Red Claw

"Come on, glare at me again! Go on, glare!"

Miao Mu squatted on the ground, tapping Red Claw's forehead with a flashlight like a monk striking a wooden fish, making it ring with clangs.

Red Claw was so furious she panted heavily, but she could neither shout nor curse, because the boot on her foot had been stuffed into her mouth by Miao Mu.

A rope was wrapped around her body, binding her in an extremely humiliating tortoise-shell tie. If those ropes came loose, Red Claw swore—

She would absolutely kill the bastard in front of her, that bastard who was even more detestable than the Bat!

Unfortunately, the bastard in front of her had no such awareness.

The only reason Miao Mu had not shot her outright was because of the claw tattoo on her shoulder.

That tattoo looked a little familiar...

But Miao Mu had yet to remember what symbol it was. He only felt that it had something to do with ninjas...

Miao Mu switched on the flashlight, adjusted it to high-beam mode, and shoved it right into Red Claw's eyes. The intense light made her eyes tear up, and she immediately began struggling.

"I ask, you answer. If you dare lie, see what's going on behind us?"

Miao Mu pointed toward the street behind them. Gunshots rang out without pause as the police began their assault. Jerry led his men, kicking down doors and firing without hesitation.

Red Claw glared at him as if she wanted to eat him alive. Miao Mu reached out and yanked the shoe from her mouth.

"You're from that organization... Holy shit, are you a dog?!"

Miao Mu had barely started his question when Red Claw flexed her jaw and bit at him. Startled, Miao Mu leaped back and kicked her in the face.

He drew his revolver and fired a shot into the sky, then pressed the scorching barrel against her face.

"Don't push your luck!" Miao Mu shouted murderously. If she dared make another move—no, use her mouth again—he would kill her!

He did not have Batman's lofty no-killing rule. If anyone dared provoke him, they could check into hell first!

"..."

Red Claw glared at him, panting through clenched teeth.

"I'll ask you one last time. Where are you from? What does that tattoo on your shoulder stand for?"

Miao Mu hooked a finger around the trigger and asked coldly.

"Bigfoot... the Bigfoot Ninja Clan..."

Red Claw looked away and named the tattoo on her shoulder.

Miao Mu's brows twisted together as he thought it over. The Bigfoot Ninja Clan... from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

Hiss... That actually seemed possible. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were in New York City, and they really had crossed over into Gotham before...

They had even created the Snake Clown that Lego Batman feared most.

"What's your name? What's your relationship with them? Do you know Shredder?" Miao Mu asked in a low voice.

Red Claw hurriedly looked at him. She did not understand how someone from Gotham... She glanced at the police badge hanging from Miao Mu's chest. He was a cop—so how did he know the name "Shredder"?

Very few people even knew that name...

"Answer me! I don't have much patience."

Miao Mu raised the muzzle slightly, making Red Claw understand the situation. He held the power over her life and death!

"My name is Red Claw. Shredder... is our boss."

Miao Mu's expression turned a little strange at those words. Which version of Shredder was this? The ninja? The alien? Or the armor possessed by a soul?

Still, speaking of that... there really were a lot of aliens. New York City, the center of the universe, had someone from outer space showing up every day.

"I know your boss, Shredder. What about you? What's your name, who do you work for, and who was behind tonight's operation?"

Miao Mu put away his gun. He had not lied either—he really did know Shredder. From television...

But upon hearing that, Red Claw froze, disbelief written all over her face. Her gaze swept over Miao Mu and the police badge on him...

Just some little cop?

Although Miao Mu was a senior detective, in Red Claw's eyes, he was still just a little cop. Even the chief of the New York City Police Department would be just a little cop before her. She treated them all the same.

"You can doubt me, but I'm fairly confident about my standing in New York City. Is your boss still wearing that set of armor?"

Miao Mu said mysteriously. Though he was not sure which version of Shredder this was, that armor was iconic.

Like Superman's red briefs worn on the outside, or Batman's pointed ears sticking out of his cowl, they were irreplaceable.

"..."

Red Claw fell silent. She did not know whether Miao Mu was bluffing her. They had been fighting to the death just moments ago, only to discover they might be on the same side?

Was that possible? She did know that Shredder had many contingencies elsewhere, but...

"You can doubt it. When you see him later, give him a message: Clark Joseph Kent of Metropolis welcomes him to visit."

Miao Mu said with a particularly devious smile. Clark Joseph Kent was Superman's full name, and he was also a little reporter at the Daily Planet.

If Red Claw really got the chance to pass along that message, Superman would solve everything.

"My name is Red Claw. The brothers in my mercenary group were hired to hold this place for three hours..."

At that point, Red Claw glared viciously at Miao Mu. She had seen how he shot her mercenary brothers dead. It was simply outrageous.

But that only made Red Claw more certain that this guy was no ordinary cop. What kind of cop killed people without the slightest hesitation?

"Tell me, who hired you?"

"...I don't know. We don't keep records of our employers, but he wore a black skull mask on his face. Wooden."

The moment Red Claw finished, Miao Mu immediately knew who it was.

Black Mask, Roman Sionis. He had asked Nygma to investigate him before. After his company went bankrupt, he had disappeared.

Who would have thought he had come here to become a robber?

This guy had been involved with the underworld. Did this count as his debut?

Thinking of that, Miao Mu counted on his fingers. After Batman appeared, Gotham had begun to reveal its bottomless darkness.

Batman was an anomaly. He shattered Gotham's corrupt, filthy criminal order, yet also created an era of great struggle, an opportunity for even the lowliest street thug to rise and become a boss.

Those gang members whom Batman threw into prison with broken arms and shattered ribs left empty ecological niches that were immediately filled, just like Penguin...

"It has nothing to do with me anymore. I just want to live well. If possible... live a little better." Miao Mu shook his head.

Over this period of time, he had realized that he actually liked Gotham a little. At least in other places, there were not so many loopholes and opportunities. It sounded a little like Stockholm Syndrome.

But living in this godforsaken place, who did not have some kind of illness? The psychiatrists were obviously even sicker.