Chapter Summaries

Qin Wei and his allies used machine-gun fire and a trap to badly wound Deathstroke, but Slade shot Oswald during the fight. Qin Wei evacuated the wounded and stayed behind to confront Deathstroke, having located him by keeping him talking.

• Qin Wei dodged Deathstroke's attacks and threw a smoke grenade, while Oswald took the machine gun and Royce and Selina provided covering fire.
• Oswald drove Deathstroke toward the factory's fourth floor, where a concealed tripwire triggered a chain of explosions that badly wounded Slade.
• Deathstroke fired at Oswald after the machine gun ran out of ammunition, and the shot struck Oswald's knee.
• Qin Wei stopped Oswald's bleeding and helped Royce evacuate him, Floyd, and Jason in the Batmobile.
• Qin Wei stayed behind, taunted Slade into answering questions, and pinpointed his hiding place.

Qin Wei fought a wounded Deathstroke in the Factory and drove him toward a planted mine, but Deathstroke escaped and encountered the Fake Batman. Deathstroke regained the initiative against the towering monster, while Qin Wei watched their battle from the roof.

• Deathstroke dueled Qin Wei with a Wakizashi, but Qin Wei caught his sword and kicked him toward a mine on the fourth floor.
• Deathstroke stopped himself short of the mine and vaulted over the railing to escape Qin Wei.
• A dark figure tore through the Factory and attacked Deathstroke, who recognized the newcomer only as a powerful opponent to fight.
• Deathstroke used vicious close-combat techniques against the Fake Batman, but the monster endured them and counterattacked with growing strength.
• Deathstroke regained the initiative with a series of kicks and a Superman punch aimed at the Fake Batman's throat, as Qin Wei watched from the roof.

Qin Wei recovered memories that connected him to Bruce Wayne and took up Batman’s cowl, while his allies secured Maroni’s arrest authorization and survived the fight with Deathstroke. With the team reunited in the hospital, Qin Wei planned to hunt Maroni and investigate Alfred’s connection to his identity.

• Watching Deathstroke fight triggered Qin Wei’s fragmented memories of Alfred’s training and the young man in the life-support chamber, and Qin Wei wondered whether he was Bruce.
• Deathstroke killed Fake Batman but spared Qin Wei after HIVE voided Maroni’s contract, following information Deadshot had passed through Qin Wei to Gordon.
• Qin Wei found Fake Batman’s body, put on the bat cape and cowl, and declared himself Batman.
• Royce, Floyd, Jason, Dick, and Oswald celebrated when the news reported that Maroni was wanted, and Qin Wei returned to the hospital ward.
• Qin Wei checked his injured friends and warned them that Maroni remained a threat, then decided to find him and ask Gordon about Alfred.

Qin Wei and the others faced a bomb threat against Barbara’s plane from a man calling himself Joker, who demanded their evidence in exchange for the bomb code. After the plane was saved, Qin Wei tracked the delivery and found a corpse marked with a bloody smile.

• Qin Wei arrived at the safe house, ate Gordon’s wafers, and asked about Alfred, whom Gordon said he had found in Gotham.
• A caller told Gordon that a bomb was aboard Barbara’s flight and demanded the evidence; after the caller shot a coerced father, he identified himself as Joker.
• Qin Wei realized the caller was a second Joker and challenged him, while Harvey argued against handing over their evidence.
• Gordon, Harvey, and Bullock voted to make the exchange, and Qin Wei gave the documents to a pizza delivery boy while secretly tracking the envelope.
• Joker gave them the bomb code, the plane was saved, and Qin Wei chased the delivery boy in the Batmobile before finding a corpse with its eyes pecked out and a bloody smile painted on its lips.

Qin Wei traced Joker’s pursuit of the files, then went with Harvey to meet Falcone and claim his promised reward. Falcone revealed that he had mistaken Qin Wei for Bruce Wayne and that Alfred had come to him seeking help finding Bruce, while Qin Wei’s meeting with Alfred was still to come.

• Qin Wei examined Pizza Boy’s wound and found a tracked hundred-dollar bill, then concluded that Joker had been focused on obtaining the files and that the second Joker might be a real person.
• Qin Wei reassured Gordon that he would deal with Joker himself, and Gordon revealed that Alfred was working for Falcone.
• Harvey drove Qin Wei to Falcone’s nightclub, where Alberto asked Qin Wei to pass along his wish to meet his younger sister, Selina Kyle.
• Falcone paid Qin Wei the promised reward and explained that he had mistaken him for Bruce Wayne because of his resemblance to Thomas’s son.
• Falcone told Qin Wei that Alfred had sought his help finding Bruce four months earlier and recounted how Thomas Wayne had once saved his life.

Qin Wei met Alfred and learned that Bruce Wayne had died after choosing to transfer his consciousness into a clone, but Qin Wei began to suspect that the man he met was not really Alfred. Meanwhile, a deranged Joker and Joseph discussed a plan tied to a duplicate, and the chapter ended with Qin Wei warning Harvey that Gotham’s secrets ran deeper than they knew.

• Alfred told Qin Wei that Bruce Wayne had used Hugo Strange’s Mind Transmitter to copy his consciousness into a clone, and gave Qin Wei the choice to live his own life.
• In a flashback, Joseph discussed the duplicate plan with a scarred Joker, who repeatedly tried to shoot him with an empty revolver.
• Qin Wei told Alfred he would not follow Bruce’s path and might leave Gotham, then exchanged phone numbers with him.
• Harvey told Qin Wei that officials had agreed to protect themselves from Maroni’s forces by making a deal with the Roman.
• Qin Wei privately warned Harvey that, despite lacking evidence, he suspected the man they met was not Alfred.

Jason struggled to keep the Red Hood Gang together and sought advice from Oswald, whose harsh methods had brought order to the Financial District. After deciding the East End needed stability rather than imitation of Joseph’s old resistance, Jason intervened in a jewelry-store robbery and discovered a mysterious figure inside.

• Jason saw that Maroni’s downfall had unleashed new gangs and that his attempts to govern the East End had accelerated the Red Hood Gang’s decline.
• Jason confronted Oswald, who explained how his men had deterred pickpockets by cutting off the fingers of those they caught.
• Royce told Jason that Qin Wei had renovated the Senate but had become impossible to contact.
• Jason concluded that the East End needed stability and development, and that Oswald’s harsh approach might offer a useful lesson.
• Jason followed masked thieves breaking into a jewelry store, deflated their getaway car’s tires, and saw a shadowy figure knock out one of the armed men.

Jason encountered a masked vigilante attacking criminals in the Financial District and learned from Royce that the stranger had been secretly helping suppress thieves and robbers. Jason then sought Qin Wei’s advice on taking action against the Masked Society and returning to university, while Qin Wei concealed that he had been involved in the encounter.

• A masked man attacked Jason outside a jewelry store, disarmed him, and escaped after insisting they were not enemies.
• Royce told Jason that a mysterious, brutal vigilante had been targeting gangs of thieves in the Financial District and had helped improve conditions there.
• Jason visited Qin Wei and discussed concealing his identity to fight criminals; Qin Wei urged him to target the Masked Society first and return to university afterward.
• Jason asked Qin Wei what he planned to do, and Qin Wei said he wanted to enjoy life, leaving Jason disappointed and unsure whether he was the masked man.
• After Jason left, Qin Wei checked that he was gone and revealed black spray-painted bulletproof trousers beneath his bathrobe.

Qin Wei hid his identity while investigating the person who had broken into his home and searching for Joker. After reviewing surveillance footage, he identified the Second Joker’s trail and planned to use Johnny Frost to reach Joker.

• Qin Wei struggled to remove his Kevlar suit, examined his gunshot injury, and left his equipment behind a marker before going out in disguise.
• Qin Wei suspected that Alfred was an impostor after finding signs of an intrusion and moved his investigations to a rented attic nearby.
• Qin Wei reviewed surveillance footage and saw a fedora-wearing man inspect the Senate, followed later by a masked intruder who broke in and left through the front door.
• Qin Wei connected the Second Joker to the murder of the pizza delivery man and concluded that the missing item was in his hands.
• Qin Wei planned to gain Johnny Frost’s trust at a bar that weekend and had contacted Oswald to arrange a performance that might help him reach Joker.

Qin Wei recruited Matches Malone to help him approach Johnny, disguising himself as Malone while Malone took on Qin Wei’s appearance. At a bar, Qin Wei finally got Johnny’s attention and began coaxing him to open up about his troubles.

• Qin Wei returned to the Senate and found Selina had cleaned the room, then asked her to disguise him as Matches Malone.
• Selina made Qin Wei look like Malone, and Malone arrived to help with Qin Wei’s plan to get the Roman to lift the bounty on him.
• Qin Wei told Malone to use the name Will, gave him money and scripts, and instructed him to spend three days enjoying himself while responding to certain people as directed.
• Qin Wei and his associates staged a bar encounter to draw Johnny’s attention, but Johnny initially remained absorbed in his own misery.
• Qin Wei sat beside Johnny, greeted him as an old friend, and encouraged him to share his troubles over drinks.

Qin Wei staged a fake crime-scene shootout and torture session to build Johnny Frost’s trust and draw out his guilt. The chapter left Johnny bound in the basement, still refusing to betray Joker, while Qin Wei prepared to make him feel responsible for the suffering of his supposed ally, Matches Malone.

• Johnny Frost told Qin Wei about his ex-wife Sherry and their daughter, and Qin Wei gained his trust by offering sympathy and money.
• When The Roman’s men entered the bar looking for Johnny, Qin Wei staged a shootout with props and special effects while Johnny escaped through the back door.
• Royce knocked Johnny unconscious outside, and the crew paid the extras before moving the staged filming to a basement.
• Selina applied bruises and torn clothing to Qin Wei, while Royce bound the unconscious Johnny and followed Qin Wei’s instructions for a separate casino assignment.
• Royce tortured Johnny for information about Joker, but Johnny stayed silent, and Royce accidentally slapped Qin Wei when Qin Wei tried to stop him.
• Qin Wei planned to use Johnny’s guilt over Matches Malone’s supposed torture rather than force him to reveal Joker’s whereabouts.

Qin Wei helped Johnny escape Royce’s basement and used the getaway to draw out Johnny’s connection to Joker. After Johnny accused Qin Wei of working for Arnold, Qin Wei’s emotional appeal made Johnny ask him to stay.

• Qin Wei freed Johnny, and they knocked Royce unconscious when he came to the basement door.
• Johnny used a pistol loaded with blanks to take down two guards, then drove away with Qin Wei in a Rolls-Royce.
• Qin Wei asked why the Roman’s men had pursued Johnny, and Johnny hinted that he had missed a chance involving someone before asking Qin Wei to work with him.
• Johnny drove through a construction detour and stopped at a broken bridge over the Gotham River, then accused Qin Wei of working for Arnold.
• Qin Wei protested that Johnny had damaged their friendship, took Johnny’s blank-loaded pistol, and threw it into the river.
• As Qin Wei moved to leave, Johnny called after him and asked him to wait.

Qin Wei learned that Joker was recruiting gangs and planned to raid Arnold Wesker's mansion, then warned Oswald not to send Arnold help. At the Dream Casino, people accused Matches Malone of cheating and tried to expose his disguise, until an unknown arrival spoke from behind the crowd.

• Johnny Frost told Qin Wei that Joker was building a force by making small and medium-sized gangs cooperate or face destruction.
• Johnny revealed that Joker planned to attack Arnold Wesker's mansion that night and kill him, and Qin Wei learned Joker was unlikely to attend.
• Qin Wei messaged Oswald not to send Arnold support if Arnold asked for help.
• At the Dream Casino, Matches Malone won repeatedly while several gamblers gathered around and accused him of cheating.
• The casino guards restrained Matches Malone, and the woman in red urged them to rub off his makeup and reveal his identity.
• As a guard reached for Matches Malone's face, someone behind the crowd yawned and addressed him.

Jason intervened when casino patrons accused Qin Wei, posing as Mr. Will, of cheating, and Royce forced them to pay for their accusations before helping establish Will’s identity. After Royce sent Jason back to the East End, Jason encountered a masked figure standing over the bloody old man and fled.

• Jason confronted the casino patrons who accused Qin Wei of cheating, attacking the old man when he repeated the accusation.
• Royce arrived and used his standing with the Roman Empire to make the six accusers surrender an index finger each.
• Royce cut Matches Malone’s face to show the patrons that he was not wearing a human-skin mask, then ordered Jason to return to the East End.
• Jason drove away from the casino and heard a cry for help in the parking lot.
• Jason recognized the wounded old man and saw a masked figure in black standing on his head, then sped away when he met the figure’s azure eyes.

Thomas Wayne defeated Jason and warned him to stay out of the way while he dealt with Falcone. Meanwhile, Qin Wei joined Johnny and Killer Croc in an assault on Arnold’s residence, where his excitement at killing the guards led him to challenge Killer Croc for leadership of the Croc Boss Gang.

• Thomas Wayne defeated Jason, told him to meet downstairs at Wayne Tower the next day, and warned him not to tell Will about their encounter.
• Thomas Wayne ordered a surviving man to warn Falcone that the Wayne Family would not tolerate interference and threatened him with Owlman’s Screech.
• Qin Wei led an assault on Arnold’s residence with Johnny and Killer Croc, while the squad killed the guards and blasted open the villa’s door.
• Qin Wei killed nearly every enemy on the first floor and discovered that the violence excited him.
• Killer Croc challenged Qin Wei to a contest to reach Arnold first, and Qin Wei wagered that he would take over the Croc Boss Gang if he won.

Qin Wei helped Johnny Frost’s squad locate Arnold and surrounded the basement safe room, while Arnold planned to escape through the ventilation duct. Qin Wei watched the exhaust outlet and saw a thin figure crawl out, leaving the identity of the escapee unknown.

• Arnold panicked in his locked safe room as Scarface urged him to escape through the ventilation duct.
• Killer Croc and Qin Wei fought their way through armed enemies, and Qin Wei killed one thug and learned where Arnold was hiding from another.
• Qin Wei told Johnny Frost Arnold’s location, and Johnny relayed it to the squad, which surrounded the basement safe room.
• The squad began trying to smoke Arnold out through the ventilation duct while Qin Wei slipped outside to watch the main exhaust outlet.
• Qin Wei reflected on how killing had changed his mindset, then saw the exhaust cover fall and a thin figure crawl out.

Arnold’s escape attempt ended when Qin Wei dragged him into a car, but Killer Croc interrupted and attacked Qin Wei. As Qin Wei nearly killed Killer Croc, a strange voice and a second transformation shifted the surroundings, leaving Killer Croc questioning whether Qin Wei was really Matches Malone.

• Arnold crawled out of a ventilation duct and tried to escape in a vintage car with Scarface.
• Qin Wei seized Arnold, broke his arm, and began strangling him before Killer Croc flipped the car over.
• Qin Wei punched and kicked Killer Croc, then choked him until a strange sensation and voice overtook Qin Wei.
• Killer Croc underwent a second atavistic transformation and struck Qin Wei, while the courtyard and surrounding city changed around them.
• Killer Croc noticed the ocher foundation on Qin Wei’s fist and accused him of disguising himself as Matches Malone.

Qin Wei knocked out Killer Croc during his infiltration, but Johnny’s comment revealed that Croc’s monstrous appearance was not a recent transformation. Elsewhere, Talia asked Deathstroke to protect a child who might be targeted by the Court of Owls, and Slade considered her plea.

• Qin Wei used dirt and a thrown flowerpot to distract Killer Croc, then took him down and knocked him unconscious with repeated blows to the head.
• Qin Wei aimed Scarface’s dropped Thompson at Killer Croc, but Johnny arrived and ordered him to put the gun down.
• Johnny called Killer Croc Wei Lun and said he had always looked that way, revealing that Qin Wei had mistaken his appearance for a second atavistic transformation.
• Talia told Deathstroke that children were disappearing across Gotham and that the Court of Owls might be training new Talons.
• Talia asked Slade to protect a child carrying “that thing,” and Slade fell silent after she appealed to his friendship with Bronze Tiger.

Qin Wei killed Arnold and Killer Croc, then destroyed the talking Scarface puppet before leaving the courtyard. Killer Croc revived and crawled into the sewers, while Qin Wei discovered that his identity remained hidden and his phone and online account had changed.

• Qin Wei told Johnny that Killer Croc had interrupted Arnold's execution, and Johnny shot Arnold after concluding Qin Wei was telling the truth.
• Johnny left Qin Wei alone with the unconscious Killer Croc, and Qin Wei emptied his pistol into him and confirmed he had stopped breathing.
• Scarface spoke to Qin Wei and offered to help him rise through the gangs, but Qin Wei shot the puppet and crushed it underfoot.
• After Qin Wei left, Killer Croc revived with a vacant gaze and crawled through the streets into a sewer.
• Qin Wei rejoined the squad, found that his face and identity were still protected, and discovered his phone had become a rose-gold Apple Pro Max with an OnlyFans account he did not remember using.
• Qin Wei received a text message on his changed phone.

Qin Wei realized that the timeline had changed again, altering both past events and the modern setting of Gotham. After Selina believed his account and treated his injuries, their flirtation turned into an intimate moment.

• Dick told Qin Wei that he had joined the League of Assassins and did not regret choosing its path.
• Qin Wei noticed that Dick's account of his family's murder differed from what he remembered and concluded that the timeline had changed again.
• Qin Wei called Oswald and described the changes, but Oswald misunderstood and thought Qin Wei was on drugs.
• Selina arrived to treat Qin Wei's injuries, and he noticed that her hair was black instead of silver.
• Qin Wei told Selina about the timeline changes, and she believed him, saying that changing her hair was something she might have done.
• Qin Wei pinned Selina to the couch and asked if he could kiss her, and she closed her eyes.