Chapter Summaries

Li Jie and Nygma uncovered a coordinated diversion drawing Gotham’s police to the city’s outskirts, leaving the East End Precinct exposed to attack. Bruce identified the League of Assassins as the likely attackers and prepared to intervene, rejecting a noisy experimental armor suit.

• Li Jie cooked fried rice while Harleen and Raven demanded Kung Pao Chicken, then told Nygma about the surge of minor police reports across Gotham.
• Nygma and Li Jie compared the reports with Gordon and realized they formed a ring around the city, diverting officers from the East End Precinct.
• Li Jie called for backup and ordered Harleen, Nygma, Otis, Wilson, and Anna to assemble at the Old Building.
• Alfred informed Bruce that the police had discovered the diversion, and Bruce concluded the League of Assassins was preparing an all-out assault.
• Bruce suited up as Batman and declined Alfred’s offer of the General-Purpose Tactical Suppression Armor because its wind-up key and noise made it unsuitable.

Li Jie led the Eastern District Precinct staff through its emergency defenses and a hidden tunnel to the Old Building as they prepared for an attack. Bob insisted on joining the fight, and the precinct took up positions to defend itself while waiting for the enemy or backup.

• Li Jie triggered the evacuation alarm, and Nygma sealed the new building behind the staff with blast shutters and reinforced doors.
• Li Jie opened the armory, where officers chose weapons and carried ammunition toward the Old Building.
• Nygma revealed a concealed tunnel connecting the armory to the Old Building's Underground Garage, and Li Jie led the group through it.
• Anna reported that the Old Building's garage was secure, though only about twenty frontline officers were available there.
• Bob refused to stay behind and equipped himself with a shotgun and bulletproof vests, while Anna took a G36C.
• Li Jie sent Otis to keep watch and warned everyone that they might have to face the attack without backup.

Li Jie and the Eastern District Precinct prepared to defend their stronghold as traffic jams stranded Gordon’s team nearby. After a blackout left the precinct conspicuously illuminated by its backup power, an enemy shot out a searchlight and Li Jie rushed upstairs to respond.

• Li Jie ordered Dren and Rongke to take weapons and stay under cover, then warned field units to remain in their vehicles amid worsening traffic jams.
• Gordon told Li Jie that pileups had blocked the roads and offered to lead his team on foot, but Li Jie ordered him to stay in the vehicles and seek another route.
• The power failed across the neighborhood, and the precinct’s backup system restored its emergency lights and defensive systems.
• Li Jie realized the lit precinct had become a target, and a distant gunshot shattered one of its searchlights.
• Li Jie ordered all lights shut off, grabbed his night-vision goggles and SR-25, and ran upstairs.

Li Jie and the officers defended the Eastern District Precinct from attackers using civilians as a distraction, while Bruce Wayne fought Ra's al Ghul on his way to the precinct. Ra's defeated Bruce and forced him to choose between saving the girl targeted by the Blood Brothers or the rest of Gotham.

• Li Jie ordered the team to stop approaching civilians, and Bob’s snipers shot the attackers after they rushed through tear gas.
• Li Jie spotted a rooftop gunman preparing an RPG and shot him before the rocket could hit the precinct, then relocated and warned the defenders not to fire repeatedly from one position.
• Bruce Wayne avoided a crossbow and gun ambush with a Cryogenic Grenade and Batarangs, then confronted Ra's al Ghul.
• Ra's al Ghul attacked Bruce, overwhelmed him, and knocked him into a parked car.
• Ra's al Ghul revealed that his Assassin Army had entered Gotham and made Bruce choose between saving the girl targeted by the Blood Brothers and saving the city.

Bruce deployed the Riot Armor to confront Ra's al Ghul, while Nygma lured another League of Assassins squad into a sewer ambush. The armor’s first strike failed to hit Ra's al Ghul, and the assassins were killed by a barrage of grenades.

• Alfred told Bruce the Riot Armor was ready, and Bruce ordered its deployment.
• A helicopter dropped the Riot Armor into the street, and Bruce climbed inside as it played a dramatic Batman voice recording.
• Bruce made the armor attack Ra's al Ghul, who evaded the blow and dismissed it as interesting but unimpressive.
• Nygma identified an eight-man League of Assassins squad at the sewer ambush point and ordered the explosives deployed.
• The assassins noticed grenades falling from overhead pipes, but their leader's warning was cut off as the explosions killed the squad.

Bruce Wayne used the Riot Armor’s weapons to drive Ra's al Ghul back, but Ra's returned and broke the armor’s winding key. The electrical trap and a blast of adhesive gel left Ra's immobilized while Bruce stood ready to capture him.

• Ra's al Ghul repeatedly slashed the Riot Armor’s weak points, but its armor withstood his attacks.
• Bruce Wayne fired a cryogenic jet, forcing Ra's to retreat from the frozen street.
• Ra's noticed the winding key on the armor’s back, circled behind Bruce, and cut through its mounting base.
• A powerful electrical arc surged from the broken base and left Ra's unable to move.
• Ra's lunged toward the armor’s mouth to avoid its apparent energy weapon, but the armor trapped him in hardening adhesive gel.

Batman forced Ra's al Ghul to retreat from Gotham, while Li Jie and the officers defended the Eastern District Precinct from a suicidal assault by cultists. Brother Blood survived a hail of bullets by regenerating with the blood of the dead, then demanded that the precinct hand over his bride.

• Batman ordered Ra's al Ghul to take his people and leave Gotham, then shut off his armor after breaking into a coughing fit.
• Li Jie saw the League of Assassins retreat and spotted a huge crowd of cultists approaching the precinct.
• Li Jie ordered tear gas and then lethal fire when the cultists ignored warnings and charged through the gas, and officers killed hundreds despite their anguish.
• Brother Blood appeared among the corpses, surrendered, and claimed the law required the officers to arrest him.
• Raven warned that Brother Blood was dangerous, but Li Jie's rifle shots and Wilson's machine-gun fire failed to stop him.
• Brother Blood absorbed blood from the dead to regenerate and demanded that the officers hand over his bride.

Sebastian, the ninth Brother Blood, came to Gotham to seize Raven for Trigon, but police firepower shredded him before he could reach her. As he struggled to regenerate, the League of Assassins received an order to withdraw from Gotham.

• Sebastian recalled killing his father, claiming the title of Brother Blood, and gaining power from the blood pit before arriving in Gotham to find Raven.
• Li Jie and the police opened fire on Sebastian with heavy machine guns and a rocket, repeatedly tearing apart his body and disrupting his regeneration.
• Sebastian raged that the League of Assassins had abandoned him while their captains hesitated to attack the police station without Ra's's orders.
• A woman issued a communicator order for all League of Assassins members to withdraw from Gotham immediately.

Batman defeated Ra's al Ghul without killing him, and Talia took her father away while promising to keep the League of Assassins out of Gotham. At the battle against Brother Blood, Li Jie planned to use Firefly's flamethrower equipment to burn away the blood sustaining him.

• Talia thanked Bruce for sparing Ra's, promised the League would stay out of Gotham while she led it, and had assassins pack her father for transport.
• Bruce refused to send the Riot Armor to the Eastern District Precinct, ordered it retrieved for maintenance, and rode his Batcycle toward the fighting.
• Li Jie asked Nygma to make incendiary bombs, but Raven warned him that Brother Blood could absorb anyone who got close.
• Li Jie told Otis to pull his people back and called Gordon to request Firefly's flamethrower equipment from the Central Headquarters evidence warehouse.
• Gordon agreed to arrange the equipment, and Li Jie prepared to burn Brother Blood and the blood fueling his regeneration.

Li Jie and the East End forces used heavy weapons to weaken Brother Blood, then Li Jie burned away his remains with a flamethrower. Raven confirmed he was dead but warned that Trigon's blood pool in Zandia could produce another Brother Blood, and Li Jie ended the night by keeping the flamethrower equipment.

• Li Jie, Nygma, and Wilson discussed how their weapons and preparations had made the fight against Brother Blood possible.
• Gordon brought a heat-resistant suit and flamethrower, and Raven accompanied Li Jie to sense Brother Blood's remaining magic and life force.
• Raven sensed that Brother Blood's remains were surrounded by hatred and hunger, and Li Jie ordered everyone back before igniting them.
• Li Jie burned Brother Blood's blood, flesh, and bones until the surrounding evil vanished, while Raven sensed the souls bound to him being released.
• Raven confirmed Brother Blood was dead but said Trigon's blood pool in Zandia could eventually create another one.
• Li Jie took the flamethrower equipment for the armory, joking with Gordon about its status as evidence, and remarked that they had survived another day.

Edward Nygma was promoted to police lieutenant and credited his success to the unity of his colleagues. After the ceremony, he avoided Miss Kringle’s belated advances with Anna’s help, while Bob told Li Jie the East End and West District would operate side by side, leaving Li Jie facing heavier work instead of leave.

• Chief Sarah pinned a lieutenant’s badge on Nygma, who gave a riddle and said the answer was unity and his achievement belonged to the whole team.
• Li Jie caught up with Sergeant Wiggins, who described Central Headquarters as colder and more restrictive than his old workplace.
• Miss Kringle congratulated Nygma and tried to rekindle his interest, but he felt detached until Anna led him away.
• Bob told Li Jie that the East End and West District would operate side by side and warned that upcoming staff leave would increase Li Jie’s workload.
• Gordon told Harvey Bullock that Li Jie had supplied Central Headquarters with a hundred AK-74s, prompting Harvey to praise him.

Li Jie welcomed eight Police Academy cadets to the Eastern District Precinct and reviewed their records, discovering an inexperienced, nervous group with a few unusual personalities. He left the recruits unsettled and abruptly silenced one cadet who began praising his leadership.

• Li Jie checked his newly improved firearm skills before an officer told him the Police Academy cadets had arrived.
• Li Jie met the instructor and learned that Central Headquarters had taken the class’s stronger students, leaving eight cadets for the Eastern District Precinct.
• Li Jie reviewed Emma Nettle’s weak practical results and called Dr. Quizzle, who agreed to come help the psychologically troubled recruits the next day.
• Li Jie questioned Ron Bushnell about his poor overall evaluation and heard that he had criticized the military’s overseas policies.
• Li Jie corrected Linqi Gulian von Bismarck Chu’s salute, agreed to call him Jian, and warned the recruits against acting superior because of their backgrounds.
• A cadet began praising Li Jie’s leadership, and Li Jie ordered someone to shut him up.

Li Jie reviewed the new recruits’ records, warned them about their weaknesses, and showed them the East End precinct’s benefits and defenses. He left them with the precinct’s survival rule: when something seemed wrong, shoot first and ask questions later.

• Li Jie questioned Jimmy McNaught about his failing assessments and warned him that his challenges to authority would have consequences if he was wrong.
• Li Jie assessed Tiago Perez’s strong pursuit and endurance scores, then told him he might find success in Star City.
• Li Jie told Mabaka Owen to improve his grades within three months, and learned that Rain Chilton had been barred from explosives after blowing up part of the Police Academy laboratory.
• Li Jie praised Hearn Hunt’s military service but pointed out his poor legal knowledge and repeated failures on scenario tests.
• Li Jie showed the recruits the precinct’s free meals, dorm rooms, weapons, and defensive fortifications, then warned them about the East End’s dangers.
• Li Jie ordered the recruits to remember that in Gotham, they should shoot first and ask questions later, and said he wanted them to wash out alive if they could not meet the standards.

Bruce Wayne witnessed John and Mary Grayson fall to their deaths during the Flying Graysons’ circus act, leaving Dick orphaned. Elsewhere, Dr. Harleen Quinzel assessed the East End recruits and easily defeated Jian, while Li Jie assigned McNaught to supervise Owen’s weight loss.

• Bruce spotted a discolored cable as the Flying Graysons performed, but it snapped during their final stunt and John and Mary fell to their deaths.
• Bruce checked the couple, covered their faces, called Gordon to secure the scene, and saw Dick clinging silently to the remaining trapeze.
• Harleen mocked Jian during the recruits’ assessment, then threw him twice when he challenged her and added insecurity and poor judgment to his evaluation.
• Li Jie forbade Owen from eating sugary foods and ordered McNaught to supervise him at meals until he lost forty pounds in three months.

Li Jie took Hearn Hunt, Ron Bushnell, and Tiago Perez on patrol and showed them how casually Gotham’s residents dealt with crime. After Nicholas Hawthorne punished a thief who tried to steal from a blind beggar, Li Jie left the matter alone and continued the patrol.

• Li Jie read that Bruce Wayne had taken Dick Grayson in as his ward after the Flying Graysons’ fatal accident.
• Li Jie assigned Hearn Hunt, Ron Bushnell, and Tiago Perez to patrol with him while McNaught supervised the recruits’ training.
• Hunt drove the patrol van as Li Jie had Bushnell plan a route through the East End.
• Hunt spotted a young man stealing from a supposed blind beggar, and Nicholas Hawthorne broke the thief’s ankle and dragged him into an alley.
• Li Jie greeted Nicholas, let him cover the thief’s exposed leg, and told Hunt and Bushnell that Nicholas did not bother people who left him alone.
• Tiago began explaining how a change in ideology could save Gotham, and Li Jie told him to shut his mouth.

FBI agents arrested West District Chief Arthur Brown on federal corruption charges, while Li Jie learned the bust had brought Central Headquarters no useful money or weapons. Later, he took three rookies to a Chinatown restaurant, where he found Jack Napier performing comedy and ran into his former landlord, Old Wu.

• FBI agents and U.S. Marshals arrested Arthur Brown at the West District Precinct, and the officers applauded as he was led away.
• Gordon told Li Jie that Central Headquarters had recovered almost nothing from the West District, so Li Jie asked him to screen its officers for potential recruits.
• Li Jie invited Tiago, Bushnell, and Hunter to dinner after their exhausting day on patrol.
• At Liu Quanfu Restaurant, Old Wu confronted Li Jie about four months of unpaid rent and said Jack Napier had come to the restaurant with Li Jie's card.
• Li Jie watched Jack Napier struggle through a comedy performance for a packed audience, then told Old Liu that Old Wu planned to raise his rent.

Li Jie met Winslow Schott at a Wayne-funded children’s park before Cobblepot called to report Sofia Falcone’s return to Gotham. At the Iceberg Lounge, Li Jie refused to help Cobblepot assassinate her and instead insisted on arranging a neutral meeting to preserve stability in the East End.

• Li Jie encountered Winslow Schott supervising construction of a free children’s park named after him and learned that Wayne Enterprises had hired him to design toys for its young visitors.
• Cobblepot called Li Jie and urgently asked for help after Sofia Falcone returned to Gotham.
• Li Jie went to the Iceberg Lounge and learned that Cobblepot had lost a finger in a past clash with Sofia and feared she would destabilize the East End.
• Cobblepot asked Li Jie to help eliminate Sofia, but Li Jie refused to authorize an assassination or provoke a gang war.
• Li Jie told Cobblepot to arrange a safe, neutral meeting among himself, Li Jie, and Sofia so Li Jie could hear her intentions and explain the East End’s rules.

Dick Grayson settled into Wayne Manor after the deaths of his parents, while Bruce Wayne accepted responsibility for raising him. On patrol-training duty, Li Jie responded to an illegal experiment at Gotham University, finding a dead woman and a critically ill student whose skin had turned green.

• Alfred showed Dick his room at Wayne Manor, where Dick placed his family photograph beside a picture of Bruce and his parents and lay down in silence.
• Alfred addressed Bruce as Mr. Wayne while discussing Dick’s future, and Bruce acknowledged that he had accepted the responsibility of becoming Dick’s guardian.
• Li Jie stopped Owen from losing control of the Patrol Van during training, then led Owen and Emma toward Gotham University after a report of illegal human experiments.
• Li Jie found a dead lab worker and a barely breathing student with green skin in laboratory 409, then carried the student out for emergency care.
• Li Jie ordered McNaught to secure the scene and directed Emma and Owen to accompany him as he rushed the student to Gotham General Hospital.

Li Jie responded to Kara’s plan to fake a breakup and learned that the injured woman might be connected to Poison Ivy. Meanwhile, Dick Grayson sneaked out to find Tony Zucco, and Li Jie called Harleen Quinzel to ask about an extremist plant conservationist.

• Li Jie rushed an injured college student to the hospital, then heard Kara explain that she wanted him to help stage a public rejection to convince her classmates they had broken up.
• Li Jie warned Kara not to slap anyone and said he would think of another plan when she visited Gotham.
• Doctors discovered that the supposed blood sample was celery juice, leading Li Jie to suspect the injured woman might be Poison Ivy.
• Dick overheard Bruce discussing a police warrant for Tony Zucco and secretly escaped Wayne Manor to search for him in the lower city.
• After dinner, Li Jie called Harleen Quinzel and asked whether there was hope for an extremist plant conservationist who hated men and perhaps people in general.

Li Jie watched Harleen connect with Pamela Lillian Isley at the hospital before taking Harleen to meet new recruits. In the Batcave, Bruce Wayne invited Dick Grayson to learn to fight crime, and Dick chose the name Robin.

• Harleen assessed Pamela Lillian Isley and spoke with her until Isley warmed to Li Jie.
• Li Jie agreed to take Harleen to the station to see the new recruits.
• Dick Grayson woke in the Batcave and learned that Batman was Bruce Wayne.
• Bruce told Dick to recover and train, promising he would catch Tony Zucco.
• Bruce asked Alfred to find Dick clothes and a name, and Dick chose Robin, the name his mother had called him.