There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 113, Section 10: The Plan Goes Well!

"Is there anything else?" Qin Wei's hand hovered in mid-air. "If you're willing to join us tonight."

"I refuse. I'll repeat myself: our cooperation is over!"

Qin Wei tried to open the car door, but was stopped by Johnny who rushed over.

"I didn't mean to test you. My boss is no longer Mondi. I'm working for someone else, someone more dangerous, but someone who can lead me to a higher stage!"

Reaching a higher stage? Yes! The Sanmen Bridge is quite high, but you never know you might jump off it. Johnny Frost, the saying "the higher you climb, the harder you fall" is never a metaphor for you.

Qin Wei knew Johnny's fate and who the dangerous guy he was talking about was, but according to the script, he still had to patiently ask.

"Who?"

"JOKER, the guy who kidnapped Falcone and humiliated Maroni, you should be familiar with him, since you were once a Roman." Qin Wei turned around, showing interest in the topic at the opportune moment.

"Doesn't he have the Joker Gang?"

"The Joker Gang is too weak. I apologize, but I can't say any more. In fact, I don't know what he's trying to do either. Lately, he's been using me as a hub to frequently contact various small and medium-sized forces. Cooperation or destruction—he's only presented them with two paths."

The information Johnny revealed largely overlapped with Qin Wei's investigation findings, proving that the former had no intention of deceiving.

"So what's your plan?"

"Don't be like that, friend. The way you ask questions always reminds me of the cops." Johnny rubbed his hands nervously. "If you really want to be with me, why not join tonight's operation? It's only a matter of time before you win JOKER's favor with your action skills."

"Tonight we'll raid Arnold Wesker's mansion and kill him. The last raid was just a small warning, and this time the Joker intends to wipe out the entire gang."

"Will our 'new boss' appear?" Qin Wei asked the question that concerned him the most.

"He doesn't show up most of the time, and even when he does, it's just a temporary appearance. You know, he's offended a lot of people, and the Romans still haven't removed him from their wanted list."

The plan has changed, and it seems that meeting the Joker will not be so easy. However, it appears that Qin Wei has gained Johnny's trust, otherwise the other party would not have revealed the plan to raid Arnold's territory to him.

This plan wasn't of much value to Qin Wei, but considering that his identity had just been questioned, it showed how strong Johnny's desire to prove his loyalty was.

Now that the direction is clear, Qin Wei will probably have to take the charade seriously, using the name Matchstick Ma Long and acting like a gang member, wielding a Thompson submachine gun to shoot at the enemy forces.

However, he felt no guilt whatsoever. Arnold was no saint either; he controlled Gotham's largest underground drug factory and had been a loyal partner of Maroney. After Maroney's downfall, he immediately turned to Oswald.

With Oswald's deliberate indulgence, Arnold brazenly absorbed other small and medium-sized gangs involved in the drug trade, expanding his power several times over in just half a month.

The little penguin had planned to wait for Arnold to "bear fruit" before picking it, but it seems the clown is the mantis that preys on the oriole.

They wanted to take advantage of Oswald's unstable foothold to create chaos and divide up Gotham's gang power.

As for the Joker's true motives and why he wanted to seize the incriminating evidence of Gotham's political and business activities, there are no answers yet. Qin Wei can only guess, based on the existing clues, that the other party wants to replace Maroney.

But is the Joker's goal really that simple?

"Mondy's dead, so what should our gang be called now? We can't exactly call it the Joker Gang, can we?"

On the way back, the two chatted idly.

"The gang's name hasn't been decided yet. Currently, the members are a mixed bag; people like 'Bomb Johnny' and 'Killer Crocodile' joined under the Joker's coercion or enticement."

Upon hearing this answer, Qin Wei stuck out his tongue. He had underestimated the clown; in just half a month, the clown had already gathered a large number of helpers.

"Bomb Johnny" runs the largest loan sharking "company" on the Upper East Side, with about two hundred henchmen under his command; while "Killer Crocodile" is the notorious leader of the "Crocodile Gang," whose influence extends to one-third of the "Fashion District" and most of the "Municipal District."

These two forces alone are enough to challenge Oswald.

Qin Wei quietly took out his phone and sent a message to Aus.

"The plan has changed! If Arnold asks for your help tonight, don't come to his aid."

Throughout the rest of the journey, Johnny talked about many things, but he mentioned Oswald the most.

Most people didn't actually know of Qin Wei's existence, nor did they connect the bank case with Maroni's downfall. In their eyes, Oswald was the mastermind, a short guy who was meticulous and ruthless, and who had been lying low for many years before finally becoming king.

Just as a death knell is to mercenaries, Oswald now holds a special meaning for gang members.

A milestone, or a goal to be caught up with?

Who knows! Anyway, Johnny's tone was full of envy.

Seeing others succeed makes them restless and naively believe that they can replicate others' glory by following a similar path. Such people are constantly peeking out from the shadows, like extinguished sparks that quickly dim.

Meanwhile, in the Dream Casino in Robbins City, far to the west of Gotham, our Mr. Matchstick Malone had just won a game of Texas Hold'em and was laughing as he gathered the mountain of chips piled up in the center of the table in front of him.

The gamblers at his table didn't look too happy.

These guys were originally scattered around the casino, strolling around with the free champagne provided by the casino, until Matchstick Marlon was placed on the table and they all gathered around him.

These guys seemed to have some ulterior motive. They started exchanging glances with each other from the first round of dealing. The woman in the red dress with blonde hair who was closest to Matchstick Ma Long even tried to strike up a conversation, but the man remembered Qin Wei's instructions. He turned half his head and looked this unfriendly stranger up and down, squeezing out a disdainful "tsk" from his throat.

"Tch~"

But the deeper reason is that Matchstick Marlon really wanted to make money.

It's rare to have such a large sum of money to gamble with; even if he loses, it's still the employer's money. The man doesn't want to waste even a single second of this precious time.

A man who is focused on making money is incredibly attractive.

Seeing that Matchstick Marlon had collected a whole table of chips, the six guys finally couldn't sit still any longer. The woman in the red dress and blonde hair gave the old man across the table a wink.

"I suspect he cheated! I just saw him hide a card in his sleeve and then take it out again the next round."

The old man blew on his beard and gave a cold snort, twirling the last black chip in his hand.

His voice was immediately echoed by the other players present.

His words immediately alerted the dealer. Every casino abhors cheating, so the dealer pressed the alarm bell. Soon after, two burly security guards rushed over and firmly pressed down on Matchstick Marlon's shoulders.

"Please wait a moment, we'll retrieve the surveillance footage of this betting game right now." The dealer's words seemed gentle, but his tone was as firm as iron.

Matchstick Marlon frowned. This plot development wasn't mentioned in the employer's script!

"No need for that!" Before he could speak, the woman in the red dress, who had initially been flirting with her, interjected, "His demeanor is very unnatural. I suspect he's some habitual cheater wearing a human skin mask. Just rub his face!"

The dealer nodded. The methods of top-tier cheaters were even difficult for surveillance cameras to catch. Moreover, Dream Casino did have a history of cheaters disguising themselves and infiltrating the casino.

Furthermore, given that "Mr. Wei" is not listed among the casino's customers, this accusation is not entirely unfounded.

"I apologize for the intrusion, Mr. Wei, but please—"

Why did I do that?

Just as Matchstick Ma Long was about to slam his hand on the table and stand up, security guards violently pushed him back into his chair.

To cover his bronze skin, he applied a thick layer of foundation, which was completely exposed when he rubbed it.

Malone finally realized that these guys were there to spy on his identity, but they didn't expect someone to look so much like their employer, and they all thought he was wearing a human skin mask to carry out his mission.

As the commotion grew louder, the number of onlookers increased dramatically. The old man played with his chips, his amused smile growing ever wider; the woman leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed, creating a breathtaking cleavage; and then there were those one, two, and three other guys, their eyes burning with a fervent gaze that seemed to burn through the disguise of the matchstick-wearing man and reach the depths of his soul.

Just as the security guard reached out and was about to touch Matchstick Ma Long's face, a slow yawn rang out from behind the crowd.

"I thought someone like you wouldn't even deign to come to a place like this!"