliable intelligence. This Hydra invasion is connected to Latveria's mission from two years ago... I will fill you in on the specifics at a proper time. For now, all you need to know is that the targets of Hydra and the supervillains who are about to arrive are the superheroes—not ordinary citizens or high-ranking government officials," Batman said.
"Supervillains? You certainly have a way with labels for that crowd," Tony chuckled twice.
Batman offered no reply to that comment, watching on his projection screen as Iron Man's flight trajectory veered sharply, heading straight toward the Baxter Building.
"I just gathered Daredevil and a few others earlier; they're all guys we know." During his flight, Tony Stark's mouth did not stop moving. "I've founded the Avengers."
"Very good," Batman said.
"'Very good'? You shouldn't be saying 'very good.' You should be saying, 'Tony, I'm so sorry I didn't reply to your messages in a timely manner just now, please, you must allow me to join the Avengers,'" Iron Man countered.
Batman: "..."
"So, what is your purpose in sending me to the Baxter Building? To protect them?" Seeing that Batman had fallen silent again, Iron Man had no choice but to shift the topic back to the business at hand.
"No. On the premise of ensuring your own safety, make as much contact with them as possible," Batman said. "When ordinary people acquire power, their mindsets undergo drastic changes. They are top-tier scientists, so this psychological shift might be even more severe."
"Hmm... You could just come right out and say that you're keeping your guard up against Reed Richards," Iron Man noted.
"Exactly." Batman responded quite readily this time.
"The Baxter Building is occupied by Navy SEALs. Do I need to infiltrate it?" Iron Man asked further.
"No need," Batman replied. "According to my judgment, there is a high probability they will come out on their own."
"Understood," Iron Man said. This time, he cracked no further jokes and directly disconnected the encrypted communication.
Initially, the police officers dispatched by the Manhattan Police Department to investigate the two explosions assumed that the President of the United States had secretly deployed military forces into Manhattan.
However, when Hydra soldiers trained their guns on them and blew three or four police cars sky-high on the spot, the Manhattan Police Department realized what was actually happening, no matter how slow their reflexes were.
This was not a regular army at all, but an armed force that had sprung up from God knows where.
Information was passed up level by level, moving from the ordinary officers to Captain George Stacy, and then to the NYPD.
Immediately, aside from the Avengers who were already locked in combat with Hydra, Manhattan police officers also raised their firearms one after another and joined the fray.
At this moment, inside the Manhattan police precinct, Captain George Stacy's brow was furrowed tightly as he rapidly flipped through the information sent back by his subordinates.
"Superheroes led by Iron Man, Tony Stark, are currently engaged in a chaotic battle against Hydra. Most of these superheroes are unfamiliar faces; they call themselves the Avengers, but currently, they look more like a faction of vigilantes."
At the thought of "vigilantes," the dark silhouette with sharp, pointed ears uncontrollably popped into Captain George's mind.
He knew it was time for him to turn on the Bat-Signal and seek Batman's assistance.
Taking advantage of the fact that the sky was not yet fully bright, Captain George wasted no time and quickly made his way up to the precinct's rooftop.
With a sharp pull, the rain cover over the massive Bat-Signal was ripped off. As Captain George threw the power switch, a beam of concentrated light shot straight into the clouds, faintly projecting the shape of a bat.
"Batman..." Captain George muttered in his heart. "Relying solely on the firepower of the Manhattan police is fundamentally insufficient to contend with those armed forces. Right now is when we need you most."
"No, that's not just any armed force. I know where they come from." Captain George recalled the insignia captured in the photos taken by his men—a dark red background with black lines forming a skull and octopus tentacles. "That's Hydra."
Whoosh! The sound of rushing wind suddenly whipped up behind Captain George.
Captain George felt a surge of joy. He had not expected Batman to arrive so quickly this time, and he hurriedly turned around.
However, upon seeing Professor Morbius's grayish-black, practically muscleless face, fangs, pointed ears, and those blood-red eyes, Captain George froze.
While stealthily reaching toward his lower back to grip the handle of the pistol holstered behind him, he asked warily:
"Batman?"
Professor Morbius nodded.
"I'm Batman."
Having said that, he turned around and flew away, gliding until he vanished at the far end of the street.
He came fast and left just as quickly, leaving Captain George without even enough time to utter a second sentence.
"No wonder Batman always wore a mask before. This face..." Captain George shook his head.
He had previously suspected that Batman's jawline was also part of a mask, but seeing Professor Morbius's face today finally confirmed it for him.
"To all units, when engaging Hydra, look out for a very ugly guy wearing a black trench coat. Do not fire at him."
Captain George reacted quickly, pulling out his walkie-talkie and announcing:
"That's Batman without his suit and mask on."
Inside the Baxter Building, the Fantastic Four stood in a row by the window, looking down.
"Hydra has shown up. The Manhattan police can't handle them on their own," Johnny said.
"Over these past few days, we've conducted a series of tests on our respective abilities with Reed's help. I think the time is ripe; it's our turn to step up," Susan spoke up as well. "We can't keep being kept under watch inside this building forever. Right now is the perfect opportunity for us to make our official debut."
"Reed, what do you think?" Ben asked, his entire body now completely transformed into a yellowish, rock-like substance.
"As you know, I don't have much interest in these matters." Reed withdrew his gaze and looked toward his companions. "But their appearance has already disrupted my experiments. I cannot sit idly by and ignore it."
"Furthermore, Susan is right. This is indeed a good opportunity to debut, fully exposing ourselves to the public eye so we can break free from the U.S. President's surveillance."
Ben nodded. He reached out a palm that now had only three fingers and tapped the bulletproof glass window of the Baxter Building.
"Mind if I break it?"
The others took a step back. Ben's gaze shifted to Susan, and seeing her nod, he smashed his fist directly into the pane, shattering the thick bulletproof glass.
Then, taking heavy strides forward, he jumped straight down from the thirty-fifth floor of the Baxter Building.
Johnny followed Ben, jumping down as well. However, while the former crashed solidly into the pavement below, Johnny burst into flames mid-air, using the thrust of the fire to fly through the sky.
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