Chapter 13: Now you know who's the boss, huh!

NEED SOME STONES.

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Chapter 13: Now you know who's the boss, huh!

When Quinn adopted a stance as if preparing for a sword duel, Damian quickly adjusted his position and stepped back, creating distance. Just like facing a swordsmaster preparing to strike, the best response is not to interrupt but to retreat, keeping a safe distance from their attacks.

Damian believed he retreated decisively and quickly enough, but when he regained his senses, Quinn had already appeared behind him.

"What just happened...?"

This abrupt turn of events left Damian stunned in place.

Quinn had his back to Damian, half-kneeling with his sword supporting him. His whole body was trembling slightly, and the sudden burst of power exceeded his physical limits, making even standing up normally an extravagant hope.

Nightwing, who was watching from the side, felt complex emotions at this moment. Although Quinn was kneeling and Damian was standing, there was no doubt that Damian had lost the bout.

Damian looked at the broken blade in his hand, and with it, his sense of competitiveness shattered.

"I lost."

Since Quinn could cut his weapon without him even noticing, it wouldn't be much of a thought for him to kill Damian.

When his strength returned enough for free movement, Quinn prepared to get up and leave, but Damian blocked his way.

Quinn frowned slightly, "Do you want to fight again?"

Speaking was exhausting for him at the moment; if Damian didn't adhere to martial principles, Quinn would have no choice but to concede.

"So, you were that strong all along, just hiding it... I've truly failed."

Damian didn't think Quinn was wrong to hide his strength. For someone trained as an assassin like him, misjudging the target's strength and failing the mission was an unforgivable mistake.

Quinn heard Damian mention his hidden strength, and though he maintained a nonchalant demeanor on the surface, he was suffering internally.

Hidden strength? It was just an accidental trigger of Lake Toya's effect, like randomly pressing buttons on an arcade machine and unintentionally unleashing a powerful move. Trying to replicate it deliberately would be a challenge.

Quinn recalled this was a secret technique Lake Toya's hermit wanted to teach Gintama, thinking it was just for fun, but its power turned out to be immense.

Lake Toya had both extremely high upper and lower limits, making the intensity highly unstable. After using the secret technique, he was left completely exhausted. Even an ordinary person could take him out at that moment. For Quinn, who was in the DC universe, it was a hidden danger. Facing Robin this time was already risky; if it were Black Mask, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Damian opened his mouth several times but refrained from speaking. He sought out Quinn not merely to reclaim his reputation; he was sincere about having a partner. However, Damian's ingrained pride made him persist in wanting to dominate, and he thought using force to subdue Quinn would be the way to go. Little did he expect to be the one subdued in the end.

A sense of unwillingness flashed in Damian's eyes, struggling, but eventually, he swallowed his pride.

"I lost. From now on, I'll listen to you and be your partner."

The main-secondary relationship between Batman and Gordon reversed in Quinn and Damian.

"But!" Damian looked at the broken blade in his hand, "I won't give up. Someday, I'll defeat you and prove that I'm the true boss!"

Hearing Damian's overly dramatic words, Quinn had a slightly better opinion of him. Willingness to bet and concede, coupled with quick adjustments to his mentality, proved that Damian was indeed a member of the Wayne family with strong mental resilience.

"Robin, can you freely access the Batcave?" Damian pushed away Quinn's hand with vigilance, "Although I recognize you as a partner, it doesn't mean I'll take you to the Batcave."

Quinn pretended to be clueless, "I'm not asking you to take me there. Just answer me, can you go to the Batcave?"

"O-of course!"

Damian was lying. Besides Alfred, anyone who wanted to enter the Batcave needed to inform Batman in advance. Even Damian, his biological son, was treated the same. Intruding was a different matter.

"That's good then," Quinn pulled Damian aside and whispered, "I have a plan that will make Batman see you differently."

Damian's eyes lit up at the prospect. There was nothing more important to him than gaining his father's approval.

"You should know that Batman is investigating Black Mask's whereabouts. Although he hasn't taken action yet, the world's greatest detective undoubtedly has some suspicions about the locations involved."

"I need you to enter the Batcave and find out where Black Mask might be hiding. We'll investigate them one by one before Batman does and apprehend Black Mask. By then, Batman will surely look at you with new eyes!"

Quinn spoke with conviction, and the rebellious teenager couldn't help but be intrigued.

For the past few days, Damian had been following Batman in Gotham to fight crime. However, Batman never let him face real danger alone, claiming he wasn't "ready."

"I want to prove to him that I'm not someone who needs his undivided attention!" Damian clenched his fists.

Nightwing, who was observing from afar, witnessed the transformation of their relationship from meeting to fighting, and now to their shoulders touching. The speed of this change was faster than Two-Face flipping a coin.

"But having a better relationship is still a good thing, though I have this eerie feeling," Nightwing scratched his neck, hesitated for a moment, and followed Quinn.

...

At night, in the Batcave, Bruce Wayne donned his gear, transforming from a playboy to Gotham's Dark Knight.

As usual, he quickly went through the surveillance footage within the Batcave when he paused at a certain point and initiated communication with Alfred.

"Alfred, at 10:23 AM, Damian entered the Batcave without authorization. Why didn't you stop him?"

Alfred's face on the screen looked surprised, "I didn't know, wasn't he following you to Wayne Enterprises? I even prepared milk pudding for him."

Batman sighed, showing the surveillance footage to Alfred.

"Damian spent a full twenty minutes browsing through the system data. How could someone as familiar with Wayne Manor as you not notice this?"

Alfred bowed, "I apologize, Master Wayne. At that time, I was busy cleaning your room, remember? It's been quite a while since you last slept on that bed."

The surveillance showed Alfred indeed busy cleaning the room, but Batman knew very well that Alfred deliberately chose to be "busy" during the time Damian sneaked into the Batcave.

"Alfred, you should have kept an eye on him instead of indulging him."

"Perhaps it's not me, an old man, who should be by his side, but a father. Then he wouldn't wander around like this."

Batman had no words to refute that. He closed the communication, opened the computer, and searched for Damian's browsing history.

"Iceberg Lounge, Black Mask Club... Damn it, he's gone to find Black Mask!"

Batman quickly boarded the Batplane and rushed to the Black Mask Club, attempting to contact Damian, but there was no response.

During the day, Bruce realized that Penguin and Black Mask both were smoke bombs released by the mastermind behind the scenes, a trap designed for Batman!

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