Stepping on Every Land Mine with Precision

Gotham City, beneath Wayne Manor, the Batcave.

"That's what happened. That guy in armor was powerful, probably possessed some kind of superpower. Damian was injured again, and I couldn't stop them alone, so the device was stolen."

Nightwing sighed after finishing. Bruce and Jude had gone to great lengths to obtain intel that let them detect the enemy's scheme in advance, but he had messed things up.

Though the enemy had been strong and Damian had acted impulsively, as the first Robin, Nightwing felt that he should bear the responsibility. After all, Damian was still a child.

"I understand. This isn't your fault." Bruce offered a rare word of comfort.

After listening to Nightwing, Jude spoke up as well. "Are you father and son done comforting each other? Can I get a word in?"

The moment he finished speaking, two murderous gazes turned toward him at once. Alfred, Batgirl, and Red Robin all turned away, whistling as they casually moved farther from the area.

What a joke. They all knew about the situation between Nightwing and Batman. As the first-generation Robin, Nightwing and Batman were like father and son on one hand.

On the other hand, there was also conflict between them. It stemmed from Nightwing having lived under Batman's shadow for so long and disagreeing with some of Batman's methods. Of course, perhaps it was also because Nightwing had grown up and matured.

So in the end, the original Robin chose to go solo as Nightwing. Mocking Batman became part of his daily routine, and FUCK was often on his lips. Yet whenever Batman was in trouble, he was always the first to come running back to help.

"Hey! What are you looking at me like that for? We may not be blood-related, but we were foster father and son for years."

Noticing Nightwing quietly pick up his staff, Jude, whose weapons were all out of energy, hurriedly gave him a smile. "Just kidding. Why take it seriously? Right, Jason—no, no, no, Dick. Dick Grayson."

"Woooow..."

Alfred, Batgirl, and Red Robin exclaimed in unison and moved even farther away.

The Jason Jude had accidentally mentioned was Jason Todd, the second Robin, the Red Hood who had come back from the dead.

Unfortunately, although Nightwing, Dick Grayson, and Jason Todd had both been Robin, their relationship was far from good, and they frequently clashed. It was like two actresses having played the same role—comparisons were bound to breed conflict.

For example, Dick had not been allowed to touch the Batmobile back then, while Jason Todd could drive it alone. Dick had not known Bruce had installed a tracker on him, while Jason Todd had been told the truth.

Perhaps Bruce had changed his mindset and become more humane after Dick went solo, but damn it, Dick got the bad treatment while someone else got the benefits. Of course Dick would resent it.

Jude could not help taking a step back. "Calm down, buddy. We're comrades now. I was the one who got the information about Spade K, wasn't I, Bruce?"

Bruce nodded helplessly. "Talk about the matter at hand. Put the rest aside for now."

Nightwing snorted. "Fine. You're always like this anyway."

Just then, the computer chimed. Batgirl's eyes lit up. "The video finished downloading. Come take a look."

Jude immediately scurried over. It was better to stay away from Nightwing right now.

The footage froze on the armored man blasting dozens of security guards away with one strike. Everyone could clearly see that tangible blast of air.

"Bruce, first question: what was that machine for?"

Bruce said strangely, "A spray device that was just successfully developed. But it's civilian equipment, mainly used for spraying pesticides and the like. Strange. I thought what had been stolen was some destructive military facility."

"A spray device. What's its maximum coverage range?"

Bruce thought back for a moment. "Lucius mentioned it to me once. I think it can cover a city, even a major metropolis like Gotham."

Jude nodded. "I understand. First, I'll tell you who these intruders are, then we can make a guess about their intentions."

Batgirl's eyes lit up. "You know them?"

"Of course, Miss Stephanie. I know everything!"

"These intruders came from New York. You may have heard of them before. They're called the Foot Clan."

Red Robin murmured, "The Foot Clan? That does sound familiar. So that Boar-man and armored man are high-ranking members of the Foot Clan?"

"Yeah. The Boar-man is named Anton Zeck, nicknamed Bebop. He's one of the Foot Clan's enforcers. He's strong, but not very bright."

"That little runt is Baxter, nicknamed Stockman Fly. When he transforms, he becomes one of the Fly People. He's the Foot Clan's scientist, and his combat ability is nothing worth mentioning."

"Lastly, the armored man. He isn't a high-ranking member of the Foot Clan. He's their ruler, Shredder. He's proficient in Ninjutsu and hand-to-hand combat. He's a troublesome guy."

Nightwing also walked over and asked, "So Shredder was using Ninjutsu? I thought ninja techniques were all just tricks to fool the eye."

"Dick, you underestimate this world too much. Once you encounter more power systems in the future, you won't say that."

"Is that so? So what kind of power system do you use?"

"Me? I wield science!"

Red Robin interrupted them. "But hasn't the Foot Clan always operated in New York City? Why would they come to Gotham City? And what use would stealing a spray device have?"

Jude pulled out a small bottle of whiskey and gulped some down before continuing. "Now we get to the important part. Listen carefully."

"As far as I know, the Foot Clan has likely reached a cooperation agreement with the League of Assassins. They'll help Ra's al Ghul destroy Gotham in exchange for the Lazarus Pit water he controls."

"What?" Everyone present cried out together.

Ra's al Ghul was one of the enemies they least wanted to face. The old man was a master schemer with immense influence. If he was behind this, Gotham was in danger.

Batgirl asked in confusion, "But what does destroying Gotham have to do with a spray device? Are they going to spray poison over the entire city? That isn't a good method. Poisoning the water treatment plant would be more effective."

"Spraying poison definitely won't work. What they plan to spray should be Mutagen."

Bruce's brow immediately furrowed. "Mutagen? What is that?"

Jude took another large gulp of whiskey. "The Foot Clan possesses a kind of Mutagen that can turn people into beasts, just like Bebop."

"And once they spray it over Gotham, they won't need to infect everyone on the spot. One-tenth, or even one-hundredth, would be enough. This is a metropolis with tens of millions of people. How many would mutate?"

"And do I really need to explain how much destruction mindless monsters would cause Gotham? By then, forget your Bat Family—even Superman would be helpless. I'm afraid the only option would be to have the military carpet-bomb the place with nuclear weapons."

The Viet Cong poked their heads out.