American comics: Starting with replicating Superman's talent

Chapter 81 The Song of the Owl

banquet.

Upon hearing Gino's question, even Bruce Wayne, known for his composure, showed a hint of surprise on his handsome face.

He never expected that the other party would ask this question on their first meeting.

How should I answer this question?

From an economic perspective?

Or should we look at it from the perspective of the human environment?

As Bruce gazed into the pair of blue eyes opposite him, he felt that Gino's metaphor was not so simple.

"Mr. Bruce?" Gino's voice brought Bruce back to reality.

Bruce lived up to his reputation; he reacted quickly and came up with a solution in just a few seconds.

He intends to give an answer that aligns with his public persona.

Bruce chuckled, wrapped his arms around the two women beside him, and raised an eyebrow at Gino in a flirtatious manner, saying, "For me, Gotham is paradise."

Although he was smiling, Bruce was filled with sadness.

For the real Bruce, Gotham was a place of heartbreak.

His parents are buried here, and his life's wish was simply to save this hopeless city.

[Negative emotions from Bruce Wayne +50, +50...]

Having reaped some negative points from Bruce, Gino didn't intend to pressure him. The young man smiled and raised his glass of champagne: "To Gotham."

Bruce also raised his glass: "To Gotham."

Amidst the clinking of glasses, a beautiful young redhead walked onto the stage not far away.

She took the microphone and began, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the charity banquet organized by Mr. Maroney."

"Tonight, we will hold an auction, and all proceeds will go towards funding Gotham Orphanage."

At this moment, Thomas, who was next to Gino, leaned closer to Gino and whispered, "The person sitting at the front table is Mayor Carlos, and next to him is her lover."

"He was sitting next to Maroney, one of the top gangsters in Gotham."

As Thomas introduced the names, Gino remembered more and more of them.

These people were all either rich or powerful.

Gino knew that these smiling men would have a completely different, filthy face in the dark.

His gaze swept across the hall.

The magnificent hall was filled with people.

They were all dressed in suits, and they were all radiant.

Everyone wore expensive watches and jewelry.

These people are like bloodsuckers crawling on the body of Gotham City. Gangs and officials collude, bribing judges and lawyers, and together they greedily suck the wealth of the entire city.

To put it bluntly, if someone were to throw several grenades into this hall, the consequences would be devastating, and Gotham might even descend into anarchy.

I'm going to the restroom.

Gino stood up and nodded slightly to the crowd.

The spot where Gino was standing is now empty.

Bruce glanced at Thomas and asked casually, "Your nephew is very talented. Where is he studying this year?"

Bruce thought to himself: If you want to understand a person, the best way is to start with the people they know.

"Yes, but his father is a tyrannical psychopath." Thomas had no liking for Lionel and said with a sneer, "Gino should have stayed in the metropolis and received the best education, but his father brought him to some godforsaken town."

Thomas rubbed his chin, just about to say something more.

but.

"Bang!"

It appears to be due to line overload or voltage tripping.

With a flicker of lights, the once brightly lit hall was suddenly plunged into darkness.

"What happened?"

Why is there a power outage?

A commotion arose from the crowd below.

The organizers quickly stepped in and loudly urged everyone to remain calm.

Amidst the surrounding noise, Bruce swallowed the last piece of steak on his fork, a serious look flashing in his large blue eyes in the darkness.

"Bang!"

The sound of a heavy object falling to the ground echoed in the hall.

Many people took out their phones to dispel the darkness.

Their gazes were all drawn to the center of the banquet.

The screen emitted light, illuminating the banquet center.

In the dappled darkness, a man in a suit lay on the cold marble floor, his neck twisted at a 180-degree angle, his face contorted in a ferocious expression, blood staining his mouth and nose.

People looked up at the dome, where the glass was shattered, suggesting the body had been killed and thrown from the sky.

The obese man, with his large eyes wide open, stared ahead with a look of confusion and bewilderment on his face, seemingly unable to anticipate his own death.

"My God."

Looking at the corpse, a kind-hearted noblewoman reached out and covered her mouth.

Some people gasped, recognizing the deceased, and managed to stammer out, "It's Maroney!"

These words caused an uproar among the crowd.

These prominent Gotham families were understandably shocked. As a bigwig who controlled half of Gotham's criminal underworld, he had mysteriously died in the banquet hall tonight.

This fatal dinner took his life in the darkness.

But what intrigued everyone even more was who killed Maroni.

Everyone was whispering and discussing the case.

Then, a heavy breathing sound slowly reached everyone's ears.

"Huff, huff."

The sound was deep and contained a pattern.

Soon, someone instinctively turned the screen to illuminate the corner.

"What is that thing?!"

In the dimly lit corner stood a tall, dark figure.

He was covered in black plate armor and wore a gold-plated hood, but what was even more striking was the pair of orange goggles that covered his eyes, making him stand out in the dimly lit banquet hall.

Upon seeing this tall figure and his attire, many men and women at the banquet changed their expressions.

The tall, dark figure swept his gaze over the group, as if memorizing their faces.

"Hey! What are you?!"

Security personnel were naturally present in the banquet hall, and they strode towards the uninvited guests.

However, Maroni's henchmen were clearly much faster than the security personnel.

The two angry henchmen pulled out pistols from their pockets and pulled the triggers at the shadowy figure.

"Bang bang bang!"

As the bullets rang out, the figures also rolled and dodged.

The agile figure leaped over the dining table and the wall until the two assassins ran out of bullets.

"Whoosh!"

The masked man flicked his right hand, and in the next instant, several gleaming throwing knives pierced the necks of the two men.

Extreme speed brings powerful kinetic energy, and a sharp blade pierces the throat and cuts through blood vessels.

"Pfft!"

Blood splattered everywhere, leaving streaks of blood on the marble floor.

"Ugh!" The two burly men clutched their necks, their hands covered in blood, and collapsed unwillingly.

The blood flowing from the neck added a touch of cruelty and gore to tonight's banquet.

After doing all this, the mysterious man's voice was hoarse.

"Beware of the Court of Owls"

...

Claws will come after your head.

The assassin softly sang a nursery rhyme familiar to the people of Old Gotham.

After doing all this.

He pulled out two small packets and threw them on the ground.

"Bang!"

The thick smoke obscured visibility, and the pungent smell caused many people to cover their noses and hold their breath.

Bruce stared intently at the thick smoke. When the breeze swept away the fog, the spot where the assassin had stood was now empty.

The man frowned, his gaze sweeping around as he pondered which plan the other party would use to leave.

(End of this chapter)