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

Chapter 1037 The Reconciliation Between Azu and Bruce

"Batman... I have something to say to you."

Bruce was about to say something when Dick walked up behind him with concern, seemingly wanting to say something to him.

However, before his voice had even faded, a sudden change occurred!
Dick Grayson's worried expression vanished instantly.

Instead, there was a darkness as deep as an abyss.

Darkness instantly swallowed up all of Nightwing's emotions, leaving only the most primal greed for blood.

Before Bruce could even react, Dick's right hand, moving with speed beyond the limits of vision, shoved into Bruce's unsuspecting back.

"laugh!!!"

A harsh tearing sound sounded.

Nightwing's right hand pierced through the tear in the Batsuit, through the flesh, through the gap in the broken ribs, and went straight through his chest.

"Uh...ho...!"

Bruce felt as if his blood had frozen instantly, and his body arched upwards violently.

All consciousness was stripped away by this unimaginable agony.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out; only a hissing sound came from his throat.

Everything before my eyes was instantly covered by boundless darkness and blinding blood red.

Time seemed to freeze in that instant, and the safe house was deathly silent.

The vixen, Ah Fu, and Green Arrow, who had just struggled to sit up, were all frozen in place as if petrified.

The faces of the group were filled with shock and disbelief.

No one expected that Nightwing was actually a traitor hidden among them.

The female fox looked at Nightwing in shock.

impossible!
Why can't strong ultraviolet light work on this guy if Nightwing really is a vampire?

"Batman!"

Dick's voice rang in Bruce's ears, carrying a sense of satisfaction from savoring the ultimate delicacy.

He slowly pulled the hand that had pierced Bruce's chest out and then clenched it.

"Uhhh-!!!"

An indescribable pain finally broke through the blockage in his throat, and Bruce let out a painful scream.

Blood gushed from his mouth and the huge wound on his back, staining the ground red.

Dick lowered his head, took a deep breath of the thick, bloody smell, licked his blood-stained lips with his tongue, and revealed an almost intoxicated greed in his eyes.

“Your blood… Bruce, is richer and more powerful than I imagined.”

His voice was filled with admiration, "I almost... couldn't resist transforming you, making you my most powerful bloodline, to serve me forever..."

"but……"

Dick's voice suddenly changed, "You're too smart, Batman, too uncontrollable. You're like a bomb that could explode at any moment, an existence that can never be truly tamed."

He shook his head, the last trace of "regret" in his eyes vanishing completely, leaving only a cold, all-encompassing control. "Letting you live, even as a vampire, will only bring me endless trouble and potential risks, so..."

He slowly withdrew his hand, which was covered in warm blood and bits of flesh.

"puff!"

Bruce's body felt as if all support had been removed, and he slumped forward.

"Do not--!!!"

Alfred let out a heart-wrenching wail.

The hand axe in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.

The old butler staggered toward the fallen Bruce, and with all his might held his blood-stained body in his arms, his turbid tears instantly overflowing.

"Young Master, Young Master Bruce, no, no...!"

Alfred cried out in pain, his hands trembling violently as he held Bruce, trying to stop the bleeding from the wound with his palms, but the blood continued to gush out.

Enrage blazed in the fox's eyes. She amplified her beast spirit power to its limit, transforming it into a golden lightning bolt as she pounced on Dick from the side, her claws aimed straight for his throat.

Despite his injuries, Green Arrow grabbed the fallen bow and instantly nocked an arrow of holy water, angrily shooting it toward Dick's heart.

However, at this moment, Dick Grayson displayed a terrifying power completely different from before.

Faced with the fox's attack, Dick's figure vanished on the spot like a ghost.

The vixen's determined attack missed, and the next second, Dick appeared beside her, his right hand striking out like a venomous snake.

"boom!"

The female fox was sent flying backwards as if hit by a high-speed train, spitting blood, and crashed hard into a wall in the distance.

"laugh!"

The holy water arrow shot by Green Arrow was easily caught between two of Dick's fingers.

The holy light flowing across the arrow turned to dust the moment it touched Nightwing's fingers.

After deflecting their attacks, Dick let out a low, pleasant chuckle.

He slowly raised his hand, stained with Bruce's blood, and gently licked the remaining bloodstains on the back of his hand, his posture both elegant and sinister.

"Do you know why sunlight and holy water have no effect on me?"

Before the vixen and Green Arrow could ask, Nightwing explained, "That's because of Starfire..."

As he uttered the name, a strange light flashed in his eyes.

"That lovely princess from Tamaran, her blood contains the most peculiar energy in the universe. In the process of transforming her, we discovered that only a few drops of her blood are needed..."

Dick's voice carried the fervor of someone who had discovered a treasure, "It will allow us, the children of the night, to temporarily overcome that ridiculous weakness."

His gaze swept over the shocked crowd, and he continued, "Sunlight, holy water, a cross, all you need are a few drops of her blood..."

He spread his hands, a devilish smile on his face. "Under the protection of the Blood of Starfire, we... have nothing to fear."

Hearing Nightwing's explanation, the female fox gritted her teeth in resentment.

She had heard of this newly emerged superhero, and that he was the princess of Tamaran.

The inhabitants of Tamaran are characterized by orange skin and the ability to absorb solar energy and transform it into superpowers.

This newly emerged superhero has unexpectedly been turned into a vampire.

Thinking of this, the female fox struggled to stand up, but then spat out a mouthful of blood.

Green Arrow stared at the broken bow in his hand, his eyes dimming.

Dick walked step by step toward Alfred and the dying Bruce, his dark red pupils filled with nothing but cold killing intent.

He raised his blood-stained hand and pointed it at Bruce, who was barely breathing in Alfred's arms.

Farewell, my mentor!

Nightwing was about to make his move and kill Alfred and Bruce.

But just as he was about to make his move, the heavy lead door on the side of the safe house suddenly burst open inward.

A figure, exuding unparalleled ferocity, stormed in.

It was the same Azu who had been "killed" by Star-Lord and whom everyone thought had "defected."

"asshole!"

Azu's roar was like a thunderclap, instantly drowning out all other sounds.

The next second, Azu's body left a blurry afterimage in the air, carrying a powerful force as he punched Dick hard in the back.

Dick was somewhat shocked to see Azu appear.

Sensing a terrifying, potentially lethal force behind him, he had no choice but to abandon his final strike against Bruce and abruptly turn around to block Azu's attack.

"boom!!!"

The two figures collided, and a shockwave that could be seen with the naked eye exploded instantly.

The walls were shaken so badly they caved in like paper, and countless pieces of equipment and dust were violently thrown up.

Dick was forced back several steps by Azu's power.

Having become the king of vampires, his power was amplified several times over, and an extraterrestrial entity also granted him strange powers.

I never expected that someone as powerful as myself would still be defeated by Azu.

Dick took a deep breath and looked at Azu, who was floating in the air.

But Dick soon noticed that Azu seemed to be acting strangely.

His body was trembling slightly, and his demeanor was somewhat different from before.

He quickly realized that although Azu had "come back to life," his injuries were not fully healed.

Now that he knew that Azu was still injured, Nightwing didn't waste any words and charged straight at him.

Nightwing's fist, accompanied by a shrill whistling sound that tore through the air, slammed hard into Azu's cheekbone.

The pain exploded instantly. Azu's body was hit head-on, his feet left the ground, and he was thrown backward uncontrollably.

With a loud thud, Ah Zu slammed into the wall behind him, sending brick fragments raining down.

Ah Zu let out a muffled groan, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He shook his buzzing head, trying to steady himself and retaliate, when a chilling malice overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.

Countless twisted, viscous shadows surged forth from behind Dick Grayson.

The shadows seemed to possess a life of their own, surging in with a chilling aura.

These dark shadows instantly wrapped around Azu's limbs and neck, frantically eroding his skin.

The shadowy figure tried to burrow into his bone marrow, freeze his blood, and drain his life force.

Azu felt his core thermal vision become sluggish under this chilling cold, and his muscles were tightly bound by invisible chains.

"Damn it!"

Azu roared, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot, and two scorching rays shot out, instantly vaporizing several dark figures that lunged at him. But more dark figures followed, like maggots clinging to his bones, pinning him to the spot.

Just as Azu was being bound and absorbed by magic, a figure as swift as lightning suddenly slashed into the battlefield.

"Quick, Zu, take Batman away!"

The female fox shouted to Azu while fighting Nightwing.

Azu gritted his teeth and glanced at Nightwing, then looked at Star-Lord and Mordred, who had already stood up and were subtly surrounding him.

Knowing that he was injured and could not withstand the attack of the three, Azu gritted his teeth, moved to Bruce's side, hugged him tightly, and rushed outside.

As he moved, he looked down at Bruce.

Bruce, nestled in her arms, was rapidly losing body temperature. His weak breaths were like a candle flickering in the wind, each shallow rise and fall bringing forth more blood foam.

The face covered in blood was losing its luster at a visible speed.

The cold shadow of death had already gripped the dark knight's throat.

"No, Fuck, you bastard, you can't die!"

Gotham, the abandoned St. Mary's Church.

The spire has long since broken off, and only lead frames remain of the stained glass windows.

Azu placed Bruce on the ground.

The moonlight shone clearly on Bruce's face, his ashen, lifeless expression startlingly vivid.

The wound on his chest was still bleeding extremely slowly, and each faint breath was so long it was suffocating, as if it would stop completely at any moment.

Seeing Bruce about to die, Azu hesitated for a moment, then pulled something out from a hidden compartment in the chest of his tight-fitting suit.

Inside the bottle, a viscous blue liquid swayed slightly.

Azu stared intently at the small bottle in his hand. After a long while, he roughly pried open Bruce's tightly clenched teeth.

The liquid slid down his throat, and Bruce coughed unconsciously, bringing up more bloody foam.

Although it was somewhat rough, most of the medicine still flowed in.

Azu stared intently at Bruce's face, observing his reaction.

Suddenly, Bruce Wayne's body convulsed violently.

Azu held his breath, his eyes fixed intently on the other person's horrific wound.

The deep, penetrating wound, which exposed bone, began to heal rapidly.

Bruce's breathing, which had been so faint it was almost nonexistent, suddenly became heavy and rapid.

Ah Zu's tense body finally relaxed a little, but his eyes remained serious.

He knew that the most dangerous moment had only just begun.

The power of the Super Five reagent is extremely domineering, and the pain it brings is enough to destroy the will of any ordinary person.

after an hour.

Bruce felt like he was adrift in a long, endless nightmare.

Consciousness is like a heavy stone, constantly falling into the abyss.

He tried to struggle, but his body was too heavy to obey him.

In the darkness, countless images flashed by like a revolving lantern: the leaden rainy night in Gotham, the helpless self in Crime Alley, the self who first met Peter in the phone booth.
Just as he felt he was about to be swallowed by this eternal darkness, an indescribable warm current flowed into his throat.

"Uh!"

Bruce let out a painful groan.

These fragments of memory violently assaulted Bruce's chaotic consciousness.

Finally, all the pain and chaos reached their peak, then receded abruptly like the receding tide.

"Cough! Cough cough cough—!"

Bruce suddenly opened his eyes, his chest heaving violently as he coughed forcefully.

He instinctively covered his chest with his hand—the spot where the blade had pierced him.

The initial impression was of solid muscles and intact ribs.

No wounds?

No persistent, excruciating pain?
There was only a strange feeling of new life, and a sense of unfamiliarity filled with explosive power.
The cold moonlight shone on his face, and Bruce rolled his eyes blankly before his gaze gradually focused.

The first thing that catches the eye is the dilapidated, cobweb-covered dome of the abandoned church.

Then, he saw Ah Zu's figure.

Ah Zu crossed his arms, tilted his head slightly, and looked down at him with a condescending and extremely displeased gaze.

Is it Azu?
Did he bring me here?

Bruce's gaze unconsciously swept over his undamaged chest once more.

The penetrating, fatal wound has disappeared... How is that possible?

Ah Zu remained with his arms crossed, observing coldly, his eyes in the shadows revealing undisguised disgust and annoyance.

Bruce struggled to sit up, feeling a slight ache in his new bones and muscles, but not in pain.

He leaned against the cold, broken wall behind him, slowly raised his head, and met Azu's gaze.

Bruce licked his chapped lips, a metallic taste of blood still lingering in his throat.

After a moment, he broke the silence and asked, "Why? Why did you save me?"

Bruce was filled with mixed feelings at that moment.

I owe Ah Zu a life, and I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay it.

"why?"

Azu said unhappily, "Do you think I'm doing this for you, Bruce Wayne? Stop with your disgusting self-pity."

He took a step forward, his eyes fixed on Bruce.

“If you die, Dad will be heartbroken. He can’t bear it, you know?”

Azu then added in an extremely stiff, condescending tone:
"Besides... you're still useful. Those damn vampires... Gotham needs Batman as a target to keep going, at least for now, so I saved you."

He paused, then continued, "But that doesn't mean anything else. Our relationship is still the same as before. Don't be self-satisfied."

Bruce remained silent, but his expression became complicated.

Although the other person said that, he felt that their relationship had changed.

"how did you do that?"

Bruce asked in a hoarse voice.

He looked down at his undamaged chest again, his voice filled with confusion, "I clearly... my chest was pierced."

He vividly remembers the feeling of his life force rapidly slipping away; it was an absolutely fatal wound with no chance of survival.

Upon hearing this, Ah Zu's sarcastic smile reappeared on his face.

Do you remember that bottle of 'Super Compound Five' that Dad gave you a few years ago?

Ah Zu's tone carried a hint of barely perceptible smugness, as if he were showing off that he had accomplished something the other person could never do.

“You self-righteous bastard, you didn’t want it at first, but when Dad gave it to you, you always treated it like some dangerous Pandora’s box, never touching it, locking it in your supposedly impregnable bat cave.”

Bruce was slightly taken aback when he heard what Azu said.

"You've been inside my bat cave?"

“That’s right,” Azu interrupted him, speaking casually as if it were a trivial matter. “A few days ago, I went in for a look around. Your traps and mechanisms… Hmph, they’re only good for keeping petty thieves away.”

He shrugged, the meaning of which was self-evident—the Batcave's defenses were utterly ineffective against him.

"I just took it out casually, I didn't expect to use it on you so soon, how does it taste?"

Ah Zu added maliciously.

Bruce felt a throbbing sensation in his temples.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and asked the question that had been puzzling him the most: "Star-Lord said you betrayed the farm, attacked him, and then ran away. I didn't believe him. At that time, I suspected that Star-Lord was a vampire and thought he killed you and faked your escape."

"die?"

Azu let out a disdainful laugh, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

He slightly raised his chin. "That piece of trash Star-Lord can't kill me. His Celestial Power can only make me 'lie down' for a while, just to make it look convincing."

Bruce frowned. "You were acting for him?"

"of course."

Azu continued, “Only when I am ‘dead’ will those vampire bastards hiding in the shadows, and the people behind them, truly lower their guard and shift their attention away from me. A dead Homelander poses no threat to them, does he?”

A smile played on his lips. "Only in this way can I investigate them properly from the shadows, to see what these vermin are up to and why the vampires have become so troublesome overnight."

Bruce stared at Azu, his eyes filled with shock.

Ah Zu... is he playing a strategy game?
Is this still the same person who only knows how to solve problems with heat vision and fists?

Ah Zu has actually started using his brain; he even faked his death in order to investigate.
"What...did you find out?"

Bruce asked with a serious expression.

He noticed that Ah Zu was less annoying than before, and seemed to have matured a bit.

"Those vampires became stronger at an absurdly fast speed and with abnormally great strength; it wasn't simply because they drank more blood."

Azu lowered his voice and said to Bruce, "They came into contact with 'something,' something... that shouldn't exist on Earth."

He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts or recalling some unsettling images.

"A stone."

Azu told Bruce, "A meteorite that fell from the sky, emitting a disgusting green light. I followed a high-ranking vampire and saw him sneaking into an underground facility where that thing was kept in a very secure energy field."

"The energy emanating from that stone is very different. Vampires who get close to it are like they've been injected with adrenaline. No, it's worse. Their eyes become like those of a wild beast, their strength increases dramatically, and... they become even more bloodthirsty and insane."

(End of this chapter)