American comics: Damn it, I’m surrounded by those who worry about their fathers!.

Chapter 1030 Bruce's Test: Who is the Traitor?
The night rain in Gotham tapped softly against the old lead-paned windows of Wayne Manor.

In the study, the oak wood crackled and popped as it burned in the fireplace.

The firelight cast Bruce's shadow on the wall behind the desk.

His shadow flickered between light and shadow, mirroring his thoughts at that moment.

Bruce was holding two things in his hands; in his left hand was a yellowed letter.

The envelope was signed "Andrew Bennett" and had a crescent moon symbol drawn in dark red ink on the back.

In his right hand was a small metal syringe filled with dark red blood, which shimmered faintly in the firelight.

Andrew Bennett once visited his estate.

Just a few days ago, the manor's security system left no trace of intrusion, and even Alfred did not notice.

The bandaged vampire, like a true ghost, silently left these two items in the most hidden compartment of Bruce's desk.

“Dick, Barbara.”

Bruce's deep voice broke the silence of the study.

The bookshelves connecting the study to the secret passage slid open silently, and two young figures walked in.

Dick Grayson, now active in Broodhaven as Nightwing, arrived at Batman Estate in civilian clothes tonight.

He had only recently been formally incorporated into Gotham's Night Patrol system by Bruce, becoming the first Robin, though he was still far from meeting Batman's stringent requirements for a partner.

Barbara Gordon, on the other hand, was a young woman who had only recently come of age. Her red hair shone like flames in the firelight, and her eyes were clear and intelligent, carrying a calmness beyond her years.

Barbara had contacted Bruce several months ago and had been working for him secretly ever since.

Before Barbara was confined to a wheelchair, she became Batman's sidekick, just like Nightwing, thanks to her exceptional hacking skills and tactical analysis abilities.

The two had met Bruce a few months ago, but this was the first time they had been summoned to the manor.

"Mr. Batman?"

Dick spoke first, his gaze sweeping over the two strange objects in Bruce's hands. "What happened?"

His gaze fell on the dark red liquid in the syringe, and he instinctively felt uncomfortable.

"sit."

Bruce did not answer directly; instead, he gestured for the two of them to sit down.

The firelight from the fireplace danced in his deep eyes like two dark flames.

He slowly placed the letter and syringe on the table.

“A few days ago, an uninvited guest visited the manor, bypassing all the defense systems.”

Bruce said calmly, “His name is Andrew Bennett, a… vampire who has lived for hundreds of years.”

"vampire?!"

Dick nearly jumped out of his chair, his face filled with disbelief. "Are you sure?"

He had always thought that vampires were legendary creatures.

Barbara's reaction was quite different.

She leaned forward slightly, her eyes fixed on the letter and syringe, her brow furrowed: "Those vampire legends... are they true? What did he leave behind?"

Bruce pondered for a moment, then began to recount what Andrew had told him in his letter.

He told the two everything Andrew had revealed about the death of the Blood Queen Mary, the destruction of the Legion of Destruction by the vampires, and the shocking "hunting list."

In the letter, Andrew also told Bruce that he was about to seek Peter's help.

“Andrew claims that Mary was key to maintaining the fragile balance between vampires and humans, that her death was a meticulously planned coup, that the destruction of the Legion of Destruction marked the beginning of a new order by the ‘Crimson Moon’ eliminating destabilizing factors, and that the list…”

Bruce gazed at the two men and said slowly, "They are the targets they are about to hunt. Either cooperate or eliminate them. The 'final hunt' targeting the world's most powerful superhumans has begun."

After he finished speaking, the study fell into a deathly silence, with only the crackling of the burning wood in the fireplace and the increasingly heavy rain outside the window.

The sheer volume of information overwhelmed the two young people instantly.

The doubt on Dick's face vanished, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness and barely perceptible tension.

"So, Andrew is on our side? He's here to ask for help?"

Dick struggled to process the information and try to make sense of it.

"Do not."

Bruce shook his head. "He's just an avenger. Mary is his lover. The information he brings may be true, but his motives and stance are definitely not pure."

“His choice to infiltrate the manor and leave clues instead of showing himself directly is suspicious in itself, and we cannot completely trust him.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two of them. "The problem now is, besides Mary and Andrew, who else is a core member of 'Crimson Moon'? Andrew didn't say, or rather, he might not even know the identity of that last key figure. We must find out."

"Find the person hiding behind the vampires?"

Dick felt this mission was simply a pipe dream.

Having just become a superhero, he was completely clueless and had no experience with such complicated matters.

Barbara thought for a moment and said, "What is the purpose of the 'Crimson Moon' launching this hunt? Is it simply destruction? Or is it to establish a new order dominated by vampires? If it's the latter, what do they need?"

She looked at Bruce with intense eyes: "I think their primary target is most likely not the most powerful individual on the list, but the person who is most likely and most capable of stopping their entire conspiracy—Mr. Peter Patrick, and his children, are the biggest threat."

Bruce nodded slightly, signaling her to continue.

"Mr. Patrick's abilities are unfathomable. His farm is the central intersection of many supernatural events, and his children are equally extraordinary. More importantly, they have thwarted various conspiracies that threaten the world on numerous occasions."

Barbara spoke faster.

“For the ‘Crimson Moon,’ Peter Patrick and his family are the biggest obstacle to their goal. I suspect that Andrew’s choice to go to the farm was part of this conspiracy, and he may have gone there for Mr. Patrick and his children.”

After experiencing "Dr. Manhattan's Doomsday Bell", Barbara also learned of Peter's existence.

Furthermore, she had heard her father, Gordon, tell stories about Peter since she was a child, and knew how powerful Peter and his children were.

She also knows about the relationship between Batman and Peter.

"Oh!"

Just as Bruce was about to speak to Barbara, a dull thud came from the direction of the manor's heavy main gate.

It looked like something had fallen from the sky to the ground.

"Enemy attack?!"

Dick instantly went into battle mode, his body tense, his gaze shooting towards the door like lightning.

Barbara immediately lowered her body, her hand already on the concealed weapon belt at her waist.

Bruce remained unusually calm, saying to Dick and Barbara, "Don't be nervous, we're on the same side."

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and two people entered to the astonishment of the two people present.

The leader was a blond young man, tall and upright, wearing a well-tailored dark coat, but at this moment the coat was covered with mud and rain, and his blond hair was also a little messy.

Closely following Azu was Horus, dressed in a long black robe with a hood, from which raindrops dripped.

Azu's gaze swept over Bruce, who was fully armed, and Dick and Barbara, who looked on guard.

Ignoring the tense atmosphere in the room, he looked at Bruce and said, "Looks like there are other guests here."

“Ah Zu, you’ve come so late, I think there must be something urgent.”

Bruce asked, frowning.

Azu didn't answer directly. He glanced at Dick and Barbara and asked, "Are these two Boy Scouts your partners, Bruce?"

"Shut up!"

An angry voice rang out!

Dick Grayson, who had just become Robin and was arrogant, stepped forward and blocked Azu's path.

He was young and impetuous, and already displeased with the mysterious Patrick family that Bruce often talked about.

Seeing this blond guy who suddenly barged in, arrogant and acting as if he were living in the Batcave, anger and resentment surged into his heart instantly.

Dick glared at Azu, annoyed. "I'm not a Boy Scout!"

He adopted a fighting stance, clearly wanting to gauge Ah Zu's strength.

Azu stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head slightly, his eyes looking directly at Dick, who was blocking his way, for the first time.

"Get out of the way, you little bug."

Azu coldly replied, "I have no interest in playing superhero games with you. Let Batman talk to me."

"A little bug?!"

Dick was instantly enraged!

As a hero who stood alone in Brudhaven, when had he ever suffered such an insult?
"who do you think You Are?!"

Before he finished speaking, Dick immediately took action.

His body moved like a nimble cheetah, and with a swift slide, he closed in, his right hand forming a knife, slicing straight into Azu's carotid artery with a sharp whistling sound.

The standard Batman fighting style begins: fast, accurate, and ruthless.

He wanted to teach this guy a lesson.

Ah Zu didn't even move a step.

Just as Dick's chop was about to touch his skin, Azu raised his left hand, striking first despite being behind.

"Snapped!"

A crisp snap of fingers rang out abruptly in the study.

Azu pointed his finger at the other person's chest and flicked it gently.

"Ugh!"

Dick felt as if he had been hit head-on by a high-speed train traveling at full speed.

Then, like a kite with a broken string, he was violently slapped away by this overwhelming force without any power to resist.

“Bang! Crash—!”

Dick's body crashed into a mahogany shelf in the corner of the study, which held an antique porcelain vase. The expensive vase instantly turned to dust, and the wooden shelf shattered into pieces.

He crashed heavily onto the shards of metal, his chest throbbing with pain, his vision blurring, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood uncontrollably. He struggled to get up, only to find that all the bones in his body felt like they were broken, and even moving a single finger was incredibly difficult.

With just one move, and without the opponent even actually making a move, but merely flicking a finger, he was completely rendered incapable of fighting.

All this happened in a flash of lightning.

Before Barbara could even gasp, and Bruce had just raised his hand as if to stop Dick's impulse, it was all over.

Horus seemed to want to say something, but in the end he only opened his mouth and sighed somewhat dejectedly.

Sure enough, with his emperor father away, this guy revealed his wicked nature.

Ah Zu slowly lowered his left hand, as if he had just brushed off a little dust.

He didn't even glance at the disheveled Dick again, his cold gaze returning to Bruce, his tone tinged with impatience:

“Keep an eye on your partner, Bruce, or you won’t get away with it so easily next time.”

Bruce's face beneath the mask was ashen.

He looked at the dejected Dick, then at Azu, and said in a low voice, "That's enough, Azu. Dick is my assistant. This is the end of it."

Upon hearing this, Azu snorted coldly, which was considered an acceptance of Bruce's mediation. He did not attack Dick again, but his arrogant attitude remained unchanged.

Barbara rushed over to help Dick up and quickly checked his injuries.

Dick was both ashamed and angry, but he also felt powerless. The absolute suppression he had just experienced had completely shattered his confidence.

He now has a basic understanding of the power of Peter's children.

Is everyone in Padrick Manor as powerful as this bastard?
What kind of strength does their father, Peter Patrick, possess?
Bruce stopped looking at Dick and turned to Azu, his gaze sharp: "What exactly happened, Azu, that made you come over so late at night?"

Azu didn't waste any words and recounted what had happened on the farm, while Horus added to the story.

After listening to their stories, Bruce fell into deep thought.

After a long pause, he said to the two men, “Azu, Nameless, you shouldn’t have done this. Andrew himself is a huge mystery. It’s extremely risky for Hal and Star-Lord to stay on the farm and guard him. Besides, Hal isn’t entirely trustworthy either.”

Before Horus and Azu could speak, Bruce said in a low voice:
"The source of vampires' power lies in blood and transformation. While destroying the strong on the list can certainly create panic and clear obstacles, directly transforming them, or transforming more potential humans to strengthen one's own power, especially by acquiring the abilities of those strong individuals... this may be a more efficient and long-term strategy."

His icy gaze swept over Dick and Barbara: "Just imagine, a Superman or Homelander turned into a vampire... what a disaster that would be!"

"And if we're talking about conversion, then Nameless, Azu, and everyone at Patrick's Farm would be better candidates."

After Bruce uttered this deduction, the temperature in the study seemed to drop several degrees instantly.

Dick couldn't help but shiver, and Barbara's face also turned somewhat pale.

If those heroes and tyrants who stood at the pinnacle of humanity all turned into bloodthirsty monsters...

“Therefore,” Bruce concluded, “we must guard against both direct assassinations and the ever-present threat of transformation. The enemy can appear at any time, in any form, including…”

He paused, then looked at Azu and Horus, "including those around us."

The atmosphere froze instantly!
The firelight in the fireplace seemed to have dimmed a bit.

Bruce Wayne, the Dark Knight known for his suspicion and caution, made no attempt to hide his distrust of everyone, including Azu and Horus.

Dick felt a surge of resentment welling up inside him: "Bruce! Are you implying that we've been..."

"Being suspicious is a necessary survival instinct until suspicion is eliminated."

Bruce's voice remained completely unchanged, "Especially when facing an enemy like this."

He stood up, walked to the fireplace, and pressed a button hidden inside.

A slight mechanical whirring sound arose.

The wall on one side of the study slid open silently, revealing a hidden space behind it—a temporary room filled with intense ultraviolet light.

A blinding white-purple light poured out instantly, illuminating the area of ​​the study near the entrance in a ghastly white light.

"Come in."

As Bruce spoke, he took the lead and stepped into the area of ​​intense light.

He was exposed to intense ultraviolet radiation, but showed no abnormalities.

Barbara took a deep breath, stood up without hesitation, and calmly stepped into the ultraviolet light.

Her skin appeared even whiter under the bright light, but there were no signs of burning or discomfort.

Dick looked at the blinding light, then at Bruce's expressionless face and Barbara's composed back.

He gritted his teeth, stood up abruptly, and strode inside.

The ultraviolet light shone on his young face, but he showed no reaction whatsoever.

Azu hesitated for a moment, but eventually went inside.

Horus, curious, followed Azu inside.

The two were exposed to ultraviolet light, but showed no abnormalities.

Bruce's gaze swept over the four people, and after confirming that there was nothing amiss, he nodded slightly.

He then walked to a small table in the center of the room covered with a white cloth. On the table were several exquisite porcelain cups filled with clear liquid.

"Drink it."

Bruce pointed to the cup and said.

"what is this?"

Dick couldn't help but ask, looking at the clear liquid, alarm bells ringing in his mind.

“Holy water.”

Bruce simply uttered two words.

Azu and Horus were both stunned.

Holy water?

The legendary holy water that has miraculous effects on dark creatures?

Bruce actually used this to test them?
Looking into Bruce's eyes hidden in the shadows, Barbara was the first to pick up a glass and drink it down without hesitation.

The liquid slid down my throat without any burning or discomfort.

Dick watched Barbara finish her drink, then looked at Bruce, picked up his glass, and drank it down.

Ah Zu, with a sullen face, picked up his cup and downed it in one gulp.

It tastes no different from ordinary water.

Horus also drank it all.

Bruce watched as the others finished their drinks, and still showed no unusual reaction; his taut jawline seemed to relax slightly.

Finally, he walked to the table and took something out from under the white cloth—a simple silver cross, without any decoration, gleaming with a metallic luster under the ultraviolet light.

Hold it.

Bruce placed the crucifix in the center of the table and said in a low voice, "Bare hands."

This time, even Barbara hesitated slightly.

Azu stared wide-eyed at the glaringly conspicuous cross, feeling utterly absurd.

They just drank holy water and stood under ultraviolet lights without any problems, so why are they now trying to grab the cross with their bare hands?

Has this stinky bat's paranoia reached this level?

He already wanted to beat that bastard up!
After a standoff, the group remained in a stalemate for some time.

Barbara reached out first again, her fair fingers grasping the cold silver cross firmly without any hesitation.

The cross lay quietly in her palm, without any reaction.

Then Horus and Nightwing came over and grasped the cross.

After the two, it was Azu's turn.

Somewhat annoyed, he ultimately chose to consider the bigger picture and reached out to grasp the cross in his hand.

The cold metallic touch was there, without any burning or repulsion.

Azu deliberately gripped it tightly, giving Bruce a provocative look.

Bruce's gaze lingered on Azu's hand, which was tightly gripping the cross, for a few seconds before slowly shifting away, finally landing on Barbara's calm face, and then sweeping over Horus and Nightwing.

Only after confirming that the people in front of him had passed the "purification" test did the scrutinizing light in his eyes finally fade slightly.

"very good."

Bruce's voice remained devoid of emotion, as if everything that had just happened was merely a routine procedure.

He turned around and pressed the button on the wall again.

The glaring ultraviolet light went out, the hidden door slowly closed, and the study was restored to the warm glow of the fireplace.

He walked to the other end of the study, where a heavy, dark curtain hung.

Bruce grabbed a corner of the curtain and yanked it open.

"Wow!"

The curtain slipped down, revealing everything hidden behind it.

The entire wall was transformed into a huge weapon display rack that exudes a cold, metallic luster.

It's less of a display shelf and more of an armory tailor-made for hunting undead creatures.

At the top, a row of oddly shaped firearms were neatly hung: a line pulse rifle with a thick barrel; a holy water sprayer with silver liquid flowing inside; and a silver powder shotgun with a complex structure and a multi-barrel firing device.

The middle level displays various cold weapons and special equipment.

Includes rows of pure silver darts with finely serrated blades; several heavy, silver-plated alloy short swords with cross-shaped guards; and dozens of silver spheres resembling miniature hand grenades (ultraviolet stun grenades).

The bottom layer contained auxiliary equipment and medicines: holy water sealed in transparent crystal bottles, emitting a soft white light; boxes of specially made marking powder that fluoresces strongly under ultraviolet light; and several large metal syringes filled with a viscous silver liquid (concentrated silver solution).

The entire equipment wall exuded a chilling aura.

This is by no means a temporary patchwork, but the result of years of research and preparation with a great deal of effort invested.

Dick and Barbara were completely stunned by the spectacular sight before them.

(End of this chapter)