Madam, You Wouldn't Want This

In the dense forest.

Jino stood before Talia, lost in thought.

He had always felt that the name Talia sounded familiar, but there were as many superheroes in the DC Universe as hairs on an ox. It was normal not to remember some of them.

But once he learned that Talia was Ra's al Ghul's daughter, dead memories began assaulting Jino's mind.

Most people might not know Talia, but her son was famous—Damian.

Batman's fifth Robin, Bruce Wayne's son, DC's own darling grandson.

Jino did not care about any of that. He only felt that Talia's identity was extremely useful.

As a colossal force in the underworld, the League of Assassins ranked among the best on Earth in both intelligence gathering and sheer strength.

Jino remembered that in the comics he had read, Ra's al Ghul had led the League of Assassins into Gotham City—Batman's lair—more than once.

That alone proved how formidable the organization was.

But what Jino cared about most was the League of Assassins' intelligence network.

He could make use of this underground organization's information-gathering abilities to find some Supervillains and go collect points from them by force.

So, if he controlled Talia, it would be equivalent to possessing the League of Assassins' intelligence network—but the prerequisite was making her obedient.

Jino stared at Talia with some hesitation.

This woman was anything but docile. She was wildly ambitious, bent on overthrowing her own father to prove herself—a model filial daughter through and through.

Backstabbing was also one of Talia's specialties.

Therefore, if he wanted this woman to serve him obediently, he needed leverage over her to control her better.

Like a wild horse, only by putting a muzzle... ahem, a bit in its mouth, holding its reins, and whipping it with a riding crop could you make it dare not go right when told to go left. It was much the same as with pitiful middle-aged men—without restraint, they would run completely wild!

So how could he get a hold over her and extinguish the little schemes in this woman's heart?

Jino's gaze swept over Talia's curvaceous figure.

Her night suit was torn to shreds, exposing the enticing view beneath.

Jino raised a brow as a plan began brewing in his mind.

"Letting you live isn't impossible, but I have one condition."

Jino spoke indifferently.

"What condition?" Talia secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed her life was safe tonight.

"Very simple. To guarantee your loyalty, I need some leverage."

Jino exhaled, then slowly said beneath Talia's terrified gaze, "As an assassin, you should have a camera, right?"

"A camera?"

Talia clenched her fists. Looking into Jino's deep eyes, she could not help but feel a sense of foreboding.

Jino's expression remained calm, but his tone allowed no refusal. "Answer me."

Talia gritted her teeth and replied, "Th-there's one in my car. I planned to use it to record the completion of the mission."

"Very good. Take me there."

At midnight.

A figure leaned against a Wrangler SUV.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle~"

Talia had put her clothes back on. The cold wind brushed against her smooth ankles as her venomous eyes stared at the tall figure in the distance.

Jino fiddled with the camera, admiring his handiwork with a smile on his lips.

Ignoring Talia's gaze, Jino shook the camera in his hand and chuckled at her. "You've got a really nice figure."

"Heh heh."

Talia was so angered by Jino's shamelessness that she laughed. She had never expected him to demand that she leave behind such photographs.

Though shameless, Talia had to admit that the move was truly effective.

For the time being, it had extinguished the improper thoughts in her heart.

If—if her photos were truly spread across the entire world, she would rather die.

The prouder a person was, the more pride they carried in their heart, let alone Talia, who was determined to prove herself.

"So."

Jino slowly approached Talia, bent down, and murmured into her ear, "Miss Talia, work for me honestly and diligently. You wouldn't want your photos spread all over the world, would you?"

"I believe plenty of people would enjoy seeing a photo collection of the League of Assassins leader's daughter~"

Shameless? Shameless!

Effective? Effective~

"Whew!"

Talia took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the anger in her heart. She raised her head and looked deeply at Jino. Almost through gritted teeth, she replied, "I'll serve you."

"And you're the most shameless man I've ever met."

She had no other choice now. Even just for the position of leader of the League of Assassins, Talia could only choose to submit.

Otherwise, if those photos were exposed, she believed that old bastard Ra's al Ghul would not hesitate to kill her to preserve his reputation.

"Thanks for the compliment."

Jino did not care about Talia's assessment at all. This was a win-win situation—he was winning big.

Not only had he shut Talia up, but he had also planted a nail within the League of Assassins.

The method might have been shameless, but as long as it achieved his goal, that was all that mattered.

In the adult world, there was no right or wrong—only results~

"Hmph."

Talia turned her head away, unwilling to look at Jino's hateful face.

"Then we have a deal."

Jino paid no attention to Talia's attitude. Straightening up, he reached out and clasped her wrist in his large hand, pulling the woman to her feet without giving her any say in the matter.

"I hope we have a pleasant partnership~"

Right, the kind where if it wasn't pleasant, he'd ruin her reputation.

By the time Jino returned to the castle, the sky was already beginning to brighten.

Talia drove away. Judging by how she seemed ready to slam the accelerator through the floor, the woman had been in a terrible mood.

Jino gazed toward the distant castle.

In the still-dim sky, A few rays of sunlight dispelled the darkness.

What a long night it had been.

With that thought in his heart, Jino headed toward the castle.

Outside the castle, Lex stood expressionlessly before the iron gates in his pajamas.

Jino slowly walked toward Lex. The moment his older brother saw him, Jino could see his shoulders slump, as though he had finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was really worried about me.

The thought passed through his heart, warming it.

"Lex."

Jino returned to his usual self and greeted Lex with a grin.

"Is it settled?"

Lex glanced at the camera in Jino's hand, then thought for a moment before choosing not to ask anything.

He believed his brother could handle these matters perfectly.

"It's settled. You've been waiting a long time, haven't you?" Jino smiled as he draped an arm around Lex's shoulders, cheerfully hooking his older brother by the shoulder as they walked toward the castle.

Inside the castle, quite a few servants were busy cleaning up the mess left on the lawn from the previous night.

Whether it was the castle wall blasted full of holes or the "disfigured" lawn, all of it needed to be patched up and repaired by the servants.

As the two walked along, Jino keenly noticed the change in the servants' attitudes around him.

Along with their former respect, there was now a little more fear in the way they treated him.

Fear of that inhuman power.

Lex looked at his younger brother with some concern. "Jino, don't think too much about it. Go get some rest. Butler has already prepared a new room for you on the second floor."

Jino shook his head. "I'm not tired. You should get some sleep first."

The two entered the living room. Jino released Lex and pointed at the bags beneath his eyes. "You already have dark circles. Looking that ugly, you won't find a lady you like to marry."

Lex's face darkened. This brat was making fun of him again.

Still, after waiting all night, he really was a little sleepy.

Lex resisted the urge to yawn and headed toward his room.

But just as Lex's figure was about to disappear around the corner on the second floor, Jino called out to him.

"Lex."

Lex turned his head and looked questioningly at Jino on the first floor. "What is it?"

The blond youth wore a bright smile. His azure eyes fixed on Lex as he said earnestly, "Thank you."

Lex smiled faintly and shrugged. "We're brothers, aren't we?"

Jino smiled too, smiling happily. "Yeah, we're brothers."