American comic book: After mastering resurrection, I became incredibly popular.

“That won’t work either.” Wang Baixi placed his phone face down on the tablecloth. “She has been training with Bruce for so long, and her diet and lifestyle are strictly regulated. Alcohol will affect her nerve reaction speed.”

Are you her guardian?

“I’m just looking after her for Bruce.”

This old woman can't corrupt a child like Cassandra who's out of touch with civilized society.

Zatanna was speechless. While it's true that minors shouldn't be encouraged to drink, you're talking like you're disciplining your own daughter. Cassandra's parents haven't even said anything yet.

Well, she probably doesn't want her parents to have anything to say.

Zatana ignored him and took a sip of her wine.

Cassandra's gaze lingered on Zatana's wine glass for a moment before turning to Wang Baixi. Then, in the instant Wang Baixi picked up his phone again, her right hand slid out from under the napkin and swiftly reached for the wine glass in front of her.

The movements were so light that the tablecloth didn't even move.

She brought the glass to her lips and took a very quick sip. A smear of red wine remained on the edge of her upper lip; she licked it off with her tongue and then pushed the glass back to her hand.

Zatana suppressed a laugh and picked up her glass again. "Your Majesty, are you really not going to drink? Please, you look..."

"What do you look like?" Wang Baixi noticed Zatana's gaze and peeked half his face out from behind his phone screen.

“It’s nothing.” Zatana tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I was just wondering when you’ll learn to enjoy life.”

“I enjoy life every day. Look at this steak, it’s worth at least fifty dollars.”

"You know what I mean. Relax, chat, have a drink, listen to jazz by candlelight, instead of looking at business reports by candlelight."

"Do you think I'm boring?" Wang Baixi said, both amused and exasperated. "Miss Zatana, you said today that you felt safe and secure with me. I remember that."

“I only said I feel safe with you, not that I find it ‘fun’ to be with you.” Zatana smiled.

"You can discover it gradually."

In fact, he's slowly adapting to life in Gotham. After all, he's only been here for a month.

“Your greatest strength is that you can take criticism.” Zatana raised her glass to him, then turned to Cassandra. “Cassandra, what do you think?”

Cassandra turned her gaze away from the window, looked down at the neatly cut steak on her plate, and then looked at Wang Baixi, making a gesture.

"What does that mean? Her gesture is too complicated, like a ninja hand seal." Wang Baixi asked, puzzled.

Zatana translated: "She said: You'd better put your phone away, or she'll throw it into the soup bowl."

Wang Baixi spread his hands in a gesture of surrender.

……

After dinner, Wang Baixi went to the front desk to pay the bill, and Zatana took Cassandra's hand as they walked out of the restaurant. The evening breeze, carrying the unique dampness of Gotham, blew in, and Zatana took a deep breath, the slight buzz from the glass of red wine dissipating in the wind.

Wang Baixi walked out of the revolving door, twirling his car keys in his hand.

"Please get in, ladies."

Zatana didn't sit in the front passenger seat. She pulled Cassandra into the back, and the two sat very close together. Zatana leaned over and whispered something in Cassandra's ear. After listening, Cassandra lowered her head and laughed, her shoulders shaking slightly.

"What are you talking about?" Wang Baixi started the engine and glanced at them in the rearview mirror.

“A girl’s whisper,” Zatana replied in the tone of a kindergarten teacher answering a child’s question.

"Tch, when did you two become so close?" Wang Baixi scoffed and drove the car onto the main road.

"Then you won't have to worry about it," Zatana said with a smile.

Wang Baixi opened his mouth, but then closed it again.

The car continued smoothly through the Gotham night, passing under the dim streetlights. After a while, Zatana leaned over from the back seat and rested her chin on the headrest of the front seat.

“I’m taking Cassandra to our place tonight, not back to Wayne Manor. She wants to see my cat.”

“Our place? Miss Zatana, please allow me to correct you, that’s my place!”

"Didn't we agree? I'd share the rent with you, so 'my place' is it!"

Just as Wang Baixi was about to retort, the car radio was suddenly swallowed up by a sharp electrical hum.

The static lasted for about three seconds, then a clear female anchor's voice came in.

"Dear citizens, this station has an emergency news briefing. Around 9:40 PM tonight, several more attacks targeting prominent figures in Gotham City have occurred within the city limits. Victims include..."

Wang Baixi reached out and turned the volume knob two notches to the right.

"Mr. Cobblestone, nicknamed 'The Penguin,' was murdered in prison. And Marcus Kane, the current CEO of the Kane Corporation, was attacked at his residence and died after being taken to the hospital."

"Another source revealed that Dr. Thomas Elliott also went missing during the same period, and police do not rule out the possibility that he has been murdered."

"The city police department has activated its emergency response plan, and Sergeant Gordon is on his way to the scene."

At that moment, Wang Baixi's expression froze.

Penguin, Cobblestone? The CEO of the Kane Corporation? Thomas Elliott? Three members of the four major families were all assassinated in one night.

He finally understood: every time he tried to eat properly, something big was about to happen.

Zatana and Cassandra exchanged bewildered glances.

Immediately afterward, in the brief pause between the announcer's words, another voice squeezed into the broadcast channel.

That was a male voice that had been processed with a voice changer.

Good evening, Gotham.

Wang Baixi frowned.

“I know you’re listening. I know you just heard the news. I know you’re thinking: Who is it now? Who did all this? I’ll tell you the answer: It’s the Owl Court.”

Wang Baixi slammed on the brakes, and the car came to a sudden stop on the side of an empty side road. Zatana and Cassandra in the back seat both leaned forward at the same time.

"Yes, the Court of Owls is real, and I am its leader."

"What you have heard is by no means a baseless rumor. I am not a conspiracy theorist."

"For centuries, this organization has been stigmatized. They call us manipulators in the shadows, puppeteers who control Gotham, parasites that suck the blood of the city, but they have never told you the truth."

"Some people want to deny our existence and slander our principles, but all of that is in vain! Because the truth will always prevail!"

"We are not powerful families. We are not manipulators. We are rebels, the blade to assassinate the powerful. So, tonight we acted again. From Bowers to Elliott, not a single one was spared!"

"The riddle that the Riddler didn't truly pose will be posed by me. You will then know what the court represents. When justice prevails, all evil will bow down. Now, Gotham, listen carefully to this riddle."

The broadcast paused for a moment.

Wang Baixi also swallowed hard.

What's going on? The Court of Owls has become a messenger of justice?

Also, if you're the head of the court, then what am I?

"His name isn't in any family tree, his accent doesn't belong to any particular place. He's walked more roads than anyone else, but on every street he's walked, nobody knows where he came from. Who is he?"

At that moment, Wang Baixi closed his eyes.

“Zatana, you’re quite clever. Tell me, what’s the answer to this riddle?”

Zatana frowned slightly and pondered, "Stranger."

Wang Baixi sighed, an embarrassed smile appearing on his face. "Ugh, that damn guy. He's trying to shift the blame onto me again."

Chapter 114 The True and False Monkey King

Sitting in the driver's seat, Wang Baixi picked up the phone and dialed Tim's encrypted number.

"Tim, have you heard the latest news?"

"I heard you." The sound of typing came from the other end of the phone. "I've recorded that broadcast and am doing voiceprint comparison. So far, there's no match for any known individuals in the Batcave database. The other party used multiple layers of voice changing, and it will take me time to decipher it."

“That’s not what I’m asking. I’m saying someone claiming to be the leader of the Court of Owls killed the Penguin, the head of the Kane family, and Thomas Elliott.” Wang Baixi adjusted his seat back a little so he could see the expressions of the two women in the back row more clearly. “What do you think this means?”

"Does that mean someone is better at pretending than you?"

"Hey, speak properly."

“I’m just stating the facts,” Tim said with a hint of a smile. “But seriously, it seems there’s a dissident force within the Court of Owls that you haven’t caught up with. They’ve chosen this time to make a high-profile appearance and even created a riddle with the answer pointing to ‘Outsider,’ so their intentions are very clear.”

Yes, he's not only an outsider, but he also acquired real estate from the four major families and merged with the Penguin gang. That's a blatant commercial attack.

However, directly resorting to murder is utterly baseless.

"What should I do now? It's like a storm is brewing."

"You should go home first. We don't have enough information right now. Instead of wandering around the streets, it's better to get back to a safe place and discuss things further. Also, the Batcave is already retrieving surveillance footage from the Kane Group headquarters and the vicinity of the Elliott Clinic. We'll notify you immediately if we find anything."

“Understood. By the way, tell Joshua or Alfred to be careful. Three of the four great families are in trouble, and the Wayne family might be the last one.”

"Your Majesty, you must also be careful," Zatana said to him from the back row.

"of course."

Wang Baixi hung up the phone, restarted the engine, and drove home.

The city lights slowly receded outside his car window, the neon signs on the street reflected on the two silent faces in the back seat, flickering in and out.

It was 11 p.m. Gotham time when I got back to my place. When I entered, the two silly birds were dozing on the perch in the living room. Hedwig had her head buried under her wing, while Buckbeak tilted his head and peered at the door with one eye.

As soon as they came in, Meatball jumped off the back of the sofa and walked silently toward Zatana, circled around her feet, and rubbed against Cassandra's calf.

"Are you hungry, you little rascals?" Wang Baixi walked over and took out a bird feeder and a cat food bag from the cabinet, adding food to the three food bowls.

“Kasandra and I will be sharing a room tonight.” Zatana picked up a black duffel bag from beside the sofa and took Cassandra’s hand. “By the way, I’ll be using your bathroom again tonight.”

"Please go ahead."

After speaking, Wang Baixi returned to his room, opened his laptop on the bed, and the blue light of the screen reflected on his face. At this moment, there were several unread emails from Joshua in his inbox, all with the title starting with "urgent." Joshua urgently needed Wang Baixi to provide a contingency plan for his public statement.

After Wang Baixi carefully considered the situation and ran the contingency plan he wanted with AI, some time had passed. At that time, another encrypted message popped up.

The sender is Kelvin Ross.

"Mr. Wang, I have completed the count of the current amount of amber gold at each court location. A detailed list is attached."

"There are two points I need to explain to you: First, since I cannot access the historical records of inventory increases and decreases, I cannot confirm whether anyone has withdrawn or transferred amber gold in the past."