A New Canary

Selina's eyes flickered; she knew the negotiations had broken down.

Just as Chu Men raised his hand to grab her chin, Selina moved.

Her wrists, which were tied behind her back, suddenly snapped shut, the bones making a sickeningly loud dislocation sound.

The alloy handcuffs that had been firmly gripping his wrists loosened by an inch.

At the same time, she kicked her right foot upwards.

A short-handled dagger used for cutting fruit flew into the air.

Selina leaned back sharply to avoid Chu Men's hand.

Her hands were dislocated, her wrists flipped, and she managed to break free from her grip behind her back.

His right hand shot out like lightning, catching the dagger steadily in mid-air.

The entire movement was fluid and took place within 0.5 seconds.

Selina used her legs to propel herself forward, lunging at Chu Men instead of retreating.

He gripped the dagger in his right hand, the tip aimed straight for Chu Men's throat.

This was her only calculated chance of survival: to take the Tyrant.

The tip of the knife was three inches from Chu Men's throat.

"Bite."

A crisp sound.

Selina felt as if she had pierced an invisible alloy wall, the immense recoil traveling along the hilt of the knife to her wrist.

"Snap."

The steel blade of the dagger shattered inch by inch under the reverse compression of the Force Field.

Metal fragments flew everywhere.

Selina's pupils contracted sharply.

Her signature finishing blow, which she was so proud of, didn't even penetrate her opponent's skin.

Chu Men didn't even blink.

He slowly raised his right hand, spread his fingers, and grabbed Selina by the neck.

Selina tried to struggle, but Chu Men's fingers tightened like hydraulic clamps.

Her feet were off the ground, and Chu Men was holding her up in mid-air with one hand. A feeling of suffocation instantly overwhelmed her.

Chu Men picked her up and turned to walk towards the suite's huge floor-to-ceiling window.

"Your claws are quite sharp," Chu Men said calmly.

Chu Men stopped in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

"But I prefer to hear a cat's Despair screams."

Chu Men's mind stirred slightly.

"Click... click click..."

Selina's bones began to creak and groan under the strain.

Immense pressure was squeezing her internal organs from all sides.

The leather jacket was stretched to its limit, and several seams burst open.

Her pride, cunning, and composure, which she was so proud of, were completely destroyed in the face of this utterly unreasonable and inhuman power.

The fear of death completely overwhelmed her; she could smell the cold sweat emanating from her own body.

"Let... let me go..." Selina managed to squeeze out a few syllables from her throat.

Tears welled up uncontrollably, mingling with the face paint and sliding down her face.

Her psychological defenses completely collapsed.

The system's cold notification sounded in Chu Men's mind.

"The target's will has collapsed, fulfilling the conditions for the application of the Spiritual Imprint."

Chu Men's lips curled into a cruel smile.

He released his grip on Selina's neck, letting her fall onto the carpet in front of the French windows.

Selina lay on the ground, coughing violently and greedily inhaling the air.

Chu Men crouched down.

He extended his index finger, pressing the tip against Selina's sweat-drenched forehead.

The moment the fingertip touches the space between the eyebrows, the Spiritual Imprint is activated.

Selina's body suddenly stiffened.

Her eyes widened, her pupils dilated rapidly, and she even lost focus.

Chu Men's power penetrated deeply, violently destroying all of Selina's subconscious selfishness, rebelliousness, and extreme yearning for freedom.

The psychological foundation that supported her becoming Gotham's top master Master Thief was uprooted and crushed into dust.

Instead, there was absolute obedience and an obsessive obsession that reached an extreme of morbidity.

The entire process lasted ten seconds.

Chu Men withdrew his finger and stood up.

Selina collapsed onto the carpet; her body stopped convulsing, and her breathing gradually became steady.

A few seconds later, her pupils refocused.

She slowly got up from the carpet, knelt down, and placed her hands on the carpet for support.

She raised her head and looked up at Chu Men. Her eyes, which were once full of wildness and cunning, now held only fervent worship and endless affection.

She crawled forward two steps and came to Chu Men's feet.

Selina stuck out her tongue and licked her chapped lips.

She pressed her cheek against Chu Men's slippers, rubbing it gently back and forth, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"Master," Selina's voice became sweet and ingratiating, "Your vault is too messy; those junk items don't know how to be categorized at all. Let me reorganize it for you; I'll wipe every single gold coin clean."

She is now a real house cat.

Harley watched with eyes wide with rage.

She lunged forward, grabbed Selina's hair, and yanked her away from Chu Men's feet.

"Get away! Don't touch him!" Harley screamed. "This is my spot!"

Selina did not retaliate. She let Harley pull her hair, and just looked at Chu Men with innocent and aggrieved eyes, waiting for her master's judgment.

Chu Men watched the two women tearing at each other on the carpet and found it somewhat boring.

"Harley," Chu Men began.

Harley immediately released her grip and knelt on the ground. "Master."

"She's in your hands." Chu Men turned and walked towards the liquor cabinet. "Teach her the rules here. Don't kill her."

"Yes, Master!" Harley's eyes lit up, a morbid excitement spreading across her face as she walked toward Selina. "Come on, little kitty. We have lots of games to play."

The Lark watched all this quietly from the side, bowing her head and stepping back to give them space.

Batcave.

The argument has reached a fever pitch.

"The defenses must be established!" Hal Jordan gripped the edge of the Medical Pod tightly, veins bulging on his forehead. "Once the Apokolips army crosses the passage, everything on Earth will be burned to ashes!"

"What are we going to use to build a defense?" Arthur Curry Trident into the ground. "Just the few of us? That madman from Gotham could stab us in the back at any moment. He doesn't even need to lift a finger; a single glance through the internet cable is enough to burn your computers. You expect us to fight a battle we're destined to lose, with enemies on both sides?"

"I agree with Arthur." Barry Allen swallowed a potato chip and raised his hand. "That guy is terrifying. I think we should hide for a bit."

Diana didn't speak; she stared at the blacked-out screen on the holographic projection table, her brow furrowed.

Bruce Wayne stood in front of the control panel, his fingers rapidly tapping on the keyboard, attempting to repair the data nodes destroyed by Chu Men's pressure.

"Beep--beep--beep--"

A piercing alarm suddenly blared inside the cave.

The red alarm lights spun rapidly, casting a bright red glow on everyone's faces.

Victor Stone abruptly looked up.

The eerie blue electricity on the left side of his mechanical body instantly turned into a blinding red light.

The energy core at the center of his chest emitted a deafening engine roar, and the speed soared to its limit.

"No time for arguing." Victor's cold, mechanical voice drowned out the alarm.

He strode over to the holographic projection table.