On a cloudy, grim night in Gotham…
BOOM—!
A sudden series of explosions rocked the chemical plants by the river. The thunderous blasts jolted nearby residents from their sleep.
Flames shot into the sky, drawing people toward the scene. These were workers whose livelihoods depended on those very factories—so any sign of disaster had them on edge.
Fire and thick smoke raged through the plant. Alarms screamed through the night.
"Cough—Cough! Quick! Get everyone out! Hurry!"
"Damn it! The side entrance! Use the side! Cough!"
"God, the fire's spreading! RUN!"
People trapped inside scrambled to escape. Meanwhile, factory workers who'd rushed to the scene jumped into rescue mode—fire extinguishers, hoses, fire axes—busting down doors and saving anyone not caught in the blast.
But not everyone made it out.
The smoke was so thick you couldn't see your own hand, and even with gas masks, it felt like fire was filling your lungs. Everyone coughed uncontrollably, eyes watering.
Cries for help… coughing… shouting…
It was chaos, and those who came to help had to risk their lives just to search the unburned areas.
But the fire was too wild. Going in now would be suicide.
So they focused on putting out the flames—if they didn't, there'd be no way to save anyone.
"Dammit! Cough—COUGH! I hear them! It's Horn and Jimmy! They're still inside! Over here!"
One of the workers pointed at a solid wall, yelling for help. A group quickly gathered.
"Son of a—how the hell are they back there?! That's a load-bearing wall! We won't break through in time—they'll be dead before we're halfway through!"
They cursed, but that didn't stop them. They grabbed hammers and got to work.
The fire grew even more intense, licking out the windows and doors with red-hot fury.
They worked faster.
But the wall was thick, dense concrete. Just like that worker said—by the time they cracked it open, the people inside might be long gone, either burned alive or choked out by smoke.
Then one worker got an idea. "Hey! Up there—three meters up! That skylight! Maybe we can break it open, see if any smoke's escaping. It'll buy them time!"
The others didn't wait—grabbed stones and started smashing the window.
CRASH!
Thick white smoke poured out the moment the glass shattered.
Still, no one knew what was really behind that wall.
"What now?"
The ones with hammers went back to it. THUD! THUD! THUD!
Others kept fighting the fire. Three stayed behind to assist once the wall gave way.
Then—
From the rooftop nearby… a child's voice rang out.
"MOVE!"
It sounded… young. Like an eleven or twelve-year-old kid.
They looked up—and their eyes went wide. Cold sweat poured down their backs.
"Holy SH*T—It's a wolf! A freaking wolf! What the hell?! This is an industrial zone! Ain't no food here, how's there a damn wolf?!"
There it was—on the rooftop, under the full moon. A massive wolf with glowing blue eyes. Its white fur fluttered in the wind, gaze cold and sharp.
It tensed its paws—then leapt.
"SH*T, it's jumping—MOVE, JEFF!"
Everyone scattered, even the guys with hammers dove behind support beams, gripping their tools like they'd help.
The wolf landed like a gymnast—flipping mid-air and planting all four paws on the concrete with a THUD.
The ground cracked under its weight—light paw prints etched into the pavement.
"Ten outta ten!" it said.
Yeah. It spoke.
The wolf's voice sounded like a cocky little kid, but its golden eyes gleamed with deadly intelligence. One glance and everyone froze.
No one wanted to be the idiot who ticked off the talking wolf. Not after escaping a fire.
The wolf ignored them and walked to the wall.
"Sniff... sniff... whew, nasty smell… Hmm? Smells like… roasted meat. Yep, someone's back here."
It sniffed once—just once—and pinpointed the trapped workers.
Then it opened its mouth… and unleashed its secret weapon:
"Foxfire Flame!"
A high-temperature blue flame blasted from its mouth—smashing through the load-bearing wall like a cannon. A huge, uneven hole opened up.
Too small for the wolf, but big enough for the others.
The kid voice came again: "Hey! What're you all waiting for? Go save them!"
The stunned workers snapped out of it.
"Oh! Right! MOVE!"
"LET'S GO!"
"Holy crap, that's a real wolf!"
Some were still shaking, too scared to move.
But the wolf watched as five workers rushed through the hole and pulled out the trapped guys.
Satisfied, it nodded. Then crouched, bent its legs—and jumped seven meters straight up.
It landed on the second-floor balcony, then bounced again and soared onto the rooftop.
Under the stunned gaze of the workers, it bolted across the roof, fast as silver lightning—gone in a blink.
The guys with shaky knees were still frozen.
"George... am I dreaming? I swear I just saw a TALKING wolf... saving people."
"Luke… if you're dreaming, I must be too. I'm still holding Horn and Jimmy. This can't be real!"
The others just stood there, wide-eyed. Shell-shocked.
Unseen in the shadows, several owl-masked figures had been watching the entire thing.
1:23 AM – Wayne Manor Basement, Batcave
The most dangerous place in all of Gotham.
Why? Because some crazy rich guy with a bat obsession monitors the whole damn city from here.
Batman was watching the footage from the chemical plant incident.
He paused the video—zooming in on the wolf's leg.
There it was: a round, glowing green hourglass-shaped device. Stuck to its leg like it didn't belong.
Batman narrowed his eyes behind the cowl. He knew that symbol.
"It's back, Alfred."
Alfred, Wayne Manor's ever-loyal butler, walked over, setting down a tray of milk and cookies.
"Yes, Master Wayne. And this time, it saved lives."
"Just this once. It's still dangerous."
He pointed at the screen.
"That symbol's appeared before—on a flaming tiger, a humanoid hound, a dinosaur, a plant creature… and now this wolf. Each one powerful. Too powerful. Someone's doing biological experiments. And they're close to perfecting it."
Alfred frowned.
"Sir, they're elusive. Every time, they vanish where there's no surveillance. It's draining to keep chasing them. And… sir, you haven't slept in a week. You need rest. I will not hesitate to slip a sleeping pill in your dinner if I must!"
Batman shot him a look.
"No, Alfred. Batman doesn't sleep. Not until I catch the group behind that symbol."
Alfred sighed. "But Bruce Wayne does sleep. And if he doesn't, he'll collapse. Again."
Batman turned away, staring at the screen.
"Fine. After I finish processing this footage."
"Please don't stay up till sunrise again, sir."
With a tired smile, Alfred turned and left the cave.