Chapter Summaries

With Jay away on mandatory administrative leave amid a growing national controversy over his use of force, Nygma organized Gotham's response and assigned the team to maintain stability and build political support. The president chose to let the federal investigation proceed without taking a public position, leaving the dispute to the state level.

• Bob authorized Nygma to direct the response and called a meeting about the pressure surrounding Jay.
• Nygma told the group that Jay had left Gotham during his mandatory leave and assigned Wilson to protect East End facilities while maintaining public order.
• Nygma tasked Raven and Anna with protecting the school and assigned Cobblepot to occupy Gotham officials with committee discussions and distribute supportive accounts to media in Texas and other conservative states.
• In the Oval Office, the president and his chief of staff agreed to let the federal investigation follow procedure while keeping its conclusion ambiguous and passing the political dispute back to Gotham's state government.
• After the meeting ended, the president asked for Miss Lewinsky to come in and discuss her report on organizing the spring interns' files.

Li Jie visited Oliver Queen in California while a federal task force investigated the Eleventh Street incident in Gotham. As officials and media tried to keep the controversy from escalating, Nygma and Cobblepot prepared a measured show of support for Li Jie, who ended the chapter waiting for dinner at Oliver’s mansion.

• Li Jie flew to the West Coast, met Diggle, and told him he had begun questioning whether the system was the problem.
• Oliver welcomed Li Jie to the Queen Mansion, where Li Jie met Thea and Dinah Lance.
• Emani Booker’s federal task force began investigating the Eleventh Street incident and requested extensive police records.
• Nygma and Bob learned that the task force wanted the media to exercise restraint, while Booker weighed Li Jie’s actions against the evidence and the definition of an imminent threat.
• The Gotham Progressive Alliance held a small protest, and Nygma and Cobblepot agreed to proceed with a toned-down joint statement of support from retired sheriffs.
• Li Jie watched the sunset with Oliver and asked for a substantial dinner, confusing Oliver with his request.

Li Jie left Star City to take a two-month vacation while the federal task force deferred a final judgment on his actions in Gotham. Back in Gotham, Raven punished Jason Todd and four other boys for breaking car mirrors.

• Oliver Queen asked Li Jie to stay in California and help with complicated situations, but Li Jie declined and said he was taking a two-month vacation.
• Booker weighed the legal and political consequences of Li Jie's actions, while her supervisor instructed her to handle the case according to law and professional judgment.
• The Texas Sheriff Association praised Li Jie, and a federal task force later left Gotham with a report that postponed a definitive conclusion and called for more law-enforcement funding.
• Li Jie drove a used minivan toward Las Vegas, hoping to win back what he had lost before.
• Raven confronted Jason Todd and four other boys for breaking side mirrors and betraying one another, then pinned them to desks with purple-black tentacles.

Li Jie traveled to Las Vegas, lost small bets at a casino, and struck up a conversation with a metal-faced man in a bar. In Gotham, Batman discovered that the East End had deliberately reduced street patrols to expose the rest of the city to crime and document the consequences.

• Li Jie arrived in Las Vegas, tried to use a supposed newcomer’s luck to win money, and lost $270 without winning a single bet.
• Li Jie met a hooded, metal-faced man at a bar and asked whether he could transform.
• Batman investigated declining police patrols and learned that Nygma had issued new guidelines prioritizing essential facilities over street patrols.
• Batman and Alfred concluded that the East End’s reduced protection was intended to pressure officials and critics by exposing them to rising crime.
• Batman reached the Mayor’s Mansion and saw masked intruders attempt to climb its wall while a nearby figure filmed the incident.

Li Jie spoke with Clifford Stiller about his mechanical body and doubts about whether he was still human, then asked what Clifford wanted from him. Meanwhile, Nygma and Bob continued a plan to shift police resources selectively across Gotham and use the resulting crime and public reaction to test their approach to order.

• Clifford told Li Jie that a racing crash had left his brain housed in a metal body that could not eat, drink, taste, or smell.
• Clifford wondered whether he was still himself, and Li Jie reassured him that his concern about being alive showed that part of him remained human.
• Clifford asked why Li Jie was not afraid of him, and Li Jie joked about Gotham’s criminals before asking what Clifford wanted from him.
• Nygma monitored the fallout from the plan, including crime in wealthy neighborhoods and protests outside newspapers, while Bob reported that Central Headquarters had complained about selective policing.
• Nygma explained that Cobblepot’s patrols had protected officials who supported him while their opponents faced more crime, and Bob urged him to keep pressure spread out so officials would not unite.
• Nygma argued that Batman wanted to see the experiment’s results and said they could recall their officers if the plan failed.

Clifford told Li Jie why he suspected Professor Caulder had caused the accidents that transformed him and other Doom Patrol members. Li Jie agreed to investigate Doom Manor after his vacation, while Clifford provided its address and described the others living there.

• Clifford told Li Jie that Professor Caulder had taken in accident survivors and formed the Doom Patrol, including Clifford, Larry Trainor, and Rita Farr.
• Clifford revealed that he found a draft assessment predicting Larry Trainor’s aircraft accident three weeks before it happened, with a note saying that subject L.T. was in position.
• Clifford explained that Rita Farr’s transformation had also occurred during one of Professor Caulder’s experiments, strengthening his suspicion that Caulder was collecting people through deliberately caused accidents.
• Clifford told Li Jie that he wanted someone to know his story, and Li Jie agreed to visit Professor Caulder’s mansion after his vacation to investigate.
• Clifford gave Li Jie the address of Doom Manor outside Cloverton, Ohio, and told him that Garfield Mark Logan and Dorothy also lived there.

Li Jie decided to investigate Niles Caulder after hearing about Cliff Steele’s imprisonment in a mechanical body. He enlisted Winslow Schott to design an eating mechanism for Cliff and asked Oliver to have Felicity investigate Caulder, leaving her to begin searching his records.

• Li Jie resolved to look into Caulder after imagining what Cliff’s inability to eat felt like.
• Li Jie asked Winslow Schott to design a robot body that could let Cliff eat and drink, and Winslow eagerly began sketching designs.
• Li Jie called Oliver from a pay phone and asked him to have Felicity investigate Caulder’s research, funding, patents, and history of accidents or disappearances.
• Oliver agreed to ask Felicity to investigate and offered help from Diggle and Lawton if Li Jie needed it.
• Felicity began searching online for Niles Caulder’s papers.

Li Jie sent Oliver Queen’s files on Niles Caulder to Edward Nygma, while Nygma searched for a way to remove Harkness and Ben Turner’s implanted bombs. Batman fought Bane in the Batcave until a toy-development robot activated its emergency Nanny Mode and intervened.

• Li Jie asked Oliver Queen to send his files on Niles Caulder to Edward Nygma at the East End Police Department.
• Harkness and Ben Turner told Nygma that Amanda Waller had ordered them to leave, and Nygma said he would speak with her about their bombs.
• Batman continued capturing Blackgate escapees as Nygma’s policing strategy drove Gotham residents to call the police.
• Bane entered the Batcave through a fissure, subdued Batman, and declared his plan to take control of Gotham.
• The Future Guardian Concept Robot activated Nanny Mode and attacked Bane after he began to defeat Batman.

Batman dealt with Bane after a nanny robot subdued him, while Li Jie continued his road trip and learned that Texas sheriffs had publicly supported him. Li Jie reached Flint Town and revealed himself to the bar owner as the Gotham sheriff in the newspaper.

• A nanny robot restrained Bane, confirmed Alfred and Dick were safe, and dragged Bane to a holding cell while Batman asked it to make tea.
• Li Jie left Las Vegas after winning two hundred dollars, visited the Grand Canyon, and drove east through New Mexico and Texas.
• Li Jie stopped at a Flint Town bar, where the owner noticed his gun calluses and heard that he had served as a sheriff in Gotham.
• The bar owner showed Li Jie a newspaper report about a Gotham sheriff killing fugitives and an open letter of support from Texas sheriffs.
• Li Jie confirmed he was the sheriff in the report, and the bar owner offered him a free drink but no discount on a room.

Li Jie shared dinner with ranchers and learned how their small Texas town maintained order through neighbors’ collective action and memory rather than frequent policing. After seeing cattle hoof-trimming at Clay Ranch, he left with a clearer picture of the town’s rough, locally enforced consensus and its limits.

• Hank introduced Li Jie to local ranchers, who questioned him about Gotham’s unrest and his use of machine guns to defend his precinct.
• Robert Garcia recounted his wartime experience clearing bunkers with a flamethrower and compared his actions to Li Jie’s defense of his community.
• Li Jie told the ranchers he trusted his colleagues to manage events back home while he was away from Gotham.
• Hank took Li Jie to Clay Ranch, where he and Travis trimmed a cow’s hooves and described how residents handled crime while their sheriff was away.
• Travis and Hank explained the town’s punishments for repeat offenders and its lasting ostracism of a woman after her husband’s murder conviction.
• Hank described how the town compensated Pete after residents wrongly accused him of stealing church silverware, then told Li Jie that some unreasonable practices were best left outside the law.

Li Jie left Flint Town with Hank’s gift after thanking him for his hospitality. Meanwhile, Amanda Waller faced an ultimatum over Harkness and Ben Turner’s attempted infiltration of Gotham, leaving her to choose between cooperation and a public confrontation.

• Li Jie gave Hank money for his room, food, and lessons, then drove away with Hank’s engraved Colt Peacemaker.
• Amanda Waller received a call from the man who had previously opposed her operations in Gotham.
• The caller accused Waller’s agents Harkness and Ben Turner of entering the East End Police Department with implanted bombs and attempting to steal intelligence.
• Waller denied responsibility, but the caller threatened to expose the operation to the media and Washington.
• The caller demanded that Waller send someone to remove the bombs under supervision and allow Harkness and Ben Turner to stand trial in Gotham.
• Waller asked for time to consider the terms, and the caller gave her twelve hours before threatening a wider legal and public battle.

Li Jie visited Smallville and met Clark’s parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, learning more about the family and the values that shaped Clark. After sharing dinner with them, he left their farm and continued his journey.

• Li Jie stopped in Smallville, where a waitress told him stories about Clark’s unusual childhood and his work in Metropolis.
• Li Jie visited Kent Farm and introduced himself to Jonathan and Martha as a friend of Clark’s from Gotham.
• Li Jie shared pie and conversation with the Kents, who asked about Clark and heard how he and Li Jie had worked together.
• Jonathan told Li Jie about raising Clark and praised his resolve, while Li Jie explained that the RV he gave Clark was earned through Clark’s help saving police officers.
• Li Jie helped repair the barn, ate dinner with the Kents, and accepted their invitation to return whenever he needed a quiet place.
• Li Jie said goodbye to Jonathan and Martha, then paused beside the road to look at Smallville before driving onward.

Li Jie spoke with Cliff, who apologized and described how the professor’s tearful appeal had made him and the others feel guilty about questioning Doom Manor. Li Jie recognized the professor’s behavior as emotional manipulation and suggested Cliff try living in Gotham.

• Li Jie received a call from Cliff, who apologized for unloading his doubts on him in Las Vegas.
• Cliff told Li Jie that the professor had welcomed him back to Doom Manor, said he understood his suffering, and insisted the residents could leave whenever they wanted.
• Cliff explained that Larry, Rita, and Garfield had pleaded with him to stay, leaving him unsure whether his suspicions were wrong.
• Li Jie told Cliff that the professor was using fear, dependence, and guilt to control the residents, while acknowledging that he did not know the professor’s true intentions.
• Li Jie asked Cliff whether he had considered giving Gotham a try.

Li Jie returned to Gotham and welcomed Kara to the Iceberg Lounge, where she celebrated turning eighteen with her first alcoholic drinks. After she clarified that she meant drinking rather than sex, they discussed her uncertainty about balancing her Kryptonian and Earth identities, and Kara left for Metropolis feeling glad to have shared the occasion with someone she trusted.

• Li Jie drove from Missouri toward Gotham, spoke with Kara about her visit, and arranged for Cobblepot to host her at the Iceberg Lounge.
• Cobblepot prepared a lavish reception and a Presidential Suite for Kara, who arrived and was delighted by the welcome.
• Kara showed Li Jie her ID and said she wanted to share her first time with him, then clarified that she meant her first time drinking.
• Li Jie poured Kara wine, and they talked about her coming-of-age questions and the challenge of living as both Kara Danvers and Kara Zor-El.
• Kara and Li Jie sampled drinks and pastries before he drove her to a secluded harbor dock, where she thanked him, hugged him, and flew home to Metropolis.

Li Jie returned to Gotham, discovered that his colleagues knew about his dangerous guest and Harleen’s test, and chose to continue his vacation while seeing improvements in the East End. The chapter ended when an unidentified caller told him they needed to talk.

• Li Jie returned to the police station, where Nygma tested him with a riddle and Wilson nervously tried to confess that a friend had gotten him into trouble.
• Harleen kissed Li Jie, questioned him about his return, and revealed that she already knew about his dangerous guest; the officers then applauded because they had all heard his earlier call to Cobblepot.
• Nygma explained that the officers had learned about the guest while gathered in the chief’s office, and Harleen had forbidden them from telling Li Jie about her plan.
• Li Jie decided to use the rest of his leave in Gotham, despite Wilson wanting him back at work, and walked through the improving East End.
• A one-armed hot dog vendor told Li Jie that business had improved and street punks had largely disappeared.
• An unknown caller contacted Li Jie and said they needed to talk.

Li Jie visited Wayne Manor, where Bruce confronted him about the Nanny Robot that had defeated Bane. Bruce insisted the robot be shut down, but later added a pay-docking threat to his Sheriff Countermeasure Plan.

• Li Jie arrived at Wayne Manor and learned from Alfred that the Nanny Robot had protected Bruce from Bane, who was now imprisoned in the Batcave.
• Bruce ordered Li Jie to sit and threatened to dock his pay unless he discussed the Nanny Robot.
• Li Jie admitted he had warned Alfred about Bane and explained that the robot was designed to strengthen the Batcave’s defenses.
• Bruce showed Li Jie footage of the robot defeating Bane and complained that it had confused Bane by reading him bedtime stories.
• Bruce said the robot had to be shut down, while Li Jie argued that accepting help did not make Bruce weak.
• After Li Jie left, Bruce wrote in the Sheriff Countermeasure Plan that threatening to dock Li Jie’s pay worked.

Li Jie visited Raven at school and faced her questions about his relationships with Kara and Harleen, while she challenged him to stop dismissing her as a child. He agreed to talk with her about it when she was grown up, leaving Raven determined to study for advanced degrees.

• Li Jie found Raven in the library using her powers to punish Jason Todd for making a stun gun with Harper's help.
• Raven hugged Li Jie and confronted him for leaving without telling her, then offered to help with his adult responsibilities.
• Raven asked whether Li Jie was involved with Kara and Harleen, and he avoided giving her a direct answer.
• Raven told Li Jie she planned to earn degrees and insisted he explain whether her age, powers, or Trigon made him afraid.
• Li Jie told Raven to pursue her degrees and promised they would talk when she was grown up; Raven agreed and warned him not to let Harleen live in his dorm room.
• Li Jie read Jason's essay praising Raven, saw students playing and drawing outside, and decided Cobblepot was next on his list.

Li Jie confronted Cobblepot over hiding Harleen’s threat, then discussed drug regulation and other government programs with him. Meanwhile, Wilson obtained control equipment from Waller’s people, and Harkness awaited surgery to remove his neck bomb after speaking with Leonard Snart.

• Li Jie chased Cobblepot around his office, demanded compensation, and accepted a suite at the Iceberg Lounge.
• Cobblepot told Li Jie that his drug regulation plan had advanced after Sofia, Rupert, and a wholesaler failed to cooperate, and that Sofia had proposed marriage.
• Li Jie told Cobblepot to keep drug sites out of the East End and to use the drug business’s distraction to secure control of public welfare and infrastructure.
• Wilson negotiated with Waller’s representative, collected the detonator controls and implant deactivation codes, and arranged a handover for Captain Flag and his team.
• Harkness called Leonard Snart before his neck surgery, and Leonard urged him to survive and return to robbing banks with him.
• Harkness received a text message telling him, “Try not to die. We've got a good team.”

Ben Turner recovered from surgery and considered what to do with his life, while Batman stopped Selina Kyle from robbing an auction by warning her that the East End police would use deadly force. Batman watched Selina leave and resolved to investigate the spreading rules in the East End before they became entrenched.

• Ben Turner woke after successful surgery, and Li Jie and Wilson jokingly told him that he had become a girl before reassuring him that the operation had gone well.
• Ben Turner admitted he did not know what to do next, and Wilson offered to give him a new identity by faking his death.
• Selina Kyle prepared to steal a diamond from the Diamond Auction, but Batman confronted her and warned her that the East End police would kill her if she threatened the district's stability.
• Batman explained that the auction was a special event organized at Cobblepot's invitation, and Selina abandoned the theft to avoid provoking a violent crackdown.
• Selina urged Batman not to lose his limits, then left after he told her to go home.
• Batman watched Selina disappear and decided to investigate the East End's spreading rules before it was too late.

Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon tried to recruit Raven for a young heroes’ team, but Raven challenged Dick to prove his commitment by taking responsibility and helping people on the ground. As Li Jie and Harleen left a movie, a Bat-Signal appeared above GCPD headquarters, drawing their attention.

• Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon broke into the East End Children's Shelter School to find Raven, but her magical shadows trapped them.
• Raven released Dick and Barbara after they explained that Dick wanted to form a team of young heroes.
• Raven rejected Dick’s pitch, arguing that responsibility and practical service mattered more than forming a flashy team, and pointed to Barbara’s community work as an example.
• Raven told Dick to visit the Home of Hope and return through the front entrance if he became serious, then called the police on the trespassers.
• Dick and Barbara headed for the school’s front entrance, where officers arrived and arrested them on suspicion of trespassing.
• Li Jie and Harleen left a movie and saw a Bat-Signal projected above GCPD headquarters.