There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 258, Section 24: The Angel of Death's Scheme

The dark figure crouched on the factory roof like a gargoyle sculpture until it saw the army break down the gate, at which point it revealed a satisfied smile.

As he expected, neon-like laser beams soon illuminated the dark factory, followed by a series of exclamations: "Monster! About thirty feet tall! Requesting backup! Ah!!!!"

bump!

The sound was like a gas cylinder being burst open. Several soldiers carrying riot shields were thrown into the air. Some were pierced by branches on the riverbank, while others simply screamed and disappeared into the night.

Immediately afterwards, a huge, humanoid mass of mud emerged from behind the factory, ran over the army's armored vehicles, captured the buzzing drones in the night sky, and fled towards the outskirts of the city.

"Little one, that's not where you should be!"

Just as it was about to step onto the bridge and cross the Gotham River, the shadowy figure on the roof grinned and pressed the remote control in his hand.

Boom!

The bridge shattered and collapsed amidst towering flames, its debris falling onto the frozen river and splashing water columns dozens of feet high.

With its escape route cut off, the monster had no choice but to turn back and flee towards the city center. Of course, every escape route it took thereafter would be blocked by the mysterious shadow.

This monster is actually the actor Basso transformed. In fact, the bomb cannot harm the current Basso in the slightest, but because it is his first transformation, he is not very familiar with his new body and new abilities, which is why he was taken advantage of.

The shadowy figure will then manipulate Basso to travel to the underground playground in Robinson Park, now Gotham's largest refugee settlement.

He would instantly become a hero of Gotham if he killed the monster there and took off his helmet in front of tens of thousands of people.

This is just the first step in his plan to win public support and become mayor.

That's right, the guy lurking on the rooftop was none other than Jean-Paul, who had gotten a rude awakening from Falcone and the little penguin.

For today's plan, he even specially crafted a mechanical suit that closely resembled the appearance of the Judgment Knight. This way, when people saw him for the first time, they would naturally mistake him for the other person. However, since he was not the Judgment Knight, the police would definitely release him without charge after investigation.

During his time in police custody and investigation, Jean-Paul would arrange for people to incite protests and demand the government release "the Knight of Judgment".

So the moment he walks out of the police station, the whole city will cheer for him.

What are the essential elements of an outstanding politician?

Is it affinity?

Is it a keen political sense?

Is it the ability to change course with the wind?

Or is it the ability to cultivate good relationships with capital?

These are important, but they pale in comparison to the real answer.

Remember this: truly outstanding politicians only need to do one thing well: create topics for themselves; in other words, they must have a story to tell!

Forced to reveal his identity to save the citizens, he was imprisoned after his identity was exposed, but was eventually released thanks to the people's generous appeals and successfully took the position of mayor. This series of moves was incredibly smooth.

Of course, Jean-Paul had to make sure that the Knight of Judgment wouldn't sneak out from any crack and gnaw on the corner of the table, so he didn't choose to operate remotely, but instead went into the game himself and followed behind Basso, waiting for the two sides to fight so that he could reap the benefits.

Through centuries of plunder and capital accumulation, the Order of St. Dumas has amassed gold reserves that are enough to astound onlookers. They not only have private mercenaries, but their businesses also span various industries, including education, technology, medicine, and biochemistry.

For example, the makeup cream that turned Harbass into this state was the work of the Knights' biochemical laboratory.

Bribing cosmetics company R&D staff and then silencing the underlings—even if it causes a major scandal, the outside world will only condemn the unscrupulous capitalists who make money without conscience. It's unimaginable that behind these seemingly accidental events, a hand is manipulating the threads.

In fact, the Knights have played a similar role for centuries.

The masterminds behind the Crusades, the instigators of the French Civil War, and the true planners of Kristallnacht, these guys' motives seem simple and mercenary compared to the Court of Owls, which sought to invite the gods to unlock the secrets of eternal life.

Money, power, and a revered status—these are like Jerusalem in the eyes of a fanatical believer.

God scattered a handful of golden ears of grain among mankind, using them as a fuse, and the flames of war burned day and night in the lines of human history.

The camera rewinds to Jean-Paul, who, under his control, has led the mindless sheep Basso halfway through the journey, while the dutiful soldiers who pursue the threat have become Jean-Paul's sheepdogs.

"Judgment Knight, I am so disappointed in you. The mission is about to be completed, but you haven't even shown your face. At this crucial moment, are you hiding under the covers and sleeping soundly?"

"You're not taking good care of your city, San Dumas—"

Just as Jean-Paul was smugly muttering to himself, a black shadow suddenly shot out from the side.

"Ah-da!"

Amidst the triumphant shouts, the size 44 foot, propelled by the twisting force of the spinning kick, slammed into Jean-Paul's head like a shovel.

Despite the helmet providing cushioning, he was still kicked dozens of feet away, the immense force even giving him the illusion that his neck and spine would be torn off his torso.

"Damn Judgment Knights—"

Before Jean-Paul could finish complaining, Qin Wei's magnetic grappling hook grabbed his chest armor, pulling him back before he had fully landed.

In fact, Jean-Paul was not weak. He was extremely skilled, and the tricks hidden in his mechanical armor were no less than those in his bat belt. After the brief period of panic after being ambushed, he quickly regrouped.

Gripping the grappling hook, using the high-temperature particle emitter in his palm to melt the steel cable, Shang Baoluo used the force to attack Qin Wei.

He switched from defense to offense, spreading his arms like an arrow being shot.

The punch was powerful, and Qin Wei knew he couldn't take it head-on. He raised his hand and leaned back, preparing to use the momentum of his retreat to deflect the force.

And his judgment was indeed very accurate. With this mechanical suit, Jean-Paul was still able to deliver a two-stage punch even when his arm was almost straight.

Even after releasing most of the force, Qin Wei still felt a sharp pain in his palm.

It looks like the bones in his palm were cracked by the opponent's short punch.

Wei retreated to a corner of the rooftop, touched the electromagnetic interference bomb in his belt with one hand, and fixed his gaze on the bomb remote control that had fallen to the ground.

"Mr. Jean-Paul, I hope to hear a reasonable explanation from you."

On the other side, Jean-Paul remained silent, but when he heard his name confidently uttered from the mouth of a complete stranger, his breathing became disordered.

That damned Judgment Knight, how did he know my name!

The feeling of having your sweatpants ripped off by a teammate who had tripped you during a relay race filled Jean-Paul with terror and humiliation.

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