Chapter 385: Doomsday for the Owls (1)
The Grandmasters' Panic
As one of the two Grandmasters of the Court of Owls, Sir Black Hawk held immense power, yet he was quickly pushed into a corner by Talia after just a few sentences.
The daughter of Ra's al Ghul! The heir to the League of Assassins! The memory of that terrifying, global organization made him deeply unsettled.
"I can let you take Batman, but you must confirm one thing for me: Is Luke Shaw truly in the labyrinth?"
Talia chuckled, stubbed out her cigar, and casually tossed it into the waste bin.
"If I were him, I would never miss such an excellent opportunity."
Sir Black Hawk fell silent. After a few seconds, he said, "Please wait a moment."
He left the room and found the Red-Robed Grandmaster nearby.
"What do you think?"
The Red-Robed Grandmaster shook his head silently. "I can't be sure."
Sir Black Hawk thought for a few seconds and stated, "She has the proper authority and code words; her identity isn't fake, and no one would dare impersonate the daughter of Ra's al Ghul. You know how terrifying her father is better than I do."
"Then we have a serious problem. The League of Assassins is targeting Batman, and they want him alive. Why would they do that?"
"I'm not worried about Batman right now; he's only one man. Even if he finds the exit, what can he do? The key is Luke Shaw..." Mentioning that name caused a wave of anxiety in Sir Black Hawk. He paused, then grit his teeth. "Put the Batman issue on hold and let the League of Assassins handle him. You need to mobilize everyone immediately and sweep the labyrinth. You must find Luke Shaw's tracks and absolutely prevent him from reaching headquarters."
The Red-Robed Grandmaster's face twisted with reluctance. He had just promised the members he would bring Batman's corpse back to the hall. Now he had to go back on his word; how would he maintain respect after that?
Just then, a subordinate rushed over frantically.
"Bad news! Something happened on Batman's... on his... it's a disaster!"
The Red-Robed Grandmaster's face tightened in shock. "What is it? Speak clearly!"
The man caught his breath and urgently explained, "We just received word! The four Talons we sent were all defeated! Batman threw them into the underground river, and they were swept away by the current!"
"What about Hummingbird?"
"Mr. Hummingbird... he appears to have been captured alive."
After reporting this, the man quickly lowered his head. The Red-Robed Grandmaster's face instantly went ashen, and he swayed.
Four Talons! Top ten masters in the Talon corps! They were defeated in a four-on-one fight. How could this be possible?
Sir Black Hawk quickly supported him, whispering, "Don't hesitate any longer. Time is running out."
The Red-Robed Grandmaster closed his eyes, looking utterly exhausted.
"Do as you suggested. Do it now."
Luke's Path of Violence
Compared to the struggles of Bruce and Barbara, Luke's journey was remarkably "calm." Any enemies that dared show themselves were cleanly eliminated by his subordinates before Luke even had to act. As for the traps and dead ends...
Ha! They were a joke.
The group moved quickly. Before long, they found a massive stone door, four meters high, engraved with a relief. On either side stood a matching owl statue.
The mechanical rats stopped in front of the stone door, squeaking. The smallest rat ran out and slipped through the door crack. Behind the door was a room that, based on the cot and food, seemed to be a rest area.
The small rat looked up, its red eyes flashing. It quickly located the control button on the wall. Just as it climbed the wall to use the switch to open the stone door, hurried footsteps sounded from the front.
"Someone's coming."
Luke raised his hand. The group quickly scattered, hiding behind the statues, and Luke himself vanished into concealment.
Like Cohen Delk, Henry's motivation for giving up his privileged life and joining the logistics staff was the hope of one day succeeding as a Grandmaster and becoming a Court legend. With some luck and family support, he quickly moved up from a low-level manager to the Red-Robed Grandmaster's aide. Without intervention, his future would have been bright. Unfortunately, the world is full of interventions.
The heavy stone door slowly opened. Henry stepped forward, paying no attention to the unusual stillness on either side. The Talon behind him, however, sensed something was wrong. Just as he was about to speak, the air filled with the sound of energy blasts.
Two blue energy shots struck both men. Their clothes were shredded, and their masks cracked under the energy's impact.
Puff!
They coughed up blood, flying backward like baseballs and crashing heavily against the wall.
The waiting soldiers rushed out. In just a few seconds, they had the Talon pinned and killed on the ground.
Luke emerged from his cover, smiling faintly.
"My masked friend, would you be willing to answer a few questions for me?"
Henry looked back, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Who... who are you?"
"I don't like to waste time."
"Dior!"
Luke snapped his fingers. The dead Talon was brought forward. Dior drew the black short sword from the Talon's back and swung it hard.
Schlick!
Blood spurted out. The round head tumbled across the ground, stopping right at Henry's feet. The despair and terror on the face were glaringly obvious, frozen like a painting.
"Ah!!!!"
Henry screamed in horror, his legs shaking violently. He was completely terrified.
Luke walked up, grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him, forcing him to meet his gaze.
"Answer my questions unless you want your head to fall off."
"Where are the Grandmasters?"
"Behind... they're right behind this."
Henry was dazed, his eyes filled with dread, completely lacking any will to resist.
"How many people are inside, and what are they doing?"
"Five... fifty or sixty people. Everyone is... waiting for news."
"What news?"
"Batman... news of Batman."
"Batman came too."
Henry nodded frantically, desperately pleading, "Please let me go! I don't know anything! I just work for them! Please, please let me go!"
"If you don't know anything, what good are you alive?"
Luke tossed him to the ground. A soldier stepped forward and crushed his throat with a stomp.
"Clear the area and plant explosives."
Luke scanned the surroundings, finding nothing else suspicious.
"Little rats, continue leading the way."
Batman's Final Approach
Being a superhero isn't a job.
The first day he put on the Bat-suit, Bruce felt it. It was more like a choice, a resistance, a form of hope. Gotham City was his home, the place the Wayne family had guarded for generations, and for this home, he was willing to pay any price.
Beside the dark, rushing underground river, a pale Bruce leaned against a stone pillar, meticulously treating his wounds with medical gel. Four Talons working together were not easy to defeat.
To secure the victory, Bruce had paid a heavy price, but it was worth it. He had extracted critical internal information about the Court from the captured suited man named "Hummingbird."
"Nine hundred meters left! Go straight down the secret passage behind the main door for nine hundred meters, and you'll reach the Grand Hall. The Court of Owls' most important members are there, along with the Grandmasters."
Bruce gasped for air. After treating his wounds, he put his armor back on and started moving inward with a slightly heavy gait.
He had barely taken a few steps when he heard heavy footsteps approaching from ahead.
Blue light flickered in the darkness. Through the flashes of light, a willowy figure could faintly be seen.
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