Chapter 86: Selling Out Batsy Again
"Batsy, you're sweating bullets, aren't you?"
Allen's smug expression made Bruce want to punch him a few times to vent his frustration.
Just then, a Batwing sped through the sky, hovering above the cargo ship.
Bruce's suit released a burst of tear gas, forcing Deathstroke to retreat.
"Retreat."
He immediately fired his grappling gun toward the Batwing.
At the same time, Oliver fired a rope arrow, striking the side wing.
Realizing the situation had turned against him, Bruce quickly contacted Damian, who was waiting in the shadows, to come and assist.
Despite his meticulous planning, he had overlooked the least likely outcome.
As for Eric, he was beyond saving.
The blood clan had already taken control of him while he was unconscious.
It was practically like getting a billion dollars for free.
Among those present, the most frustrated was Deathstroke—he had just lost a billion-dollar payday.
The happiest, on the other hand, was Faeth, who felt like the universe was handing him gifts on a silver platter.
Before long, Allen led three Robins onto the deck.
"I'm defecting to your side. You taking me in or not?" Allen stood with his hands on his hips, looking as if rejection wasn't an option.
"No problem."
Frost readily agreed.
The guy had already delivered a huge gift, saving them a lot of time and effort. That alone proved his sincerity.
A judge from the Court of Owls spoke up, "We don't agree."
Allen had targeted them before, and they couldn't just let that slide—especially when he knew their entire plan.
"Such a petty mindset."
Then, Allen's tone shifted to a serious one. "I think the dark faction has a brighter future, so I'm switching sides. As far as I know, Batsy has already come into contact with three types of metal. A new era is coming soon, and I need to secure my future."
"Unless you can prove it, we won't trust you," the judge said bluntly.
If Allen could sell out Bruce today, he could sell them out tomorrow.
"That's easy. I'll take you to the temporary base where they're making the reversal serum."
Allen betrayed Bruce again without hesitation—not like it was his first time.
At the mention of the reversal serum, Faeth's eyes turned serious.
He didn't believe they had successfully developed one. If it were that easy, it would have already been released and caused heavy damage to the blood clan. But he couldn't be 100% sure.
Just in case, he decided to lead his forces to destroy the research.
Deathstroke spoke coldly, "Mission's over. I'm out."
Losing a billion dollars—how could he be friendly toward Allen? Cutting off someone's financial prospects was like killing their family. The only reason he wasn't attacking outright was sheer restraint.
"Hold on," the judge said. "Same price—one billion. We'll hire you to assist us for a while."
"Deal!"
Another job offer? Of course, he was taking it.
Deathstroke had a whole crew of mercenaries to support—who would work for free?
Without delay, they headed straight for Batman's temporary base.
Arthur drove an old-fashioned sedan with Allen and the other three inside.
Behind them, a convoy of blood clan motorcycles and cars followed closely.
Between skyscrapers, Talon assassins leaped and dashed, relentlessly pursuing the old car.
"Boom-ts… Da-ts… Boom-ts… Da-ts…"
"Who is singing, warming my loneliness… The white clouds drift, the blue sky remains, but my tears keep wandering…"
Bored, Allen started singing.
The four of them clapped along, tapping their butts to the beat.
From the outside, the whole car looked like it was bouncing—almost as if… it was shaking for another reason.
—
Meanwhile…
Bruce and his team returned to their temporary base.
His expression was dark as water.
He couldn't understand why Allen had chosen to betray them.
Oliver, too, was filled with killing intent.
They had known each other for years, yet Allen had stabbed them in the back. The sheer betrayal left him feeling cold inside.
"Can we call in the Justice League for help?"
No matter how furious they were, they remained rational in their analysis.
Given the current situation, they had no chance of winning.
The power imbalance had tilted against them, leaving them completely on the defensive.
"That won't work. There have been major incidents all over the world. Diana, who was supposed to be on duty at the Hall of Justice, hasn't been in contact for a while due to an issue on Themyscira. Our only hope is Barry—he should be finishing up his case soon," Oliver said, rubbing his chin in thought.
"Get in touch with Barry. Tell him to come to Gotham as soon as he's done."
Bruce would never ask the Avengers for help.
As a core member of the Justice League, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
"The serum is complete!"
Suddenly, Lillian, who had been working non-stop, cheered in excitement.
After countless sleepless nights of testing, they had finally produced the first version of the reversal serum.
Its effects might not be perfect, but it was capable of reversing vampirism—though it still carried unknown side effects.
BOOM!
An explosion rocked the base's entrance.
Blood clan forces, armed to the teeth, stormed in.
Among them, Allen stood out, proudly announcing, "See? Told you they were all here."
"You bastard!"
Damian roared in fury, already drawing his weapon to go on a rampage.
At first, he refused to believe Allen had truly betrayed them.
He had convinced himself that Allen had infiltrated the enemy ranks to strike from within at the right moment.
But now, reality was crystal clear—Allen had indeed turned traitor.
A hail of gunfire forced Damian to retreat.
Bruce and Oliver moved to evade, but the confined space limited their ability to fight effectively.
"Keh keh keh… Poor little brat, stuck with a cold-hearted father, trained into a fake hero."
Arthur grinned, firing at Damian's hiding spot.
Bang!
A tear gas grenade hit the floor.
Thick, pungent smoke filled the air.
"Batsy, running away won't solve your problems—cough, cough… Come out and face your fate—cough, cough… Ugh…!"
Allen tried to keep talking but immediately regretted it.
"Cough, cough… My eyes burn! Cough, cough… My throat burns! Cough, cough… I'm dying!"
As the smoke cleared, Bruce and the others had already escaped through an emergency exit.
Lillian, who had been too far away to react in time, had no protective gear.
She curled up in a corner, covering her face.
"My eyes—cough, cough… It feels like my throat's been stabbed—cough, cough…"
Meanwhile, Allen writhed on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
Everyone else had taken cover immediately.
Only he had stayed in place, inhaling way too much gas while running his mouth—essentially screwing himself over.
"Smash the computers! Cut off the network! Don't let Batsy transfer the data!"
The blood clan obeyed, tearing the computers apart.
Allen squinted through his tears and saw Lillian brought before him.
"Hand over the serum."
Lillian, looking confused, pointed at an orange-yellow vial.
"How do we know it's the real reversal serum?"
A blood clan member questioned.
Allen snatched the vial and jabbed it into the guy's body.
Seeing this, Frost shouted, "What the hell are you doing?!"
"Proving it works."
Allen watched as the vampire's body rapidly aged.
His muscles shrank, his hair fell out in clumps, and his face became wrinkled and decrepit.
"This serum is for newly turned vampires. It only works within a month of transformation," Lillian warned cautiously.