Beating Up Feras

Special Action Team Captain Feras had a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he strode indignantly toward the restroom.

Miao Mu, Miao Mu—everyone was talking about Miao Mu. The rising star of the police force, the hero who solved a case in seven hours. What the hell was that supposed to be?

Feras pushed open the restroom door and walked in, pulling out a lighter from his pocket to light his cigarette. He did not notice that someone had followed him after he left the banquet hall.

Jerry Cabson, who entered right behind him, clenched his fist. This bastard had stolen the credit they had risked their lives for. How could they possibly let him off?

"Hey! Lend me a light!"

"Who's that?"

Feras turned around with an irritated look. There were not many people in the Gotham Police Department who dared ask him for a light. Were they not afraid he would beat them up?

The moment he turned around, Jerry threw a punch. Caught completely off guard, Feras took it squarely and staggered back several steps before regaining his footing. Blood seeped from the split corner of his mouth.

"Pah! Which mongrel is this?"

Feras spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and swung his fist at Jerry. He had bragged plenty and told countless lies, but one thing was true—he really was a retired special forces soldier.

His combat ability ranked among the best in the Gotham Police Department. He was somewhat inferior to Gordon, but although Commissioner Gordon lived a stifled life, his skills were not lacking in the slightest.

Jerry held the advantage with his surprise attack, but once Feras began fighting back, Jerry gradually found himself unable to hold on. If not for his broad, sturdy build and extensive street-fighting experience—

this former special forces soldier might really have turned the tables.

The restroom door was kicked open, and Miao Mu charged straight in. The instant he saw Feras, he launched a flying kick.

Outside the restroom, Nygma carried the cane he had made himself, shut the door, then hooked over a yellow warning sign and placed it at the entrance.

Then he gripped his cane and leaned against the wall to wait.

Inside the restroom, Miao Mu and Jerry worked together seamlessly, pinning Feras down and beating him. Feras had just dodged Jerry's punch when Miao Mu drove a kick into his chest.

"You... you dare!"

Feras was forced back step by step. Leaning against the wall and panting heavily, he shouted, "You dare lay hands on me? Just try it!"

"Fuck it, then we'll try! Like we can't beat you to death!"

Miao Mu clenched his fist, swung his right arm, and smashed it forward. A fist was easy enough to dodge, but the sweeping arm was far harder to avoid.

The blow landed, and Feras's head rang as though he had been struck by a solid baseball bat—perhaps even harder.

Miao Mu's Shark-Tooth Armguard was tougher than ordinary metal. Combined with the strength in his arm, the strike left Feras stunned, sending him straight down onto the floor.

Jerry followed with a soccer kick, one of the most powerful kicks there was—a move expressly forbidden in fighting competitions.

The kick struck Feras in the head, launching him into the wall. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

Even if he had not had a concussion before, he certainly had one now.

Miao Mu spat on Feras. He had endured this for so long just to give him a beating. Anyone who dared steal someone else's credit deserved to die.

Still not satisfied, Jerry kicked him twice more.

"That's enough, Jerry. We should get going. This banquet isn't for us. Let's find somewhere to get a hot meal."

Miao Mu turned on the faucet beside the sink and washed his hands. Looking up at the mirror, he saw that the scar on his face was not too noticeable. Fortunately, the Talon's dagger had been sharp enough that it was only a shallow cut.

That was why it had scabbed over so quickly and had not needed stitches.

The restroom door was pulled open, and Miao Mu walked out while drying his hands. Nygma tapped the floor with his cane as he came over.

Jerry shut the restroom door, hung the warning sign on the handle again, looked around, and only then followed after them.

"Have you made up your mind? You're about to make a big splash."

Nygma spoke up. He had already cast himself in the role of strategist and begun considering their future.

"What if I openly support Batman? I really want to see Commissioner Loeb's sour face."

Miao Mu wiped his hands with a tissue, a malicious smile on his face. Batman's winter would not be easy to endure. Any goodwill he could build up was worth it. Either way, there was no loss in it.

"Batman? He can indeed be an ally. As long as we exercise violence and fulfill our duties within the bounds of order, he probably will not come after us. By the way, aren't you curious who he is?"

Miao Mu shook his head and raised a hand. "Batman is bait—a piece of cheese set on a mousetrap. Anyone curious about him and determined to find out who he is will be... snap!"

Miao Mu suddenly clapped his hands, like a mousetrap snapping shut. "Once they know his true identity, they become the mouse that got caught."

"That metaphor is rather interesting."

Nygma smiled, apparently accepting the idea.

Leaving that evidence room and taking another route made his mind even more active.

He thought again of the riddle contests his teachers held after class in elementary school. Only this time, he could not sneak a look at the answers, which made the riddle even more challenging.

"Hey, hero. So many reporters are waiting for you, and you took that long in the restroom? See a pretty girl in there?"

A senior detective held a wineglass and put on a familiar act as he tried to get closer to Miao Mu.

"Sorry, I don't talk to clowns."

Miao Mu sidestepped him and headed straight for the cluster of reporters.

The senior detective could not save face after being shut down like that. He cursed under his breath, only for Jerry to bump into him from behind.

"Sorry, didn't see you."

Jerry smiled as he walked past him.

"Oh, Detective Miao Mu! Could I interview you?"

A reporter who had been eating at the buffet spotted Miao Mu approaching. She hurriedly set down her plate, pulled a small notebook from her pocket, and ran over.

Cameras were not allowed inside the police station, and even film from cameras had to be inspected before it could be taken out.

After all, this was not merely an internal gathering for the police. There were also high-ranking officials from Gotham City Hall, as well as prominent socialites and aristocrats.

"Sure. What would you like to interview me about?"

Miao Mu stopped and asked politely.

"Um, I'm Jiekaxi, a reporter from the Gotham Gazette. What are your views on Batman, the recent street vigilante?"

Jiekaxi had brown hair and wore a professional suit. Compared to a reporter, she looked more like a television host.

"Batman? I do not have much of an opinion. He is simply doing what he wants to do. As for whether it's legal... it definitely isn't legal, but what he's doing is not wrong."

The moment Miao Mu said that, Jiekaxi began scribbling furiously in her notebook. An article was already taking shape in her mind—maybe it could even make the front page!

"Then do you think Batman represents justice?"

"Yes. At least for now, he does. He stands with the majority of Gotham and saves the weak who have been harmed by crime."

"At least for now?"

"Yes. Who knows what he might become in the future? But right now, he is a hero who protects the weak, a knight in the darkness. Gotham's nights have never been as peaceful as they appear."

"Knight in the darkness! That's it!"

Jiekaxi cried out in delight. That would be the headline! Tomorrow's front-page story: an exclusive interview with Miao Mu, the hero of the police force—street vigilante Batman, the knight in the darkness.

Watching the female reporter's excitement, Miao Mu could not help shaking his head inwardly. He had learned a few things from Nygma, the Riddler.

The police would soon move against Batman. His existence had disrupted the order lurking in this city's darkness.

The gangs, the criminals, and the police would not let him go.

This winter would be cold...

[ Ding! The treasure-hunting encounter has refreshed—please explore on your own ]