Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 393 Light Appears in Gotham City

When the reporter questioned him about whether he had gone too far, Xia Zuo laughed out loud.

Then, in the next instant, he pulled the reporter in front of him. His smile, which hadn't changed, appeared particularly gloomy under the changing light.

"Hehehe, is that too much? Or not?"

"Statistically speaking, almost 99.99% of Gotham residents who were bullied as children, how many of them could grow up like me and retaliate?"

"My revenge isn't for myself, but for all Gothamites like me. That's why fewer than 100 gang members died; it's clearly my side that suffered more!"

"Do you really think that after all these years, the gangs haven't killed at least 100 innocent people?"

"From a profit perspective, the gangs gained enormous profits by exploiting us and seizing control of many channels. Their families enjoyed these benefits, and now they're dying for it. What's wrong with that?"

The reporter was definitely an elite; even though he was terrified, he still managed to ask, "But, but, but the law doesn't allow for such harm to relatives—"

"Law?" Xia Zuo's smile was full of mockery: "I will not respect laws that cannot protect me, of course I will not respect them, I just have to obey them."

"From a young age, I have been someone who does not obey the law, because if I obey the law, I will surely die, but I fear the law, especially the violence behind the law."

"But now I have enough power to completely disregard the laws that I once feared like tigers. Of course I can ignore the laws and act arbitrarily according to the principles in my heart."

"Go ahead and hit me if you dare."

Under Xia Zuo's intense gaze, the reporter urinated again, but this was only due to his physical weakness; his mind remained clear.

He continued, "You said the person you killed today was from the Court of Owls, what evidence do you have?"

Xia Zuo sneered: "There's no evidence."

"Besides, tonight I didn't really take the initiative; it was more like a counterattack."

"I was just staying peacefully in my own territory when the owl brought in a 155mm howitzer to shoot me, and also dropped aerial bombs, white phosphorus incendiary bombs, and a Mother of All Bomb, razing my forest to the ground."

"However, such a large-scale attack also exposed their weaknesses. I seized their vital points and killed them in one fell swoop, hahahaha."

"Alright, I'm home now. That concludes today's interview. You can get out of here."

After saying that, Xia Zuo reached out and tossed the reporter back into the helicopter cabin.

At this very moment, among those watching television, Gotham City's elite have already taken action, dispatching capable individuals to conduct an investigation.

Soon, these people formed a joint investigation team, led by investigators from the Wayne Group, and began to investigate separately.

Information about Xia Zuo was quickly gathered, including his name, the orphanage he entered when he was four years old, the gangs he was involved in, the illegal businesses he engaged in, and his eventual joining of the Clown Gang.

But these investigators also habitually overlooked ordinary citizens, those who were most important to Xia Zuo and had once saved him.

Therefore, no one discovered who Xia Zuo cared about, nor did anyone find his weakness.

Faced with such a round, bulging titanium alloy pea, the Gotham leadership dared not do anything more than grit their teeth and retaliate.

During the live television broadcast, Xia Zuo, riding a massive wooden giant, casually summoned hundreds of tree people, easily overwhelming the security forces near the church.

Finally, they pulled out an integrated fortress of the doomsday fortress level from underground and crushed the obviously important people inside into mincemeat.

The powerful and wealthy feel a chill run down their spines and are filled with fear when they recall what they saw today.

Their security team was nowhere near the level of that church, and their safe house was nowhere near the level of the Doomsday Fortress. In other words, Shazo could kill them if he wanted to.

Therefore, Xia Zuo was not exaggerating when he said he had mastered enough violence.

"Don't mess with this madman named Shazo, who likes to write with human blood" has become a consensus among Gotham City's elite.

Including Bruce Wayne.

He told his old butler, "Alfred, remember to remind me in the future that unless absolutely necessary, you must never, ever attack Shazor."

The old butler nodded in agreement: "Young Master's decision is absolutely correct. Xia Zuo is a complete madman, just like the second clown, only their madness is different."

Bruce sighed, "You're right, but this guy is still better than the Joker. At least he has a clear logic when he kills, and he doesn't intentionally harm ordinary people."

"By the way, have you figured out who those six people are?"

The old butler raised an eyebrow: "The investigation team just delivered their report."

Bruce said, "Don't tell me the details, just tell me who they are."

The butler, flipping through the report, replied: "Judge Luke Foster for Life, Attorney General Sam Cohen, Sir Colin Olson, Mr. Fid Barnes, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Zeno Smith, and Mr. Finn Truman."

Bruce gasped. "And Mr. Truman is involved too? But they—aren't they political enemies?"

"If they are the Court of Owls, then they are truly a force that even the Wayne Corporation can't do anything about."

The butler's expression was equally serious: "The courts, parliament, financial magnates, political families—if the 11 hereditary civil servants who died before were also included, their combined strength completely surpasses that of our Wayne Group."

"No wonder, no wonder the master has tried for decades but has never been able to break through the shackles of the Wayne Group—"

Bruce smiled wryly. "Alfred, do I owe Shazo another favor?"

The butler smiled wryly as well, saying, "It's probably true. Maybe the culprit who murdered the master and mistress was also killed by Mr. Xia Zuo."

Bruce: "With so many key figures dead, Gotham is going to descend into chaos—"

"Alfred, book me a plane ticket. I'm going to Asia for a period of spiritual practice."

The butler immediately began to operate: "Yes, young master."

The Wayne Group controls the vast majority of economic interests, so it has no need to compete for political resources and can no longer do so. Therefore, avoiding the trouble ahead is the wisest choice.

The butler quickly noticed something amiss and said with a smile, "Young Master, it seems it's not just you who's leaving; all the international flights from Gotham City have been booked."

Bruce laughed: "In that case, I'll put even more pressure on them—I want to charter a plane!"

The butler smiled: "Yes, young master, as you wish."

The airline belongs to the Wayne Group, so even if tickets are scarce, it doesn't stop Bruce Wayne from chartering a plane. If it weren't for the difficulty in securing international routes, he would definitely travel by private jet.

This is the decorum the Wayne family deserves.

Xia Zuo manipulated the wooden figure to walk back to his base, where the ice and snow left by Superman had not yet melted.

Wood Release chakra erupted once more, and Xia Zuo's eyes instantly turned white, then shone with a dazzling blue light.

[Reincarnation Eye - Pangu Reincarnation]

Countless tender shoots sprouted from the wooden figure, which then rapidly decayed, transforming into nutrient-rich humus that nourished the trees, carrying the vibrant shoots and quickly spreading throughout the scorched and frozen forest.

Supported by the nutrients produced by the decay of the wooden man's body, the newly grown trees grew exceptionally fast, completely unaffected by the cold and darkness.

The entire forest creaked with the sound of growth, fresh branches and leaves constantly sprouting, desperately stretching out the canopy.

Surround.

After the frozen area was completely covered by saplings, more saplings sprouted from the ground and quickly spread to more distant areas.

Xia Zuo's forest expanded, his core area grew larger, the area of ​​the forest clearings increased accordingly, and new wooden palaces rose from the ground.

Xia Zuo returned to his base with satisfaction.

This major event wasn't confined to Gotham, because the Court of Owls' reach extended far, especially with the Mother of All Bombs, which can be considered the strongest force below the Mushroom Bomb.

It wasn't just ordinary people who felt threatened; even the person inside the white house felt a chill run down their spine.

Even more terrifying, one monster survived being blown up by this thing and even summoned giants to crush the attacking nobles into mincemeat.

What does this mean? It means that on American soil, there is one and more entities that could threaten the president's life.

So the president slammed his fist on the table: "Investigate! Investigate this thoroughly!"

-

Some powerful tycoons living in remote estates were particularly alarmed, immediately dispersing their family members and mobilizing them to launch a full investigation.

These powerful elites and tycoons, whose influence transcends city and state boundaries, are the strongest support that Shazo has brought in to bury the Court of Owls.

Upon seeing the Mother of All Bombs, Shazo knew that the owls had crossed the line, which is why he decided to launch a large-scale revenge and publicly demonstrate his power to the world.

News about the Mother of All Bombs is easy to suppress, but can news about the Wood Release: Giants be suppressed?

Once the image of the Wood Release Giant is projected out, a little investigation will reveal the Mother of All Bombs and Superman.

So, when top-level nobles face someone who can kill them, they will naturally want to eliminate the danger.

But the Court of Owls and Shazzo are different; one is a long-established local power in Gotham, and the other is a superpowered individual who suddenly appears.

The core members of the owls have been wiped out by Xia Zuo, and what remains are the root system that is difficult to find and almost impossible to kill.

Don't be fooled by Xia Zuo's confident vow to exterminate nine generations of a family when he kills someone; he's just talking big. He's just one person, and no matter how powerful he is, he can't kill nine generations of a family.

However, for the top elites who control the state apparatus, these people are all backed up in the FBI's files, and it only takes a little time to completely eliminate them.

Xia Zuo, however, was a ruthless individual who survived the Bomb Mother and was capable of destroying the Doomsday Fortress.

Of the existing arsenal, only mushroom shells can kill him, which is too difficult.

It is worth noting that Superman and Shazor from Metropolis met, talked, and then parted ways peacefully.

Superman isn't a pushover who adheres to a no-kill policy. He's capable of killing powerful superhumans or heinous criminals.

The fact that Superman and Shazor did not clash proves that Shazor is not an extremely dangerous person.

There is no better witness than Superman.

Therefore, under Xia Zuo's guidance, the murderous aura emanating from the top echelons of the United States was concentrated on the heads of Gotham City's underground elites.

With Bruce Wayne and his elite entourage gone, a bloodbath unfolds in Gotham City.

There was no explosion that shattered glass, and no mass shooting.

Some were accidental truck accidents, suicides with eight bullets in the back, sudden deaths from alcohol poisoning, hangings from 1.5-meter iron railings, and accidents resulting in 12 broken ribs in detention.

Without a word, without any reports, the Owl Court, which had been a fixture in Gotham City for over a century, vanished.

Even the precious Dionysus factor fell into the hands of the military. A related laboratory was established, and a secret experimental team was formed, but all of this remained unknown to the public.

Everything was accomplished silently.

Half of the powerful elites who monopolized Gotham City disappeared into the darkness, creating a power vacuum at the top and middle levels.

Although much of this power was seized by other powerful figures, and even by outsiders, a considerable portion of the power remained open to the middle and lower classes.

Social mobility emerged in Gotham City, and as a result, interests flowed downwards, generating tremendous momentum for development.

Suddenly, Gotham City became prosperous.

After a month-long journey, Bruce Wayne returned to his manor and, upon seeing the state of Gotham City, exclaimed in genuine amazement, "This is Mr. Shazo's plan! Truly astonishing!"

"What surprised me even more was that the gangs that were most destructive to economic prosperity were eliminated by Mr. Xia Zuo in advance, and they can no longer harm the rapidly developing economy."

The old butler chuckled and said, "That's not all. As the economy improves, young people are all going into legitimate jobs, and the remaining small gangs can't recruit any new members. They've all lost their energy and become more docile than ever before."

Bruce suddenly laughed: "Alfred, I suddenly feel that I am capable of changing Gotham."

"Mr. Shazo has shown me an example, and I will continue to work in his direction. One day, I will make Gotham a city of light!"

Butler Xia sensed the gloom in his young master's heart, and the gloom that had accumulated for more than ten years finally cracked open.

He stood up excitedly: "Young Master Bruce, I will work hard with you!"

'

At the Gotham Police Department, Officer Gordon sat in the chief's office, completely bewildered.

He certainly wanted to become the bureau chief, but he was self-aware enough to know that with his achievements, qualifications, and background, he would need at least ten more years of hard work to have a chance to sit in that position.

But what happened in the past month was too surreal.

The bureau chief committed suicide by shooting himself, the first deputy bureau chief drowned in his own swimming pool, the second deputy bureau chief choked to death while eating, and the other deputy bureau chiefs submitted their resignations and then disappeared.

Gordon was the only one left, so he became the director.