There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

In the early hours of the second day, Qin Wei and Oswald were called into the conference room.

Maroni had been waiting there for a long time, with a cell phone in front of him.

"Gentlemen, let us take our seats and await the moment!" Glancing at the clock, with only a few minutes left before the 24 hours that Falcone had set, Maroni placed a silver-plated Taurus Hunter revolver on the table.

Falcone is a man who is punctual to the point of being obsessive. If he says he has 12 hours to investigate, he will be there without fail. It was precisely because Maroni knew this about him that he dared to take away Qin Wei's phone.

He was certain that Falcone wouldn't call before the appointed time.

Of course, Maroni wasn't sure if Falcone would trust Qin Wei unconditionally, and even if he did, he might choose not to attend after weighing the pros and cons. But that didn't stop Maroni from taking a gamble.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even though the chances of the other party falling into the trap were extremely low, it didn't stop him from setting up his plan early. First, he used the "fake Harvey" to remove the spies, and then he used a large sum of money to buy off Qin Wei, the last remaining informant.

If the assassination succeeds, he will be able to unify the Gotham underworld, bringing those wavering politicians under his control. With the help of this force, he could even replace the declining Wayne family as one of the four great families of Gotham.

The temptation is just too great.

As for how to deal with Qin Wei, this great contributor, then...

Maroni has no clue yet.

Rationally speaking, he would prefer to give this person a more important position.

The fact that an unknown man could rise to such a high position in just one month and then skillfully maneuver between himself and Falcone goes beyond mere boldness and intelligence. If used wisely, this could certainly help him expand the Roman Empire's territory, from New Jersey to the whole of America.

That was his lifelong wish.

But is this guy really as greedy and easily manipulated as he appears on the surface?

Maroni always harbored doubts about the fake Harvey's death, and he dared not fully trust Qin Wei.

More importantly, he firmly believed that someone like Qin Wei would never be content to be subordinate to others.

"How about we wait until this is over, then find a reason to get rid of him!"

Just as I was considering what crime to pin on Qin Wei, my phone started vibrating.

It spun around in front of him like a lost nautical compass. Maroni glanced at the clock again, pushed the phone in front of Qin Wei, and gestured for him to proceed.

Come on, it's your turn to perform.

Qin Wei pressed the call button, and Falcon's voice, mixed with the crackling sound of electricity, came through the receiver.

"Hello, my dearest partner! Now put your phone on the table and turn on speakerphone. I need to hear the sounds around me."

Qin Wei followed the familiar steps as instructed.

"I gave you twenty-four hours, and I presume you have completed your task. Now I have two questions for you. As always, answer with yes or no, and we will not discuss anything else."

"First, was anyone listening in on this phone call?"

"No."

"Very well, the second question, and the most crucial one, is Maroney trying to use this party to make a move against me?"

Qin Wei looked up and met Maroni's gaze, as well as the black muzzle of the gun in the other's hand.

"No!"

Qin Wei answered without hesitation.

Upon hearing this answer, Oswald closed his eyes in despair.

He finally understood the meaning of Qin Wei's words at Dodge Manor: "The less you know about some things, the safer you are."

Yes, you wanted to switch sides after accepting Maroni's commendation, but I was kept in the dark about everything.

Oswald did not hate Qin Wei for what he had done. After all, Falcone's promise was an empty promise, while the estate given by Maroni was real wealth. It would be difficult for anyone to stick to their original intentions in the face of such an astronomical figure.

What he really cared about was that Qin Wei had never tried to communicate with him. After going through so many hardships together, Qin Wei had become the most important person in his heart besides his mother.

But this person who was so important to him has now abandoned him.

Oswald lowered his head and rubbed the inner corner of his eye.

In the conference room, the phone call continued. Falcone gave Qin Wei a few symbolic compliments and then outlined his next plan.

"I will attend this party because I trust you, but if anything happens to me, my assassins will come out in full force. No matter where you hide in Gotham, they will find you, drag you out, and then slit your throat without hesitation."

The old lion exuded an imposing aura, and even though the two were communicating over the phone, Qin Wei felt a sense of pressure.

Looking at Maroni sitting opposite him, ha! This man, who was usually so arrogant and domineering, had his aura droop like a gummy bear when threatened by Falcone.

But it makes sense. If Maroni were as reckless as he claims, he would have broken ties with Falcone long ago. Why would he gamble all his hopes on an assassination with little chance of success?

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief after the call ended.

"Mr. Maroni, you heard what I just said. You should guarantee my safety after it's done, right?"

"Of course, my partner is like family. I will do everything in my power to ensure your safety."

Maroni couldn't contain his smile after hearing that Falcone would be attending the party.

The value of this low-cost, even rudimentary, assassination was immeasurable. By eliminating Falcone, he could also use Falcone's assassins to kill Qin Wei, and even use the pretext of avenging Qin Wei to purge Falcone's remaining forces within the Roman Empire.

Nothing is more pleasing than killing three birds with one stone.

The plan is 99% complete, but the remaining uncertainties still lie with Qin Wei.

Maroni decided to keep Qin Wei imprisoned until the party ended, to ensure that he would not leak the information during this time.

……

And so, Qin Wei was out of contact for three whole days, during which time the person most worried about him was Royce.

Just as he made up his mind to rebel, his boss disappeared. Royce felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. These three days were more agonizing than three years. He couldn't sleep at all and would check his phone every few minutes to see if there were any new messages.

Ring ring ring!!!

The shrill ringing of the bell jolted Royce, who was half-asleep, off the sofa.

"Horton's Department Store Weekend Sale: All Appliances Up to 7% Off..."

"You bastard, you beast!!!"

With dark circles under his eyes, Reus cursed and threw his phone hard to the ground.

The Nokia fell onto the wooden floor and bounced high into the air, sliding towards the door with its momentum.

It finally stopped in the middle of the corridor, its metal frame gleaming with a new luster under the corridor lights.

After venting his anger, Royce slunk over, picked it up, and wiped off the dust.

"Wei, you bastard, where have you been?!"

Reus muttered to himself.

It was just a casual complaint, and he probably didn't even realize that this unintentional remark saved his life a second earlier.

A blood-stained scalpel was quietly removed from the back of his neck and disappeared back into the dark corner of the corridor ceiling.

If Reus looked up at that moment, he would be startled.

A blurry human figure, limbs outstretched, lurked on the ceiling like an unpredictable Japanese ninja.