In a high-end hotel next to the port, Mandra was having a late-night snack with a white man. The table was piled high with oysters and various shellfish.
Despite the fact that the white man, in terms of skin and build, was dwarfed by Mandra, Mandra dared not show the slightest disrespect. This was because the man had a famous nickname: Mimic Master.
If this title alone wasn't enough to make Mandra take him seriously, then the moniker "Demon's Claw" certainly was.
After Mimic Master helped Bai Qi commit many unsavory deeds, the title "Demon's Claw" gradually spread.
Neither Mimic Master's reputation nor "Demon's Claw" was something a mere Mandra could afford to trifle with; in fact, crushing him would be as easy as crushing an ant.
However, what Mimic Master couldn't understand was why, this morning, he had appeared at Mandra's bedside. Mandra had initially thought the man was there to kill him, but the outcome was protection.
Mandra had been operating his illicit businesses within his own territory in Gotham City, having had no prior dealings with Mimic Master or the demon behind him. Why would they suddenly come to protect him?
Could it be... that the terrifying demon was about to extend its influence to Gotham, and he was destined to become the demon's proxy in the city!
The more Mandra thought about it, the more excited he became. If he could become one of the demon's subordinates, his status in Gotham's underworld would surely skyrocket.
But that was all in the future, and he wasn't even sure if his assumptions were correct. After all, Mimic Master had remained silent since his arrival. If he hadn't spoken a few words to Mandra at the beginning, Mandra would have assumed he was mute.
Now, looking at the silent Mimic Master, Mandra was terrified.
Mandra picked up an oyster and tentatively offered, "Would you like to try some? They were delivered today, very fresh." Su Dan Novel Network
Facing Mandra's words, Mimic Master replied, unprompted, "They're here."
"What?"
Before Mandra could react, Mimic Master pinned him to the ground and flipped the table in front of them for cover.
The next moment, BOOM!
The room's door was blown open from the outside, debris flying everywhere. Fortunately, they had the table for cover and were unharmed.
Two smoke bombs were then tossed into the room, and instantly, smoke filled the entire space.
Under the cover of the smoke, Huntress made her move decisively, firing her twin hand crossbows in a sweeping barrage into the room.
Just as Huntress believed Mandra in the room had been riddled with her bolts, a voice emerged from the smoke, "If I were you, I'd use a gun instead of crossbows."
With that, several bullets shot out from the smoke.
Fortunately, Helena sensed something was wrong and dodged to the side before the other party could finish speaking. While she avoided most of the bullets, she was still hit in the right arm.
Then, a fully armed Mimic Master burst out of the smoke and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks on Helena.
In terms of combat prowess, Helena was already no match for Mimic Master, let alone while injured.
In less than five minutes, Helena was kicked out of the window by Mimic Master, landing heavily on the ground.
"Oh, trouble."
Getting up from the ground, Helena looked up at the window and cursed her luck. Who would have thought Mandra would have someone so skilled by his side?
And with her smoke bombs, she hadn't even seen Mandra himself, yet she was thrown out of the window.
"She's here! Come quickly!"
Just as Helena was preparing to go upstairs again to confront that scoundrel, Mandra's bodyguards rushed out of the hotel.
The intel Bai Qi had given Helena was not entirely accurate; it didn't specify Mandra's exact location, only that he would be in or around the port that night.
After confirming Mandra was not at the port, Helena conducted some investigations and quickly discovered he was dining at this hotel with a mysterious individual.
To ensure Mandra's elimination, Helena opted for assassination, bypassing all the hotel security and stealthily infiltrating outside Mandra's room. She planned to first blast the door open with explosives, catching them off guard, then use smoke bombs to disorient them, and finally, unleash a volley of shots to turn them into a sieve.
Overall, Helena's plan, if not perfect, was certainly plausible. It was just unfortunate that her opponent was Mimic Master.
With the assistance of the Shadow Ninja, every move Helena made since her infiltration of the hotel had been within their grasp.
Now that her whereabouts were exposed, the hotel, after the explosion, was like a disturbed beehive. All the bodyguards sprang into action, rushing out of the hotel. Upon seeing Helena, they didn't hesitate, emptying their magazines at her.
However, grunts are just grunts. No matter how many there were, the damage inflicted was limited.
Mimic Master could wound Helena's arm with a few shots in the smoke, but now, with over a dozen security guards, all armed, they couldn't inflict any real damage, all becoming "master aimers" who only hit the periphery. Even worse, these bodyguards lacked any semblance of coordination, managing to fire their weapons simultaneously and reload at the same time, as if Helena were a mere fool.
Seizing a brief moment of respite, Helena acted decisively, tossing two sleeping gas grenades towards the area where the bodyguards were gathered.
In the ensuing fog, all the bodyguards collapsed, unconscious.
Logically, with the assassination attempt having failed, Mandra was now on high alert, and with Mimic Master protecting him, Helena's chances of eliminating him were slim to none.
However, Helena did not give up. After a quick bandaging of her wound, she resolutely charged back into the hotel.
Helena knew very well that if she couldn't eliminate Mandra tonight, she might never get another opportunity.
As Helena entered the hotel lobby, she saw Mimic Master, who had been waiting for her.
"Little one, you are truly persistent."
With that, he gently clenched his right hand, and a metal staff appeared. He then lunged forward, raining blows down on Helena's head.
Facing Mimic Master's storm-like assault, Helena, with her injury, could only defend passively. But as time passed, her wound reopened, blood flowed, and the situation grew increasingly unfavorable for her.
At this moment, Helena remembered the signal flare Bai Qi had given her. Looking at the door behind Mimic Master, she prepared to go outside and summon the demon.
Just then, a jet-black shuriken flew from behind the door, aimed directly at Mimic Master's back.
Clang!
The shuriken was deflected by the staff Mimic Master held in his hand when it was still half a meter away.
After knocking away the shuriken, Mimic Master quickly dodged to the side, his gaze fixed on the doorway.
A masked man, clad in black, tight-fitting attire, with a blue eagle emblem on his chest, walked in slowly.
"Nightwing?"