A Deal with the Devil, Using Each Other!
Midnight, Gotham Natural History Museum.
The massive Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton cast a menacing shadow under the moonlight, enveloping the empty hall.
The place should have been quiet, but now it echoed with Harley Quinn's crisp chewing sounds, accompanied by the "pop" of bubblegum being blown.
"Honey, I really don't understand why we had to meet a bunch of old fogies in a place like this?"
Harley, dressed in a sexy, tight leather outfit and with a lollipop in her mouth, circled around a Smilodon fossil like a curious child.
Link leaned casually against the Tyrannosaurus rex's leg bone, hands in his pockets, looking relaxed and content.
"Because they like this kind of vibe; it makes them feel like they've lived a long life."
Before the words were finished, a cold female voice came from the shadows on the second floor of the hall, carrying a condescending scrutiny.
"It seems you're not entirely ignorant of us, Gotham's newly rich upstart."
Link looked up.
A woman dressed in exotic black outfit, with a beautiful face but sharp, piercing eyes, was slowly walking down the stairs.
Behind her followed four ninjas, their entire bodies shrouded in black except for their eyes, like four lifeless shadows.
The woman's steps were elegant and graceful, each step seemingly calculated with utmost precision, exuding an arrogance stemming from ancient bloodlines.
It was none other than Talia O'Gu, the daughter of the Demon the Mentor.
Harley stopped spinning, licked her lips, and looked at Talia with great interest.
"Wow, look at this entrance! I thought it was a period drama filming crew."
Talia's gaze swept over Harley, her eyes revealing an undisguised contempt, as if she were looking at a worthless ornament.
Immediately, her gaze returned to Link.
"My father admires your defiance of the Court of Owls. Those rats hiding beneath Gotham should have been wiped out long ago."
"So, he sent you here just to say this?" Link smiled, completely ignoring the other person's imposing aura.
Talia frowned almost imperceptibly, clearly disliking Link's casual attitude.
"I'm here to give you a chance."
Talia walked up to Link, keeping a safe distance, her voice filled with a condescending tone.
"The League of Assassins ' goal is to Purification the world, and the Court of Owls is Gotham's greatest filth. We have a common enemy."
She extended a slender finger and pointed at Link.
"Your power... is interesting, wild, and destructive. Perfect for spearheading our Purification operation."
"Vanguard?" Link raised an eyebrow. "That's not a nice word. It sounds like a nickname for cannon fodder."
Harley giggled beside her. "Honey, she said you're cannon fodder!"
Talia's face darkened.
"Don't use your shallow street smarts to fathom the greatness of the Justice League. We provide the intelligence, you execute it. After it's done, Gotham's Underworld is yours; all we want is a clean Gotham."
She paused for a moment, then threw out her chip.
"I know you've clashed with the Court's ' Talons.' Those undead monsters are their trump card. But they're not invincible; they're extremely afraid of low temperatures. That's their core secret."
A confident smile curved at the corners of Talia's lips.
"We can even provide you with the locations of some of the Court of Owls' most important lairs. Your men can cripple them as soon as they storm in."
This is indeed a very tempting offer.
The weaknesses of the Talons, the lair of the Court—this is exactly the Link of intelligence Link needs right now.
Once he agrees, he can immediately launch a full-scale attack on the Court of Owls.
However, Link's smile grew increasingly amused.
He slowly straightened up, walked to a display case of Trilobite fossil, and gently tapped on the glass.
"Look, what ancient creatures they were, once roaming the entire ocean. Yet they still went extinct."
Link turned around and looked directly at Talia.
"The League of Assassins is the same; ancient and powerful, but its thinking has become rigid. Your way of doing things, like this fossil, should have been swept into the dustbin of history long ago."
"How dare you!" a ninja behind Talia shouted, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.
Talia raised her hand to stop her subordinates, but her eyes grew even colder.
"It seems you've declined this generous gift."
"No, I just don't like other people making decisions for me."
Link walked up to Talia, and the two were so close that they could almost feel each other's breath.
An invisible pressure emanated from Link, no longer the previous nonchalant attitude, but a weight as deep as an abyss.
"You want an ally, not a dog, right?"
Link extended a finger and gently shook it.
"Then show your sincerity. Anyone can talk the talk."
"What do you want?" Talia's voice already carried a hint of murderous intent.
Link snapped his the Snap, and a holographic screen appeared out of thin air between the two of them, displaying a map of Gotham City.
A red dot is flashing on the map.
"Van Cottler Trust, an unassuming asset management company under the Court of Owls, is actually their most important intelligence hub and funding source."
Link tapped the red dot with his finger.
"Destroy it. It doesn't need to be clean; the bigger the commotion, the better. Let the whole of Gotham know it was you, the League of Assassins."
"Consider this a small test of your capabilities. If you can't even handle something this simple, then there's no point in us cooperating."
Talia stared intently at Link, as if trying to read his mind.
Are they going to send the League of Assassins to be their henchmen? And they're specifically asking them to identify themselves?
What utter arrogance!
But she had to admit that the suggestion was exactly what she wanted to hear.
The Justice League needs an opportunity to announce their return to all factions in Gotham.
Destroying a stronghold of the court is undoubtedly the best way to establish authority.
In her view, Link's request was nothing more than an attempt to seize a pitiful bit of initiative in the cooperation, which was naive and ridiculous.
"Very good."
After a long silence, Talia uttered two words.
"You will see the result you want before sunrise tomorrow. But remember, this is a one-time opportunity."
"I hope your 'vanguard' will be as sharp as I imagine."
After saying that, she didn't look at Link again, turned around and, with four ninjas, silently disappeared into the shadows of the museum, just as she had appeared.
The hall fell silent once more.
Harley skipped over to Link and took his arm.
"They just let them go like that? They looked so arrogant. I really want to paint that woman's face like a kitten."
Link's smile relaxed again, and he pinched Harley's nose.
"Don't rush, the real show is just beginning."
"They want me to be a pawn, to charge into battle?"
"Then I'll overturn the chessboard and turn everyone playing into chess pieces."
Link's gaze pierced through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, looking up at the deep night sky of Gotham City, his eyes gleaming with a wild and excited light.
Tomorrow, Gotham will face an unprecedented storm.
And he will be the sole conductor of this storm.