A Wealthy Family

"Oswald?"

Downton shoved the muzzle of his gun into Oswald's mouth with a suspicious look.

"Don't speak yet, let me confirm this first!"

He beckoned to Liv, who was quietly backing away.

"Liv, is this guy really not Sabatino?"

"Uh..."

Called out by Downton, Liv turned back helplessly and gave a slight nod.

"He is indeed not Sabatino."

"Damn it!"

Having received his answer, Downton cursed, pulled out his Desert Eagle, and wiped the saliva from the barrel onto Oswald's clothes.

Regaining the right to speak, Oswald hurriedly continued his efforts to persuade Downton.

"Mr. Downton, is it? No matter who you're working for or how much you've been paid, I'll pay you double that price! Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking you to give up your mission. Go ahead and kill that bastard Sabatino; I just want a good man like you to earn a little more! Sabatino is a complete piece of trash. He doesn't have a shred of Italian elegance, let alone the wisdom of an Asian! Just a moment ago, that guy humiliated me in front of all my men. I can't wait for him to drop dead! My men are all around here; if you don't believe me, you can ask them. Everything I'm saying is true!"

As his voice trailed off, Oswald pointed nervously at the crowd, and a thug immediately stepped forward.

Seeing the thug step up, Oswald nodded with relief.

But as Oswald let out a breath, the thug shouted at him.

"Boss Sabatino, don't be such a coward! There's no future in disguising yourself as trash like the Penguin!"

"What? The hell?! You motherf—!"

Oswald's face turned green with terror, but the thug kept on rambling.

"I'm one of Sabatino's men, I wouldn't mistake my own boss! Boss, you need to be brave, you...!"

Bang!

Downton blew the thug's brains out with a single shot, then tapped his gun against Oswald's face and laughed.

"What a stupid trick. Your frame-up is so fake, and here I thought you'd have more loyalty from your own men."

With that, Downton looked Oswald over once more.

"Don't worry, pal, I know you're not my target now. After all, Sabatino is Italian; he shouldn't be as short as you."

Hearing Downton's words, veins bulged on Oswald's forehead at the word "short," but he still hurriedly affirmed, "Yes, yes, I'm very short. Sabatino is a big shot in the family, while I'm just a floor manager. I can't compare to him."

"Don't say that, pal. What does Sabatino have to compare with you? I hadn't even heard his name before coming to Gotham. As the famous Penguin, you're much more well-known than him!"

Downton patted Oswald's face again.

The moment the word "Penguin" came up, the veins on Oswald's neck stood out.

But when he saw the muzzle of Downton's gun, he swallowed a mouthful of bloody saliva and responded to Downton as obsequiously as possible.

"You're absolutely right, I am the Penguin! I've been called the Penguin since I was a child. It's such a dear name, I miss it so much, Mr. Downton!"

"Haha, only a fool would believe your lies. You're about to explode with rage, aren't you? Stop pretending. I know a thing or two about you—you'd love to tear me limb from limb! If you were in my shoes, do you think you'd let me go? So, should I let you go?"

Downton interrupted Oswald, wanting to toy with this Gotham Penguin a bit longer.

But suddenly, a gunshot rang out from the crowd in the distance, and a spray of blood erupted from Downton's shoulder!

"Damn it!!!"

The moment Downton was hit, it was actually Oswald who cursed first!

While shouting curses, he opened his Bulletproof Umbrella and held it up in front of himself and Downton.

"Downton, that shot must have come from Sabatino's men! Don't kill me!"

"I'm using you as a hostage and they're still taking potshots at me? You're absolutely useless, why shouldn't I kill you!"

Downton cursed as he shoved the Penguin in front of him, leaving the Penguin to hold up the Bulletproof Umbrella with a miserable expression.

Sabatino's men finally stopped pretending.

Since they had already retreated to a safe enough distance, why would they care about the Penguin's life? A rapid barrage of bullets immediately sent sparks flying across the surface of the umbrella.

Crouched behind his umbrella, Penguin glared with murderous intent, shouting at Downton without looking back.

"For God's sake, why are you still clinging to me? Can't you come back from the dead or something! Let me go and hurry up and die, so I can free up my hands to deal with Sabatino's men who are trying to kill me! Believe me, pal, I never forgive anyone who tries to harm me to my face! Once you come back to life, even if I don't kick Sabatino's ass for you in front of Falcone, I can at least help you dispose of his extra trashy henchmen! We must be mutually beneficial—you help me, I help you, pal!!!"

Hearing Penguin's words, Downton irritably nudged Penguin's rear with his knee. "Even at a time like this, you still want to confirm if I really ignore death. But true gold fears no fire; your idea isn't bad. Once this is over, I'll have a good talk with you. Also, why the hell didn't you make your bulletproof umbrella bigger!"

As his voice trailed off, Downton violently threw Penguin away into the distance.

Without the cover of Penguin's small umbrella, Downton was instantly struck by several bullets. Barely dragging his mangled body behind a gambling table, Downton grabbed a string of grenades. "Don't miss me, boys, I'll be back!" He pulled the pin on the grenades and tossed them toward Sabatino's men.

As the explosions of the grenades rang out in succession, Downton's body reached the brink of death. Vaguely, he seemed to see a lean figure floating near the ceiling, watching him with curiosity. He waved at the figure, then closed his eyes.

"Hah!"

After a heavy breath, Downton looked left and right. "Where is this? It looks like someone's bedroom."

The massive bed in front of him was exceptionally wide, and the fabric of the bedding was shockingly luxurious; if the timing weren't so poor, he would have really liked to take a nap here. After patting the incredibly soft quilt, Downton stepped over the bed and walked to the door, his feet sinking into the plush carpet. Pushing the door open to reveal a long hallway filled with decorative ornaments, Downton offered an appreciative assessment. "Look at this decor—now that's what I call a wealthy household!"

"Facts do not require additional reminders from others, sir."

No sooner had Downton finished speaking than a calm voice came from behind him. Following the direction of the sound, a sharp-looking old man was aiming a gun at him. Interestingly, while holding the gun, the old man was also balancing a plate of steak in his other hand. After confirming his muzzle was locked onto the intruder, the old man walked toward Downton and spoke. "Introduce yourself, and focus on explaining your purpose for being here."

"Even if I told you my name, you couldn't verify if it's real, since you don't know me. As for my purpose, if I said I actually don't know where this is, do you think you'd believe me?" After responding, Downton took off his coat and tossed it aside. He then raised his hands and turned around, showing the pistol tucked behind his back to the old man. With his back to him, Downton continued casually, "What proves my attitude isn't my answer, but my actions. Old pal, I'm not even keeping my guard up against you, so could you let me taste that steak?"

"Interesting!"

Watching Downton's "answer," the old man nodded with satisfaction. After placing the tray on a passing shelf, he approached Downton with the gun in one hand and tossed Downton's gun and backpack far away. When throwing the bag, he took a particular look at the cash inside. He then checked the rest of Downton's body and said, "The bullet holes and blood are real, yet your body is not only unscathed, but your skin is also spotless. This is the first time I've seen such an interesting case. By the way, I am Alfred, and this is Wayne Manor. Can I know your identity and purpose now?"

"Oh, wow, I didn't expect to be in Wayne Manor!"

Hearing Alfred's introduction, Downton turned around in surprise. Opposite him, Alfred nodded in cooperation. "Indeed. You don't know where this is, you don't know how you followed the path here, and you certainly don't know how you infiltrated the manor's most secure bedroom. Fortunately, Bruce just returned to the city, and to handle surprises like you and better protect him and his home, I keep a weapon on me. Otherwise, you might have succeeded, pal. Though, I truly wish you only wanted a plate of steak; if that were the case, the Wayne name would not have been stingy with you, pal."

As he finished speaking, Alfred retreated to the shelf to pick up the steak. After handing it to Downton, he continued to aim at him while dialing the Gotham Police Department.