I'm doing bidirectional science popularization in American comics

"This... really is their lair."

Bruce raised his searchlight and surveyed his surroundings. He muttered, "The Court of Owls... It seems Alan Wayne hasn't lost his mind. He really has been threatened by the Court of Owls."

"And so it seems that every hidden thirteenth floor of the Wayne Trust may be a nest of the Court of Owls."

"These guys really are everywhere, aren't they?"

Thinking of this, Bruce suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly.

These guys had been hiding right under my nose all along.

Perhaps, what Bruce Wayne ate every morning and which girl he slept with is already on the record of the Owl Court!

All of this made Bruce doubt the truth behind his parents' deaths once again.

His eyes, sharp as an eagle's, were fixed on the owl-shaped coin on the wall. A slight smile played on his lips as he said, "I've got my eye on you, Court of Owls!"

After that, Bruce left and headed to the next Wayne Trust building.

He believed that the thirteenth level there must also be one of the owl's nests.

Now, he will destroy all these nests, one by one.

The second, the third, the fourth...

Bruce located the lairs of the Court of Owls one by one and marked them.

Today may be the day that the Wayne Trust has suffered its greatest loss since its inception.

Bruce destroyed the hidden floors of dozens of buildings.

Fortunately, since it's all family property, Bruce doesn't need to pay for the damage.

Finally, Bruce walked out of the thirteenth floor of the last Wayne Trust building, panting heavily.

Bruce stood on the rooftop of the building, looking down at the city his ancestors had built, trying to find the guys hiding beneath it.

Bruce closed his eyes, recalling the events of the night.

Slowly, a smile returned to his lips.

Bruce seemed to have found an important clue in his memory. He opened his eyes, stared at a spot under the clouds, and said, "You better hope I can still hold my ground by then... owls!"

In a secluded corner of Gotham City, an abandoned building lies hidden in the darkness.

Bruce pushed open the massive, spiderweb-covered iron gate in front of him, gripped a batarang, and stepped inside.

Unlike the pitch black outside, Bruce found that the walls, ceiling, and even the floor were all white when he entered the building.

Inside the building, a group of men wearing white owl masks saw Batman's arrival on the surveillance footage.

The old man at the head of the group said, "The prey has actually delivered itself to our doorstep. I think we're in for a good show tonight."

The elderly man sat in a wheelchair, his hair was gray, his body was hunched, and his skin was loose.

Behind him, a young, plump female waitress, dressed in a red dress and high heels, supported the old man's wheelchair with both hands.

At his feet, another sexy woman in a red evening gown and a ball gown knelt, gently licking the old man's feet with her soft tongue.

Upon hearing the old man's words, everyone burst into a chilling laugh.

Inside the true headquarters of this Court of Owls, there are dozens of masked members.

Among them were the old and the young, men and women.

There were elderly women in their seventies and eighties, as well as children who looked no more than seven or eight years old.

Without exception, they all laughed heartily when they saw Batman walk right into their trap.

They were just like those guys sitting in the stands in an ancient gladiatorial arena.

These privileged classes most enjoy watching from a high vantage point as humans and wild beasts fight each other.

At this point, Batman was seen by them as one of those human warriors with powerful fighting abilities.

And the beasts... are naturally the responsibility of those claw warriors who have undergone enhanced modifications.

Upon entering the building, Bruce continued walking along the road in front of him.

But after passing the same spot for the third time, he finally realized that it seemed to be a maze.

And I... am already lost here!

He wasn't even sure if he was still at the same spot where he first entered the building.

Because according to his calculations, he may have already gone very, very far.

If this maze is leading me step by step underground, then I really don't know where I am right now!

"Damn it, are these guys trying to trap me here? Are you kidding me? I'm not going to just give up like this!"

When Bruce walked to the same place for the fourteenth time, he finally couldn't take it anymore.

Because he is too tired and too thirsty right now.

Bruce couldn't remember how long he had been walking; he only knew that he was nearing his limit.

"Damn it, I will never be so reckless again. From now on, I must be fully prepared before I can launch any operation."

Under the intense pressure of the Court of Owls' lair, Bruce established one of his key principles for his future actions!

The walls here are too thick; the power boost from the suit alone is not enough to break them.

He aimed the miniature missile launcher on his arm at the wall next to him and fired two missiles in quick succession.

Although his suit was only equipped with two miniature missiles, he had no choice but to use them now.

After the explosion, as the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, Bruce finally saw what the other side looked like.

There, a huge owl sculpture stands in the center of the hall.

Water is spitting out of the owl's beak, and a pool of water sits beneath the owl sculpture.

At this moment, the water in the pool held a great temptation for Bruce!

Chapter 185 Bruce on the Verge of Collapse

Bruce's physical and mental functions are now on the verge of collapse.

Compared to hunger, Bruce suffered more from his physical thirst and mental torment.

Therefore, when he saw the owl sculpture and the pool, his throat involuntarily trembled.

water...

Bruce walked to the edge of the pool and swallowed hard.

He looked at the clear spring water in the pool and resisted the urge to drink it.

"Damn it, I absolutely cannot drink this water!"

"This water might contain poison from the Court of Owls; I absolutely, positively cannot drink it..."

"Damn, I'm so thirsty..."

Glug glug glug!

"Phew, this is the first time I've ever felt that drinking water is such a pleasant experience!"

Bruce's eyes were bloodshot as he slumped to the ground.

He finally couldn't resist his body's thirst, and at this moment, he was sitting by the pool, trying his best to recover his strength.

How long have I been stuck here?

Bruce glanced at the communicator on his wrist, but it was blocked by signals and electronic interference from the Court of Owls.

The communicator is now just a blank white screen with static, and it's almost completely unusable.

"When we get back, we need to get Lucius to really improve the signal strength and stability of the communicator."

"Forget it, let's just buy a few more satellites. It's more convenient this way."

Bruce muttered to himself, then scooped up a few handfuls of water and gulped it down.

Although it might seem like he was tempted by the aroma, he couldn't help it; he was just too thirsty.

As his body was replenished with water, Bruce's strength was slowly building up, and his fatigue was somewhat relieved.

At this moment, Bruce, whose nerves were slowly relaxing, unusually failed to notice the Claw that had been secretly watching him from afar.

With his mental and physical strength largely restored, Bruce used the pool to help him stand up.

"I need to find a way out as soon as possible, or I'll die here."

Bruce disliked this feeling of crisis and impending death.

He left the bright white hall again and walked into the dark labyrinthine crevice.

After walking for a long time, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared before his eyes again.

Bruce squinted as he walked over and found that it was another room.

In the center of the room sits an old-fashioned camera.

The walls of the room were covered with photos.

These photos belong to different people, but what they have in common is that they were all trapped in this maze, and they all have the same expression on their faces.

Fear and despair intertwined; that was the expression on a person's face when they were on the verge of collapse.

It appears that the camera in the center of the room took these photos.

Bruce smashed the camera with his fist and roared, "I won't let you get away with this!"

Then, he continued forward, venturing into the depths of the unlit maze.

At the end of the passage, Bruce saw a group of people wearing white owl masks.

These people, dressed in expensive designer suits, stood together watching Bruce as if he were a spectator.

Bruce immediately rushed toward them, knowing that these people were very likely the true core members of the Court of Owls.

However, when Bruce ran up to them, he only missed them.

These guys seemed to vanish into thin air the instant he pounced on them.