Thea exclaimed loudly, "Tonight is the signing banquet hosted by our Queen Group and the Starling City Police Department. We have developed facial recognition software specifically to combat crime and are offering it to the police department for free. This great initiative has been ruined by this thief!"
She stared at Batman intently and continued, "Do you know how many criminals are involved in organized crime in Starling City? Do you know how difficult it is to combat these people? If we can take down just one-fifth of them, the city government can provide an additional twenty thousand job opportunities!"
"All of this has been destroyed by her. The Starling City Police Department has become a laughingstock, and the efforts of one thousand five hundred officers and the Queen Group's thousands of employees have all been in vain!"
In reality, the so-called efforts of the Queen Group's thousands of employees were actually carried out by Felicity and her three subordinates. Fewer than a hundred people knew the full truth behind the matter.
However, Thea's words sounded impressive as she portrayed herself as a selfless defender of the city without expecting anything in return.
Batman, who was unaware of the truth, felt extremely awkward. They had just happened to pass through Starling City and didn't know the details of the situation. Even if they had known in advance, it wouldn't have made a difference. Thea's words were seven parts truth and three parts lie, and without Felicity's team tirelessly investigating day and night, the truth would never have been discovered.
Damn it! What should he do now? Hand over the ambiguous Catwoman? He couldn't bear to do so. This wasn't Gotham, and he didn't know who to turn to for help in this unfamiliar place.
Furthermore, Catwoman had nearly implicated prominent figures in both the police and political circles of Starling City. They had already lost face in their own home. They wouldn't easily let her go.
After considering his options, he realized he couldn't hand her over. Worst-case scenario, he would make amends for Starling City later.
Since he couldn't hand her over, his only option was to fight his way out. But this was such an unjustifiable act. Bruce Wayne had never done such a thing in his life. He felt incredibly guilty and didn't want to waste any more time. He gave Catwoman a look, indicating that they should leave quietly.
Seeing Batman standing there like a wooden stake, not speaking or moving, just giving her a subtle signal, Catwoman understood that she had caused trouble today. Although she was greedy, she had always been sensible. She always carefully chose her targets and planned ahead before taking action.
Today, she had acted out of frustration, with the mindset of playing a game. Now that the owner had come looking for her, she felt guilty. Seeing Thea in her sunny girl-next-door guise, wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and canvas shoes, while she and Batman looked as dark as ravens, they definitely looked like the villains. There was no other choice but to leave.
Seeing the two of them exchanging glances, Thea knew they were planning to run. Although she didn't want to catch them, letting them leave directly would seem too fake. She had to make some effort.
"Don't run!" she shouted as she rushed over, targeting Catwoman. The two had fought twice before and knew each other quite well. Compared to Batman, who was six-foot-three, muscular, and wearing defensive armor, it was obvious that Catwoman was the easier target.
Batman and Catwoman knew they couldn't just leave Starling City in such a brazen manner. Seeing Thea charging towards Catwoman, Batman wasn't sure whether he should go help or just watch.
Seeing the two women fighting fiercely, with his martial arts expertise, he could tell that they were evenly matched. If they continued to fight like this, ignoring the factor of stamina, they could go on until dawn!
"Sorry, young lady!" Batman had no choice but to join the fray. With two against one, they had to deal with Thea.
With his intervention, Thea immediately felt the pressure increase significantly. Batman was known for his mastery of 127 martial arts styles, although it was unclear who had counted them. Nevertheless, his combat skills were truly superb, effortlessly employing techniques from Thai boxing, Judo, and Sanbo.
Combined with his overall superiority in attributes like strength, speed, and endurance, Batman exerted overwhelming pressure on Thea, and considering his reputation as Batman, his own perception was also strong. Thea's usual keen senses were equally countered by his powerful perception.
Catwoman seemed displeased with her old flame's intervention, inadvertently slowing down her movements. Batman, not wanting to harm this righteous young woman over this minor incident, and with different intentions in mind, also eased up a bit. Thus, Thea managed to barely hold her ground.
Just as Thea felt she could no longer hold out and contemplated whether to feign unconsciousness or take a couple more hits before falling to the ground, a loud voice sounded from the roadside.
"Haha, I've been watching for a while and couldn't resist! Today, we must have a good fight!"
Only someone like Shiva, who loved fighting and was still in Starling City, would have such thoughts.
She was still dressed in her usual black windbreaker, red vest, with her long hair draped over her shoulders swaying in the evening breeze.
"Shiva." Batman's heart sank a little at this moment. He knew Shiva. They had fought many times before, and he had never won. Although they weren't very familiar with each other, as the mother of the future third-generation Batgirl, they couldn't claim to be strangers. Otherwise, why would she entrust her daughter to Batman instead of someone else?
Seeing Shiva walk straight up to Thea, the two beautiful women, one cold and elegant, and the other stunning, stood side by side, watching the two of them. Batman and Catwoman exchanged glances, knowing things were about to get worse. They both understood Shiva's character, and today's situation wouldn't be resolved anytime soon!
Thea also knew her backup had arrived, so they had to continue fighting. The more she fought today, the more adept she became. Indeed, practical experience was the best teacher. She instructed Felicity to hack the surrounding surveillance. After fighting for so long, if a group of police officers suddenly showed up, it would be a mood killer.
Locking eyes with Shiva, she gestured towards Catwoman, indicating that she was hers. Shiva also wasn't interested in Catwoman. With a graceful smile, she dashed towards Batman. "Batman, our fifth duel begins!" She knew Bruce's identity but refrained from revealing it due to Thea's presence.
Ignoring Batman's inner turmoil, this was the fourth time Thea and Catwoman had faced off today. They had fought three times before, with Catwoman narrowly losing each time, but the difference wasn't significant. If it came down to a fight to the death, it would be hard to say.
Thea had no intention of fighting to the death, though. She only wanted to spar. Catwoman wasn't as angry as before, and her mindset gradually shifted. The two of them practiced without haste or panic. They both knew that victory or defeat didn't depend on them but on the outcome of the battle between the other two.
Batman's earlier assessment was spot-on. They had repeated the same moves several times, and in the end, it all came down to who had better stamina. As the fight progressed, both women grew tired and eventually stopped, realizing that neither could gain a clear advantage. Exhausted from the prolonged bout, they decided to cease and focus on watching Batman and Shiva's confrontation.
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