Chapter 220: Lilith, That Strange Feeling Is Back Again
"Arkham Asylum's New Ethos"
"Upholding the Four Cardinal Principles to Rebuild New Gotham"
"Crackdown on the Rampant Cross-Dressing on City Streets"
"Strike Hard Against the Wayne Crime Syndicate and Other Capitalist Underworld Forces"
"..."
...
One by one, Arthur the Joker, Oswald the Penguin, and Edward the Riddler stared in numb silence at the campaign platform that Allen dictated and Unita faithfully transcribed.
Good grief. Just—good grief.
You said you weren't going to cause trouble for Batman.
Yet every item on this platform is directly targeting him.
Especially that fourth point—straight-up calling him the head of a criminal organization.
Allen looked at the three of them staring blankly and asked calmly, "Is there a problem?"
"Boss, just how much do you hate Batman?" Edward asked awkwardly.
"He never lets me join the fun…"
Ahem—
The words slipped out in a burst of emotion, but Allen quickly tried to cover it up and defended himself with feigned composure: "The Wayne family controls over thirty percent of Gotham's industry, plunging the entire city into chaos and corruption. If that's not a crime, I don't know what is. Not to mention their long-standing oppression of millions—generations even. It's simply unforgivable. So yes, we'll be focusing on them."
The three exchanged a look that clearly said, Not buying it.
Being stared at like that made Allen feel self-conscious.
His gaze began to waver as he doubled down with another excuse: "Bruce's relationship with the League of Assassins is murky at best—I seriously suspect they have shady dealings."
Stop pretending.
We want the truth.
The three continued staring at him with doubtful expressions.
"Ugh, you're all so annoying!"
Flustered, Allen covered his face and finally admitted honestly, "He doesn't listen to me, won't let me in on anything, and keeps leaving me out on purpose. This is just payback, okay?"
Mmm...
Now that sounded real. We like it.
"You guys keep reviewing this. I'm gonna take a shower."
Allen reached into the birdcage and grabbed a pair of blood-red bats, gently teasing his long-lost pets with his fingers.
Had they not been part of the progenitor Lilith's body, ordinary bats would've starved to death by now.
At present, the entire blood clan had withdrawn from Gotham.
The Barbatos crisis had escalated to such a degree that the vampires, labeled as accomplices, were now under heavy scrutiny. The purge against them had become especially aggressive.
Add to that the Justice League's classification of Gotham as a high-priority watch zone—staying too long could bring down the wrath of Superman, a god among men.
And to the superheroes, vampires weren't human at all—there would be no talk of mercy or restraint.
"Your Majesty, over half of the Thirteen Territories have fallen. Most purebloods have retreated to their strongholds."
"They're too powerful now—reconstructed into half-human, half-machine hybrids."
"Our research facilities have started on serum-based evolutionary projects, but progress is slow and far from practical deployment."
"…"
The thirteen pureblood princes were reporting on the current status of the blood clan.
Their entanglement with the Court of Owls had proven to be a strategic misstep, triggering a series of disastrous consequences.
Just as Lilith was about to issue orders, her body trembled slightly.
Both hands gripped the armrests of her throne tightly, her face instantly turning pale.
That damned sensation had returned.
After over a month of peace, she had nearly forgotten about that lost part of her body. But now that shameful and bizarre feeling had come back, tormenting her relentlessly.
"Her Majesty is unwell. This meeting will be adjourned for now."
Noticing the change, a handmaiden quickly stepped in to end the meeting on her behalf.
Although the princes didn't quite believe their queen had a physical illness, they had observed her long enough to realize something was off.
Lilith's usual attire, while never exactly revealing, had never been this conservative either.
Now, she wore only high-collared inner garments, keeping everything tightly covered.
They couldn't help recalling that startled cry from her some time ago—and suddenly, it all clicked.
After all, among these thousand-year-old vampire lords, who didn't have three wives and four concubines? Even the densest among them could guess something was up.
Back in her bedroom—
Lilith sat beside her bed, arms tightly wrapped across her chest, trying to suppress the strange sensation.
Her pale complexion slowly flushed red, her legs unconsciously pressed together.
Mn…
Soft lips parted slightly, releasing a breath of warm, fragrant air.
"Your Majesty, would you like a bit of bloodmeal to help ease it?"
The handmaiden brought over a goblet of blood as rich as aged wine, trying to divert Lilith's attention.
As Queen of the Blood Clan, Lilith's bloodmeals were carefully curated.
The blood must come from willing children, donated voluntarily and stored long-term in the blood bank.
To manage population and ensure longevity, purebloods had long since abandoned the primitive act of drinking directly from humans. They now relied on advanced technology—purchasing blood and storing it in special devices that simulated circulation to maintain freshness.
They were even researching artificial blood to improve the supply chain.
In contrast, the mixed-blood vampires, too numerous to feed through official channels, often resorted to hunting humans at night.
"No need."
Lilith gritted her teeth and forced herself to ask, "Any word from that man?"
"Your Majesty, informants report the target has appeared at Arkham Asylum. Do you wish to send an elite squad?"
The "target" was, of course, Allen.
At this point, the blood clan could no longer risk appearing in large numbers—they had to avoid drawing Justice League attention.
Especially since the Church, their age-old rival, was already watching closely, ready to strike at the slightest weakness.
"Send a professional assassin. They don't need to kill him—just kill the bat. That will be enough."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lilith knew Allen wouldn't be easy to kill. But destroying that lost body part of hers would be enough—it would grow back to her eventually.
After all, footage of Allen utterly defeating the Ravager and the Red Death had already begun circulating quietly among major factions.
In Metropolis—a high-tech city loaded with surveillance cameras—someone had clearly caught everything.
Privately, Lilith made another decision.
She would go to America herself once more.
…
The bathroom was filled with thick, swirling steam.
Warm water streamed down from the showerhead, splashing onto Allen's soaked face.
"Ahhh…"
Allen opened his mouth wide, catching the hot water.
A good shower should include a proper rinse—one must have standards.
"Guh-luh-luh-luh-luh…"
Ssshh…
With lips pulled back and teeth clenched, he pushed his tongue out and squirted a stream of water through the gaps—spraying it onto the two red bats.
"We've been together for so long. You two need names."
Allen tilted his head, thinking aloud, "Lefty and Righty. How's that? Pretty poetic, right?"
The red bats just stared at him with dazed, innocent eyes—completely indifferent to the madman's nonsense.
"Lefty, why do you smell so good?"
"Righty, you're fragrant too."
Allen leaned in and sniffed. A faint, unique scent tickled his nose, and a foolish grin spread across his face. "From now on, you two are my bath sponges."
He squeezed body wash onto their fur, working up a dense lather.
Then, he rubbed them across his body like foamy scrub balls.
"Washy-wash, squeaky clean, jing-a-ling~"
Allen was thoroughly enjoying his bath, even humming a silly tune to himself.
And all of it—every moment—was vividly transmitted to Lilith.
Thankfully, she didn't witness it with her own eyes.
Otherwise, she might've coughed up blood from sheer rage.