American comics farmer: start by adopting the villain savior.

Chapter 127 Locke's Second Visit to Gotham: An Owl? A Caged Bird! (Still updating at 15,000 words)

The black van drove smoothly across the massive bridge connecting Gotham to the outside world, as silently as a ghost.

Only the headlights, casting two cold white beams in the dim light, proved its existence.

The engine emitted a deep, almost silent roar, yet it sped along at a speed far exceeding the speed limit.

Only tires
It will make a screeching sound when it rubs against the bridge surface.

From a distance, it looks like an ordinary car driven by someone returning home, with a faded family vacation sticker even on the back.

If you ignore the sky behind it.

There
It presented a horrifying scene—

The thick, inky clouds rolled and roared like boiling, raging waves!
The blazing white lightning transformed into a wild, dancing silver snake!
Each flash of light tears the clouds apart!
The continuous thunder was like the sound of war drums from the heavens, causing the steel cables binding the bridge to tremble slightly.

The sea was illuminated by lightning, and the waves surged, foaming white.

Even if someone were to bravely look up at that moment at the seemingly moving thunderclouds…
Perhaps, in the fleeting moment when a particularly blinding bolt of lightning rips across the sky, you might catch a glimpse of it—

Amidst the rolling thunderclouds, arcs of electricity vaguely outlined a blurry yet undeniable...

A human-shaped figure!

"Slash—!"

The van drove into Gotham.

The dark clouds, covering the sky, spread silently yet incredibly quickly!

In an instant, it covered the entire magnificent cross-sea bridge, completely swallowing the moonlight and starlight.

Finally, it followed immediately
Across the bridge lies that brightly lit, yet crime-ridden city that never sleeps—

Gotham is shrouded in it!

The city skyline, which was originally glittering with neon lights, was completely replaced by rolling dark clouds and constantly striking lightning.

It was as if some god was about to descend and unleash endless fury!

嗏

Under this sudden, apocalyptic celestial phenomenon—

Gotham, however, fell into an eerie silence.

The pedestrians on the street merely glanced up, shrugged, and continued hurrying on their way.

The regulars in the bar raised their glasses and pointed at the lightning and thunder outside the window, as if they were enjoying a free light show.

Even the thugs on the street corner just shrank back, pulled their hoods down even lower, and continued doing their shady business.

It seems that the people of Gotham are all too familiar with this kind of thing.

after all
In any case, the sun will rise as usual tomorrow.
-
Right at the very top of all this rage.

Yet there remains a secret room attempting to isolate itself from the world.

The heavy curtains blocked out some of the terrifying celestial phenomena from the outside world.

The flames in the fireplace leaped, casting swaying shadows on the dark wooden wall.

A man wearing an elaborate owl mask is talking to someone on the other end of an old-fashioned rotary telephone.

The voice came through the mask, carrying a deliberately suppressed hoarseness:

"...Tomorrow, when the sun rises, my claws will return. What you desire...will be delivered to you."

His tone was calm, as if he were a chess player making the final move with ease.

but.
The person on the other end of the phone was clearly extremely dissatisfied; their agitated voice even penetrated the receiver and could be faintly heard in the quiet room.

"Tomorrow?! I need it fast! I need it now! Fast! Lionel Luther has gone mad! You have no idea what he's dug up in Africa! It's not from this world! We have to get him off the board before he goes completely insane and drags us all down with him! You understand?! Mr. Owl!"

"..."

The brow furrowed behind the owl mask, and he coldly uttered two words: "Shut up."

He paused, his contempt undisguised:
"Watch the way you speak."

"..."

The other party seemed utterly enraged by this condescending attitude; a furious sneer and a string of twisted curses came through the receiver.
"I'll fuck your mother's caveman, stop pretending to be a fool with me. Back when you were being chased all over the place by that wolf, without me, you would all have been wiped out by that guy. I'll fuck your mother!"

"..."

"duo~"

The owl-man hung up the phone immediately, clearly too lazy to waste any more words with the other party.

He slammed the receiver back onto the landline, making a dull thud.

Then he turned around, his gaze falling on the slightly trembling curtains. His eyes, hidden behind the mask, narrowed, a hint of doubt flashing across them.

Something's wrong...

According to the divination, tonight should be the night of a full moon... How could this be?
"gentlemen."

Another attendant, wearing a simpler bird mask, interrupted his thoughts in a low voice, "Shouldn't we inform the court's other 'friends' about this? After all, it involves the Metropolis..."

The owl-man paused for a moment, then slightly turned his mask toward his attendant.

The attendant seemed to see a barely perceptible hint of weariness flash beneath the mask.

"Things related to the metropolis..."

The owl-man spoke slowly, his voice low, "The fewer people who know... the better."

"Especially those frogs in a well who can only see Gotham, those frogs who only think about how to extort gangsters, control brothels and the docks. They can't understand the higher-level game."

"Yes, sir."

The masked attendant bowed his head humbly.

I couldn't hide the surging emotions in my heart.

After all, their master was different from their companions who only thought about how to control Gotham every day.

He couldn't help but recall the day he was chosen as a page.

The adult had his hand on his shoulder at the time—

"Follow me, and you will see not only the shadow of Gotham, but the darkness cast upon the entire world."

To this day, the shock of that moment still resonates in his chest.

Yes
His master has his sights set on the entire world! What is Gotham compared to that?
"boom--!!!!!"

An unprecedented, terrifying thunderclap, almost shattering the soul, suddenly exploded!
The entire supposedly absolutely sturdy sealed room trembled violently, dust fell from the ceiling, and utensils clattered and rattled as if the end of the world was nigh.

"Sir?! An earthquake?"

The servant looked up in alarm, only to see—

His husband
His master
The owl, who had always been as calm and composed as a mountain, seemingly in complete control, now appeared to be moving with a hint of disbelief...

The servant was taken aback; he had never seen his master show such an expression.

Even during the fiercest power struggles within the courthouse back then, there was none.

"gentlemen?"

The owl-man did not answer.

He simply stared at the curtain, his gaze beneath the mask sharp and intense, yet also revealing a hint of something he himself was unwilling to admit…

hesitate.

"Do not……"

He muttered to himself, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly.

Predictions are never wrong.

Tonight should have been a full moon.

But the buzzing grew louder and louder, gradually drowning out the torrential rain outside the window, and even suppressing his own heartbeat—

This is not the wrath of nature...

That is……

Some kind of power!

The intense blue-white light instantly pierced through the gap in the heavy curtains!
It illuminated the entire room as if it were daytime!

A gigantic beast, entirely composed of lightning, could be vaguely seen amidst the light, baring its fangs and claws before vanishing in a flash!
"boom!!!!"

A blue-white flash that ripped through reality violently blasted through the entire building they were in!

The walls were torn apart like paper, the ceiling collapsed and crumbled, and air currents carrying debris and electric arcs spun wildly.

Before the servant could even scream, he was thrown to the ground by an invisible force, his consciousness sinking into a roaring darkness.

Cold. Stinging.

When he woke up, the world had been completely turned upside down.

The ceiling lights overhead were no longer magnificent, but rather menacing, swirling dark clouds, within which lightning still churned.

Rain kept pelting his mask and clothes, and the chill seeped into his bones.

I am here…

where?

With difficulty, the servant turned his stiff neck, trying to see his surroundings.

"boom!"

Occasionally, a pale flash of lightning would streak across the sky, briefly illuminating his surroundings.

ruins!

Everywhere there were broken steel bars, twisted metal, and shattered concrete blocks!

Everything he knew.
Velvet, mahogany, scepter, crown, mask.
Those decorations that symbolize power and mystery
They were all reduced to wreckage.

He was lying on a pile of wet rubble!
And the secret meeting room...

It's destroyed?!

A violent panic gripped his heart in an instant!

He tried to sit up abruptly, but the movement aggravated his wound, causing him to gasp for breath.

Sir! Where is the sir?!
He looked around hurriedly, then his gaze suddenly fixed on something—

The owl-man was nearby.

The attendant breathed a sigh of relief, a look of surprise just appearing on his face, but the next second...
It turned into even deeper astonishment and fear!

Because her husband was not standing still, but...
Both feet are off the ground, suspended in the air.

飞…

It flew up?!
He almost thought he was still dreaming.

It wasn't until I rubbed my stinging eyes that I could see clearly.
That gentleman—

That owl who is always calm and always in control.

He was being choked by a hand, suspended several feet off the ground, his legs dangling limply, and his expensive suit, a symbol of his status, was scorched by electric arcs.

And the owner of that hand...

It is not a form that humans should have.

He was like a conscious lightning bolt, tearing through the curtain of the rainy night.

Blinding electric light coiled around it, hissing and exploding, its brightness causing excruciating pain to the eyes.

His face was nothing but a distorted, incandescent white, with no features recognizable. Only pure, violent arcs of electricity churned and surged within it.

He gripped the owl man's throat with one hand, like lifting a helpless bird.

"Cough...uh..."

The man made a gurgling, struggling sound in his throat…

But it was of no use.

This man, who had once shrouded the entire city in shadow, was thus caught off guard by this sudden attack—

It transformed into a sparrow nailed to an autopsy table.

Even struggling seems futile and insignificant.

Even the lightning-formed fingers only tightened slightly.

A blinding flash of light suddenly illuminated the eyes beneath the owl's metal mask, eyes that were filled with terror for the first time.

The attendant's heart almost stopped beating as well.

He wanted to get up and do something—just as he had promised when he swore his allegiance, to protect his master at all times.

but.
His body wouldn't obey him, and he could only helplessly watch this scene in the rain.

There's nothing he can do! He can only…

"First... sir!"

The servant gasped in shock, the immense fear momentarily making him forget the pain and giving rise to a twisted courage!

He was actually trying to intimidate the lightning man with words!

"You...do you even know who you've grabbed?! He's the 'silent congressman' of the court! One of the people who controls the lifeline of Gotham! Let him go!"

"He...he dealt with the 'surplus population' in the dock area, allowing the homeless to quietly disappear and maintaining the cleanliness of the city!"

"He approved a 'special donation agreement' for Arkham Asylum, allowing those mentally ill patients to make a final contribution to the court's 'medical research'!"

"?!"

The owl-man, whose throat was being choked, heard the sound and struggled to turn his eyes to look at the servant. He made a hoarse sound in his throat, as if he wanted to give an order, but he was unable to speak because he was choking.

But the servant couldn't stop; he kept firing!

"He spearheaded the redevelopment plan for the Upper East Side, getting those stubborn long-time residents to 'voluntarily' move out to make room for more 'suitable' developers!"

"He even... he even just last week ordered the disposal of a prosecutor's entire family who were trying to investigate the court! Right there in their own home! Staging it as a gas leak!"

With each 'achievement' mentioned, the servant's voice trembled even more violently.

It was as if they were flaunting the master's power, and also as if they were using these crimes to embolden themselves.

He hoped that these terrible titles and bloody deeds would instill fear in the other party.

Or
Delay the time, delay until the claws appear.

Yes
Where are the claws?!

Where have all the master's claws gone?!

"boom--!"

A massive bolt of lightning struck, its intense light instantly illuminating the ruins behind the man as if it were daytime!
The servant's pupils suddenly contracted!
He saw the claws…

In the shadows of the ruins, twisted figures lay sprawled haphazardly!
Those iconic twisted owl masks, those long, bony claws…

It's the claws of the court!

But now they...

They lay motionless in the mud and gravel, their bodies charred black.
It has completely lost its vitality!
Claws…

How could it have collapsed?!
Those who were injected with amber gold possess the ability to regenerate and even become immortal!
Obviously
The same confusion and horror filled the mind of the owl man whose throat was being choked.

With a sliver of lingering arrogance, he forced out a hoarse voice from his throat:
"You... what exactly are you... how could you... truly kill Claw? And how... did you find this place?!"

"."

"A frog at the bottom of a well can never understand the vastness of the sky."

the man
Or rather, Locke, bathed in lightning, snorted coldly.

These guys are really hard to find.

The van van completely disappeared as soon as it entered Gotham, as if it had been completely covered by something, and even the compass that Zatanna gave him was of no use.

Fortunately, I was careful.

He secretly threw the lightning energy onto the owl-masked man driving the van, and then followed the lightning energy here. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't be able to eat or sleep properly for the next few days.

After all, just the thought of their farm being targeted...
Jonathan, Martha, Clark, Dior, Salafir.
And the peaceful life that Clark, the ruler of that country, protected at all costs—

All their previous efforts could be wasted due to the conspiracy of these so-called leaders.

An unnamed fire began to burn brighter and brighter in Locke's heart.

So, as a reward for these guys.

He started by manipulating lightning with the Star Platinum, creating a thunderstorm as a way of bringing good fortune to his door.

And
Immortal?

Locke didn't even look around, he simply flicked his finger casually—

"Zi la——!"

A bolt of azure lightning, condensed to its extreme and exuding an aura of destruction, shot out!

It accurately struck the mangled remains of a clawed body that was struggling to get up not far away!

"boom--!!!"

Accompanied by a dull yet terrifying explosion!
That clawed body, injected with amber gold, theoretically possessing near-immortality!

Before it could even let out a wail, it was blasted to pieces by the absolute power of the thunder! The charred fragments mixed with the stale molten metal scattered everywhere.

Watching the instantaneous destruction calmly, Locke's voice remained completely still:
"Do you see? Your so-called 'immortality'... is nothing more than not having encountered true 'destruction' yet."

He is now—

After gaining a preliminary understanding of the deeper rules governing demonic energy from Zatanna, and then so easily annihilating the Undying Claws, the ultimate weapon relied upon by the Court of Owls.

This gave them an intuitive and profound understanding of the rules represented by 'Thunder'.

Although amber gold is such a twisted creation:

Its essence is nothing more than a strange metal born from the mixing of electrolytic gold with some inferior and unstable 'Dionysian factor'.

Even so, it can forcibly distort the boundary between life and death.

It resurrects the dead and grants them a twisted immortality based on metallic activity.

This is the core secret behind the Court of Owls' ability to mass-produce, resurrect, and control Claw Assassins.

Even so.
These creations, which are theoretically almost impossible to destroy by conventional means, are as fragile as children's toys in the face of the lightning he controls.

The so-called immortality is utterly insignificant before the thunder, which is supremely yang and powerful, containing the purest will of destruction and purification in the world…

Vulnerable!
Under the impact of the ultimate Yang Lightning, everything will be instantly purified and disintegrated.

Even the amber gold that forms the basis of their life loses its activity in the lightning, and the so-called 'immortality' naturally becomes a rootless duckweed.

Just a joke.

This is thunder—

The manifestation of the rule of "destruction and purification"!

Perhaps only the true Dionysian factor can challenge the thunder in his hand.

"Boom!"

Hovering in the air, Locke was surrounded by crackling lightning, illuminating the ruins with flickering light. Even the rainwater evaporated into white mist the moment it touched the arcs of electricity around him, emitting a faint hissing sound.

He stopped talking nonsense.

The fingers gripping the owl man's neck tightened slightly, and the tiny arcs of electricity dancing at his fingertips instantly turned violent!

"Uhhhhhh-!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream, so shrill it was inhuman, suddenly burst from the owl-man's throat!
Locke did not intend to use any traditional methods of torture.

Instead, it directly controls the precise electric current with the "Platinum Star".

Transform into the most ruthless surgeon!
It directly and brutally invades the brain, stimulating specific neural circuits in the brain that control memory with bioelectric current!

This kind of pain far exceeds the limits of physical torture, acting directly on the depths of the soul, enough to instantly destroy the psychological defenses of any living being.

really….
The owl-man's body began to convulse violently, his eyes rolled back under the mask, and saliva dribbled from the corner of his mouth.

Driven by extreme pain and electric current, his brain uncontrollably processed all the secrets he knew—

More locations of the Court of Owls, the assassination plot against Lex Luthor, information on Metropolitan Council members who are working with him...

It came out intermittently, like dumping garbage.

Until everything is completed.

Locke then casually flicked the strings.

"laugh--!"

A blazing white lightning bolt, condensed to its fullest extent, shot out with pinpoint accuracy, instantly piercing through the owl-man's brow!

The screams stopped abruptly.

His body stiffened abruptly, and the last glimmer of light in his eyes went out completely.

The ultra-high voltage current instantly carbonized the owl man's brain tissue.

then
Under the utterly shocked gaze of the last surviving servant…

Locke tossed the still-warm corpse in his hand onto the muddy, rubble-strewn ruins as if it were a piece of real trash, and with a wave of his hand, he summoned several discarded steel bars.

"Creak—clang—"

Accompanied by a tooth-grinding, metallic distorting sound!

The steel bars were precisely and rapidly intertwined, wrapped, and fastened under the control of lightning!
In the blink of an eye, a rough but sturdy steel cage was erected in the air.

Locke's fingers twitched slightly.

The owl-man's corpse was lifted by an invisible force and shoved straight into the cold steel cage.

宛若
A bird in a cage.

Owl...caged bird...

This extremely ironic scene was presented so shockingly on the ruins amidst the lightning and thunder.

Having witnessed the whole thing, the servant was stunned.

His eyes were vacant as he stared at the steel birdcage that imprisoned its master's corpse, his lips moving unconsciously, uttering broken whispers:
"Owl...caged bird...owl...caged bird...owl...caged bird..."

The sound gradually faded, eventually turning into meaningless babbling.

"Fuck-"

A faint crackling sound of electricity rang out in front of him.

The servant raised his empty eyes blankly and sluggishly.

The man appeared in front of him!

Locke showed no pity whatsoever.

For him
He couldn't possibly leave any potential threats from such a core member of the court who knew so much inside information and had witnessed his abilities firsthand.

They didn't even give the other party a chance to react.

Locke simply raised one finger slowly.

Then, under the still blank and empty gaze of the servant—

With lightning speed, it struck precisely between the servant's eyebrows!
"laugh--!"

A faint yet chilling burning sound rang out.

That condensed current instantly entered the servant's brain!
The servant's body trembled violently, as if he had been struck by a high-voltage electric shock!

The last trace of confusion in his eyes was instantly replaced by extreme pain and chaos. His pupils dilated and contracted wildly, and his white eyeballs were instantly covered with blood vessels!
"Ho...ho..."

A strange, bellows-like sound came from his throat, and his body began to convulse violently and uncontrollably!

Locke simply withdrew his finger indifferently, as if he had only accomplished a trivial task.

The servant, on the other hand, collapsed completely, his eyes becoming utterly unfocused.
His face was now etched with a foolish, eerie smile as he continued to unconsciously repeat his broken babbling:

"Owl...caged bird...hehe...caged bird...can't fly high anymore...hehehe..."

Locke destroyed all areas of his brain with precise electrical currents.

Memory language reflex
He did not take his life.

But it permanently destroyed his soul.

Do it all.

Locke's figure was once again engulfed by dazzling lightning, disappearing instantly from the spot, leaving only the ruins that were crashing in the torrential rain.

Much later.
When the belated Gotham police finally managed to break through the torrential rain and thunder, their flashing lights illuminating the ruins that looked like they had been struck by a meteorite...

What they witnessed was this bizarre scene—

A cage crudely welded from twisted steel bars hangs among the ruins, imprisoning a corpse wearing a tattered owl mask.

Beside him was a madman slumped on the ground, muttering incoherently.
"Damn it."

Seeing this unimaginable scene, the veteran sheriff leading the team couldn't help but pull his hat brim down, spit out a curse, and mutter under his breath:
"Arkham is about to gain another artist!"

(End of this chapter)