Chance Encounter

Carrying the stone monkey statue out of the pawnshop, Miao Mu felt refreshed. Even his steps were lighter, and the hand swinging at his side kept shifting through different forms.

He almost wanted to find an opponent to spar with right now. There was no ability stronger or more fundamental than martial arts.

As he walked, Miao Mu took the address slip from his pocket again. It was the address Deadshot had left when filing the lawsuit.

972 Chinatown West Road. Ex-wife Susan.

Having just entered an alley off West Road, Miao Mu held up his flashlight and looked at the house numbers on the wall.

A black shadow dropped down behind Miao Mu. Though it made little noise, he reacted instantly.

His first move was to roll forward and evade. The Eye of True Sight activated. He had to be careful everywhere in Gotham—he had not forgotten that he had killed two Talons from the Court of Owls.

But the shadow behind him was none other than Batman!

"What was the big bat doing here? Just passing by?"

Miao Mu gave the bundle tied around his waist a hard tug and shone his flashlight at Batman. Compared with the last time they had met, Batman's gear was a little better this time.

The bat emblem on his chest had become a striking yellow-and-black insignia, impossible to miss. The armor over his chest had also been reinforced, making him look even more imposing.

"Did you have anything to do with the explosion on Strand Avenue at noon today?" Batman asked in a deep voice.

After seeing the explosion, he had gone to the Gotham Gazette. Thanks to having dated Jiekaxi before, he had immediately obtained firsthand information.

The case did not seem particularly difficult. It was merely the person behind it who interested him. On those documents, he had found one of Miao Mu's fingerprints.

Furthermore, the batch number on the scalpel left at the scene had been traced back to Arkham District.

"...You came to arrest me?"

Miao Mu raised an eyebrow. He had thought his preparations were thorough enough, yet Batman had still caught up with him.

"..."

Batman said nothing. This incident had simply been an act of retaliation and exposure, and only one person had been hurt.

He simply did not want Miao Mu to embark on the wrong path. In his eyes, Miao Mu was dangerous and difficult to control, and he had gathered some restless people around him.

A person like that, walking the right path, could become a good police officer who punished evil and upheld justice. Walking the crooked path, he might become the next Falneko.

"Want a smoke?"

Miao Mu pulled out a cigarette case, shook out two slim cigars, and tossed one to Batman.

Batman did not catch it. He let the cigar hit his body, fall to the ground, and roll away.

Miao Mu did not care. He merely took out a lighter, lit his cigar, and took a drag. "I was just helping my friend settle a little matter. If he wanted revenge, not a single person in that family would be left alive."

"In a sense, I was doing a good deed too. I successfully saved their lives and stopped someone from stepping onto the path of crime."

Just then, Miao Mu's phone suddenly rang.

"Sorry, it should be fine if I check my phone, right? If you don't say anything, I'll take that as confirmation."

Miao Mu picked up the phone and answered. "Who is it?"

"Mumu, something happened! Arkham Asylum was attacked, the director was killed, and several psychiatric patients escaped. The chief ordered everyone to head over for support. The Gotham Police Department will be there soon too."

Jerry's anxious voice came through the phone, accompanied by the sound of sirens. Miao Mu's expression changed. Arkham Asylum was the most important place in Arkham District. If something had happened there...

"Who attacked it? How many were there? Who escaped?"

Miao Mu hurriedly pressed for answers. As things stood, Arkham Asylum should not have had any truly terrifying villains locked up.

"No idea, but the guys who got there first said they saw a werewolf. It was huge. It took out a guard with one swipe of its claws. I'm heading there now."

"Be careful on the way."

Miao Mu hung up and looked at Batman. "I don't need to repeat it. You know what happened, don't you?"

"Five people escaped from Arkham Asylum. Director Shali Felix is dead. Three guards were killed and seven injured. You should go there."

Batman spoke in a cold voice. Alfred, far away in the Batcave, had already relayed the full situation to him over the radio.

Arkham was in chaos!

"I'm going!" Miao Mu viciously threw down the cigar in his hand. Touching the pay envelope in his pocket, he hesitated for less than three seconds before running toward 972 Chinatown West Road.

Batman glanced at his retreating back, pulled out his grappling gun, and fired it upward. Drawn by the cable, he leaped straight up.

"Alfred, I need Arkham's current situation."

"Yes, sir. But the situation there seems rather serious. Even the Gotham Police Department has deployed." Alfred's voice came through the wireless communicator.

"Who are the escaped prisoners? What are their distinguishing traits?" Batman asked as he ran across the rooftops, activating the Batmobile through the miniature computer on his arm.

In an abandoned alley, the roar of a beastlike engine suddenly sounded. The Batmobile, like an armored tank, burst out of the darkness.

Batman leaped into the air and jumped from the building. His cape spread open in midair, and he landed directly inside the Batmobile below, whose door was already open.

"Sir, we found something!" Alfred, in the Batcave, raised a hand to push up his glasses as he looked at the computer screen.

"One of them is Red Hood No. 1, real name Jelafo Taino. He was sent to Arkham Asylum for treatment after being diagnosed with severe mental disorder. His sentencing hearing was next week."

Batman sped down the road in the Batmobile, looking at the photo displayed on the computer screen.

The man in the photo was battered and bruised, with more than a dozen stitched scars across his forehead. His eyes looked as though they wanted to devour someone.

"Red Hood... Was that the one Miao Mu captured alive?"

Batman asked in a low voice.

"That's right. The remnants of Red Hood may have carried out this attack. After escaping the asylum, they rushed straight into a slum, where the gangs gave them cover."

Alfred tapped at the keyboard as he followed this lead. Having once served as an agent in the intelligence bureau, he was highly sensitive to such matters.

He did not want Bruce to fall into danger, so he had to make sure the intelligence was fully prepared.

The once peaceful night in Arkham District had been completely shattered. The densely packed slums resembled a battlefield in the Middle East.

A deadly bullet could fly out from any window. The Arkham Police Department officers only dared wait outside for reinforcements.

Even so, there were still casualties. A police car had driven into the central road and been riddled with bullets.

The enemy's firepower was extremely fierce. Of the two officers in the vehicle, one was seriously wounded and the other dead. Deputy Chief Laido's anxious voice rang from the car radio:

"Hold on! Reinforcements will be there soon!"