Chapter 329: Gotham Showdown, Catwoman Breaks the Shield With Her Own Hands
Lin Nuo raised his right hand.
The reality barrier blocked the area above the old industrial zone, and the green beam did not explode after hitting the barrier.
The golden runes attached to it rapidly unfolded, eroding inward along the rules of reality.
A tear was cut open in the barrier.
Lin Nuo stepped back, and the beam brushed past the roof of the building.
The entire steel-reinforced structure was decomposed into grayish-white powder, and the residual energy was re-absorbed by the armor.
The Apocalypse armor rushed out of the clouds.
Bruce did not give Lin Nuo time to analyze the runes.
The shoulder launchers deployed consecutively, and the black mother box fragments formed a blockade matrix, cutting off the connection between the Space Stone and the surrounding dimensions.
"You haven't learned enough from the Fortress of Solitude."
Lin Nuo stepped into the high altitude, golden stellar energy covering his arms.
"This armor will destroy your body first.
Your so-called final contingency plan seems to leave only putting yourself on the gambling table."
Bruce pushed the armor to accelerate.
Two figures collided above Gotham, the impact compressed by the gravitational field on the outside of the armor.
The glass of the tall buildings vibrated violently, but was not completely shattered by the aftermath.
"You moved the gambling table into Gotham long ago."
Bruce swung a heavy punch, the magic runes penetrating Lin Nuo's biological field.
"You acquired enterprises, controlled healthcare and media, and then exchanged a sense of security for obedience.
By the time everyone discovered the cost, they no longer had the qualifications to refuse you."
Lin Nuo blocked the fist edge, releasing a stellar torrent from his palm.
Golden energy poured into the chest of the armor, and the Kryptonite reactor quickly overloaded.
The mother box fragments then reorganized, guiding the stellar energy toward the back thrusters.
The armor used the force to complete a turn, and a heavy knee strike landed on Lin Nuo's waist side.
Lin Nuo was knocked into the clouds.
Bruce chased closely behind, anti-teleportation anchors nailing into the surrounding space.
magic chains unfolded from the armor's arms, entangling the six laws of light outside Lin Nuo's body.
The failure of the Fortress of Solitude made him confirm one thing.
Lin Nuo had many types of power, but needed the same body to complete the scheduling.
As long as the attack rules were constantly changed, Lin Nuo had to reallocate authority in an extremely short time.
The Apocalypse armor was born precisely for this.
Green gunfire suppressed Kryptonian cells, and magicrunes cut the gemstone laws.
Apokolips technology continuously read Lin Nuo's counterattacks, adjusting the shield before the next collision.
Inside the Central City laboratory, Carol watched the combat footage.
She wanted to open a spatial channel to provide support, but star sapphire detected that the sky above Gotham was covered with anti-teleportation anchors.
Forced entry would only make her fall into the blockade zone prepared by Bruce.
"He turned the entire city into a battlefield."
Carol turned to Cisco, purple light covering the console.
"Find the blind spots between the anchors, I want to establish a stable emotional connection for Lin Nuo."
Cisco brought up the satellite map, but his expression grew increasingly ugly.
"There are no blind spots. Batman also connected the Wayne satellites into the armor, and he is using all of Gotham's old network to calculate Lin Nuo's position."
High in the air, Bruce grabbed the magic chains, dragging Lin Nuo toward the front of the armor's chest.
The Kryptonite reactor opened its outer shield, green radiation mixed with Red Sun frequency bands, impacting Lin Nuo's heart at close range.
Lin Nuo's stellar radiance dimmed.
Bruce raised his arm, and a black spear engraved with magical text popped out from inside the arm armor.
The spear tip aimed at Lin Nuo's chest, but shifted toward his shoulder before piercing down.
Even at this moment, he still avoided the fatal position.
The spear pierced through Lin Nuo's shoulder biological field, nailing him into the anti-teleportation matrix.
The brilliance of the six gems went out one after another, and no spatial channel appeared.
On the roof of the Gotham Police Department, Gordon put down his binoculars.
He had seen Batman face monsters, alien armies, and out-of-control heroes.
Yet Bruce at this moment was closer than ever to the appearance he had once been wary of.
That armor had no cape, nor did it have the Batmansymbol.
It only had the function of defeating the enemy.
"It's over."
Bruce gripped the spear tightly, and the armor began to extract surrounding energy.
"I will shut down all Star Umbrella facilities in Gotham.
The control system you established will disappear with you tonight."
Lin Nuo raised his head, a crack appearing on the edge of his glasses.
"You exhausted resources to build the Apocalypse armor, yet you still haven't learned to trust the people around you."
"Selina didn't hand over the permissions to you."
Bruce stared into his eyes, the armor shield maintaining stability.
"She betrayed me, but she hasn't completely sold Gothamto you yet."
Inside the old industrial zone, Selina heard these words.
On her terminal, the Apocalypse armor bottom-layer key was still waiting for execution.
As long as she pressed confirm, the shield energy would temporarily transfer to the backup circuit.
Lin Nuo did not urge.
Bruce likewise did not speak.
Both of them had placed the final choice in her hands.
Selina looked at the life signals inside the armor.
Bruce's heart rate was already close to the dangerous edge, and the mother box fragments were still continuously eroding his nerves.
If the battle continued, he might win.
He might also die in that armor forever.
Selina closed her eyes, recalling Bruce's last command.
He had her leave the dangerous area, but didn't ask if she was willing.
Right until the final battle, he still hid his decision under so-called protection.
"I'm sorry."
Selina pressed the bottom-layer key, tears sliding down the side of her face.
"This time it's my turn to make a decision for you."
An error alarm came from the chest of the Apocalypsearmor.
The outer shield suddenly went out, and the mother boxfragments absorbing energy lost stability.
The magic runes and the Kryptonite reactor conflicted, and the armor's right arm stagnated accordingly.
Bruce abruptly looked at the system logs.
The permission source was not disguised.
That familiar cat-shaped signature was clearly reflected on the inside of his mask.
"Selina..."
His voice was very light, and the disbelief in his eyes gradually sank.
That disappointment had no anger, yet it made Selina dare not continue looking at the screen.
She cut off the communication, her hands still pressed on the console, as if doing so could prevent her from withdrawing the command.
Lin Nuo grabbed the black spear and pulled it out from the biological field.
The golden stellar energy re-illuminated the six gemstone laws.
The shieldless Apocalypse armor was suppressed by the authority of reality, and the anti-teleportation anchors collapsed one after another.
Bruce initiated the self-destruct protocol.
The Star Umbrella nodes across Gotham simultaneously lit up with red warnings, and the armor's chest also began to accumulate energy enough to swallow both of them.
"I can lose, but Gotham cannot be ruled by you."
Bruce raised the armor's arm, locking Lin Nuo within the self-destruct range.
"As long as this city still remembers Batman, your order will never truly gain obedience."
"Then let Gotham wait for you to come back."
Lin Nuo pressed his hand on the chest of the Apocalypsearmor, and the Space Stone bloomed with dazzling blue light.
Bruce tried to restart the anchors, but the stagnant mother box fragments could not respond.
A spatial tear opened from behind the armor and suddenly contracted.
Bruce, along with the unfinished self-destruct energy, was swallowed into a different dimension.
Chapter 330: Beauty in Black, Red Lips Part Slightly to Test the Bottom Line
A blue fissure closed high in the sky, and the residual self-destruct energy lost its target, turning into a spreading ring of black arcs.
Lin Nuo clenched his five fingers, and the laws of reality covered the entire Old Industrial Area.
The energy nodes about to go out of control were forcibly shut down, and the reactor beneath the block also regained stability.
Gordon stood on the roof of the police station, watching that familiar figure disappear.
He gripped his binoculars, not lowering them for a long time.
The Bat-Signal was still lit.
Yet in the clouds it illuminated, that black cape was no longer there.
A police officer pushed open the iron door of the rooftop, speaking in a hurried pace.
"Director, the Wayne network has been disconnected."
"Star Umbrella's drones have taken over the traffic, hospitals, and police channels, and they are demanding that we open all district permissions."
Gordon turned around, his expression frighteningly gloomy.
"Refuse facial data, keep the emergency channels."
"Tell all patrol squads to save people first and not touch those drones."
The officer did not leave, only handing over the terminal.
On the screen, several gang firefight scenes in Gotham had already been controlled.
Before the weapons could be fired, the drones locked down the firearms, and all participants fell under paralyzing electric currents.
The munitions ship at the docks was also intercepted.
Star Umbrella security was escorting the suspects, and not even a single civilian was injured at the scene.
The officer lowered his voice.
"Director, our people haven't arrived yet, and they've already finished."
Gordon stared at the screen and finally took the terminal.
He had countless times hoped that Gotham could have such an efficient law enforcement system.
Now that the wish had come true, he only felt that the thing in his hand was like a pair of shackles.
Over the city, all public screens switched simultaneously.
Lin Nuo stood inside the conference hall of Wayne Tower, the map of Gotham behind him having been redrawn.
Every road, every energy station, and every security node now bore Star Umbrella's silver emblem.
"From now on, Gotham enters the city reconstruction phase."
Lin Nuo pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his voice carrying into the streets and subways.
"Star Umbrella will undertake medical care, energy, transportation, and public safety."
"Any armed crime will be prevented in advance, and all gang-controlled areas will be disarmed before dawn."
The crowd by the street stopped in their tracks.
A woman holding a child looked at the screen, her eyes red.
Her husband had died in a gang robbery, and the murderer had yet to be convicted.
The bookstore owner nearby, however, looked up at the patrol drone.
The camera lens swept across his face, displaying that identity verification was complete.
"I acknowledge all the people he has saved."
The bookstore owner pulled down the brim of his hat, unease tinting his voice.
"But starting tonight, who went where, who they met, what they said—none of it can escape his eyes."
The woman hugged her child tighter.
"As long as he can let my child return home safely, I am willing to let him look."
The two did not continue arguing.
The drone swept over their heads and flew toward a distant block where sirens were sounding.
On the outskirts of Arkham, Star Umbrella armored vehicles sealed off all exits.
The guards confiscated the old access cards, and the prisoners' activity area was compressed.
The Joker sat in a solitary ward, listening to the reconstruction declaration on the broadcast, the corners of his mouth curling up little by little.
The communication chip hidden beneath the bed frame emitted a faint purple glow.
"The bat is gone, but Gotham has welcomed a new Masterwho prefers rules."
The Joker leaned close to the observation window, laughing softly.
"This city will definitely miss its madman."
The Wayne board of Directors did not hold out for long.
Bruce went missing, and the self-destruct alarm triggered by the Apokolips armor almost affected the urban area.
Star Umbrella initiated emergency trusteeship under the pretext of public safety, leaving the remaining Directors with no choice but to hand over the city's basic network.
Lin Nuo did not seal off Wayne Tower.
He invited Gordon into the top-floor conference hall and pushed a police cooperation agreement in front of the other man.
Gordon did not sit down.
"Batman has just disappeared, and you've already taken over his company and city."
"The people of Gotham might not understand this coincidence, but I do."
Lin Nuo leaned against the edge of the desk without urging him.
"Bruce chose to turn himself into an out-of-control weapon."
"If I hadn't diverted that energy, the Old Industrial Areawould already have vanished."
Gordon pushed the agreement back.
"You are making every street subject to surveillance, and you're even preparing to assign risk levels to citizens."
"A Gotham like this has no criminals, nor will much freedom be left."
Lin Nuo brought up the police station's real-time footage.
The morgue had no new records.
The red markers on the emergency hotline were decreasing, and several blocks long controlled by gangs had already had their power restored.
"You can continue to hate me."
Lin Nuo looked at Gordon.
"But tonight, no more parents will lose their children because of a gunshot."
"If you refuse to cooperate, the police officers will also lose the authority to access medical and rescue networks."
Gordon's temples tightened.
This was not a threatening roar, but it was more effective than the muzzle of a gun.
Lin Nuo grasped everything needed for the city to operate, and also placed the cost of refusal onto ordinary people.
"I will not swear an oath to you."
Gordon picked up the electronic pen and only signed the emergency rescue sharing clause.
"The Gotham Police Department serves the citizens."
"If you turn this city into a private kingdom, I will be the first to stand up."
Lin Nuo put away the agreement, his tone calm.
"As long as you can still stand up, it proves that there is still the freedom you want here."
Gordon did not respond, turning around and walking toward the elevator.
Before the doors closed, he saw Selina walking into the conference hall from the other side.
She removed her mask, her expression lacking its usual levity.
"What is on the other side of the spatial fissure?"
Selina stopped in front of Lin Nuo.
"Bruce's life signal has disappeared."
"You promised that as long as I cut off the shield, he would have a chance to survive."
Lin Nuo raised his hand, expanding a blue projection.
The coordinates on the other side of the fissure were chaotic, and the armor signal had been shredded by the dimensional storm.
"I did not end his life, but I cannot guarantee the outcome for him either."
Selina stared at those jumping static noise points.
"If he comes back, he won't forgive me."
"When you pressed the decryption key, what you wanted wasn't his forgiveness either."
Lin Nuo placed a cat-shaped terminal in front of her.
"The Gotham underworld has lost its constraints."
"You can leave, or you can help me clean up those people trying to rise to power amidst the chaos."
Selina took the terminal.
She made no promise of allegiance, only pausing before walking out of the conference hall.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm staying for Gotham."
"The day you cross the bottom line, I will personally tear apart your control network."
Lin Nuo watched her back, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
"Then let me see how far you can go."
The Watchtower's communication linked in at this moment.
Carol projected the League channel.
Superman's seat remained offline, Aquaman had returned to Atlantis, Hal refused to accept Earth's dispatch, and Cyborg closed his data interface.
And Batman's marker turned grey.
"The League channel cannot reach the quorum for a vote."
Carol looked at Diana, who was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.
"The remaining members demand that you reconvene the meeting."
"They believe Bruce's disappearance is related to you and Lin Nuo."
Diana gripped the lasso of truth, her gaze unwavering.
"Bruce turned Gotham into a battlefield first."
"He refused any dissuasion and was even prepared to drag the entire city down to bear his choice."
Carol closed the channel.
"What about the Justice League?"
Diana looked at Lin Nuo, then glanced at the member list that had lost response.
"If the League is left with only formulating contingency plans against each other, it can no longer represent justice."
"I won't pretend the rift didn't happen just to keep the name."
The communication completely extinguished.
Before dawn arrived, all large-scale firefights in Gothamstopped.
Public police incidents dropped to zero, and underground casinos and arms warehouses were simultaneously sealed off.
The price was also laid out before everyone's eyes.
Unregistered vehicles could not enter the core urban area, and the public network filtered out dangerous speech.
Anyone who walked onto the street wearing a mask would be locked onto by drones.
Some celebrated, while others quietly removed the bat emblem from their windows.
Lin Nuo walked up to the top floor of Wayne Tower, the entire Gotham spread out beneath his feet.
Star Umbrella's silver insignia had replaced the Bat-Signal, casting towards the low-hanging clouds.
"Starting today, this place is the New Order Demonstration Zone."
Lin Nuo overlooked the quieted streets, his gaze calm.
"The era of heroes has ended, and the era of capital and power has arrived."
At the same moment, a red light lit up at the edge of the Universe, and that long-missing cape was plummeting rapidly toward Metropolis.
Chapter 331: Intangible Authority, A Disintegrating Alliance
When Clark passed through the atmosphere, the first thing he heard was not cries for help.
Star Umbrella satellites sent him authentication requests, demanding that unregistered high-energy lifeforms avoid urban flight paths.
Red warnings unfolded against his biological field, obscuring the familiar skyline.
He did not destroy the satellites, only changing direction to slowly descend from above Metropolis.
The city was still bustling.
New energy rails ran through the commercial district, and Star Umbrella medical centers had replaced several bankrupt hospitals.
The exterior walls of old buildings were covered in silver logos, and even the roadside rescue robots were printed with Lin Nuo's name.
Clark landed on top of a building.
The sound of snapping metal came from below.
A billboard detached from a height, and before it could smash into the crowd, two drones deployed traction nets to drag it into a safe zone.
Someone looked up and saw the red cape, raising their phone in surprise.
"Superman has returned."
Another man did not stop walking.
"So what if he is back? The last time the alien fleet appeared, he wasn't around either. Now the city has its own defense systems, no need to wait for heroes to fall from the sky."
Clark heard every single word.
He used to be accustomed to crowds breathing a sigh of relief at his appearance.
Nowadays, those gazes still held nostalgia, but lacked dependency.
A public transport vehicle drove past the intersection.
The screens on the vehicle body were playing a city satisfaction survey.
Star Umbrella's approval rating reached 78%, and the news headline beside it was exceptionally striking.
"Obsession of the Old Era: Do Superheroes Still Have a Reason to Exist".
Clark withdrew his gaze, changed into ordinary clothes, and walked towards the old site of the Daily Planet.
The bronze sign in the lobby had disappeared.
Five words were engraved on the new glass door.
"New World Daily".
His employee card could not pass through the access control.
After the staff on duty recognized him, their expression became awkward, and they could only contact the editorial department upstairs.
Perry came downstairs personally.
Looking at Clark, who had been missing for days, he first raised a hand to hug him, then signaled security to turn off the scanning.
"You're finally willing to come back."
Perry brought him into the old conference room.
"Before you ask about Lois, I must remind you, there is no longer the past Daily Planet here. After Star Umbrellacompleted its reorganization, all important topics must go through the new content committee."
Clark opened the newspaper on the table.
The front page reported on Gotham's reconstruction, with the entire piece emphasizing zero crime.
Batman's disappearance, the expansion of city surveillance, and restricted freedom only occupied a very small space at the end.
"This isn't a layout you would approve."
Clark put down the newspaper, disappointment filling his eyes.
"Perry, you taught us that journalists must keep their eyes on those with power. Now the newspaper is explaining everything on behalf of power."
Perry took off his glasses and wiped them with the corner of his clothes.
"I could also resign and let the entire editorial department be replaced by Star Umbrella's PR personnel. Staying behind at least preserves a few investigative pages."
He pushed another internal manuscript over.
That was Lois's questioning of Gotham's monitoring system, which was suppressed into the unpublished column area.
The article's phrasing was sharp, but it had long failed to secure a front-page position.
"She hasn't completely changed."
Perry put his glasses back on.
"But she no longer treats Lin Nuo as an interview subject. She believes she can stand by his side to monitor him, and this kind of trust is very dangerous."
Clark looked towards Lois's former workstation.
The desktop had been cleared, and the seat was occupied by a new reporter.
The photo on the wall of the two of them jointly investigating the Rex Corporation was also covered by corporate promotional pages.
"Where does she live?"
Clark's voice was very low.
Perry did not answer with the address, only flipping the newspaper to the social section.
In the photo, Lois linked arms with Lin Nuo to attend the medical center's inauguration ceremony.
She was dressed simply, and there was no stiffness of forced socialization in her eyes.
"She has already made her choice public."
Perry pressed down on the newspaper.
"If you want to see her, don't appear as a savior. She detests others deciding for her what constitutes being clear-headed."
Clark left the newspaper office and walked through the streets he once knew well.
Several former colleagues saw him, but averted their gazes.
They worried about being dragged into the conflict between Superman and Star Umbrella, and were unwilling to lose their newly stable jobs.
Clark took out the Alliance communicator.
The Watchtower did not respond.
Batman's status was unknown, Aquaman refused the land summons, and Cyborg only left an automated reply.
Diana's communication finally connected.
Her image paused in the translucent screen, with Gotham's new order control center behind her.
"Clark, I know what you want to ask."
Diana's expression was complex.
"Lois has made her choice. I will not help you forcibly change her, nor will I restart a private war for the Alliance."
Clark looked at her.
"Bruce is missing, Barry has lost the Speed Force, and the Alliance has been torn apart. Do you still believe Lin Nuo is just helping this World?"
Diana gripped the lasso of truth at her waist.
"I believe the facts I saw with my own eyes. Bruce tried to destroy Gotham's facilities with armor, and Lin Nuoprevented the self-destruction. When you left, you similarly didn't tell anyone where you were going."
The communication disconnected.
Clark did not continue calling.
He walked into the apartment he and Lois had lived in.
The door could still be opened, but inside there was only furniture covered in white sheets.
Lois had taken away her books, camera, and investigative materials.
The cup in the kitchen printed with the Daily Planet logo was still there.
There was a crack along the rim of the cup, which Clarkhad broken during one of his hurried departures.
He had promised to replace it with a new one when he returned.
Later, disasters happened again.
Clark sat in the empty living room, his super-hearing uncontrollably passing through the walls.
He heard nearby residents talking about Star Umbrella, and also heard someone mocking Superman for having become an outdated totem.
An old man was still hanging a red cape flag by the window.
The old man's grandson, however, opened the "New World Daily" and pointed at Lin Nuo's photo.
"School says urban safety can't rely solely on a flying person. The system Lin Nuo built won't disappear, nor will it leave Earth because of feelings."
Clark closed his eyes.
He went to the edge of the Universe to find technology that could counterbalance Lin Nuo.
That journey did not bring back weapons, only allowing him to confirm that Lin Nuo had integrated a stellar authority that was difficult to sever.
He had thought he at least still had a home.
Now, the familiar city had accepted another set of protection methods.
The former Alliance had dispersed, and Lois had also moved away from the place where they lived together.
Clark picked up the damaged cup, then gently put it down.
Perry's warning was still ringing in his ears.
But he could not believe that the woman who would charge into the battlefield to pursue the truth was willing to hand over the rest of her life to a man who treated the city as an asset.
He changed back into his battle suit and left the old apartment.
The location of Lin Nuo's manor was not secretive.
The "New World Daily" had publicly reported on it, and Lois also acknowledged their relationship in an interview.
Clark did not charge in directly.
He landed under the stone steps outside the manor, letting the security system complete its scan.
Dozens of defense devices rose from underground, but did not fire at him.
An authorization came from the main building.
The manor gates slowly opened.
Clark raised his head; Lois was standing on the terrace, draped in Lin Nuo's white jacket over her shoulders.
Chapter 332: Kissing in Public, Actively Reciprocating to Sever the Past
As Clark stepped through the manor gates, the underground defense systems retracted their barrels.
The security system did not release its lock, the red laser dot remaining fixed over his heart.
Lois walked down from the terrace.
The white coat swayed gently with her steps, still carrying Lin Nuo's scent.
Clark stopped at the bottom of the steps, refraining from using his Super-Hearing to search for the other person in the manor.
"I only want to talk to you once."
Clark suppressed the exhaustion in his voice.
"No League, no Star Umbrella, and no one else answering for us."
Lois clutched the edge of her coat.
She had anticipated Clark's return and prepared many questions, but when actually facing him, those sharp words only felt heavy.
Lin Nuo walked out of the main building, his gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses sweeping over Clark.
"Of course."
Lin Nuo opened the side door to the reception room.
"It's up to her how long she wants to listen. I won't stop her, nor will I end the conversation on her behalf."
Clark did not relax because of this.
He could see the stellar energy flowing within Lin Nuo, and he could hear the weapons deep within the manor completing their charge.
Yet Lin Nuo did not block his path.
This composure was more jarring than hostility.
Clark even suspected that his arrival today was also within the other man's expectations.
Lin Nuo walked over to Lois's side, adjusting the coat that had slipped down.
His palm then rested on her waist, pulling her closer.
Clark's gaze locked onto that hand.
"You already promised to let us talk alone."
His voice grew a bit deeper.
"There's no need to put on a show here."
"This is hardly a show."
Lin Nuo looked at Lois, confirming she had no intention of pulling away.
"I just don't like others misunderstanding that she is still waiting for the past."
Lin Nuo leaned down and kissed Lois.
Lois's body stiffened slightly.
Clark was right at the bottom of the steps; she could even see the pain rapidly welling up in his eyes.
She could have pushed Lin Nuo away and explained her action out of consideration for old times.
But that would only make Clark continue to believe that there was still a part of them that could be pieced back together.
Lois raised her hand, grabbed Lin Nuo's collar, and actively reciprocated the kiss.
Clark's fists suddenly clenched tight.
The stone slabs outside the manor could not withstand the leaking power, and several cracks spread outward from his feet.
The defense systems rose again.
Lin Nuo, however, raised his hand, signaling the security system to remain on standby.
He ended the kiss, his thumb brushing the corner of Lois's lips, his tone remaining gentle.
"Clark, thank you for nurturing such an outstanding woman. I will cherish her."
A red glow flashed in Clark's eyes.
Before his Heat Vision could be released, Lois had already stepped in front of Lin Nuo.
This action made him unclench his fists.
He could blast through the manor, and he could even launch an attack before Lin Nuo could invoke the gem.
But he could not bypass Lois, much less treat a woman who actively chose to stay as a hostage waiting to be rescued.
Lin Nuo let go and walked toward the side parlor alone.
"You two can take your time talking."
He glanced at Clark before closing the door.
"I trust her, and I respect the answer she gives."
Only Clark and Lois remained in the reception room.
Clark stared at the white coat, his Adam's apple bobbing a few times.
"Bruce has gone missing, Barry lost his Speed Force, and Gotham has been completely taken over by a corporation."
Clark lowered his voice.
"All of these things happened around Lin Nuo. Do you still think he only wants to protect you?"
"I never thought he was without secrets."
Lois did not evade.
"I'm still investigating Gotham's surveillance system and tracing Star Umbrella's content censorship. My judgment didn't disappear along with my romantic relationship."
Clark took half a step forward but stopped at Lois's wary look.
"Then leave with me."
Clark made his plea.
"Once you confirm the whole truth, you can decide whether to return. I can take you anywhere he can't monitor."
The guilt in Lois's eyes faded.
"You're still used to choosing the answers for me first."
She pulled her coat tight again.
"You didn't ask for my opinion when you left Earth. Now that you're back, you're only prepared to give me a path that you approve of."
"I left to find a way to counter him."
Clark's voice was hoarse.
"If I had stayed in Metropolis, he would have continued to use you to keep me in check."
"But you didn't even leave a single goodbye."
Lois stared at him.
"Every day, I was guessing where you went, not knowing if you would disappear again. At least Lin Nuo stands where I can see him."
Clark could not refute her.
The journey to the edge of the Universe had taken too long.
He had been solely focused on finding the technology to strip away the Stellar Authority, never seriously considering how Lois would get through that time.
"I admit I hurt you."
Clark lowered his voice.
"But the timing of Lin Nuo's approach was too precise. He saved your father, bought the newspaper, and had all resources revolve around you. Have you really never doubted him?"
"Of course I did."
Lois's reply was without hesitation.
"So I checked the medical records, the cash flows, and the rescue process. At least in the parts I could access, there were no traces of forgery."
She paused for a moment, her gaze complex.
"I also know he enjoys the feeling of winning against you. That kiss just now was a declaration of ownership; I'm not so dense that I couldn't see it."
Hope re-emerged in Clark's eyes.
But Lois shook her head.
"My responding to him was my own decision."
She suppressed her guilt.
"Clark, I have accepted a new life. You can't assume it must stem from deception just because this life brings you pain."
Outside the reception room, Lin Nuo did not use any eavesdropping devices.
He sat in the study, watching the life signs captured by the security system.
Clark's heart rate spiked several times, only to be forcibly suppressed.
Lois was not calm either.
Yet she stood her ground the entire time, never moving closer to Clark.
Clark fell silent for a long time before finally asking the hardest question to voice.
"Do you love him?"
Lois's fingertips tightened.
At that moment, she recalled Clark flying away from the window time and time again, and she recalled Lin Nuowaiting outside the hospital for her father to wake up.
She left no room for ambiguity for the past.
"I love him."
Lois looked at Clark.
"This answer does not require your approval."
Clark turned and walked toward the door.
As he passed by Lin Nuo, he didn't stop his steps, leaving only a suppressed warning.
"If I find evidence that you are manipulating her, no matter how this World judges me, I will come back."
Lin Nuo pushed up his glasses.
"Then go find the evidence."
He tone was calm.
"Reporters believe in facts, and you should learn to respect that as well."
Clark soared into the sky.
He suppressed the sonic boom until he was above the city before releasing it, his red cape quickly vanishing beyond the clouds.
Lois stood at the door until she could no longer see his figure.
"You intentionally provoked him just now."
She did not turn around.
"That kiss, and what you said, were hardly considerate."
Lin Nuo pulled her coat tight from behind but did not deny it.
"He came here with the intention of taking you away."
Lin Nuo leaned close to her ear.
"I can give him the chance to talk, but I won't play along with him treating you as someone who still belongs to the past."
Lois turned and stared at him.
"I will continue to investigate Gotham, and I will investigate you."
She raised her hand and tapped his chest.
"The day I find out you have crossed the line, this coat won't keep me here."
Lin Nuo held her hand, gently kissing her knuckles.
"Feel free to investigate."
His smile did not change.
"I like you when you stay clear-headed."
Just as the manor gates closed, dark green vines wrapped around the doorbell, and a blonde woman carrying a mallet descended along a bridge of vines, her laughter bursting into the hall even before the alarm did.
Chapter 333: Just Switched to a New Master, the Ex Cackles as He Breaks Out of Prison
Harley jumped down from the vine bridge, her wooden mallet landing heavily on the edge of the stone steps.
Just as the security system locked onto her, thick vines burst from underground, blocking all firing angles.
Pamela followed behind.
Her palm rested against a vine as her gaze swept across the modified vegetation around the manor.
Those plants looked normal, but Star Umbrella suppressor devices were buried near their roots.
The moment she tried to spread spores, the entire soil would release targeted chemical agents.
"Stand down."
Lin Nuo walked out of the hall, his eyes falling on Harley.
"The fact that they could reach the door shows they didn't come to launch a sneak attack."
The security systems sank back underground.
Pamela didn't relax; her vines still shielded Harley's side.
Harley tilted her head to study Lin Nuo, her makeup smudged.
The red and blue eyeshadow couldn't hide her exhaustion, yet her lips forced an exaggerated smile.
"So you're Gotham's new boss?"
Harley hoisted her mallet onto her shoulder.
"You look way too clean. I thought whoever took over that dump of a city would have three heads."
"You're welcome to check."
Lin Nuo spread his hands.
"Though if you break my glasses, you'll have to pay for them. They've been with me longer than most of my business partners."
Harley narrowed her eyes and suddenly swung her mallet.
The mallet head brushed past Lin Nuo's ear, shattering a nearby statue.
The security system didn't open fire, nor did Lin Nuododge.
Pamela's vines had already wrapped around Harley's wrist.
"I brought you here to negotiate terms, not to test his head."
Pamela forced the mallet down.
"We need someone who can stop the Joker."
Harley yanked her hand back, her laughter dimming a bit.
"Mr. Puddin doesn't want me anymore, so I'm finding a new toy."
She circled Lin Nuo once.
"But if the new toy is too obedient, it's boring. I like ones that make noise."
Lin Nuo saw the lingering strangle marks on the side of her neck.
A remote-control collar prepared by the Joker had once been fitted there, and the wound hadn't fully healed.
"No one here requires you to replace your Master."
Lin Nuo opened the doors to the manor.
"You can receive treatment, or you can take your weapons and leave. If you intend to stay, then we can talk about work."
Harley froze in her tracks.
She had anticipated recruitment, threats, or even being implanted with another control device.
The choice Lin Nuo offered was so normal that it left her completely at a loss.
"Aren't you afraid I'll burn down the house in the middle of the night?"
Harley rested her mallet on her shoulder.
"My resume isn't exactly pretty. My last job involved blowing up my boss's rivals."
"If you burn the house down, you will be kicked out. If you harm innocents, you will be subdued."
Lin Nuo stepped aside to clear the way.
"Having a choice doesn't mean freedom from consequences. You should be able to tell the difference."
Pamela entered the hall first.
Only after confirming there were no hallucinogenic gases or plant-gene targeted weapons inside did she let her vines release Harley.
Lois was already back in the study organizing her interview notes.
She paused upon seeing Harley, then picked up the paper cutter on the desk.
Harley whistled at her.
"Relax, Miss Reporter."
Harley waved her empty hands.
"I'm only here to look for a job today. I don't have plans to kidnap a celebrity's girlfriend for now."
Lois wasn't fooled by her smile.
"The last reporter who interviewed you spent half a month in the hospital."
She shut her laptop.
"If you want to prove you're not a threat, put down the blade hidden in your sleeve first."
Harley's smile stiffened slightly.
The thin blade slid down her wrist into her palm before she tossed it onto the table.
"I'm starting to like this place."
She turned to Lin Nuo.
"At least the people around you aren't stupid enough to just look at my face."
Pamela pulled out a chair, vines forming a barrier behind her.
"I want management rights over all green belts in Gotham."
She stated her condition directly.
"Star Umbrella cannot fell, modify, or monitor the plants under my control, and I will have Harley join your strike team."
Lin Nuo pulled up the map of Gotham's underground utility network.
More than half of the green areas connected to hospitals, schools, and energy hubs; once handed over to Pamela, she could lock down the city at any time.
"You can be in charge of ecological restoration, but early warning devices must remain in public areas."
Lin Nuo marked out the Botanical Gardens separately.
"That area will be under your autonomous control, and Star Umbrella will not enter the underground sector. Control permissions over the city's green belts will only be opened zone by zone."
Pamela's gaze turned cold.
"You want Harley, but you aren't willing to pay the price."
"Harley is not your bargaining chip."
Lin Nuo slid a blank keycard in front of Harley.
"If she is willing to join, she negotiates her own terms. The only parts you can trade are intelligence and abilities related to the Botanical Gardens."
Harley stared at the card without reaching out.
The Joker had gifted her things before too.
Every gift hid a purpose—laughing gas, tracking devices, and explosive charges were only a part of it.
"What's inside this?"
Harley tapped the edge of the table with her mallet.
"A tracking program, a shock chip, or a command code that makes me dance with the push of a button?"
"Identity permissions and a medical appointment."
Lin Nuo placed a scanner on the table.
"You can have Pamela inspect it, or you can take it apart yourself."
Pamela controlled a fine root to bore into the keycard.
There were no hidden devices inside, not even mandatory mission clauses.
She didn't trust Lin Nuo because of this.
This respect itself was bait.
For someone who had been controlled for a long time, the right to choose was easier to make her stay voluntarily than chains were.
Yet Pamela needed this bait.
The Joker had already obtained the underground communication chip and knew Harley was hiding in the Botanical Gardens.
Relying on vines alone, she couldn't guard against that madman forever.
"I can accept zoned management."
Pamela retracted the fine root.
"The additional condition is that the Joker can never approach Harley. If he leaves Arkham, your people must stop him."
Lin Nuo didn't agree immediately.
"The protection agreement requires Harley's personal confirmation."
He looked at the blonde woman.
"If she still wants to return to the Joker's side, I won't decide for her."
The smile on Harley's lips gradually faded.
"You two are talking as if I'm already shattered glass all over the floor."
She grabbed the keycard and slammed it into the terminal.
"I can work for you, but I won't wear a uniform, and I won't let any psychiatrist label me."
The keycard glowed green.
"The nature of your work is your choice."
Lin Nuo pulled up several departments.
"Behavioral Analysis, Security Testing, and Special Operations all suit you. Medical records will belong exclusively to you."
Harley stared at the Special Operations permissions, her eyes lighting up again.
"Do you have legal giant mallets?"
She leaned in close to Lin Nuo.
"Preferably ones that can smash a few jerkoffs who need a beating. I've accumulated a lot of healthy emotions lately."
"The armory can customize one."
Lin Nuo grabbed her hand as she tried to reach for his glasses.
"Rule number one: do not touch other people's personal belongings without permission."
Harley didn't struggle; instead, she leaned slightly closer.
"Respect, rules, and a pretty toy."
She lowered her voice.
"Acting like this easily gives a newly single girl dangerous ideas."
Lin Nuo released her hand.
"First, learn to distinguish work from dependency."
He turned and closed the permissions interface.
"Once you can make decisions independently, then consider other dangerous ideas."
Harley froze on the spot.
A hint of wariness flashed deep in Pamela's eyes.
The Joker would amplify Harley's madness and then use rewards to make her dependent.
Yet Lin Nuo stepped back when she took the initiative to approach; this sense of boundaries was far more precise.
The manor's alarm suddenly flashed.
A purple frequency bypassed Gotham's security grid and directly breached Arkham's legacy access control.
Just as Lin Nuo completed the trace, the intruder used legacy override permissions left by Batman to override the central control room.
The smile on Harley's face completely vanished.
Hidden inside that intrusion code was a familiar string of laughter.
She had once personally crafted that exact audio signature for the Joker.
Pamela shot up to her feet, her vines smashing open the window.
"How could he possibly get external permissions?"
She stared at the ward map turning red.
"I already cut off the underground passage from the Botanical Gardens to Arkham."
Lin Nuo enlarged the purple frequency.
It was close to the star sapphire, yet heavily disguised, so much so that even Carol couldn't directly replicate this signal wave.
On the other side of the screen, the Joker sat in his cell, pressing the purple communication chip against the door lock.
He stared at the lasso of truth that had failed to arrive, his smile cracking open bit by bit.
The next second, all cell doors in Arkham unlocked simultaneously, and the Joker's long-absent laughter echoed through the ward's intercoms.
Chapter 334: The Joker's Curtain Call, Old Love Settles Old Scores
The iron doors of the ward popped open simultaneously.
Before the guards on duty could seal the corridor, a coin flew from the far end, shattering the emergency light.
Two-Face caught the ricocheting coin, a smile spreading across the burned side of his face.
"Heads, we leave."
He glanced at the result of the coin toss and snatched the guard's keycard.
"Tails stays—looks like that'll have to wait until next time."
In another passage, Scarecrow smashed open a storage locker.
Yellow gas spread through the ventilation system; several guards quickly dropped their weapons and fired wildly at nonexistent monsters.
Mr. Freeze stepped out of the isolation ward.
He didn't join the scramble, merely using his freeze gun to block their pursuers before turning the nozzle toward Arkham's outer wall.
Ice spread rapidly, causing the concrete to crack under the extreme cold.
Joker stepped onto the central console and picked up the microphone for the ward's PA system.
All the public screens lit up simultaneously as his ghastly pale face appeared across the streets of Gotham.
"This city needs chaos! It needs laughter!"
Joker threw his arms wide.
"The new boss set up access controls, numbers, and safe routes for you, but he forgot that Gotham loves unscripted shows the most!"
The frenzied crowd surged toward the breach in the outer wall.
Star Umbrella drones arrived overhead, but as they approached Arkham, they encountered a misidentification glitch that flagged the inmates as civilians awaiting evacuation.
Gordon saw the scan results and grabbed his communicator to patch through to the Manor.
"Your perfect system just got ripped open by a single chip."
Gordon dispatched officers to block off the streets.
"Two-Face and Mr. Freeze have already left the ward, and Fear Gas is spreading toward Narrows Island."
Lin Nuo didn't respond to his sarcasm.
He severed Arkham's legacy network from the city's system, and the drones' false targeting immediately disappeared.
"Have the officers pull back beyond the sea-crossing bridge."
Lin Nuo designated a quarantine zone.
"Block vehicular access and get medical teams ready to handle the Fear Gas. Leave Arkham's interior to me."
Gordon stared at the Red dots on the map.
"You'd better actually have control over the situation."
His voice bore suppressed fury.
"Gotham was quiet for just one night; it can't afford a second takeover war."
After the transmission ended, Joker's image took over the Manor's main screen.
He leaned close to the camera, a purple chip pinched between two fingers.
"Mr. Lin Nuo, I gave you the entrance to the botanical garden and Harley's location."
Joker licked his lips.
"Your people took the gift, yet forgot to deliver the lasso of truth to my room."
Harley turned her head to look at Lin Nuo.
Pamela had already manipulated vines to shield her, an uncontrollable murderous intent welling up in her eyes.
"You made a deal with him?"
Harley's voice lost its usual exaggerated tone.
"Traded me for a glowing rope?"
"No."
Lin Nuo pulled up the chip's transmission log.
"Someone used Star Umbrella's signature to promise him the lasso of truth. That person also knows the frequency of the star sapphire."
Hearing the answer, Joker laughed even harder.
"What does it matter if the deal was real or fake?"
He slapped the console.
"I provided intelligence and didn't get paid, so I'm going to tear down your new Gotham. Rules ought to be fair like that!"
Pamela finally understood how Joker was able to bypass the underground plant perimeter.
Someone had fed him Harley's hideout location and the passage layout, making him falsely believe Lin Nuo would make a trade.
The perpetrator was waiting for Joker to upend Arkhamfrom the very beginning.
In the external feed, Mr. Freeze had already broken through the first barricade.
Two-Face led inmates to hijack transport trucks, while Scarecrow's gas made it impossible for drones to distinguish attack targets amid illusions.
The briefly established urban order began to unravel.
Pedestrians on the streets rushed into buildings.
Several out-of-control cars crashed into barriers, and distress signals at the medical center increased rapidly.
Harley stared at Joker on the screen.
The man was pushing inmates into the drones' line of fire while hiding behind them to find a safe escape route.
In the past, she would have thought that was clever.
Now, she only saw discarded people.
Lin Nuo raised his hand to open a spatial portal.
On the other side of the blue light doorway, Wanda was at Star Umbrella headquarters inspecting the dimensional defense line.
"Wanda, there's a massive jailbreak in Gotham."
Lin Nuo sent her the friend-or-foe targeting data.
"Suppress Arkham, prioritize isolating the Fear Gas, and keep the inmates away from residential areas."
Wanda stepped through the light portal, Chaos Magicunfurling along her arms.
"Every time you call me over, the situation is messier than in your message."
She glanced at Joker's live broadcast.
"These people's mental states are extremely chaotic; I can only immobilize them for now."
"That's enough."
Lin Nuo used his spatial authority to lock down the area surrounding Arkham.
"I'll mark the civilians and police officers; you take care of the rest."
Wanda rose into the sky.
Red energy blanketed Narrows Island, forcibly lifting the runaway transport trucks off the ground.
Just as Two-Face was about to fire, his weapon flew from his grip into midair, suspended right in front of his eyes along with his coin.
Sensing danger, Mr. Freeze turned his freeze cannon to attack Wanda.
Crimson light enveloped the cannon nozzle.
The cold stream was forced back into its containment tank; his cryo-suit rapidly froze over, pinning his heavy body to the bridge surface.
Scarecrow released all his gas, trying to use the crowd to create chaos.
Wanda cupped her hands, compressing the yellow fog into a sphere before sending it into a spatial rift opened by Lin Nuo.
Controlling several city blocks in succession turned her face slightly pale.
Chaos Magic continued to spread, dragging inmates who had crossed the containment line back to the Arkhamcourtyard one by one.
Watching the Red dots rapidly diminish, Gordon finally relaxed his clenched hand.
"Watch out for Joker."
He connected to Lin Nuo's channel.
"That guy never uses the same escape route as the others. The riot is very likely just a cover."
Lin Nuo also noticed that the central control room was now empty.
Joker had used the live broadcast video to obscure the camera feeds, slipping into the abandoned treatment ward while Wanda was suppressing the inmates outside.
That area connected to a maintenance tunnel that Pamelahadn't sealed yet.
Harley grabbed her wooden mallet.
"I know where he's going."
She pulled up Arkham's old architectural plans.
"There's an abandoned theater down below—he used to call it the Curtain Call Room. Every time he was about to abandon his henchmen, he'd leave a surprise there."
Pamela's vines blocked her path.
"You've already seen through his motives; there's no need to see him again."
Pamela tightened her vines.
"I'll seal the maintenance tunnel and trap him underground forever."
"And let him keep shouting my name on the broadcast?"
Harley pushed the vines aside.
"Red, I've hidden long enough. I want to hear with my own ears how he plans to explain this."
Pamela wanted to stop her again, but Lin Nuo had already left the choice to Harley.
"You can stay at the Manor."
Lin Nuo opened a spatial portal leading to Arkham.
"If you decide to go, I will ensure you have the chance to walk back."
Harley looked at the blue portal and tightened her grip on the mallet.
"Now this feels like the first interview for a new job."
She forced a smile.
"I hope my ex-boss prepared a severance gift."
The three of them stepped through the portal.
Pamela stayed on the surface to assist Wanda in containing the inmates, while Lin Nuo accompanied Harleyinto the abandoned treatment ward.
Familiar music echoed from deep within the corridor.
Joker stood in the center of the theater stage, holding the purple chip in his hand.
Several guards controlled by Fear Gas stood before him, blinking devices strapped to their chests.
"Harley, I knew you couldn't bear to miss the final curtain call."
Joker spread his arms.
"Come over here; we can start fresh. This time, we can even bring along a glowing new friend."
Harley didn't step forward.
"You gave away my location to someone else."
She stared at the devices on the guards' chests.
"And now you're using them as human shields. You never planned to leave with anyone."
Joker's smile widened.
"My dear, they're just the audience."
He pressed a mechanism on the stage.
"As for you, you'll always be the best punchline."
Chapter 335: Tormenting the Ex to Tears, The Crazy Beauty Takes the Initiative to Throw Herself into His Arms
As the stage mechanism descended, the devices on the guards' chests all glowed red simultaneously.
Joker stood under the spotlight, his finger hovering above the controller.
He was in no hurry to press it down; he merely tilted his head, admiring Harley's expression like someone waiting for a long-rehearsed show to begin.
"My love, you always say I never give you surprises."
Joker waved the controller, laughing with particular delight.
"Now I'm giving you this entire theater. All you have to do is walk over, hug me, and tell this new boss that you regret it, and they can leave here alive."
Harley stared at the trembling guards, her mallet slowly lowering.
The guards' eyes had lost focus; the Fear Gas made it impossible for them to distinguish reality from delusion.
Some held guns aimed at empty air, while others knelt on the ground, begging non-existent monsters not to come closer.
Joker, however, treated them as mere props set along the edge of the stage.
"You used to be like this too."
Harley's voice sounded a bit tense, but she did not step back again.
"You said as long as I was obedient, things would get better. But every time someone got hurt, you'd just say it was part of the joke."
The smile on Joker's face froze for half a beat before he exaggeratedly spread his arms wide.
"Harley, you've finally learned to understand art."
Joker looked at Lin Nuo, his fingertips lightly tapping the controller.
"Gotham doesn't need those good little boys, nor does it need a savior who can fly. It needs someone to tear the rules to shreds, to let everyone know that there's only one bad day—one unlucky choice—separating them from a madman."
Lin Nuo looked up at the top of the theater.
Old-fashioned light rigs, cables, and sound equipment had been retrofitted into signal repeaters.
The devices on the guards weren't connected to ordinary explosives, but rather hooked up to canisters of Scarecrow's leftover Fear Gas.
Once the devices were detonated, the gas would flow through the ventilation ducts into the nearby wards.
What Joker wanted was never just a few lives.
He wanted the first large-scale incident after Lin Nuo took over Gotham to spread from within Arkham itself.
Once the citizens fell into panic again, everyone would doubt that so-called new order.
Lin Nuo raised his hand, a layer of blue light patterns emerging on his palm.
"Your trap isn't that complicated."
Lin Nuo spoke in a calm tone.
"You strapped the devices to the guards wanting to make me hesitate to deal with them directly. Unfortunately, you put too much faith in people being afraid of losing control."
Joker's laughter ceased.
In the next moment, several blue fissures cracked open on the floor beneath the stage.
The devices on the guards were stripped away one by one by Space Authority, falling into the sealed fissures along with the Fear Gas canisters.
Joker slammed his thumb down on the controller.
There was no explosion.
There were no screams.
Only the hollow click of the controller echoed through the theater.
The red light on the guards' chests went out, and Chaos Magic swept in from outside the door, wrapping around their wrists and ankles like invisible chains.
Wanda did not enter the theater; she merely stood at the end of the hallway, maintaining the spell.
She looked in Joker's direction, without a trace of warmth in her eyes.
"I've temporarily suppressed the fear in their minds."
Wanda raised her hand, pulling a syringe that had dropped to the floor across the air.
"You'd better hope I don't find anything else here."
Joker took half a step back, his heel hitting the edge of the stage.
He stared at the completely unharmed guards, the excitement in his eyes turning to irritation.
The carefully prepared curtain call gift he had devised was dismantled into junk by Lin Nuo in the most unreasonable manner imaginable.
Yet, he did not run.
He attached a purple chip to the controller, and the screens surrounding the theater lit up simultaneously.
On the screens appeared the streets of Gotham, drones around the perimeter of Arkham, and surveillance screenshots of Harley hiding beneath the Botanical Garden.
"I still have a second act."
Joker pointed at Harley on the screen, his smile becoming twisted once more.
"All of Gotham will know that you've switched Masters yet again. Last time you followed me around smashing people's heads in. This time, are you planning to put on a uniform for him and learn to be an obedient little dog?"
Harley's face turned pale.
Her most hated memories were dragged out in front of everyone by Joker.
The absurdity, rage, and loss of control she refused to acknowledge were all edited into footage for people to mock.
In the past, she would have screamed and rushed forward to smash the screens with her mallet.
But now, Lin Nuo stood in front of her.
His back blocked the glaring light of the screens as well as Joker's gaze.
"Harley."
Lin Nuo didn't turn back, but his voice fell clearly into her ears.
"You can leave now, or you can stay. What you've done will have consequences, but no one can use your past to decide how you live your future."
Harley's fingers tightened around the mallet.
She looked at Lin Nuo's back, then at Joker on the stage.
One treated her as a punchline and called all the harm love.
The other knew she was trouble, dangerous, and liable to lose control at any moment, yet still laid the power of choice right before her.
Harley suddenly laughed.
That laughter lacked her past madness, carrying instead a hint of mockery.
"Mister P, you got one thing right."
Harley raised her mallet and heavily smashed the screen at her feet.
"I really did switch to someone else. But this time, it was my own choice—it's not your place to write my script."
Joker's eyes darkened completely.
He raised his hand and pressed another hidden button.
The theater ceiling snapped with a roar, and a heavy light rig crashed down toward Harley.
It was his final insurance, one whose landing spot even he couldn't fully control.
When Harley looked up, it was already too late to swing her mallet.
Lin Nuo raised his right hand.
Yellow Sun energy gathered in his palm, and a light-golden Bio-field expanded upward.
The falling light rig stopped midair, its iron chains pulled taut, unable to descend even another fraction of an inch.
Harley stood under the barrier of light, her breath catching.
Joker hadn't saved her.
Joker hadn't even hesitated.
He just wanted to see if she would be crushed into a mass of bloody flesh, so he could use his final words to mock her for choosing the wrong person.
Lin Nuo closed his fingers, and the entire light rig was crushed into a twisted chunk of metal in midair before falling into a spatial fissure.
Harley stared at the empty space above her, her eyes slowly reddening.
She suddenly dropped her mallet and threw herself into Lin Nuo's arms.
Her forehead pressed against his shoulder, her fingers tightly clutching his hem, as if finally allowing herself to acknowledge the exhaustion she had suppressed for so long.
"I don't want to laugh for him anymore."
Harley's voice was muffled against Lin Nuo's shoulder.
"And I don't want to hide beneath the Botanical Gardenanymore either. You said I could choose for myself, so I choose to stay."
Lin Nuo raised his hand to touch her back, offering her a brief, restrained comfort through her clothes.
"Very well."
Lin Nuo said softly.
"From today on, no one can force you back to his side."
A cold notification tone sounded in Lin Nuo's mind.
[Target Harley Quinn's psychological defenses have completely collapsed.]
[Interception progress reached 100%.]
[Triggered Ultimate Possession Critical Strike.]
[Obtained: Madness Immunity.]
[Obtained: Joker Serum Analysis Right.]
[Obtained: Harley Quinn's Absolute Loyalty.]
An invisible wave merged deep into Lin Nuo's consciousness.
The lingering Fear Gas in the theater still drifted through the air, trying to amplify dark thoughts.
However, as soon as those mental interferences approached Lin Nuo, they hit an insurmountable barrier without leaving even a ripple.
Lin Nuo raised his head and looked at Joker, whose expression was growing increasingly ugly.
Joker fell silent at first, then covered his face and burst out laughing.
His laughter grew sharper and more out of control.
"Hahaha!"
Joker pointed at Harley hugging Lin Nuo, tears of laughter even welling in his eyes.
"Turns out I can get cheated on too! Turns out the joke I painstakingly cultivated ends up thinking someone else is more interesting!"
"You've never cultivated anyone."
Harley raised her head from Lin Nuo's chest, the last trace of wavering in her eyes completely gone.
"You only break people apart, then force them to thank you for it."
Joker's laughter came to a sudden halt.
He grabbed the handgun at the edge of the stage, but the moment the muzzle was raised, Lin Nuo had already crossed the distance of several meters.
The firearm was twisted into scrap metal by a layer of blue light.
Lin Nuo kicked Joker in the abdomen, sending him tumbling off the stage.
Joker broke through the railing and rolled onto the floor; before he could even push himself up, the sole of Lin Nuo's shoe was already stomped onto his chest.
A crisp snapping sound echoed through the theater.
Joker turned pale from the pain, yet he still grinned, attempting to laugh.
"You think you've won?"
Joker wheezed, his eyes looking past Lin Nuo at Harley.
"Sooner or later she'll realize you're just another control freak who's better at putting on an act. When that time comes, she'll go even crazier than before."
Lin Nuo slowly increased the pressure under his foot.
"Whether she leaves or not is up to her to decide."
Lin Nuo looked down at Joker, his voice devoid of any emotion.
"As for your toy, I'm taking her."
Joker's pupils shrank to a point.
Harley did not avoid his gaze.
She walked up to Lin Nuo's side, bent down to pick up her mallet, and rested the head back over her shoulder.
This stance, which had once filled Joker with pride, no longer belonged to him.
Outside the theater, Pamela stepped over the shattered doorboards, her gaze landing on Harley's hand tightly gripping Lin Nuo's sleeve; for the first time, an unfamiliar emotion surged uncontrollable in her green eyes.
Chapter 336: Poison Ivy at His Throat, A Sudden Green Light from Beyond
Pamela didn't approach immediately.
She stopped at the entrance of the theater, vines spreading outward from the tips of her shoes.
The plants didn't attack anyone, but they completely sealed off all the exits and hallways, as if guarding against an unseen plunder.
Harley noticed her gaze and released her grip on Lin Nuo's sleeve.
"Pammy, I'm okay."
Harley wiped away the remaining moisture from the corner of her eyes and deliberately slung her mallet over her shoulder.
"Joker's show today was terrible; he didn't even prepare a proper curtain call for himself."
Pamela didn't play along with her joke.
She saw the old injury on Harley's neck, as well as Lin Nuonaturally pulling back his hand as he stood by Harley's side.
That distance, devoid of any forcefulness, made her even more uneasy.
Joker's control was always crude and direct.
Lin Nuo was different.
He knew when to give someone space and when to block danger in front of them.
For someone like Harley, this kind of gentleness was far harder to guard against than chains.
"You say you're okay, but you were almost killed by him just now."
Pamela looked at Lin Nuo, keeping her voice very low.
"And you stand here as if everything was calculated. What exactly do you want from Harley?"
Lin Nuo didn't answer for Harley.
"The parts she's willing to tell you will come from her own mouth."
Lin Nuo raised his hand to turn off the remaining surveillance screens in the theater.
"I can offer shelter, treatment, and work. If she doesn't want to stay, the manor's gates will always be open to her."
Harley pursed her lips.
She knew it sounded nice, and she also knew Lin Nuomight not be as simple as he seemed on the surface.
But at least up until now, Lin Nuo hadn't used what she feared most to force her agreement.
This already felt more like a real choice than all the gentleness Joker had ever shown her.
"I'll stay."
Harley looked at Pamela with a rare tone of seriousness.
"But not because he asked me to stay. I just don't want to be chased around by that lipstick-wearing madman anymore. I want to try, just once, to live a decent life."
Pamela's fingertips trembled slightly.
She wanted to say Lin Nuo couldn't be trusted, wanted to drag Harley back to the underground of the botanical garden to keep hiding from those scum in Gotham who would never change.
But she also knew that wasn't protection.
It was just locking Harley away where she could see her.
Lin Nuo had Wanda turn Joker over to Star UmbrellaSecurity and instructed others to send the guards to the medical center.
Harley refused to leave the theater; she sat on the edge of the broken stage, staring blankly at the sealed underground tunnel.
Pamela stayed by her side in silence.
Lin Nuo walked outside and raised his hand to project a holographic display.
A topographic map of Gotham's Old Industrial Areaopened in midair, with land eroded by chemical waste marked in dark gray.
Pamela looked up, her vigilance unabated.
"Is this the new city district you plan to develop?"
Pamela asked coldly.
"Those people will clear the weeds first, then build malls, parking lots, and luxury homes. In the end, they'll put a price tag on every tree and tell everyone it's called urban upgrading."
"This is a pollution remediation project obtained by Star Umbrella."
Lin Nuo zoomed in on the projection, revealing a dense network of pipes beneath the dark gray area.
"Over the past few decades, Wayne Enterprises and other companies tried to handle this place. No one was willing to bear the cost, nor was anyone willing to admit that the underground soil is nearly dead."
Seeing the pollution layer on the map, Pamela's face gradually darkened.
She could sense the state of that land.
There were no thriving root systems there, only remnants of life corroded by heavy metals and liquid waste.
Whenever she passed through the Old Industrial Area, the feedback from the plants felt like an unsettling, persistent pain.
"You're showing me this because you want me to be your free labor?"
Pamela stared at Lin Nuo.
"Don't dress up a capitalist development project as environmental protection. I've seen too many smiling people handing over contracts who just want to use my abilities to polish their own image."
Lin Nuo didn't deny that Star Umbrella would profit from it.
"Star Umbrella will gain a more stable city."
Lin Nuo brought up another layer of the plan.
"However, the botanical garden, the Old Industrial Area, and the riverside wetlands will be designated as independent ecological zones, off-limits to any corporations in their core areas. Once restoration is complete, management rights of the green belt will be handed over to you, with Star Umbrella retaining only a disaster early-warning interface."
Pamela sneered.
"Sounds very generous."
She raised her hand, and a thorny vine burst from the ground, pointing directly at Lin Nuo's throat.
"But human promises are never thicker than paper. Today you grant me authority, and tomorrow you can take it all back with a new rule."
The vine stopped in front of Lin Nuo.
Fine pollen escaped from between the leaves, carrying a neuro-interfering compound specially synthesized by Pamela.
Ordinary people would fall into a brief trance if inhaled, and those with weak willpower might even actively obey her suggestions.
Lin Nuo stood in place without dodging.
A faint golden bio-field brushed across his skin, isolating the pollen with invisible energy before it could even draw near.
The tip of the vine slammed into the field like striking an invisible wall.
Pamela's pupils contracted slightly.
This wasn't her first time encountering metahumans.
But her plants had trapped armored vehicles and could pierce reinforced concrete.
Lin Nuo hadn't even drawn upon the Space Stone; using merely the stellar energy around his body, he rendered her control completely ineffective.
"You're testing me."
Lin Nuo raised his hand to grasp the vine, his palm unpierced by the thorns.
"That's good. You shouldn't easily trust anyone, especially someone who takes over Gotham."
Pamela tried to pull the vine back, only to realize Lin Nuowasn't applying any force.
He simply lowered the vine back to the ground, as if returning something that originally belonged to her.
"I won't offer you a promise maintained merely by word of mouth."
Lin Nuo looked at her.
"The ecological zone in the Old Industrial Area will be connected to Star Umbrella's main control network. Developers, gangs, and government departments won't be able to alter the permissions individually unless they go through me first."
Pamela fell silent.
These words still carried Lin Nuo's customary tone of control.
Yet she had to admit that no one in Gotham was more capable of fulfilling a promise than Lin Nuo.
Wayne Enterprises couldn't do it, City Hall couldn't do it, and Gordon couldn't do it either.
Only Lin Nuo possessed the capital, force, and technology to forcibly establish a sanctuary in front of a greedy crowd.
Harley stepped out of the theater, just in time to hear the last sentence.
Looking at Pamela's tense back, she suddenly reached out to wrap her arm around Pamela's.
"Pammy, you've always wanted the places outside the botanical garden to improve too."
Harley tilted her head with a smile.
"Now someone's willing to spend money, supply machines, and even let you be the boss. Why don't you check out his proposal first before deciding whether to hang him from a streetlight with your vines?"
Pamela didn't shake Harley off.
Her eyes fell upon their touching shoulders, and the inexplicable irritation in her heart resurfaced once more.
Harley used to rely on others before, but Pamela had never seen Harley display such quietness beside a man.
Lin Nuo could see Pamela wavering, but he didn't push further.
He switched the hologram to live footage.
At the edge of the Old Industrial Area, a fleet of Star Umbrella engineering drones was clearing the pollution layer.
Rather than flattening the existing vegetation, they excavated the soil along the underground root distribution, transferring pollutants into sealed containers.
In an experimental zone on the other side, genetically selected moss covered the abandoned concrete walls.
That moss could absorb heavy metals, and its roots purified sewage seeping into the ground.
Pamela's breath caught slightly.
She could tell this wasn't just a showcase project staged for the media.
Those plants were truly recovering.
"Where did you get this data?"
Pamela lowered her voice.
"The root responses of plants are far more complex than human instruments can measure. You shouldn't have such a complete pollution structural map, nor should you know which patch of soil still retains vitality."
"Star Umbrella's ecological lab has been researching this for a long time."
Lin Nuo adjusted his glasses, speaking calmly.
"However, instruments can only see data; they cannot see what the plants truly need. If you're willing to join, this area will be rebuilt according to your vision."
A cold notification sound echoed in Lin Nuo's mind.
[Target Pamela Isley has formed initial recognition of the host.]
[Interception Progress: 15%.]
Pamela had no idea what that prompt meant.
She only felt that Lin Nuo's proposal was like a door.
Beyond it lay possibilities she had sought for so long without success.
Humans would no longer casually chop, burn, or pollute, but would be restricted beyond the boundaries by stronger rules.
"I won't work myself to death for you."
Pamela withdrew her vines, her tone remaining firm.
"I won't hand Harley over to you, either. If she wants to stay, I won't stop her for now, but I will be keeping an eye on you."
"Fair enough."
Lin Nuo nodded.
"You can keep an eye on the ecological zone, and you can keep an eye on me. If you ever find evidence that Star Umbrella is damaging the green kingdom, I will grant you the right to tear it down with your own hands."
Harley couldn't help but whistle.
"That condition sounds an awful lot like a high-end severance package."
Harley clung to Pamela's arm and wiggled her eyebrows at Lin Nuo deliberately.
"Though let's get one thing straight first: the botanical garden's walls need to be painted in brighter colors. I don't want to wake up every day feeling like I'm living in a gloomy coffin."
Pamela finally showed a hint of helplessness.
She raised her hand to lightly tap Harley's forehead, while her vines unconsciously steered clear of the rubble at Harley's feet, clearing a smooth path for her.
Lin Nuo watched this scene and said no more.
Pamela was willing to stay, and Harley was willing to step out of the underground; that was enough to keep moving the situation forward.
[Target Pamela Isley's emotional fluctuation intensified.]
[Interception Progress: 28%.]
A green beacon suddenly lit up in the night sky outside the manor.
That light did not fall toward Gotham.
Piercing through the clouds, it pointed straight at the newly constructed Yellow Sun energy hub above Metropolis.
Star Umbrella's satellites issued continuous alarms, identifying only a single source.
Oa.