Chapter Summaries

Miao Mu planned how to use Falcone’s money while Strange learned that Jeremiah’s godmother belonged to the Court of Owls and began hypnotically controlling him. At Villains’ Bar, Miao Mu asked Helena for information about Falcone, hoping to profit from his eventual downfall.

• Nygma advised Miao Mu to buy Wei Fei’s house and transfer Zero Bar into the name of someone trustworthy while he continued deciphering the Alchemy Codex.
• At Arkham Asylum, Strange hypnotized Jeremiah and learned that Mrs. Maria Powers was his godmother, guide, and a juror of the Court of Owls.
• Strange questioned Jeremiah about the Joker’s corpse, got no useful answer, and began implanting commands in his mind.
• Miao Mu took Jason to the police station for tutoring, then went to Villains’ Bar and asked the bartender where Helena was.
• Helena met Miao Mu at the bar, accepted his money for information, and heard him ask about Falcone.

Miao Mu questioned Helena about the Roman’s business and left their conversation after joking about hiring her. Helena suited up and ambushed him with a crossbow, prompting him to return fire and pursue her.

• Miao Mu watched a brutal octagon-cage fight while Helena explained that the Roman controlled Gotham’s businesses and had ruined a slaughterhouse rival.
• Miao Mu told Helena he was the chief of the Arkham Police Department and joked that he wanted to hire a female referee, angering Helena.
• Helena went to the bar’s storage room, took out combat gear, and put on a black combat suit.
• Miao Mu walked along the shore toward a shop when a crossbow bolt struck the road near him, and he drew his Modified Glock 17.
• Helena fired another bolt at Miao Mu, who caught it and shot toward her hiding place before chasing her with his Glock and M500 Revolver.

Miao Mu subdued Helena after she attacked him with a crossbow, then let her go before retaliating by spanking her. Helena shot at him again, but a jaguar-masked man appeared and caught the bolt.

• Miao Mu chased Helena along the coastal highway and forced her to drop her weapons at gunpoint.
• Miao Mu recognized Helena as Huntress and released her after teasing her.
• Helena attacked Miao Mu with the blades in her boots, but he stopped her and let her go.
• Miao Mu knocked Helena down and spanked her for shooting at him.
• Helena fired another crossbow bolt at Miao Mu, and a jaguar-masked man caught and snapped it in two.

Miao Mu and Helena fought Bronze Tiger, a formidable martial artist, using weapons and Miao Mu’s unusual Holy Flame Hammer to survive his attacks. The chapter left Bronze Tiger blasted away by the fire shockwave as Helena’s crossbow bolt flew toward him.

• Helena and Miao Mu recognized Bronze Tiger’s strength as he snapped a steel crossbow bolt and attacked Miao Mu.
• Miao Mu blocked Bronze Tiger’s hand chop and countered with Iron Monkey Fist, but his punch had little effect.
• Miao Mu fired his handgun and fled, while Bronze Tiger dodged the shots and struck him with gravel that shredded his jacket but left his body armor intact.
• Helena shot a crossbow bolt to interrupt Bronze Tiger, and Miao Mu used his M500 Revolver to wound him in the chest.
• Miao Mu and Bronze Tiger exchanged close-range attacks before Miao Mu ignited the Holy Flame Hammer and unleashed a circular wave of fire.
• The fire wave blasted Bronze Tiger away and knocked Miao Mu backward, while Helena fired another crossbow bolt at Bronze Tiger.

Miao Mu used the Immortal Wine’s healing power to ambush Bronze Tiger and escaped with Helena, while Bronze Tiger called for intelligence support to resume the pursuit. At Arkham Asylum, Hugo Strange investigated candidates connected to the Assassin League and found Bruce Wayne’s name as Joker’s lips twitched in his tank.

• Bronze Tiger wounded Helena with a bullet and identified Miao Mu as his target for the Assassin League.
• Miao Mu revealed that he suspected Bronze Tiger was working for the Assassin League, then attacked him after the Immortal Wine healed his injuries.
• Miao Mu and Helena fled, and Bronze Tiger contacted his allies to request intelligence support.
• Hugo Strange studied Joker’s body and told Jeremiah he intended to investigate the possibility of returning from the dead.
• Strange reviewed a list from the Powers Family, found Bruce Wayne’s name, and saw that Joker’s lips twitched inside the tank.

Bronze Tiger attacked Arkham Police Department while Miao Mu was away, forcing Nygma and Jason to flee. Bronze Tiger caught up with them and demanded to know where Miao Mu was.

• Jason asked Nygma about his future after classmates laughed when he could not name a dream.
• Bronze Tiger broke into Arkham Police Department, smashed a surveillance camera, and attacked the officers while taking Miao Mu's photograph.
• Nygma packed his research and a pistol, then escaped across the rooftops with Jason as Bronze Tiger wrecked a squad car below.
• Nygma and Jason headed toward De'Angelo Sewage Plant, and Nygma tried to contact Miao Mu.
• Jason sensed Bronze Tiger behind them and attacked, but Bronze Tiger caught him and threw him into Nygma.
• Bronze Tiger demanded that Nygma tell him where Miao Mu was.

After rescuing Helena, Miao Mu learned that Bronze Tiger was waiting for him and used taunts to provoke him into agreeing to a rematch. Miao Mu planned to enlist Batman and prepare for the Assassin League, leaving for the Gotham Police Department to contact him.

• Leslie Thompkins teased Miao Mu about the handprints on Helena, then agreed to care for her while he paid her medical expenses to charity.
• Nygma called Miao Mu from Arkham, where Bronze Tiger threatened him and challenged him to choose how he would die.
• Miao Mu proposed a rematch the next night with Batman present, then taunted Bronze Tiger until he accepted.
• Bronze Tiger crushed Nygma's phone but left without harming him or the others.
• Miao Mu drank the Dionysium Gem mixture, called Otis to arrange protection for Nygma and Jason, and headed to the Gotham Police Department to find Batman.

Bruce Wayne donated money to Arkham Asylum and ordered winter relief supplies for Gotham, while Hugo Strange investigated the check Bruce had given Jeremiah. Strange found Bruce’s fingerprint on it and suspected that the coincidence was significant.

• Bruce returned to Wayne Estate after a night of crime-fighting and met Jeremiah Arkham, who asked the Wayne family to fund Arkham Asylum.
• Bruce gave Jeremiah a check to support the asylum, then told Alfred to send relief funds and winter supplies to Gotham’s shelters, orphanages, and aid organizations.
• Alfred suggested Bruce attend a charity gala with Talia of Ra’s Investment Group to raise more money.
• Jeremiah handed Bruce’s check to Hugo Strange and said Bruce seemed like an ordinary playboy.
• Strange examined the check under ultraviolet light, found Bruce’s fingerprint, and crushed the check as he remarked on the coincidence.

After arranging for Jason and Nygma to leave Gotham, Miao Mu prepared to face Bronze Tiger with equipment Nygma salvaged from Electrocutioner. At Arkham Asylum, Simon Hurt secretly tampered with the Joker’s corpse tank in Barbatos’s name while Strange prepared to make his rounds and planned Batman’s death.

• Miao Mu recalled how Gordon had contacted Batman by carrier pigeon and steeled himself to face Bronze Tiger.
• Nygma gave Miao Mu a backpack containing a rebuilt electric weapon made from Electrocutioner’s equipment, then sent Jason with him to school before driving away to rest.
• In Arkham’s underground laboratory, Simon Hurt replaced the preservative in the Joker’s corpse tank with green liquid and invoked Barbatos and Darkseid.
• Strange checked surveillance footage, took a green gas canister, and left to visit patients while continuing to plan Bruce Wayne’s death.

Miao Mu sent Jason to school, then interrupted a violent restaurant attack and discovered that the kitchen’s steam was making him feel afraid. He suspected the pot contained Scarecrow’s Fear Gas, leaving him to confront the source of the hallucinations.

• Miao Mu gave Jason spending money, ordered him to return to Arkham after class, and sent him into school.
• Jason saluted Miao Mu at the school gate before going to class.
• Miao Mu met Edward Nashton collecting donations for Mrs. Gunn's Orphanage and tossed his wallet into the donation box.
• Miao Mu stopped a chef who had chopped off another chef’s hand and was attacking the restaurant with a cleaver.
• Miao Mu entered the kitchen, shut off the gas, and narrowly avoided an apparent attack by Bronze Tiger.
• Miao Mu used medical alcohol to clear his head and realized the steaming pot might contain Scarecrow’s Fear Gas.

Miao Mu led Jerry, Otis, and six other officers to confront Bronze Tiger after the Assassin League and Scarecrow’s operation injured Arkham staff. Miao Mu used a concealed shock round to electrocute Bronze Tiger, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Miao Mu prepared weapons and rallied his officers to retaliate for the attack on Arkham, promising to care for their families if they died.
• Miao Mu and his team drove armored vehicles to the coastal highway, where Bronze Tiger waited in reinforced gear.
• Bronze Tiger leaped onto Miao Mu’s police van and dented its roof before Miao Mu stopped and exited with a shotgun.
• Miao Mu fired repeatedly, but Bronze Tiger dodged the shots, then struck the empty shotgun and bent its barrels.
• Bronze Tiger overpowered Miao Mu in a punch exchange, but Miao Mu fired a concealed electric shock round that sent a powerful current through Bronze Tiger.

Miao Mu fought Bronze Tiger, whose qigong let him overcome the shock dart, until Batman intervened. Batman and Miao Mu joined forces against Bronze Tiger, and the chapter ended with Batman attacking him after Miao Mu knocked him down.

• Bronze Tiger used qigong to repel Miao Mu's shock dart and restore his strength, then tore Miao Mu's vest and forced him to fire a sawed-off shotgun at close range.
• Batman appeared and interrupted Bronze Tiger's attempt to finish Miao Mu with an exploding Batarang.
• Batman tried to block Bronze Tiger's punch but was overpowered and thrown backward.
• Miao Mu attacked Bronze Tiger from the ground, struck his abdomen, and then kicked him in the chest, knocking him down.
• Batman pounced on Bronze Tiger and punched him in the face.

Miao Mu and Batman teamed up to subdue Bronze Tiger with an exoskeleton-powered assault and concentrated Fear Gas, but an assassin ambush interrupted them. Batman blinded and deafened the attackers with a flashbang and charged at them.

• Batman used his exoskeletal gauntlet while Miao Mu joined the fight, and together they overwhelmed Bronze Tiger and pulled off his jaguar mask.
• Miao Mu sprayed Bronze Tiger with Nygma's concentrated Fear Gas, causing him to hallucinate Lady Shiva and break free from Batman.
• Batman sensed assassins approaching as Miao Mu drank from a flask, and a barrage of darts rained down on them.
• Batman shielded himself with his electrified cape, Miao Mu deflected darts with his trench coat, and Bronze Tiger redirected the darts with qi.
• The assassins announced their attack, Batman blocked their first strike, then used a flashbang to blind and deafen them before charging forward.

Batman and Miao Mu fought the Assassin League attackers as Talia challenged Batman and Miao Mu brought Bronze Tiger down. Jerry arrived in a police van and opened fire, leaving the battle against the assassins still underway.

• Batman used a flashbang to disable Miao Mu and several assassins, then fought Talia when she attacked him with a shark-shaped longsword.
• Talia identified Batman as the disciple her father praised and said she intended to take him back dead.
• Miao Mu knocked Bronze Tiger unconscious with a flying kick and an electric round.
• Miao Mu fired a green flare to summon the police van and taunted the surrounding assassins.
• Batman resumed his fight with Talia as the assassins charged Miao Mu, who used his M500 to injure one attacker.
• Jerry drove the police van into the fight and sprayed the assassins with a Thompson submachine gun.

Miao Mu and the Arkham officers ambushed the Assassin League, using Batman as bait and Dr. Milo’s monstrous rats to trap them. After Talia ordered a retreat, the fighting resumed with both sides preparing for a final clash.

• Miao Mu’s ambush opened with Jerry and the Arkham officers firing their Thompson submachine guns into the Assassin League, killing and wounding several assassins.
• Talia kicked Batman aside and charged the officers, killing Sheriff Yale before Miao Mu’s shots chipped her blade.
• Talia ordered the assassins to retreat toward the storefronts, but a huge rat-like monster attacked the first one who entered the darkness.
• Miao Mu revealed that he was the Arkham Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit Chief and confronted Talia as two monstrous rats emerged.
• Miao Mu fired, the officers and assassins resumed fighting, Talia released smoke grenades, and a tidal wave of rats surged from the alley.

Miao Mu fought the Assassin League’s ambush and survived after Gordon’s helicopter arrived, though the attackers escaped in a bloody breakout. He left Gordon with instructions to investigate the Tap Water Poisoning Case, while Jason and Nygma prepared to follow the plans Miao Mu had made for them.

• Miao Mu fought off assassins in the smoke, but Talia stabbed him in the abdomen with a dagger.
• At the Arkham Police Department, Nygma gave Jason Miao Mu’s bar key and told him to take a train to Metropolis, while Jason grieved and returned to copying the Alchemy Codex.
• Miao Mu pulled the dagger from his wound and fought back against Talia until Gordon arrived by helicopter with police reinforcements.
• Talia led the surviving Assassin League members in a bloody escape while Miao Mu and Gordon surveyed the dead and wounded.
• Miao Mu told Gordon to investigate the Tap Water Poisoning Case and walked away despite Gordon urging him to go to the hospital.

Scarecrow poisoned Gotham University with Fear Gas and escaped as the toxin spread through the building. Meanwhile, Barbara accidentally attacked Bruce Wayne’s Batcomputer while investigating backdoors in the police database, and Bruce called Lucius Fox for help.

• Milo arrested Jonathan Crane in a Gotham University classroom, but Crane released Fear Gas, donned his burlap hood, and revealed himself as Scarecrow.
• Scarecrow activated hidden gas canisters, poisoned the classroom, and spread Fear Gas through the university’s ventilation system before escaping.
• Barbara discovered backdoors in the Gotham Police Department database and tried to counter-hack a virus from her laptop.
• Barbara’s attack triggered a red alert on Bruce Wayne’s Batcomputer after she breached three firewall layers.
• Bruce traced the attack to the police department, failed to stop the hacker, and asked Lucius Fox to take control of the Batcomputer remotely.

Barbara’s attempt to trace a hacker ended with her laptop destroyed, while Talia discovered that someone was targeting Ra’s League operatives across Gotham. Nygma detonated a bomb that killed one of Talia’s hidden agents, leaving the League under attack.

• Barbara’s laptop overloaded after an unknown hacker flooded it with data, and she asked Renee Montoya for another computer so she could investigate the tampered police database.
• Renee told Barbara that Captain Gordon was away with Internal Affairs and mentioned an explosion on Sterling Avenue that had caused many deaths.
• Talia found her hotel suite bombed and a camera-equipped rat spying on her, then realized the attack might extend to the other Assassin League members in Gotham.
• Talia called a League member staying in a cheap motel, but a deliveryman left him a suspicious food box while a camera-equipped rat watched.
• Nygma detonated the box remotely, killing the man in the motel with a blast of steel balls.

Talia evaded an assassination attempt in Gotham and publicly announced Ra's Investment Group’s plans, while Strange reconsidered his alliances and the Joker stirred in his tank. At the police department, Barbara unlocked a mysterious computer and began opening a file about Miao Mu.

• Talia spotted signs that her Porsche had been sabotaged, gave it to the waiter, and announced that Ra's Investment Group would attend Gotham's charity partnership gala.
• Nygma watched Talia escape on his surveillance feed, then ordered Otis to withdraw and meet him on Third Avenue.
• At Arkham Asylum, Strange discussed the exposed Assassin League and Jonathan's attack on Gotham University before the Joker briefly opened his eyes in a cultivation tank.
• Barbara found a computer in the police evidence room, solved its riddle password, and opened a file labeled with Miao Mu's name.

Miao Mu recovered from his injury while he and Nygma discussed recruiting help, the stolen wallet, and the Internal Affairs Division. He decided to watch Talia until she left Gotham, while Nygma revealed that Deadshot was imprisoned at Blackgate.

• Miao Mu trained despite the doctor's orders, and Nygma suggested recruiting more people because they lacked manpower to hunt the Assassin League.
• Miao Mu considered recruiting unemployed people but hesitated because he did not want to expand his force or use the Arkham Police Department to support private soldiers.
• Miao Mu mourned the stolen wallet and its ten-million check, while Nygma argued that losing it reduced the leverage Internal Affairs had over him.
• Miao Mu threatened to deal with Internal Affairs if its people came to Arkham District, and Nygma told him Gordon had been questioned for two days.
• Nygma asked what Miao Mu planned to do about Talia, and Miao Mu said they would watch her and act when she left.
• Nygma told Miao Mu that Deadshot, Floyd Lawton, was serving time in Blackgate Prison.