Chapter 391: Phantom Project 3
Cleanup and Escape
With the death of Cohen Delk, the Court of Owls was completely wiped out.
The mission was over. It was time for cleanup. Dior and his men split up to head for the various entrances and exits, planting explosives at critical junctures. Since the Court was finished, there was no need for the underground labyrinth to exist anymore.
After today, the Owls would become history, a history known to no one.
Meanwhile, guided by the mechanical rats, Luke Shaw found Barbara Gordon, who was lying unconscious on the floor. Her condition was terrible; her face was frighteningly pale, like that of a ghost, and her body was cold, occasionally twitching due to emergency stress reactions.
"A.V.A., what's the situation?"
"The body has suffered severe blood loss. An urgent blood transfusion is required."
"What is her blood type?"
"According to records from the Gotham City Central Hospital, Miss Gordon has Type A blood."
"It seems fate intended this."
Luke extended his right hand. The suit flowed and transformed into an IV line. One end pierced the vein in Luke's wrist, and the other was attached to Barbara. Blood flowed from his body, and under the action of a pressure regulator, it was continuously pumped into the girl's body.
He was also Type A—the same blood type.
Luke put Barbara on his back. As he walked, he contacted Dior.
"Don't worry about me. Once the bombs are planted, detonate them immediately. Remember, everything in the vault except the gemstones must be incinerated."
"Understood, Young Master. Where do we go after the mission?"
"Metropolis."
The Collapse and Consequences
An hour later, at a private hospital in Gotham City's Otisburg district, Luke stood on the rooftop, quietly watching the red glow rising over the eastern sea.
Suddenly, the ground shook. The intensity wasn't great, but the tremors were extremely dense, a chain of vibrations rising from below. The shaking continued for a full two minutes before subsiding.
The earthquake awoke the sleeping residents of Gotham. Before long, the quiet streets were filled with men and women wearing pajamas.
Inside the Sweetheart Candies Factory.
The Gotham City police, who had been up all night, were jolted awake by the tremor. Jim Gordon quickly grabbed his walkie-talkie to ask for status reports from various units. Soon, a few officers who had been scouting the underground labyrinth rushed out in a panic.
"Bad news, Commissioner Gordon! The underground labyrinth has collapsed!"
Jim's face changed. He urgently asked, "What happened? Why did it collapse?"
The officers shook their heads. The one in front hesitated.
"It sounded like... bombs."
"Bombs?"
Harvey Dent frantically interjected, "Are you sure? Was it really bombs?"
The officer thought for a moment, then nodded heavily.
"Yes, it has to be. A series of explosions. An earthquake doesn't sound like that."
Harvey Dent punched the wall. "Damn it! I knew it! I knew this would happen! The Court of Owls wouldn't leave the entrance unguarded! They must have done it! They blew up the labyrinth! Now what? The leads are gone! Who will ever find them now?"
Harvey Dent was furious, glaring bitterly at the Police Commissioner.
"This is all your fault! If you hadn't stopped me, I would have charged in with my men! Days of effort, all wasted!"
Jim Gordon remained silent, merely chain-smoking. The surrounding officers had complicated expressions, unable to hide their disappointment.
They knew the Commissioner was looking out for their safety, but the reality was: the mission had failed. Without the underground labyrinth, there was no trace of the Owls. They would simply go into hiding again, and who knew when they would resurface.
Just then, his phone rang.
Jim answered the call. Whatever he heard instantly changed his expression. He ignored the scene and turned to run outside.
Twenty minutes later, Jim Gordon arrived at the hospital and found his daughter in the intensive care unit.
"Doctor, what happened? Why is she here?"
"Are you the patient's family?"
Jim nodded repeatedly. "I am her father, Jim Gordon."
The doctor looked up, surprised. "Commissioner Gordon, it really is you." He paused, then quickly added, "Don't worry, Miss Gordon is fine. A period of observation, and if there are no other issues, she can be discharged."
Jim let out a long breath, finally allowing his tension to ease. He asked,
"What kind of injuries did she sustain?"
"Stab wounds."
The doctor's eyes showed a hint of sympathy. "Miss Gordon has multiple wounds caused by sharp blades. The ones on her abdomen and legs are the most severe. Thankfully, treatment was timely, and someone gave her a blood transfusion; otherwise, her condition would have deteriorated further."
"Commissioner Gordon, have you perhaps made any enemies?"
Jim waved his hand and walked to the glass door, quietly watching his sleeping daughter. After a moment, he turned back.
"Who brought her here?"
"A masked, mysterious person. They left a bank card and then disappeared."
"A bank card?"
The doctor took out the card. "This is it. The password is on the back. We checked it: the card has a deposit of $200,000, which is more than enough for Miss Gordon's treatment."
Jim took the bank card, examined it carefully, and said in a low voice,
"I need to take this."
The doctor was taken aback for a moment, then nodded repeatedly. "No problem. It was left for Miss Gordon in the first place, so of course you can take it."
Jim asked about his daughter's condition again. After confirming everything was stable, he went to a nearby police station to investigate the bank card's account information. The result showed the account holder had died two years ago.
"A dead person can open a bank account?"
Jim Gordon was utterly bewildered. He thought for a moment, then decided he had to return to the hospital—his daughter might know something.
The Next Step: Phantom Project 3
After dealing with his affairs in Gotham City, Luke returned directly to the cliffside villa.
The villa's scenery was more enchanting than ever after a few days away.
The transition from spring to summer was the season when flowers bloomed in competition. The bright green lawn and the colorful flowerbeds merged, looking like a brilliant, vibrant oil painting from afar.
And in that painting, a beautiful woman was practicing martial arts. Linda was training on the lawn as usual. Her long hair shimmered in the sunlight with a wheat-like sheen, and her pair of green eyes flashed with spirit. She danced with the wind, performing various incredible movements that, while looking soft and graceful, were intimidatingly powerful.
"The old beggar really took on a good apprentice!"
Luke sighed deeply. Linda's martial arts talent was astonishingly high. In just half a year, she had achieved mastery, grasping the profound secrets of the ancient martial art. At this rate, she would become a Grandmaster in ten years at most.
"A martial arts Grandmaster with Kryptonian strength!"
Luke shivered slightly.
"No, I need to improve my strength, too."
After greeting his butler, Luke went down to the underground base. After several expansions, the base was well-established, with three levels and a total area exceeding 1,500 square meters.
It housed all sorts of sophisticated equipment, including energy conversion devices salvaged from the Kryptonian spaceship and mind technology from the Zamaron Star. The sole purpose of all this equipment was the Phantom Armor.
With the Dionesium now in hand, the first phase of Phantom Project 3 was officially initiated.
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