Bai Ye had no interest in the situation at hand.
It was Bai Ye's doing in the first place, and he knew more about the state of that office building than the reporters who had just arrived.
Bai Ye's current concern was whether Batman would show up, whether he would remove his mask and reveal his true face, and of course, whether the bomb would be defused.
"If Batman really takes off his mask..." Bai Ye grinned and muttered while drinking his coffee, "then I've completely stolen the Joker's thunder this time."
As Bai Ye was thinking, the situation on the TV screen descended into chaos. Sirens wailed, and then a large group of detectives and bomb disposal experts headed towards the office building.
The reporters, like sharks smelling blood, rushed forward, eager for interviews, completely disregarding whether there were victims inside the building.
In that instant, the reporters exposed the twisted nature of Gotham City in its entirety.
The detectives quickly pushed the reporters aside, escorting the bomb disposal team members into the office building. Unable to get interviews, the reporters began to fabricate stories and make their own speculations. After all, as long as they could attract attention, they didn't care about the truth. At most, they could apologize afterward.
After all, they were known as the uncrowned kings.
Bai Ye watched with great interest, glued to the television news.
Unfortunately...
Bai Ye did not receive any sin points.
Because Batman did not appear, and the bomb did not detonate.
After half an hour of effort, the birthday gift Bai Ye had prepared for Miss Rachel was finally defused.
The bomb wasn't anything high-end to begin with, so its defusal wasn't entirely unexpected. Bai Ye's objective was to stir up trouble for Batman, or to lightly retaliate against Batman for causing him trouble.
However, what Bai Ye hadn't expected was that Batman wouldn't show up.
The person who appeared beside Miss Rachel was a man named Harvey Dent, Gotham's District Attorney. He was upright, incorruptible, and deeply loved by the people. While Batman was known as the Dark Knight by Gotham's citizens, Harvey was called the White Knight.
Batman and Harvey represented the light and darkness of Gotham City.
But what was particularly interesting was that these two were allies. Harvey did not resist Batman's existence as much as Commissioner Gordon. Harvey believed that to defeat Gotham's wicked forces and protect the city's order, certain violent means were necessary, and Batman's existence perfectly filled that void.
Even more interestingly...
According to Bai Ye's memories from his past life, both of these fellows seemed to be in love with that Miss Rachel. Therefore, they were not only allies but also rivals in love.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Bai Ye chuckled, "To refuse to compromise, pushing your own girlfriend towards your love rival? As expected, if you want life to go smoothly, you always have to wear a little green on your head."
As Bai Ye spoke, he looked around.
The once lively coffee shop was now empty. Not only had the customers disappeared, but even the staff who should have been working behind the counter were nowhere to be seen.
The next moment, the coffee shop door opened, and the bell hanging on the door chimed crisply.
A man in a black jacket walked into the coffee shop and sat in front of Bai Ye.
The man smiled and said, "Bai Ye? Is that correct?"
Bai Ye raised an eyebrow and asked, "What can I do for you?"
"Originally, I came for order points. As someone on the list, taking you down would earn me the basic order points plus an extra 100 points." The man crossed his arms and said, "Now I have an additional reason: revenge. You killed my cubs."
Bai Ye asked, "Those three unthinking fellows, were they your men?"
"Yes, they called me 'Dad', and I promised to look after them in the World Battlefield." The man said, "And now you've killed them."
The man spoke with a look of sorrow in his eyes.
"Of course, it's not your fault. It's my mistake; I delayed, and they met with an unfortunate accident because I didn't arrive in time." The man looked at Bai Ye and said, "But now that things have come to this, all I can do is avenge them."
Bai Ye shook his head and said, "No, there's something else you can do for them."
The man asked, "What else can I do for them?"
Bai Ye replied, "For example, go to hell and accompany them."
Instead of being annoyed by Bai Ye's provocation, the man chuckled.
"I think that would be nice too." The man smiled. "So, either you kill me, and I can go apologize to them, or I'll kill you and avenge them!"
After the man finished speaking, the coffee shop fell silent.
Neither of them spoke, staring at each other.
Then...
The man couldn't hold back and suddenly grabbed the edge of the table, flipping it over and hurling it towards Bai Ye.
Bai Ye pushed off with his legs, sliding backward with the chair still beneath him. He then sprang up and swept his leg at the table, kicking it away.
They were separated by two to three meters. Bai Ye silently took out the Predator's bio-mask and put it on.
Biological scan activated...
Biological scan completed...
Claude Leake (Chosen One) (Health Status): A Chosen One from an alternate world. Former Rear Admiral in the Navy Headquarters. Silver Wolf Devil Fruit ability user.
Strength: 80
Speed: 70
Stamina: 77
Spirit: ??
Intelligence: ??
Weakness Search: Seawater and Seastone
Held Items (Incomplete): Steel Punch (Weapon), Burst Revolver (Weapon), Silver Bell Flower (Magic Item)
Abilities (Incomplete): Six Styles: Soru (Martial Art), Six Styles: Tekkai (Martial Art), Six Styles: Rankyaku (Martial Art), Silver Wolf Devil Fruit (Supernatural Ability), Stardust Bullet (Magic), Thorn Fire Ring (Magic)
...
Claude's data quickly appeared on the mask. At that instant...
Claude's figure flickered, and he suddenly vanished. He reappeared behind Bai Ye, raising his fist to strike.
But just as it was about to hit Bai Ye's head...
As if copied and pasted, Bai Ye's figure suddenly disappeared, leaving an afterimage in his place, and reappeared where Claude had been standing.
BOOM!
Claude's punch missed, hitting the floor directly and instantly piercing the wooden planks.
Claude frowned and looked up at Bai Ye, saying, "Why do you also know Soru? Are you from the same world as me? Are you from CP9? Or did you learn this move in the World Battlefield?"
Bai Ye shrugged and replied, "Guess?"
Claude shook his head. "It's my mistake to ask these questions; they're meaningless. Regardless of the answer, only one of us can survive!"
...