Chapter 382: The Underground Labyrinth (2)
Batman's Hostage Gambit
After two cautious explorations, Bruce once again found the correct path.
He arrived at a spacious circular hall. Two chandeliers were suspended from the walls, casting a dim light around the dark space. Following the light, a nearly three-meter-tall owl statue abruptly appeared in front of him.
The eyes of the sculpture were strange, flashing red in the darkness, like some sort of surveillance equipment. Bruce walked closer and saw that the eye sockets held two fist-sized, glowing red rubies. Such gems would sell for at least several million dollars on the market, a collection item even the wealthy Wayne family lacked. The gems alone revealed the immense financial power of the Court of Owls.
Bruce barely spared them a glance and, after leaving the circular hall, followed the sound of the running water until he found the underground river. It was over five meters wide and flowed swiftly. Searching up and down the riverbank, he eventually found tools used for drawing water near a pile of rocks.
"This is the right way."
Bruce picked up the ladle and scooped up half a scoop of water, drinking it down. The slightly sweet, cool water invigorated him, sharpening his senses.
Just then, he heard a sound nearby.
Bruce's heart jumped, and he instinctively rolled to the right.
Boom!
Accompanied by the twang of a bowstring, a completely black long arrow flew over Bruce's head, embedding itself deeply in the stone wall. The powerful force made the arrow's tail shake violently.
Boom!
Another bowstring twanged. A black streak aimed straight for his head.
A fatal crisis rushed toward him. Bruce exploded with all his strength, forcing his body to shift ten centimeters sideways, narrowly avoiding the lethal arrow.
His heart was pounding, and his head throbbed—likely from the impact of the near-miss. Bruce ignored his wound and quickly rolled behind a stone pillar. With the pillar as cover, he could finally assess the situation.
There were five attackers. Four in the front wore black skin-tight armor and falcon masks. Two carried short swords, and two held compound bows. They were all Talons.
As for the last one...
Bruce quickly glanced over. Dressed in a gray plaid suit and a white mask, this was undoubtedly a Court member.
"We finally found you, Court of Owls."
The member in the gray suit stepped forward and said coldly,
"Batman! I didn't think you could find this place. Fine, we'll finish you off right here. I must see who hides behind that Batman mask."
"You four, take him out."
The four Talons reacted instantly. Two drew their short swords and charged forward, while the other two notched arrows, ready to fire. These Talons were exceptionally powerful, a step above the ones he had previously encountered. Bruce couldn't afford a mistake. Seeing the dangerous situation, he immediately drew his grappling gun and smoke pellets.
The grappling claw secured a grip on a rock, and Bruce soared into the air as a thick cloud of smoke billowed from below. The smoke rapidly expanded, filling the entire hall with a hazy gray.
Just then, a black shape rushed out of the smoke. The two archer Talons didn't hesitate, letting their arrows fly. The long arrows pierced the black shape, pinning it to the wall.
It was only the cape. Realizing the deception, the two Talons quickly drew new arrows and prepared to shoot again.
"Tell them to drop their weapons, or I'll kill you."
A firm voice came from the smoke. The four Talons looked in the direction of the voice. Without their noticing, Batman had slipped under the statue and grabbed the suited man who had been watching the fight.
"I'll say it again: Tell them to drop their weapons!"
Bruce shifted his arm, and the metal blade on his gauntlet pressed into the man's neck. The suited man cried out nervously,
"Don't shoot! You won't escape even if you kill me!"
"Since I came, I don't intend to leave."
Bruce applied more pressure, and the blade sliced through the skin, leaving a shallow, centimeter-long cut. "You can bet on whether I die first or you do."
Blood flowed down his neck, and the suited man completely lost his nerve.
"Drop your weapons! Put the weapons down! Hurry!"
"No!" Bruce looked up, his eyes utterly cold. "Throw the weapons into the river!"
The suited man hesitated, but sensing the blade moving against his neck, he bitterly conceded.
"Do as he says! Throw your weapons into the river! Now!"
The four Talons exchanged glances, then turned and walked to the riverbank, tossing all their weapons and throwing knives into the water. The weapons were immediately swept away by the swift current.
Bruce knocked the suited man unconscious with a strike to the head, then raised his arms, deploying his metal blades.
"We fight now."
Barbara's Desperation
In the eastern sector of the underground labyrinth, in a gloomy cavern, Barbara was locked in an intense battle with a single Talon.
Several loyalist soldiers lay scattered in the cavern, barely alive and occasionally twitching.
Barbara's MAX military power armor had been specially modified by Luke, and then she used her own exceptional hacking skills to further fine-tune the armor to suit her needs. Her master had warned her that even with the armor, she might not be a match for a Talon. While she had disagreed verbally, she now realized her master was right.
She was truly no match for her opponent. She was inferior in both skill and experience. If not for the armor protecting her, she would already be dead. What frustrated her more was the Talon's nearly abnormal recovery ability: any wound healed almost instantly. He was practically an immortal being.
The prolonged fight had made Barbara's body feel heavy, and her breathing grew ragged. After pushing her opponent back again, the girl retreated cautiously instead of pursuing. Her stamina was lower than the Talon's. Continuing to fight like this would be fatal; she had to find a way to break the deadlock.
The Talon's abilities were similar to the legendary vampires and werewolves. What were the weaknesses of dark creatures?
Silver, garlic, wolfsbane, stakes, holy water, crucifixes...
No! No!
It couldn't be those things. The weakness of vampires and werewolves was their head—if you cut off their head, they die.
"Decapitation!"
Barbara gasped, deeply hesitant. She had never killed anyone and did not want to. But if she didn't kill him, what else could she do?
"Maybe I can knock him out with electricity."
Barbara grit her teeth, boosting the armor's energy to its limit. The suit glowed with a bright blue light. Invisible energy radiated outward, and with a sizzle-sizzle sound, large currents of electricity erupted from her arms and shoulders. The current snaked toward her palms, coalescing into lightning balls the size of her fists.
White electrical arcs expanded outward, illuminating the entire cavern.
"Come on! I will defeat you!"
Barbara yelled, charging forward, dragging the two lightning balls that had consumed one-seventh of her total energy. The sheer energy radiating from the lightning balls was alarming. The Talon dared not meet the attack head-on, immediately flashing back and narrowly evading Barbara's assault. In mid-air, he suddenly slashed his short sword.
Clang!
The sword pierced the armor, but Barbara ignored it, raising her arm and smashing backward.
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