Chapter 390: I'm Very Sorry
The Grandmaster's Final Confession
The DC universe is home to many powerful super-metals.
The Lazarus Pit Formula is one of them. It is a liquid metal that appears bright green and possesses the miraculous ability to grant immortality and resurrection.
Ra's al Ghul, the leader of the League of Assassins, has lived for centuries because of a flawed version of the Lazarus Pit Formula. Its long-term use has a negative side effect, often causing users to become deranged and lose the ability to think rationally.
Pure Lazarus Pit Formula is incredibly rare and cannot be obtained through conventional means.
What the Court of Owls called Dionesium is a compound metal mixed from an inferior Lazarus Pit Formula and various other materials. It can not only grant users hyper-accelerated healing but also bestow superhuman strength and speed.
Naturally, the negative side effects are even more pronounced.
Dior asked curiously, "Young Master, is this the Dionesium?"
"I'm not sure yet. Maybe, maybe not."
"Should I drag a corpse over here?"
"No, there is too little of it. Not a single drop can be wasted."
The crystal vial looked large and was quite heavy, but the liquid inside was only two fingers thick—a pitiful amount.
Luke put the vial away, left the vault, and walked to the room where Sir Black Hawk was being interrogated.
The once-supreme Sir Black Hawk was now strung up on the wall like a prisoner on death row. Four of his fingers had been severed, and his chest was covered in burns and scars from electrical shocks.
A subordinate was pouring saltwater onto his wounds. Seeing Luke, he was surprised.
"Boss, why did you come in yourself?"
Luke waved him off. "Go outside first. I want to talk to him."
"Right away!"
The subordinate put down the wooden bucket, left the room, and closed the door.
"What should I call you? Sir Black Hawk, Lincoln March, or young Thomas Wayne?"
Sir Black Hawk snapped his head up, staring intensely at Luke.
"How do you know that? Who told you?"
Luke smiled faintly. "Who else but the Red-Robed Grandmaster, Mr. Shawn, would know those secrets? He's not like you; he couldn't stand the taste of chili water and told us everything."
Lincoln March fell silent. After a moment, he hissed,
"There's one thing I've never understood."
"Speak."
"You deliberately leaked the MAX military armor, didn't you?"
"Why would you think that?"
"Because the timing is too coincidental. Three hundred sets of MAX were shipped to the Department of Defense in three batches. No information about the first two batches leaked, but suddenly, the news spread when the third batch was shipped. You deliberately leaked it, didn't you?"
Luke smiled and shook his head. "I'm not obliged to solve your dilemmas unless you answer my questions."
"You want to know about the Dionesium?"
"Yes."
"Shawn didn't tell you?"
"He did, but it was a lie."
Luke sat on a chair, his eyes narrowed, emitting a faint killing intent. "Mr. March, I don't want to be deceived a second time."
Lincoln March laughed maniacally. "That coward actually had the nerve to lie to you! Ha ha ha ha!!!"
"That's truly hilarious."
Luke took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag. Only after the laughter subsided did he speak unhurriedly. "Lying to me has a price. How long do you think he can last? One minute? Two? Maybe three?"
"In my estimation, five minutes is the limit. After five minutes, I will have the real answer, and you will lose your bargaining power."
Lincoln March immediately became solemn. He said in a low voice,
"What all did he say?"
"Many things. The Court's origins, history, member list, the second-floor secret passage, the seventh exit known only to the Grandmasters, and—oh, yes—he mentioned you."
Luke flicked the ash from his cigarette, his eyes filled with profound meaning.
"They lied to you. Since birth, they groomed you as the dead brother of Bruce Wayne, aiming for you to one day inherit the vast Wayne enterprise and elevate the Court of Owls. The reality is, you have no blood relation to the Wayne family."
"You are nothing more than an unwanted orphan, a replacement picked up from the orphanage. Your life is a lie, utterly meaningless."
"Lies! You are lying!"
Lincoln March's face was contorted in fury as he desperately tore at the chains.
"Stop, Mr. March. Don't pretend to be angry. You can't break those chains, and even if you did, you're no match for me. Hurry up and tell me the true location of the Dionesium."
After a long silence, Luke shook his head in frustration.
"I didn't want it to come to this. You're forcing my hand."
With that, Luke suddenly lunged forward, grabbing March by the neck and pulling him close. Green flame ignited in Luke's eyes. The terrifying power originating from the depths of his soul instantly shattered Lincoln March's will.
"Tell me, where is the Dionesium?"
The cold voice seemed to come from the abyss of hell. Lincoln March's eyes went wide. In that moment, he saw the Grim Reaper. His body and mind, dominated by fear, could muster no resistance, and he sank bit by bit into the green flames.
"The owl statue... the owl statue in the secret vault. The Dionesium is... is right below it."
"Below it?"
Luke frowned. "Not inside its stomach?"
"The one in the stomach is fake. Shawn wanted to trade the Dionesium with the mob, but I disagreed, so I swapped the real one out."
"So, the liquid in the crystal vial is a fake?"
"Not entirely fake. It's mixed with a small amount of Dionesium; its efficacy is very poor."
Lincoln March spoke slowly, his eyes vacant and unfocused, like a puppet being manipulated.
"You two are unbelievable!"
Luke was truly exasperated. These two fools, with all the power in their hands, were still engaging in petty infighting.
"Since you wanted to fight, you can continue your feud in hell."
Green flame erupted from his palm. With a wrenching motion, he tore out a faint, translucent shadow—March's soul—and squeezed it, turning it to ash in the flames.
Lincoln March died silently.
Luke left the room and returned to the secret vault. He moved the owl statue and retrieved the true "crystal vial" from beneath it.
Looking at the liquid swirling inside the bottle, he let out a long sigh.
"It truly wasn't easy to get you."
Just then, AVA's voice sounded in his ear.
"Young Master, there is something you need to know: Miss Gordon is in the underground labyrinth."
Luke was momentarily stunned. "She came too?"
"Yes, her condition is very poor. She has multiple wounds, seemingly sustained in a fight with the Talons. She has fallen into a deep coma due to excessive blood loss."
"That woman..."
Luke sighed softly. He put the vial away, returned to the main hall, gave Dior instructions, and then headed alone toward the southern exit.
After he left, Dior led the terrified Cohen Delk into the room where the Red-Robed Grandmaster had been interrogated.
"The Young Master told me to give you a message."
Delk whispered, "What... what is it? Does the Master have a new command?"
Dior shook his head and plunged a knife into Delk's heart.
"I'm very sorry."
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