Chapter 33: Going With The Flow

"Spare my life? You mean—you intentionally let me go? Why?" Talia's voice was low, her gaze skeptical as she looked at Jekyll.

"Isn't it obvious, Miss Talia? As the heiress of the League of Assassins, you should understand that you've lost just now. As for the reason, it's not merely out of pity, but because—"

Because what? Jekyll urged himself to think of a plausible excuse to smooth things over.

The real reason for sparing Talia, Jekyll was well aware—he hadn't intended to show mercy at all. If he could, he would have eliminated Talia without hesitation.

However, he couldn't. The dosage of Poison Ivy's venom she gave him could briefly enhance his explosive strength, allowing him to overpower Talia for a few seconds, but the dosage was too small. His peak strength could only be sustained for a few seconds, making prolonged combat impossible.

So, being blocked by Talia and unable to defeat her in one blow meant he couldn't continue. Just before leaving Talia, he had already started to feel his strength waning, so he decided to leave before Talia could detect his condition.

Of course, Talia had no way of sensing this, giving Jekyll the opportunity to bullshit on.

"The League of Assassins? How would a mere clone like you know that name—unless it was him."

Talia seemed to realize something, her pupils slightly dilating.

At the same time, Jekyll had a sudden inspiration. He immediately found the spark from Talia's words.

"Yes, exactly! You're right, Miss Talia. You're as clever as he described you to be."

Jekyll's lips curved slightly, his gaze at Talia seeming to suggest he had everything under control. Then, he deliberately took out the "little trinket" Walker had given him from his pocket and showed Talia the side with the bat emblem.

Seeing the bat emblem, Talia's eyes widened immediately, a hint of wavering evident in her gaze.

"So it really was him—when did you contact him, and isn't he already—"

"Already injured and paralyzed, right? At least, that's what you thought. But it seems his plan worked perfectly. Otherwise, you wouldn't have revealed your hand so quickly, Miss Talia."

What plan? It was all Jekyll's improvised nonsense. But judging from Talia's dark expression and the way she clenched her teeth, his gamble had indeed paid off.

"I see. So, you planned from the beginning to use yourself as bait to lure me out and catch me in the act of breaking the agreement, right?"

Agreement? Although Jekyll was puzzled by Talia's words, he still pretended to be knowledgeable, nodding without hesitation.

"But you haven't answered my initial question—why did you spare my life?"

Facing Talia's piercing question, Jekyll took a deep breath, organized his thoughts, and began to spout nonsense with a straight face.

"Isn't the reason obvious? I was asked by that man to, if circumstances allowed, let you off the hook. Although I was initially against it, he gave me a reason I couldn't refuse—he said he didn't want his only son to lose his mother."

Clang.

The katana slipped from Talia's hand, making a crisp sound. The professional killer, who should always remain calm, was momentarily distracted after hearing Jekyll's words.

"It's impossible, he couldn't have said such a thing! You're lying!"

Seeing signs of Talia's emotions getting out of control, Jekyll's heart skipped a beat, but he remained composed and continued.

"I was skeptical at first too. After all, Gotham's most famous playboy caring so much about family really surprised me. But considering his parents' situation, maybe he doesn't want his child to repeat his own tragedy."

Talia looked at Jekyll with even more astonishment in her eyes. After a moment, she took a deep breath to compose herself.

"I didn't expect him to reveal his identity to you, and even Damian's situation—oh well, it seems I've truly failed this time."

Upon hearing Talia's words, Jekyll felt a sense of relief, but he maintained his calm demeanor.

"Your choice is wise, Miss Talia. If that's the case, then hurry up, hand over Harley Quinn and Gordon, and leave. The man is waiting outside, ready to strike at any moment, but he doesn't want a direct confrontation with you."

"Still the same, huh? Even though everything is arranged behind the scenes, he still doesn't dare to face me directly? What a coward!"

Talia suddenly looked annoyed and clenched her teeth, prompting Jekyll to wisely keep quiet. The relationship between the Bat and Talia in this world seemed as complicated as ever.

"Pass on a message to that bat for me. This whole thing was orchestrated by Black Mask and his cronies. The League of Assassins didn't officially intervene, so it doesn't violate our agreement with him. Therefore, I won't return Damian to him. Remember that!"

Jekyll maintained his mysterious smile and nodded, but he had no intention of passing on the message—what a joke. Batman's current predicament was partly his doing, after all.

"As for the two hostages, they are in the boiler room on the lower level. But my relationship with Black Mask is merely one of cooperation, and I can't command him. You'll have to figure out what to do next on your own."

Jekyll's heart sank, but he still had one vial of poison and the mysterious seeds from Poison Ivy, so he felt confident facing Black Mask.

"I almost forgot to tell you, the guards down there aren't just Black Mask's men. I had a little surprise prepared for you, but it seems unnecessary now. With your skills, you can handle him effortlessly."

A surprise? Jekyll frowned, about to ask Talia more questions, but he realized she had vanished without a trace right under his nose.

As Dinah said, for true masters, hiding one's presence didn't require special powers at all.

"Farewell, clone. Oh, and by the way, I heard you gave yourself a name, right? Tell me your name. With your abilities, you'll probably make a name for yourself soon."

Talia's voice seemed to come from all directions in the darkness, gradually fading away.

Jekyll breathed a sigh of relief, then murmured softly.

"I'm Jekyll, I don't care about fame. My only goal is to live a comfortable life."

°°°

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