Chapter 480: Batman
"Oh?"
Zhou Ning immediately perked up. He hadn't expected Richie Burke to work this fast—less than two days, and he already had the whereabouts of Cotton-Cloth Benson. So this was the true capability of Captain Jia of Apocalypse? Honestly impressive.
"But there's also bad news. Because of a certain treasure, there are quite a few people watching Cotton-Cloth Benson. If he didn't have two helpers sticking close to him, I guarantee he would've already been turned into glittering bounty gold by his peers."
"What treasure?"
Zhou Ning first recalled Cotton-Cloth Benson's bounty amount, then caught onto the key point and asked bluntly.
"No idea. There's a rumor that the General of Thunder found a treasure on some island overseas, but couldn't find a way in. My guess is someone inside their crew betrayed them, because the news has now spread throughout the entire Northern Pirate Alliance. Their first mate, Cotton-Cloth Benson, came here looking for people who could help them breach the treasure site."
"I don't recommend you take action now, because too many eyes are on him. Out of fear of the General of Thunder's reputation—and the War God Church's threats—everyone's waiting for someone else to make the first move. After that, they'll swarm like hyenas to hunt him down."
A treasure on an island… Zhou Ning ignored the latter half of Richie Burke's explanation for the moment. He suddenly thought of Rick Green, who had invited him to join an expedition earlier. After quietly thinking for a moment, he asked:
"What kind of reputation does Cotton-Cloth Benson have? Who's with him?"
He didn't underestimate Cotton-Cloth Benson or his men just because his own power had grown. There's an old saying: even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. He had seen an angel fall to mortals with his own eyes—caution never hurts.
Richie Burke adjusted his posture, lowered his voice, and said:
"You're asking the right person. Only internal members of the Northern Pirate Guild know their details accurately."
"Just like the werewolf Mason before, Cotton-Cloth Benson is also a pirate guilty of every crime imaginable. He took part in most of the General of Thunder's massacres and slave-trading operations. With him are his two henchmen, 'One-Eyed' Martin and Taichin."
"Cotton-Cloth Benson is a high-level class holder. He follows the War God Church, and his class should be Warrior. He also carries an unknown artifact that can harden a part of his body so much that even bullets struggle to pierce it. Ha… too bad he mostly uses it to throw his weight around in the red-light district."
Richie Burke seemed to remember something, a trace of jealous resentment flashing across his face:
"He has two subordinates. 'One-Eyed' Martin is a meteorologist, probably also a high-level class holder, and an expert with firearms. As for Taichin, he's a very rare walrusman, a Shaman Priest, with strength about the same as mine."
When speaking about strength, Richie Burke couldn't help feeling a little bitter. Both were considered high-tier combatants, yet the other guy had a bounty of 5,000 Vecktas, while he had only 500?! Blind judges! Blind judges!
The War God Church?
Zhou Ning remembered the forbiddance decrees he'd encountered before. It seemed striking first was the safest approach. And on top of that, District 12 was in the southwest corner of the city, bordering Districts 4 and 5—close to the War God Church's base. To avoid complications, he had to end the fight immediately.
After a moment of thought, he looked at Richie Burke:
"Not bad. As your payment for gathering this intel, you'll receive ten percent of their bounty."
This was compensation Zhou Ning had planned in advance. He needed to hunt thirty-six sinner souls, and having a guide like Richie Burke was critical. Better to set a clear price—it would motivate him far more.
"Fair—too fair!" Richie Burke couldn't help giving him a thumbs up… but the smile died on his face quickly.
Zhou Ning's lips curved slightly, but what he said made Richie Burke's heart freeze:
"You're coming with me for this hunt. I may need you to clean up afterwards."
"Huh?"
Richie Burke's mouth twitched, and after half a minute of internal struggle, he finally gritted his teeth. "Alright!"
He had witnessed Wayne Sturwell's strength with his own eyes. That was someone who had even slain gods—he should be able to keep him safe… right?
For the next two hours, Richie Burke sat in misery, imagining himself getting torn apart by pirates. Zhou Ning, meanwhile, remained completely at ease—finishing his reading, then calmly mixing alchemy reagents with graceful, practiced movements that Richie couldn't help glancing at in awe.
Near midnight, Zhou Ning finally stood up, tossed him a black skintight battle suit, and said:
"Put it on."
"Huh?" This was the second time Richie Burke froze, staring blankly. "Me? Wear this?"
Zhou Ning nodded, smiling. "Yes. All you need to do later is wear it and watch from the side."
"Watch…?"
For some reason, a terrible feeling crept up Richie Burke's spine.
He unfolded the outfit and took one look. A moment later, realization struck, and he recalled a certain name:
Batman. The Batman who defeated the King of Lavides.
Wayne Sturwell was actually Batman.
He wanted Richie to follow him so he could prove he and Batman weren't the same person—making it easier to keep operating under that identity later!
But Batman had a bounty of 225,000 Vecktas—what if the enemies lost their minds and attacked him instead?
"Ha… this outfit doesn't really suit me, maybe I don't need to—" Under Zhou Ning's flat, emotionless stare, Richie Burke's voice shrank smaller and smaller. Finally, accepting his fate, he grabbed the black suit and began pulling off his pants.
A few minutes later, he squeezed into the tight black suit. His muscles stretched the fabric taut. It was way too tight, and an inexplicable sense of shame washed over him.
Not bad.
Zhou Ning nodded, then grabbed his hat from the rack, took his cane, and stepped out.
It was a quarter past midnight. Sensing no one nearby, Zhou Ning reached out, grabbed Richie Burke, pushed off the wall with his left foot, vaulted onto the walltop, climbed up to the roof, and with his black coat flaring behind him, launched himself into the air with a moon-step, almost like walking on moonlight.
After landing lightly, he sprinted across the rooftops at full speed. The wind roared. The open mouth of Richie Burke's mask caught the air, filling his stomach with wind, drool flying three feet behind him. Even his black jagged-edged cloak blew backward and wrapped around his head—a picture of pure chaos.
Zhou Ning clicked his tongue in annoyance and slowed down slightly.
This area was full of private homes, uneven and varied, but Zhou Ning moved as if on flat ground even while carrying someone. Before long, they reached the border between Districts 7 and 9. Once they crossed, they would reach District 12.
Ahead was a canal running across Nathaniell. Not far away stood a massive billboard for the West Falric Motley Archipelago Development Company. Zhou Ning stretched his body, performed another moon-step, tapped the top of the billboard, and crossed the roughly thirty-meter span with ease, landing silently on the opposite rooftop and running deeper into District 9.
Before long, Zhou Ning arrived at the destination—a tall building near 79 Tanners Street. He put down the foam-mouthed Richie Burke and used the height advantage to look down.
Number 79 Tanners Street was a low, squat house, unlit at this hour. Around it, Zhou Ning sensed numerous presences, strong and weak—exactly as Richie Burke had described. One move here would trigger a chain reaction.
After Richie recovered a bit, Zhou Ning brought him to a nearby wall.
"Right hand on the wall, half-kneel, back straight. Hold the pose. Don't move. I'll be right back."
Richie Burke had turned gray in spirit. Zhou Ning had positioned him atop the wall in the classic Batman pose, drawing countless eyes, while Zhou Ning himself dropped silently down, adjusting his hat as he approached the small house across the street.
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