Chapter Summaries

Batman prepared to investigate the dangerous Bright Blue Drug and tried to keep Miaomiao out of the operation. Miaomiao promised to obey his orders, leaving Batman flustered as he departed with Robin.

• Batman ordered Robin to check the equipment and Red Robin to sort through intelligence about the Bright Blue Drug, which had caused extreme aggression and fatal physical effects in test mice.
• Batman planned to confront Black Mask, Roman Sionis, about the drug and warn Jason to handle his vial carefully.
• Miaomiao appeared in the Batcave, and Batman told her she could not join that night's operation.
• Miaomiao calmly agreed, promised not to act on her own, and told Batman she wanted him to be her dad.
• Batman urged Miaomiao not to break her oath and left with Robin, while Alfred and Tim laughed at his awkward walk.

Miaomiao realized that the Joker who had harmed Taotao was also Harley’s “Puddin,” and asked Pamela about him. Pamela warned her not to confront the Joker alone and sent her information, while Miaomiao insisted she would be good and stay away.

• Miaomiao connected the Joker Alfred had mentioned with the man who had tortured and murdered Taotao.
• Miaomiao remembered Pamela’s warnings about Harley’s “Puddin” and realized he was the Joker.
• Miaomiao messaged Pamela to ask about the Joker, and Pamela described him as dangerous and uncaring toward Harley.
• Pamela suspected Miaomiao might go after the Joker alone, warned her not to, and sent her information about him.
• Miaomiao promised Pamela she would not go alone, then happily read the information Pamela had sent.

Miaomiao decided to study Joker before confronting him, while Batman learned that Black Mask’s missing serum shipment was dangerous and partly unaccounted for. Batman and Jason briefly reconciled outside Arkham, but Batman’s request for the serum made Jason’s smile freeze.

• Miaomiao decided not to seek out Joker alone and spent the night trying to research him.
• Black Mask told Batman that Hydra’s serum could greatly increase combat ability but was highly toxic, and that at least half the shipment was missing.
• Batman decided to contact a friend in New York about Hydra after taking Black Mask to Arkham.
• Batman asked Jason to visit Alfred at Wayne Manor, and Jason agreed.
• Batman asked Jason to hand over the serum vial, and Jason’s smile froze before he answered that he still had it.

After Jason’s confrontation with Bruce, Miaomiao saw the extent of Bruce’s injuries and learned that Jason had caused them. She read Bruce’s medical report, insisted he take her healing pearls, and left him pinned down as she forced him to drink them.

• Miaomiao saw Bruce return with injuries and discovered the many scars covering his body.
• Alfred implied that Bruce’s conflict with Jason had caused his latest injuries, and Miaomiao realized Jason had hurt him.
• Miaomiao crushed Blue-Violet Pearls and prepared healing powder for Bruce and Alfred.
• Miaomiao confronted Bruce about his extensive medical problems, including old fractures, chronic injuries, sleep deprivation, and PTSD.
• Miaomiao pinned Bruce down and forced him to drink the pearl powder despite his protests.

Miaomiao confronted Bruce about neglecting his injuries and insisted he take time to recover while the others covered Batman’s patrols. Bruce finally accepted the plan, with Batman retaining final say during emergencies.

• Alfred and Miaomiao urged Bruce to stop patrolling and take care of his injured body.
• Miaomiao told Bruce to rest, recover, and mend his relationship with Taotao, or Jason, while others handled Gotham’s problems.
• Miaomiao proposed dividing patrols among Tim, Damian, Dick, Jason, herself, aquatic animals, and other allies.
• Alfred, Tim, and Damian approved a detailed patrol plan with Batman retaining final say in emergencies.
• Bruce accepted the plan after his family pressed him to put his health first.

Bruce agreed to let the children patrol independently under strict safety rules, then reviewed their plan and recognized how capable they had become. Their growth made him reflect on how his overprotectiveness had pushed Dick and Jason away, leaving him haunted by Jason’s fate.

• Bruce agreed to the children’s patrol proposal after requiring them to stay within their abilities, call for backup, and obey his orders in emergencies.
• After a pearl bath, Bruce noticed that his skin, scars, and worn joints had improved, and Alfred told him the children had gone to bed.
• Alfred gave Bruce the patrol plan the children had drafted, mapping their patrol zones, routes, likely trouble spots, and ways to reach one another quickly.
• Bruce recognized that the children’s effort and planning showed they were ready to stand on their own, and he reconsidered how his attempts to protect them had made them feel distrusted.
• Bruce thought about Dick’s success as Nightwing and dwelled on his guilt and unanswered regrets about Jason’s death and the path that had led Jason to become Robin.

Bruce realized that his children had become his armor and set out to bring Jason home. At Jason’s safe house, he angrily complained about Batman and the rest of the family, unaware that someone was listening at the door.

• Bruce reflected on how his fear of losing his children had led him to push Tim and Damian away, and realized they had helped keep him grounded.
• Bruce put on his Batman gear and told Alfred he was going to find Jason and ask him to come home.
• Batman rode toward Crime Alley as Jason returned to his safe house after rescuing a woman from a gang.
• Jason treated his wounds while ranting to his furniture about Batman, Dick, Tim, and Damian.
• Jason failed to notice the unusual stillness at the door as he continued complaining.

Batman went to Jason to apologize and tell him he was his child and an outstanding Robin, but Jason mistook him for Clayface and attacked him. The chapter left Batman trying to convince Jason of his identity as Jason aimed his guns at him.

• Jason opened his door and found Batman waiting outside, then accused him of returning to hurt him.
• Batman saw Jason’s scars, remembered the pain he had suffered, and apologized while embracing him.
• Jason punched Batman, believing him to be Clayface impersonating Batman to manipulate him.
• Batman revealed his face and said Clayface had been captured and sent to Arkham Asylum, but Jason still refused to believe him.
• Jason grabbed his twin large-caliber handguns and pointed them at Batman.

Bruce tried to stop Jason from shooting by recounting their past and explaining that he never wanted children to become Robin. Jason rejected Bruce’s belief that he might have had a brighter future elsewhere, arguing that Batman’s intervention had given him a chance to survive in Gotham.

• Bruce reminded Jason of their first meeting, when Jason was stealing tires from the Batmobile, and recalled taking him in after his parents died.
• Bruce apologized for sending Jason to boarding school, which had turned out to be a dangerous place, and explained that he had hoped Jason could choose his own future.
• Bruce told Jason that he had never wanted any child to become Robin because children deserved lives beyond Gotham’s violence and Batman’s burdens.
• Jason argued that Gotham’s dangers left children in Crime Alley with little chance of a future, and that Batman’s adoption had kept him alive.

Jason confronted Bruce over his refusal to kill Joker and the deaths that followed, while Bruce explained why his no-kill line kept him from becoming a monster. The chapter ended with Bruce acknowledging Jason’s work and the hope he had given Crime Alley’s children.

• Jason recalled how Crime Alley’s children struggled to survive and how poverty had pushed him toward theft.
• Bruce apologized for failing to save Jason from Joker, but Jason said he had never resented Bruce for arriving too late.
• Jason accused Bruce of repeatedly letting Joker escape and kill again because he clung to his no-kill principle.
• Bruce revealed that witnessing his parents’ killer escape justice and then die had taught him that killing could consume him.
• Jason argued that fear was a faster, more effective deterrent than redemption, and Bruce warned that violence could breed more darkness.
• Bruce admitted he had wrongly forced his methods on Jason and left him to bear his pain alone, then praised Jason for saving people and giving Crime Alley’s children hope.

Bruce and Jason reached a temporary truce and returned to Wayne Manor, where Alfred welcomed Jason home. Jason accepted Alfred’s care but insisted that he would still follow his own methods against Joker.

• Bruce offered Jason burgers and Alfred’s cookies, and Jason agreed to a temporary truce without changing his stance on Joker.
• Bruce and Jason traveled to Wayne Manor before dawn and entered through the Batcave.
• Alfred welcomed Jason, apologized for what had happened, and told him his childhood room had been kept ready.
• Jason accepted Alfred’s hot cocoa and acknowledged that his absence had not been Alfred’s fault.
• Bruce told Jason to have his wounds treated and get some sleep, while Jason insisted their truce was only for Alfred’s sake.

Jason learned from Alfred that Bruce had never stopped loving him and had nearly killed the Joker after his death. As Jason began to recognize the pain beneath Bruce’s silence, Dick returned to Wayne Manor and found only Alfred awake.

• Jason entered his old bedroom, where Alfred changed his dressings and showed him that Bruce had kept the room and its belongings untouched.
• Alfred told Jason that Bruce often visited the room and had added combat techniques to Jason’s old Training Notes.
• Alfred revealed that Bruce had nearly killed the Joker, clashed with Superman, and violently hunted criminals after Jason’s death.
• Jason listened in shock as Alfred explained that Bruce’s rules and silence had hidden a father’s grief and love.
• After the household slept late, Dick rode back to Wayne Manor and was greeted only by Alfred.

Dick learned that Jason had returned to Wayne Manor and rushed to wake him, turning their reunion into a fight that woke the household. The others gathered around them as the brawl stopped, with Dick joking that Jason should make everyone coffee as punishment.

• Alfred told Dick that Jason had returned to Wayne Manor early that morning.
• Dick burst into Jason's room and leapt onto him, waking him from a brief rest.
• Jason and Dick wrestled, knocking things around and shattering a glass.
• Damian and Tim hurried out of their rooms, followed by Miaomiao, and found the two fighting.
• Jason and Dick stopped under everyone's stares, and Dick joked that Jason should make them coffee.

After a late-night scuffle woke the Bat Family, Miaomiao’s hunger left everyone searching for breakfast while Alfred was away on leave. Bruce and Dick both volunteered to cook but were rejected, and Tim stepped up instead.

• Tim cleaned up the shattered glass while Miaomiao gave Jason a conch shell to help him sleep.
• Alfred left for a four-hour break after reminding Bruce to teach the children to be more careful.
• The Bat Family realized Alfred had not made breakfast, and Miaomiao’s growling stomach made everyone hungry.
• Bruce offered to cook, but the family stopped him and reminded him of his disastrous cooking record.
• Dick volunteered next, but Damian mocked his lack of cooking skills, so Tim offered to try.

With everyone in Wayne Manor hungry and wary of cooking, Jason reluctantly took charge of dinner. He made pasta that pleased the family, easing the tension around the kitchen.

• Tim admitted that he had learned to cook from recipes, but Jason teased him about his poor kitchen skills.
• Damian declared that cooking was easy for him, and Bruce, Dick, and Tim stopped him from entering the kitchen after recalling his past disaster.
• Dick, Tim, and Miaomiao urged Jason to cook, and Jason agreed after seeing Miaomiao's hungry, hopeful expression.
• Jason prepared bacon-and-tomato pasta while Damian criticized his methods and the others watched.
• Jason served Miaomiao and Damian first, then set out the remaining pasta, which tasted far better than Bruce's cooking.

Jason cooked pasta for the Wayne family, who praised it and asked for seconds. After Miaomiao explained the East Asian custom of nominal age, Jason agreed to make another batch when everyone at the table eagerly raised a hand.

• Jason served his pasta, and Damian called it barely edible even as he kept eating while Tim took notes on the recipe.
• Dick praised the pasta and asked Jason why he was good at cooking, so Jason explained that he had learned to cook to survive in Crime Alley.
• Miaomiao explained that nominal age could be used to protect children from death, leaving Dick surprised to learn that his age would be counted as twenty-eight.
• Miaomiao asked Jason for more pasta, and Damian, Dick, Tim, and Bruce also raised their hands for another serving.
• Miaomiao praised Jason's cooking, and he ruffled her hair before agreeing to make another batch.

Jason cooked pasta for the family, recalling Alfred’s lessons and finding comfort in sharing a meal with them. Bruce revealed the children’s night-patrol plan, and Jason was included as backup coordinator for the South District.

• Jason remembered learning to cook with Alfred and the lonely days after waking in the Lazarus Pit as he prepared pasta for Bruce.
• Jason served the pasta, and the family ate together while Dick and Tim joked about getting him to cook again.
• Bruce brought out the night-patrol plan Tim, Damian, and Miaomiao had prepared, with additional details from Bruce.
• Dick praised the plan’s research, while Tim and Damian explained their contributions and Jason found his assigned duties in the folder.
• Bruce asked Jason to manage backup supply points in the South District, using his knowledge of its concealed locations.

Bruce approved the family’s patrol plan with strict time limits and hourly check-ins, while Dick, Jason, and Damian headed out for the night and Tim coordinated from the Batcave. Jason quickly stopped three armed robbers in Crime Alley as Dick patrolled disguised as Batman; Damian’s patrol was quiet until an unexpected event interrupted his argument with Jason.

• Bruce agreed to let his children patrol, limiting each patrol to four hours and requiring hourly check-ins, and warned Jason not to face danger alone.
• Damian went to check the equipment, Miaomiao followed excitedly, and Dick teased Jason about serving as backup.
• Tim alerted Jason to three armed robbers targeting a jewelry store in Crime Alley, and Jason confirmed there were no hostages before approaching them.
• Jason disarmed and restrained all three robbers in seconds, then questioned their mistaken belief that Batman had beaten him and driven him out of Gotham.
• Dick patrolled in a Batman disguise while monitoring the others, and Damian complained that he had found no trouble before an unexpected event cut him off.

The Bat Family coordinated a dockside raid after Red Robin detected an armed group preparing an arms deal. Miaomiao used her water control to create fog as Batman, Red Hood, and Robin took positions, and Red Hood began the attack.

• Red Robin warned the Bat Family that over forty armed people were gathering at the docks, and Dick sent Red Hood and Robin ahead while Miaomiao moved through the water to block their escape.
• Miaomiao arrived at the docks and reminded the others to use her mission code name, Quan Ke, while Dick stopped Damian from driving the Batmobile.
• Red Robin identified weapons aboard a cargo ship and heavy guns behind containers, while the team mapped out the enemy positions.
• Miaomiao thickened the existing haze into dense fog, and Red Robin learned she could control mist as well as water.
• Batman sent Robin to the left flank, ordered Red Hood to circle right, and told Quan Ke to remain underwater and preserve the ship as evidence.
• Red Hood struck a streetlight with a rubber bullet to begin the attack as Robin moved into position.

Batman and the Bat Family raided Black Mask’s weapons deal at the docks, while Miaomiao stayed underwater to stop the freighter’s crew from escaping. The guards onshore were nearly subdued and the police were on their way when Miaomiao began lifting the crew’s escape boat.

• Red Hood shattered the streetlights with precise gunfire, alerting the armed men, while Miaomiao watched from hiding and Batman’s team moved in.
• Red Robin jammed the enemy communications and gave Batman, Robin, and Red Hood information about the guards and Black Mask’s second-in-command.
• Robin disabled the guards at the cargo hold entrance, while Red Hood used nonlethal force to defeat the men on the right side of the docks.
• Dick, posing as Batman, disarmed Black Mask’s second-in-command and told the others that he had recorded the deal and that police were three minutes away.
• The Bat Family subdued the guards onshore, and Miaomiao saw the freighter’s crew prepare a small boat to flee.
• Miaomiao swam beneath the boat, braced herself against its underside, and began heaving it upward.