In the dimly lit, decaying cabin, a few individuals stood slightly crowded in a circle, the scene resembling a villainous meeting, whispering conspiratorially about unspeakable schemes.
Yet half of those present were members of the Justice League, which made things interesting.
If he could, Su Ming would definitely teleport them to a place like Midtown, find a café, and everyone would sit under pretty parasols sipping coffee and nibbling on bear claw bread while discussing plans.
Unfortunately, this plan had to be carried out in Gotham; if it wasn't dark and covert enough from start to finish, it would be useless.
Plans devised by Bruce in the Bat Cave are usually effective, though in the Hall of Justice, despite him making the main control room resemble the Bat Cave, claustrophobic and confined.
Yet in there, he seemed to lack his usual form, and the plans he came up with almost never went smoothly.
Either they're exploited by the enemy, or someone on their side messes up, making people want to tear their hair out.
To put it simply, it's just not dark enough.
Su Ming sometimes believed in superstition, as there's no way to explain certain things, so it's better to follow the world's conventions; there's no need to be eccentric about this sort of thing.
Gotham, like most cities in the United States, has citizens who are superstitious about certain things.
For instance, if they see a black cat when leaving their house in the morning, they believe they'll have bad luck today; if there's a gathering with thirteen people at the table, they think someone's going to die; or if a Gypsy woman latches onto them, they believe a demon has set its sights on them.
And so on, such taboos are not unique to Gotham.
They believe some actions or sights can bring good luck, while others don't.
As a mercenary who often needs to travel, when faced with these inexplicable matters, it's better to believe they exist rather than not.
Responding to Oliver's encouragement, Su Ming took out the Godslayer and toyed with it for light, answering him in a deep yet clear voice.
"Yes, the Laughing Bat set his sights on the Bat Owl, definitely eyeing something in the hands of the Owl Court in the Main World, so the Bat Owl's mission is to use these powers, and he should be at a certain Owl Court base in Main World Gotham right now, making that his Bat Cave."
"Do you have a lead?" Thomas asked, recalling that if the Owl Court were real, it would represent true power in Gotham, and he had encountered them decades ago...
"Ah, that's right." Su Ming transformed the Godslayer into a Meteor Hammer, the round light it emitted becoming more even and bright: "We previously mentioned Bruce's great-great-grandfather, one of Gotham's greatest architects, Allen Wayne."
"Hmm, is there a problem with him?" Thomas frowned.
Su Ming shook his head: "No, if there was a problem, he wouldn't have died in the sewers; he died because he wouldn't compromise. Put aside your family's secret history for now, what I want to say is that besides being an architect, he was also a master of superstition."
"Hmm?" Diana shrunk her neck, showing a peculiar expression.
"Simply put, he believed in all the superstitious theories some of us still believe in. For example, he didn't want to see a black cat when stepping out, so he constantly wore very dark sunglasses. If he wasn't at home, he never shared a table with others, and such habits extended to his works as well."
Su Ming smiled at her.
Indeed, it sounds absurd, but one hundred fifty years ago, how much faith in science could one expect from humanity?
Back then, idealism was the dominant worldview. 'I think; therefore I am' was the common belief among advanced intellectuals; what objective existence? Without self-awareness, it simply doesn't exist.
Their gazes fell on Deathstroke, aside from Mackenzie who had nothing to do with it and was just watching for entertainment, the others awaited Deathstroke's explanation.
"Allen is considered a genius because he designed buildings with excellent quality that still exist today. Although only thirty or forty stories tall, which seems insignificant now, at the time, when Gotham was newly established and barely a city, such skyscrapers were second only to cities like New York and Washington."
"Hmm... so what?" Diana tilted her head in thought, unable to find any necessary connection.
"When building, he would skip the thirteenth floor due to his superstitious theories," Su Ming spread his hands, answering: "Unlike other cities that directly replace the thirteenth floor with a fourteenth-floor sign, he opted to build Gotham's famed 'twelve and a half floors,' essentially a mezzanine."
"I know, among skyscrapers in Gotham, above the twelfth floor there's a low mezzanine, not very high, merely allowing someone to stand upright, and with no means of entry, above which the fourteenth floor is constructed. It's a distinctive style of Gotham buildings; I just didn't realize it had such ties with the Wayne family."
Thomas nodded in agreement with Deathstroke's explanation; Gotham's buildings indeed follow this pattern. Originally, he thought it was merely a traditional artistic technique by the architects.
"Actually, there's a way to enter; the twelve-and-a-half floors also have windows. Even if they didn't, outsiders counting the floors would still see 14 as 13, and the residents of 14 would surely be displeased." Su Ming laughed.
Oliver nodded, noting that this issue exists elsewhere too: "But after Allen's maneuvering, people outside see 13 floors, and when inside using the elevator or stairs, the 13th floor no longer exists, so no one would be dissatisfied."
"Scaling tall building windows is certainly impossible for ordinary people; free-climbing to the twelfth floor along a skyscraper's exterior would surely not be feasible, but it's a breeze for Sharp Claw."
Su Ming twirled the weapon in his hand, watching the golden light move over everyone, and said quietly.
"The Owl Court uses these twelve-and-a-half floors as their base?" Everyone understood this time, Deathstroke was going in circles just to point this out.
"It's the base for the Sharp Claws' operations. 'Beware the Owl Court, always monitoring your travel.' Without a network of bases throughout the city, in an era without surveillance equipment or satellites, how dare they make such a claim?" Su Ming chuckled nonchalantly, "Allen, as a master builder, had his disciples emulate his perfect solutions. Since then, every skyscraper in Gotham has had interlayers."
"He left Gotham with twenty skyscrapers in his lifetime, along with countless foundational buildings. His students have been continuously building Gotham..." Thomas had a somewhat solemn expression on his face and sighed deeply.
"Don't worry about that. In the Main World, these buildings have been cleared by Bruce and are still being monitored daily, so no problem there. He's already excluded 99% of incorrect options for us, and the Laughing Bat has eliminated Wayne Tower for me, so there aren't many options left."
Su Ming spread his hands, put away the Godslayer, and the surroundings turned pitch black.
"So, do we know where it is?" Arthur was a bit puzzled.
Deathstroke's red eye floated in the darkness, moving quickly toward the door: "Notice the habit of 'seizing the enemy's nest.' There aren't many owls by the seaside, right?"
"That's true. Since I was little, I've mostly seen albatrosses and seagulls. There are no owls at Ci'en Port anyway."
Arthur thought for a moment and shook his head. His trident was now a source of light, but the blue glow made it seem like a haunted house.
"Then let me teach you a small fact about Deathstroke: owls are one of the few birds in nature that don't build their own nests. They only occupy abandoned nests or take over nests after killing rival birds. Interestingly, once they occupy a nest, they often manage it meticulously, decorating it more beautifully than other birds."
Su Ming laughed as he opened the creaky door, the doorknob crumbling to pieces in his hand, which he then tossed aside.
Oliver stepped out the door, squinting at the sea not far away: "That's true, owls are very good at peeling mouse skins. The nests they seize are lined with mouse-skin rugs. Buddy, birds have rugs."
"Why is it always mice?" Diana asked somewhat numbly.
"To the Owl Court, Gotham's citizens are just mice, their prey, plain and simple." Su Ming took out a communication terminal, adjusted the frequency, and began talking while looking at the sea: "Divine Child, how's your Humiliation Squad progressing?"
The small screen showed the kid with a black explosion hairstyle, looking impressed: "You're one cunning old guy, you guessed it damn accurately. We found that Madman Batman just where you said he might be."
This kid, who's been mixed up in society since he was little, habitually spoke colorfully. Su Ming didn't mind the swearing but did scratch his ear with some concern: "Wait, when did I become an old guy? I'm not the Deathstroke you knew before."
"Who the hell knows how old you really are? You look under thirty, but is that your real age? You might have lived for hundreds of years in some other world, for all we know. The Fallen Knight has already got the intel on you, Justice League-level intel."
The Divine Child displayed a knowing expression, and after all, he's only 17. To him, these seasoned masked people are all old guys.
He's not only black but also an orphan, a minor, a mental patient, an animal rights activist, gay, plus a science genius, so he's always right.
Just so confident and fabulous, huh~
Watching the Divine Child on the small screen pulling out a little mirror to touch up his makeup, applying bright lip gloss, Su Ming caught sight of the buildings behind him, confirmed the location, shivered, and quickly hung up the call:
"Alright, let's get over there."
After speaking, he quickly put away the communicator, even rubbing his arms as if trying to smooth down any goosebumps.
But this task was taken care of by Strangulation. It entered each hair follicle, controlling the opening of pores around them, resolving the host's goosebump issue.
"Phew... Young people nowadays, really...."
Even Oliver couldn't help but sigh, thankfully Meihui is normal, what a relief.
Su Ming turned around, holding his forehead, while opening a Teleportation Gate, he said to Oliver: "You know, if you ever have kids, don't let them live with their mother. Best if you send them to Purgatory Island while they're young. It's better for them to become a killer than to be a mental patient."
Diana also patted Green Arrow on the shoulder. Oliver and Dina are the most likely to have kids: "If it's a girl, consider Paradise Island."
Finishing, she smiled and stepped into the Teleportation Gate. Mackenzie, not sure why, joined in the fun, sniffing around Oliver as if she knew something.
"You're not bad, your soul is dark and full of sin, consider Hell for your child's education."
Green Arrow: "..."
Why does everyone seem to think his child would be a problem child? He doesn't even have a wife anymore, where would the child come from?
However, since Deathstroke said so, there must be some issue. He'd need to ask Barry to use Divine Speed to check it out for peace of mind...