This meant that as Dick and Vivi fought here, Black Mask’s sniper might just be aiming a gun at their foreheads…

While Dick thought so – “No, there are no enemies nearby.” The girl plucked a golden pen from the chest of the impostor Black Mask and showed Dick the tiny camera on the cap. “Black Mask uses this to keep tabs on what’s happening, but he didn’t anticipate our arrival, so he hasn’t positioned any personnel here.”

After saying this, Vivi crushed the pen cap under her foot.

Dick didn’t ask how she knew this. Instead, he swiftly knocked down the surrounding foes with his staff, then, hoisting Vivi over his shoulder, vaulted over the old iron gate next to the steel factory. By the time the undead soldiers caught up, the two were already descending into the underground through a manhole cover.

“Alright,” Dick said, setting the girl down as the sound of footsteps faded above them, “You want to take on Black Mask? With a gun, alone?”

“Yeah, want to join me?” Vivi blinked. “Then it’ll be the two of us.”

Nightwing sighed. “I think I should call and have you sent to a foster care center. At least they won’t let a kid go after a mob boss with a gun.”

“It’s not to kill, it’s just anesthetic rounds,” Vivi countered. “Why weren’t you affected?”

“I’m trained to resist it, and I carry an antidote,” Dick placed a hand on her shoulder. “There are decent shelters in Burnley or Down Island…”

Before he was adopted by Bruce, he had spent some time in those places, just to ensure he had no psychological issues when taken in.

Of course, even after Bruce became his new father, they faced many challenges but overcame them together.

“The director in Burnley takes a little from the charity funds for his mistress, and the one in Down Island is diligent but very strict. She likes corporal punishment and really dislikes girls,” Vivi adjusted her jacket, “especially ones who go after mob bosses with a gun?”

Nightwing choked on his words. “That’s something I’ll bring up with Batman.”

Batman deals with this too?

Vivi shook her head. “But you’re right, those two are the more responsible options here.”

She elbowed the person opposite her. “Don’t talk to me like you’re my parent. I know what I’m doing. Right now, we have the same target—Black Mask. Or should I go after him where you can’t see?”

Vivi truly didn’t mind, but given that Nightwing genuinely meant well, she was willing to talk a bit more—

It would be better if they could exchange some information.

“And I won’t die,” she finally said.

Robin already knows this; isn’t it normal for players not to die?

Nightwing sighed. “Alright. Have you heard of THE5?”

“A drug,” Vivi responded.

“THE5 makes people feel incredibly powerful. It’s actually a diluted version of another serum,” Nightwing waded further into the water, “THE1 blocks human pain perception. Because they lose this judgment, they truly believe they’re strong, energetic, and fearless.”

Vivi gasped.

There’s such a good thing?

But she quickly regained her composure. “So it’s not real strength, it’s fake? Black Mask produces THE1?”

“After multiple injections, humans become like puppets with very low intelligence, obeying Black Mask’s commands. Even if their bones are broken, they won’t feel the pain, so they keep coming back to attack,” Nightwing explained. “I need to get a sample of THE1 to produce an antidote to revert those transformed into the living dead back to normal.”

【Side Quest “Black Mask and THE5” has been updated】

【You’ve received a side quest “Black Mask and THE1”】

【Black Mask wants to create a fearless army, and you are certain you won’t let him achieve his goal.】

【Quest rewards: 0~50 diamonds, 0~100,000 gold coins】

“You used anesthetic rounds before, but you saw, they had no effect on them, their injected bodies are immune to normal drugs.”

Vivi looked up. “They must still think they are steel factory workers, not underlings of Black Mask?”

Nightwing nodded. “Indeed, these people were selected from the workers.”

The noise above grew louder. Nightwing touched his ear and whispered, “Black Mask has sent other living dead this way. I think he believes we haven’t left.”

These living dead were just ordinary people being manipulated, never using THE1 on his close associates. Black Mask was smart enough to know the substance should only be used on ordinary people, treating them as expendable.

Vivi stared at the map. “You said, these living dead still have low intelligence, so can they experience happiness?”

People think blocking out pain makes them stronger. How could they anticipate that what really brings them down is ‘happiness’?

She suddenly pulled out two large red spray bottles from her bag, each holding about a liter. She handed them to Nightwing.

“After you knock down those workers, spray this red paint under their feet,” she instructed. “They won’t continue attacking you. As for me, I’m going to find Black Mask’s pharmaceutical department in the steel factory—you’ve stayed because you think since he transformed the factory workers, there must be a stash of THE1 here, right?”

“Relax,” Vivi interjected, guessing what Nightwing was about to caution her about next. “I won’t die.”

Vigilantes always seemed reluctant to let ordinary people get involved in danger, and compared to destructive figures like Black Mask and the Penguin, they were like angels! Even if they were a bit overprotective, it was just a sweet annoyance.

Vivi seemed even more familiar with the underground layout than Nightwing, vanishing down the tunnels in a flash, leaving Nightwing just enough time to hand her a communicator.

After Vivi sped away, Nightwing climbed the underground escalator, and in the communicator, the Bat Family initiated a conference call without including Vivi.

Barbara commented, “She talks about death too casually, as if she has died many times before.”

“Yes, I’m researching how she manages to resurrect,” Tim added. “We all know her body has been discarded before.”

Dick joked, “A discarded little dove picked up again? Can you still wash it and use it?”

Everyone in the Bat Family held a grim view of those who trifled with life. Black Mask’s undead soldiers felt no pain, nor did the girl, but she misspoke—she wasn’t immortal. If Mr. C grew tired of her and withdrew the power that revived her, she would revert to being just another corpse.

Since they hadn’t taken Vivi for a full medical exam, they didn’t know her current condition, but it likely wasn’t good.

Black Mask’s undead soldiers had temporarily lost their emotions, whereas Vivi was actively serving Mr. C, which only complicated the feelings of the Bat Family members.

Did Vivi ever consider her own situation when Dick spoke of the undead?

Batman instructed, “Dick, remember to keep some of the paint you collected. We’ll analyze it back at the Batcave.”

Dick: “…”

Dick muted his communicator, muttering under his breath, “Sometimes, I’m not surprised we have so many issues with our father figures.”

He moved across the upper beams of the factory. Vivi wasn’t much for talking, the communicator remained silent, and he couldn’t locate her.

Reinforcements were slow to arrive, and more foes gathered below. Just as Dick neutralized three opponents in front and swiped his card to access the elevator, two assailants suddenly attacked from behind, interrupting his movement.

Then, as the crowd nearly overwhelmed him, his worker disguise fell off, revealing the uniform underneath. These foes wouldn’t be knocked unconscious easily, complicating the situation.

Dick thought of the paint: “Okay… under the shoes… sounds weird enough…”

He knocked down the nearest two, sprayed the paint on their soles, then flung them aside, continuing to battle others—the steel factory was still operational, and since Black Mask wouldn’t allow his thoughtless soldiers to fire guns in the facility, they were limited to knives and daggers, but even that was enough to give a constrained Dick a hard time.

When he finally paused, panting, he noticed only one person lying in front, a worker sprawled on the ground with both soles painted red, not attacking Dick but slowly crawling away.

He looked up, puzzled, just as Tim asked over the communicator, “How’s it going, Nightwing? We’re trying to get to you. By the way, what’s the paint for?”

“I think you don’t need to come anymore,” Dick kneeled down, the empty factory filling with numb workers returning to their posts, the machines restarting, and the emotionless undead resuming their duties, leaving Dick alone like an out-of-place intruder. He explained, “I don’t know how to explain this, but after using that stuff on their soles, they all went back to work.”

“Back to work?”

“The paint’s purpose is to send those who should be working back to their posts,” Vivi chimed in, now also listening to their conversation.

“Yes…” He stared at the paint can in his hand, suddenly shuddering, “What would happen if I sprayed it on my own soles?”

“Did you use it?” Vivi exclaimed in surprise, “Nothing would happen, just hard work as usual, like what you’re doing now.”

Dick was skeptical, “And how long would I work?”

Vivi replied, “That… depends on your willpower, I guess?”

People knew they were being influenced by the paint, yet they couldn’t resist the happiness it brought.

After Vivi took over Nightwing’s communicator, she found herself in team mode, with teammates including Nightwing, Robin, Oracle, and Batman. According to Nightwing, Batman would also be arriving soon?

Vivi was actually still underground, not having located Black Mask on the map of the steel factory—

According to Nightwing, Black Mask’s use of a double wasn’t meant for them; his paranoid nature had him prepared from the start.

But given the importance he placed on the THE1 project, Vivi, putting herself in Black Mask’s shoes, knew he would want to oversee it personally.

Rather than scouring the entire map for Black Mask, she suspected he might still be in the steel factory—

The only way he could vanish from Vivi’s map was if he were hiding underground.

She navigated the underground, guided by the breeze and the map, pinpointing areas she hadn’t explored yet.

As she approached a location a hundred meters from Nightwing, a gust of warm, damp air tousled the hair on her forehead.

Vivi, deep in thought, stared at the wall in front of her and pulled out a small hammer.