The heavy, sticky air hung limp around, carrying a rubbery scent of faint burning.
In this city, the sickly homeless mixed their bacterial breath with the cigar smoke of capitalists, spreading out on the feeble breeze, as if conveying a desire for liberation.
Gu Cheng felt a sudden disorientation; the world had drastically changed.
It was still a subway station, but not the elegant station with big owl eyes anymore.
Sinister vibes permeated the air, putting everyone but Gu Cheng on high alert.
"Oh! This darn familiarity… This city brimming with boredom!"
Gu Cheng muttered, his tone hinting at unsurprised emotion.
"Blessings upon you, my noble Majesty!" Miserly fervently complimented, "Your resolute gaze tells me you will cleanse this city of sin and shine the light of God upon these wretched creatures! Am I right, Majesty?"
"Mm-hmm… Yes, yes, indeed!"
He firmly believed now that His Majesty would illuminate the city with divine light.
Gu Cheng was speechless, but instinctively slipped into a Gotham state of mind, pondering,.
"If it's this stinky city… shaking off these few losers should be easy, right? Or maybe deliver them to the Penguin… after all, that guy detests mercy and pretense the most."
With just a glance around, Gu Cheng immediately understood his current location.
The dense brick pillars, steel-framed glass dome, graffiti offending the public on passing subway cars, and… the bat-shaped lights in the velvety dark sky…
"Hah!" All pointed to this being the Queen's Cross Subway Station on Di Long Avenue in the Upper East Side. Batman's turf…
Apart from Gu Cheng, the other five cautiously observed their surroundings.
Sensing no imminent danger, they "protected" Gu Cheng as he blended into the crowd at the subway station.
Led by the Red Bishop Miserly, they intended to explore Gotham during the early stages of the instance when the danger was minimal, then plan their next move.
The subway station's information desk seemed like a good starting point.
However…
Before they could even walk 50 meters, they heard commotion from afar.
"Stop him! This damn scum dared to snatch my briefcase! Stop him!! You bastard!"
Amidst the yelling and chaotic footsteps, a high-heeled shoe flew high, missing its target.
Soon, they realized the commotion was rapidly approaching them, and simultaneously, GCPD officers were also hurrying towards them…
Tensions rose among them as they instinctively reached for their weapons. But then, the fleeing man pushed through the crowd, accidentally knocking someone onto the tracks.
This person, wearing a black woolen hat and a greasy leather jacket, had a muscular figure and, in his grip, a delicate lady's briefcase. Behind him, the rightful owner appeared—a blonde lady, breathless from running barefoot.
"Onepunch!" Finny's eyes lit up, whistling at the beautiful lady.
Gu Cheng, however, inexplicably smiled, turning to Miserly, "The glory of the Lord should shine upon every unfortunate soul… Go, Miserly, why not intervene and teach that robber a lesson, while saving the poor soul on the tracks?"
Reluctant at first, Miserly obeyed His Majesty's command. Closing his eyes slightly, under his exquisite mage robe, his staff emitted a mysterious aura as he subtly cast a spell…
The incantation sounded quite forced: "Ironhead! Didn't you hear His Majesty's command? Get going!"
The onlookers gasped, witnessing a man clad in knight's armor charging forth with thunderous momentum, seizing the robber lightning-fast and crushing him in his grasp.
As a reputable Paladin of the Light, it was only natural for Ironhead to say something in such circumstances. Clearing his throat, he smiled at the lady, "As you can see, madam! This scum who robbed you has been apprehended…"
However, instead of applause and cheers, four GCPD officers arrived, their guns aimed at Ironhead. One of them shouted, "Hands up! Hey buddy, watch it, drop your big sword aside! Open your palms where I can see them!"
"And you lot too… hands up! Gotham ain't safe these days! But luckily, we have enough room to keep watch over weirdos like you!" With this officer's words, two guns pointed at Gu Cheng and his companions.
Furious, Carribbit exclaimed, "Ignorant mortals, you can't do this! Didn't you see this brave warrior catching the fleeing robber? The lady can testify… Hey? Lady? Why are you running away?!"
"Is he really a hero?" The lead officer sneered, gesturing to his colleague.
Firing a shot into the sky, the officer suppressed Ironhead, then twisted the robber's arm. As they turned the robber around, they saw he was covered in blood, hanging his head lifelessly.
"What the hell! Dead!? Hey! I just subdued him… I didn't kill him!" Ironhead panicked, tossing the body aside and looking at Gu Cheng with fear.
"Now! You're under arrest on suspicion of assault and murder. You have the right to remain silent…"
A thick scent of conspiracy wafted through the air.
"He was trying to escape just now! I saw it… He had puncture wounds on his neck, left ribs, and lower left abdomen, only temporarily stopped from bleeding…" Onepunch whispered to Finny, showing off his expertise, frowning as he observed.
"But why was that lady chasing him?" He was puzzled; the blonde lady had a great figure, unlikely to be a bad person.
Everyone was in shock, failing to notice Gu Cheng furrowing his brows.
/This wasn't the plan. I was counting on Harley Queen to help me slip away… /
/But it seems like she didn't recognize me at all, which is quite unexpected… Although I'm a scoundrel, there's no reason for Harley Queen not to recognize me… Something's wrong! Definitely something's wrong… /
"!!!" Gu Cheng daringly speculated, /Could it be… they've all lost their memories of me? /
It seemed like a test was in order…
"Officers! Yo-ho! Look here… come on, handcuff me! I'm willing to cooperate and go back for questioning!"…