American comic book police officer survival manual

"In any case, please convey my sincere greetings on behalf of the Wayne family to Ms. Luna of the Council of Hundreds and the head of the Maximus family."

Bruce paid little attention to Lucius's expression; he was simply paying homage to two other organizations that were equally renowned in the United States, as the last member of the Wayne family.

"...I will bring it with me."

A bitter expression began to creep onto Lucius's face. The amount of information conveyed by Lord Wayne's words was so overwhelming that Lucius's head was spinning for a moment.

The Hundred-Man Council? The clan leader?

Damn... the original owner was really tight-lipped; not a single useful piece of information was revealed in the diary.

If I had known I had such a powerful family background to rely on, wouldn't I have been able to order Sheriff Gordon to step down tomorrow?

Lucius's expression subtly changed as he drifted into thought, a fact noticed by Bruce.

So, there really is still a rift between him and his family...?

As someone who had been through it all, Bruce's face was somber as he offered heartfelt advice:

Cherish the people around you; if there's a small conflict, just let it go.

"..."

Damn, so he had a falling out with his family?

Instantly understanding the state of his predecessor and family, Lucius straightened his face and immediately abandoned those chaotic fantasies.

That's true. Judging from the things he did in the Manhattan Police Department in New York, he seemed like a complete playboy.

It's entirely predictable that someone like that could have a minor emotional outburst and part ways with their family.

"However...it's a good thing that there are conflicts."

With his eyes lowered, Lucius, after calming down, felt that he could postpone the situation in the family as long as possible.

He was not the original body after all, and had no memories of the original body at all; even his personality was completely different.

If the original owner had been an orphan, it would be fine, but with such an astonishing background, if his identity were ever discovered, he would likely suffer a terrible fate...

Well, the dream of having Commissioner Gordon step down with a wave of his hand is just that—a dream. Promotion still depends on your own efforts.

Suddenly understanding why Batman and even the Penguin treated him with such a respectful yet distant attitude, Lucius touched his nose and spoke again:

"Let's not talk about family ties. What about that batch of contraband from last time?"

"Half of them have been recovered, but the other half is still missing... We are currently gathering intelligence."

Bruce seemed very distressed, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion.

They were dressed in black bodysuits, their pretty oval faces covered by black face masks, their knuckles hanging naturally at their sides, gleaming with a slight cold light.

Upon Lucius's arrival, the two women remained silent, simply pushing open the door to the private room and nodding to him.

"Welcome... my friend. I'm so sorry to have invited you to a place like this without prior appointment..."

A sharp, hoarse, comical voice came from inside the room, making Lucius look at the man sitting at the head of the table.

He was a short, bulky man whose round figure, paired with a tight-fitting black tuxedo, made him look more like a penguin than a human.

A sharp, crooked nose, a pale face, sunken eyes...

Everything about it made the man sitting in the first seat look sinister and terrifying.

Even though the Penguin tried his best to make his clothes and makeup so deliberate and formal, he still couldn't hide the comical feeling brought about by his natural appearance.

But very few people dared to mock his appearance in front of this man.

"What do you need me for, Mr. Cobblestone?"

Mr. Copperpot?

Seemingly having heard some extremely beautiful praise, the Penguin forced a hearty smile and waved at Lucius;

"Please sit down, esteemed guest. I always thought the guys in Gotham were all rude scoundrels who would use such an offensive term as 'penguin' to describe a gentleman of noble birth."

Being recognized by the Maximus family made Penguin hold his head high, like a victorious bird.

Born into one of Gotham's four great families, even though his family has declined and his physical defects make him look unsightly... none of this can stop the Penguin from pursuing status and power.

Before the formal conversation even began, this underworld empire of Gotham waved his scepter and brought in a briefcase overflowing with US dollars—

"My men are quite rude and may have offended you on the way to invite you here. This is a small apology, and I hope you will accept it."

The heavy US dollars on the table fell to the ground, causing Lucius to frown.

This suitcase alone is worth at least a million US dollars.

Why is this penguin being so overly solicitous?

Adhering to the principle of not easily offending people, Lucius ignored the hot potato of money and simply looked directly at the Gotham boss in front of him: "I don't think we're people who lack this kind of money... Please just say what you need, sir."

"Well...it seems I've been hanging out with those awful guys for too long and have become a bit rude and uncouth."

Embarrassed, the penguin withdrew the money, composed himself, and spoke again in a serious tone:

"Mr. Lucius, we hope to reach a cooperation agreement with you."

......