Chapter 872: The Simple Folk Customs of Gotham City

Zhou Huai looked down condescendingly at Eliza, who was kneeling before him.

This bird-person girl, who had just been struggling on the edge of life and death, now had her knees together, her hands resting on her legs, and her head lowered so low that she didn't even dare to breathe heavily.

That pair of pure white wings had also been folded and pressed closely against her back, appearing extremely submissive.

Zhou Huai's gaze was calm, but he was secretly calculating in his heart.

He thought that looking at this girl's current appearance, when she faced the torture of those four level-60 powerhouses earlier, she would rather have her internal organs shattered bit by bit than speak up. It was obvious that she truly did not know the specific location of that map of sacred traces.

If she knew, under that kind of extreme fear and despair, she most likely would have confessed long ago.

Since the clues pointed to the forces behind her, he should perhaps go to her Family to look for it in person.

After all, that painting was related to whether he could communicate with his mother, who was the Incarnation of the origin sacred tree. This was the core purpose of his sneaking into the hinterland of the Free Federation.

"Which Family did you say it was just now?" Zhou Huai spoke indifferently.

"The Yalige Family, Sir." Eliza raised her head, her voice soft and her eyes cautious.

"Alright." Zhou Huai nodded slightly, looking at her. "I am also interested in that painting now. Take me back to your Family to have a look."

"Very well, Sir."

Facing Eliza's prompt and straightforward answer, Zhou Huai was instead somewhat surprised.

He raised an eyebrow, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny. "Why did you agree so readily?"

Hearing Zhou Huai's questioning, Eliza did not appear flustered.

She took a deep breath and said frankly, "You are very strong, Sir. I, or rather our Yalige Family, do not wish to make an enemy of a powerhouse like you."

In Eliza's mind, that scene from just now surfaced once more. With merely a wave of his hand, a golden thunderbolt as thick as a water bucket struck down, instantly turning four high-level Professionals above level 60 into charred cinders. This gap in strength, which left no room for resistance, had made her completely give up resisting.

She was well aware that in the face of a monster of this level, any concealment and resistance were futile and would only bring catastrophic disaster to the entire Family.

"Besides…" Eliza paused, a trace of helplessness leaking from her tone. "Actually, we also want to know the whereabouts of that painting."

"After all, if that painting is really in our Family, it is also a trouble for the Yalige Family. Just like Uncle Bake's betrayal today, as long as the rumors about this painting remain, a continuous stream of greedy scoundrels will come looking for it. Our Family cannot afford such unprovoked disasters. If we can use your hand to find out the truth, it is also a relief for us."

Hearing this, Zhou Huai smiled.

"You certainly think things through clearly."

He glanced at the girl. Those who could recognize the situation clearly often lived longer.

"Get up, let's hit the road."

Having said that, he no longer looked at Eliza and slowly turned around to walk toward the Griffin lying on the ground not far away.

At this moment, although the Griffin had been affected by the thunderbolt earlier and its dark golden feathers were somewhat charred, as a high-tier Demonic Beast, it had long since recovered its mobility.

When it saw the human who casually summoned heavenly thunder to instantly kill its master walking toward it, the Griffin's eyes were filled with dread.

Its massive body suddenly tensed, the feathers on its eagle head standing on end. While stumbling backward, it opened its bloody beak and issued a warning hiss toward Zhou Huai.

"Roar——!"

Wind-type Demonic Energy brewed in the Griffin's throat, whipping up the surrounding sand and stones as it attempted to force back the man before it.

As a result, Zhou Huai didn't even stop his pace.

He walked up to the Griffin, and facing that open beak, he directly raised his hand.

"Slap! Slap!"

Two crisp and loud slaps landed solidly on the Griffin's head.

These two slaps did not use any High-Dimensional Law, relying purely on the strength of the Physical Body. A ring of white sonic boom clouds even burst in the air.

"Ooh…"

The Griffin, which had originally looked fierce and malicious, was slapped dizzy by these two slaps. Its massive body swayed violently, and its head smashed heavily onto the asphalt road, creating a large pit.

When it shook its head and raised it again, the Griffin's eyes instantly became clear.

The ferocity in its eyes vanished instantly, turning extremely docile.

It didn't dare to cry out randomly anymore, obediently half-squatting down and revealing its wide back for Zhou Huai to ride.

Eliza stood in the back, watching this scene.

That was the exclusive mount of a level-60 Berserker, with a violent temperament. Aside from its recognized master, outsiders simply couldn't approach it.

Yet in front of this young man, with just two slaps, this fierce Demonic Beast was completely tamed.

Soon, the two mounted the Griffin and soared into the sky, heading toward the giant city not far away.

Fierce winds howled in their ears, and the Griffin's wide fleshy wings flapped violently.

The closer they got to the giant city, the tighter Zhou Huai's brows furrowed.

Sitting on the Griffin's back and overlooking below, he could see increasingly frequent battles.

Across the wilderness and beside the highways, flashing magical lights and sounds of explosions were everywhere. Professionals from different forces were engaged in frantic firefights.

Even inside the city, chaotic scenes could be seen.

This giant city was in utter chaos at the moment. On the streets, heavily armored knights and mages were uninhibitedly bombarding each other; shops were smashed and burned at street corners; there were even warriors wearing heavy mechas launching Demonic Energy missiles in the city center, blowing up building after building.

The screams of civilians, the wild laughter of Professionals, and the howling of sirens intertwined together.

Looking at the city below that had turned into a complete mess, Zhou Huai turned his head slightly to ask Eliza behind him, "Has the public security in this city always been like this?"

Following Zhou Huai's gaze down, a trace of sadness flashed in Eliza's eyes. She shook her head in denial, "Not really. In the past, the public security in Gotham City was always very good."

"Although there were some frictions among underground forces, they never dared to wage war in the city center so blatantly like now."

"But you know, recently there have been some rumors that our great Holy Lord seems to have passed away."

"So…"

Eliza lowered her voice, her tone leaking a hint of panic.

"It's not just Gotham City."

"Many regions of the Free Federation are fighting for territory, mainly the forces of the Holy Knights and the Holy See."

"In the past, with the old Holy Lord holding them down, the major forces were still quite well-behaved. Now that the Holy Lord is dead and leaderless, they are all trying to seize the supreme control of the Federation. The large and small Gangs and families underneath are also taking the opportunity to create chaos, and the entire Federation has turned upside down."

Zhou Huai understood.

Watching the continuous flashes of magical explosions below, he thought that the old Holy Lord of the Free Federation, known as the walking god, had actually died at this time.

That was publicly recognized as one of the strongest existences in the present world, a supreme being who touched the edge of the High-Dimensional Law. How could such a figure suddenly perish for no reason?

There was a high probability it was inseparable from Mr. Duan.

Since Mr. Duan had already escaped and absorbed the Origin of the Sea God, completing his High-Dimensional Godhood, if he wanted to regain control of the Free Federation as his base camp, the first step naturally was to eliminate the old Holy Lord, the greatest obstacle. Only a Transcendent like Mr. Duan could silently obliterate a deity.

Just at this moment, he suddenly thought of something.

A sentence mentioned by Eliza earlier flashed through his mind, and he abruptly turned his head to look at Eliza.

"Wait a minute, what did you just say this city was called, Gotham City?"

Zhou Huai's expression became somewhat peculiar.

"Is it that Gotham City with simple and honest folk customs?"

Eliza was left somewhat bewildered by Zhou Huai's sudden question.

"Simple and honest folk customs can't really be said. Even without that business about the old Holy Lord, Gotham City has always been the most headache-inducing place in the Free Federation."

She explained seriously, "The underground transactions, black market trading, and crime rate here are among the top in the entire Federation."

Hearing this familiar setting, Zhou Huai took the opportunity to tease.

"There wouldn't happen to be a Batman named Bruce Wayne upholding justice here, would there?"

Eliza shook her head. "Bruce Wayne is the mayor of Gotham."

"In fact, he is the worst guy in Gotham City."

"He holds at least a dozen underground forces in his hands."

"Even the Holy Knights can't do anything to him."