Did I Look Handsome When I Died?

Looking at Yuri's blown-apart head, Downton closed his eyes and spread his arms before everyone.

"Inhale... exhale..."

Amid that long breath, Downton, his eyes closed, saw another version of himself.

Just like in last night's dream, the him he saw now was sitting comfortably on a sofa, wearing a relieved smile.

Then, the figure on the sofa slowly turned into specks of light and merged into the standing Downton's body.

Immediately afterward, Downton's instincts gained a little more insight.

His instincts told him that he could now extract the power brought by death!

After he came to Gotham, the war between the Dimitrov Family and the Sabatino Family had been the opportunity that awakened his talent. Thus, the two parties that had created that opportunity also became the conditions needed to perfect Downton's talent.

That was why Downton had instinctively followed their trails and hunted both of them to extinction.

Only after both of them died did Downton's talent finally reveal itself completely.

His talent was simple, with only three aspects.

First, when he lost his freedom, consciousness, or life, it triggered a selectable rebirth and an uncontrollable teleportation.

Second, every death made him stronger.

Third, he would record and recreate the scene of every death for training purposes.

When he had just returned from death yesterday, he had not yet been able to grow stronger. He could only accomplish the first point.

Then, after he killed Sabatino, his talent received its first enhancement.

He could simulate scenes of death in dreams and reclaim the power death brought him by overcoming death in various ways.

Now, after Dimitrov had also been killed, his talent had finally reached completion.

Now, he no longer needed dreams to grow stronger. Instead, every time he died, he would immediately become a little stronger.

At the same time, after every death, he could reconstruct the scene of his death in his mind, use it to find an enemy's weaknesses, and train methods specifically designed to counter them.

This was the complete form of Downton's talent!

"Whew!"

After letting out a heavy breath, Downton slowly opened his eyes.

Clenching his fist, Downton was sure that he had improved a little more, and he smiled in satisfaction.

Beside him, Zsasz looked at the smile on Downton's face and snorted disdainfully.

"Heh, was that really worth getting so emotional over? It was just Dimitrov."

"You don't understand, Zsasz."

Downton raised a hand, cutting Zsasz off.

Then he put his gun back into his backpack and sat casually atop Yuri's corpse.

Looking at the police officers who did not dare approach from afar, then at the contemplative Zsasz, Downton smiled and shook his head.

"Zsasz, do you know? At this moment, I've lost the last of my hatred for this world.

Can you understand what that means?"

"Don't ask me. I don't understand!" Zsasz sneered and shrugged.

Downton nodded noncommittally, took a drag from his cigarette, and fell silent for a moment.

A moment later, Downton knocked the sole of his shoe and stood back up.

"It's fine if you don't understand, buddy. You just need to know that I have no more reservations from now on!

The last hatred between Gotham and me has vanished. So next, what remains to be discussed is my fate with this city. Hahaha!"

Laughing, Downton made a V-sign toward the left.

"Buddy, make me look handsome!"

"Oh?" Zsasz froze. "Someone's taking pictures?"

He glanced at the photographer. It was a bold man standing on the street corner.

The man wore a sharp suit and looked like some white-collar worker from a major company.

So Zsasz pointed at the man and shouted at the police.

"Are you fucking useless? Can a scene like this be leaked?"

"Fuck!"

The police were stunned by Zsasz's roar, then hurriedly swarmed the photographer and seized his phone.

"All you know is how to take pictures. Do you have a death wish?"

"What are you taking pictures for? Haven't you ever seen a public-spirited citizen act bravely to help the police eradicate criminal forces?"

"Your phone is confiscated!"

"Get lost!"

When the GCPD dealt with civilians, naturally, they struck with full force.

After a thorough beating, the white-collar worker lost his phone and was driven off the street.

A female police officer nervously approached Zsasz and Downton with the phone in hand.

After thinking it over again and again, she swallowed and held the phone out toward Downton.

"Boss Downton, this is... evidence. I brought it to you."

"Got it, thanks. But I actually wanted him to take the picture. It could've advertised how useless you PD people are, along with my handsome face. Hahaha!"

Still laughing, Downton squeezed the iPhone in his hand, crushing it directly into a twisted lump.

The sight startled Zsasz. He looked at Downton's hand in disbelief and said in astonishment.

"You have that much strength, but you really don't show any signs of training!

Damn it, what you told me in the car couldn't have been true, could it?

You can really keep getting stronger without limit?!!"

"Keep getting stronger without limit?!!"

In the distance, Gordon, already frustrated by Zsasz and Downton's arrogance, felt his heart drop. He immediately demanded.

"What do you mean, getting stronger without limit? Can you explain in detail?"

"Explain my ass. I still want to meet your daughter. Can you properly introduce her to me?"

Downton cut off Gordon's question irritably, then launched a flying kick at Zsasz.

This time, it was not a sneak attack but a face-to-face flying kick. Zsasz simply dodged to the side.

But the moment Zsasz dodged, Downton drew his pistol again and aimed it at him.

"No filter on that mouth of yours, huh? Are you trying to die, Victor Zsasz!

I can keep getting stronger without training, and before long I'll be able to blow up the moon. You actually dared say that in front of the police? Are you trying to scare the president into running over and kneeling before me?"

"Fuck, you're showing off, aren't you? You said way more than I did! Are you afraid people won't know or something?"

Zsasz shot back gloomily, only to see Downton hurl the pistol at him with all his strength.

Left with no choice, Zsasz caught the pistol head-on. The tremendous force instantly bruised both his hands.

Even then, Downton stretched out his hand toward Zsasz and barked coldly.

"Give me my gun back!"

"Take it, fucking take it! I'll give you my guns too!"

Gritting his teeth, Zsasz threw Downton's pistol back, then raised both his own guns and walked up to Downton.

Pressing the pistols against Downton's forehead, Zsasz spoke word by word.

"Don't forget your promise. You said you'd let me kill you once, and I think now's the time!

Fuck, I could find a better opportunity and try killing you in a more unusual way, but you're so goddamn irritating that I can't fucking stand you anymore!!!"

Bang!

Zsasz's bullet burrowed into Downton's head, but for some reason, this time it stopped inside his brain and did not blow through his skull.

But even without piercing through, Downton's body turned into flames and completely vanished into the air.

Watching Downton disappear in the blink of an eye, Zsasz took a fierce breath, then let it out heavily.

"Awesome!"

He raised both hands, baring his teeth in excitement.

At the same time, across the street, while the police were growing uneasy over the conflict between Zsasz and Downton, a scream suddenly erupted from the fried chicken shop behind them.

"Ghost!"

As the screams continued spreading, Downton stood behind the police, holding a box of fried chicken with an innocent expression.

Casually hooking an arm around a female officer, Downton rested on her shoulder, took a bite of fried chicken, and laughed.

"So, did I look handsome when I just died? Hahaha!"

The results will be out Friday afternoon. Wish me luck getting into the trial, wish me luck getting into the trial, wish me luck getting into the trial~~~~