Evacuation

The police on the perimeter froze in fear at the sight of the surging tide of rats around them.

Beside a broken trash can in the distance, Nygma adjusted his computer and watched the camera rats scurrying through the building. The shaking footage made his head spin.

Jerry ran over to the police command post. The operation was being led by a deputy commissioner from the Gotham Police Department, but Jerry didn't know him, so he could only go look for Bullock.

"You brat, you're still alive? Where's that little bastard Miao Mu? Don't make me collect his corpse!" Bullock cursed with a grin.

"Mumu's fine. When are you going in? I'm coming with you!" Jerry said seriously as he chambered his shotgun.

"Going in? How many lives do you have?"

Bullock immediately shook his head at that. He didn't want to get shot in the dark inside, and there was something wrong with this rat swarm too.

Seeing how cautious he was, Jerry hoisted his shotgun and charged forward with the rat swarm. "Get them!"

As he ran, he shouted again. Some of the officers saw him charging in with the rats and followed suit, grabbing their guns and giving chase.

As soon as they rushed down the road ahead, they saw Miao Mu holding an assault rifle and firing at the roof.

"Second floor! Third floor! Arrest them all! Anyone who doesn't drop their weapon gets shot on the spot!" Seeing the reinforcements and Jerry with his shotgun, Miao Mu shouted in a low voice.

His voice carried intense killing intent and a decisive force. For a moment, the officers who had volunteered to come over were stunned, and Jerry hurriedly cooperated. "Move!"

With that, he charged into the building. The surging rat swarm had already shown them the way. A bitten mercenary rolled down the stairs, and Jerry kicked him.

The mercenary tried to raise his gun and fight back, but Jerry pulled the trigger. Flame burst from the barrel, blowing the mercenary's head apart like a smashed watermelon.

"Cuff him!"

Jerry planted a foot on him and shouted over his shoulder.

The officers behind him saw that scene and their brains crashed for a moment. His head had been blown off—did they still need to arrest him?

Outside, Miao Mu listened to the information coming through from Nygma and chased after someone in another direction.

Vroom, vroom—the sound of an engine rose.

The Batmobile amid the ruins lit up its headlights. Like a waking beast, its wheels turned as it crashed out from beneath a pile of rubble, its massive tires grinding over the ground.

The rats nearby were so frightened that they scattered aside.

Batman ran out from a corner and leaped straight onto the Batmobile. With a bang, sparks burst from its armor as it was hit.

Batman turned to look. Miao Mu stood there with an assault rifle, dragging a mercenary whose thigh had been shot through, staring in his direction.

"Heading home after work?" Miao Mu asked as he swapped magazines in his assault rifle, his gaze shifting toward where Batman had emerged.

"..."

Batman merely glanced at him. That killing intent...

"Blackgate Prison has fallen. Your Arkham is the same. Gotham is in chaos, so watch yourself."

Batman spoke in a deep voice, opened the Batmobile's cockpit with the microcomputer on his belt, and jumped inside.

The Batmobile's engine roared violently. Flames blasted from the rear thrusters, and its tires spun as it shot out of the area.

Miao Mu frowned, set down the mercenary he was holding, pressed the barrel against his screaming mouth, and pulled the trigger.

Bang bang bang bang bang...

After the burst of gunfire, the surroundings finally quieted down. He could even hear the static in his remote communication earpiece.

"Miao Mu, something happened at Blackgate Prison. All of Gotham is in chaos."

Sitting by the trash can, Nygma stared at the scenes on his computer and fell into thought.

The images popping up one after another showed prisoners who had escaped from Blackgate Prison causing chaos in the city. Their orange prison uniforms made them especially conspicuous.

"It has nothing to do with us... We haven't finished things here yet."

Miao Mu turned toward the other side. In the pitch-black corner, a pair of red eyes lit up, accompanied by a scraping sound.

Miao Mu's instincts told him that it was dangerous over there.

"Honestly, Batman is a really responsible vigilante. But if we catch criminals and let them escape again, that's us cops failing at our jobs. I don't want people calling me useless."

Holding his assault rifle, Miao Mu walked over and pulled a tactical flashlight from his pocket. A beam of white light shone ahead.

It was a wolf-like monster, tied to a concrete pillar with black ropes. Several things resembling tranquilizer darts were stuck in its face, but its body seemed to have shrunk considerably.

That was why the ropes had loosened enough for it to struggle.

"Hello! Hello! Can you understand human speech?"

Miao Mu extended his assault rifle and poked the Werewolf's face with the barrel.

Dark brown fur, a black nose, an elongated snout, and fangs in its mouth—it really did look like a Werewolf. Only, its ears weren't on top of its head, and its eyes were blood-red with bloodlust.

It was deeply unsettling to look at.

"I'll spare your life for now. There are some things I need to ask you."

Miao Mu slung the assault rifle around his neck and swept his gaze around the area. There seemed to be someone else here!

He sensed a trace of presence. Someone had been hiding here just now! Miao Mu quickly looked up.

The pointed ears of Batman's cowl were conspicuously visible on the roof, then immediately disappeared.

"...Is something wrong with that guy?"

Miao Mu muttered to himself. Once Arkham Asylum was cleaned up, he would definitely save that guy a bed.

Just as Miao Mu looked up at the roof, a second-floor window suddenly shattered, and a figure jumped down.

"You've got some nerve coming back!"

Seeing the figure, Miao Mu raised his assault rifle and swung it at them. Once was fine, twice was enough—there would be no third time.

The moment he swung the assault rifle, Miao Mu realized that this figure wasn't Batman. She was smaller than Batman and lighter on her feet.

As the figure descended through the air, Miao Mu's thoughts spun several times. There was no way friendly reinforcements would arrive in a situation like this.

Batwoman? Barbara?

That was Miao Mu's first thought, but Barbara hadn't even graduated college yet, and Batman had only just taken up the mantle.

This woman...

"Die!" A furious shout rang out.

The figure was like a red panther. She snatched the assault rifle from Miao Mu's hands, then abruptly launched a side kick at him with astonishing agility.

A chill ran down Miao Mu's back. He hurriedly raised an arm to block, but he was still hit and sent tumbling away off balance.

The flashlight rolled across the ground. In its glow, Miao Mu saw the beast-claw tattoo on her arm and her bedraggled appearance.

She looked as though someone had pinned her down and beaten her senseless. Her hair was disheveled, her face bore torn wounds, blood stained the corner of her mouth, and a black handcuff was still locked around her left wrist.

Miao Mu didn't get up right away. Using the force of his fall, he rolled away along the ground. Now he understood what Batman had meant before leaving.

She really was taking revenge before the night was over. He had set her up once at the Tricorner warehouse last time, and now she was here to return the favor.

Red Claw had no interest in what Miao Mu was thinking. She only wanted to kill Miao Mu, then skin that giant bat alive!

The moment she raised the gun, Miao Mu rolled to his feet and fired his Glock 17 first.

Bang bang bang bang...

The instant Red Claw heard the shots, she dodged on instinct. But Miao Mu gave her no chance, charging straight at her and opening fire at close range.

Red Claw pulled the trigger. Click! The safety was still on! She hadn't had time to check when she took the gun.

Miao Mu was already charging at her with his gun. They were only a corner apart, and Red Claw lunged forward, slapped away Miao Mu's gun hand, then smashed her head into his.

The sudden attack caught Miao Mu off guard. Red Claw was especially a highly trained martial artist, and in close combat she immediately gained the upper hand.

The pistol fell away. She grabbed Miao Mu's arm and threw him over her shoulder into the wall. The violent impact made Miao Mu cry out.

As she turned and wrapped her legs around Miao Mu's arm, preparing to use a hold to snap it, a blade sprang from the bracer on Miao Mu's hand and pierced straight through her clenched palm.

The sudden development made her eyes widen in shock. Seizing the moment, Miao Mu rammed forward, knocked her onto the ground, and threw a punch.

"Damn it, you think I'm easy to mess with?"