These days, two mysterious messengers of justice had suddenly appeared in Gotham, patrolling the darkness. Both wore distinctive, unusual attire.
One moved with exceptional agility, wearing a black mask with pointed ears that made them resemble a cat stalking through the shadows.
The dagger in their hand danced through the air like a cat's claws, ready to leave scars on criminals' bodies at any moment.
The other also wore a black mask with pointed ears. Though slightly less nimble than their partner, they possessed greater raw strength, especially deadly when launching sharp darts that had defeated many wrongdoers.
Under the vigilant patrols of these two justice messengers, Gotham's usual chaos had given way to a more stable order. Many ambitious crime lords had consolidated their forces and warned their people to be wary of these two vigilantes.
In the minds of these criminal leaders, chaos was Gotham's natural state. An orderly Gotham wasn't what they wanted. After all, the more chaotic the city, the more power they could amass, using their influence to rule their territories.
However, these crime bosses hadn't moved against the vigilantes or declared them enemies. The appearance of the beast-man killers had put them on high alert as well. The power of these foreign killers was too formidable—the crime lords had access to the same weapons and firearms, but they couldn't match the beast-men's superhuman strength.
These rulers had gathered their forces and were merely watching the spectacle, waiting to see the battle between the beast-men killers and the two justice messengers. They wanted to gain a better understanding of both groups.
None of this affected Bruce and Selina's resolve. They had set out specifically to confront the beast-man killers. Dealing with ordinary criminals was just a matter of opportunity along the way.
Being vigilantes who protected their city had proven to be an excellent choice for both of them. Their enhanced strength was sufficient to handle most threats, and each battle helped them improve their capabilities and fighting skills, allowing them to master more powerful techniques.
In a Dark Alley
Three beast-man killers had made this area their territory. They'd been assigned to find Bruce and Selina here. Most of the beast-men had been recalled to undergo further enhancements, and these three were among the first to complete the strengthening process.
They were assigned here together not just to find Bruce and Selina, but also to test their enhanced abilities. As the first batch of beast-men to receive the strength upgrades, their performance would determine the future development of many more beast-man assassins.
"Where do you think they're hiding? Why can't I smell their scent?" one beast-man asked his companions in confusion.
As a beast-man, his sense of smell was far more sensitive than any animal's. Logically, he should be able to track Bruce and Selina faster than anyone else with this ability.
But the results disappointed him greatly. No matter how he analyzed the various scents in the air, he couldn't detect Bruce and Selina's smell. The two seemed to have vanished from Gotham completely—their scent untraceable throughout the entire city.
"Who knows? Although they're both teenagers, they must have their own ways to escape the organization's pursuit and hide until now," another killer remarked.
Swish~
A silver light flashed through the air. In the next moment, a beast-man killer had a silver kunai embedded deep in his arm. Then, a voice called out:
"You seem to be looking for someone? Need help?"
Two black-clad figures emerged from the shadows—the legendary justice messengers of Gotham.
Bruce and Selina had been searching for these beast-man killers. They had eliminated many beast-men already, but with each operation, more and more beast-man killers had disappeared from sight.
Unable to locate the beast-men's headquarters, they could only search throughout the city—which had led to their reputation as Gotham's vigilantes. Without these beast-man killers to hunt, they would never have become what they were now.
And now, they had found three lone beast-man killers. Seeing these ferocious creatures with their hideous faces, Bruce and Selina remembered everything they had experienced before. If Marcus hadn't rescued them with his razor butterflies, they would probably still be on the run.
Hearing the vigilantes' voices and seeing them approach, the three beast-men instantly entered combat stance, quickly donning gas masks.
But instead of releasing poisonous gas, the purification pumps on their masks continuously ejected a toxic vapor that they inhaled into their bodies. Under the influence of this gas, the three beast-men's bodies visibly grew stronger.
Suddenly, one beast-man leaped forward. The nails on his fingers became razor-sharp as he raised his hand and swung violently, creating a sharp whistling sound as he slashed at the two vigilantes.
Faced with this sudden attack, Bruce and Selina showed no surprise. They simply stepped backward in unison, easily avoiding the strike.
Though powerful, the attack seemed weak compared to the overwhelming pressure Marcus had subjected them to during training. After experiencing the immense pressure Marcus could generate, this attack seemed almost trivial to them.
After dodging the beast-man's attack, Selina unwrapped the long whip from her waist and lashed fiercely at the beast-man.
"Sound of Bee Sting!"
The whip shot toward the three beast-man killers like a striking pincer. Enhanced by the battle suit, the whip delivered far more powerful blows—even the strengthened beast-men were forced to retreat when facing Selina's whip attacks.
Although the physical capabilities of these beast-men far exceeded normal humans under the influence of the toxic gas, Howard's battle suits were no ordinary equipment. Their enhancement effect far surpassed the amplification provided by the experimental poison gas.
The intense pain from the whip made the beast-man killers recognize the threat it posed. Although the poison gas increased their strength, it came at a price—while they became stronger physically, their rationality was greatly diminished.
Though the pain made them aware of the danger Selina's whip presented, the beast-men, having lost much of their rational thinking, didn't try to evade her attacks. Instead, they decided to charge forward, intent on eliminating the woman who posed such a significant threat to them.
But Selina was no easy target. Seeing their advance, she lightly jumped backward, easily avoiding all the attacks from the beast-man killers.