Day 23 of customs clearance
The thin morning mist completely dissipated, and the sun leaped out from the horizon.
In the alleys by the dock, the night owls who should have been resting were now all standing up.
"Have you heard? The Arkham Knight has declared war on Batman!"
"Didn't we declare war a long time ago? You're behind the times, bro. The entire Upper East Side Diamond District is under his control. Now the Penguin is nowhere to be found, Black Mask is barely clinging to life, and the others have been beaten to the point of no return. He's been the king of Gotham's underworld for a long time!"
The older thug added with a hint of sourness:
“Brother, do you see that port? Gotham Bay, it belongs to the Knight of Arkham, it’s a port that belongs to him alone.”
Thug: ?
When did Gotham Bay come under the control of the Arkham Knights?!
The thug frantically tried to recall what major events had recently occurred in Gotham. He had recently come to Gotham from his hometown of Chicago, and his knowledge of Gotham's local specialties was not as extensive as that of his native-born accomplice.
He only knew a few well-known traditional specialties; new specialties like the Arkham Knights were still too advanced for him.
The reason he fled Chicago is a long story.
Chicago has fallen into the clutches of the electronic ghosts, and if the thugs stay there any longer, they worry that even the color of their underwear will be exposed.
Even more frightening is that Chicago is under the surveillance of electronic ghosts, making it impossible to conduct illegal business!
A lifelong lover of freedom who dislikes following rules and constantly dreams of prison with its free food and lodging, this petty hoodlum couldn't find a better place than Gotham.
Other cities are either not exciting enough or place him in jail, failing to satisfy his desire to come and go as he pleases, or he might get caught up in a battle and die on the spot.
Like his predecessor who went to New York to make a living but died in the battle between the Avengers and aliens, the small-time hoodlum deleted New York from the place where his career started.
When focusing on New York, one cannot ignore its sister city, Gotham, a place with great potential.
Chaos reigns, a breeding ground for evil, a paradise for speculators, where there are no aliens or tin men flying around...
As it happened, the petty thug also had connections in Gotham, so he decided to seek refuge with the nephew of his great-uncle's third aunt's niece, a wealthy launderer who was said to have made a name for himself.
Although his bright future seemed increasingly bleak, the hoodlum was filled with sorrow, but he couldn't help asking, "Brother, what news have I missed?"
He desperately wanted to know how this eccentric guy, who had only debuted a year ago, had become the king of the underground scene. He needed experience urgently.
The older thug sized up the younger thug. He had a rough, clumsy face and an average build, but the only thing noticeable on his face was a hint of obsequiousness.
He doesn't even know how to address his elder brother properly; he clearly has no future.
He scoffed, “Want to know? Then show some respect. There’s a lot to learn from all this! Bringing up old news from years ago is just embarrassing. You’d be better off running errands for me and buying cigarettes. Maybe then I’d be willing to teach you.”
Only older, charlatans can tell the difference between genuine and fake teaching.
"It's just Arkham Knight declaring war on Batman. What's so special about that? Given Arkham Knight's control over Gotham, they're bound to clash sooner or later."
Seemingly provoked by the older thug's contempt, the younger thug shouted:
"That's not the declaration of war I was talking about. Did you know Batgirl was captured?!"
"Of course I know... What?!"
"What do you mean, 'arrested'? Explain yourself!"
The older thug's nonchalant expression was instantly replaced by utter shock. Batwoman had been captured?!
Are you kidding me!
Batgirl is one of the earliest members of the Bat Vigilantes, known for her fiery personality and ruthless attacks.
Back in the day, he was a trusted confidant of a powerful gangster. The older thugs witnessed his boss, who used to lord it over him and was fawned over by others, being beaten to a pulp by Batwoman, who left him spitting out blood and teeth.
"How could this be!" The older thug couldn't believe that such a powerful Batwoman had been captured.
The young thug was immersed in the thrill of beating up the older thugs. He knew it, but he didn't know it. How could the young thug not be secretly pleased?
He cleared his throat and said, "Didn't you see the latest newspaper today? The headline is that Batgirl has been captured and the Arkham Knights have declared war on Batman. They specifically ordered Batman to keep the order, or else they'll tear Batgirl to pieces and hand her over to him."
The older thug calmed down, but still doubted the truth of the matter.
“Tabloids will write anything to boost sales. This isn’t the first or second time they’ve tried to grab attention. Although this time it went too far, it’s still something they’re capable of doing.”
"What if I told you there was a picture of Batwoman on it?"
"ha?"
The older thug looked at her with a face that said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Batwoman, photo."
Batwoman, whose back has never been photographed from the front.
...
The salty sea breeze swept across the wilderness, through the streets and alleys, and traveled further and further until it turned into a wisp of breeze, rising up and merging into its family of gale-force winds.
[Shocking! Bat-themed vigilante base revealed for the first time]
Breaking News! Gotham's Uncrowned King vs. Gotham's New King: Who Will Win?
Batgirl has been captured; will Batman go to rescue her or give up?
"This is the plan you were talking about? Help?"
The Arkham Knight shook the large poster in his hand, his expression telling a story that was hard to explain.
He never imagined that the Bat-Style vigilantes would one day be involved with big-character posters.
"Wouldn't Batman and the other Bat-like vigilantes be drawn in? Besides, it's a fact that we have the oracle."
Why doesn't the boss agree with my suggestion?
Adrian held it in for less than an hour before finally asking the question; players shouldn't make things difficult for themselves.
"You mean the suggestion to hang up the oracle?"
"Hoo~"
Adrian nodded repeatedly, wondering why, boss, hanging up the Oracle would definitely attract the Bat Vigilantes, and they could even wipe them out in one fell swoop.
Adrian was puzzled. Did their boss only like Batman? Could it be true, as the forums were saying, that their boss was a die-hard Batman fan?!
He only wants to attract Batman's attention, only opposes Batman, and always makes trouble for Batman; his emotions are always swayed by Batman...
Adrian's gaze towards his boss gradually became strange.
Arkham Knight felt a chill run down his spine. He interrupted Adrian's reverie and said coldly:
"The oracle will be of great use to my plan to unify Gotham. Just focus on your own business and don't worry about it."
The Knights of Arkham practically told Adrian not to touch the Oracle, so he reluctantly abandoned his despicable idea of hanging the Oracle on the rooftop to attract the vigilantes.
In his plan, he would use the oracle as bait to spread the news of her capture to Broodhaven to lure Nightwing. As soon as Nightwing stepped into Gotham, he would be captured by the Arkham Knights.
Troublemakers, Red Robin, and Robin themselves will also willingly walk into the trap. If handled properly, combined with the Arkham Knights' strength, even Batman could be tricked.
Adrian's plan was simple: since he couldn't defeat Batman alone with the combat plugin, he would let the original owner of the combat plugin fight him. With Deathstroke and the Arkham Knights surrounding him, even if Batman had wings, he wouldn't be able to escape.
As for the countless lives that may be lost in the process, isn't that just a string of code? Why bother with sincerity?
Perhaps sensing that his words were ambiguous, the Arkham Knight reassured his loyal right and left hands, "I need you to oversee the entire capture operation. Releasing the Oracle could have an immeasurable destructive impact on our plan, given her abilities. Rather than using her as bait, she needs to be kept under close surveillance."
"Once Nightwing and his men step into the trap, you know what to do."
Adrian's otherwise dull gray eyes gleamed with a piercing light as he vowed, "Boss, today is Batman and the others' turn..."
"Don't make any promises, just wait and see."
Arkham Knight interrupts Adrian's impending boast: Nightwing and his crew might fall into a trap, but Batman will tear it apart and rescue his birds.
Rescue the birds!
The Arkham Knight pondered those words, wondering why he was still angry no matter how much time had passed.
He was annoyed by his own lack of composure, and annoyed that he could still be swayed by Batman.
"Remember, our goal today isn't Batman. How's the situation with Poison Ivy and the others?"
The Arkham Knight casually changed the subject, saying that his most important task now was to catch all the vigilantes Batman had ever trained.
"Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are already lying in ambush at the entrance to Gotham Bridge, and Deathstroke is setting up traps as planned, but the Legion discovered something strange while clearing the underground labyrinth."
At this point, Adrian didn't want to say anything more. It was only during the six months he had been in control of half of the Legion that he discovered there was an unknown third-party force operating underground in Gotham.
Moreover, if it weren't for the vigilante's plan to capture the bat and choose the best location to set up the trap, he wouldn't have known that there was another layer beneath Gotham's sewers!
Under the questioning gaze of the Arkham Knights, Adrian spoke dryly: "Beware the Court of Owls, who watches your every move; who lurks in the shadows of Gotham City, hiding in low walls and attics; who dwells in your home, who lies in your bed; whoever utters his name shall find your head in his claws. The Court of Owls rhyme is true."
"Fortunately, I have them under control and they cannot pose a significant threat for the time being."
Adrian was extremely troubled by the undead claws of the Court of Owls. He died countless times in the same dungeon before discovering the claws' weakness and stopping most of them. However, a few escaped and ran rampant in Gotham's underground.
A significant portion of Gotham is still out of control, and Adrian doesn't have a better way to capture and freeze them for the time being. Besides, they don't seem to pose any threat at the moment, so he'll leave the few claws aside for now.
Reporting to the boss now is just a routine matter; if the boss finds out that he hasn't solved everything, the boss will question his abilities.
Adrian breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that the Arkham Knight did not ask any further questions.
[Target is entering Gotham]
Adrian's eyes narrowed. "Boss, they're here."
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