Jin watched Talon No.1 after shooting him, but the Talon had already fled without hesitation, leaping across the rooftops.
The reason for the escape wasn't fear of death.
Their mission had always been to test Jin's strength.
Someone needed to return and report the results.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the street, Selina was still fighting the female Talon.
"Bang! Bang!"
Jin fired two precise shots at her ankles.
"Thud!"
The female Talon instantly collapsed to the ground.
Jin stepped forward, pinning her hands beneath his foot. With one hand, he grabbed her by the head and forced her to look directly at him.
"Tell me," Jin said coldly.
"What is your objective?"
The female Talon glared at him through her mask.
"You touched something you shouldn't have."
"We will reclaim Gotham City, which rightfully belongs to us."
"And all of you… will die."
Jin's eyes turned cold.
Without another word, he raised Ebony
Jane struck her on the back of the neck until she lost consciousness completely.
Jin fell silent for a moment.
From what he remembered of the comics in his previous life, the Court of Owls usually appeared much later—after nearly the entire Bat Family had already formed.
But now…
Red Hood hadn't even appeared yet.
And the Court of Owls had already made their move.
It seemed his presence had already created a butterfly effect, altering the timeline.
Selina walked up behind him and gently placed her hand on his back.
"What did she mean?"
"Taking back Gotham City?"
Jin briefly explained everything he knew about the Court of Owls.
Selina's eyes widened slightly.
"I never thought the nursery rhyme from my childhood was actually real."
"So the Court of Owls really exists…"
She thought for a moment before continuing.
"And if what you said is true… their members are all powerful nobles in Gotham."
"If they want to control the city..."
She didn't finish the sentence.
But Jin already understood.
The easiest way for those powerful elites to seize control of Gotham's government…
Was simply to kill everyone currently in power and replace them with themselves or their allies.
One of their obvious targets would be Bruce Wayne, the head of the Wayne family.
And now, people like Jin, Batman, and other vigilantes had also become obstacles in their path.
Which meant…
Batgirl would likely become a target as well.
Jin turned to Selina.
"Come stay at my house for a few days."
Since Selina had become one of the Court's targets, Jin had no intention of letting her deal with their assassins alone.
His house had plenty of traps.
And there was also Black Lily, a professional killer.
He also planned to let Barbara move in temporarily so they could look after each other.
As for Commissioner Gordon, Jin wasn't too worried.
In the original story, Gordon had never been directly targeted.
Even the police chief ultimately had to answer to the authorities above him.
Selina smiled mischievously.
"Oh?"
"Are you trying to make a move on me so soon?"
Even though she knew Jin was simply trying to protect her, she couldn't resist teasing him.
Jin gently pushed away her finger as she kept poking his chest.
"Stop messing around."
"I'm serious."
"Tsk… how boring."
Three days passed.
Jin didn't know the exact location of the Court of Owls, nor did he know the full details of the plot.
For now, he simply stayed home.
After all, some problems were better left to Bruce.
If Bruce investigated the Court of Owls, Jin could simply enjoy the intelligence for free.
Jin brought Selina back to his manor.
Although Harley initially showed hostility toward her, Selina eventually managed to move in anyway.
Barbara also came to stay.
Interestingly, Harley didn't show much hostility toward Stephanie, who had come to train as Jin's student.
Instead, Harley constantly tried to make Stephanie call her "Master", something Stephanie was clearly reluctant to do.
"Whew…"
Jin leaned back on the sofa and wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead.
"The past three days have been exhausting."
In his mind, the situation at home had turned into something resembling the Three Kingdoms.
Three rival factions.
Harley.
Barbara.
Selina.
Barbara and Harley both seemed hostile toward the others.
Meanwhile, Selina simply smiled calmly the whole time, appearing completely uninterested in competing with them.
As for Black Lily, she remained neutral.
After all, she considered herself nothing more than Jin's subordinate.
Stephanie, sitting nearby, looked at Jin with an expression full of judgment.
"You actually have the nerve to complain."
"If you didn't keep provoking them every day, would they really be fighting over you like some palace drama?"
Jin raised a finger and gently poked Stephanie's soft cheek.
"First of all," he said lazily,
"You have no right to lecture me."
"I'm your teacher."
"And you're my student."
Stephanie clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Whenever she thought about that relationship between them, she couldn't help feeling slightly frustrated.
It was like she had started at a natural disadvantage.
She turned her head away and took a sip of cola, pretending to focus on the TV instead.
Meanwhile…
In another part of Gotham.
Inside the hidden chamber of the Court of Owls, many masked members sat together.
On the screen before them appeared Batman, who had just entered the deadly maze they had prepared.
"He's going to die here," a middle-aged man said confidently.
A little girl sitting nearby hugged a stuffed bear and spoke with a voice disturbingly calm for her age.
"We should torture him first."
"Don't let him die too easily."
A young woman smiled coldly.
"We'll record his desperate expression."
"Then hang it on the wall with the others who dared oppose the Court."
A young man added calmly,
"Even though we lost two Talons earlier, it won't affect Owl Night."
"After tonight…"
"The Court of Owls will finally seize true control of Gotham."