Chapter Summaries

Dick, Batman, and Cliff escaped through a flooded passage to the shore, where Batman disappeared without answering Dick’s questions about the Court of Owls. Meanwhile, rumors about the Court spread through Gotham, and Li Jie’s apparent influence on the growing panic left Gordon struggling to contain the flood of tips.

• Dick, Cliff, and Batman emerged from the passage onto the shore, and Batman left after telling Dick to go home and sleep.
• Cliff said he was looking at the sea for his mental health, while Dick insisted they should stop the Court of Owls.
• Gotham residents spread increasingly embellished rumors about the Court, and Li Jie dismissed Sarah’s suspicions that someone was leaking information.
• A blurry photograph and a short video circulated online as supposed proof of the Court’s members, prompting a flood of calls to the police.
• Wilson showed Gordon the pile of dubious tips, and Gordon ordered a press conference asking people to stop calling with useless information.

The Court of Owls decided to redirect Gotham’s growing fury toward Li Jie’s Kryptonian friend, hoping to make her a more hated enemy. Gordon confronted Li Jie about the mob he had helped unleash, but Li Jie insisted Gotham needed that force to bring down the untouchable Court.

• The Court of Owls voted to recruit capable mercenaries and frame Li Jie’s Kryptonian friend for an incident in Gotham, while considering how to turn Batman against Li Jie.
• Gotham residents spread rumors about the Court, joined protests, and targeted people whose names had been exposed as supposed members.
• Gordon told Li Jie that his rumors and lists had caused innocent people to face harassment, and demanded that he stop the witch hunt.
• Li Jie admitted that he had given Gotham’s anger a reason and argued that the Court could only be opposed by something more frightening.
• Gordon warned that the mob would turn on anyone once it tasted blood, but Li Jie accepted that he would be seen as the bad guy in the fight.

Melia told Gordon that the Court of Owls had abducted and abused her as a child, and she identified financial manager Lawrence Sterling by his voice. After Gordon contacted Li Jie, Li Jie arranged to protect Melia while he and Gordon investigated the lead.

• Gordon interviewed Melia, who described being taken to a guarded mansion, forced to take pills, and shown boxes of children's bones.
• Melia told Gordon she had recognized one of the Court of Owls' voices on television and wrote down the name Lawrence Sterling.
• Dick Grayson gave Li Jie Bruce Wayne's list of names from the underground wall, and Li Jie agreed to have the list checked.
• Li Jie asked Dick to help watch the school while Raven prepared to leave for college in California.
• Gordon called Li Jie about Lawrence Sterling and asked for help protecting Melia, and Li Jie said Dick could protect the witness.

Li Jie and his masked crew raided Lawrence Sterling’s mansion, bound the household, and stole his cryptocurrency records and hard drives. Afterward, Gordon struggled with his role in the illegal operation, while Li Jie and Harleen Quinzel prepared to move on.

• Zack investigated a faulty hallway camera, but Darth Vader knocked him unconscious and Voldemort captured Charlie as he rushed from the Monitoring Room.
• The masked crew tied up Lawrence Sterling and his wife, searched the mansion, and used Sterling’s daughter’s birthday to access his cryptocurrency account.
• Darth Vader found Sterling’s safe, and the crew took cash, hard drives, and the records that Sterling feared would expose his crimes and associates.
• After the crew left, Sterling freed himself and his wife, then sat in the wrecked living room, realizing his hidden files and list of names were gone.
• Li Jie removed his mask at the abandoned bridge, and Gordon admitted he had joined to help the victims, especially the children, despite knowing the raid was a crime.
• Gordon left, and Harleen Quinzel removed her Clown mask as Li Jie joked about inventing the Gotham slogan on her cap.

Nygma and Li Jie uncovered evidence that the Sterling Foundation abused and killed children in human experiments, prompting plans to expose the Court of Owls and its allies. Oliver agreed to preserve and spread the evidence, while Batman sent Dick to protect witnesses and fund the arrests as he set out to verify the case.

• Nygma revealed Sterling Foundation records showing money laundering, child abuse, and lethal experiments conducted on children to develop anti-aging treatments.
• Li Jie ordered Nygma to make copies of the evidence for Gordon, the police, and the media, and told Gordon to warn his contact that Gotham might burn.
• Oliver offered Li Jie help, but Li Jie refused to let him or other Justice League members come to Gotham and asked him to spread the evidence if Li Jie disappeared or died.
• Dick decided to go after Sterling's associates, but Batman stopped him and assigned him to protect witnesses with his team.
• Batman gave Dick a fifty-million-dollar check for the sheriff and drove off to substantiate the evidence against the Court of Owls.

As the Court of Owls scandal ignited public outrage in Gotham, Li Jie, Gordon, Harleen Quinzel, and Ben Turner attacked the Sterling manor to rescue victims and seize evidence. The assault was underway when Turner found a silver briefcase in a getaway SUV.

• Viral videos and leaked records exposed the Court of Owls scandal, prompting crowds to demand arrests and the Sterling Foundation website to publish donor names.
• Gordon and Li Jie prepared for an unofficial assault on the Sterling manor, and Harleen Quinzel joined them in a red-and-blue disguise with a lead-wrapped baseball bat.
• Li Jie and his crew rammed through the manor gates and exchanged gunfire with guards while Otis reported that Turner had gone inside.
• Harleen entered the manor, fought guards in the corridor, and approached the terrified girls.
• Ben Turner fought his way into the garage, stopped a driver escaping in an SUV, and found a silver briefcase inside.

Bob advised Cobblepot to protect his political future by offering public accountability and aid to Sterling’s victims, while the Court of Owls planned to silence the investigating cop and survive the scandal. As the Court’s meeting ended, its members realized the late-arriving guest was an intruder who answered their panic with “Fear.”

• Bob told Cobblepot to issue a carefully worded statement, offer to return Sterling Foundation donations, propose protections for young people, and establish a victim assistance fund.
• A Court of Owls member reported that the cop had raided Sterling’s Gathering Manor, while Li Jie and Wilson fought through the manor and Gordon’s officers entered to search for survivors.
• The Court’s leader ordered the group to hire Deathstroke, smear the cop publicly, and capture Batman with the Talons if needed; the families would sacrifice members as a final fallback.
• Bob warned Cobblepot that the Court of Owls could be defeated but would survive by changing names and returning after public outrage faded.
• The Court approved its plans and ended the meeting, but the last arrival revealed himself as an intruder, plunged the chamber into darkness, and spoke the word “Fear.”

After the Court of Owls’ members were exposed and attacked, Gotham erupted in unrest while officials and media avoided naming the powerful families. Bruce Wayne and Cobblepot tried to keep the victims’ cause alive, and Li Jie learned that retaliation could come years later.

• Lena discovered Harold Finch and other people hanging from streetlights, recognized Finch’s Court of Owls confession, and sold the location to a newspaper.
• Li Jie and Wilson investigated the fires and deaths at the Diamond District mansions as crowds looted the homes and the GCPD struggled to identify suspects.
• Gordon faced a growing crowd at City Hall, where Cobblepot announced a relief fund for the rescued children and won the crowd’s support.
• Bruce Wayne saw news outlets suppress the families’ names, ordered Wayne Enterprises media to publish them daily, and went out as Batman to remind Gotham that he would not stay silent.
• Federal investigators questioned Li Jie about the Sterling Manor raid, and one investigator warned him that the families might retaliate over the next several years.

Li Jie returned to the Eastern District Precinct, where Bob McGinnis considered retiring and Li Jie promised to protect him. The chapter then followed Wilson as a massive earthquake struck, leaving the city in ruins.

• Bob McGinnis welcomed Li Jie back to the precinct, and Li Jie clarified that he had returned as a lieutenant.
• Bob told Li Jie that Cobblepot had become the acting mayor and asked whether Li Jie wanted to take his place as superintendent.
• Bob admitted he was considering retirement because he feared becoming a target, and Li Jie promised to keep him safe.
• Wilson responded to a bizarre dispute between a man and a woman over whether her cat had magically transformed his poodle.
• A powerful earthquake struck while Wilson was on the street, cracking the ground and toppling a nearby apartment building.
• After the shaking subsided, Wilson looked out over a dust-covered city amid flooding from ruptured pipes.

A massive earthquake devastated Gotham, trapping people in the police station and wrecking Batman’s Batcave. Batman escaped to the riverbank and began rescuing survivors, hoping Alfred, Robin, and the others were safe.

• Li Jie emerged from beneath a desk in the damaged police station, gathered the surviving people, and found Anna pinned beneath a cabinet with a broken leg.
• Two suspects helped Li Jie safely lift the cabinet and free Anna, explaining that they had been arrested for staging accidents for compensation.
• Batman assessed the ruined Batcave, secured unstable grenades, and escaped through a flooded shaft to an abandoned pumping station.
• Batman saw fires, collapsed skyscrapers, a broken bridge, and bodies in the river, then swam toward a man calling for help.

After the earthquake devastated Gotham, Superman rescued survivors while Li Jie organized the remaining officers and sent Superman to find Bruce and secure outside aid. Dick and Alfred set out to help despite the Housekeeping Robot’s warnings, while Cobblepot began mobilizing his people and searching for city officials.

• Li Jie called for Superman, who arrived, dismantled the damaged Police Department building, and rescued trapped officers and civilians.
• Li Jie ordered the officers to organize weapons, supplies, and a temporary base while Superman went to check on the school and other survivors.
• The Housekeeping Robot carried Dick and Alfred to safety, but both decided to enter the disaster zone and help Bruce and Gotham’s people.
• Cobblepot was rescued from his overturned car and ordered his people to gather survivors and search for the mayor and other officials.
• Li Jie told Superman to find Bruce and bring government aid, explaining that Gotham needed rescue teams, medical care, supplies, and rebuilding resources.
• Superman left to find Bruce, and Li Jie began checking ammunition as the remaining officers prepared to continue without him.

After the earthquake devastated Gotham, Bob McGinnis and Li Jie organized survivors while Supergirl helped clear rubble. The federal government decided to give Gotham’s residents ninety days to evacuate, while Lex Luthor used Metropolis’s recovery to attack Superman and offered Wayne Enterprises aid on publicity-seeking terms.

• Bob McGinnis and Li Jie directed Gotham residents to carry the injured to safety or evacuate to Gotham Knights Stadium, while Supergirl lifted rubble and confirmed the stadium grounds were safe.
• Federal officials debated Gotham’s recovery costs and agreed to offer residents voluntary evacuation, then end federal aid and restrict access after ninety days.
• President ordered the evacuation plan drafted and directed officials to describe it as strategic restructuring rather than abandonment.
• Lex Luthor sent LexCorp rescue teams and medical crews into Metropolis, opened corporate spaces as shelters, and criticized Superman for helping Gotham instead of Metropolis.
• Luthor told his assistant to film LexCorp rescue work and offer Wayne Enterprises aid on condition that LexCorp’s logo appear on all relief supplies.

After the earthquake, Kara struggled with the scale of Gotham’s casualties while helping Li Jie search for key people. Cobblepot murdered Mayor O’Brien and declared himself Gotham’s mayor, just as Kara arrived to find him for the Sheriff.

• Kara returned injured survivors to Li Jie and admitted she was exhausted and struggling to distinguish the living from the dead.
• Li Jie ended Kara’s shift and asked her to find Cobblepot, Dick Grayson, and Harleen.
• Cobblepot found Mayor O’Brien hiding in an underground shelter and accused him of abandoning Gotham’s citizens.
• Cobblepot killed O’Brien and the other officials, then claimed Gotham belonged to its people and that he was its only mayor.
• Cobblepot emerged from City Hall and declared Gotham his city.
• Kara arrived and told Cobblepot that the Sheriff had sent her to find him.

After Gotham’s earthquake, Li Jie arranged emergency supplies with Cobblepot and sent Dick Grayson to help restore power. Elsewhere, Winslow Schott survived the collapse inside his protective toy ball and improvised a way to reach someone trapped in the rubble.

• Cobblepot admitted to Li Jie that he had killed O’Brien and said he planned to take control of Gotham’s future.
• Li Jie asked Cobblepot to fund supplies and have his people guard and ration food and water for earthquake victims.
• Kara brought Dick Grayson to Li Jie, who sent him with her to the Gotham Power Plant.
• Winslow Schott survived the earthquake inside his Giant Toy Ball, though the Toy Development Department and his creations were buried in the collapse.
• Winslow salvaged parts and fashioned a metal tube to call out to Cliff beneath the rubble.

Harleen and Poison Ivy rescued earthquake survivors around Robinson Park while Kara checked on them for Li Jie. Kara returned to Li Jie with Harleen’s plans for a women’s Justice League, and he accepted her choice before sending Kara to collect money from Cobblepot for supplies.

• Poison Ivy and Harleen escaped the earthquake’s destruction and began rescuing survivors trapped in an overturned bus.
• Poison Ivy used plants to stabilize ruins and build shelters, while Harleen treated and comforted the injured.
• Kara arrived to check on Harleen, learned that she and Poison Ivy were legally married, and heard Harleen propose a women’s Justice League.
• Kara told Harleen that Li Jie wanted her to come over, but Harleen stayed to help the survivors.
• Kara told Li Jie about Harlen’s proposed team, and he said Harleen could make her own choices.
• Li Jie sent Kara to collect money from Cobblepot and buy supplies.

Cliff rescued Lucius Fox from the rubble, and Lucius recruited Winslow Schott to restart Wayne Industries’ backup generator for the cryogenic life-support project. Meanwhile, Li Jie confronted a gang leader controlled by a puppet called Scarface, and Arnold Wesker surrendered to him.

• Cliff dug Lucius Fox out from beneath collapsed desks and helped him stand despite his injured leg.
• Lucius told Winslow Schott that they had to start the backup generator on Wayne Industries’ third basement level to protect Doctor Victor Fries’s cryogenic patients.
• Li Jie followed fresh footprints to a gang gathering where Arnold Wesker used Scarface to threaten the crowd and shot a man who defied him.
• Scarface urged the gang to kill Li Jie, but the crowd backed away when they recognized him as the ruthless sheriff.
• Arnold Wesker threw down his submachine gun, cursed Scarface, and offered the puppet to Li Jie as he surrendered.

Li Jie forced Arnold and the gathered criminals to help Gotham’s survivors, then burned the sinister puppet. Bruce Wayne entered the city despite the federal evacuation order, while the Titans reached a ruined power station and found workers trying to restart its auxiliary systems.

• Li Jie ordered the armed crowd to aid rescue efforts, leave Gotham, or face execution if they exploited the disaster, and sentenced Arnold to work under their watch.
• Li Jie threw the puppet into the fire, where it burned and split apart.
• Bruce Wayne entered Gotham after the National Guard opened the checkpoint, taking evacuation leaflets despite the federal plan to abandon the city.
• Jason Todd insisted on staying with Dick Grayson as the Titans reached the wrecked power station.
• Dick Grayson introduced the Titans to the workers, who pointed them toward the auxiliary systems that needed restarting.

Kara delivered relief supplies to Gotham, where Cobblepot accepted the survivors’ recognition as their mayor. At Leslie Thompkins’s makeshift clinic, a dying boy exposed the urgent need for medicine, and Batman arrived to answer her request as Alfred stayed behind to manage the sheriff’s partner.

• Kara landed a truck carrying about twenty-five tons of relief supplies, while Cobblepot emerged airsick from the cab.
• A survivor called Cobblepot mayor, and he thanked the crowd rather than deny their recognition.
• Leslie treated injured survivors with Alfred’s help, while Gotham criminals aided the clinic despite their grudges.
• A teenage boy began vomiting blood, and Leslie gave him morphine to ease his final pain.
• Leslie asked for medicine and medical equipment, and Batman arrived at the clinic before leaving to obtain supplies.
• Leslie stopped Alfred from seeking drugs himself and told him to keep the sheriff’s partner under control.

Dick and Jason confronted power station workers who wanted to use their control over electricity to bargain for privileges, and the workers agreed to restore power with the hospital first. Meanwhile, Li Jie learned the federal government had ordered Gotham evacuated within ninety days, and the return of phone service threatened to spread the news through the city.

• Dick discovered that the power station workers planned to decide the order of repairs and seek benefits in exchange for restoring electricity.
• Jason threatened the workers and rejected their claim that the power station was their bargaining chip, prompting the engineer to agree to send repair crews out.
• Dick told the workers to restore power to the hospital first and said he would help check the route to the communications towers.
• Li Jie read reports announcing that the Federal Government would evacuate Gotham within ninety days and then cut off transportation, communications, and supplies.
• Kara told Li Jie that people were already furious at the government and Clark over the evacuation decision.
• Li Jie realized phone service had returned and called Cobblepot over, worried that Gotham residents would learn they had been abandoned.

Li Jie and Bob backed Cobblepot as he told Gotham’s survivors that the Federal Government planned to abandon the city in ninety days, while the president defended the decision as an orderly evacuation and reconstruction plan. After Kara delivered supplies and became a symbol of hope, Cobblepot called on Gotham’s people to govern and rebuild the city themselves.

• Li Jie brought Cobblepot to Bob at the crowded stadium, where Bob urged Cobblepot to stop groveling and decide who his allies and enemies were.
• Cobblepot announced that Washington would abandon Gotham in ninety days, and the survivors erupted into grief and anger.
• Li Jie quietly signaled for the next step as Kara landed in the stadium, tore open a shipping container, and revealed food and water supplies.
• Cobblepot presented Kara as Gotham’s protector and invoked Bruce Wayne and Batman as allies, though the crowd reacted less enthusiastically to Batman.
• The president delivered an address defending the ninety-day evacuation and warning that rushing into Gotham could cost more lives.
• Cobblepot declared that Gotham’s people would handle their own affairs and rebuild the city without waiting for the Federal Government.