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

Meanwhile, in Gotham.

Kelvin Ross stared at the two people standing in front of the main seat, his heart pounding.

During the days that Mr. Wang Baixi was in control of the court as Joseph Powers, he never allowed Maria Powers to show her face, because he simply couldn't conjure up a second Powers.

But what's going on now?

He couldn't help but take a step forward, standing directly in front of all the claws.

"You say you are the real Bowles? I don't believe it. I have every reason to believe you are imposters. Maria and Joseph have never appeared together. If you are real, why didn't you appear when the court needed you most? Why tonight? Why did you suddenly appear only after that imposter claimed to be the leader on the radio?"

“Kelvin Ross, when did you, a mere claw, learn to boss your leader around?” Maria Bowles snapped coldly.

“I don’t think he’s qualified,” Joseph said. “Get him!”

As the leader, his power is limitless.

At this moment, several claws completely loyal to "Joseph" immediately surrounded them, their blades already protruding from their arm guards, their cold light dancing in the dim candlelight of the council chamber.

As for the other claws, they were simply watching from the sidelines.

Kelvin did not back down; he was prepared to fight outnumbered, even though his chances of winning were almost zero.

"Take down Kelvin Ross and treat him as a traitor," Joseph coldly uttered.

The swarming claws took two more steps closer, their blades stopping less than an arm's length from Kelvin's chest. Just as Kelvin gripped the short sword at his waist, preparing to fight desperately, a creaking sound came from behind them.

The hidden door on the east side of the council chamber leading to the archives was pushed open.

All the claws turned their heads simultaneously. A man emerged from the hidden door, wearing a dark gray suit and an owl brooch, his face pale and gloomy—it was… well, it was Joseph Powers!?

Unlike Joseph, who sat in front of the main seat, this man had an owl perched on his shoulder.

"What the hell is going on? Are they playing the 'Who is the Milk Dragon' game?" Joseph, also known as Wang Baixi, thought immediately after entering.

At the same time, Hedwig screamed.

The claws' blades hung in mid-air, unsure which Joseph to point at.

The two Josephs had no difference in appearance, height, or clothing.

“Interesting,” Joseph, the one sitting in front of the head of the table, spoke first. “Kelvin Ross, where did you find such an imposter?”

"You don't need to act anymore." Wang Baixi slowly walked towards the head seat. "Who gave you your mask?"

"What are you saying? I am Joseph Powers, you're the imposter!"

"Your voice is trembling." Wang Baixi stood in the center of the council chamber, lying without a hint of fear. "If you were truly me, you wouldn't need to explain yourself to anyone. As for..."

The claws, frozen in place, began to compare the two leaders with their eyes.

“That’s complete nonsense.” Joseph sneered. “You think bringing an extra owl proves you’re real? I can find an owl too.”

After saying that, he pulled a short knife from inside his suit jacket with his right hand, and thrust the tip straight at Wang Baixi's throat.

"Go to hell, you imposter!"

Kelvin's pupils suddenly contracted.

Wang Baixi quickly dodged the blade, which grazed his collar and severed the top button of his suit. Before the button hit the ground, Joseph's backhand slash followed, forcing Wang Baixi to lean back and somersault to create distance.

"Wow, this is going to be tricky."

Maria, who was standing nearby, was also busy. She came around from the other side of the main seat, holding a steel cable that she had pulled out from somewhere.

She swung the wire toward Wang Baixi's ankle, but Wang Baixi jumped up and stepped on the armrest of the high-backed chair in the main seat, causing the wire to miss its mark.

At the same time, Hedwig, perched on his shoulder, flapped her wings and flew up, circling above the dome of the council chamber.

"Kelvin, what are you waiting for!"

Kelvin snapped out of his daze, drew his dagger, and swiftly charged in. The back of the blade slammed into Maria's wrist, causing her to stumble back in pain. Kelvin did not pursue her; instead, he positioned himself between Wang Baixi and the two imposters.

A group of sharp-clawed creatures stared wide-eyed at the spectacle of the real and fake Monkey Kings.

Seeing this, Joseph abandoned his pursuit of Wang Baixi and turned his blade towards Kelvin. Kelvin immediately parried with his sword, and the crisp sound of metal clashing echoed in the council chamber.

"You're the imposter."

Just then, Wang Baixi jumped off the high-backed chair, grabbed a candlestick next to the main seat, and swung it directly at Joseph's face.

The scalding candle wax dripped onto Joseph's hand.

Joseph grunted as his wrist, which was gripping the knife, was struck by the candlestick base, and the dagger slipped from his hand.

Kelvin, who was standing nearby, also knew the principle that showing sympathy for the enemy was being cruel to oneself. He kicked Joseph in the side of his knee, making Joseph kneel down.

Joseph tried to resist, but suddenly found that he could not move his body.

That's right, it was Wang Baixi who cast the spell when no one was paying attention.

On the other side, Hedwig swooped down from the dome, her two sharp claws aimed straight for Maria's eyes. Maria waved her hand to shoo it away, but the owl's wing lashed out at her face, leaving a bloody gash.

Kelvin seized the opportunity to pick up the dagger that Joseph had dropped, and rushed forward, blocking Maria's lower back.

"Admit defeat, you two."

Joseph, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly let out a low growl.

"He...he's the Mudman!"

One of the bystanders, Claw, cried out in alarm.

Joseph's body began to swell. His suit tore apart at the seams, and his pale skin dripped down like melting candle wax, revealing a layer of grayish-brown, mud-like substance underneath.

They're clay-faced people!

No wonder someone can impersonate Joseph Powers; probably only Clayface could do that in all of Gotham. The question is, are there two Clayfaces now?

"Oh no, he's trying to escape!" Kelvin shouted.

At the same time, the Maria he was pressing his knife against also collapsed. Her face began to disintegrate from her chin, followed by her neck and shoulders. Within seconds, her entire upper body turned into a puddle of grayish-brown mud, spilling out from the collar and cuffs of her haute couture dress.

Two clumps of mud wriggled on the stone floor of the council chamber, converging at the feet of numerous sharp claws, and then slid at an illogical speed toward the sewer entrance on the east side of the council chamber.

"Don't let them get away!" Kelvin swung his short knife, but the blade sank into the mud as if it were stuck into a puddle of rotten mud, without even splashing any mud.

The two clumps of mud merged into one large mass, squeezed into the gap in the iron grate of the sewer entrance, and disappeared into the darkness.

The council chamber was deathly silent as a group of bewildered claws stared at the "true leader," whose brows were now furrowed.

"You bunch of guys..."

Chapter 118

Wang Baixi watched the two puddles of mud disappear into the gaps in the sewer entrance fence, and was speechless.

Seriously? We just let them get away like that?

He turned around and looked at the silent, incompetent fools in the council chamber.

"Does anyone want to explain what just happened?"

No one spoke; the clawed creatures exchanged glances, unsure of what their beloved leader meant.

"Speechless, huh? Then I'll speak for you." Wang Baixi walked to the center of the council hall, stepping over the crumpled suits left behind by the two mud imposters. "Two mud-faced men swaggered in, calling themselves Joseph and Maria Bowles, and not one of you questioned them. I've been standing here giving you orders for the past week, and then another guy with my face showed up, and you all stood still, unable to tell who was real and who was fake."

“Chief, if I may be so bold, his arguments were indeed very convincing,” muttered one of the claws.

"Do I need to tattoo my name on my forehead for you to recognize me?"

"Maybe a name tag would be better."

"close!!"

That claw shut up.

Kelvin Ross stood to the side, wiping the mud off his dagger with a cloth, his expression a mixture of relief at surviving the ordeal and a touch of disbelief.

Fortunately, the opponent was a mud-faced creature with little offensive capability, and fortunately, Wang Baixi appeared in time to stabilize the situation.

“We! Oh no, you just let two adversaries breach the core stronghold of the Court of Owls,” Wang Baixi continued pacing. “They were wearing our badges, sitting in our chairs, and almost watched imposters execute our most loyal warriors. If I had been any more ruthless, you would have been hanging from the ceiling by now.”

A low murmur of discussion echoed through the council chamber.

“But, Master,” another claw tentatively raised a hand, “who would send them? I believe that in all of Gotham, the only person with both the resources and the motive to impersonate you is…”

"explain."

"That guy from Wayne Enterprises, Wang Baixi. Everyone knows he's been encroaching on the territory of established families these days, and he's also taken over the Penguin Gang's business. He's an outsider, and he doesn't follow the rules. Besides him, who else wants to disrupt the courtroom?"

Several claws nodded in agreement.

Wang Baixi stopped in his tracks, thinking: If only it were me.

However, it is clear that the truth is much more complicated and exaggerated than he thought.

The "Wang Baixi" he mentioned was standing right in front of him.

Wang Baixi spoke indifferently, "Use your brain. If Wang Baixi wanted to infiltrate the court, why would he send two mud-faced men to do it in such a blatant and clumsy way? If I'm not mistaken, the answer to the question about that person on the radio points directly to Wang Baixi. How stupid would he be to invite trouble upon himself?"

"So what do you mean?"

“What I mean,” Wang Baixi said emphatically, “is definitely that traitor, the traitor you still haven’t found!!”

Hedwig echoed with two calls of agreement.

"...Uh, now that you mention it..."

"Enough! I want you to dig three feet into the ground. You are not qualified to make excuses for me until you find it." Wang Baixi was furious, which made the group of claws lower their heads. Seeing that the time was right, he took out a small thing from inside his shirt.

He held the object up, the candlelight shining directly on its surface. Everyone looked up and saw that it was a silver brooch shaped like an owl, with outstretched wings and eyes inlaid with obsidian fragments.

"To prevent you from mistaking me for someone else again, I have to be prepared for both possibilities. Do you see what I have in my hand?"

"We saw it!" the claws replied in unison.

"From this day forward, this will be the token of the court. This token proves that the holder is the rightful leader of the court. Every claw must obey the will of the token's holder."

Having said that, he pinned the token to his collar. "Even if someone perfectly replicates my face, he cannot replicate this token. And without this token, none of his commands are valid. From today onward, every one of you knows this."