Oswald

It was around three in the afternoon, and the Iceberg Lounge was devoid of guests, save for a collection of Italian mob enforcers mingling with the lounge's prostitutes.

Unlike the muscle from smaller gangs, the Italians were the dominant force in Gotham; even their low-level thugs were known for their lavish spending, making them highly popular with the women.

Business was business, and before the night shift began, most of the women didn't mind earning a little extra on the side from the enforcers.

Even if some of the more arrogant thugs preferred to take their services for free, the added sense of security they provided made the trade-off worth it.

It was in this lively atmosphere that members of the Sabatini Family arrived, fresh from their war with the Russian mob.

The mood in the Iceberg Lounge shifted instantly, creating a clear divide.

Although every enforcer present was of Italian descent and could technically be considered a subordinate of the "Pharaoh" himself, Falcone, they were, in reality, fractured into different factions.

Sal Maroni, Johnny Sabatino, and Fish Mooney.

These three were the heavyweights of the Italian underworld, second only to Falcone.

On the surface, they stood united around Falcone, using their shared Italian heritage to suppress and control both the criminal and legitimate spheres of Gotham.

In private, however, they were far from a monolith, and as Falcone grew older, the infighting between the three intensified.

As for Oswald Cobblepot, the man currently managing the Iceberg Lounge, he wasn't even Italian.

Two years ago, he had been nothing more than a lackey holding an umbrella for Fish Mooney. By playing the three factions against one another, he had successfully clawed his way up to become the fourth major player under Falcone.

Oswald's meteoric rise had stirred a sense of restlessness among the Italian families, who had once been firmly under Falcone's thumb.

Regardless, Oswald remained the only one to have successfully ascended to such a position.

After securing the management of the Iceberg Lounge, Oswald had replaced the staff with his own loyalists.

Consequently, while the lounge was quiet during the day, the thugs present were mostly Oswald's men.

But now, with the arrival of the Sabatini Family—fresh from battle and desperate to vent their aggression—the atmosphere turned rigid.

Upon learning of the Sabatini Family's arrival, Oswald hurried over with a beaming smile.

From a distance, he opened his arms wide toward Johnny Sabatino, who led the group.

"Johnny, I've already heard the good news. You've beaten the Dimitrov family into the dirt. They won't dare touch our docks for at least three months."

"Of course they won't. Those Russian bastards are no match for me. Falcone's decisions are always brilliant; I am their natural predator!"

Sabatino and Oswald appeared on the verge of an embrace, but mid-motion, Sabatino stopped, sneering at the man standing before him.

"Damn it, I forgot to squat! Oswald, hugging you always requires me to bend down. It makes me feel like I'm hugging a midget. Falcone should have sent you to deal with the Dimitrovs; your short, limping frame would have laughed them to death!"

With that, Sabatino turned to his men and gestured for them to look at Oswald.

"Take a look, boys. The way he limps—doesn't he look just like a penguin? Aside from being a bit thinner, I don't even need to watch a nature documentary to see one! What's that? You say penguins live in the Antarctic, not the Arctic? No, no, no—the penguin is right here in the damn Iceberg Lounge! Hahahaha!"

As Sabatino roared with arrogant laughter, Oswald's smile never wavered.

Behind him, his men reached for their pistols, but Oswald raised a hand to stop them.

Meeting Sabatino's mocking gaze, Oswald grinned and gave a nod as elegant as any aristocrat.

"Is there anything more fitting than a penguin managing the Iceberg? Sabatino, as you said, Mr. Falcone is always so wise. It is precisely because his decisions are never wrong that I am the one managing this place, not you!"

As he finished, Oswald raised his hands, spreading his index and middle fingers.

Taking a cigar and a cutter from his men, he elegantly trimmed the cigar while continuing to address Sabatino.

"Mock me, provoke me—what are you trying to prove? That Mr. Falcone made a mistake? I feel sorry for you, Sabatino; you should have as much faith in Mr. Falcone as I do."

"Pah, you sharp-tongued piece of trash. Everyone knows you only got this far by selling everyone out. No matter how sweet you talk, do you really think Falcone considers you a confidant? Especially after you betrayed Maroni and Fish? You're nothing but a target, Penguin. Only you think you're actually someone! The greatest luck of my life is that you haven't betrayed me yet, so you'd better stay out of my way! Otherwise, your corpse won't be found in the bay outside the docks—I'll have you shipped back to your Antarctic to manage the icebergs for real, and make you the damn King of the Penguins!"

Sabatino stepped forward aggressively, jabbing his finger into Oswald's chest as he roared.

Listening to Sabatino, Oswald bit down on his cigar without a care, letting the flame from the lighter held by his subordinate ignite it.

Inhale... Exhale.

After exhaling a cloud of smoke, Oswald shook his head lightly.

"Sabatino, I don't believe you were born the leader of your family. Before you succeeded, who knows what you had to do? You should know that neither of us will be defeated by mere words. If you truly have a problem with Mr. Falcone's decision or with me, why not just draw your gun and finish me off?"

As he said this, Oswald snapped his fingers, and all the men behind him racked their slides, aiming their pistols squarely at Sabatino.

At the same time, Oswald freed a hand to pat Sabatino on the arm.

"Want to make a bet? Let's bet on whether I dare to trade fire with you right here, or perhaps... bet that your courage doesn't even measure up to a penguin's. Look, I've already placed my chips on the table. So, what's your response, Sabatino? Are you going to call? Or are you going to let me go all-in!"

As his voice fell, Oswald drew his pistol from behind his back and shoved the muzzle into Sabatino's chest.

Simultaneously, Sabatino's men raised their weapons, aiming at Oswald's faction.

The situation seemed ready to explode, yet Sabatino merely waved his hand in disdain.

"Put the guns away. You don't actually believe this penguin has the guts to kill me here, do you? He might have the nerve to kill me, but not here, and certainly not today. Hahaha!"

Laughing, Sabatino ordered his underlings to lower their weapons. Once his men complied, he puffed out his chest and stepped forward, pressing hard against the muzzle of Oswald's gun.

"Come on, Penguin, let me see what your 'all-in' looks like. This is the Iceberg Lounge, and this is the Falcone family—"

"But I am Oswald Cobblepot!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!!

A rapid string of gunfire erupted. Everyone present, including Oswald's own men, was stunned by his sudden, frenzied shooting.

A moment later, just as the underlings on both sides raised their guns to trade fire, Oswald suddenly laughed.

He laughed while using the muzzle of his gun to strike Sabatino's chest repeatedly.

"You're terrified, Sabatino. I'd bet you're already having flashbacks in your head! This is the first lesson I'm teaching you: even if the road beneath your feet always seems to stretch in the direction you expect, you can't control every thorn along the way. Perhaps one of them will grow into the middle of the path and trip you! When you mock the way I walk, do you know what I'm thinking? I'm laughing at your bluster and your cowardice! You and I both know what is delusion and what is fact. The fact is, I am not a penguin. The fact is, I am not in the Antarctic. The fact is, I'm doing better than you—I can sit in this club and rake in money without having to resort to mindless violence. And there are facts you're most afraid to even consider. Do you know what they are? The fact is that the little nobody you used to boss around has become someone you don't dare touch lightly! The fact is that I am still young, while you have already begun to age! The fact is that I will eventually receive the news of your death!"

With that, Oswald stared with disdain at Sabatino, who seemed to want to say something.

He waited for a long moment, and just as Sabatino finally figured out how to respond, Oswald cut him off before he could speak.

"Since you know I have a sharp tongue, you should keep your silence in my presence, Sabatino! As for now, let's end these boring jokes. You didn't come here for no reason; it's time to talk business. I hope that, even while you're about to wet yourself, you still remember what that business is!"

Competition is fierce during the new book period; if the performance is slightly poor, it can easily collapse and fail.

If you have even the slightest interest in this book, even if you intend to stockpile chapters, I beg you to quickly flip to the last page to help boost the follow-read count.

I have previously completed two high-quality works of two million and three million words respectively. As long as this book performs reasonably well, I will write millions of words to entertain you all.

I hope you will lend a hand. I am deeply grateful.