There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 209, Section 106: "Self-healing abilities aren't exclusive to you."

Chapter 209, Section 106: "Self-healing abilities aren't just for you guys" (Added tonight!)

Dick was forced to leave under the bartender's threats.

The bearded man clapped his hands in satisfaction, looking up as the shadowy figures surrounding the bar disappeared into the downpour. At that moment, he felt as if he had done something so great that it could save the organization.

In fact, that's what he thought too.

Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. In Gotham, don't mess with anyone, not even someone as powerful as HIVE.

In particular, the court that initiated Owl Night.

He turned back to the bar, and as soon as he pushed open the gate, he saw a menacing figure standing in front of him.

The tall figure standing against the light made the man subconsciously swallow.

"The atmosphere outside was really ominous just now. Is trouble on our way?"

"The court—it's the assassins of the Court of Owls." The man subtly avoided mentioning Dick while revealing the truth to Deathstroke.

"Hmph, even the cockroaches lurking in the shadows couldn't resist anymore?"

A low laugh came from behind the mask, like a butcher rubbing his prey's skull with a file.

Since the battle at the abandoned warehouse, Deathstroke has been secretly monitoring Qin Wei. Although Tim and Barbara have been cleaning up his mess, as a mercenary, he still managed to deduce the target's true intentions based on scattered clues.

Qin Wei is going to war with the court.

Deathstroke, who came to this conclusion, was relieved that he had restrained his murderous intent at the crucial moment and had not cut off the boy's head.

As a third party in this war, all he wanted to see was a scene of rivers of blood.

And the reality was just as he thought, no, even more exaggerated than he imagined.

Qin Wei's way of dealing with the Court of Owls was through exposure; he dragged the entire Gotham City, including those innocent civilians, down with him.

As a result, government agencies were completely paralyzed, and angry people flooded the streets and into the mansions of every capitalist and politician who had bullied and exploited them, turning their anger into a physical flame.

And so Gotham burned.

Listen to the sirens and noise coming from just a few blocks away; tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.

Deathstroke put the gun back in its holster.

For the sake of beautiful Gotham, he decided to have another beer.

The bartender secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Deathstroke return to the bar.

Just as the other person's buttocks were about to touch the stool, that tall and burly figure seemed to freeze in mid-air, and the bartender's heart, which had just settled, tightened again.

"Oh, right, I just remembered something."

The death knell was turned away from the bartender, and its sound was so calm.

"Did anyone come looking for me just now?"

"----have"

The bartender wanted to deny it, but the sudden oppressive feeling from Deathstroke made him afraid to lie, as if telling a single lie would bring about some unpredictable and terrible consequences.

"Is it a teenager?"

"right!"

"Didn't that boy say his name was Dick—Dick something again?"

"No, no, no, he didn't say his name, he just said he wanted to see you! In fact, he didn't have any token or pass, so according to usual I can't let him in!!" Deathstroke tricked the bartender into using his ultimate move with a single glance, and the man screamed and fell to the floor.

"Oh? Philip, how long have we known each other?"

Deathstroke straightened up with a cold smile, looking down at the bartender lying on the ground. The other mercenaries in the bar also sensed the subtle atmosphere and all lowered their heads in silence.

"Ten years — at least ten years."

Philip gradually calmed down from his panic and slowly regulated his disordered breathing.

He always knew that Deathstroke wouldn't attack him over something like this, but the murderous intent emanating from the other man was simply too terrifying.

"Since we've known each other for so long, you should know I don't like being deceived. I'll give you another chance. What's that boy's name?"

"Dick Grayson".

"Very good, you have successfully saved a life. By the way, here's a piece of advice: don't show your face in front of me for about three or five days before my anger subsides."

The death knell strode forward and stepped over the pale-faced Philip.

Pushing open the gate, Slade saw the storm-swept Gotham City outside. He took a deep breath, the smell of dust mixed with a faint burnt odor filling his nostrils.

In this war that engulfs the entire city, the strong are destined to be involved.

"Fine, let me see just how capable these little cockroaches kept by the court really are!"

Slade drew his longsword, his voice laced with barely concealed excitement.

Meanwhile, in a small alley west of Coventry, Dick swung his knife to deflect an incoming projectile.

The sparks flickered and disappeared in the downpour, briefly illuminating the dark alleyway.

Footsteps sounded in front of and behind him, and claws shot down from above, their malevolent gazes fixed upon him. The boy had nowhere to run.

But Felix didn't rush to attack. Instead, he walked to the front of the stage, following the path cleared by his subordinates. This elite claw—

He sheathed his hidden blade in front of Dick.

The boy thought the other person would ramble on like a villain in a comic book, but to his surprise, the other person's opening remarks were a bombshell.

"Dick Grayson, the blood of claws flows in your veins; you should have been one of us."

Dick was stunned, but then he realized how foolish it would be to believe the enemy's one-sided story. Now that he had a chance to think, he should seize the opportunity to find a possible way out.

Dick looked around, while Felix continued talking.

"The court has heard about your family's ordeal. If your father hadn't escaped the circus, he would be a highly skilled claw now, and your family wouldn't have ended up being brutally murdered by the gang."

"He's already made the wrong choice once, and the court doesn't want you to make the same mistake."

Felix's words made it impossible for Dick to ignore; the loss of his family members was a wound in his heart that he could not heal.

"What are you talking about?!"

"It seems you really don't know anything."

Felix paused, then told Dick the story about William Cobb and John Grayson.

Before being recruited by the court, William was a knife thrower in a circus. His biggest mistake in life was falling in love with a rich girl.

However, the vast difference in their social status provoked strong opposition from the wealthy businessman.

Driven by resentment towards William, the wealthy businessman hired a gangster assassin to hunt him down.

During a performance, William was shot through the chest by Thomson, who was aiming from the shadows. In his dying moments, the circus ringmaster opened a new door for William.

Serve the court; it will give you everything you want.

William then learned that the circus where he worked had been secretly training assassins for a mysterious organization for nearly a century.

"Why me?" he asked the team leader.

"You're too old and your talent is poor, so generally it's not your turn. But there are always exceptions. The court will prioritize those who harbor hatred or obsession; their goals are simpler and they are easier to manipulate."

The leader's words came true for William; the cultivation path that the cubs took ten years to complete, William accomplished in just one and a half years.

When the claws implanted with amber gold first targeted the wealthy businessman, they brought him utter destruction.

William then reappeared before his former lover as if nothing had happened, soothing her wounded heart with meticulous care.

William defied the court's wishes, married a wealthy woman, and fled Gotham.

Yes, he never wanted to become a Claw; he just wanted revenge.

But he soon realized he had underestimated the court's methods. When his amber gold ran out a year later, he experienced terrible withdrawal symptoms, and only drugs could temporarily relieve the agonizing, itchy pain.

To raise money to buy drugs, William not only sold his children to the Grayson family, but also forced his wife to work as a prostitute.

When the Claws found the dying William, he surrendered to the court without hesitation.

The child he sold, John, who changed his surname to "Grayson," also followed fate into the circus where his father used to work and became a trapeze artist.

The court was also closely watching John Grayson, after all, he was the first baby born from a claw and a human.

But the court was soon disappointed; John was no different from a normal person and had not inherited even a trace of William's talent.

But the court still extended an olive branch to him, inviting him to meet his father and become a Claw.

The details of that meeting are unknown, but when dawn broke, the commander found John's tent empty.

John Grayson wanted to escape the court and his family's tragic fate. Over the next decade, he met Mary, started a family, and had two lovely children.

He thought he had escaped the clutches of the court, but little did he know that the court was still secretly watching his life.

This time, however, it was his youngest son, Dick, who was targeted.

Not only did Dick show extraordinary circus talent from a young age, but he could also heal any wound faster than the average person. The court realized that amber gold might have the characteristic of being inherited across generations, so during a dental operation, they conspired with the doctor to implant an amber gold tooth in Dick.

This tooth doesn't contain any Dionysian factors; it's more like a mark.

This foreshadows a miserable life for Dick, manipulated by the court.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, in this world without Batman, Dick will resolutely join the Claws after his family is brutally murdered. After killing the murderers to avenge his loved ones, the rest of his life will be a replay of his grandfather William's tragedy.

But that accident brought Qin Wei into Dick's life.

Thus, the ropes of fate trembled and trembled under the sabotage of the troublemakers.

Things really took an unexpected turn. Dick discovered that the first person he beat up when he came out of the mountains was his own grandfather. The thought of slashing his grandfather's chest with a knife made him think that this world was truly absurd.

Of course, the most absurd things were yet to come.

"So you understand now? It's all your father's fault. He chose the wrong path, and this tragedy is about to repeat itself in your life." Felix finished speaking, leaving a long blank for Dick to think.

Does Dick really need to think about this?

He didn't even doubt that Felix was lying, because the story was so disgusting that it not only did nothing to bring the two of them closer, but actually pushed Dick further away.

If the former Dick might have joined the court for revenge, now all he can think about is how to destroy this evil organization.

As for William Cobb—

Forget it, there's no real feeling involved anyway!

"I appreciate your sincerity, but what kind of thought process makes you believe that everything is my father's fault?"

"Because the court is always right."

The answer that someone brainwashed by the court would give, the answer that fits Felix's persona, made Dick's stomach feel slightly uncomfortable at the thought that he might become like that.

Felix, however, was quite pleased with this offer—"I have made the consequences of disobeying the court very clear; he will surely understand."

"Come on, Dick, follow the footsteps of fate and join the court."

"Unless I'm dead!"

Dick's answer was as resounding as Felix's hand falling to the ground.

"Is this your answer?"

Claw looked at his bloodied, severed wrist and shook his head regretfully.

The court merely advised him to bring Dick back; in other words, the decision was his. Even if Felix and William Cobb were friends, the actions of this descendant of a friend went too far.

"Then die as you wish."

Felix snorted and delivered his verdict on Dick's fate.

But just then, something crashed down from the sky above the alley.

Felix sensed it first and hopped to create some distance.

Bang!

A muffled thud.

A headless, clawed corpse fell in front of him, splashing water and blood onto Felix's mask.

The sudden turn of events caused the elite claw to feel a brief moment of fear, after all, he had been paying close attention to his surroundings while they were chatting.

Someone brazenly committed murder right under his nose and attracted his attention in an extremely arrogant manner.

This at least shows that the other party is extremely skilled and did not take the claws seriously.

He's a tough guy!

Before Felix's mental turmoil had subsided, a second body was thrown down, followed by a third and a fourth—all the men who had been keeping watch on the rooftop had now become bricks, forming a barrier between him and Dick.

Apart from the sound of rain, the alley was so quiet that you couldn't even hear someone breathing.

The next moment, a blurry figure descended from the sky.

Felix crossed his hidden blades to parry, and with a resounding clang, both his arms trembled.

The newcomer was Slade Wilson, his mask adorned with red and black hues, much like the blood and death that had permeated his life.

With a knife in one hand, Deathstroke used only the strength of his wrist to pin Felix, who possessed the amber and gold compound, down so low he couldn't lift his head.

"Too weak! I don't understand, how do you have the confidence to invite others to join?"

"Whoever you are, you're in big trouble!"

The old-fashioned Felix didn't recognize Deathstroke, but reason told him that this junior was extremely dangerous and it was best not to confront him directly. Just as he was about to invoke the courtroom to intimidate him, Deathstroke spoke first with a cold laugh.

"The courtroom is like a sewer, and you, cockroaches crawling in the sewer, dare to imagine yourselves as predators."

Felix was enraged by the opposing party's mockery of the court.

As the death knell fell, he suddenly withdrew his hidden blade, letting the longsword slash into his left shoulder, splitting his heart in two.

At the same time, he also plunged a pair of hidden blades into Deathstroke's chest.

With the help of the amber gold compound, Claws often have a significant advantage in battles where damage is traded for damage.

The death knell, though pierced through the chest, seemed completely unharmed, sighing and shaking its head. This sudden turn of events left Felix utterly bewildered.

"Dude! Instead of being surprised, think about this: when did self-healing become exclusive to claws?"

>