Chapter Summaries

Li Jie took Kara and Clark to the East End precinct, where a deadly shootout at the docks drew them into a confrontation that ended with Superman disarming the gunmen. After a grieving officer blamed Superman for arriving too late, Clark left the scene in silence while Li Jie sarcastically praised him for ignoring his instructions.

• Li Jie warned Brittany, Megan, and Jessica to keep Kara’s identity and whereabouts secret, then took Kara and Clark to the East End precinct.
• A dispatcher reported armed drug dealers resisting arrest at the West District docks, and Li Jie joined James Gordon’s officers in the firefight.
• After two officers died and another charged toward the warehouse, Clark transformed into Superman and removed the gunmen’s weapons.
• A young officer accused Superman of letting his brother and Miller die, and Li Jie stopped him from shooting the disarmed suspects.
• Gordon ordered the suspects arrested, Superman flew away, and Clark returned to the Crown Victoria as Li Jie sarcastically praised him for ignoring his instructions.

Li Jie tried to ease Clark’s guilt over Officer Hansen’s death, while Clark and Kara realized Batman had been following them. As Li Jie greeted Batman, a vast starfish-like organism crossed the galaxy toward Earth.

• Clark apologized to Li Jie for failing to notice Officer Hansen’s danger, and Li Jie argued that Clark could not prevent every death or tragedy.
• Li Jie asked Clark whether he would blame him for failing to save him in a fight with Lex Luthor, then reminded Clark that Hansen had accepted the risks of police work.
• Li Jie bought Coke for Clark and Kara and gave a bottle to Teddy, a blind child begging outside a convenience store.
• Clark told Li Jie that someone had followed their car for half an hour, and Li Jie recognized the follower as Batman.
• Li Jie found Batman in an alley and invited him to join them for a Coke.
• A colossal starfish-like organism drifted through space toward Earth, surrounded by psychic spores and enslaved minds.

Li Jie brokered a tense meeting between Batman and Clark Kent, who had come to Gotham to report on the city. Batman left Clark wary but gave Li Jie a one-use communicator, then ordered Alfred to investigate Clark and Kara.

• Batman confronted Clark and told him to leave Gotham, while Clark explained that he had come to conduct an interview.
• Li Jie introduced Clark and Kara to Batman and explained that Batman had broken George’s bones after the criminal’s violent history came to light.
• Clark apologized for criticizing Batman without knowing the circumstances, but they argued over whether Superman’s actions would endanger Gotham’s fragile balance.
• Li Jie calmed Clark and persuaded him not to interfere in Gotham unless Li Jie was in danger or asked for help; Clark also offered Batman assistance.
• Batman gave Li Jie an encrypted communicator authorized for one use, then disappeared into the shadows.
• Bruce Wayne monitored Clark and Kara from the Batwing and ordered Alfred to gather all information on Clark.

After a dangerous night in Gotham, Li Jie delivered Bruce Wayne’s gifts to Kara and Clark, then led a police raid that captured Tony Zucco. He asked Gordon to tell Bruce that the tip came from someone who had accepted his gift and wanted to thank him.

• Li Jie reassured Clark that Gotham’s people could survive without relying on Superman, then agreed he could save people as long as he kept out of sight.
• Li Jie delivered Bruce Wayne’s gifts: Kara received a signed Backstreet Boys CD and letter, while Clark received an expensive jeweled pen.
• Li Jie and the police raided a shipping container, where he shot near Tony Zucco’s hand and helped arrest him and his two henchmen.
• Li Jie teased Gordon for staying back during the arrest, then asked him to tell Bruce Wayne that the tip came from someone grateful for his gift.

Li Jie visited Wayne Manor for dinner, where he and Bruce Wayne sparred over Li Jie's use of force and knowledge of Bruce's secrets. The chapter ended with Li Jie bluntly asking Bruce if he was Batman.

• Li Jie arrived at Wayne Manor, greeted Alfred Pennyworth, and gave him a mysterious plant he called the Night Watcher.
• Bruce Wayne welcomed Li Jie and thanked him for helping Dick catch Tony Zucco.
• Li Jie defended his reliance on firearms, while Bruce warned him that violence and killing could become addictive.
• Li Jie accused Bruce of secretly using a cape and surveillance devices, leaving the two men in a tense silence.
• After Bruce pressed him about what he knew, Li Jie asked directly whether Bruce was Batman.

Li Jie discussed Batman’s identity, Gotham, and the danger posed by powerful outsiders with Bruce Wayne before asking to eat. At dinner, he met Dick Grayson and hinted that Barbara Gordon had started dating young.

• Bruce Wayne asked Li Jie when he had discovered that Bruce was Batman, and Li Jie explained why he had kept the secret.
• Bruce and Li Jie debated Gotham’s problems and whether Superman’s conscience could be trusted to restrain his power.
• Li Jie asked Bruce to eat because he had missed lunch, and Bruce led him to the dining room.
• Bruce introduced Dick Grayson as his adopted son and partner, and Dick thanked Li Jie for catching Tony Zucco.
• Li Jie chose chopsticks over the table’s cutlery and told Bruce that Jim Gordon had trouble involving his daughter Barbara’s dating life.

After dinner with Bruce Wayne, Li Jie privately told Nygma that he was worried about Bruce and Superman, only to discover Nygma had already deduced both secret identities. The chapter ended with Nygma promising to train Li Jie to think better.

• Li Jie left the Wayne Manor after a dinner filled with advice about Gordon, Barbara, relationships, and family responsibility.
• Li Jie met Nygma at the police station and followed him into a secure room built to withstand surveillance and even a nuclear attack.
• Nygma revealed that he had privately deduced Bruce Wayne was Batman and had disabled a listening device Bruce planted in the Forensics Division.
• Li Jie told Nygma that Bruce Wayne was their sponsor and that he was worried about Bruce's concerns.
• Nygma deduced that Clark Kent was Superman and that Superman was likely what worried Bruce.
• Nygma scolded Li Jie for overlooking the clues and said he would devise a training plan for him.

Gotham police struggled to control the crowds and chaos caused by Zatanna Zatara’s troupe, while Zatanna told Bruce Wayne that her father, Giovanni Zatara, had gone missing and asked for his help investigating. Zatanna began her week in Gotham, and the chapter ended with Tiago and Jian/Chu beating a queue-jumper outside the theater as Wilson taunted him.

• Li Jie organized police ticket purchases and security rotations as fights, counterfeit tickets, and other disturbances erupted around the Zatanna Magic Troupe’s visit.
• Zatanna told Bruce that Giovanni Zatara had disappeared after a magical mission and that she doubted John Constantine’s account of her father’s death.
• Zatanna explained that her world tour let her search for clues, and she promised Bruce she would tell him about her actions in Gotham.
• Alfred gave Zatanna an encrypted communicator, and Zatanna told Bruce that Constantine was coming to Gotham and that she would stay about a week.
• Tiago and Jian/Chu pinned a queue-jumper down outside the Gotham Grand Theater, and Wilson challenged the man as he called for the police.

During Zatanna’s magic show, Raven vanished from a sealed box, and Li Jie rushed into the theater to organize an emergency search. The chapter ended with Zatanna and her team under guard as officers searched backstage for Raven.

• Li Jie stayed outside the theater to manage the crowds while Raven, Harleen, and Anna watched Zatanna’s performance.
• Zatanna invited Raven onstage and made her disappear from a wooden box, apparently showing her inside a crystal ball.
• Harleen noticed something was wrong when Raven failed to reappear and called Li Jie to report that she had vanished.
• Li Jie declared a level-one emergency, ordered officers to seal the exits, and charged into the theater.
• Wilson reported that Zatanna and her team were backstage and claimed the disappearance was a trick gone wrong.
• Li Jie ordered Zatanna’s team separated under guard and directed officers to search backstage and review the surveillance footage.

Li Jie confronted Zatanna and John Constantine after a girl vanished into a magic box, refusing to trust their warnings or explanations. Constantine’s scroll burned after Li Jie accidentally shot him, and a strange, footless man emerged from the smoke.

• Li Jie arrived backstage with armed officers and accused Zatanna of making an underage girl disappear.
• John Constantine warned Li Jie that the girl was dangerous and tried to take Zatanna away using an illusion.
• Li Jie struck Constantine, forced him to hand over the sealing scroll, and ordered him to open it.
• A sharp sting made Li Jie’s finger pull the trigger, and the shotgun blast sent Constantine crashing into a corner.
• Li Jie’s blood fell on the scroll, which burst into flames and filled the room with foul smoke.
• A well-dressed, footless man appeared in the smoke, black sludge pouring from his trouser legs.

Li Jie struck a deal with the First of the Fallen, receiving the power to pierce most magical defenses in exchange for a wish. The chapter ended with Li Jie aiming his newly empowered shotgun at Constantine as Constantine tried to escape.

• The First of the Fallen appeared to collect Constantine's soul, but could not take it and offered Li Jie a deal instead.
• Li Jie asked the First of the Fallen to find Raven, but he could not identify or retrieve her, so Li Jie chose a different wish.
• Li Jie asked the First of the Fallen to take Constantine's soul, but he admitted he could not do so and offered Li Jie the power to pierce magic instead.
• The First of the Fallen marked Li Jie's hands with hellfire, granting his weapons power to break most magical barriers and protective spells.
• Constantine tried to flee while Li Jie endured the painful blessing, then Li Jie raised his shotgun at him again.

Li Jie’s attempt to catch Constantine failed when the exorcist escaped through the House of Mystery key, and the First of the Fallen then tried to claim Li Jie’s soul. The demon’s collection failed, and after realizing Li Jie had exploited the deal’s wording, he vanished, leaving Bruce Wayne suspicious of Li Jie’s resistance to magic.

• Li Jie found Constantine’s dressing room empty, and Satan explained that Constantine had used the House of Mystery key to escape to his Safehouse.
• The First of the Fallen tried to collect Li Jie’s soul, but his power failed to take it.
• Bruce Wayne offered to make a deal in Li Jie’s place, but Satan began attacking Li Jie instead.
• Zatanna’s spell failed to stop Satan, while Li Jie wounded him with a shotgun and argued that the deal covered his soul, not his body.
• The First of the Fallen suspected Constantine had tampered with the scroll and departed, promising to claim Li Jie’s soul later.
• Bruce Wayne questioned why magic had failed against Li Jie, and Li Jie denied knowing the reason.

Li Jie confronted Bruce Wayne and Zatanna over Raven’s disappearance, then agreed to let them search for her while demanding payment to protect the Magic Troupe. Bruce later asked Alfred to investigate Li Jie after seeing that even the First of the Fallen’s power had no effect on him.

• Li Jie tried to arrest Zatanna, but Bruce argued that she should help find Raven, whom John Constantine had hidden after sealing her powers.
• Bruce suspected Constantine had kept Raven as a way to summon Trigon and escape, and Zatanna began to doubt her trust in him.
• Li Jie agreed to give Bruce and Zatanna time to find Raven but threatened to detain the Magic Troupe and demanded one million a day to keep them safe.
• Bruce searched for Constantine and asked Alfred to investigate Li Jie’s past and possible supernatural nature.
• Alfred agreed to use the Watchtower-Level Information Screening Program and other channels to investigate Li Jie.

Li Jie struggled to find Raven while Bob faced mounting pressure to release the Magic Troupe. After learning Bruce Wayne would pay a million dollars per day to keep them detained, Bob decided to resist the officials and turn the uproar into support for the search.

• Li Jie asked Clark to search for Constantine and Raven, then had the Magic Troupe arrested and mixed into detention with gang members.
• Bob received calls from city officials and business groups demanding that the troupe be released, and he asked Li Jie to free a few members as a gesture.
• Li Jie told Bob that Bruce Wayne had offered a million-dollar daily deposit to keep the detainees safe, and Bob changed his mind about releasing them.
• Bob told Li Jie to contact Gordon and the media, portray Raven as one of their own, investigate the Magic Troupe, and bring in Little Penguin.

Li Jie mobilized the East End Police Department to find Raven and pressured Gordon to publicize her kidnapping and issue a dangerous-suspect alert for John Constantine. The chapter ended with Li Jie preparing to make Constantine the target of a citywide search.

• Li Jie rallied the officers, ordered an intensive investigation of the Zatara Magic Troupe, and promised to double their bonus if Raven returned safely.
• Li Jie comforted Harleen and Anna, then assigned Harleen to monitor the troupe members’ interrogations and Anna to help Ed in the field.
• Li Jie told Gordon that Zatanna and John Constantine had taken Raven, and asked him to hold a press conference and issue a broad wanted notice for Constantine.
• Gordon agreed to prepare the press conference and alert, while Li Jie rejected the idea of blaming Constantine alone to preserve future cooperation with the troupe.
• Owen brought Li Jie a rough portrait of Constantine, and Li Jie told him to refine it as he prepared for Gotham to search for the suspect.

Batman and Zatanna tracked Constantine beneath London to the Forgotten Church, where they found him at a damaged ritual site. Constantine said they had arrived too late.

• Zatanna discovered a fifth magical trace and identified coordinates in London, leading Batman to suspect Constantine was hiding beneath the city.
• Batman and Zatanna discussed the sheriff’s treatment of the East End Police Department staff and Batman’s suspicions about the sheriff’s unusual immunity to magic.
• The pair reached an abandoned East End church, where Zatanna sensed intense fear coming from Constantine rather than Raven.
• Zatanna revealed and bypassed magical traps on the stairs, and Batman and Zatanna followed the passage to an underground ritual site.
• They found Constantine beside a shattered magic circle and cooling lava, and he told them they were too late.

John Constantine relived the Newcastle exorcism that killed his friends and lost Astra to Hell, then summoned Nergal to bargain for her soul. He revealed Raven as the half-demon whose power could secure the bargain, and Nergal recognized her as Trigon’s daughter and a gateway to dark dimensions.

• Constantine remembered his failed 1988 exorcism of Astra Logue, in which a flaw in the circle let the demon kill Richie Simpson and Brenda Moxon and drag Astra into Hell.
• Constantine summoned Nergal in a London church basement and demanded Astra’s soul in exchange for a secret or another offering.
• Nergal reached into Constantine’s memories and taunted him with his guilt over Brenda’s death, then demanded a higher price for the bargain.
• Constantine insisted Nergal inspect a half-demon and drew a sleeping teenage girl from a Dimensional Rift.
• Nergal recognized the girl as Raven, Trigon’s daughter, and saw her as a powerful living gateway to dark dimensions.

John Constantine bargained with Nergal to save Astra’s soul and keep Raven from being claimed, but Nergal outmaneuvered him and dragged Raven into Hell. Batman and Zatanna arrived after the fissure closed, leaving Constantine with Astra’s soul and the loss of Raven.

• Constantine revealed Raven’s soul held a power that frightened Nergal, then persuaded the demon that protecting her could benefit them both.
• Nergal agreed to the deal, and Constantine sealed Astra’s soul inside his cigarette case before offering Raven to the demon.
• Constantine trapped Nergal in a circle of sacred fire, but Nergal revealed it had secretly altered the summoning symbol.
• The altered symbol collapsed the chamber floor and opened a fissure to Hell, where Nergal seized Raven and dragged her down.
• The fissure closed before Batman and Zatanna reached the altar, and Constantine told them they were too late.

After Constantine sent Astra’s soul to rest, Batman arrested him, but Constantine offered to guide the others into Hell to retrieve Raven in exchange for immunity. Li Jie rejected the bargain, broke Constantine’s arm, and ordered him to lead the rescue anyway.

• Constantine admitted that he had made Raven’s choice for her, then prayed over Astra’s soul until it vanished from his cigarette case.
• Batman sedated Constantine and carried him from the Forgotten Church, saying he would stand trial.
• At the East End Police Department, Constantine offered to help find Nergal and retrieve Raven if the others dropped the charges against him.
• Li Jie broke Constantine’s left arm and presented charges that could send him to the electric chair.
• Li Jie told Constantine that bringing Raven back was his repayment and warned him that he could break more bones if he refused to guide them.

Li Jie paid Dren and Rongke to upgrade the van for a mission to rescue Raven, while Clark Kent helped Harleen, Anna, and the others prepare holy ammunition and weapons for a journey into Hell. The group continued gathering materials and working together, determined to bring Raven home.

• Li Jie told Dren that Raven had been abducted and trafficked, then paid him to improve the van and promised more money if she returned safely.
• Dren and Rongke agreed to find a 3116 engine and fit an auxiliary fuel tank as part of the van’s upgrades.
• Clark brought holy water and other sacred materials to the East End Police Department, where Harleen, Anna, Hunter, Owen, and Bushnell prepared enchanted ammunition.
• Clark and Anna rejected Owen’s suggestion to use a living believer’s blood in a weapon recipe.
• Wilson delivered black-market relics, and Clark said Zatara would handle them while the group continued preparing for the mission.
• Harleen shared her fears about Raven, and Clark promised they would bring her home before joining the others at the workbench.