Locke didn't even remember how he made it back to the East District.
The events of the night replayed faintly in his mind, but they felt distant, almost unreal. What had happened out there wasn't something he had planned, and more importantly, it wasn't something he had ever expected from himself.
When did I start becoming like this… killing every last one of them without hesitation?
Before, when he hunted criminals, there had always been a clear purpose. He needed the energy, and at the same time, he justified it as punishment for their sins. There had been structure, restraint—something that still felt like control.
But last night had shattered that illusion completely.
That hadn't been calculated. That hadn't been controlled. That had been slaughter, pure and simple.
"Killing like it's nothing… is that what I've turned into?" he muttered under his breath, the thought leaving a bitter taste behind.
He took a slow, steady breath, forcing his expression to harden as he pushed the thoughts down.
"I need to make some adjustments," he said quietly.
With practiced ease, he scaled the wall beside his building, his movements swift and silent as he slipped back into his room. The bed was still unmade, the blankets half-tossed aside from the night before. Without bothering to fix anything, he dropped onto it, exhaustion finally catching up to him.
Sleep took him almost instantly.
When he opened his eyes again, dawn had already come.
A loud, chaotic noise rose from downstairs, pulling him out of his rest. Locke sat up slowly, rubbing his temples before walking to the window. Leaning slightly forward, he glanced down at the street below.
It was the same group as yesterday.
The lively girl stood in the middle of the crowd, talking animatedly as workers moved in and out of the shop. Tools clanged, wood scraped, and voices overlapped as renovations were already in full swing.
Locke watched for a moment before turning away and heading downstairs.
The moment he stepped outside, the noise hit him fully. He ran a hand through his messy hair, trying to wake himself up as he adjusted to the morning chaos.
"Good morning, Lin! Sleeping in again, huh?"
Emily rushed over to him, stopping right in front of him with a bright smile. Her eyes practically sparkled as she looked up at him, full of energy despite the early hour.
"Morning," Locke replied, his tone softer than before.
Without thinking, he reached out and tapped lightly on her head.
Emily's face turned red almost instantly. She let out a small, flustered sound before darting away, clearly embarrassed.
From the side, Dam hurried over, his expression tense and eager at the same time.
Locke already knew what was coming just from that look.
"Lin, did you hear about what happened last night on Thirteenth Street?" Dam asked quickly, barely able to contain himself.
Locke raised an eyebrow, playing along. "What about it?"
"Oh my God, I still can't believe it!" Dam ran a hand through his hair, clearly agitated. "Batman… he lost it. A full-on massacre. Everyone's talking about it. I always thought he was the kind of hero who'd never cross that line, but last night? That shattered everything."
His voice dropped slightly, though the excitement didn't disappear completely.
"Honestly, it's a good thing you weren't there. If you'd run into him, who knows what would've happened? Feels like he finally snapped because of all those bastards in the city."
Locke didn't respond immediately. He simply reached out and nudged Dam aside, cutting off the nonstop stream of chatter.
The two of them made their way over to the bar and took seats at a relatively quiet table.
Dam leaned in, lowering his voice slightly as Locke began to recount the events of the previous night—at least, a version of them.
By the time he finished, Dam was staring at him in disbelief, his mouth twitching as if he didn't quite know how to react.
"You… you did that?" he asked, eyes wide.
Locke let out a dry, humorless laugh. "Yeah. I think I need to take a few days off."
Dam reached out and patted his shoulder, his expression turning serious.
"It's not your fault," he said firmly. "This city's rotten to the core. Even Batman disappears sometimes because of it."
Then, just as quickly, his tone shifted.
"Since we're taking a break anyway, how about we go out and relax for a bit?" he suggested, a grin creeping onto his face. "We can take Emily with us."
Locke considered it for a moment before nodding. "Sure."
"Ha! That's what I'm talking about!"
Dam practically jumped out of his seat, his excitement impossible to hide. He had been wanting to visit places like Huola Museum, Oster Amusement Park, and Jinbu Movie City for a long time, but never had anyone to go with.
Now, with Locke joining in, the idea felt even better.
When Emily heard about it, she couldn't help but let out a soft cheer. The moment Dam announced he'd cover all the travel expenses, her excitement only grew.
The next day, Jodson was dragged over by Emily to help with the bar's renovations, and he agreed without much hesitation.
With everything settled, the three of them set off for Boston.
As the scenery rushed past outside the window, trees blurring into streaks of green, Locke leaned back slightly and closed his eyes. For the first time in what felt like forever, a sense of calm settled over him.
It was quiet. Peaceful.
Almost unfamiliar.
A loud thud broke the moment.
Three cups of instant noodles were dropped onto the table with enough force to make everything shake slightly. Emily, who had been leaning against Locke's shoulder, stirred awake instantly.
Dam grinned, clearly pleased with himself.
"Hey, time to eat! We'll be there soon," he said.
"Oh… okay."
Emily's face flushed as she realized where she had been resting. She quickly straightened up, moving away from Locke as she reached for her food.
Under their combined insistence, Locke reluctantly joined them, picking up a cup and eating along with the others.
Dam let out a satisfied sigh. "Man, nothing beats instant noodles on a trip like this."
Just as they were getting into it, a chair scraped loudly behind them.
"What's so great about eating that garbage at a time like this?"
A middle-aged man stood up, his gaze locking onto Emily. His face was thick with flesh, his expression unpleasant in a way that made her instinctively shrink back.
Locke's eyes sharpened instantly, the warmth from earlier vanishing in a heartbeat.
Before he could move, Dam was already on his feet.
"Sir, what's your problem?" Dam frowned, stepping forward without hesitation. Despite being slightly smaller, there wasn't a trace of fear in his expression.
"Yo, look at this," someone nearby chuckled.
Passengers began to pay attention, their gazes shifting between the two men as curiosity spread through the carriage.
The larger man sneered and raised his hand, moving to smack Dam across the head without warning.
But his wrist stopped mid-air.
Locke's grip was firm, his fingers wrapped around the man's arm like iron.
The big man frowned, irritation flashing across his face. "Kid, you looking for trouble?"
Dam, who had instinctively closed his eyes, slowly opened them again. The moment he saw what had happened, a smug look crept onto his face as he stepped aside without hesitation.
If Locke was stepping in, there was nothing left to worry about.
Behind him, Emily tugged lightly at Locke's sleeve, her eyes filled with concern.
Locke glanced at her briefly, then turned his attention back to the man in front of him, his expression going completely blank.
For a brief moment, the air seemed to tighten.
"Brat!"
The man's other fist came swinging toward Locke's head.
Emily let out a small scream.
But the next instant, everything flipped.
Locke's arm moved, dragging the man forward with overwhelming force. At the same time, his fist shot out, striking upward into the man's chin with blinding speed.
The impact lifted the man clean off his feet.
Before he could even react, Locke's other hand came down, slamming him straight into the ground.
The entire carriage seemed to shake from the force.
People at nearby tables jumped to their feet, tension rising instantly as a few of the man's companions moved forward, ready to intervene.
"Wait!"
The man on the ground suddenly shouted, his voice filled with panic.
He scrambled to his feet, staggering slightly as he stared at Locke, fear now replacing the arrogance from before.
"I'm sorry. That was my mistake."
A wave of surprise spread through his companions. None of them had expected him to back down so easily.
The man didn't dare look away from Locke, his body tense as if bracing for something worse. Only when Locke released his grip and returned to his seat did he finally exhale in relief.
Without wasting another second, he grabbed his companions and pulled them back to their seats.
"What the hell's wrong with you?" one of them whispered harshly. "He knocked you flat and you're just letting it go?"
"Shut up," the man hissed under his breath. "That guy's not normal. Let's just stay quiet… remember why we left Gotham in the first place."
His voice dropped even lower.
"I don't plan on dying like the others."
Emily watched Locke closely, her brows furrowed with worry as she looked him over from head to toe. After confirming that he wasn't hurt—not even his clothes were disturbed—she finally let out a small sigh of relief.
"Emily, relax," Dam said with a grin. "Lin knows martial arts. Guys like that are nothing to him."
Emily shot him a sharp glare.
Dam immediately shrank back, clamping a hand over his mouth as he fell silent.
....
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