hotmtlnovel Chapter 174, Section 71: Successful Infiltration, Making Contact with Lucius
Chapter 174, Section 71: Successful Infiltration, Making Contact with Lucius
Chapter 174, Section 71: Successful Infiltration, Meeting with Lucius (Part 2)
Thanks to the court's caution, no surveillance cameras were installed inside the entire Tower of Wayne, perhaps out of fear of revealing their whereabouts, or perhaps because they did not expect that someone would swiftly take down a well-trained patrol team second only to Claws in just eight seconds.
"We only have twenty minutes at most. Find Lucius and the others before the next patrol finds them. Is there something flashing on your belt?"
Running wildly through the dark corridors of the Tower of Venn, Thomas caught a fleeting glimpse of red light in the darkness.
"I put a GoPro action camera inside."
"You don't mean to expose the existence of the Court of Owls, do you?"
Qin Wei couldn't see the other person's expression, but he could sense that Night Owl's tone had suddenly turned cold.
This made him extremely vigilant.
"Shut it down!" Night Owl snapped after a moment of silence. "No one else can see what's happening here. Do you want to ruin the Wayne family?"
"I do not understand."
"If the Court of Owls' manipulation of Gotham is exposed, the Wayne family will be the first to be implicated. Those companies are all under my name!" Thomas slowed down. Now that Qin Wei had become a partner, he didn't want to hide his true thoughts.
"But struggle is always accompanied by sacrifice."
"But the Wayne family business can bring me wealth and status. I like money, and I like the feeling of being in a high position and being the center of attention. Just like you, would you abandon everyone around you for victory?"
Isaiah Thomas's reasoning is very valid.
Unlike Batman, who is willing to give up his billionaire status at any time to uphold his ideals, Thomas Jr.'s actions are all centered around expanding his profits, and his fight against criminals is more about venting his anger and seeking revenge.
This can be seen from his initial recruitment of Qin Wei, where he used the phrase "rule Gotham".
Therefore, an owl is destined to remain just an owl and can never become a bat.
Qin Wei had originally planned to record everything that happened tonight and upload it to the internet as evidence of the owl's existence, but it seems that this path is not feasible for the time being.
He obediently turned off the GoPro's camera, but this little incident helped him gain a deeper understanding of Isaiah Thomas.
Although both were members of the resistance, their motivations differed. Sometime in the future, after their primary conflict was resolved...
Two people with conflicting ideologies are bound to become enemies.
Standing at the heavy iron door at the end of the corridor, Qin Wei posed a question.
"Without a access card, how do you plan to open it? Knock on the door and say 'Open Sesame'?"
This was originally just a sarcastic remark, but unexpectedly, Night Owl actually knocked on the door rhythmically. It seems this guy had already contacted his inside man.
However, the last whispered message was probably meant for Qin Wei.
"Open Sesame!"
Thomas squealed and yelled, then turned his head to look at Qin Wei, as if to say, "Is this the effect you wanted?"
"Childish." Qin Wei rolled his eyes.
With a whirring sound of an electric motor, the iron gate opened a crack, and Lucius's head peeked out, looking around curiously.
"You arrived two hours earlier than agreed time, wait, you didn't tell me you brought a friend." Lucius's gaze fixed on Qin Wei.
The more he looked at the suit, the more familiar it seemed.
"Let me introduce you, Bruce."
"Bruce Wayne?" Lucius covered his mouth in time, but the scream still seeped out through his fingers, echoing for a long time in the empty corridor.
"My God, I thought you were dead! Have you seen Alfred? My old friend has been missing for a whole year and a half..."
"Perhaps you should let us in first, shouldn't you?"
Perhaps because Qin Wei diverted some of his attention, Thomas seemed a bit off.
The two squeezed through the crack in the door, and for the first time, the military factory unveiled its mysterious veil to Qin Wei.
All the windows in the factory were sealed off, and the floors of the buildings were broken down, exposing huge steel bars on the rough cement walls.
Hidden in a dim corner, a rusted spiral staircase led downwards. Standing on high up, Qin Wei looked down and saw several strangely shaped fighter jets parked at the bottom of the well.
Who would have thought that the exterior of the Gothic-style Venn Tower would have a raw industrial interior?
Through Lucius's introduction, Qin Wei learned that the technology and materials used in these fighter jets were among the best in the world. They included advanced technology obtained from Lex Luthor, which was reverse-engineered from Kryptonian spacecraft. Even the weapon systems were mostly related to Kryptonite.
Of course, this equipment is just the tip of the iceberg of the court's research; there are several workshops upstairs where researchers are working on super armor and pulse weapons.
Needless to say, the Court of Owls' painstaking research into super military technology must be based on the assumption that Superman is their adversary.
This made Qin Wei even more curious: what kind of big commotion did the court want to create, that might even alarm the almost retired Superman?
The factory was deserted late at night, and the Wayne brothers no longer needed to hide. They sandwiched Lucius between them and headed toward the private office.
They had to use a secret elevator in the office to get to the top floor.
"Bruce, a member of the court ordered a suit of armor similar to the one you're wearing from me." After a few casual words...
Lucius revealed a crucial piece of information to Qin Wei.
"Who is it?"
"'Snowy Scolding,' that's the only information I have. Oh, and by the way, he especially likes wearing white suits."
"I think I know who it is."
That damn Thomas is like a persistent ghost!
Lucius's words put Qin Wei on guard, but he hadn't yet figured out the other party's motives. Impersonating the Inquisitor Knight was pointless except for tarnishing his own reputation. To be honest, he didn't care much about his image, nor did he want the Inquisitor Knight's name to represent Gotham's justice.
Harvey is the one and only choice.
Lucius's next words drew Qin Wei's attention back.
"The armor I designed incorporates some of the technology from Kryptonian uniforms. In addition to basic bulletproof and heat protection, it can also effectively absorb kinetic energy. Furthermore, its exoskeleton can greatly enhance the user's physical capabilities."
"but"
At this point, Lucius changed the subject.
"At first I thought it was meant to deal with Mr. Thomas II, so I made some minor changes to the armor."
Lucius began to explain the method in a low voice, which made Qin Wei tremble with fear.
This weakness is very well hidden, and the method to break it is also very complicated. At least for him, using this method is like dancing on the edge of a knife.
But Qin Wei and Thomas will eventually have a showdown, and it is always beneficial to understand the opponent's abilities first.
The three reached the end of the spiral staircase. Lucius cautiously looked around before pushing the Wayne brothers into his office.
Lucius slumped back in his office chair, letting out a long sigh of relief, marveling at how he hadn't encountered a single person along the way.
But this was only the first hurdle.
This operation was extremely dangerous.
Because of Qin Wei's involvement, the court has a new suspect to support. In other words, if the mission fails and the suspect is arrested by the court, the rebellious Thomas will be immediately dealt with, and Lucius, the accomplice, will also be secretly executed.
"So what's your plan? Are you confident you can sweep through the courtroom tonight?"
"Don't ask any other questions, just take us upstairs."
Thomas Jr. lied; he was only there to scout the terrain and search for secrets. In his eyes, Lucius was merely a loyal pawn.
Tonight, this chess piece will burn itself to light his way forward.
Qin Wei frowned behind the mask. He roughly knew that Thomas wanted to use him and then discard him, but he didn't have much affection for Lucius either.
What he found regrettable was the talent the other party displayed.
This guy is a tech genius.
Qin Wei thought to himself that if a conflict were to break out later, he should try his best to save Lucius.
Lucius, unaware that Thomas was about to abandon him, had an excited glint in his eyes.
"Great! That's wonderful!"
He muttered to himself repeatedly, then grabbed a stack of materials from the table to prepare for dealing with the court's senior officials.
"I'll start the elevator right now and go upstairs with you. If anything happens to me, please take care of my child!"
He then pressed a button on the back of the table, and the wall behind him, which was covered with oil paintings, began to crack outwards.
As they approached the elevator, Lucius and Night Owl met eyes. While the former was busy swiping his card and verifying his fingerprint and iris, the latter leaped up, bracing his feet against the elevator wall as he drew a dagger from his waist and plunged it into a gap in the elevator ceiling.
Thomas Jr. pried open a partition and climbed onto the top of the elevator, then pulled Qin Wei up with him.
At first, Qin Wei didn't know what the other party was doing, but then the elevator started, and several lasers shot out from the eight corners, scanning back and forth irregularly in the narrow elevator. At the same time, a cold mechanical voice was transmitted to everyone's eyes through the loudspeaker.
"Mr. Lucius Fox, please report your travel plans."
"This thing! My research has made new progress!"
Even though there was no surveillance, Lucius exaggeratedly waved the materials in his hand as if he were showing them to someone.
He was extremely nervous.
"Request approved. Scanning has started and will soon record your body contours. Please ensure that your feet remain stationary and do not change your posture drastically while the elevator is ascending."
"See? There are no surveillance cameras inside the Tower of Venn. The owls have to find another way to ensure their safety. Once the presence of other people is detected, the elevator will stop immediately, or worse, it might explode on the spot."
As the elevator started moving, Thomas explained why the two of them had to stay at the top of the elevator.
"Since the court is being so cautious, have you considered that there might be scanning lasers inside the elevator? Wouldn't we be doomed then?"
"You're right, but often you gain more by taking risks."
That's what Thomas said.
He used the same method to break into the upper floors last time, and of course, he also encountered the detector hidden in the elevator shaft, which Qin Wei had guessed was the one.
He estimated that the time should be about right, so he looked up.
"Look, we're almost there."
Qin Wei also raised his head, and the scene before him made his scalp tingle.
At this moment, about 50 feet (about 15 meters) above their heads, a row of crisscrossing lasers awaited them, like a fishing net laid in a river, waiting for prey to walk into it.
Moreover, such scanning lasers are not a single layer, but dozens of densely packed layers.
Qin Wei glanced at the elevator. Hiding back inside was now the only option, since the erratic laser beams weren't without loopholes.
Night Owl thought so too, and he had already taken off his cloak.
"You don't want to drag this burden around while dodging lasers, do you?"
"Of course not."
Qin Wei also tore off his cloak and threw it into the elevator shaft, followed by Night Owl jumping back into the elevator.
Just as he landed, a laser beam swept towards his ankle. Qin Wei hurriedly jumped up, and Bat Ears almost got hit by the laser beam on his head. Luckily, Night Owl pressed his head down in time.
But the situation for Night Owl was not much better. Before he could retract his hand, a laser suddenly changed its trajectory and swept towards his wrist. Upon seeing this, Qin Wei immediately kicked him against the wall.
But this kick caused Qin Wei to completely lose his balance. As he fell to the ground, two lasers crossed and attacked from the side.
The gaps they left for Qin Wei were too narrow.
Night Owl held his breath; he hadn't encountered such a terrible situation the first time he came.
In the face of life and death, Qin Wei glanced at Lucius in the corner.
and many more!
He suddenly realized that the elevator had recorded Lucius's location and posture, in other words, it allowed Lucius to exist.
Thinking of this, Qin Wei quickly rolled over and hid behind the other person.
The monitoring laser grazed his heel and shone on Lucius. At the same time, the elevator passed the external detectors smoothly.
Qin Wei seized the opportunity and leaped up, finally escaping the elevator car filled with monitoring lasers.
How could Night Owl's plan be so insane? I was almost finished!
He grumbled under his breath, leaning against the steel cable and panting heavily. This "obstacle avoidance game" was really exhausting. If he had a choice, he would never sneak in next time. He would definitely lead the main force to kick open the gate of the Wayne Tower.
"You can't even last one time?"
Thomas then climbed up to the top of the elevator, clearly more prepared after his previous infiltration.
"Shut up!" Qin Wei said angrily. Meanwhile, the good deed the two had done was finally discovered by the patrol team. As the alarm sounded floor by floor in Wayne Tower, red lights flashed in the elevator.
Sensing the elevator slowing down, Thomas and Qin Wei launched their grappling hooks, making a final charge toward their destination, which was now within arm's reach.
"Mr. Fox, please bear with me a moment, I'll be right back to rescue you!"
Looking at Lucius's bewildered face in the elevator, Qin Wei said before leaving.
Meanwhile, inside the Owl Headquarters on the 100th floor of the Wayne Tower, Wu Juejue's "children" gathered in the lobby, all of them focusing their attention on the elevator entrance, surrounding it in layers.
Their task is not arduous; the claws of the lower classes have been awakened one by one. All they need to do is hold on and wait for support.
At this moment, the court had no high-ranking officials in charge; all they had to protect was "that thing" enshrined in the secret chamber at the top of the tower.
One hundred and twenty years ago, based on a parchment provided by Wayne's ancestors, the court unearthed it in what was once a swamp on the west side of what is now Robinson Park.
The secret of immortality—a power only gods are entitled to possess, a forbidden fruit coveted by any human standing at the pinnacle of power. Immense wealth brought endless pleasure to the owl's leadership, and who wouldn't want to make a moment last forever?
Unfortunately, its secretions have powerful side effects, which made the court members hesitant to try it. So the Claws became the test subjects. With the voluntary sacrifice of these self-degrading killers, the court gradually uncovered the secret of "that thing".
Only a constant supply of fresh blood from the males of the Wayne family could allow it to grow. As its size increased, the Court of Owls began a cult-like worship that lasted for a century.
They firmly believed that it was the offspring of God, and that raising it was a blessing for mankind. They believed that when it grew to a certain stage, God, who had been watching over the world, would descend with true eternal life.
And anything that might hinder the descent of the true God will become the court's mortal enemy.
The sound of ropes whistling came from behind the elevator doors.
The cubs held their breath and gripped their daggers tightly.
The enemy tonight is exceptionally powerful, but fear does not exist in the eyes of the "children." They firmly believe that even if the body rots, the true god will bring the bones back to life.
Silence returned behind the elevator doors, as if the sounds from before had been a hallucination.
The cubs in the front row exchanged glances and finally chose one of the bravest to go and investigate.
He inserted the dagger into the crack in the door and forced it open.
The elevator was pitch black and completely empty.
Where are they?
"Didn't they say there were intruders?"
"Wait a minute, don't speak!" the first cub suddenly said.
"Did you hear something? Like a beeping sound—"
boom!
Before the words were even finished, the elevator doors flew off with a deafening explosion, like the outstretched hand of a Titan, crashing into the dense crowd and leaving a large trail of blood.
Two blurry figures emerged from the top of the elevator shaft, instantly claiming dozens of lives the moment they landed.
Thomas Jr. threw a knife, turned around, and ripped apart an enemy's throat:
"Bruce, how about another match? This time, not killing, but seeing who gets through that door first."
The owl pointed ahead, and at the far end of the dimly lit hall, a stone door carved with intricate patterns stood silently.