Chapter 94

I never particularly understood why so many villains were obsessed with their lairs.

During my time as a low-level goon, I'd heard plenty of complaints and horror stories from the crazy fuckers who worked for people like the Joker or Scarecrow.

Bombs, gas traps, automatic turrets. One guy even told me the Joker had set up a goddamn guillotine hallway.

It always seemed like a stupid endeavor, considering ninety percent of the time, the Bat or one of the other dozen acrobatic heroes would just disarm the traps or find a way around them anyway.

But… as much as I hated to admit it, I could kind of see why.

It was freaking fun to watch.

The lights were all out, courtesy of a power spike that had knocked out most of the building's electricity.

Unfortunately for my intruder, most didn't mean all. 

I popped a piece of popcorn into my mouth as I watched the security camera feeds on my tablet. 

A figure clad in black expertly climbed up the elevator shaft's scaffolding. With an impressive flip, she landed on a narrow ledge before shimmying her way into a ventilation shaft, somehow managing to avoid the laser sensors scattered throughout.

Catwoman certainly lived up to her reputation.  

Why was she here? I had no idea.

But… I hadn't really gotten the chance to test the tower's security to its fullest yet. Much to my disappointment, Batman hadn't even attempted to infiltrate my tower, so this would make for a pretty good test run.

Cracking my knuckles, I grinned as I opened up a few menus.

—

Selina hummed as she watched her codebreaker run through different combinations.

Honestly, this job was a bit unusual for her. She didn't normally take commissions like this, but the payment of a unique antique cat painting from Egypt was tempting enough. Combined with the extensive information she'd been given about the tower, it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Although she'd admit she'd taken the job partially out of curiosity.

She'd left Gotham for a vacation, and wouldn't you know it, she'd come back to an almost entirely different city.

Gotham changing for the better? Honestly, she'd sooner believe pigs could fly.

But the evidence was right in front of her. The Joker had been humiliated and driven out of the city, while Two-Face, Penguin, Poison Ivy, and even Harley had somehow mellowed out.

It was like coming back to some bizarro version of Gotham, and it all traced back to one man.

Jean Valjean.

She'd heard plenty about the supposed union leader, so she figured she might as well give him a little greeting from a senior in the trade.

And as thanks for all his good work, she wouldn't take too much.

Some of those cosmetic potions, though? Well, those were fair game.

A click drew her attention as the codebreaker finally cracked the lock. With a little push, the reinforced door swung open, and Selina pulled out her phone.

Her client only wanted information on his base and laboratories, thankfully, so this should be quick—

Selina frowned.

Instead of the laboratory that should've been there, she found a small empty space with another reinforced door at the far end.

Were the blueprints she'd received outdated?

There wasn’t much time before her sabotage was discovered and undone. Quickly stepping forward, she attached her codebreaker to the second door.

Thankfully, this lock wasn't nearly as tough, and the device cracked it much faster.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Selina pushed the door open. Now she just needed to—

There was a third goddamn door.

Seriously?

Selina hurriedly bypassed the lock and pushed the door open, only to stop dead in her tracks.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Selina stared at the fourth reinforced door standing in front of her.

…She'd been had.

Was this a setup, or were the tower's defenses simply better than she'd anticipated?

Selina quickly turned around and raced back the way she'd come.

She ran at full speed toward her exit, only to skid to a stop when she reached the spot where the vent should've been.

It was just… gone.

No, she knew it was here.

A mechanical whirring caught her attention, and Selina glanced up just in time to see several panels slide open along the walls. Automated turrets emerged, their barrels swiveling toward her.

Before she could even react, something struck her shoulder.

Selina stumbled, then glanced down at the bright pink splatter staining her suit.

Was that… paint?

She stared at the stain for a moment before slowly looking back at the turrets.

"...Really?"

As if to answer her, the turrets actually had the gall to nod.

She scowled.

…They were messing with her.

Selina broke into a sprint, dodging and weaving as more turrets popped out of the walls, firing paint at her from every direction.

She tried a dozen different exits, but each time she approached one, a reinforced shutter slammed down, sealing off her escape route.

Selina clicked her tongue as she narrowly avoided another barrage of paint.

As she ran, a glowing green emergency exit sign caught her eye.

Changing direction, Selina raced down the hallway and threw open the emergency exit. A familiar stairwell greeted her on the other side, and she hurried inside.

She'd barely taken three steps when something clicked beneath her feet.

"Oh, don't you da—"

The stairs suddenly flattened into a smooth, steep slope.

"AAAH!"

Her feet flew out from under her, and Selina went sliding down the stairwell at a ridiculous speed.

She twisted desperately, trying to find something to grab onto, but the walls were as smooth as the floor. Worse, every landing seemed to have transformed into another slide, sending her careening around corners and down increasingly absurd slopes.

She nearly slammed face-first into a wall before another section of the floor tilted, sending her shooting off in a completely different direction.

What kind of lunatic designed this place?!

After what felt like an eternity, Selina was finally spat out of the stairwell, landing ass-first on a polished floor.

Rubbing her eyes, she unsteadily climbed to her feet. As her vision cleared, Selina spotted the front entrance and immediately made a run for it.

She was barely a few steps away when a brilliant golden light suddenly surrounded her.

Selina's eyes widened as she recognized the sensation.

He had freaking Zeta-Beams installed here!?

Before she could do anything, the light engulfed her.

And just like that, the lobby vanished.

Selina blinked as she suddenly found herself standing right back in the empty labs.

A screen suddenly lit up on the wall, drawing her attention.

[Round 2]

[Can the legendary thief escape the Tower!?]

"...Oh," Selina growled, her eyes narrowing. "You're on."

—

I threw a piece of popcorn into my mouth as a golden flash deposited Catwoman into my suite.

Honestly, I was impressed she'd made it through seven rounds.

She was covered from head to toe in paint, feathers, and glitter, to the point where I could barely make out her black bodysuit underneath.

[Feat Achieved! Purrfect Security]

[+1 Silver Gacha Ticket]

“Have fun?” I chuckled.

Catwoman simply sighed as she lay down on the floor.

“I should’ve just stayed on vacation…”

***

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I have advanced chapters lookup Daisyberry if you wanna read ahead.