The call was from Ventriloquist.
He brought Chen Tao some bad news:
Deadshot was trying to quit and go live a quiet farm life in the countryside.
Chen Tao just felt tired.
Once again, he was reminded that reality is not an online game — there is no such thing as "Recruit Soldier → Loyalty 100%".
The people he recruited were all walking disasters, each one more troublesome than the last.
Gordon stood beside him for a moment, and when he noticed Batman didn't walk away to answer the phone like usual, Gordon quietly stepped aside on his own.
Chen Tao told Ventriloquist to pass the phone to Deadshot.
Then he took a breath, thought for a moment, and switched his voice — to Deadshot's own voice:
"Okay, okay. If you wanna quit and keep yourself alive so you can reunite with your daughter, I respect that choice. I really do. I wish you a peaceful life.
But I still have something to say."
"Are you really satisfied with this?"
On the other end, Deadshot's expression twisted.
Having someone use his own voice to lecture him was… unsettling.
"Listen, Lawton. I've looked into your daughter's situation. Her adoptive family is just a normal household. They can't give her any real education."
"Right now she's still in elementary school. Soon, she'll go to the average public middle school in a rough neighborhood — surrounded by kids who smoke, dye their hair, fight every day. Then she'll attend a garbage-tier high school — assuming she doesn't get corrupted before that. And then what?"
"One day some trailer-trash idiot knocks her up? She becomes a single mom working as a grocery store cashier, overweight, worn down, exhausted.
Is that the life you planned for your daughter?"
"Shut up! Bastard!"
It was too easy to provoke his rage.
He wasn't usually so emotional — but when it comes to family, no one stays calm.
"No matter how much money you have, the doors of elite prep schools won't open to Zoe. And even if you try to launder that dirty money, half of it will evaporate in the process."
"Even if you clean your money — what about you? Where would you take Zoe to live? The Sahara Desert? The Congo rainforest?"
"You don't want your daughter to grow up without a real education, do you?"
"Enough! Stop talking!"
Deadshot's voice was strained — like he was biting his tongue to keep his heart from speaking.
"I can get you a recommendation letter to Gotham's top academy — signed by Bruce Wayne or Jim Gordon."
"I can take two hundred million dollars of your money and convert it — legally — into Zoe's inheritance."
"I can plan a perfect future for your daughter."
"..."
Silence.
Deadshot exhaled.
He hadn't expected himself to fold so quickly after making his decision.
But he didn't ask whether Batman could also help him cleanse his identity — because he knew the answer.
Batman needed a fighter — not someone begging to retire.
"…Okay. I understand. I'll help you…"
"What did you just call me?"
"…Boss."
And just like that — the matter was settled.
Provide facts.
Present leverage.
Make the deal.
Honestly, Chen Tao didn't even bother wondering whether Deadshot was pretending to quit just to drive up price — because it didn't matter.
Once Bane was handled, their cooperation would end.
Payment delivered.
Promises fulfilled.
Everyone parts ways.
No emotional attachments.
For now, Deadshot was fully under control.
And that was enough.
Plus — the National Guard was mobilized.
What could Bane possibly do?
Wipe out an entire military force alone?
If we're optimistic, maybe Batman won't even need to do anything.
Chen Tao turned off the communicator and looked at Gordon — ready to discuss how to deal with Bane.
But Gordon was also on the phone.
Commissioner Gordon turned around, wiping the sweat from his brow into his graying brown hair.
His expression was extremely serious.
"Give me a moment, Batman."
He hurried downstairs.
A few minutes later, he returned with a file folder and handed one of the documents to Chen Tao:
"Read while I talk. Three days ago, STAR Labs was attacked. The kidnapped individual was Harold Goldblum, professor of chemistry and lead researcher at GothCorp's chemical division. He's an expert in biochemical warfare, and a top-level mind in biology, botany, and toxicology…"
He handed Chen Tao a photo — an older balding man with the kind of forehead that only geniuses and villains possess.
Chen Tao's heart sank.
"This was supposed to be a major case, but at the time Firefly burned down Elmer Pier."
Chen Tao followed up:
"And that pervert was moaning while watching the pier burn, and then—"
He stopped.
In the original timeline, Batman had rushed there and smashed Firefly instantly.
But that was the day he'd just transmigrated — when he was busy using toilet paper trying to activate the Alfred Protocol.
So—
"…Firefly got into a massive fight with the responding officers."
("Officers" meaning Gordon's men.)
"And on top of Firefly, we had Almond Brain, Ogre, Two-Face…"
Gordon listed names like he was reading a grocery receipt.
"Bane released too many criminals from Arkham. So the Poison Ivy case was delayed."
"But ten minutes ago, the forensics lab restored the destroyed camera footage. We discovered that Ivy wasn't alone during the STAR Labs break-in—"
Chen Tao looked at the photo Gordon handed him.
Next to Ivy stood a horrifying plant-creature.
"We also confirmed Goldblum had just developed a large-scale biochemical plant-based weapon for GothCorp. If Ivy and this… thing… intend to recreate it and deploy it in the city…"
Chen Tao studied the picture.
"I know him. That's the Floronic Man — Jason Woodrue. He recreated the accident that made Swamp Thing. Turned himself into a walking plant. He's a weak-level avatar of the mystical force The Green."
Gordon blinked:
"The Green? What the hell is that supposed to be?"
"It's one of the primal elemental forces — representing plant life. Alongside The Red, which represents all living animals, and The Rot, representing decay. The three foundational powers of biological reality ."
"…Okay, wait," Gordon said.
"Did you just say magic?"
"I don't know how we went from crime drama to a supernatural magic war, but here we are."