novelraw Chapter 173, Section 70: The Combined Operation of Bats and Night Owls
Chapter 173, Section 70: The Combined Operation of Bats and Night Owls
Chapter 173: The Combined Operation of Bats and Night Owls (Part 70)
Standing atop an office building across the street, looking up at the Wayne Tower, this colossal structure nearly 1300 feet (about 400 meters) tall is shrouded in the night.
Although located in the most bustling area of the Diamond District, it stands out from the surrounding brightly lit buildings. Completed in the same year as the Empire State Building in New York, it exudes a strong Gothic style that is out of step with the times.
The tower's tapering design from bottom to top, its intricate carvings, iconic antenna spire, and gargoyle sculptures all over it give the Tower of Wayne an eerie feel in the dead of night.
Thomas fired his melee gun, grappling hook onto a gargoyle sculpture on the tower, then turned to look at Qin Wei.
It's your turn, little brother.
Qin Wei also tried to launch the grappling hook, but his equipment was outdated, and the weak rope shot out a crooked arc in the night wind before disappearing into the darkness.
He scratched his head and looked awkwardly at Thomas.
"Don't look at me, I only have this one fighting gun. How am I supposed to get over here if I give it to you?"
"Then I'll wrap the grappling hook around you, and you'll take me there?"
"Why don't you go back?"
Qin Wei certainly didn't want to go back. He had finally mustered up the courage to venture into the Tower of Venn, and it would be a waste to leave without making a big splash. He suddenly thought of the hang glider cape that Selena had made for him, and then pressed the belt switch in front of Thomas.
With a whoosh, the flapping of bat wings startled the owl.
"Interesting. Your outfit may be simple, but it's quite functional. But it's so windy upstairs, is it really appropriate to turn it on now?"
Thomas Jr. felt his reminder was somewhat unnecessary; if a bat dared to open its parachute on such a high rooftop, it must have extensive experience in wingsuit flying.
But before he could finish speaking, Qin Wei was suddenly swept off the building by a hurricane.
"Ah—ah—!"
Qin Wei was pulled away by the terrified screams and disappeared into the night.
Thomas Jr. awkwardly rubbed his temples.
"This idiot is opening a parachute for the first time. Maybe it was a mistake to call him over."
But he wasn't worried about Qin Wei's safety; the spirit of adventure seemed to be inherited, deeply rooted in every male member of the Wayne family.
If he can't even get past this hurdle, then Qin Wei is truly disappointing.
Thomas guessed correctly. After a brief period of panic during the fall, Qin Wei managed to retract his parachute and regain his balance in mid-air. After adjusting his body, which had been battered by the crosswind, he reopened the parachute.
Bats flap their wings in the darkness and soar into the sky following the direction of the airflow.
He then folded his wings and aimed his grappling hook at the gargoyle sculpture above him.
call out!
With a whooshing sound, he nimbly flipped onto the gargoyle statue, waving at Thomas over the monster's head, which was blurred by acid rain corrosion.
Fortunately, Qin Wei did not have a fear of heights, but even so, the brief fall he had just experienced still left him feeling terrified.
Practice makes perfect, and he could only console himself with the thought that he would be more experienced the next time he fell.
"Don't open your parachute when you're stationary next time; it's dangerous."
Swinging down the rope, Thomas's first words upon landing were to instruct Qin Wei, indicating that he was gradually getting used to his new identity as "elder brother".
After that, Thomas Jr. gave Qin Wei a brief overview of the layout of the entire Tower of Wayne.
The 112-story building, excluding the bottom 38 floors which are used as office space for Wayne Industries, is almost entirely occupied by owls.
而其中39层到56层是新型毒品研究的实验与生产基地，57层到82层负责军工製造，82到98层居住着大部分法庭中层人员。
As for floors 100 to 112, Thomas Jr. has no authority to access them, but he speculates that the contents must be related to genetic engineering and amber gold compounds.
This is also the reason for his trip.
Sadly, all the employees at the tower felt they were working for Isaiah Thomas and the Wayne family.
In other words, once the truth comes out, only the Wayne family will be held accountable, while the main members of the court, including the Round Table members and members of the Dispute Arbitration Tribunal, can escape unscathed.
Their identities are highly classified, and they rarely come to the Wayne Tower except for meetings.
"Do you know who they are?" Qin Wei asked.
Thomas Jr. shook his head.
"Normally, these guys all wear masks like rats in Gotham's sewers, and their voices are distorted when they talk to me, but I still recognized a few when I massacred the Dissent Tribunal, such as Joseph Powers, a well-known Jewish businessman in Gotham City."
"I investigated and found that before my father died, he bought a light factory from Joseph at a low price and tried to relocate it to the East District."
"Although the two are not directly related, I have always felt that he was the mastermind behind the murder of my parents, and the terrified look in his eyes before he died also confirmed my point of view."
Is it possible that people feel fear when they are killed?
Qin Wei's every word precisely hit Isaiah Thomas's sore spots.
"What do you mean! You think I killed the wrong person?"
"Not exactly, but I think the Elliott family is the mastermind, or even more precisely, Thomas—what?!"
Thomas was cutting the exterior glass with his equipment when Qin Wei's unexpected reply left him dangling his hands in mid-air.
"You suspect the Elliott family? They are very similar to our family. Since their parents passed away, the only heir to the family headship, Thomas, has long since left Gotham. When news of his death reached Gotham a few years ago, it didn't cause any ripples at all."
"Thinking about it, it makes sense. In Gotham, without capital, you have no say. The Elliott family's assets have long been divided up, with a significant portion even ending up in Joseph Powers' hands."
After speaking, Thomas stopped what he was doing and stared intently at Qin Wei, waiting for a reasonable explanation from him.
"That's right, dead people are the least likely to be suspected."
Qin Wei's words were a revelation to Thomas. He should have thought of this, but many preconceived notions had confined his thinking. It was only through Qin Wei's reminder that he was able to break out of his existing framework and rethink the problem.
Yes! Even Bruce Wayne faked his death to escape, so how much more likely would the Court of Owls, who have always tried to hide their identities, do so?
Qin Wei then shared Lei Xiaogu's information and his own experiences with others.
"You mean, Thomas returned to Gotham using Dr. Reed's identity and became one of the court's high-ranking officials?"
The owl's hand hung in mid-air, its body motionless as if petrified by Medusa.
The intelligence provided by Qin Wei had an impact comparable to an 8-magnitude earthquake.
"I don't think it's about 'becoming'. Perhaps the Elliott family has always been at the heart of the Court of Owls. You even said that Thomas's parents are long gone, and I doubt whether they are really dead."
"In other words, to find out the true identities of the court's top officials, we might have to examine the list of deceased major families, wealthy businessmen, and political figures."
The owl's deep voice resonated in its throat, and the night wind made the feather-like cloak behind it flutter loudly.
This member of the Bat Family was even more ruthless and cruel than Bruce Wayne, to the point of being utterly shameless. Before Qin Wei took over the title of Dark Judge, all the villains who fell into his hands, regardless of the severity of their crimes or their age, met the same fate: being tortured and dismembered.
But his eyes had been blindfolded and his ears blocked all along. Compared to bats that could be located by ultrasound, this predator of the night could only wander around like a headless fly.
His collaboration with the Joker was more out of necessity; he needed a direction to move forward, even knowing he might be used.
But now everything will be different; Qin Wei's appearance has removed his blindfold and earplugs.
Night Owl's shoulders trembled slightly, and a muffled chuckle escaped from behind the mask. One could imagine that behind the mask lay a ferocious face, unable to contain its laughter.
Once freed from his restraints, this deranged anti-hero will unleash a bloody massacre in Gotham.
"I underestimated you! Bruce, let's work together."
The owl extended its fist.
Qin Wei did as he was told, and their fists collided heavily.
Meanwhile, inside the abandoned Elliott Manor, Thomas suddenly sensed a chilling killing intent.
Looking around, the flickering candlelight illuminated the paintings on the walls.
The oil painting depicts a family of four huddled together: an elegantly dressed man, a dignified woman, and two children, one tall and one short.
But strangely, they were all wearing owl masks on their faces.
In the darkness beyond the reach of candlelight, such family portraits covered the entire wall.
Qin Wei guessed correctly; the Elliott family has been one of the rulers of the owls since ancient times.
Why do I have this ominous feeling?
Thomas crossed his arms over his chest.
At that moment, he was unaware that his earlier act of confronting Qin Wei had inadvertently exposed him and his entire family to the hunters' guns.
Thomas's gaze fell back on the black bat suit on the table.
Just now, Lucius's shipment arrived.
Combining robust protective capabilities with the breathability of thin materials, this suit utilizes the latest materials from Lucius's technology department.
Sliding titanium alloy plates were installed on his shoulders, chest, ribs, and even lower body. The joints were also equipped with pneumatically driven exoskeleton power units, with the maximum output power enabling Thomas to deliver a punch with a force of 40,000 pounds (about 20 tons).
Of course, what pleased Thomas the most was the bat helmet, with its sharp angles and distinct Cybertronian style.
Press the switch at the back of the head, and the mask will be lifted from the chin.
Thomas put it on, and after activating the night vision program, his eyes were filled with a blood-red light.
He was quite certain that as long as he stood in the shadows, a black silhouette and a pair of red-glowing eyes would be enough to frighten anyone who accidentally bumped into him into screaming.
Moreover, the belt also contained Dr. Klein's latest research from Gotham University—fear gas.
It's very easy to use: just press the switch, and it will spray forward like rattlesnake venom.
This is a kind of mental toxin. Whether you get infected or inhale it, it will affect the human body. No matter how strong the willpower of the person affected is, they will fall into a hallucination surrounded by their most feared thing, and finally, under intense fear, they will break down and tear their own scalp apart.
"Bruce Wayne, the violence of the Judgment Knights may indeed save Gotham, but the fear they bring is enough to destroy it."
The two infiltrated the 58th floor of the Tower of Venn, the military research and development base of the Court of Owls.
The former Wayne Technologies research and development department was disbanded and reorganized to become the current military industry department, with Lucius Fox as the top executive. This lean black man was once Batman's toolbox in the main universe.
Of course, the two were not there to plunder weapons, because there were no gargoyle sculptures to climb on the upper floors. They had to obtain a high-level employee access card to take the elevator to go up.
Lucius, an ally of Isaiah Thomas, became Thomas's first choice.
"Is he really reliable?" Qin Wei interjected, still uneasy.
"Absolutely reliable. He's a veteran of Wayne Enterprises, an old friend of my father's. He helped me delete the surveillance footage when I assassinated the Dissident Tribunal, although he was eventually exposed. Damn Bane!"
Thomas leaned against the wall and cursed angrily.
A series of footsteps sounded from around the corner.
"The patrolling Weintra's 'cubs' have arrived. Prepare for battle."
Before invading the Wayne Tower, Thomas Jr. had specifically mentioned "babies" to Qin Wei.
They were Claw candidates who were eliminated before even entering the White Maze. After most of their memories and emotions were erased, they were trained into various tools. Some were sold to politicians as bodyguards, some to gangsters as assassins, and the best remaining batch became the guards of the Wayne Tower.
The Claws' rigorous selection process inevitably results in a large number of "children".
This army numbers as many as a thousand.
The good news is that the two don't have to face an army of a thousand men; they only need to deal with the approaching twenty-man squad.
The owl held up three fingers.
As each finger fell, the footsteps drew closer, and in the darkness, Qin Wei could even hear the cubs breathing in unison.
As Night Owl clenched his fist, the two rushed out of cover together.
Qin Wei was the first to make a move, sliding out and throwing a roughly polished batarang at the same time.
The batarang traced a silent path in the darkness, piercing the throat of a sergeant.
Compared to Qin Wei, Night Owl's technique was undoubtedly more refined and shrewd. He threw five knives at once, each one aimed at the enemy's left eye.
puff!
With a series of resounding sounds of flesh being pierced, the "youngsters" fell one after another in the fog.
Compared to Qin Wei's attack on the throat, the direct damage to the brain by penetrating the eyeball is undoubtedly more efficient.
It wasn't until their numbers had dwindled by a third that the cubs realized they were under attack, and they all threw out their hidden darts and charged at the two men.
Having undergone assassin training from a young age, these guys are clearly more accustomed to hand-to-hand combat, but such an action would be tantamount to suicide in front of close combat masters like Night Owl and Bat.
Revealing its sharp steel claws, its cloak billowed as it moved, Night Owl's fighting style was far more ferocious than Qin Wei had imagined.
Relying on its high-tech armor with no defenses, each claw aimed for the opponent's throat or heart.
Of course, Qin Wei didn't just stand by and watch. To prevent the cubs from relaying messages, he rushed forward immediately.
He finished off his opponent with a throat punch, turned around and kicked another enemy, breaking his ribcage. Taking advantage of the opponent losing his balance, he delivered a powerful punch straight to his face.
During the fog, all that remained on his opponent's face was a horrifying bloody hole.
Seeing that the last two enemies had lost their will to fight and turned to flee, Thomas and Qin Wei simultaneously fired their grappling hooks to pull their opponents back.
One man slit the throat, another twisted the neck; when this brief battle, which lasted only eight seconds, came to an end, the ground was littered with corpses.
Moonlight streamed through the glass window, illuminating the stark, splattered bloodstains on the wall.
Wiping the blood from his claws with his cloak, Night Owl raised his head triumphantly towards Qin Wei.
"I killed 11, I won."
"You're so boring!"