Unfortunately, and yet fortunately, it was this guy who personally brought Bane onto the island and imprisoned him.

He was one of the few on the island who knew of Bane's existence.

Yes, even the staff at the asylum didn't all know of Bane's existence; only the higher-ups did.

Bane being detained here was considered "classified."

Those lower-level staff weren't qualified to know. This team leader was counted among the island's higher-ups, qualified not just to be informed but also to execute these matters.

Indeed, he had the qualification to bring Adrian close to Bane and have a brief chat.

This was his misfortune and Adrian's fortune.

"Fine, but no matter what you want to say to Bane, it's best not to mess around with me, otherwise..." The security captain from the west patted the handgun at his waist.

"Captain—" A security officer beside him wanted to say something but closed his mouth timidly under the captain's stern gaze.

They better not get involved in this seemingly "high-level" struggle; it felt like someone might end up dead.

"Untie me already, whether as a patient or a bargaining chip, I'm not used to being tied up," Adrian said.

The captain nodded slightly, signalling the security personnel behind Adrian to reluctantly remove the handcuffs.

"Come with me," the captain said to Adrian, extending his hand, leaving a few subordinates behind and leading Adrian out of the security room.

Where Bane was detained wasn't in the harshest part of the island for suppressing inmates but in the medical centre.

Of course, not in the hospital rooms but in the hidden basement of the medical centre.

Leading Adrian, the captain passed through several thick iron doors, arriving deep underground, about ten meters down.

The space in this basement wasn't small, a bit larger than the security room.

Various highly complex instruments were placed inside, with a huge "cage" in the centre.

It wasn't an iron cage; it was a cage made partly of glass and partly of other materials.

Overall, it had a semi-cylindrical shape, fixed to the ground.

Inside the cage was a person.

A person with a considerably large frame but looking extremely thin. His hands and feet were firmly restrained, and he was suspended, with a peculiar apparatus resembling a water tank on his back.

From this apparatus extended several tubes that pierced directly into the person's body.

There was also an obviously newly added tube connected from that apparatus to the outside of the cage.

The tubes faintly emitted a greenish hue.

Additionally, this person had around ten or so other tubes of varying sizes, some were used to extract things like blood, and bone marrow, while others were for injecting other drugs to sustain this person's vital signs.

The entire scene was a standard inhumane experiment.

And this experimental subject, needless to say, was Adrian's target, Bane.

It seemed he wasn't doing well at this asylum.

In the area directly connected to this high-tech, research-oriented cage, there was a small transparent pool containing some emerald green liquid.

Many test tubes in the room contained the same emerald-green liquid.

In front of a computer, a middle-aged woman in a white coat was intensely staring at the screen, looking visibly irritated. On the other side were two more individuals, looking similar, perhaps researchers or assistants, equally displaying signs of frustration.

They seemed to ignore the entrance of Adrian and the security captain.

*Cough cough.*

The security captain coughed twice and walked over to the middle-aged woman, saying, "Dr. Jones."

"What is it?" Dr. Jones seemed clearly trapped in some kind of predicament, sounding very impatient.

However, the security captain, who had reluctantly conducted the dirty deal with Adrian, was even more upset. "Open the door and wake up Bane. I want to have a word with him."

"What are you saying?" Dr. Jones's voice was sharp, making Adrian, leaning against the high-tech cage, twitch his ears.

It also drew the attention of the two other researchers who turned their gaze in their direction.

"Need me to repeat myself?" The security captain impatiently continued, "Hurry up."

"It's impossible; we're conducting research," Dr. Jones flatly refused.

"Understand this, this isn't solely under your authority. You're just a researcher; I'm here on orders!" The security captain roared in a low voice, reminiscent of the violent tendencies of authority figures in corrupt and decadent capitalist nations depicted in movies.

Startled by the security captain, Dr. Jones involuntarily stepped back.

The captain took her place, turning to ask, "How do we proceed?"

Under the pressure from the fierce eyes of the security captain, Dr. Jones reluctantly chose to compromise. "If something goes wrong, it's not on me."

"What could go wrong?" The security captain pointed at Bane. "Look at his current state."

Bane had already been tortured to the point of being unrecognizable. Even without being tied up and confined in this cell, an ordinary person would likely collapse with a single punch, posing no threat.

Following Dr. Jones's directions, a hissing sound of gas leakage occurred. The door of the cage slowly opened, and a freezing cold swept through the room rapidly.

At the same time, some liquid was injected into Bane through the tubes.

Bane, appearing almost lifeless, began to show significant agitation in his chest.

"Go in." The security captain gestured for Adrian to enter.

Adrian smiled, walking into this special cage.

He shook his hand behind him, saying, "Close the door." Behind him, the opened door slowly closed.

"What is he planning?" Dr Jones asked, looking at Adrian who had approached Bane.

They couldn't hear anything from inside the cage.

"I don't know; I'm just following orders," the security captain said impatiently. However, his "orders" weren't from the high-ranking authorities of the asylum as Dr. Jones and her team presumed.

The reason Bane was here was that someone had provided substantial funds to certain individuals at the asylum, including Dr. Jones, to collaborate and research Bane.

Or more precisely, to research the "Venom" within Bane.

Venom, is a particular potion Bane used to enhance his physical capabilities, enabling him to surpass human limits in various aspects such as strength, speed, endurance, and recovery.

However, given the name Venom, it also had a significantly "venomous" side.

Ordinary people, upon using Venom, could indeed acquire extraordinary combat abilities in a short time, but the consequence was death.

Only Bane could use Venom long-term. Yet, even with him, extensive usage would lead to mental degradation, severe side effects, even memory loss, and potentially affect intelligence.

And Bane was now unable to abstain from using Venom. Without injections for a long period, he would become as he appeared now or possibly even die.

In the green pool outside the cage, that was the Venom - all the Venom the asylum had acquired, possibly the only remaining Venom.

Most of it was for experimental research, with a small amount used to keep Bane alive.

As the sole long-term user of Venom, Bane's research value surpassed that of the original Venom.

Evidently, the mysterious benefactor aimed to acquire the method of producing Venom and possibly wished to further research and create a better form of Venom.

"Hey, wake up! Bane, can you hear me?" Adrian reached out

, continuously snapping his fingers in front of Bane, slightly bringing this unlucky individual back to some level of consciousness.

"Who are you?" Bane's blurred vision began to clear.

He wore the kind of headgear wrestlers use, with only three holes, exposing the mouth and eyes, appearing extremely odd.

"I'm Adrian. Interested in making a deal with me?" Adrian said.

"What deal?" Bane's voice was hoarse.

"I'll set you free," Adrian said, "in exchange for the method to produce Venom and joining my lab to help research a better form of Venom."

"Huh." Bane chuckled.

"Don't rush to refuse."

Adrian, calm and composed, reached near his mouth, as if performing a magic trick, and produced a tube containing water from Lazarus Pit. "Lazarus Pit. Ever heard of it, like the Penguin Man? If we have this, do you think we could collaborate to research a better and more perfect Venom potion?" Adrian's voice sounded like a devil's temptation, causing Bane's heart to accelerate.

He had dealt with the League of Assassins and knew about the wonders of the Lazarus Pit.

Its value surpassed his Venom by an unknown margin.

With the Lazarus Pit, Bane might indeed be able to research a better and more perfect Venom potion.

Currently, Venom could only be considered a toxin, not a potion, because it was too poisonous.

Even Bane, at this point, was drinking from a poisoned chalice. After taking too much, it genuinely affected his intelligence. Once renowned for his high intellect, Bane's memory had declined after excessive use of the drug, his responses slowed, slipping rapidly towards being a mere "meat shield enforcer."

Another year or so, and Bane feared he might truly become a fool.

"Why didn't you bring this out sooner?" Bane asked.

"Because I'm not part of the asylum," Adrian replied.

Bane paused, his mouth exposed, and began to grin. Even with the headgear, the twisted, menacing smile was evident. "Fine, I accept this deal."

"Alright, then let me give you a taste."

Adrian smiled, forcefully injecting the syringe into Bane's neck.

Bane's head shot up, emitting a roar of pain mixed with pleasure, his almost depleted body greedily absorbing the water from the Lazarus Pit.

____________

A/N- I'm slightly elevating the character and fighting power, please don't refer to the Dark Knight trilogy starring Christian Bale.

I've based this on comics and the Arkham game series, so—everyone in Gotham City is already beyond ordinary people, so all their crazy actions, you don't need to doubt; they're just that cool.

_____________

Read 30 Chapters Ahead!

patreon.com/SkyImmortal