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Chapter 294 The Court of Owls

Beware of the Court of Owls, which is always watching your every move.

Peeping at Gotham City from the shadows, hidden among low walls and attics.

He is with you in your home, and with you in your bed.

Never mention his name, or his claws will come after your head.

This is a terrifying nursery rhyme circulating on the streets of Gotham City, describing a massive organization hidden behind the scenes in Gotham, secretly controlling both the underworld and the legitimate world.

For the vast majority of Gotham City residents, this organization is merely an urban legend.

But according to Batman, the Court of Owls did exist, and its members were basically the most powerful and influential people in Gotham City.

When they unite, they form the very top of the entire power pyramid.

Even Falcone, Gotham City's notorious villain and godfather, was nothing more than a pawn in their eyes...

Hearing this, Su Haoming frowned and couldn't help but say, "If the members of the Court of Owls really have such power, then why would they kidnap a wealthy outsider like me?"

"And judging from what that white-masked man said, he seemed to want to take my place and attend the banquet in my name."

"In the end, this is just an ordinary charity gala. Given their status, they could have easily attended on their own. Why bother with all this beating around the bush?"

Batman glanced at him and asked, "What do you think?"

Su Haoming was taken aback upon hearing this, then said thoughtfully, "You just said that this so-called Court of Owls was destroyed by you ten years ago."

"So, are these people just heirs or imitators of the court?"

Batman nodded approvingly and then turned his gaze to the two men in black who were bound by ropes in the sky.

"I did wipe out the Court of Owls back then, but I also left a hidden danger—I have never been able to find the true secret of the court, the way to cultivate and preserve the claws."

Su Haoming raised an eyebrow and said, "Claws again..."

Batman said slowly, "Claws are the Court of Owls' strongest armed force and most loyal henchmen."

"Most of them are orphans adopted by the court, who undergo harsh training and brainwashing from a young age, eventually growing into cold-blooded killers who are completely loyal to the court."

"In this process, the Court of Owls seems to be able to somehow grant them physical abilities far exceeding those of humans, or even some physical superpowers."

"On this point, I believe you have already realized..."

Su Haoming nodded, indicating that he had indeed understood.

Both claws possess a self-healing ability, which, according to the conventions of superhero worldviews, should be some kind of unknown power from the mystical side, or the influence of a technological serum.

Batman looked calmly at Su Haoming and said:

"I've already told you everything you wanted to know."

"So now, do you still intend to get involved in this matter?"

Su Haoming replied without hesitation, "Of course!"

Batman gave him a deep look, then turned around and walked deeper into the alley.

Su Haoming was taken aback when he saw this, and quickly said, "Wait, are you leaving already?"

"What about these two people?"

Without turning his head, Batman said, "It's up to you."

"what?"

Su Haoming was dumbfounded, completely baffled as to what this guy was up to.

Just as he was about to chase after them, his phone suddenly rang.

Su Haoming took out his phone, glanced at the screen, and saw that it was an unknown number, so he hung up on it casually.

But the other party seemed to have something urgent, dialing the phone incessantly like a nagging ghost.

Su Haoming was so annoyed by him that he stopped in his tracks, answered the phone with a dark face, and wanted to see which unlucky guy dared to bother him at a time like this.

"Ha ha, it's me, your most loyal old friend, John Constance—"

"beep--"

Su Haoming hung up the phone decisively, looking utterly annoyed.

But the phone rang again the next second.

Su Haoming initially wanted to block Constantine, but then he realized that it would be pointless.

Since Constantine already knows his phone number, he will definitely continue to harass him by phone in the future if he doesn't figure out where this guy got his information.

Helpless, Su Haoming could only answer the phone with a dark face and say fiercely:

"Fuck, tell me, where did you get my phone number?"

"That's easy. I'm an exorcist. With just a little effort and a divination, I can—"

"beep--"

Before Constantine could finish speaking, Su Haoming decisively hung up the phone again.

This time, however, he completely lost his patience and decisively blocked the caller ID, intending to catch up with Batman first and find out what this guy was up to.

"Om-"

Just then, a faint roar of an engine came from the sky ahead.

Su Haoming paused, stiffly raising his head to see a black bat fighter slowly taking off, its engine spewing out golden-red particles, propelling the entire aircraft into the distance.

Su Haoming: "..." As expected of a world where superhumans exist, the technology tree has been developed to this extent.

In the pure Batman universe, there would definitely be no Bat gear with such a devastating advantage!
Su Haoming mentally complained, then glanced at the white-masked man at his feet and the claws bound by ropes behind him, hesitating whether to catch up with Batman in the sky first or interrogate the prisoner in his hands first.

……

……

At the same time, in a distant fighter jet, Batman glanced at Su Haoming, whose face showed hesitation, on the monitor screen, then turned his gaze to the high sky ahead and said in a deep voice:
"Have you found it?"

"Of course, when have I ever let you down?"

A slightly amused voice came through the earpiece: "Based on the facial features you provided, I have found a matching candidate in the Metropolitan Police Department's database. The relevant data has been synchronized to the Batplane and can be verified at any time."

"..."

Batman glanced at the information displayed on the screen, confirming that the two young men from Metropolis in the information were indeed the two white-masked men from the alley earlier, before frowning slightly and saying:
"So, neither of these two little owls are native to Gotham?"

"That's right!"

The voice in the earpiece replied, "If I'm not mistaken, they should be descendants of those secret families in Metropolis, which is why they know so much about the court's intelligence."

"As for the three 'claws' in the alley, no suspect matching their appearance was found."

"It should be those few who didn't show up when you were fighting the court back then..."

Batman calmly said, "If that's the case, then they must have found the location where the court keeps the claws."

"That's right!"

The voice in the headset chuckled, "Not only that, they must have also found a way to control the remaining claws and intend to use their power to establish a new Court of Owls."

"However, compared to a real court of owls, these two little owls' methods are rather naive..."

Indeed, if the above speculations are true, then their kidnapping of Su Haoming in an attempt to infiltrate tonight's banquet was nothing more than an attempt to use violence or vested interests to force the real bigwigs in Gotham City to submit or cooperate, thereby realizing their ambition to establish a second-generation Court of Owls.

"It does not matter."

Batman calmly said, "The important thing is the location, Alfred."

Inside the Batcave, Alfred's hands flew across the keyboard as he chuckled and said, "Don't worry, sir, we've found out. The last place they were seen was in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the Diamond District."

“Mark the location.”

"immediately!"

As the map and its shadows appeared on the screen, Batman pushed the joystick, turning the Batplane around in mid-air and flying towards the point of light on the map.

Just then, the sky in the distance suddenly changed color.

Thick, dark clouds gathered from all directions, swirling above a high-rise building in downtown Gotham City, and in the blink of an eye, they coalesced into a dark red vortex with a diameter of over 100 meters.

From a distance, it looks like a passage leading to hell, sending chills down one's spine and making one's hair stand on end.

Upon seeing this, Batman's pupils contracted sharply, and he exclaimed without hesitation, "Cathedral Square!"

Alfred was slightly taken aback: "What?"

Cathedral Square!

Batman's expression was grave. As he turned the fighter jet around again, he spoke rapidly, "Find out what happened there immediately!"

……

……

At the same time, Su Haoming, who was in the alley, had just put the unconscious Claw and the white-masked man into a crystal ball when he noticed the commotion coming from the distant sky.

However, unlike Batman, Su Haoming, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, possesses remarkably strong perception.

Even from a distance of nearly ten kilometers, he could clearly sense the evil aura emanating from the dark red vortex.

"An evil aura..."

Recalling the harassing phone call from earlier, Su Haoming's face darkened, and he decisively linked the matter to Constantine.

After hesitating for a moment, he sighed, took out his phone, removed Constantine from the blacklist, and dialed back.

The call was answered instantly, and Constantine's voice, full of surprise, came through.

"Thank God, you've finally come to your senses!"

"Cut the nonsense!"

Su Haoming said without hesitation, "What exactly happened? I'll give you three seconds to explain. Three, two..."

“Wait, to be honest, he’s a receptionist at your hotel. It wasn’t that hard to bribe him. I only spent a thousand dollars, which is less than a tenth of what you gave me back then.”

"..."

Su Haoming, his face full of black lines, said, "You don't need to say that last sentence. Also, is this the time to talk about this? What's that dark red vortex in the sky above Gotham City?"

"..."

Constantine paused for a moment: "What dark red vortex?"

Su Haoming's face darkened, and he asked without hesitation, "Where are you now?"

"What a question! Since I was able to get your phone number from the front desk, it means I'm staying at the hotel you're at!"

"Wait, I'll be right there!"

Su Haoming hung up the phone, stepped on the vortex and soared into the sky, transforming into a whirlwind that rushed towards the heavens.

(End of this chapter)