Inside the underground bunker of the Gotham Observatory Clock Tower, rusty pipes gleamed coldly under dim emergency lights, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of dust mixed with engine oil.
Superman's red and blue figure slowly descended, his heavy footsteps echoing in the empty bunker.
His voice was low and suppressed, yet like the rumbling thunder before a storm, it made the remaining pipes around him hum, and tiny flakes of rust clattered down.
"Bruce Wayne!"
Superman's eyes glowed crimson, like two burning blood-red flames, locked onto Batman, as if to incinerate his very soul.
"I allowed you to live like a stray dog out of some pitiful past sentiment, and you dare to use such despicable means to tarnish my reputation!"
Bruce leaned against the damaged control panel, a sneer playing on his lips.
His voice, distorted by the Batman helmet's voice changer, was hoarse and steady, like a cold scalpel, precisely dissecting Superman's facade.
"Sentiment? Clark Kent, cut out your nauseating hypocrisy. I merely exposed the truth you buried to the world, letting everyone see what kind of rotten filth is wrapped within your seemingly radiant shell."
He paused, his gaze growing colder.
"Joker and Luthor were right, you truly are more despicable than them, lacking even the courage to face the darkness within yourself. The only reason you didn't execute me in front of the Justice League back then was because you were afraid Diana would see your true colors, wasn't it?"
"And what about Lois Lane, who was so devoted to you? Didn't you heartlessly abandon her to marry Diana, a descendant of the gods?"
"Silence!"
Lois's name was like a fuse, instantly igniting Superman's suppressed fury.
The veins at his temples throbbed wildly, and two crimson heat vision beams shot out without warning, accurately striking Bruce's chest.
The violent energy impact sent Bruce flying like a broken kite, slamming hard into the decaying wall behind him. Debris and dust instantly filled the air, embedding him deep within a crack in the wall.
"Bruce, you know too much."
Superman walked slowly towards him, his voice full of killing intent.
"I truly regret letting you live until now..."
Bruce violently tore himself free from the wall. The surface of his anti-Superman armor still bore the charred marks of the heat vision, yet miraculously, it wasn't completely destroyed.
This armor was designed with the ability to absorb and deflect Superman's heat attacks.
He said coldly.
"My very existence is a mockery of you, this false god. Remember, I am Batman. As long as there is darkness in Gotham, as long as lies float on the altar, I will return and nail the truth to your throne!"
"Heh heh, Bruce, you're still so verbose."
Superman laughed in exasperation, his handsome face contorted by extreme rage, his eyes swirling with naked savagery and brutality.
He lunged forward, his right hand like an iron clamp, seizing Bruce by the neck and lifting him high.
Bruce's feet dangled in the air, kicking futilely, his face beneath the helmet flushed from lack of oxygen.
"I've isolated all signals here; no one can save you."
Superman's voice whispered next to Bruce's ear, laced with chilling malice.
"We have all night to discuss what attitude you should take when begging at my feet."
His left hand pressed down on Bruce's helmet, powerful force continuously applying pressure like a hydraulic press.
The alloy helmet emitted a grating, twisting sound, its surface patterns gradually deforming, beginning to crush Bruce's skull.
The intense pain forced a muffled scream from Bruce, and sweat streamed down his temples.
Superman savored the moment, a cruel smile on his lips, speaking each word distinctly.
"I will make you regret being born into this world."
Malicious light gleamed in Superman's eyes.
"First, I will tear out your tongue so you can never utter another insulting word to me. Then, I will crush every inch of your bones, but I won't let you die easily. I want you to crawl and sniff the filth of Gotham like a true stray dog, so everyone can see the consequence of opposing a god."
The pressure from Superman's hand continued to increase. Bruce's body suddenly stiffened, his bones emitting a teeth-grinding creak, as if they would be completely crushed in the next second.
His face beneath the helmet was ashen with agony, his throat constricted, making it impossible to breathe, and his consciousness began to blur.
But there was no trace of fear in his eyes, only a burning, cold determination.
This was the trap he had set, using his own life as bait, just to wait for the optimal moment for a counterattack.
"Heh..."
Bruce chuckled indistinctly; although he couldn't make a sound, a few words could be clearly identified from the shape of his mouth.
"Kal-El, you lost..."
Just as Superman was grinning menacingly, his fingers about to tear Bruce's lips.
Buzz! A golden electric arc, more dazzling than lightning, exploded in the bunker without warning!
Space seemed to be sliced open by an invisible blade, and time was compressed and stretched to its extreme in that moment.
A red figure appeared as if teleporting, still wreathed in the lingering Speed Force glow, it was the Flash, Barry Allen, who had returned just in time.
In a matter of seconds, he had found the last batch of Kryptonite in a deserted Gotham warehouse and returned at a speed exceeding the speed of light.
Now, clutching several pieces of Kryptonite emitting a faint green glow, he precisely threw the Kryptonite in his hand onto the ground around Superman before Superman could react!
The green luminescence instantly flared, like drops of water in boiling oil, greedily gnawing at the golden aura surrounding Superman.
That aura, like snow meeting intense fire, dissipated at a visible rate.
Superman's expression instantly shifted from ferocious to astonished, his body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.
"Catch! Bruce!"
Barry's voice carried the spatial-temporal tremor from his high-speed movement. Almost simultaneously, he tossed the largest piece of Kryptonite to Bruce.
Superman tried to reach out and stop it, but found his strength rapidly draining away.
Kryptonite, fragments from the explosion of Krypton, its radiation could destroy the yellow sun energy-saturated cells of Kryptonians, making it his ultimate weakness.
Surrounded by a large amount of Kryptonite, he found it difficult even to breathe, and could only watch helplessly as the Kryptonite fell into Bruce's hand.
The moment he grasped the Kryptonite, Bruce used all his strength to deliver a powerful punch to Superman's face.
The once indestructible Man of Steel was now incredibly fragile. Superman grunted, collapsing to the ground. Within the radiation range of the Kryptonite, he didn't even have the strength to get back up.
Bruce wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a flicker of surprise in his heart.
According to the plan, Li Yu should have made his move by now. Why was there still no activity?
But the fury of revenge quickly overshadowed his doubts. He grabbed Superman by the collar, pulling him up from the ground, his eyes cold.
"Look at me, Clark Kent. Now it's time for you to pay the price for everything you've done!"
He drew a specialized alloy dagger from his waist and plunged it towards Superman's heart without hesitation.
However, the expected penetration did not occur. The moment the dagger touched Superman's chest, it bent and broke instantly, like plastic hitting steel!
Bruce's pupils constricted, his face filled with disbelief.
Superman slowly raised his head, a sinister smile on his lips, his eyes full of mockery.
"Bruce Wayne, you disappoint me greatly. Did you truly believe that with Barry Allen and a few pieces of Kryptonite, you could kill me?"