Three hours ago, at the Grand Harbor Mansion.

This was a club.

Winston entered, guided by a pageboy, to a room deep within the third floor. The door to the room was adorned with carvings of two owls.

Winston’s ancestors were British, having crossed the ocean to America long ago. While his family had fallen far from their former glory, he still bore “noble” blood, which the people here acknowledged.

Moreover, he was remarkable enough to deserve the final seat in the room.

He stepped inside and gave a slight nod to those already seated. Everyone except him wore owl masks. Several seats at the head of the table were empty, while the rest… Winston knew they were occupied by Gotham’s most influential figures. They might not appear in the news, but their families controlled the city’s economic lifeblood. And if anyone dared to oppose them? They would send the Talon assassins to snuff out any budding resistance before it could grow.

A lady wearing an owl mask seated beside Winston said kindly, “You should cherish your position. That seat once belonged to—”

“Anna Alek.”

Winston smiled. “Of course.”

He would cherish his hard-earned place as a true participant in the Court of Owls—and then dismantle these repugnant people from within.

This was a council, though not quite; no city’s council would convene atop a club. Yet the participants were indeed council members. In fact…

This was the real council.

Anna Alek once had a genuine chance to claim the seat at the far end, but she ruined it herself.

She was arrogant and stubborn, never attending meetings, and she collaborated with outsiders to alter Gotham’s dynamics. Look at that—she even had the Wayne family on her side.

Winston heard someone whisper, “Rothschild fled to England… but never mind, she’ll return eventually.”

Winston knew of the relationship between Lady Rothschild and the mayor. As a member of the Court of Owls, this news didn’t faze him in the slightest.

He couldn’t identify everyone present, but some figures were unmistakable due to their stature or personal accessories. For example, the person speaking now was Chief Justice Meg Scott.

He seemed to be casually chatting with others:

“There is no such thing as truly fair laws,” the judge said. “Laws are amended every year, and new ones are added because people realize they’re outdated or unreasonable in certain circumstances. That’s why judges exist. If laws were truly fair, wouldn’t a computer AI suffice as a judge?”

His voice was filled with amusement. “That’s impossible. In court, lawyers battle it out, and the judge acts as the arbiter. At the right time, I send those I deem guilty to hell.”

He carried himself with the arrogance of a god presiding over judgment.

Someone opposite him chuckled lightly and shook their head. “It’s about time to send little Anna down as well, isn’t it?”

The lights dimmed, and in the darkness, it seemed more people had joined the long table. Winston adjusted his sleeve, concealing the faint reflection of a dark red cufflink, and waited silently. Soon, a white owl mask was placed before him.

Ironically, much like a knighthood ceremony, he had to stand and respectfully accept this symbol of wickedness.

Enduring his revulsion, Winston completed the initiation. Only then did the Court of Owls begin discussing business—

How to deal with Anna Alek.

Backing Anna was the Rothschild family. Even though Lady Rothschild was absent from this meeting, her influence lingered.

If they couldn’t kill the mayor outright, they would cut off her claws and clip her wings… by eliminating her trusted subordinates.

“Beware the Court of Owls, secretly watching your every move.”

Their people were everywhere, naturally aware of Anna Alek’s new council and who needed to be killed to inflict the deepest wounds.

“Millie White,” an owl said, pausing slightly when uttering this clearly ordinary surname. “Lure away Talon deserter Tal White, then kill her. Hang her head atop city hall’s banner pole.”

The speaker looked around the table, and the others nodded slightly.

The Court of Owls typically ignored minor assistants, even if they rose to manage the Eastside Cathedral and opened a… shelter, but Millie was a trusted aide of Alek. Killing her would send a clear warning.

“Shelk Banorlov and Oswald Cobblepot—stab them with throwing knives and hang them from the tree in Crime Alley.”

Someone murmured, “I love this kind of drama. The dead returning to their roots; criminals should die on the soil that nourished them.”

Behind his mask, Winston allowed himself a mocking smile.

Penguin Cobblepot hadn’t initially been part of the Court’s plans, as he’d been in prison. But slowly, the Court realized he’d become the mayor’s willing lapdog—of his own volition.

If they only killed Shelk, Cobblepot might applaud as his competitor was assassinated, ready to take over his position.

In that case, they would make sure they died together.

“Violin, real name Carol Lane. Ever since adopting that ridiculous alias, he’s been working for the mayor. No matter. The bomb embedded in Talon’s body will detonate at sufficiently low temperatures. Once the chill permeates her cells, putting her into true hibernation, both the traitor and the mayor’s lapdog will become fireworks. Our Talons can be reused after all, and that is simply wonderful.”

They nodded. As for the tourists and other officers who might also be killed in the explosion, they were not within the Court of Owls’ scope of concern.

And Gotham’s reputation? What would happen to the city after such a heinous act? That didn’t matter either. Gotham would simply become what it was always meant to be.

Gotham was like a helpless little girl. She would become whatever they wanted her to be—and she always would.

Winston glanced at his cufflink.

“Lastly, Vivi White, Anna’s cherished girl,” an owl murmured. “Not just Anna’s but also the Magician’s favorite child. In that case, let’s show a shred of pity and give her a grand death.”

The Magician’s child dying in a magic performance—it was only fitting.

The owl didn’t go into detail about how to deal with Vivi. As for the new council? It was irrelevant. These fragile humans could be killed at any moment. Protecting them was far harder than destroying them. They would wait for Alek’s reaction and decide whether to leave her any playmates.

Most of the people here could be Anna Alek’s elders. To them, the not-yet-30 mayor was just playing house with all of Gotham. Even though she was both the heir to the Alek family and Lady Rothschild sole descendant, her illegitimate birth meant no one truly respected her.

When the clock struck midnight on June 3rd, the meeting concluded.

Winston kept his hands under the table, waiting.

He knew that everything said here would be transmitted by the listening device disguised as his cufflink to Warden Bettywen.

Over an hour later, an assassin known as Talon infiltrated the Iceberg Construction Company and encountered Tal White. Just as the hidden Court of Owls had conspired, Tal, the former Talon, was in the open, while the owls worked from the shadows. Knowing Violin and Tal were together, they were certain everything was going according to plan.

Batman’s shadow swept over Gotham’s skyline. From the back entrance of the Iceberg Construction Company emerged Violin, clutching a wound, carrying a frozen figure on his back.

Meanwhile, at the Eastside Cathedral, a Talon who had been undercover for three days smirked as they exited a rented apartment across the street.

For some reason, the cathedral couldn’t be destroyed. Once the doors were shut and every window locked, not even Bane could shatter its ordinary glass to break in. However, the management was less secure. Volunteers regularly came to work here. While unpaid, they were provided three meals a day to stave off starvation. Three days ago, the Talon had infiltrated as a volunteer, leaving a hidden window in a discreet corner.

They could have killed Millie long ago, but June 3rd was the Magician’s scheduled performance date. For the sake of drama, the key players were to die on the same day.

Before long, the Court of Owls received word that the cathedral mission had succeeded.

Killing Shelk and the Penguin was even easier. The wicked mayor had granted Shelk the power to bail Penguin out of prison. Now, Penguin wore an explosive collar around his neck, which Shelk could detonate at any time. But Shelk didn’t do so, knowing that if Penguin died, it would harm the mayor’s assets. Exploiting him and draining him dry was the better choice.

Shelk’s location was easy to find. The mayor’s recent “hobby” seemed to be road construction. As a result, the former secretary-general had been working nonstop with the engineering teams, especially after the previous logistics minister was secretly arrested. Shelk was also forced to take on the logistics role. If Shelk’s workload was at 10, Penguin’s was at 20. Even on a city-wide holiday, their team was working overtime near Sprang Bridge.

Perhaps because their team included a notorious criminal, the project had a high level of secrecy. The mayor likely didn’t want the public to know she was using criminals as labor. Yet the work was undeniably efficient.

The Court of Owls only needed to send one Talon to wipe out the entire construction crew, then drive off with two corpses to hang them on the glowing tree in Crime Alley by dawn.

As success reports rolled in from multiple fronts, Vivi was facing off against the assassin sent by the Talons.

Underground, space was too confined to maneuver freely. Throwing knives froze mid-air, but the Talon clearly knew a certain trick:

No matter how powerful the opponent’s firearms, they were useless if they couldn’t hit their target.

The Talon opted for close combat. Blades sliced through ice layers, scattering shards everywhere. Occasionally, sparks flickered from Jason’s tools.

Close combat was their forte. Yet they wouldn’t kill Vivi White here. After all, a great show was about to unfold. She was an essential prop in the Magician’s performance.

Ironically, Vivi thought the same.

Though they underestimated the girl before them, the Court sent twice the usual number of assassins. In the darkness, scarlet eyes lit up one by one—the Talons’ owl masks. One Talon declared, “You will face judgment, just like Millie White, Tal White, Shelk Banorlov, Oswald Cobblepot, and Carol Lane. The Court of Owls has sentenced you to death.”

Vivi heard the person beside her breathing heavily—Jason Todd, the former Robin, was furious. He understood the Talon’s words and recognized the names, which only fueled his anger. More owls approached through the icy chamber. Under the reflection of the ice, the expression of the girl trapped in the center was unclear.

But they heard her laugh.

She said, “Perfect timing. I was just looking for you.”

“The magic show has already begun,” she added with a smile. “Would you all like to join and help us complete a performance for everyone?”

Then again… Carol Lane? Who on earth was that?