The bullet had missed its intended target and pierced Frank Bertinelli's shoulder. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his wound, pale-faced but not mortally injured.
"Good thing he didn't die," Jack Kadere muttered coolly. "Otherwise, I'd really be embarrassed."
He didn't care about how serious Frank's injury was or whether he was in pain. What mattered was that the bullet had originally been aimed at him. If it had struck, his ability—beyond just Infinite Stacking and Copy—would have activated. It even included an early-warning system, making stealth assassinations all but impossible.
At that moment, three figures appeared through the gates of the Bertinelli estate.
The one leading them stood out immediately: a tall woman in a crimson dress, with strikingly pale white hair flowing past her shoulders and sharp Asian features half-concealed by her bangs.
The two behind her were clearly muscle—one carried a firearm with military precision, while the other toted a black case resembling a violin container.
"Chien Na Wei," Frank muttered bitterly from the ground, recognition flaring in his eyes. His voice was laced with resentment and fear.
"She's with the Triad," Frank quickly explained to Jack, gasping. "She runs their drug operations in Starling City. I... I killed her crew last week. She's here to settle the score."
"You promised me," he added desperately, "that if I gave you Helena, you'd protect my life."
Helena, lying nearby like a discarded doll, didn't even blink at Frank's words. Her expression remained distant, cold.
Chien Na Wei gave a faint scoff before turning her attention to Jack Kadere. Her demeanor shifted completely—she lowered her head slightly and smiled with practiced charm.
"Mr. Kadere," she said with polite reverence, "I come bearing a delivery for you."
"Drop it off," Jack replied flatly.
The man with the violin case stepped forward and set it gently at Jack's feet. He opened it to reveal tactical gear and a customized suit—exactly what Jack had requested from Talia al Ghul.
Jack gave a subtle nod. Without a word, the man closed the case, left it there, and slowly backed away.
Chien Na Wei tilted her head. "May I speak with you privately?"
Jack smiled brightly, casting a sideways glance at the gunman still lingering behind her. "Sure. But are you certain our conversation will make me not kill your trigger-happy friend?"
Chien Na Wei hesitated briefly before replying with a soft chuckle. "I believe it will."
Jack turned to Frank. "I'll be back. You can handle things from here, right?"
Frank nodded blankly, still reeling. The man he thought was just another metahuman thug had just turned a high-ranking Triad enforcer into a delivery girl.
Who the hell is Jack Kadere?What kind of power does he really hold?And what kind of organization can make someone like Chien Na Wei act so deferentially?
Just outside the villa gates, a black Hummer idled by the curb. Two Triad guards stood watch.
Jack climbed into the back seat with Chien Na Wei.
"Talk," he said casually.
She shifted in her seat, then began speaking in Mandarin—albeit with a noticeable Cantonese accent, like someone from Hong Kong.
"In addition to delivering the gear, I had a second mission," she confessed. "A bounty. Thirty million. To kill you."
Jack nodded as if he'd expected that. Talia al Ghul wouldn't be Talia if she didn't hedge her bets.
Chien Na Wei reached beneath the seat and pulled out a second case. She opened it, revealing neat stacks of hundred-dollar bills.
"The money's all here. And the one who accepted the contract—he's already been taken care of. By me."
She slid the briefcase toward Jack.
"I think that should be enough to forgive my subordinate's earlier mistake, don't you?"
Jack looked at her, intrigued. "Why go through all this?"
Chien Na Wei didn't hesitate. "Because I know who you are. And what you did in Gotham."
Her eyes were steady. "I don't want to make an enemy of you. If possible, I'd rather be your ally."
The Triad operated globally. Information traveled fast through the underground. Although the authorities had officially buried the reports of what Jack Kadere did in Gotham, the word still got around the criminal underworld.
Street thugs whispered about it. Crime lords passed around names in hushed tones. Everyone knew one thing—he had taken down Bane.
Chien Na Wei wasn't foolish. She might have confidence, and she certainly wasn't afraid of Bane himself, but anyone who could instantly kill Bane wasn't someone you tangled with over a contract, even one worth thirty million dollars.
Especially not when that person was currently operating in Starling City—her own backyard.
Jack gave the heavy metal case in his lap a soft pat, then smiled and slid it back toward her.
"This is money you earned using your own methods. Keep it," he said casually. "I'm not going to question whether you're scared of consequences or not. I'm not interested in your motives, either. What just happened… that's in the past. Just don't go killing Frank Bertinelli anytime soon."
Chien Na Wei smiled lightly. "Understood. And if you ever need anything—anything at all—the Triad is more than willing to lend its support."
Jack gave her a nod, opened the car door, and stepped out, walking back into the Bertinelli estate courtyard.
Frank was sitting upright now, his shoulder hastily bandaged. He had just ended a call—probably to bring in some backup—but paused when he saw Jack returning.
Jack held the equipment case in one hand and Helena's hair in the other, dragging her along without any particular gentleness. Frank opened his mouth to speak but thought better of it. He said nothing.
Upstairs, Jack shut the door to Helena's bedroom, released her, and tossed the case on the bed before sitting beside it.
He flipped it open to reveal what Talia al Ghul had sent—two complete sets of tactical black uniforms, clearly modeled after Batman's own design. Long-sleeved armored shirts and pants, reinforced gloves, utility belts, and retractable nightsticks. Each item was high-grade, useful for covert operations or vigilante work.
Jack carefully examined each piece to make sure nothing had been bugged or tagged, then found a gym bag from her closet and packed the gear inside.
"Come on," Jack said with a faint smirk, nudging Helena lightly. "You're not dead. Your secret identity hasn't been compromised. And now you've got more opportunities than ever to gather evidence and bring justice to your enemies. You should be grateful."
"What's the point?" Helena looked up at him, eyes tired but defiant. "You won't let me succeed. You'll push me right to the edge, let me believe I'm one step from justice… but then you'll block the door." "I can't die. I can't give up. I just have to stay trapped in this false hope. And you call that living?"
"You're cruel, Jack Kadere." "I don't mind being manipulated. But I hate knowing that everyone's manipulating me. Don't I deserve any dignity?"
****************
After Zhishan's death, his apprentice Chien Na Wei, also known by her criminal alias China White, assumed leadership of the Triad in Starling City Arrowverse Wiki+1Wikipedia+1.
As Triad chief, she spearheaded major operations including drug smuggling via Starling Port, assassination attempts (including on Laurel Lance), and orchestrated the trafficking of the Alpha‑Omega virus