Chapter 107 The Evil Owl is Very, Very Evil

This resume is a bit too "illustrious".

"If you're curious, I also know some people like Night Owl, Ultimate Man, Super Queen, and Lu... Sorry, I'm leaving now."

The operator quickly went offline, perhaps because she was caught gossiping about her boss.

“It seems we should contact Bruce Wayne over there as soon as possible,” Red Hood spoke first. “See, at least he has a brother who is still alive, even if he is under the identity of Night Owl.”

“The more critical problem now is that we can’t get in touch with Batman at all. He’s obviously furious,” Oracle typed on the keyboard. “I’m cracking the block, but it will take time.”

“Excellent, so for now we can only hope that Night Owl won’t suddenly claim to be Thomas Wayne Jr., who was caught in a time warp and suddenly grew to be over forty years old, and then successfully infiltrate Wayne Manor…”

-

The owl is not dead.

At the last moment before the bomb was about to explode, he still used that simplified, one-time quantum starter to return to Gotham.

Even Owl himself didn't know what he was thinking at the time, why he didn't bring the bomb to the original Earth or just wait for it to explode on that planet. Maybe it was because he promised Bruce he wouldn't die first, maybe it was because destroying the original Earth would be pointless, or maybe it was just that he subconsciously didn't want to die with the Joker...

Who knows? In any case, he's still alive for now. No matter how long he can live, at least he's alive for now.

But he also had no plans to infiltrate Wayne Manor.

In any case, it would be better if Thomas Wayne Jr. were completely dead. Returning to Gotham as Night Owl would give him options, allowing him to secretly plot against the day he wanted to destroy the world. Thomas Wayne Jr., on the other hand, might be sent straight to Arkham.

The videotapes he left behind have completely blocked Thomas Wayne's path to return.

So he returned to his safe house, changed back into his Night Owl armor, and deliberately waited an extra day to prevent anyone from linking Night Owl with Thomas Wayne Jr., before finally returning to the headquarters of the Court of Owls…

Then he saw Dick, dressed in a Claw uniform, talking familiarly with some Claws, as if they had been working together for a long time.

?

Night Owl retreated, closed the door, and briefly checked the world coordinates.

That's right, he didn't go to the wrong universe; this is definitely not Earth 3.

The owls went in again, this time the claws lined up in pairs from tallest to shortest, and Dick stood at the very back.

Now, Dick and Claw seem to have a much closer relationship than Owl and Claw, at least that's how it appears.

The owl only stayed in the safe house for a day.

"Stop pretending, I'm not blind or deaf yet," Night Owl sighed knowingly. "Tell me, what happened in Gotham while I was away?"

Just as one of the claws was about to step forward to report, Dick beat him to it.

“Good evening, Night Owl,” Dick said, looking a little embarrassed. “Are you hiring?”

“No, of course we don’t hire. We don’t take child labor anymore,” Night Owl grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door. “Minors, go home now.”

Don't attract bats. Although this place is underground, at least the decor is pretty good.

“No!” Dick tried to break free from Night Owl’s grasp. “Actually, actually I broke up with Bruce yesterday. Now I can’t go back to Wayne Manor, and I don’t know anyone in Gotham. I can only work for you to make a living…”

“You actually think I’d believe that?” Night Owl said sternly. “Fine, if your adoptive family won’t let you return to Wayne Manor, then I can report Bruce Wayne, your guardian, to the Child Welfare Department for abandoning a minor. What do you think?”

“…Then forget it,” Dick said softly. “Actually, he’s a pretty good guy.”

Sorry, Bruce, I accidentally ruined your reputation in front of the supervillain.

"So what exactly happened?" Night Owl wanted to rub his temples, but he was still wearing his helmet, making the action difficult. "Did he run away from home during his rebellious phase?"

Dick tried to signal to Night Owl with his eyes to find a more secluded place to talk, but the round goggles of the Claw uniform made eye contact completely impossible; even Night Owl couldn't see into his eyes through the yellow goggles.

“Okay,” Dick gave in, “can we talk somewhere else?”

-

"So, you mean," Night Owl concluded thoughtfully, "that you and Batman had a falling out because of Thomas Wayne's death?"

Dick nodded.

"...Then you suddenly realize that Batman's methods can't change Gotham, so you decide to go to the Court of Owls and use their methods to change Gotham?"

Dick nodded vigorously.

“I understand,” Night Owl replied expressionlessly. “One last question: do you think I look like a fool?”

Dick nodded... No, Dick immediately shook his head.

“How could that be?” Dick took off his goggles, staring at Night Owl with a sincere yet slightly aggrieved look. “In your eyes, am I that kind of person? Someone who would recklessly exploit someone’s trust…”

“Very good,” Night Owl interrupted him expressionlessly, “It seems you’ve mastered Thomas Wayne Jr.’s lying tricks to perfection.”

He even added some of Dick's own little touches, so at least now Dick looks pretty much the same as he did when he was on Earth III.

“Believe it or not,” Dick said, becoming more serious as he put his goggles back on, “I’ve been fired from Batman. Jason is the current Robin. That’s a fact.”

“This one’s similar, selectively revealing the facts, hiding the real purpose, and adding a touch of indifference… I haven’t heard that in a long time,” Night Owl said, meeting Dick’s gaze with a half-smile. “So, what do you want from me? Did Batman suddenly decide to clean up the illegal structures hidden in Gotham’s sewers and send you here as an undercover agent?”

“No, actually I just wanted to prove myself to Batman,” Dick shook his head. “You see, I was brought in by the other Claws. I don’t know how I got in here. I don’t have any tracking, camera, or eavesdropping devices on me. I don’t have any other purpose at all.”

“No, you do,” Night Owl crouched down, removed the goggles from his claws, and met Dick's gaze. “What do you want to do?”

“I didn’t,” Dick protested. “I just didn’t.”

The owl remained silent for a moment.

“Okay,” he stood up, “you know what? I’ve actually been planning to retire.”

"ha?"

“I’m over forty years old,” Night Owl continued. “Managing Gotham is too much work, and I’m tired.”

“What are you talking about?” Dick frowned. “But you look so young…”

“I have to thank Lazarus Pool for that. There’s plenty of that in Gotham,” Night Owl’s lying skills were clearly superior to Dick’s. At least his logic was very consistent, and he even used the knowledge the other party had. “It can bring my physical age back to its peak.”

"So you should learn from the leader of the League of Assassins, Night Owl!" Dick's tone became impassioned. "Look, they both used the water of Lazarus Pool, and he's lived for hundreds of years without retiring, still active on the front lines of supervillain work, while you're only in your forties and already thinking about retiring..."

“I understand,” Night Owl interrupted Dick in a rather soft voice, placing his hand on the back of Dick’s neck and lightly tapping the metal fittings on his claw uniform with the tip of his sharp claws. “So you’re here for me, not the Court of Owls.”

Dick looked up, and Night Owl was still watching him. Even in the darkness, the white goggles still reflected a little light, making him look somewhat terrifying.

This feeling of being seen through is awful, absolutely terrible.

“I’m just planning to retire, not for the Court of Owls and Claws to disband immediately. I think your counter-surveillance skills still need some intensive training,” Night Owl tilted his head, staring at Dick with interest, his voice carrying a hint of teasing prey. “So, kid, is there anything about me that interests you? Maybe I can help you.”

-

It all started the day Thomas Wayne died.

When Robin returned to the Batcave with the videotape and a heavy heart, it was already "overcrowded".

Martha was sitting in the swivel chair with bat ears, which Batman often sat in, with her face covered. Old Thomas squatted in front of the chair, holding her shoulders and comforting her over and over again.

Alfred stood behind the swivel chair, trying to take some of the damage for Batman: "I'm sorry, I think it's all my fault, Mrs. Martha, I failed to stop Bruce."

Martha couldn't say anything, only let out a few sobs.

“It’s not your fault,” old Thomas said as calmly as possible. “We all know that Bruce is rather…stubborn in his own ideas, and it just so happens to be your job to help him realize them…”

Jason quietly walked up to Robin and whispered, "So I guessed right."

“That’s right!” Robin immediately forced a perfect smile, as if he didn’t care at all whether Thomas was alright or not. “Alfred is Batman!”

At this moment, he must not reveal himself, especially in front of Martha.

"Hey! You're still lying to me at a time like this?" Jason protested in the softest of voices, "And you're Robin..."

“Yes, absolutely right, isn’t that cool?” Robin vigorously rubbed Jason’s face with his hand. “Go to sleep! Don’t get involved in adult matters. Don’t you have school tomorrow? How are you going to get into Gotham University if you don’t get some sleep!”

"You talk like you've had a good night's sleep," Jason rubbed his face. "I'm going to curse you so you'll never grow as tall as me!"

“How is that possible?” Robin grabbed his shoulders, trying to push Jason back upstairs. “Look, I do a lot of stretching exercises every day, how could I not grow taller…”

Unfortunately, just as Robin was about to take Jason back to the study, Batwing returned.

Batman, his face grim, jumped off the bat wing, walked to the Batcomputer, and stood silently.

Martha stood up, wiped away her tears, and tried to put on a gentle smile: "How are you today, Bruce? Are you hurt?"

Batman paused for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

Martha breathed a slight sigh of relief, her smile becoming more natural, and then asked, "So... what about Tommy? Is he still providing you with any technical support, like making that locator?"

“Tommy…” Batman took a deep breath, hesitating whether to tell the truth, “He… he’s alright.”

Batman's voice is strange, even a bit off.

Martha's smile faded little by little. She leaned against old Thomas as if all her strength was gone, but clung tightly to Batman's hand as if grasping at a lifeline.

"Something happened to him, didn't it?"

"He...he's dead," Batman repeated to himself, as if talking to himself. "He's dead."

-----------------------

Author's note: An owl that's playing dead is truly wicked.

-

I suddenly realized I made a mistake (feeling guilty). It's highly likely that the series won't be finished this month.