Chapter Seven: Lex Strikes Back
Two days had passed since Bruce's corporate massacre. Lex Luthor had been forced to sell back his shares in Wayne Enterprises, a humiliation he hadn't suffered in decades. But Lex wasn't the kind of man who swallowed defeat. No, he was planning his retaliation the moment Bruce's virus hit his systems. And now, the time had come to strike back.
It started small. First, a few Wayne Enterprises warehouses in Gotham went dark—communications jammed, security systems fried. Then the real chaos began. An elite team of mercenaries, led by a notorious ex-CIA operative named Carter Reeves, descended on Gotham like locusts. They hit several of Bruce's key assets: a manufacturing plant, a research facility, and a distribution center. Explosives planted, sensitive data stolen. It was coordinated, efficient. Lex's fingerprints were all over it.
But Bruce had been expecting it. He had known exactly what Lex would do.
Inside the Batcave, Bruce watched the chaos unfold on multiple screens. The mercenaries moved like clockwork, cutting through security, shutting down systems, and planting bombs in strategic locations. Bruce's jaw tightened. He let them continue, his fingers hovering over the controls as he monitored every move. He wasn't stopping them—yet.
"Are we going to let them burn the city, or do you plan on stepping in?" Lucius Fox's voice echoed through the cave's speakers.
"Not yet," Bruce said, his voice cold. "I need to know their numbers. Their strategy."
"And then?"
Bruce's eyes glowed faintly red. "Then I remind them who Gotham belongs to."
Gotham City – Wayne Enterprises Manufacturing Plant
The mercenaries worked fast, planting charges around the plant's foundation. Carter Reeves, the leader, barked orders to his men, confident in their success. Lex had paid handsomely for their services, and they were more than happy to cripple Wayne's empire. The final charge was set, and Reeves grinned as he prepared to give the detonation command.
"Alright, boys, let's—"
A shadow fell over them, cutting him off mid-sentence.
The mercs looked up, their weapons raised instinctively. But it was too late. Batman dropped from the rafters like a dark god, his fists colliding with two of Reeves' men before they even had a chance to fire. Bones snapped, screams filled the air, and in seconds, two of them were on the ground, gasping in pain.
Reeves staggered back, his hand reaching for the detonator, but before he could even think about pushing the button, Batman was on him. His fist slammed into Reeves' chest with enough force to lift him off the ground, the air leaving his lungs in a painful gasp.
"Let's get something straight," Batman growled, lifting Reeves by the throat, his eyes glowing red with fury. "This city? It's mine. And no one—no one—touches what's mine."
Reeves wheezed, clawing at Batman's hand. "You… you can't stop all of us…"
Batman's grin was chilling. "I don't need to."
He hurled Reeves across the room like a ragdoll, his body crashing into a stack of crates. Before the merc could even process what had happened, Batman was already tearing through the rest of his men. Gunfire erupted, but the bullets bounced harmlessly off Batman's armor. He moved like a force of nature, fists breaking bones, his cape swirling like a hurricane of darkness.
One by one, the mercenaries fell, their screams echoing through the plant as Batman systematically took them apart. He didn't kill. He didn't have to. Each blow was precise, calculated to cause maximum pain. A shattered leg here, a broken arm there. By the time the last merc hit the ground, crying out for mercy, Batman stood tall, his breath steady, not a drop of sweat on him.
Reeves tried to crawl toward the detonator, but Batman's boot came down hard on his hand, crushing it beneath the weight.
"You thought you could come into my city and burn it down," Batman said, his voice like gravel. "But all you've done is piss me off."
Reeves groaned in pain, his body trembling. "Lex… Lex will—"
"Lex isn't here," Batman growled. He reached down, picking up Reeves' phone from his pocket. He scrolled through the contacts until he found the one he wanted—Lex Luthor. Without hesitation, Batman hit call, holding the phone up to his ear.
It rang once. Twice. Then, a smooth, familiar voice answered. "Reeves? I trust everything is going according to plan?"
Batman's smile was pure malice. "Not exactly."
There was a pause on the other end. "Batman."
"You hired a bunch of amateurs, Lex. I'm disappointed," Batman said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You used to be smarter than this."
"This has nothing to do with you," Lex replied, his tone calm but filled with underlying rage.
"This is my city, Luther, it has everything to do with me," Batman said, glancing down at the broken bodies around him. "This is a message. Stay the fuck out of Gotham."
Lex's voice turned icy. "You can't win this war, Bruce. You might have won this battle, but I will—"
Batman cut him off, his voice suddenly cold as death. "Next time, it won't just be your mercs who end up broken, Lex. It'll be you. If you think you are safe in your little tower in Metropolis, you are wrong. I'll bury you under it. Stay out of my city."
He hung up the phone, crushing it in his hand. Reeves groaned beneath him, barely conscious.
Batman knelt down, his glowing red eyes boring into the broken merc. "Tell Lex one more thing," he whispered. "I'm not playing by the rules anymore."
And with that, he vanished into the shadows, leaving behind nothing but pain and fear in his wake.