When the strange Crocodile Cat and Batman locked gazes, both hesitated, finding the other very peculiar.
From a human perspective and Batman's aesthetics, the other was grossly deformed, halfway between a cat and a crocodile. The combination of these distinctly unrelated creatures was far from appealing.
The Crocodile Cat had raised crocodile-like shells from the top of his head down to the base of his tail, protruding eyebrow bones over its eyes, larger claws than an average cat, and a structure more similar to a crocodile. Additionally, its size was bigger than the resident cats of the city, almost nearing a cheetah.
In the eyes of the Crocodile Cat, however, the cats opposite were even stranger. In this world, cats wore clothes, and the majority had equipment – even the ordinary cats living in the slums were equipped with metal gear and exoskeletons.
To the Crocodile Cat, the cats opposite were entirely naked and unarmed, extremely peculiar in the extreme.
Yet after a moment of hesitation, neither side immediately attacked – especially the Crocodile Cat, who retreated carefully, moving back two steps into the shadow of a corner. Then it raised its tail, extended its claws, displaying a hostile stance.
The cats on the other side had no knowledge of cat behavioural studies. Even Batman, who could not possibly adapt to a feline life in a few hours, saw a cat from a human perspective. He assumed the Crocodile Cat's stance was a hostile prelude to attack and decided to strike first.
Batman began to move slowly with his body emerging from the faint shadows. The keen eyes of the Crocodile Cat were following him, but Batman, obscured by the shadows, was the nightmare of all opponents. The Crocodile Cat was struck on the head by a paw before it could even fully see Batman's move.
Batman was not well-versed in feline fights; at least, he was not clear about how cats should fight. However, his learning ability was unmatched. In the split second before he struck, he realized that felines were indeed naturally great hunters.
Speed, flexibility, agility, lethal capacity, all were flawless. The moment he realized this, Batman lunged forward like a real feline killer, biting the Crocodile Cat's ear, following with a scratch on its extended front paw.
Then, he leaped forward onto the Crocodile Cat's stomach with his sharp claws, flicked his tail, spun his body around, and bit down on the Crocodile Cat's neck.
The Crocodile Cat let out a yowl. Still, the anticipated pain and death did not come. Batman did not bite down; he merely used his fangs to restrain the movement of the Crocodile Cat. At that moment, Clark rushed up and said, "Hey! Don't go that far! We can't kill the kitty..."
Batman opened his mouth, but his paw still pressed down on the Crocodile Cat's belly. He locked his vertical pupils with the Crocodile Cat's eyes. He saw a flicker of fear on the Crocodile's face, which was surprisingly human-like. The Crocodile Cat then rolled over, baring its stomach in a gesture of submission.
The Crocodile Cat was larger than Batman and his gang, but not as nimble. Or rather, the crocodile mutation reduced the killing power of the Cat. Batman's forepaws were much more flexible than his, which were more crocodile than cat.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" Batman asked.
"I should be the one asking you that question," the Crocodile Cat replied. The words were unclear. His sound was ''meows," yet the cats could understand him.
"How did you guys get here? How did you end up in the Gotham Sewers?" As the Crocodile Cat took in the peculiar cats, Batman said, "We're from out of town, looking for someone."
"Out of town?" The Crocodile Cat eyed them,"You guys wouldn't be from Big Apple City next door, would you? Especially you..." The Crocodile Cat looked at Clark, "I get an apple scent from you."
Perplexed, Clark stretched out his paw to sniff but found no scent. Constantine grumbled, "Stop talking about smells. This place stinks. Let's quickly find a place that's a bit drier; I feel like I'm starting to get moldy..."
Batman's gaze fell back onto the Crocodile Cat's face. The Crocodile Cat exposed his teeth and said resignedly,"I'm just a stray cat. As you can see, my appearance keeps me from living on the surface, so I make do here."
"The murder case that happened in front of the bank, does it have anything to do with you?" Batman narrowed his eyes at him. Upon hearing about the murder case, the Crocodile Cat clearly paused, then shook his head, "Although I haven't been to the surface in a while, I do know it is the turf of Bat Cat. A murder case? Impossible. No cat could commit a crime in this city."
"Bat Cat?" Batman's eyes narrowed to slits, and Victor, familiar with him, understood that Batman was now on full alert.