Who else needs saving?

"Save who? Does anyone else need saving?"

Miaomiao tilted her head in confusion.

"I think I brought everyone out. I didn't miss anyone, did I? Was there someone I couldn't find?"

At those words, both Batman and Joker froze in the middle of their standoff.

Then their expressions changed dramatically at the same time-

Batman's voice held unmistakable delight. "You rescued everyone?"

"Impossible! No one could save everyone! I hid them in..."

Joker stopped halfway through his furious shout, then began to giggle. "I'm crazy, not stupid. Trying to trick me into telling you where the hostages are hidden? Heh heh, save your breath. Unless my darling little Bat makes his choice, everyone dies! Hehehehe, hahahaha, heeheehee..."

Miaomiao's brow furrowed deeply. She had known this ugly fellow was ugly and had an unpleasant voice, but she hadn't expected his laughter to sound even more grating in person. For the sound-sensitive Merfolk, it really was a form of mental torture.

"Could you stop laughing? It sounds really awful."

Joker paid no attention to what Miaomiao said. Watching Batman's demeanor turn cold, he reached up and tugged the already split corners of his mouth toward his ears. "Why so serious? Give us a smile~~~"

"I'm sorry to say this, but I honestly think you might sound better crying than laughing."

The Little Merfolk looked completely earnest. She wasn't joking at all.

"Also, when you said no one could find them, did you mean you hid them in the water tanks?"

Joker's laughter cut off abruptly, and his face fell.

This time, it was genuine.

"That's impossible! In so little time... how could you possibly have found them?!"

With the water's temperature masking them, even thermal imagers couldn't detect them! This was his brilliant idea, devised specifically to counter Batman's pile of high-tech equipment!

"I just knew. It was so easy. I found them right away."

That was right. Aside from the women hidden in the ventilation ducts and a few staff members in the studio, Joker had tied up most of the other hostages, supplied them with only half an hour's worth of oxygen, and dumped them in the building's water tanks. With the lids screwed tight, they had perfectly evaded detection.

Weighed down by heavy objects strapped to their bodies, the hostages had been forced completely underwater, heads included, with only tiny oxygen masks keeping them alive. Under those conditions, their skin temperature quickly approached the water temperature. With the temperature difference reduced, even thermal imagers couldn't distinguish them.

But!

Of all the places he could have dumped them, he chose the water!

And guess what? Hey presto, that just happened to be her specialty.

When the young women told the Little Merfolk Miaomiao that there were other hostages, she found the rest in no time. With some experience under her belt, Miaomiao had even learned to control the currents and bubbles to turn all those bombs into duds-the kind that would barely explode even if tossed into a fire.

If she hadn't still been getting used to walking on two legs, and hadn't worried that she couldn't afford compensation if she broke too many things, Miaomiao could have gone straight through from start to finish and been even faster.

Once he confirmed that every hostage was safe, Batman finally relaxed. Without giving Joker another chance to ramble, he efficiently sent him off into sweet slumber.

Batman's exclusive physical therapy-not a single criminal who had tried it had left a bad review~

What followed seemed to play out on fast-forward-under Commissioner Gordon's direction, the Gotham Police Department took the rescued hostages away and made proper arrangements for them;

Harley Quinn immediately fell apart upon hearing that Joker had been captured. Robin seized the opportunity to knock her unconscious, while Scarecrow abandoned her and escaped under cover of the crows;

Red Robin precisely analyzed all the conditions and captured Mad Hatter by trading injury for injury;

Red Hood realized he couldn't get away without dealing with the two blocking his path. Enraged, he went all out, simply abandoned the attempt to provide backup, and gave them both a thorough beating. Clayface covered his head and begged for mercy, while Killer Croc, sensing things were going badly, slipped into the sewers and fled.

As for Joker, Batman personally delivered him to Arkham's deluxe VIP room, complete with a complimentary full-body massage and physical therapy package.

Once the dust had settled, it was time for everyone's favorite family meeting. (σ≧︎▽︎≦︎)σ.

In the Batcave, everyone took their seats with solemn expressions. Even Red Robin, Tim, who was seriously injured, insisted on attending, his face pale after his wounds had been hastily bandaged. By contrast, the Little Merfolk surrounded in the middle looked so alone, frail, and vulnerable.

Especially on a bitterly cold Gotham night, when everyone else wore either proper clothes and shoes or Vigilante uniforms that covered them from head to toe, Miaomiao stood there pitifully in nothing but a skimpy little gauze dress. She was even barefoot.

Yes, feet!

The situation had been urgent earlier, with too many people watching, and the Little Merfolk hadn't even changed into her uniform, merely covering half her face. Batman had shown remarkable restraint by holding back his questions the entire way.

But why did this scene now inexplicably look like an evil capitalist teaming up with costumed weirdos to bully a little girl?

Bruce hardened his expression, reminding himself that this wasn't one of their usual little matters. He had to make Miaomiao understand just how reckless, dangerous, and heedless of the consequences her actions today had been! ᕮ◥▶‸◀◤ᕭ

Miaomiao seemed to sense that something was wrong with the atmosphere, too. She stood obediently with her head lowered, tapping the index fingers of her soft little hands together and occasionally sneaking a glance at them. (๑• ́₃ •̀๑)

No! This really looked too much like bullying a little one!

Even the normally hardhearted Batman felt a twinge of conscience!

Bruce took a deep breath, pulled off his cape, and draped it over the Little Merfolk's shoulders. The broad, heavy bat cape enveloped the petite girl with room to spare, leaving only her delicate little face, so pale it was almost translucent, exposed.

Great. Now she looked even more like a little girl being bullied by a creep...

"Ahem." Bruce summoned Batman's cold severity. The perpetually furrowed brow of his cowl lent him a distinctive air of intimidation. "Miaomiao, what's going on with your legs?"

As soon as Batman spoke, Robin-Damian-couldn't hold back either. "Exactly! How did you suddenly get legs? Did you really copy the Little Mermaid and trade your voice to a Siren for a potion that could give you legs?"

Miaomiao looked at Damian as though he were an idiot. "Are you crazy? I can transform on my own. Why would I trade my voice to someone else?"

"Who are you calling crazy?!"

"You could turn your tail into legs all along?"

The two voices overlapped. Damian, who had looked like an angry bird just a moment earlier, suddenly realized what Miaomiao had said. "Wait! You could turn your tail into legs all along?"

"Yes." Miaomiao nodded without hesitation. "All Merfolk can."