Chapter 350: The Bomb Disposal Plan
"I understand why you and that bug showed up instead."
"Batman must be desperately searching for those bombs right now, dismantling them one by one. Am I right?"
A dozen meters above ground level, Garrett rode his flying horse in aerial combat with Iron Man Tony, circling and weaving.
His flying horse couldn't match Tony's repulsor speed. It was even less maneuverable.
But relying on his extensive combat experience as both a SHIELD agent and Hydra operative, combined with various exotic weapons and explosives, Garrett managed to avoid capture despite Tony Stark's best efforts.
In terms of raw firepower, Tony's particle beam cannon didn't even need full power release. Simply switching to anti-materiel mode matched the energy output of Garrett's staff-projected lasers.
But Garrett's combat tactics were brutally simple. He constantly shattered windows, broke through walls to dive into apartments and high-rises, or relied on his horse's speed to plunge downward, circling the handful of pedestrians still hurrying through the rain-soaked streets.
This prevented Tony Stark from deploying heavier ordnance. He could only fire repulsor blasts in controlled bursts, simultaneously pursuing Garrett at full speed, hoping to arrest him quickly.
It sounds lengthy, but from the moment Manhattan became a giant Faraday cage—disabling all bomb detonation devices and sending them into beeping countdown mode—until now, barely ten seconds had elapsed.
Electro Max Dillon remained inside the Empire State Building, staring helplessly at the bomb there. Spider-Man stood atop the building, apparently lost in thought.
WHOOSH!
Wind screamed as the flying horse and Iron Man grazed the edge of an apartment building. Just past the corner, Garrett yanked hard on the reins, veering toward a nearby commercial tower.
Iron Man Tony Stark followed immediately, continuously firing repulsor blasts to disrupt Garrett while accelerating toward the horse.
"Daily Bugle reporting—less than twenty minutes remain before the mysterious Black Knight's three-hour deadline expires. Batman has yet to appear. According to expert analysis, he may have chosen to avoid confrontation. Manhattan Police Department is deploying bomb disposal teams, determined to locate and disarm all explosives before the deadline."
Inside the Daily Bugle studio, the anchor addressed the camera during a live broadcast.
"Currently, based on reports from journalists and scattered eyewitnesses, we can confirm that world's richest man and superhero Iron Man Tony Stark is engaged in intense pursuit of the Black Knight. We advise..."
The anchor's words cut off abruptly as a wall beside the studio exploded with a thunderous crash.
"Ah!" The anchor screamed, instinctively diving aside.
Other studio personnel jumped in terror, throwing themselves toward tables, wall corners—anywhere they considered safe.
In the chaos, the camera frame captured nothing but an empty background wall. The people had vanished.
But before televisions and computer screens throughout Manhattan and the rest of New York, tens of thousands of viewers simultaneously cursed.
Nobody knew where the bombs were. Garrett wouldn't announce locations. Batman hadn't appeared. For ordinary citizens, television broadcasts were their only source of firsthand intelligence.
Clop clop clop!
Through the dust cloud from the demolished wall, hoofbeats approached steadily. Within moments, Garrett rode his flying horse into the studio. He rapidly scanned the environment and the anchor prone on the floor.
Less than a second's consideration, then Garrett dismounted. Several strides brought him before the still-operating camera. He aimed it at his metal-helmeted face.
"Manhattan, folks, I'm the Black Knight..."
BANG!
His words hadn't finished when Iron Man Tony Stark, hot on his heels, burst into the studio. Both hands raised, repulsors aimed at Garrett.
"Don't move or I'll kill her!" Garrett's mouth twisted into a grin. He pointed his energy staff at the anchor hiding beneath a nearby table.
The anchor was already trembling from the wall's collapse, desperately seeking any chance to flee the studio.
But hearing the Black Knight say "her," the anchor's heart froze. Her jaw trembling, she slowly turned her head. Seeing the energy staff aimed at her, her body went slack. Her heartbeat skipped from pure terror.
"Don't... don't..." The reasonably attractive anchor stammered, but staring at the bright glow building at the staff's tip, she couldn't form a complete word.
"Black Knight, let her go." Iron Man Tony Stark watched this villain who'd immediately seized a hostage. He quickly lowered both hands. The white glow of his repulsors gradually dimmed.
Black Knight Garrett sneered coldly. His energy staff whipped around, now targeting a cameraman cowering against a different wall.
"You. Get up."
Time had been too brief. The camera crew hadn't managed to escape the studio before scrambling to the floor. With the Black Knight's arrival, everyone froze in place.
Now, watching the Black Knight aim his energy staff directly at him, the cameraman's heart lurched. He hesitated less than half a second, then scrambled up from the floor and bolted for the exit. His movements were so agile that Garrett momentarily failed to react.
"Faster, faster!" The cameraman's mind screamed. He wished for extra legs.
But just as his hand touched the studio door handle, Garrett's reflexes caught up.
HUMMMMM—
Garrett's energy staff emitted a faint buzzing. A blue laser punched clean through the cameraman's shoulder. The extreme heat charred the wound black. Excruciating pain tore a scream from the cameraman's throat.
THUD!
The cameraman crashed heavily to the floor. Agony forced him to writhe across the ground.
"Shut up!" Garrett barked. The energy staff glowed blue again. Seeing the cameraman clamp both hands over his mouth, suppressing all sound, Garrett nodded with satisfaction. He turned, pointing at another camera crew member. "You. Get to that camera. Point it at me."
'Damn it, things are spiraling beyond my expectations. What the hell is Peter doing?'Iron Man Tony cursed internally, watching Garrett's every move with intense vigilance.
"Jarvis, monitor Garrett's movements constantly. I need to connect with Peter Parker." Tony lowered his voice.
"Understood, sir." Jarvis AI replied equally quietly.
"Peter, where are you?" The instant he connected with Batman, Tony spoke immediately. "Tell me your plan. Right now!"
"I'm disarming bombs, Tony." Batman's voice sounded remarkably relaxed—utterly lacking the tension one would expect after destroying bomb detonation devices. Even more striking, he lacked that oppressive, somber quality Tony had observed in every previous encounter.
"You're not disarming shit! You..." Tony's words caught halfway.
He watched in disbelief as Garrett gripped the anchor desk with both hands and heaved it aside, revealing what lay beneath—a beeping bomb, seconds from detonation!
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