There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 255, Section 21: Undercurrents in Gotham

Superman's lips moved, but in the end, all his unspoken words turned into a grateful smile.

"It's nothing. I think Green Arrow is right. We should exchange contact information so that we can keep each other informed if we get any more information about the sarcoma or other news."

As expected, it's not so easy to pry open the heart of a middle-aged, repressed man. However, Qin Wei has no intention of giving up. This kind of opportunity to gain favor with Superman is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Of course, if Will were to be even more ruthless, he could easily create a predicament, secretly bankrupt Kent's farm, whip the Kents into the cotton field, sabotage Louis's job, and finally falsely accuse Joe of causing trouble at school.

Of course, if he really did that, Lex Luthor would definitely fight him to the death.

Let's take it slow. At least this time he met a lot of superheroes and got Superman's contact information.

While everyone else was adding "Superman" to their communicators, Qin Wei quietly wrote "ClarkKnt".

0

Clark also prepared a communicator specifically for Superman's identity. Qin Wei turned on the projection device on the floating dial, and a spirited Superman phantom was projected out from the projection window.

"No matter where you are, I will be there for you immediately if you are in danger!"

The phantom image of Superman looks very young, and his personal introduction is full of positive energy, which seems inconsistent with the current awkward Superman image.

"It was set up many years ago and hasn't been changed since."

Superman awkwardly explained to everyone.

Qin Wei suddenly became very curious about what his communicator image and personal introduction were. He was sure he had set this up, but because his memories were not synchronized after the world line was corrected, he had no recollection of it at all.

After exchanging contact information, Superman left, leaving Qin Wei with no choice but to try and take out Lightning.

"Hey Barry, want to check out my profile picture?"

"Okay—wait, wait! How do you know my name—"

"Stop talking nonsense, click and take a look."

Barry did as he was told. He pressed a button, and the projection window flashed with static. After the noise of the signal interference, the image of Qin Wei, dressed in a bat suit, sitting in a leather armchair appeared.

In the video, he interlaced his fingers and spoke in a deep, dangerous voice:

"Why do I know so much? Because I am————"

"Okay, I understand!"

Qin Wei reacted quickly and blocked the speaker opening.

Meanwhile, Royce, who had just found a repair team for Wayne Manor, finished a busy day.

In the past few days, the military has taken over Gotham, and the citizens are in a state of panic. Small-scale violent waves of resistance against the government have broken out in many areas. On the one hand, Gotham's fine tradition of "xenophobia" is at play, and on the other hand, most people participated in the riots a few days ago and are afraid of being purged by the government.

Many people have begun plotting how to eliminate the government troops and capital, and turn Gotham into a lawless zone, a real-life "violent District 13".

In this situation, it is indeed not easy to find a maintenance team that is willing to do solid work.

"It's finally over!"

Royce stretched and sank into the sofa, just about to take a nice nap, when he was woken up by the vibration of his communicator.

The communicator flashed Falcone's image. He pressed the call button, and a 3D projection of the old lion appeared in front of Reus.

"Hello, Mr. Ben. If I remember correctly, this should be our first conversation." In the video, Falcone is wearing a cool beach outfit and opens his mouth. A hand reaches out from off-screen and puts a grape into his mouth.

Before the Gotham riots began, the old man had keenly sensed the danger. While giving perfunctory answers to the tasks assigned to him by the court, he boarded his private jet without stopping.

He is currently surrounded by hot bikini-clad women, enjoying the abundant Hawaiian sunshine.

"Your Excellency Falcone is indeed farsighted. May I ask what brings you here today?"

"Actually, it's nothing serious. As you can see, I'm planning to retire from this life. If you're willing, I can hand over the title of a legitimate Roman along with all my power to you."

Reus was no fool; such blatantly offered benefits naturally aroused his suspicion.

"Chaos without collapse is the environment that gangs love most. Right now, the external government is too busy to interfere with the gangs, and the largest oligarch, the Court of Owls, is almost collapsing. This is a great opportunity to seize profits. Instead of taking this opportunity to expand your power, you choose to retreat while you are ahead. This is not the Roman emperor I know."

19

"That's true, but the carcass of the behemoth attracts more than just swarms of mosquitoes and flies—it also attracts vultures."

Falcone raised a cigar and waved, and a spray gun was then extended into the frame.

He exhaled a puff of smoke and continued slowly.

"As far as I know, the Knights of St. Dumas are returning."

"What?!"

"I knew it, you've heard of it too."

Seeing the shocked look on the other person's face, Falcone assumed that Reus understood.

Just as he was about to continue the conversation, the other person's reply made him choke on his cigarette.

"I'm sorry, I've never heard of it."

"Cough cough!!!! I've never heard of such a big reaction!!"

"Uh—I just felt that at this crucial juncture, we should act a bit more impressive, so that our conversation would seem mysterious and grand."

"You've been corrupted by Bruce Wayne; he loves using this kind of overly dramatic and clichéd approach—okay, let's get back to the point."

Meanwhile, at Copperfield Castle, Oswald received a businessman who called himself Jean Paul.

Oswald, who had just pocketed all the fleeing capital, was not exactly richer than a country, but could easily buy the entire city of Gotham. Therefore, he didn't pay much attention to this businessman who was trying to invest in Gotham and claimed to help the city restore its economic order. It wasn't until the businessman came to visit him in person that he reluctantly agreed to meet him.

"Tell me, what conditions can you offer, and what do you want me to do for you?"

The little penguin, leaning on his cane, pushed open the study door and spoke directly to the tall, handsome blond white youth before him.

-

"Mr. Copperpot, is there something urgent that you need to attend to? If not, we can have a drink and talk at our leisure." Jean-Paul swirled the wine bottle wrapped with a silk ribbon in his hand.

"Sorry, unlike those established big shots, I've just crawled out of blood and mud. I know absolutely nothing about wine tasting. Feeding me wine is no different than throwing it into the flower bed outside the door."

Oswald walked past Jean-Paul without looking to either side and plopped down in his seat.

"You have three minutes to explain your purpose."

The little penguin made no attempt to hide his hostility. The reason was simple: he inherently disliked capital and businessmen, especially since the other party wasn't even from Gotham.

Gotham solves its own problems. This unwritten rule has influenced every generation of Gothamites since the city's inception.

"Since that's the case, I'll be frank, Mr. Cobblepot. I want to run for mayor of Gotham City. As an outsider, I need the support of a respected Gotham resident, and you—"

"I know very well that I am not the best choice."

Oswald's gaze traveled from Jean-Paul's trouser leg all the way down to his forehead.

"You must have gone to Carmen Falcone and been rebuffed before coming here."

Jean-Paul simply smiled; his silence spoke volumes.

Oswald continued, "I'm young, but not stupid. The only reason you haven't been kicked out of this room yet is that I want to hear your terms, or rather—how you intend to threaten me."

Jean-Paul's smile gradually faded, replaced by a chilling gloom. He realized that this greenhorn godfather named Oswald was far more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.

"I did consider threatening you, but after much hesitation, I decided to meet you with this sincere face."

"I come from the Knights of St. Dumas, or more precisely, the Order of St. Dumas, a very tongue-twisting name."

"We originated from the Crusades and are mortal enemies with the Arab 'Assassin Brotherhood'."

Oswald shrugged:

So?

"Now that the Order is in decline, in order to revitalize the Knights of St. Duma, we have chosen Gotham as the new base of the Order. If you put me in the position of mayor, I will transform Gotham into a well-ordered and hierarchical new city within a year. Standing at the top of this city will be the Knights, followed by the gangs."

"So after all that, you're telling me to find myself a dad?"

Oswald mimicked Qin Wei's tone and made a sarcastic remark, but couldn't help laughing first.

"So we went to great lengths to take down the Court of Owls, only to hand over the fruits of victory to others? Forgive my bluntness, but without your so-called Knights of the Night, it would be gangs standing atop Gotham."

"Mr. Cobblestone, you're a smart man. You should know that gangs aren't a long-term solution."

"Oh!"

Oswald forced a quick, cold laugh through his gums.

Of course he knows this principle.

The gang's structure was crude, and its driving force was primitive and barbaric. Its inherent conditions determined that an organization that relied on such a garbage model could not go far. Even someone as powerful as Falcone, after ascending to the throne of the underworld emperor, tried every means to launder money and gradually transform his gang into a corporate company.

But Oswald is different; he has Qin Wei!

With this true godfather in charge, all the gang members in Gotham essentially share a common belief.

Belief may seem intangible, but it is indeed a magical thing that can make people risk their lives.

"Gotham's problems are Gotham's business. If there's nothing else to say, take your drinks and leave." Oswald raised his hand in a gesture of farewell.

"Mr. Cobblestone, you will surely regret your short-sighted views today in the future."

Jean-Paul gripped the wine bottle, but did not take it away as Oswald had instructed.

As the blond man slammed the door and left, the entire room fell into an eerie atmosphere.

The little penguin crossed its arms and gazed at the bottle of wine at the far end of the coffee table.

To be honest, he was a little nervous; he was afraid it was a liquid bomb disguised as alcohol.

Gotham always seems to attract some crazy people for no reason, so he simply didn't dare gamble on Jean Paul's humanity.

After much hesitation, he pressed the alarm bell under the table, and soon his two bodyguards squeezed into the room with riot umbrellas.

Made from high-tech nanomaterials, this blast-resistant umbrella acts as a shield that can absorb powerful impacts. When its energy storage is full, it can also release a high-heat beam of light through its tip. Remember when the little penguin said he wanted to order a custom-made umbrella before going to court? This is what he got.

The scene shifts back to the present, where two bodyguards are bending over, holding umbrellas horizontally, and approaching the bottle of liquor step by step. Oswald appears to be sitting upright, but in reality, he is restless.

Q: What is the most terrifying bomb?

A: It's a bomb whose fate is uncertain.

The waiting process was always long and agonizing. Just as the tip of the umbrella was about to poke the bottle, the sudden vibration of the communicator startled Oswald.

"Damn it, Royce, that call came at the perfect time!!!"

"Never mind that. Let me ask you a question first: have you ever heard of the Knights of St. Dumas?"

Meanwhile, after disembarking from the plane and taking a short break, Louis, along with the other journalists in the press corps, visited and interviewed at the Israeli military base according to the itinerary planned by the US government.

But this is not what she wanted to see.

As she watched another aircraft roar through the clouds from a corner of the military camp, her heart felt an unbearable itch, as if being scratched by a cat.

"Clark, are you there?"

Taking advantage of the officers' inattention, she slipped behind the tent and, holding her hands like megaphones, whispered to the sky.

Not long after, two tiny red dots, no bigger than mosquitoes or flies, flashed across the hazy sky. This was Louise's way of communicating with her husband, who would respond with a thermal vision flash from high above after hearing her call.

"Clark, I want to travel alone. Do you have any good ideas?"

In fact, Louise could have had her husband float around in the air with a camera in hand. Of course, doing so would have gone against the original intention of an honest journalist. More importantly, without her and her press pass on camera, the footage would no longer be legal.

The truth is important, but exposing the true face of the Israeli army and saving innocent people is even more important.

If Louis can use this opportunity to capture compelling evidence and spark an anti-war movement domestically, there is a high probability that he can influence congressional resolutions and the government's voting tendencies in the Security Council.

The Vietnam War was like that, and although nearly a century has passed, Louis believes that conscience and the desire for peace still flow in the blood of the American people.

But her husband did not answer for a long time.

Superman, hovering at 30,000 feet in the air, was in a state of utter confusion. His adoptive father's words, the military commander's words, and even Wei's words echoed in his mind.

Logically, he would definitely intervene in inhumane acts of war, but years of comfortable and peaceful life have made it increasingly difficult for him to confront the conflicts and disputes between humans. In fact, Clark would rather deal with the "alien giant octopus" in Star City than get involved in such a mess.

Yes, Superman's identity may be a mystery to ordinary people, but even Luthor can analyze his identity through his actions and language habits, so it goes without saying that it is the same for countries and regimes.

To put it bluntly, if he interferes with the interests of certain countries, those around him may be affected and implicated.

That's why he's unwilling to take action.

Of course, if he had confided in Qin Wei earlier, perhaps he would have come to terms with it by now.

The reason why people suffer and get caught up in dilemmas is ultimately because their own morality and bottom line are too high, while the other party's are too low.

Qin Wei wouldn't offer Superman any nonsense like "think more positively" or "you should lower your moral standards," because that wouldn't work at all.

He'd tell Clark that if opening windows in the wall isn't cool enough, just rip the roof off! Grit your teeth and activate your damn heat vision, then yell at those nagging guys, "I can do whatever the fuck I want!" and that'll solve 99% of the problem.

But will Superman accept this suggestion?

Of course not, what are you thinking!

But at least Clark will start to seriously consider suggestions such as "putting a window in the wall".