The scalpel moved.
The sound it made cutting through air was almost imperceptible.
Lynn's hands trembled—not from fear, but from the surge of adrenaline sharpening every nerve.
The system interface expanded fully across his vision.
A three-dinsional projection of Batman's body hovered before him.
The toxin's diffusion path glowed in red—spreading from the left thoracic cavity toward the myocardium.
Fractured rib segnts were marked in yellow.
Seventeen impact wounds appeared as clustered orange points across the body.
Each label included depth, angle, and risk assessnt—accurate down to the milliter.
But the system did not operate for him.
It only inford.
Execution was still his responsibility.
Lynn lowered his gaze to Batman's chest.
The armor had already failed under extre force. The explosion—clearly engineered by The Joker—had torn open the left side, exposing damaged tissue and embedded blade entry.
However, the right chest remained partially covered.
The intact armor plate blocked access to the rib fractures.
Standard tools would not cut through it.
Lynn hesitated briefly—
Then the system responded:
[Notification: Ergency dical release chanism detected. Location: third plate seam beneath left axilla. Activation will disengage chest armor.]
He reached under the left arm, fingers probing through the gaps.
Two seconds.
Contact.
A recessed trigger.
He pressed.
Click.
The chest plate disengaged and split along its central axis, retracting outward with chanical precision.
Even injured—
Batman had designed his suit for self-surgery.
Lynn didn't dwell on it.
The mont the armor opened, the full severity of the wound beca visible.
The dagger.
Embedded deep.
A faint green luminescence pulsed along its edges.
The surrounding tissue was already compromised—blood vessels darkened, discolored by toxin infiltration.
The spread pattern was aggressive.
Unstable.
[Warning: Toxin infiltration has reached 17% of myocardial surface. Irreversible necrosis projected within 6 minutes.]
Six minutes.
Lynn grasped the dagger.
Prepared to extract—
Then stopped.
The system flashed:
[Warning: Blade contains triple barbed serrations. Direct removal will cause secondary vascular tearing. Mortality risk increases to 99.6%.]
[Recomnded procedure: Rotate blade 15° clockwise along insertion axis, then withdraw at constant velocity.]
Without guidance—
This step alone would have been fatal.
Lynn adjusted his grip.
"Fifteen degrees."
He rotated.
Then pulled.
Steady.
Controlled.
Batman's body convulsed sharply, a suppressed groan escaping his throat.
Blood surged from the wound.
Lynn reacted instantly—
Left hand clamped the primary vessel using forceps.
Right hand applied firm compression with gauze.
The ECG spiked erratically—
Then stabilized.
"Still alive," Lynn muttered. "Good."
No ti wasted.
Next—
Toxin neutralization.
The system displayed a full molecular breakdown of the compound—consistent with Joker's tendency toward hybridized chemical agents combining neurotoxins with destabilizing biochemical triggers.
A temporary neutralization protocol appeared.
Three agents required:
Epinephrine hydrochlorideSodium bicarbonateDexathasone
Precise ratios provided.
Lynn moved to the cabinet.
Quick search.
Everything was there—
Barely.
The dexathasone vial was nearly expired, coated in dust.
No alternatives.
He prepared the mixture exactly as instructed.
Heated it briefly.
Those ninety seconds—
Were the longest stretch of the entire procedure.
Batman's respiration deteriorated.
The monitor slowed.
"Hold it together," Lynn said quietly. "You're not done yet."
Ninety seconds elapsed.
Injection administered.
Controlled rate.
Precise delivery.
On the system display—
The darkened tissue began to recede.
[Notification: Toxin neutralization progress: 82.7%]
[Residual concentration below critical threshold. Target capable of tabolic clearance.]
Crisis one—contained.
No pause.
Next—
Thoracic injury.
Lynn inserted a drainage line.
Air and blood evacuated—nearly 400 milliliters.
Lung re-expansion followed gradually.
He removed the embedded rib fragnt with careful angling to avoid further tearing.
Then sutured the damaged lung tissue.
Minimal margin for error.
Then—
Shrapnel wounds.
He prioritized five critical sites.
Stopped bleeding.
Cleaned debris.
Closed.
Every motion was continuous.
No wasted movent.
No hesitation.
This wasn't brilliance.
It was repetition.
Two years in an illegal clinic had given him one advantage—
Steady hands under pressure.
That—
Was enough.
Final suture placed.
Thread cut.
Lynn stepped back.
Removed his gloves.
Exhaled.
On the table—
Batman's breathing stabilized.
Color returned gradually to his lips.
Alive.
Then—
The system triggered.
[Ding! Healing complete! Evaluation: SSS·Miracle]
[Ding! Newbie mission complete! Reward issued: Newbie Gift Pack ×1]
[Initiating ability extraction…]
[Detected talents:]
Human Physical Limits (S-rank)Super Intelligence (S -rank)Master Combat Proficiency (S-rank)Detective Intuition (A -rank)
[Selecting optimal extraction based on contribution: SSS priority]
[Target: Super Intelligence (S -rank)]
[Copying… 23%… 51%… 78%… 100%]
[Ding! Extraction complete]
[Acquired: Super Intelligence (Incomplete – 70%)]
[Effect: Cognitive processing speed ×10. Includes multi-domain knowledge integration (19 disciplines). Partial knowledge lock active.]
Then—
Impact.
Information flooded in.
Not gradually—
Violently.
Like structural collapse inside his mind.
Combat modeling.
Criminal profiling.
Engineering schematics.
Chemical structures.
Strategic analysis.
Everything—
Condensed.
Seventy percent of a lifeti.
Lynn braced himself against the table.
Vision blurred.
Ten seconds—
Then clarity returned.
The world hadn't changed.
His perception of it had.
He looked at the armor.
Analysis triggered instantly.
Kevlar density.
Composite layering.
Internal support systems.
Estimated cost.
All processed in under two seconds.
"This…" he said quietly, "is Bruce Wayne's mind."
Even incomplete—
It was overwhelming.
His gaze shifted to the door.
Previously—
Unbreakable.
Now—
Simple.
Five-pin tumbler.
Low tolerance.
Poor alignnt.
Improvised tools—
Sufficient.
He straightened a hemostat.
Used a surgical needle as tension control.
Seven seconds.
Click.
The lock disengaged.
The door opened.
Lynn stepped forward—
Then stopped.
Not the system.
Instinct.
Enhanced cognition.
Airflow had shifted.
Cold air moving inward.
Irregular.
Accompanied by—
Breathing.
Labored.
Ragged.
And fabric brushing against walls.
Soone was inside.
And that breathing—
He recognized it imdiately.
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