We Only Have One Chance

Downton set down his fork, waved a hand at the woman, and then drew his pistol from behind his waist.

After chambering a round, Downton aimed directly at the ceiling and fired two shots.

Bang! Bang!

The moment the gunfire rang out, even the woman, who considered herself experienced, shuddered in fright.

As for the others in the restaurant, after a brief moment of stunned silence, some immediately ducked under their tables, while others scrambled away in a frantic panic.

If Downton were to take out one or two of the fleeing people right now and then order the rest to stay put, while grabbing a suitable hostage on the side, he could easily start a small-scale heist here at the Kane Hotel.

However, what Downton wanted was for the restaurant to descend into chaos; only a chaotic environment would make the security guards, who were planning to open fire, hesitate for fear of hitting bystanders.

While rushing toward the fleeing crowd, Downton scooped up a little boy who had been abandoned by his careless mother.

He nudged the boy's face with the muzzle of his gun and said with a grin, "Little guy, Uncle is taking you on an adventure!"

"You're lying, you're a bad guy!"

The little boy looked to be about four or five years old and was naturally no fool. He cowered in Downton's arms, clutching at his collar as he spoke.

Hearing the child's words, Downton bared his teeth at him.

"Less talk, you're a hostage now, haha!"

While laughing, Downton freed up a hand to wave at the stunned security guards in the distance.

Following that, Downton carried the child, swaggered down the stairs, walked out of the Kane Hotel, crossed the garden at the entrance, and reached the street.

After shattering the window of an Audi R8 with his gun butt, Downton set the child down and used his weapon to force the middle-aged man out of the driver's seat.

"Good morning, pal. Hope you have a great time in Gotham!"

As he started the car, he waved his gun at the man, who had his hands raised.

Hearing Downton's words, the middle-aged man's forehead turned red with anger.

"This is a new car I just bought three weeks ago! You... you drive it gently, man!"

"Haha, I'll drive it however I want! Go wait at the police station to claim your car!"

Under the man's heartbroken gaze, Downton slammed his foot on the accelerator and sped off like a bolt of lightning.

Accompanied by a violent surge of acceleration, he sideswiped several cars along the way, narrowly forcing his way through the makeshift perimeter the police had just set up.

After driving through two more streets, Downton crashed the car directly into a BMW 4S Dealership.

Taking advantage of the chaos in the shop, he slipped out of the vehicle and moved further away, heading against the flow of the crowd.

Meanwhile, in a helicopter flying over Gotham, Gordon watched the chaos Downton had caused with a sense of helplessness.

Beside Gordon, the sniper asked in a low voice, "I have Downton in my sights. Can I fire, Lieutenant?"

"Will firing be of any use?"

Gordon replied to the sniper with a sigh, then continued to watch the retreating Downton through his binoculars.

Gotham continued to function even while Downton slept. In order to gather information on him, Gordon had even met with Falcone.

In this Gotham City, where gangs ran rampant and corrupt cops held sway, Gordon could not have survived as nearly the only good cop in the department without a sufficient background.

Although the Gordon Family had declined, in the era of Gordon's father and uncle, they had been one of the most prominent families in Gotham.

Gordon's father had been a close friend of Falcone, and both his father and uncle had even been members of the Court of Owls!

What did that imply?

If Gordon had chosen to collude with them in his youth, he would at least be the Commissioner of the Gotham Police Department, and perhaps even the Mayor of Gotham.

The reason he was only a lowly Lieutenant now was simply because his principles ran contrary to those of too many vested interests.

As for last night, after visiting Falcone, Gordon had talked a great deal with him and exchanged intelligence regarding Downton.

Because of this, Gordon already understood a portion of Downton's abilities.

He would randomly teleport and resurrect upon death, and could even teleport when being captured.

So how was he supposed to catch him?

What good would killing him do?

Thinking of this, Gordon shook his head powerlessly and said to the sniper, "Call it off. Let him go. Send a few people to track him and keep us updated on his location.

He might launch an attack on the Dimitrov Family next, or perhaps get involved in the operations over in Metropolis.

As for the Dimitrov Family, Falcone has already sent men into their territory, and we still have to blockade their battlefield—damn it!

As for Metropolis, General Lane arrived at his daughter's side last night and has prepared a trap that the military believes will be effective against Downton.

If Downton chooses to go to Metropolis to meet with the reporter Lane, then he will be the problem of Metropolis and the military from then on."

"I actually wish he would leave Gotham. After all, a Gotham without him has already left me hopeless, and if he continues to stay, heaven knows what kind of chaos Gotham will descend into!"

Speaking of this, Gordon frowned, as if he had suddenly thought of something.

He continued, lost in deep thought.

"No, that's not right. He even paid a visit to Wayne Manor yesterday. Although we haven't figured out Downton's attack patterns or criminal principles yet, the losses he has caused so far have either been gang territories or wealthy individuals and high-end shops or banks. From this, it's clear that Wayne Manor might also become a target for Downton!"

"Wayne Manor!"

Gordon's words left the other police officers in the helicopter slightly stunned; they really hadn't considered this.

After all, in Gotham City, the name Wayne was the core of everything. Even though Bruce Wayne had just returned to Gotham after seven years, people didn't think anything could go wrong for the Wayne family.

Because the Wayne family's business model and their butler were simply too formidable!

Now, reminded by Gordon, the officers suddenly wore expressions of amusement.

Police officers could be resentful of the wealthy, too; they were eager to see a prominent family like the Waynes make a fool of themselves.

If the wealthiest family in all of Gotham, the Waynes, were to be blown up by a lawless specter like Downton, that would be truly thrilling!!!

Meanwhile, inside the Wayne Manor that Gordon had just mentioned...

Alfred carried a breakfast tray and gently pushed open the door to Bruce Wayne's room, only to find Bruce sitting at his desk, writing and sketching.

With his back to the door, even though Alfred had made no sound, Bruce spoke without turning around.

"Remember to knock next time."

"Indeed, sir. I certainly should have knocked, but the reason I didn't was that I had hoped not to find you awake."

Facing Bruce's reminder, Alfred gave a wry smile before placing the breakfast on Bruce's desk.

As he set out the cutlery for Bruce, Alfred continued.

"Even if it means wasting a breakfast I've carefully prepared, I would much prefer you to get a little more sleep. You didn't return until four in the morning, and it's only eight-twenty now. Bruce, less than four hours of rest won't allow you to be effective in Gotham's nights. Whatever it is you intend to do, you must at least ensure your body is capable of supporting your ambitions."

"But time waits for no one, Alfred!"

Bruce interrupted Alfred, then showed him what he had been drawing.

Noticing the mask that looked somewhat like cat ears on the paper, Alfred nodded slightly.

"Is this the mask you desire? I will break down the design schematics to place orders with global suppliers. However, are you certain you are ready? This timeline is much earlier than you originally planned. Or have you been influenced by something else? Is it that specter who kidnapped the Deputy Secretary of Defense's daughter? If so, changing your plans for someone who appeared out of nowhere is not a rational decision, because he can clearly afford to make many mistakes, but we only have one chance, Bruce."

I waited all afternoon, and as expected, the result came without a recommendation. I won't be able to get on the trial-run list next week either; my mentality has completely collapsed.

I am trying my best to stabilize my mindset, and I beg everyone to keep up with the daily updates. Please don't let the chapters pile up; it really might end up being "read to death."

Qidian is different now than it used to be; all performance during the new book period depends on daily readership. Without it, there is nothing. Sigh, I'm exhausted.