Guardian of Gotham

In Gotham City, in the darkness between the skyscrapers, Talons moved toward their targets in groups of three or five.

"Our target is Wayne Manor. As Gotham City's richest and most influential man, his territory must have formidable security. We need to be careful."

"There's no need. Bruce Wayne is just a playboy. He may be a successful businessman, but he's no qualified fighter. Against us, he'll be scared shitless."

"I don't see it that way. He may not be capable himself, but he must employ a large number of guards. We should still be more careful."

As several Talons discussed how to deal with Bruce Wayne while walking, several large birds suddenly swooped over their heads, letting out a burst of piercing screeches.

Their discussion interrupted, one of the Talons immediately grew irritated. They were killing machines by nature; violence was etched into their bones.

"In an industrial city like Gotham, large birds haven't appeared in a long time. Let's see what species it is."

As he spoke, a grappling hook shot diagonally into the sky, accurately catching a dark silhouette.

"Got it. It's pretty strong, too."

The Talon yanked hard on the grappling line, but whatever breed the large bird was, its strength was astonishing. It actually entered a tug-of-war with him.

"Hey, can you do it or not? If you can't even catch a bird, take off that outfit and crawl back home."

The other Talons had no intention of helping. Instead, they mocked him. Competition was an ideal instilled in them by the Court of Owls. Those without ability didn't deserve the title of Talon; defective products could only be eliminated.

"Cut the crap. This isn't an ordinary thing. If you don't believe me, try it yourselves. Get down here!"

The Talon with the grappling hook roared, then used all his strength to pull. An enormous albatross screeched as it crashed down, smashing apart and overturning the rooftop water tank.

"Whew... How is this albatross so huge? Its wingspan must be over eight meters. No wonder it's so strong."

The Talon shook his aching arm, drew the retractable dagger at his waist, and walked forward, ready to gut the albatross. Only then could he preserve his dignity.

But after only a few steps, he stopped. Several more large birds were circling down from the sky, and among them, he even saw creatures that looked like they belonged to the age of dinosaurs.

Bang!

A massive furry hand suddenly reached around the side of the building and crushed the concrete railing. Then came a thunderous landing. The ground cracked into a spiderweb beneath its feet as a gorilla five or six meters tall appeared, white vapor billowing from its nostrils. It looked furious.

In the dark corners, several pairs of red lights flickered without end. They were bloodthirsty eyes.

Only then did the Talons realize something was wrong. They slowly formed a back-to-back defensive formation. They had to kill Bruce Wayne, but that was only possible if they could reach Wayne Manor alive.

Inside the Iceberg Lounge, Penguin felt increasingly uneasy. Ever since he had rejected the Court of Owls' proposal a few days ago and insisted on running for mayor, the two sides had reached a deadlock.

His keen sense of danger kept him from staying at home. Instead, he had moved into the Iceberg Lounge. This was his headquarters, after all; it wouldn't be so easy for others to get their hands on him here.

In the bedroom, Penguin stood before the window. The red glow of his cigar reflected in the glass as he pondered something unknown.

Suddenly, cracks appeared across the tempered glass without warning. They're here, Oswald thought, hurriedly backing away and leaving the room.

The next second, three Talons smashed through the window and pursued him in the direction he had gone.

After killing several waiters who blocked their path, the Talons chased Penguin into the main hall.

"You can't run, Oswald. You defied the will of the Court of Owls. Die obediently."

Penguin exhaled a puff of smoke. "Who said I was running? Take a look at this."

He clapped his hands, and dozens of armed gangsters immediately poured out from the surrounding rooms and corners. Some of them even carried RPGs. On the second floor, a cannon had been set up, its dark muzzle aimed at the enemy.

"I wonder if your bodies can withstand shells. Open fire!"

Boom!

Before a single bullet could be fired, the Iceberg Lounge's main doors were smashed apart instead. A Tyrannosaurus Rex and two triceratops charged in, instantly scattering the clustered gangsters. Though the Talons were stunned as well, they still faithfully carried out their orders, leaping toward Penguin to kill him.

What happened at the Iceberg Lounge was not an isolated case. Gotham City had already descended into chaos. Five hundred beasts were frantically attacking every living creature in sight, whether Talon or ordinary civilian.

With the Gotham Police Department overwhelmed and the National Guard and military barred from intervening by the Court of Owls, the vast city had actually become a slaughterhouse for the League of Assassins.

At this moment, whether directly or indirectly, willingly or unwillingly, the Talons and Gotham's criminal forces instead became the city's protectors, fighting the suddenly appearing beast horde to the death.

Inside Ace Chemical Factory, after Bruce Wayne shook off Shredder, he immediately rushed deeper inside. He opened his gauntlet and pressed a button, preparing to activate the tracker he had left on Jude. As always, he needed to keep something in reserve.

But Jude was not Robin. Bruce's little trick had been discovered immediately. That tracker had long since been tossed into a filthy sewer, so none of Bruce's attempts to activate it received any response.

A trace of helplessness appeared at the corner of his mouth. It seemed the other man was cautious too. Bruce could only search bit by bit.

This was what they meant by plans failing to keep up with change. Jude's small action had not only put Bruce in a difficult position, but also made things very unpleasant for himself.

Ra's al Ghul was truly difficult to deal with. The Persian Scimitar remained within three inches of Jude at all times. Once he was hit, what followed would definitely be a storm of relentless attacks, leaving him no time at all to destroy the spray device.

The two had tangled for more than ten minutes. Jude danced on the edge of a blade the entire time. Seeing Ra's al Ghul charge at him again, he finally couldn't help cursing.

"FUCK! You old son of a bitch, don't you ever get tired?"

But the moment he spoke, his position was instantly exposed, and two Damascus Daggers flew toward him.

"I possess endless life, and naturally, endless stamina as well. Your technology is quite good. If you choose to join the League of Assassins, I will give you a good position."

"Fuck you. We've been hacking at each other for ages, and you still want to recruit me? Would I dare join? Besides, if Gotham is really destroyed, the Bat Family will be the ones grieving. What does it have to do with me? At worst, I'll just dust myself off and leave."

"True. You owe this city nothing."

A deep and familiar voice finally rang out. Batman had at last arrived at the scene. The showdown between father-in-law and son-in-law had begun.