There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 76 Drunkenness

"If he really is Bruce Wayne, I absolutely cannot kill him."

This was Talia's first thought.

But not killing him doesn't mean she can't give Qin Wei a little warning.

He retracted his right hand, turned his left hand into a fist, and delivered a stealthy uppercut that slammed into the opponent's lower abdomen.

Relying on conditioned reflexes and muscle memory, Qin Wei dodged the first chokehold attack, but this time he couldn't do it with the combo.

Boom!

It was as if his body had blocked the barrel of the WZ1913 cannon. This seemingly light punch struck Qin Wei's lower abdomen like a cannonball. Qin Wei's buttocks were knocked off the seat, and his body visibly jumped in the air.

The two men fought with restraint, and neither damaged any of the bar's facilities. Under the dim and constantly changing lights, apart from the bartender glancing up indifferently, the brief confrontation went unnoticed by anyone.

Damn, is this woman a gorilla? She's so ruthless!

Qin Wei jumped off the seat and shielded Selena, who was fast asleep behind him.

Compared to Qin Wei, who was terrified, Talia's expression was even stranger.

She didn't pursue him further, but picked up her bleeding hand and examined it carefully. That punch just now didn't feel like it hit flesh at all; it felt more like it had struck a metal plate... No, it wasn't just "like" it; it was definitely "it".

The plastic buttons on Qin Wei's lower abdomen were all broken, and a black metal plate was visible under the open shirt opening.

"You come to drink dressed like that? What are you trying to protect yourself from?!"

Talia's tone held a hint of annoyance. Because of her profession, she abhorred injury; even the smallest wound was extremely deadly to an assassin. A meticulous opponent could reconstruct the entire incident from a single drop of blood left on the floor.

"I don't know what I was guarding against, but I caught someone today."

Qin Wei smiled and stretched his shoulders. He was unharmed thanks to the armor protecting him, but the force from the punches alone had made his whole body go numb.

The woman has clearly shown hostility; now it's time to figure out how to get rid of her!

Qin Wei pondered, looking around like Jackie Chan entering a furniture store.

Unexpectedly, Talia shrugged.

"Alright, you've proven your identity, I have no reason to be your enemy anymore."

To show her sincerity, she picked up the Long Island Iced Tea on the bar and drank it all in one gulp.

It is a custom of the Assassin's Guild to drink water in front of others, completely exposing their throat as a weakness to show their complete trust.

Of course, her daring to do this stemmed from her arrogance—even after learning the scroll technique, Talia didn't believe Qin Wei had the strength to defeat her.

She guessed correctly; Qin Wei, being a mediocre player, was not yet comparable to the elites of the Assassin's Guild.

But just because he can't do it doesn't mean the drinks can't, especially strong cocktails like Long Island Iced Tea, which are highly deceptive.

"Now we can sit down and talk..."

Before she could finish speaking, Talia suddenly covered her forehead.

Having spent years posing as someone else and infiltrating Gotham's upper echelons, the only type of alcohol she had ever been exposed to was red wine. And since she didn't have a habit of drinking in private, she underestimated the power of this cocktail.

"You despicable bastard...you put something in the drink..."

Before she could finish speaking, Talia collapsed drunk at the bar with a thud.

……

At five o'clock in the morning, Oswald was woken up by a phone call while he was still asleep.

He groggily picked up the phone, and Corinna Coppola's hoarse voice came through the receiver.

"Os, how have you been lately?"

"Mom, why are you calling at this hour?"

Oswald jumped out of bed.

The echo was loud in the warehouse, and fearing he would disturb others, he could only cover the receiver and speak softly.

"Mom, I'm doing great, don't worry! Mr. Maroney has assigned me a new jurisdiction, and now I earn several thousand dollars a month. I've also bought a new car and made a lot of friends."

"That's good, my dear Os, Mom misses you very much."

"I miss you too... Mom." Oswald bit his lip.

He hadn't shed a single tear during Maroni's repeated abuse, but now he was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Mom, your voice sounds very weak. Are you sick?"

"I'm fine. I came out to make this call quietly while your father was asleep, so my voice is a little soft." As she said this, Mrs. Coppert's weak cough came from the other end of the receiver.

"Mom, don't lie to me. I'm doing very well now! Once I'm done with these busy times, I can bring you out, and we can live together. Oh, and I've met a girl named Groscia. She has beautiful eyes, the same amber pupils as you..."

"Os... your father can't live without me, I can't abandon him."

Mrs. Coppert interrupted Oswald.

For some reason, there was a hint of sadness in her tone.

Oswald should have understood, but every time the man was mentioned, his heart filled with rage, and he could no longer hear anything else.

"Mom, don't mention that damn man in front of me."

"Oss, he is your father. One day you will understand his good intentions, cough cough cough!"

"Good intentions?!" Oswald clenched his fist.

"I will never forget that rainy night, the rainy night he kicked me out of the house. No biological father would throw his young son into a wet puddle and say those vicious words to him, words that still disgust me to this day!"

"Damn it, I don't need any comfort or advice, and I don't want to know if he has any troubles. I just need an umbrella, an umbrella that will keep me from shivering in the downpour!!!!"

"Os..."

"Stop talking, Mother. Once I'm done with this, I'll go back to the Cobblestone family and take you away. If the man is willing to cooperate, all the better. If not, I don't mind blowing his shiny, greasy head open with a shotgun!!!"

Oswald pressed the end button fiercely.

Through the window, the moonlight cast pockmarked shadows on Oswald's wrinkled and distorted face.

"Hey buddy, I know it might be a bit inappropriate for me to speak up right now..."

Royce's magnetic whisper echoed in the darkness.

"But based on my experience, you might need this."

A cigarette landed on Oswald's bed, followed by a Zippo lighter.

"Thank you, Uncle Ben."

Oswald rubbed his face, picked up a cigarette, lit it, and casually stuffed the lighter into his pocket.

Royce's outstretched hand hung in mid-air, slowly drooping down like a spring that had lost its tension.

Fine, you can go tonight.

The old smoker put his hands under his head and twisted his body to find a relatively comfortable position on the hard wooden bed.