A Wealthy Household

"Oswald?"

Downton suspiciously shoved the gun barrel into Oswald's mouth.

"Don't talk yet. Let me make sure first!"

He beckoned to Liv, who was quietly backing away.

"Liv, this guy really isn't Sabatino?"

"Uh..."

Called out by Downton, Liv reluctantly turned back and nodded lightly.

"He really isn't Sabatino."

"Fuck!"

Having gotten his answer, Downton cursed, then pulled out the Desert Eagle and casually wiped the saliva off the gun on Oswald's clothes.

Having regained the right to speak, Oswald hurriedly continued trying to win Downton over.

"Mr. Downton, right? No matter who hired you or how much they paid you, I'll pay you double!

"Don't misunderstand. I'm not asking you to abandon your mission. Go ahead and kill the fuck out of Sabatino. I just want a good man like you to make a little more money!

"Sabatino is a complete bastard. He has none of an Italian's elegance, much less an Asian's wisdom!

"Just now, that guy humiliated me viciously in front of all my men. I can't wait for him to die!

"My men are all around us. Ask them if you don't believe me. Everything I said is true!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Oswald nervously pointed around him, and a thug immediately stepped forward.

Seeing the thug stand up for him, Oswald nodded in gratification.

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

"Boss Sabatino, don't be such a coward! Pretending to be trash like Penguin has no future!"

"What? Fuck?! You fucking...!"

Oswald's face turned green with fright, but the thug kept talking.

"I'm one of Sabatino's men. How could I mistake my own boss? Boss, you need to be braver, you...!"

Bang!

Downton blew the thug's head apart with one shot, then tapped Oswald's face with the gun butt and laughed.

"What an idiot. Even his frame-up was this fake. Yet he still managed to develop loyalty while working for Sabatino."

With that, Downton sized Oswald up again.

"Relax, buddy. I know you're not my target now.

"After all, Sabatino is Italian. He probably isn't as short as you."

Hearing Downton's words, veins bulged on Oswald's forehead at the word "short," but he hurriedly agreed anyway.

"Yes, yes, I'm very short. Sabatino is a big shot in the family, while I'm just a guy who watches over a place. I can't compare to him."

"Don't say that, buddy. What does Sabatino have on you?

"Before I came to Gotham, I'd never even heard his name. As the famous Penguin, you're much more well-known than him!"

Downton patted Oswald's face again.

The instant the word Penguin appeared, even the veins on Oswald's neck bulged.

But when he saw the muzzle of Downton's gun, he ultimately swallowed a mouthful of bloody saliva and answered as fawningly as possible.

"You're absolutely right. I'm Penguin. People have called me Penguin since I was little. It's such an affectionate name. I miss it so much, Mr. Downton!"

"Haha, only an idiot would believe that bullshit. You're about to die of rage, aren't you?

"Stop pretending. I know a little about you. You can't wait to tear me limb from limb!

"If you and I switched places, do you think you'd let me go? Then should I let you go?"

Downton cut Oswald off, intending to have some fun teasing Gotham's Penguin.

But a gunshot suddenly rang out from the distant crowd, and a burst of blood exploded from Downton's shoulder!

"Damn it!!!"

The instant Downton was shot, Oswald was actually the first to curse!

As he cursed furiously, he opened the Bulletproof Umbrella in his hand and held it in front of himself and Downton.

"Downton, the shooter must be one of Sabatino's men! Don't kill me!"

"I'm using you as a hostage and still got shot from the shadows. You're fucking useless! If I don't kill you, who should I kill?"

Cursing, Downton dragged Penguin in front of him as a shield. Penguin could only raise the Bulletproof Umbrella with a mournful expression.

Sabatino's men finally stopped pretending.

Now that they had retreated far enough to safety, why would they care about Penguin's life? A torrent of bullets immediately sent sparks bursting across Penguin's umbrella.

Crouched behind the umbrella, Penguin's eyes flashed viciously as he shouted at Downton without looking back.

"At a time like this, why are you still dragging me along? Can't you come back from the dead?

"Let me go, then 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, buddy, I can't possibly spare anyone who tries to hurt me right in front of my face!

"When you come back alive, even if I won't kiss Sabatino's ass for you in front of Falcone, I can at least help you get rid of his extra trash men!

"We have to benefit each other. You help me, and I help you, buddy!!!"

Hearing Penguin's words, Downton irritably bumped Penguin's ass with his knee.

"Even now, you still want to make sure I really ignore death. But true gold fears no fire. Your idea isn't bad.

"Once this is over, I'll have a proper talk with you. Also, why the fuck didn't you make the bulletproof umbrella bigger?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Downton viciously hurled Penguin into the distance.

Without the cover of Penguin's little umbrella, Downton was instantly hit by several bullets.

Barely throwing his mangled body behind a gambling table, Downton picked up the string of grenades.

"Don't miss me, boys. I'll be back!"

He pulled the pins from the grenades and threw them toward Sabatino's men.

As the grenades exploded one after another, Downton's body also reached the brink of death.

Vaguely, he seemed to see a slender figure floating near the ceiling, curiously watching him.

So he waved at the figure, then closed his eyes.

"Whew!"

After a heavy breath, Downton looked around.

"Where is this now? It looks like someone's bedroom."

The large bed before him was exceptionally spacious, and the bedding was astonishingly luxurious. If the timing had been better, he really would have liked to sleep here.

After patting the incomparably soft bedding, Downton crossed past the bed and walked across the carpet, which felt like stepping in shit, to the door.

When he opened it and saw a long corridor filled with decorative furnishings, Downton appraised it appreciatively.

"Now this is what you call a wealthy household!"

"Facts require no additional reminders, sir."

The moment Downton finished speaking, a calm voice came from behind him.

Following the voice, he saw a capable-looking old man aiming a gun at him.

Interestingly, while holding the gun, the old man was also carrying a steak in his other hand.

After making sure his gun was trained on the intruder, the old man walked toward Downton and said.

"Introduce yourself. Focus on explaining why you came here."

"Even if I gave you my name, you couldn't know whether it was real. You don't know me.

"As for why I came here, if I said I don't actually know where this is, would you believe me?"

After replying, Downton took off his coat and tossed it aside.

Then he raised both hands and turned around, showing the old man the gun tucked behind his back.

With his back to the old man, Downton continued casually.

"What proves my attitude isn't my answer, but my actions.

"Old fellow, I'm completely letting my guard down around you, so can I try that steak?"

"Interesting!"

Seeing Downton's "answer," the old man nodded in satisfaction.

After setting the tray in his hand on a nearby stand, the old man approached Downton from behind with the gun in one hand and tossed Downton's gun and backpack into the distance.

While throwing the bag, he paid particular attention to the cash inside.

Then, as he checked the rest of Downton's body, he said.

"The bullet holes and blood are real, but not only is your body completely uninjured, even your skin is spotless. This is the first time I've seen such an interesting case.

"By the way, I'm Alfred. This is Wayne Manor. Now, can I know your identity and purpose?"

"Oh, I never expected this. I'm actually in Wayne Manor!"

Hearing Alfred's introduction, Downton turned around in surprise.

Across from him, Alfred nodded cooperatively.

"Yes. You don't know where this is, you don't know how you came here along the path, and you don't know how you infiltrated the manor's most central bedroom.

"Fortunately, Bruce has just returned to this city. To deal with accidents like you and better protect him and his home, I brought a weapon with me. Otherwise, you might have succeeded, buddy.

"Still, I truly hope you only want a steak. If that is the case, the Wayne name will not be stingy with you, buddy."

After speaking, Alfred stepped back to the stand and picked up the steak.

After handing the steak to Downton, he continued aiming at him while calling the Gotham Police Department.

Please keep reading. Continued reading is truly important for a new book.