Walking down the hallway, all you could see were corpses lying on the ground. In the dark, damp corridor, the smell of blood was fermenting limitlessly, like the scent of a rainy season.
The situation in the corridor was quite different from that in the hall. Here, many were clearly killed by Mad Laugh, with terrifying smiling faces drawn on the walls in blood, filled with the Joker's style.
There were only footprints leading in, none leading out. The three of them stayed alert, to prevent any sneak attacks.
However, the corridor remained eerily quiet, making the sound of wind and rain from outside even clearer in comparison.
At this time, there was almost no one in the back hall. After preparing food for Su Ming, the chefs had all left, thereby escaping the massacre.
The kitchen was slightly messy, but much better than what had been seen before.
Penguin Man's office was mostly just for show, as he often liked resting in his 'mansion.'
That's right, his mansion was right underground at the Iceberg Restaurant, boasting the world's largest icehouse. In this crystal-clear ice crystal world, he lived there.
The nickname Penguin Man originated as ridicule for his disability, since he walked with a limp due to polio, one leg long and the other short.
After he became a mob boss, he deliberately imitated a penguin's lifestyle to confuse the origin of his nickname, always wearing a coat and living in the icehouse.
These actions made those unaware of the truth think he was insane, just like the other lunatics in Gotham.
In reality, he wasn't crazy at all; he was just a businessman.
Even though he actually felt extremely cold, in the underworld, reputation and dignity were most important. Even if he shivered under several layers of blankets every night, he insisted on living in the icehouse for over a decade.
In fact, the only one who really needed to live in icy environments was Mr. Freeze, while those with code names related to ice and snow, like Captain Cold, Frost Killer, and Penguin Man, were quite afraid of the cold....
Behind the kitchen of the Iceberg Restaurant, there was a passage leading to the icehouse, where a trail of bloody footprints indicated the direction of the Mad Laughs.
Unlike ordinary cold storage, the short-statured Penguin Man built his house with king-sized measurements. The door made of crystal was as grand as a fairy tale castle, and frost clung to it, forming white crystals.
The air gradually filled with the hot breaths of the three, the cold seemed to climb up everyone's calves.
"Honestly, if you had to choose your way of dying, would you rather freeze to death or burn to death?"
Su Ming pushed the frozen door, and as the door cracked open, the sound of breaking frost echoed. He led the way, chatting to Green Arrow behind him with interest.
Deathstroke took the lead, with Green Arrow in the middle and Diana at the rear. The formation of two warriors protecting an archer made Green Arrow feel like he was receiving VIP treatment.
"You're asking me? If I really had to die, I'd choose to freeze to death."
"I thought living on a tropical island for so many years, you'd dislike the cold," Diana laughed lightly while remaining vigilant.
Green Arrow shrugged while holding his bow: "Frozen bodies remain quite intact, at least you'll see clearly how I died. But those who die from high temperatures, dehydration often leaves bodies shriveled and unrecognizable, providing no valuable clues, and they're not pleasant to look at."
"Pleasant to look at....…" Su Ming chuckled, "Talking about a grown man's corpse looking pleasant—do you want your zombie to be an eternal monument?"
"If possible, I'd still prefer a normal grave," Green Arrow laughed as well, though a hint of helplessness shone in his eyes: "But as vigilantes, considering when and where we might die, and how—aren't usually our own decisions....…"
Perhaps Green Arrow had pondered over such topics numerous times, being an ordinary man teetering on the edge of life and death.
"We won't die today."
Su Ming confidently responded to him.
The group then entered the Ice and Snow Palace, expecting to dive into an icy pit.
Yet, the decoration inside the icehouse was even more luxurious than the restaurant outside. The crystal chandelier was larger than the fountain outside the Hall of Justice, and the finely carved crystal furniture reflected the golden light emitted by Godslayer, stunningly beautiful.
Everything here was opulent. If the nation in Frozen really existed, its royal palace would likely resemble this.
Just like a palace, it had everything: a reception room, a small dining room, a study, a guest room. The Penguin Man embodied the lavish style of the wealthy to the extreme—even the restroom covered more than fifty square meters.
If it weren't so cold here, the bathroom would require a fireplace for warmth. This condition would be considered top-notch anywhere.
However, the one meant to enjoy all this likely won't get to.
There are many bodyguards' corpses in this Ice and Snow Palace, indicating that they were prepared when Laughing Bat and others infiltrated, yet it was futile. Even the most elite fighters are merely the bottom tier in Gotham when facing a team of Batmen.
The person they intended to protect is now lying face down on the ice-sculpted bed. Crimson blood stained the white bear fur rug, making Penguin Man's face incredibly pale under the red ice shards' reflection.
"Dead."
Su Ming reached out to touch Penguin Man's neck. Not only was there no pulse or body warmth, but the neck of the corpse was slightly brittle.
Green Arrow and Diana gathered around. Oliver pinched the skin of Penguin, shaking his head: "If we wanted to save him, we probably arrived an hour too late. It's very cold here; the body froze before it had a chance to stiffen."
"His fatal wound is just the one bullet hole on his head, no defensive wounds or signs of torture on his body." Su Ming forcibly tore the body free from the rug, making Penguin face up while examining and saying: "He handed over what Laughing Bat wanted, but they killed him anyway."
Diana turned to look at the path they came from, uneasily touching her arm covered with the Shield: "This is already war. Laughing Bat knows this well, leaving no hostages, no survivors—it's the standard procedure for a covert operation. But I don't understand; this should be a closed environment. How did they leave?"
The footprints near the bed are not complicated, and there are no signs of departure in the reverse direction. Laughing Bat and the others seemed to have vanished into thin air after killing Penguin Man.
Su Ming removed his cloak, letting it search for magical traces, while he forcefully closed Penguin Man's eyelids, but the deceased had died with eyes wide open, impossible to close.
He sighed: "Ah, Penguin Man was one of Batman's treasured collectibles. He frequently sent Batman clockwork penguin bombs; it's a pity now. Our Dark Knight will surely be very angry."
Green Arrow rolled his eyes, stowed his bow and arrows, and blew on his hands: "If anyone could help me kill my arch-enemy, I would certainly thank him."
Su Ming tilted his head, looking at him: "Others don't even get the chance. You kill your arch-enemies yourself, only letting minor players off the hook. Who from Justice League would make a trip to Star City just to deal with a neighborhood-level villain?"
"That's true." Oliver shrugged. Though villains keep appearing endlessly, he never gives them the chance to become arch-enemies; most die in the first battle: "But dealing with Nine Rings Association for so many years, no one came to ask if I needed help."
Diana patted his shoulder, comforting him: "That shows we trust you, and you haven't called for help, right? Otherwise, when you encounter difficulties and shout 'Superman save me,' he should immediately come to the rescue."
"Forget it, shouting 'Superman save me' in front of enemies, I can't lose face like that." Green Arrow shook his head vigorously; if he really did that, how would Superman kill anyone on the scene?
While the three were chatting idly, Su Ming had already completed the autopsy, searched each pocket, finding only a handkerchief, some change, and a golden lighter.
"Honestly, Penguin Man was such a failure in life. He didn't even leave any death message before dying—at least leave a few words, mention how many enemies there were." Su Ming played with the lighter in his hand, watching the small flame tongue as he vented.
Oliver scratched his head; it's not a detective series, where the deceased survives multiple gunshots to the head, writes clues on the ground in blood, before passing away to complete a trope.
In real-life murder cases, having just one case leaving a death message out of ten thousand is already fortunate.
He bypassed the massive ice bed to the other side to take Penguin Man's black umbrella, a famous weapon. Leaving it here might spawn another Penguin. Better to take it and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
This umbrella can deflect bullets and be used in hand-to-hand combat. It not only fires bullets but also electric darts and tear gas, boasting a myriad of functions.
At this moment, the cloak flew back onto Su Ming's shoulder, tugging him towards a room. Once inside what seemed like a vault, it transformed a corner into an arrow, pointing toward the floor not far away.
"You mean teleportation?"
The Magic Talisman Cloak's collar nodded in affirmation; the enemies acquired some items here, then performed mass teleportation inside the room.
But that was no magic—rather, a dark-energy-driven special skill. It sensed the residue of energy traces but couldn't track them.
"So, the new Dark Knight Order might have a caster, uh, perhaps a warlock?"
Su Ming stroked his beard. He'd heard of Dragon Blood Mages, but never of Bat Blood Sorcerers…...
Let's not worry about that for now. Since their confirmation that Laughing Bat has entered Main World Gotham, Su Ming utilized the Inverted Man to contact Bo Bo, activating the Earth Protection Array, severing pathways to other dimensions.
This ensures, at least until the array is breached, that Laughing Bat cannot obtain further reinforcements. As long as Su Ming and others can defeat them within this timeframe, they'll be fine.