Shark-Tooth Armguard

Miao Mu fell into the water and grimaced as he choked. Jerry climbed out from the driver's seat and pushed him up to the surface.

Before they could catch their breath, a barrage of bullets landed nearby. Fortunately, the spot where they surfaced was far off target, or they would have been riddled with holes.

Miao Mu looked at the people standing on the shore and quickly dragged the struggling Jerry back underwater.

[ Ding! Hidden Treasure Encounter—Obtainable item discovered! ]

Miao Mu nearly choked again as soon as he dove underwater. There was something in here! He pushed Jerry toward the riverbank and made him stay quiet.

Miao Mu watched the people onshore, then cautiously surfaced for a deep breath before diving straight toward the bottom.

He felt that the item was buried in the silt near this stretch of riverbank. The feeling was crystal clear, exactly like when he had found the Eye of True Sight.

With the Eye of True Sight's broad field of vision, Miao Mu could clearly see the object buried in the riverbank silt even underwater.

He swam toward the spot in his mind and began digging through the mud. The breath he had held was already running out.

Miao Mu anxiously reached deeper. The soft silt offered little resistance, and he touched something hard, like a rod.

But no description appeared like it had with the Eye of True Sight.

He couldn't stay down here any longer!

Miao Mu felt as though he was about to suffocate. Gritting his teeth, he yanked on the hard object and rushed to the surface, poking his head out to take several deep breaths.

Covered by the night, Miao Mu panted for a moment before realizing that he was holding a skeletal arm. A black armguard was attached to it.

It only covered the forearm, like a metal sleeve. Miao Mu pulled the armguard off the bone, and the moment he touched it, he knew what it was.

[ Shark-Tooth Armguard: Metal armor. Can deploy three sharp, shark-tooth blades from the armguard. Unlimited use. ]

Jerry, floating nearby in the water, spotted Miao Mu and paddled over.

Miao Mu put the armguard on his right hand and clenched his fist.

Three hooked blades sprang from the raised seam on the side of the armguard. They looked like saws, and the thing was sturdy, though it felt practically weightless.

"Mumu, what do we do?"

Jerry asked in a trembling voice. The Gotham River was genuinely freezing at this hour. If they had not been strong, they would have sunk straight to the riverbed.

Miao Mu looked toward the bus. Why were there only two people left?

Red Hood No. 1 seemed to sense something and turned to look at the river. After confirming there was nothing there, he carried his AK rifle onto the bus.

"Two against one! Take him out!"

Miao Mu looked at Red Hood No. 9, who stood beneath the bus with an M16 automatic rifle in hand, then dragged Jerry toward the shore.

"I've still got this! There are a few bullets in it!"

Jerry pulled a revolver from his pants and raised it above the water. Water streamed continuously from the gun, but it should still fire.

"Three... two... one!"

Miao Mu braced himself by the water's edge and shoved Jerry forward. Jerry gripped the gun with both hands, his face twisted as he pulled the trigger.

Click. Click. Two consecutive empty chambers.

Red Hood No. 9 beneath the bus also noticed Jerry in the water and raised his M16 to fire.

Bang! A gunshot rang out.

Bang bang bang bang... Gunfire also erupted from inside the bus.

The gunfire from both sides overlapped. Jerry's revolver rang out twice more, and Red Hood No. 9 was hit by the bullets.

It was as if he had been struck by a hammer. Two bloody bursts exploded across his body as he fell backward. One shot struck him in the face, blasting apart his nose.

He crashed down and slumped beneath the bus.

Jerry panted heavily as he lay by the shore. His gun was out of bullets, and that had been far too close.

Miao Mu swam over, climbed onto the riverbank, and charged straight for the bus.

Inside the bus, Red Hood No. 1 had just ended Red Hood No. 3's suffering. He was gathering up the bags of cash and jewelry from the floor, preparing to leave.

A rapid series of footsteps sounded from behind him. Red Hood No. 1 assumed Red Hood No. 9 had come inside and was about to turn around and tell him to bring in a few more bags of cash.

Miao Mu rushed in, swung his arm, and drove a heavy punch into Red Hood No. 1's face, knocking him straight to the floor.

Miao Mu did not pause for even a moment. He raised his right arm and smashed it down like a hammer. The hard armguard slammed heavily into Red Hood No. 1's head, the force making stars burst before his eyes.

"Ah, ah! AHHH!!!"

Miao Mu raised his arm and smashed it down again and again. After seven blows, he grabbed Red Hood No. 1 by the collar, pulled him up, drew back his arm, and punched him in the face.

Even after beating him bloody and unconscious, Miao Mu did not stop. He clenched his fist, and the three blades on the armguard sprang out.

Just as he was about to decapitate Red Hood No. 1, Miao Mu came back to his senses and smashed his arm into the nearby seat instead.

With a thud, he shattered the seat.

Miao Mu sat on the floor, gasping for breath as the strength fueled by adrenaline abruptly drained away.

This night had been a little too thrilling.

"Mumu?!" Jerry carefully walked in with the M16 rifle he had picked up from a corpse.

Outside, wailing police sirens were already racing toward them. Several searchlights shone on the bus.

Miao Mu slumped on the floor and looked at the gold, silver, and jewelry on Red Hood No. 1. Necklaces, rings—he quickly grabbed a handful and stuffed them into his pants.

"People inside, listen up! You are surrounded!"

The Gotham Special Action Team members all wore black combat uniforms and body armor. They held MP5 tactical submachine guns, equipped with tactical flashlights and flash suppressors.

A rapid succession of footsteps sounded, and several flashlight beams swept through the bus.

"Hands up! Get on the ground!"

"Friendly! Police! We're from Arkham!"

Jerry hurriedly threw away his rifle. If he got shot by his own side, that would be a truly unfair death.

Even so, a gun barrel was pressed against his head.

Taking advantage of the moment, Miao Mu grabbed another stack of cash and stuffed it into his pants. Thank goodness!

When he had changed into the suit, he had worn long johns and socks. Nothing would fall out when he stood up.

Beneath the bus, a burly man holding a radio was arranging personnel to surround the area.

Miao Mu and Jerry were escorted off the bus.

"Hello. I'm Flass, captain of the Special Action Team. Can you tell me what happened here?"

Flass saluted, his gaze landing on the drenched Miao Mu and Jerry behind him.

"Hello! We're Miao Mu and Jerry Carbson from the Arkham Police Department." Miao Mu gestured behind him.

Jerry nodded as well. "Hello, Captain!"

Flass looked at Miao Mu in surprise. "Can you tell me what happened here? How did they die?"

"That? We did it. Jerry shot this one dead. There's another one on the bus who isn't dead. They turned on each other, and I ambushed him and knocked him unconscious."

"You're saying that the two of you not only caught up with them and forced them to stop, but also took one of them out?"

Flass felt as though he had heard a fairy tale. It all seemed unreal.

But his words reminded Miao Mu of something.

"Our car! Um... our police car was rammed into the river when we forced them to stop. So..."

Miao Mu rubbed his hands together, hoping they could reimburse it.

Flass looked at the damaged roadside guardrail and the tire tracks by the shore, then nodded. "I understand."

"You two are the heroes who saved this place, but you should deal with your condition first. Change into clean clothes, and we'll take your statements later."

Flass waved his hand, telling someone to take Miao Mu and Jerry away to change. But the instant they left, Flass's expression turned mocking and disdainful.

Heroes? You two deserve that title?

Miao Mu and Jerry did not notice. Miao Mu was more than willing to leave this place. He needed to move the things in his pants somewhere else quickly.

Besides, Miao Mu reached out and touched the armguard on his right hand. Its solid feel brought an involuntary smile to his face.

A police car pulled up. The door opened, and a man in a brown trench coat hurried over. He wore glasses and had a mustache.

"Chief Gordon?"

Miao Mu stopped and called out.

James Gordon stopped when he heard someone call him. Miao Mu smiled and gave him a V sign.

Then the Special Action Team members behind him escorted the two of them away, putting them into a police car and taking them to the nearest precinct.

Chief Gordon watched their backs with a puzzled shake of his head, then walked toward the bus.