Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 223 The Zoologist Who Transformed into a Beast

The penguin has left.

At this moment, the bats nearby emitted a noisy squeaking sound, sharp and piercing, which was very unpleasant to hear.

“Dr. Lanstrom, you may not be quite lucid right now,” Mr. Freeze replied. “Perhaps it would be better to talk to me when you’ve regained some of your senses—at least then you’ll be speaking English.”

"Squeaky-"

"In any case, today's mission begins tonight, and I will inform you of the specific time and location in advance. Dr. Lanstrom, you will be carrying out the mission with Saul tonight. I will give him instructions to obey your orders, but remember, he is a mind-controlled person, and you cannot give him overly complicated orders."

"Squeak-"

"Alright, I'll explain the mission later—Thor, come with me."

Ma Zhaodi moved mechanically, following Mr. Freeze out of the room and all the way to his underground cryogenic laboratory—he had specifically moved his cryogenic equipment here after joining the Joker's faction.

After bringing Ma Zhaodi into the room, the laboratory door was closed. This was Mr. Freeze's own laboratory, and he had set up all the equipment inside himself, which also eliminated the possibility of being eavesdropped on.

After confirming that Ma Zhaodi had no metal objects other than a pistol on him, Mr. Freeze removed his dual pistols and then clicked the deactivation button.

"Victor?"

"it's me."

"Is this your laboratory?"

“You were controlled by the Mad Hatter and then brought here by the Penguin, remember?” Mr. Freeze said. “Mr. Thor, you seem rather careless. If the Penguin hadn’t handed you over to me, we might not have had a chance to talk.”

"Then I should thank you."

"There's no point in saying all this now, Saul. If you die, how will you keep your promises?"

“If I die, then I’m afraid I won’t be able to fulfill my promise.” Ma Zhaodi replied, “It’s a very simple principle. That’s how a deal works. You give me what I want, and I give you what you want—you withdraw from this war, and I’ll help you and your wife improve your situation—but let me make it clear beforehand that I can’t completely cure you both. I guess the world has its own plans for you two.”

"Do you think I don't want to withdraw from this war? Do you think I can't see that the Joker is at a disadvantage? But I can't decide when I enter the fray, let alone when I'll leave?"

“You won’t have to wait long, Victor,” Ma Zhaodi replied. “There are only a few people we can send out right now: Man-Bat, you, and me. Cobblestone is the Joker’s logistics manager, and the Mad Hatter is his last source of manpower. Maybe the Joker will eventually send Cobblestone out, but the Mad Hatter is unnecessary.”

"so what?"

"So now only the man-bat, me, and you are left. Your chance will come soon. You just need to choose a reasonable way to leave the battlefield at the right time."

“I’m worried that before I leave the battlefield, you might have already been riddled with bullets by the Riddler’s army—cannon fodder under control dies easily, and the Joker won’t care whether you live or die.”

“Survival is my instinct, and you can trust me on that point.” Mr. Freeze cast a questioning look at me.

"Well said. So how did you manage to fall into the Mad Hatter's trap?"

"Those are all strategic adjustments, don't ask."

In Gotham City at night, Man-Bat spreads his wings and flies above the city. Although his arms are completely human in structure, they are connected to his body by thin, light membranes. These wings, just like bat wings, give Man-Bat the ability to fly like a bat. His upper body and legs also appear to be completely human in structure, but his body is not covered with human yellow skin, but with thick, dark gray-black fur like a bat—another feature of a human body superimposed with bat characteristics.

His hands and feet transformed into curved claws and toes, his ears stood up like a bat's pointed pincers, his nostrils became like a pig's snout, and canine teeth grew in his mouth. After these three organs mutated, they also acquired the characteristics of a bat, enabling him to emit and capture high-frequency short sound waves, allowing him to ignore the dark environment and detect all movements around him.

At this moment, he could even use his claws to propel Ma Zhaodi's black robe and his bicycle through the air. Just like his nickname "Man-Bat," Dr. Kirk Longstrom was more like a bat with a certain degree of mutation and modification on the basic framework of a human. His human characteristics overshadowed a considerable portion of his bat characteristics.

Ma Zhaodi looked up and said, "I didn't expect you to be a PhD, with a higher degree than me."

However, this isn't too surprising in Gotham City. Mr. Freeze is a cryologian, Dr. Hugo is a psychologist, Harley Quinn is a psychological consultant for inmates at Arkham Asylum, the Mad Hatter independently developed a brainwave controller, and the Penguin is a top-notch practical economics master.
It's hard to say whether Gotham City is a poor and desolate place or a place full of outstanding people. In any case, whether you have superpowers, super abilities, or money, if you want to be a supervillain here, you have to have something to offer.

“I used to be a zoologist, a nocturnal mammalian, and a cross-species hybridizer.” At this point, the bat’s reply had switched to English, although it was mixed with strange squeaking noises, which was also due to the mutation of his vocal cords: “Although I still am now, I don’t care much about the past anymore. In fact, I think I may not be able to continue this job.”

"But how did you become like this?"

"You're not a native of Gotham, are you?"

"I didn't stay in Gotham for very long."

"Then it's not surprising. Have you ever heard any news reports from the Gotham Police Department about legends similar to vampire bats?"

"Emm, I don't really remember."

The doctor gave a wry smile, but his expression seemed to ease somewhat.

"In short, I was originally a cross-species hybridization scientist, nothing more. My job was to research a serum that would give humans the ability to emit and receive sound waves like bats. The original intention of this technology was to help blind or hearing-impaired people and give them the possibility of living in another way."

"That sounds impressive. Is this sponsored by Wayne Group?"

"No, it's Elliott Caldwell, the owner of the Caldwell Corporation. In short, I once thought that bat serum was a great cause that could contribute to disabled people, and even to all of humanity."

"and then?"

"I messed up."

(End of this chapter)