American comics: Praising the sun, starting from Gotham!

The black steel behemoth came to an abrupt halt at the end of 13th Avenue.

Xiu En pushed open the car door, stumbled to the roadside trash can, and dry-heaved a few times inside.

The aura surrounding him seemed somewhat dim at this moment, even contracting and shrinking with the spasms in his stomach.

"Ugh, I want to file a complaint... This car's suspension system is definitely designed for passengers."

Shuen straightened up, took a tissue from his pocket to wipe his mouth, and turned to look at Bruce, who was getting out of the driver's seat.

"Boss, in order to obtain workers' compensation, I suggest increasing the pay for this task by 20%."

Bruce ignored Hugh's blackmail, his white goggles gleaming coldly in the darkness as he scanned the abandoned building before him.

The ruins of Old Wayne Tower stand like a massive skeleton stripped of its flesh, shrouded in the ever-present mist of Gotham.

There are no homeless people, no drug addicts, and even rats are rare here.

Because this is the hunting grounds of owls.

Alvin, carrying the owl, walked to a wall covered in graffiti.

His fingers tapped on several seemingly unrelated bricks in a specific rhythm.

"Messenger, please watch your step."

With a dull creak of gears meshing, the wall slowly caved in, revealing a deep passage.

However, they were greeted by several beams of amber-colored goggles reflecting light in the darkness.

Four claws dressed in full retro assassin gear blocked the entrance to the passage like four statues.

The throwing knives in their hands gleamed coldly in the dim light, clearly indicating that they had been waiting for a long time.

Alvin stepped forward, blocking Shuen's path: "Brothers, lay down your weapons. The light has come; let's not fight for those rotting bones anymore."

The claws on the other side did not respond, probably because they were not fully conscious and had just been thawed by the Court of Owls.

The leader flicked his wrist, and three throwing knives flew in a triangular formation toward Alvin's face.

"It seems they don't want to hear sermons."

Xiu En shrugged and snapped his fingers.

"Then we can only try to influence them with holy light."

In an instant, the halo around Xiu En burst forth with a blinding light and began flashing rapidly at the four claws.

The moment those four claws instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes, Bruce moved.

The black cloak left a trail of afterimages in the air, and the dull thuds of fists striking flesh echoed one after another.

This was followed by a cracking sound as if bones were dislocating.

Alvin was not to be outdone. Using his familiarity with the weaknesses of his kind, and the fact that these claws seemed not to be in a conscious state, he easily dislocated the jaw and joints of the claw closest to him.

In less than ten seconds, the four claws were lying neatly on the ground. Although they had the ability to regenerate, with their joints dislocated and tendons severed, they would not be able to get up for a while.

Alvin stepped on the chest of a former colleague, drew the short sword from the man's waist, and turned to look at Shuen with eyes full of expectation for praise: "The obstacle has been cleared, messenger."

"Well done, Alvin."

As Shuen stepped over the roadblocks on the ground, he didn't forget to kick one of the claws' rear ends with his toe.

"While violence is not the only way to solve problems, it is certainly the fastest."

Bruce crouched down to examine the fallen Claws' equipment, his expression grave. "They were well-prepared; the defenses inside would only be more stringent. That so-called maze..."

"Don't worry, a local will guide you."

Hugh pointed at Alvin.

"Moreover, I feel there's a scent here that I really like... it's the scent of treasure."

In reality, it was the system's notification sound ringing wildly in his mind:

[High-energy reaction source detected! Deep within the maze ahead!]

Side Quest Triggered: Explore the Maze of the Court of Owls (0/1)

With Alvin leading the way, the three easily ventured deeper into the area.

Shuen raised his arm, illuminating a bronze plaque on the wall.

The line of cursive script engraved on it was faintly visible under the dust.

"Built by Wayne Construction Company, 1898."

Next to the bronze plaque are several owl badges that can only be seen under certain lighting conditions, which obviously cannot be hidden from Shuen, who is sensitive to light.

Shuen felt that the design drawings here must have omitted a few load-bearing walls and added a few secret rooms that only the Wayne family knew about.

"Hey boss, looks like this is an illegal structure left by your great-grandfather. How much is the fine?"

Hugh turned his head, ready to admire Bruce's face, which was even harder than a mask.

However, all that answered him was an empty echo and the dripping sound of water.

The darkness behind him was like a giant mouth, which had long since swallowed the black figure whole, leaving not a trace.

"Fine, you maxed out your stealth skill, huh? You went to solo a dungeon without even saying goodbye?"

Xiu En's lips twitched, and he gave the air the middle finger.

"Lone wolf players have no future!"

"My lord, there's some noise over there."

Alvin gripped the dagger in a reverse grip, staring at the shadows at the end of the corridor.

There was no murderous intent there.

Xiuen increased the power of the halo slightly, and the golden light dispelled the darkness.

There were several iron cages, but they didn't contain any monsters. Instead, they were crammed with five or six children dressed in gray robes.

The oldest of them is no more than ten years old, and the youngest may only be five or six.

The children did not scream or hide from the bright light. Instead, they all looked up, their eyes, which should have been full of life, now filled with a lifeless gray.

"Amber Gold".

Alvin said in a low voice.

"They're refining that with a heavy metal solution; these are either failures or reserves."

"A failed product?"

Xiu En sneered and strode over.

As he approached, a warm glow spread across the iron cage.

The children, who had been listless, suddenly trembled. The deathly grayness quickly faded under the light, replaced by confusion and the subsequent surge of fear.

"Wow!"

A loud wail broke the silence, followed by a chorus of cries.

Side Quest Trigger: The Lost Lamb

[Mind control/heavy metal toxins detected. System is automatically purifying...]

[Purification complete. Temporary title obtained: Nanny (Affinity for cubs +50%).]

"Shut up, system. You're the daddy."

Xiu En felt his head had swelled up.

Although he wanted to explore the depths of the maze to see if there were any valuable antiques, or to watch Bruce beat up the villain, looking at these children crying so hard their snot bubbles were coming out...

"Alvin, unlock it." Shum sighed and pointed to the iron cage.

"But my lord messenger, there is something even more precious inside."

Alvin understood what Shuen meant, but he was somewhat unwilling. In his eyes, God's goal should be the stars and the sea, not raising children.

"The real treasure is the future, don't you understand? You illiterate."

"Take them with you, let's get out of here. As for the old owl inside, let that pervert who likes to wear tight clothes deal with him."

Five minutes later, a strange group of people were seen moving in the wrong direction in the maze.

Xiu En walked in the middle, like a glowing human street lamp, surrounded by several children tugging at the hem of his trench coat.

Alvin walked at the back with a sullen expression.

Every now and then, we have to bring back the little lambs that want to fall behind.

"If the Gotham paparazzi get a picture of this, tomorrow's headline will definitely be 'Mysterious Man in Light Abducts a Child.'"

Xiu En thought helplessly.