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

Chapter 1032 Batman's Suspicion: Azu is not the murderer!

As far as Peter could see, there was only an endless desert stretching to the horizon.

The sky was a murky, leaden gray, a gloomy canopy emitting a lifeless, faint glow.

The ground was covered with fine sand. Looking into the distance, there were no weathered rocks, no withered thorns, no signs of life, only absolute desolation.

"what happened?!"

Exclamations arose around Peter.

Ciri swiftly drew her silver sword from her back, her body tense, her eyes scanning her surroundings warily.

Persephone had a look of astonishment on his face.

Jane Foster instinctively took a step back and pulled out the hammer that Peter had entrusted to her.

Diana's divine bracers instantly glowed with golden light, and the Lasso of Truth was already in her hand. Her Amazon warrior instincts instantly put her into battle stance.

Kara, meanwhile, hovered in mid-air, her super vision piercing through the gray sky as she looked into the distance.

But what met her eyes was still an endless desert, which made her frown and her eyes full of confusion.

Peter looked around, his brows furrowing slightly.

After a moment of contemplation, he looked at Zatana.

"Za, this should be an unknown dimensional space, right?"

"should be……"

Zatanna said in a dry voice, "We were probably forcibly dragged into some dimensional space."

Her gaze swept across the desolate, gray desert, every detail seemingly confirming her terrifying suspicions.

“Ciri”.

Peter looked at Ciri. "Your ability should allow you to travel through dimensional spaces, right?"

Ciri's ancient blood granted her the ability to travel through time and space—a power that transcends conventional magic and originates from the very source of the world. Perhaps she can travel through time and space and leave dimensional space.

Ciri nodded vigorously at Peter and gripped the silver sword in her hand tightly.

"Let me try."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

The ancient blood that had been dormant within him was awakened and began to surge and roar.

Driven by her will, the surrounding air began to hum, and the space rippled like water with a pebble thrown in, with visible, translucent ripples spreading out from her center.

The ripples distorted the light, blurring her figure against the backdrop of the desert.

next second!
"Boom!!!"

A sharp explosion resounded in the desert.

Ciri's figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

"My God!"

Seeing this, Jane couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

This was the first time she had ever witnessed Ciri's ability to travel through time.

"Oh!"

Before Jane could speak, Ciri reappeared in the same spot.

She leaned forward, breathing heavily.

The sandy ground where Ciri had just stood was plowed with a shallow furrow by an invisible force, as if a huge force was trying to drag her away, but was forcibly pulled back.

“No…No…!”

Ciri struggled to lift her head and said in a hoarse voice, "There's a... force... pulling me, like the whole world is rejecting my leap, I... I can't get through!"

Her eyes were filled with frustration.

Upon hearing Ciri say that it was impossible to travel through time, Peter frowned, rubbing his chin as he fell into thought.

This place probably isn't part of the DC universe; there might be some kind of restriction preventing Ciri from traversing it.

After catching her breath, Ciri said to everyone, "Also, I feel like this place is an infinitely extending, infinitely distorted mirror. When I try to break the mirror, it bounces me back."

"A distorted mirror?"

Upon hearing what Ciri said, a figure flashed through Peter's mind—the Master of Mirrors.

The Mirror Master, whose real name is Samuel Joseph Sam Scudder.

As for his abilities, it is said that they came from when he was working in a mirror factory. He accidentally mixed the wrong chemicals into a mirror, which was supposed to be scrapped, and the mirror gained the ability to connect to dimensional spaces.

Through studying this mirror, Scudder learned the ability to create mirror images with various effects and to teleport.
"I think I know who's behind this."

Peter looked at the surrounding desert and narrowed his eyes.

the other side.

Padrick Farm.

The next day.

The group, who had just woken up, stared at Star-Lord in disbelief.

Star-Lord clutched his wounded chest and said to everyone in a hoarse and agitated voice, "We went for a walk by the lake last night, and Azu... he went mad, he ambushed me, he tried to kill me."

Star-Lord pointed to the wound on his chest and said to the shocked crowd, "This is my wound. He came to the lake to talk to me when I couldn't sleep at night. He attacked me when I wasn't paying attention."

He gestured excitedly with his hands to demonstrate Ah Zu's movements, his body trembling with fear and anger.

“He said…he said I didn’t deserve to stay on the farm at all, that I was a stain on my father’s reputation, that I would only bring trouble and chaos!”

Star-Lord said with a heavy expression, "I fought back desperately and injured him, but he... he was too strong. He broke free in the end. He escaped. He abandoned all of us and defected."

Star-Lord's performance was textbook-worthy.

The deep-seated grief, the despair of being betrayed by his brother, and the terror of escaping death—every emotion was vividly portrayed.

A tremendous shock, like an icy tide, instantly overwhelmed everyone present.

Seresa covered her mouth, somewhat incredulous.

Hal frowned, looking at Star-Lord's miserable state with a rather intriguing expression.

The atmosphere on the entire farm was extremely oppressive.

An unknown fear permeated everyone's hearts.

Has Ah Zu been transformed by a vampire?!

This thought flashed through everyone's mind.

Only one person remained silent from beginning to end.

Bruce stood a little behind the crowd, his black cloak motionless in the morning breeze.

He wore a mask, making it impossible to see his eyes.

But his thin lips, pressed into a straight line, revealed that his inner world was far from as calm as it appeared.

Bruce had just arrived at the farm early in the morning when he unexpectedly encountered this scene.

Unlike the others, he did not show any shock or anger, but simply observed Star-Lord's wounds in silence.

Time passed in a somber atmosphere.

The farm is shrouded in an eerie low pressure during the day.

Star-Lord was carefully helped back to his bedroom by Ceressa and Hal, and his emotions seemed to have calmed down a bit.

Young Mordred sat on the doorstep, clutching his sword, looking sullen.

Wei and Baobao increased security at the farm, but their eyes were filled with a lingering gloom.

Bruce, like a silent ghost, moved about the farm alone.

He didn't participate in any discussion or offer any comfort; instead, he used his portable device to meticulously re-examine the living room, the places where Hal and Star-Lord had previously rested, and especially the spot where Star-Lord had last stayed before leaving last night.

As dusk fell and the sun began to set, casting a dim, yellowish glow over the farm, Wei came alone to a secluded maintenance well outside the farm.

The heavy manhole cover was moved aside slightly, and a smell of dirt, rust, and humus wafted out.

Wei crouched down, preparing to investigate the potential defensive vulnerability.

"do not move."

A deep voice suddenly came from the shadows below the well.

Vi's muscles tensed instantly, and she swiftly drew the Hextech Gauntlets from her waist, energy flashing at her knuckles.

"it's me."

In the shadows, a black figure rose silently, like a bat blending into the darkness.

Bruce pulled his mask down slightly, revealing the lower half of his face, signaling Vi to lower her guard.

"Bruce?"

Wei breathed a sigh of relief, but her eyes remained wary. "What are you doing here?"

She noticed that Bruce seemed to have some fresh dirt on him.

Bruce didn't answer directly; he gestured for Vi to come down.

After hesitating for a moment, Wei ultimately chose to believe him.

The two walked forward along the underground sewer.

As Bruce walked, he said to Vi, "I found something under the sofa in the living room, near where Star-Lord sat last night. There's a small piece of... very faint biological tissue residue. It was cleaned up hastily, but not thoroughly enough."

Wei's pupils contracted slightly: "Biological tissue?"

“The preliminary DNA comparison results are in,” Bruce said calmly. “The match is 99.9%. It’s Andrew Bennett the vampire’s.”

Wei's heart sank. "What...what does this mean?"

Bruce's gaze sharpened. "The location of the residue is peculiar; it's deep in the gap between the sofa leg and the floor, as if it was forcefully squeezed and splashed there, and..."

He paused, his tone turning cold, "When I was tracing the remaining debris, the path eventually led here—the sewer system."

He pointed to the open manhole: "The smell is clearest at the sewer entrance, but once inside the pipes, it becomes very faint and chaotic due to the water flow and the complex environment. However, I had an unexpected discovery while searching down there."

Bruce pulled a transparent evidence bag from under his cloak.

Inside the bag was a piece of object tightly wrapped in a gray bandage.

That's clearly a human finger!

The bandages were stained black with mud, but you could still vaguely see the shriveled, blackened skin and the broken ends underneath.

What's most chilling is the cut on the severed finger—it's unusually smooth. "This is..."

Wei felt a chill rise up her spine.

“Andrew Bennett’s fingers; clearly, he was dismembered and thrown into the sewers.”

Bruce said in a low voice, "The cut pattern... is the only clue. This smoothness, ruling out all known physical cutting methods, is the only explanation..."

He raised his head, his gaze piercing through the shadows of the well opening, as if he saw an invisible enemy:
"It's light."

"A certain kind of... highly concentrated energy beam with destructive cutting power."

Bruce carefully put away the evidence bag and turned his gaze to Vi. His eyes, hidden behind the goggles, seemed to pierce through the darkness and stare straight into the depths of Vi's soul.

“Wei, listen, Azu could never be the murderer, nor could he be a vampire who has been transformed.”

"He is even less likely to have been infected or defected. He wouldn't have been the one to kill the vampire Andrew and throw his body into the sewers."

The almost obsessive certainty in Bruce's words shocked her like never before.

This trust transcends evidence, seemingly stemming from a deeper understanding of Azu's true nature.

"That Star-Lord..."

Wei's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"I do not know."

Bruce shook his head. "I don't trust either Star-Lord or Hal Jordan. Perhaps the real danger has always been around us, wearing the mask of a victim."

He took one last look at the dark sewer deep inside the well. "Take care of yourself, Wei. Don't trust anyone, including your loved ones. This show... is far from over."

After saying that, Bruce's figure, like a bat blending into the shadows, silently slid down the well and disappeared into the darkness of the pipes below.

Vi was left standing alone in the sewer, staring blankly at Bruce's departing figure.

She didn't understand why Bruce would tell her all this in private.
Could it be that everyone else on the farm has been turned into a vampire?
After nightfall.

Gotham's nights are forever shrouded in a layer of greasy neon lights and the shadow of sin.

Barbara Gordon, the Batwoman, is agile and moves silently through the dripping beasts and abandoned fire escape stairwells.

Her electronic goggles filtered through the rain, scanning the chaotic alleyways below.

Suddenly, a shrill scream came from a narrow alley filled with garbage below.

It was accompanied by a beast-like roar and the dull thud of objects colliding.

Barbara's eyes sharpened, and she instantly changed direction, swooping down like a swift.

The scene in the alley was shocking.

Three figures are attacking a person who is lying on the ground and struggling.

These three "people" moved with unnatural speed, like ghostly figures moving through a rainy night.

In the dim light, their skin appeared a sickly, deathly gray, and their eyes gleamed with a dark red light in the darkness.

Sharp canine teeth were exposed at the corners of his open mouth, and saliva mixed with rainwater dripped down.

The man they were besieging was a skinny man dressed in shabby overalls and wearing huge goggles—a villain from the bottom rungs of Gotham, "Ratcatcher".

He was in a sorry state; a mechanical rat had been crushed to pieces, and a deep, bone-revealing gash had been torn open on his arm, the blood staining the rainwater red.

"Blood... fresh blood..."

One of the vampires let out a hoarse growl and lunged at the rat catcher's neck.

"Go away!"

Barbara let out a sharp cry, and several batarangs with faint electric sparks along their edges tore through the rain and shot toward the backs of the three vampires.

"Puff puff!"

The batarang hits the enemy!
However, the effect was minimal; the specially designed electric shock only paused the three vampires' movements for a fraction of a second.

A few wisps of blue smoke rose from the spot on the vampire's body where it was hit, accompanied by a sizzling sound as the flesh burned, but it did not cause fatal damage.

With an angry roar, the vampire instantly abandoned its prey, its dark red eyes, like searchlights, locking onto Barbara who was falling from the sky.

"A bat's lackey!"

The leader of the vampires licked his lips, his eyes glowing brightly red. "Your blood... smells even better!"

The dark figure, accompanied by a piercing shriek that seemed to tear through the air, pounced on Barbara like a ghost, moving so fast that it left only a fleeting afterimage on her retina.

Alarm bells rang in Barbara's mind.

She knew she had underestimated the speed and strength of these monsters.

She retreated rapidly, simultaneously unleashing a barrage of batarangs, smoke grenades, and smoke bombs at the enemy.

But the vampires moved incredibly fast, dodging most of the attacks with ease as if they had anticipated them, and the thick smoke from the smoke bombs seemed to have no effect on their keen sense of smell.

"Hey!"

A sharp claw grazed Barbara's shoulder, easily tearing her tough Kevlar suit.

"caught you!"

Another vampire appeared out of nowhere from the side, its claws, gleaming with a stench, aimed straight for Barbara's back.

Barbara's old strength was exhausted, and new strength had not yet been generated. She was about to be pierced through the heart by sharp claws.

At this critical moment!
"Ow-!!"

A primal, wild roar, with tremendous penetrating power, resounded above the narrow alleyway.

The roar carried a strange power, causing the three ferocious vampires who were pouncing to freeze in their tracks.

Immediately afterwards, a lithe figure descended from the sky like a meteorite, crashing heavily between Barbara and the vampire.

"boom!"

The ground was cracked, and water was splashing everywhere.

Amidst the smoke and mist, a tall, slender woman with a wild and powerful beauty slowly straightened up.

The woman had healthy, bronze skin, wore intricate braids in a tribal style, and a leather headband inlaid with amber on her forehead, within which flames seemed to flow.

The tight-fitting brown leather armor accentuated the woman's powerful curves.

The woman stood in front of Barbara like a lioness guarding her territory, her cold and imposing gaze sweeping over the three vampires who had been forced back.

"Vixen?!"

Barbara was both surprised and delighted to recognize the African-American heroine who had once appeared in Metropolis but whose whereabouts were shrouded in mystery.

The vixen didn't turn around, but said to the vampires in a low voice, "When did it become the nighttime of these filthy vampire bats to run rampant in Gotham?"

The three vampires were clearly intimidated by the vixen's sudden outburst of power, and a hint of fear flashed in their eyes.

But the bloodlust quickly overcame the vigilance, and the lead vampire let out a shriek: "Attack her together! Tear her apart! Her blood must be full of power!"

Three dark figures suddenly sprang up again, three of them attacking the female fox from different angles, their killing intent tearing everything apart.

The sharp claws tore through the air, emitting a piercing shriek.

The female fox curled her lips into a disdainful sneer.

Just as the vampire's claws were about to touch her body, the light flowing around her suddenly changed shape.

Golden light coalesced into the phantom of a lion on her right arm.

McBee's arm moved faster than expected, slamming down hard on the vampire charging at him head-on.

"boom!"

Like smashing a watermelon, the vampire's head, along with half a shoulder, instantly turned into countless flying pieces of flesh and blood under the terrifying force.

The headless corpse was slammed backward by the immense force, crashing heavily against the wall of the alleyway.

At the same time, the female fox twisted her body to the side with incredible flexibility.

She perfectly embodies the agility of a cheetah.

She easily dodged the vampire's heart-ripping claw on the left, and her left foot flashed back like lightning.

"Crack!"

The sickening sound of bones cracking.

The vampire on the left had his leg bone broken by a kick, and he screamed as he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

The vampire's claws on the right were about to pierce the fox's lower back.

The female fox didn't even turn around; she simply let out a low growl, and the light around her surged once more.

The giant phantom of a rhinoceros flashed and disappeared behind her!

"clang!!"

Like a loud clang of metal clashing, the vampire's sharp claws gripped the fox's back, but instead of penetrating even a fraction, the immense recoil caused its five fingers to twist and break.

In the blink of an eye, in a single glance, one vampire was dead and the other was seriously injured.

The remaining vampires, with their severed legs, watched their companions die a gruesome death in an instant, their eyes filled with terror.

The bloodlust was completely overwhelmed by the instinct for survival. The vampire screamed in terror and crawled into the depths of the alley on all fours.

The female fox coldly watched his fleeing figure, without giving chase.

The ethereal shadows swirling around her slowly receded and eventually disappeared.

She turned around and looked at the still-shaken Barbara and the dumbfounded rat catcher on the ground.

"Are you OK?"

The female fox asked Barbara in a low voice.

Barbara took a deep breath, suppressing her shock: "I'm alright, thank you, vixen. You... how did you get here?"

The vixen's gaze swept over the vampire's corpse on the ground and the hazy neon lights of Gotham in the distance. Her brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of seriousness flashed in her eyes.

"The spirits of animals are crying out, and the darkness of Gotham is stirring."

Her gaze was directed toward the direction of Patrick Farm, as if piercing through the heavy rain.

An even bigger storm seems to be gathering there.

The female fox is currently conducting experiments at the Gotham Zoo, and occasionally comes out at night to fight evil.

She now sensed an unsettling feeling emanating from the Patrick Farm.

It seems I, the former "manager" of the farm, will have to make a trip to the farm.

(End of this chapter)