Chapter 23: The Pursuers

The door to the hospital room swung open as Dick rushed in with several police officers. Middle, who had narrowly survived the ordeal, felt a strange sense of warmth upon seeing the police, even though they had arrived late. Before the officers could even ask any questions, Middle shouted, "Hey, get your officer over here! I'll tell you everything—I want to be a witness!"

"I'm Dick Grayson. Tell me what you've got to say." Dick wasn't expecting Middle to be this shaken up. Not only did Middle reveal secrets to Nightwing earlier, but now he was ready to spill them to the police as well, playing both sides. Still, this was good—it would help confirm whether Middle had left anything out.

Middle, unaware of Dick's secret identity, repeated everything he had told Nightwing. After comparing the two accounts in his mind, Dick nodded, satisfied that there were no discrepancies.

"Claire, take a few officers and head to the location he mentioned to retrieve the evidence. I'll lead the rest downstairs," Dick instructed his partner.

"Got it. Be careful." Claire acknowledged before leading a group of officers out. Dick then took a few others and made his way downstairs to the spot where Kaito Haruno and Damian had been dealing with the gangsters.

About 200 meters from the hospital, Kaito and Damian were playing a cat-and-mouse game with the criminals. Realizing they couldn't storm the hospital and kidnap Middle, the gang had decided to retreat. Unfortunately for them, Kaito had already sabotaged their getaway vehicles. With no traffic on the street, nobody was foolish enough to approach after hearing gunshots.

Kaito chased after the panicked criminals from behind, while Damian tracked them from above. When it seemed like the gang was out of options, Damian leaped down, grabbed one of them, and threw him into the air. He then used his grappling gun to tie the man up, leaving him dangling in the air. The two heroes were clearly having fun with this.

"Robin, stop messing around. Wrap this up, then head to Hellfire Bar. We need to get something from Middle's office," came Dick's voice through Damian's earpiece. Damian sighed, a bit disappointed, and flung the thug he had tied up into a nearby trash can.

Damian then used his grappling hook to get ahead of the fleeing criminals. Within moments, he had taken them down, leaving Kaito feeling a bit cheated. Just as he was starting to enjoy the chase, Damian ended it too quickly. It felt like being forced to end a game early when you wanted to keep playing.

"Nightwing says we need to get to Hellfire Bar before the police arrive," Damian explained as he retracted his grappling hook.

Kaito shrugged, looking at the time. Only 15 minutes had passed, and his suit had about five minutes of use left. Deciding it was enough, he deactivated his G3 armor, switching to his second-layer disguise for the next part of the mission. Without another word, Damian shot off with his grappling hook toward Hellfire Bar, while Kaito followed at incredible speed, his black attire blending seamlessly with the night as they made their way to their destination.

[Congratulations, host. You have met the minimum requirements for the "Rising Fame" mission by taking down three criminal gangs. With half a month left until the deadline, you can choose to submit the mission now or continue. Your rewards will be recalculated based on your final progress.]

As Kaito ran, he heard the system's notification in his mind. After thinking it over, he chose to continue. Points were his top priority, and there was no point in missing out on a mission that could give him extra rewards.

By the time he finished reviewing the system's update, Kaito and Damian had arrived at Hellfire Bar. Once a popular gathering spot in Nasino City, the bar had fallen into disrepair after the Hellfire Gang's dissolution. Moving through the shadows, Kaito and Damian made their way inside. Following Dick's instructions, Damian found a hidden compartment in Middle's office desk. After inputting the code, a small door opened, revealing a notebook and a tablet. The tablet had no password protection, likely because Middle didn't trust himself to remember one.

Sharing a curious glance, the two opened the notebook and tablet. What they saw made their blood run cold. The names and transactions detailed inside revealed the horrifying truth—hundreds of girls from around the world had been trafficked, their lives treated as commodities. Schools, parks, and even illegal immigration hubs had been targeted as prime spots for abductions, all in Nasino City.

This notebook and tablet contained everything, exposing the darkest corners of the city. Even Kaito, who usually enjoyed staying under the radar, was filled with rage. These scumbags had turned innocent girls, whose lives should have been filled with hope and happiness, into mere products to be sold to the highest bidder. Kaito couldn't even begin to imagine the horrors these girls had suffered.

"Kaito Haruno" said in a deep voice, "We can't take the laptop and tablet with us. The police are also after these things."

"That's not a problem. I've already copied the data from the tablet. It's just the laptop—I didn't bring my phone."

"Spider, it's up to you." Kaito opened his palm, and a spider-like device connected to his phone. In no time, all the information on the laptop was transferred. "What's next?" he asked once everything was done.

"In Gotham, at this time of night, we're just getting started. Want to experience Gotham's nightlife?" Damian twirled a batarang in his hand, giving Kaito a wicked grin.

"I'd love to. I can't sleep anyway."

Kaito grinned back. The contents of the notebook had ignited his rage, and tonight, he just wanted to vent his pent-up anger.

"So, since you're the host, who's our target?" Damian handed the notebook to Kaito, letting him choose.

"Let's go after this guy—Rabid Dog Obick. He's just three blocks away."

"Then let's move. We'll leave the notebook and tablet for the cops."

After selecting their target, Damian casually tossed the notebook into a secure case. Making sure they left no traces behind, the two left Hellfire Bar, heading straight for Rabid Dog Obick's territory, three blocks away.

Three blocks over, Rabid Dog Obick was throwing a wild party with his gang. Scantily clad women, thumping music, heavy breathing, and white powder scattered across the tables—this was a typical night for Obick. He was a black man, and just like his nickname suggested, he was a rabid dog. He'd bite anyone who crossed his path, and he was not weak when it came to weapons either. No one in their right mind would want to mess with him.

Because of that, Obick had become a big shot in the northern district, making his income by controlling a warehouse. But recently, thanks to Kaito, the police had raided his warehouse. His funds were cut off, and all he could do was gather his underlings and party every day, drinking and wasting time. His gang didn't dare question why their boss wasn't worried about the future. Those who asked had already found themselves in the basement.

Since their boss wasn't afraid, his gang followed suit—drinking and indulging in their vices.

Suddenly, the lights went out, and the music stopped. Before anyone could react, two small orbs flew through the windows, filling the room with thick smoke. Then came the sound of doors being smashed open. The gang members, still dazed from drugs and alcohol, were hit with a fierce attack.

Kaito and Damian burst in without a word, immediately attacking the thugs. Damian, trained by the League of Assassins and Batman, was a master at fighting in the dark. Though he followed Batman's no-kill rule, his assassin training allowed him to inflict pain far worse than death.

With each swing of Damian's blade, the thugs felt their limbs go limp, collapsing to the floor in agony. As for Kaito, his enhanced senses made it easy for him to navigate the darkness, and with his wooden sword coated in Haki, he struck the gang members' most vulnerable spots.

Screams and cries of pain filled the darkness. By the time Kaito and Damian were done, most of the gang members had lost the use of at least one limb, and even if they recovered, they'd never return to their old ways. They would live in fear, haunted by the brutality they had endured.

"Haha! I knew you'd come!" Amid the chaos, a man's crazed laughter echoed through the smoke. Kaito sensed a massive figure charging at him, its hairy fists aimed straight at his chest.

Even though Kaito was protected by Haki, it felt like being hit by a truck. He crashed into a nearby sofa, the gust from the attacker's fists clearing half the smoke. The moonlight revealed his foe—a monstrous rhino-like man.

"Obick? You're a meta-human," Damian muttered, surprised by the nearly three-meter-tall figure. A guy like this hiding in a small corner of Gotham made no sense.

"Heh, didn't expect it, huh, little bird? Where's your daddy? Maybe I'll be like the Joker and make Batman feel some real pain, haha!"

"You can try!"

Seeing that Obick thought revealing his meta-human abilities would guarantee his victory, Damian prepared for battle. After all, he was the son of Batman!

"Robin, leave this to me!" Kaito's voice echoed from the wall. Having recovered from the initial surprise attack, Kaito emerged, now suited in his G3 armor, charging straight at Obick.

"Just a suit of armor? I'll tear it apart!" Obick scoffed at the sight of Kaito's seemingly simple G3 armor, swinging his massive fist at him again. But Kaito didn't flinch, meeting the punch head-on.

A thunderous crash followed. "Ah!" Obick clutched his bleeding right hand, stumbling back. Kaito's G3 gauntlet had shattered, exposing his fist underneath. It was clear the exchange hadn't been easy for him either.

[G3 Armor damage: 1.3%] The system's voice echoed in Kaito's mind.

The G3 armor wasn't great, but Kaito had Haki. Haki was a mysterious power that could deal real damage, even to elemental abilities. It also strengthened defense and enhanced attacks, much like inflicting true damage in battle.

By coating his fists in Haki and combining it with his enhanced physique and G3 armor, Kaito had managed to inflict real damage on Obick, even though his gauntlet had taken a hit.

"Let's go again!" Kaito glanced at his damaged gauntlet and throbbing fist, then roared, charging at Obick for another round of hand-to-hand combat.

[G3 Armor damage: 2.6%, 5.8%, 9.8%, 13%…]

As the system reported the damage to his armor, Kaito fought like a madman, colliding with Obick again and again. Bloodied and furious, Obick fought back just as fiercely. With each punch, Obick's body endured the agony of flesh tearing, while Kaito's G3 armor gradually fell apart.

[G3 Armor damage exceeds 50%. Combat functions disabled. Forced recall for repairs: 24 hours. Cost: 20,000 points.]

Without even realizing it, Kaito's G3 armor had been destroyed, and the system had recalled it for repairs. But he kept fighting, his bare fists smashing into the now-defeated Obick. His enhanced physique, combined with Haki, was enough to turn Obick into a broken wreck.

"Kaito Haruno! Stop! You're going to kill him!" Damian, seeing the state Kaito was in, quickly rushed over and struck him in the head with his blade. The sharp pain jolted Kaito back to his senses. He looked down at his blood-soaked fists and the barely recognizable Obick beneath him, and felt a chill run down his spine.

(End of Chapter)