American comics: From Hogwarts to God on Earth

Chapter 362 The Owl's Little Bird

In this universe, Earth is not ruled by a government, but by a more terrifying order. The crime syndicate is above all laws, and the "Prime Minister" is none other than the Night Owl, the emperor of Gotham.

The people of Gotham always say that beneath the Night Owl's hood lies a mysterious and terrifying super-force, all of whom are immortal and, like an extension of the Night Owl's shadow, silently carry out his will in the darkness, eliminating all who dare to challenge his rule.

The rumors are actually true.

The Night Owl gave this group the name Claws; they were modified, but not immortal. And among this Claws, the most unique member was Grayson.

After Nite Owl, with the help of outsider Alfred, successfully kills his parents but accidentally kills his beloved younger brother, Thomas Wayne feels lonely. Then one day, he sees Dick Grayson at a circus. And so, he finally understands what he's missing.

"I want that boy!" Wayne turned to Alfred, who smiled and nodded.

"Of course, he'll be yours soon—"

Grayson soon became an orphan, but he was fortunate enough to be noticed by the owner of the largest local business and become his subordinate. Under rigorous training, Grayson became the Night Owl's sharpest weapon, but he was always eager to prove his worth.

Especially after Night Owl told Grayson the truth a few days ago, Grayson finally realized that he might always be just a guy who needed to be constantly tested, but could never replace the perfect image of his dead brother Bruce in the other's heart.

Grayson was going crazy. The idea that he was just a substitute was like a poisonous thorn stuck deep in his heart. Driven by this emotion, he came up with a good idea: kill the clown and prove that he was stronger than Bruce and Night Owl!

He quickly found an opportunity when a foolish, greedy guy who had become the core of the Joker gang appeared. Instead of reporting to Night Owl as usual, Grayson took matters into his own hands and obtained the Joker's safe house address before Night Owl arrived.

"Let's go back."

He heard the man he admired say this to him, but Grayson rejected the man's offer.

"No, I'll prove I'm better than you! I'll prove I'm more useful than Bruce Wayne!"

He then took two steps back, jumped off the building, and disappeared into the skyscrapers of Gotham.

How would the owl react? Grayson didn't know, but he could guess that the owl would just watch him struggle from afar, as if he were watching a toy he didn't particularly like.

Dick returned to the Claws' camp and selected four of their most ruthless and efficient companions. Normally, these Claws would remain dormant in petri dishes, only to be awakened when a mission was needed—except for Dick.

These four claws had no names, only codenames: Dark Claw, Blood Claw, Silent Claw, and Shadow Claw. They were ruthless assassins resurrected from the clutches of Night Owl, the most perfect killing machines. And Dick, standing before them, was no longer the young man yearning for recognition, but a cold-blooded commander.

"Target: The Joker and his gang; Location: Old Gotham nuclear explosion protection facility." Dick stated their mission coldly, his voice metallic through the voice changer on his mask, "They think they can get away with it because of Night Owl's mercy, but we'll let them know that tonight is their burial ground."

"clear."

Finally, Dick surveyed the four claws, patted his chest, and said, "For Night Owl!"

"For Night Owl!" Four cold voices responded simultaneously.

In other cities, the sewers are merely a repository of excrement, but in Gotham, the journey underground is a test of the mind. In stark contrast to the "order" above, this place seems like a realm forgotten by the gods.

The stench of chemical reagents, sewage, and rust permeated the narrow passage, which resembled the intestines of a demon. In the distance, one could hear the hollow sound of dripping water and some strange, distorted noises.

No wonder the clown uses the underground as his sanctuary.

But the claws moved silently, like rats that had lived underground for a long time. After being modified, their vision had long been adapted to the darkness, and even when walking on the slippery ground, their feet would not make any sound.

Dick took the lead, carefully searching for any signs of traps or mechanisms, not daring to be careless for a moment, after all, the clown's "gift" was always presented in the most "exquisite" way.

Along the way, they defuse traps such as exploding gasoline barrels containing pink quick-drying gel, nail boards with ridiculous wigs, and noise bombs recorded with birthday songs. Instead of getting angry, Dick becomes happy.

The presence of a trap means they've found the right one.

Soon, they arrived at the underground nuclear explosion protection facility indicated by intelligence. Everywhere they looked, there were twisted sculptures pieced together from scrap metal, broken puppets, colored paint, and neon tubes. The walls were covered with simple drawings depicting scenes of owls being mocked and claws being comically defeated.

Dick suppressed his anger and went to the wall. He didn't want to go through the entrance that the clown had set up, which was destined to be full of traps.

Their repeated and painful failures have proven to them that being led by the nose by a clown will never end well.

The bomb was quickly planted, and a beeping sound immediately followed.

Boom!

The entire wall was blown open, and thick, choking smoke billowed out instantly, but the claws immediately switched to thermal imaging.

There are only two people!

Dick became excited as he looked at the two crimson humanoid silhouettes. There were no other Jokers; the Joker and Harley Quinn were his!

"Hello—" A loud, overly cheerful female voice with a shrill tremor came from ahead. Harley Quinn skipped and hopped to the newly opened door. "Look who's here!"

As the smoke cleared, the five claws came into Harley's view.

She squinted and said, "So these are Mr. Owl's birds! Are they lost? The bugs here can bite!"

'

As she spoke, Harley Quinn chuckled, but her eyes warily swept over each claw before finally settling on Dick.

This is the owl's favorite "little bird".

The clown shifted his gaze from Rune to the claws. "Ah—here they come again. Thomas's—little pets."

His voice had a strange, penetrating quality. "This time, we even brought—the leader's little bird. What? Did he think you were too noisy again, so he sent you down here to—perform acrobatics for us?"

The clown glanced at Rune, "Unfortunately, our quota of laughter for today has already been used up."

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