I Create the League of Heroes in Gotham

"Thank you for your kindness, but I must reiterate, Mr. Falcone, I am a law-abiding citizen of Gotham. I wouldn't dare accept such a welcoming gift."

Falcone chuckled and said nothing, clearly indifferent to Li Wei's words.

Gotham has completely law-abiding citizens?

"However, if that's the case, Mr. Falcone, aren't you afraid the Mayor will come after you?" Li Wei asked with some curiosity.

After all, the Mayor's Secretary represented the Mayor's dignity. Killing the Mayor's Secretary was tantamount to slapping the Mayor in the face. He was very curious about how the Gotham underworld dealt with such matters.

"The Mayor? The Mayor is my man." Falcone's smile grew even brighter. "Come out, Mr. Mayor, and meet our guest."

As Falcone finished speaking, the Mayor of Gotham City pushed open the door and bowed to Falcone.

"Boss."

Then he turned to Li Wei, "Dean Li Wei, hello. I apologize for the trouble my former secretary caused you."

Li Wei: …

Truly worthy of Gotham!

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Falcone waved his hand to dismiss the Mayor.

"You can go, Mr. Mayor."

"Yes, Boss."

He's truly summoned and dismissed at will!

Li Wei: I think you shouldn't be called Falcone, you should be called Falcon-outlaw!

After dismissing the Mayor, Falcone turned to Li Wei and explained.

"Although the Mayor is my man, the Mayor's Secretary is not. And the reason the Maroni Family was able to monopolize the prison's mental treatment business was due to necessary exchanges of benefits. The Falcone Family is not friends with the Maroni Family."

"Mr. Falcone, what do you mean by telling me this?" Li Wei spread his hands. "I'm not interested in your gang affairs, nor do I have the ability to interfere."

"It's nothing, I just don't want the Maroni Family to affect our budding friendship." Falcone said with a smile, completely lacking the demeanor of an underworld boss.

"We are not friends, Mr. Falcone," Li Wei said helplessly.

He now had a rough idea of why Falcone had sought him out.

Clearly, this wasn't ordinary trouble.

"But I think we can become friends." Falcone said, taking out a check from his pocket and placing it on the coffee table between them. "This is my third welcoming gift. Five million US dollars is my support for Arkham Asylum's medical endeavors, and this is just my first charitable donation."

Li Wei: !!!

"Mr. Falcone, we are friends now!"

Li Wei's face broke into a wide smile. He stood up and extended his hand to Falcone.

Who could refuse a friend who offers more money?

"It's my honor to be your friend, Dean Li Wei." Falcone also stood up from the sofa and shook Li Wei's hand.

After receiving the money, Falcone did not take the opportunity to make any requests.

This surprised Li Wei. Based on Falcone's previous behavior, Li Wei had expected him to ask for help in eliminating the Maroni Family boss…

Seeing that the matter was nearing its end, Li Wei realized that lingering here and playing word games with Falcone would yield no further benefits. He immediately stated his intention to leave.

Falcone did not try to keep Li Wei. He even offered to have Fish escort him back, but Li Wei refused.

Having no other choice, Falcone personally escorted Li Wei to the entrance of the nightclub, drawing the attention of many patrons.

Li Wei hailed a taxi. Before getting in, he paused, then turned to look at Cobblepot, who had been largely unnoticed.

He leaned in and whispered so only the two of them could hear, "Cobblepot, I have high hopes for you. I think you have great potential to be a boss. If you ever need help, you can find me at Arkham Asylum."

With that, he left a stunned Cobblepot behind and got into the taxi without looking back.

Compared to the madness of many Gotham villains, only Cobblepot was genuinely focused on building his empire, making him the most pragmatic mob boss!

Furthermore, compared to other mob bosses, Penguin was considered loyal and righteous.

As the saying goes, it's all about the company you keep.

The driver, under the watchful eyes of the mob members and bosses, nervously started the car, not even daring to step on the accelerator too hard.

It was as if any slight exertion would result in him being riddled with bullets.

Thus, in front of the bar, Falcone and his men watched until the taxi carrying Li Wei completely disappeared from view.

As both parties vanished from each other's sight, Both men, in their hearts, gave the most fitting evaluation.

"Old fox!"

"Little fox!"

Chapter Seventeen: I, Li Wei, Am Pure of Heart

Li Wei calling Falcone an old fox was by no means an exaggeration.

From the very beginning, when he had Fish bring Cobblepot to find the asylum, Falcone's overt scheme began.

Upon their first meeting, he immediately presented Li Wei with a gift he couldn't refuse, inviting him to the nightclub.

After arriving at the nightclub, the second gift was delivered promptly.

Li Wei was made to personally witness the Mayor's Secretary, who had previously given him trouble, being turned into dissection material by Victor.

This served to both repay a favor and conveniently distance themselves.

At the same time, it allowed Li Wei to see the Falcone family's intelligence capabilities.

As for the final gift.

Five million US dollars, simply to make a friend.

Even Mr. Luo, famous in his past life for "making friends," probably didn't have such audacity.

Three gifts, yet no demands were made.

As the saying goes, you can't hit someone with a smile; it left him completely unsure how to refuse.

A naked, overt scheme.

But anyone who thought Falcone was a good person or was doing charity would be utterly foolish!

Li Wei was merely pure-hearted, not stupid.

As an established overlord of Gotham's underworld, he was no simple character, and every action he took held deep meaning.

From the very start, informing Li Wei that Sal Marroni, the boss of the Marroni Family, was not dead, Falcone might have harbored intentions of using Li Wei to kill him. Only when Li Wei didn't take the bait did he switch tactics.

Furthermore, personally escorting him out of the nightclub wasn't just to show how much he valued Li Wei; Falcone deliberately made sure passing patrons saw the scene.

Li Wei believed that before tomorrow, perhaps even before dawn, this scene would spread throughout Gotham's underworld.

Everyone would know that Li Wei, the Warden of Arkham Asylum, was on very close personal terms with Falcone.

This might cause some trouble.

And most importantly, don't think that the five million dollar "friendship fee" was easy to accept. If, one day, Falcone could prove that Li Wei had no connection to Khada Jhin, then everything he took today would have to be repaid twofold!

However, Li Wei had no worries about this point.

He was Khada Jhin, but without proof, he would never admit it.

As far as Li Wei was concerned, no matter what schemes they were hatching, if there were benefits to be had, not taking them would make him a scoundrel. As for being asked to do favors after accepting benefits?

He was very sorry, but his abilities were limited.

As for Penguin Cobblepot, Li Wei had other plans.

As Li Wei rushed back to the asylum, Falcone also returned to the nightclub's private room with his men.

"You're Cobblepot, right?" Falcone personally poured two glasses of whiskey, placed them on the coffee table, and looked at Cobblepot with a kind smile. "Young man, what did Li Wei say to you just now?"

Cobblepot's heart stirred. He quickly put on an expression of flattered surprise and stepped forward to respectfully pick up his glass.

After drinking the whiskey, Cobblepot finally spoke.

"Li Wei just said he doesn't really like Mommy Fish..."

Mommy Fish was a nickname for Fish in the underworld.

Cobblepot had originally intended to tell the truth. He couldn't understand Li Wei at all and inexplicably felt he was extremely dangerous. But the words that came out of his mouth turned into something else entirely.

Fish didn't suspect her umbrella-holding subordinate. A mocking smile played on her lips. "He dislikes me? Many people dislike me, and I'm still living just fine..."

Falcone waved a hand at Fish, and she fell silent.

"Alright, Fish, you two can go back first. I want to rest for a while. Victor, you stay."

With that, the day's events were brought to a close.

Cobblepot's eyes flickered for a moment, unnoticed, as he looked at Falcone, who exuded the authority of a superior. However, after just a brief moment, his gaze returned to one of fear and subservience.

Only Li Wei's parting words, like a devil's whisper, echoed incessantly in his ears.

"I have high hopes for you. I think you have great potential to be a boss..."

After Fish left the private room with Cobblepot, only Victor and Falcone remained.

After a moment of silence, Falcone leaned back against the sofa, massaging his temples.

"Victor, what do you think of today's events?"

Victor stood behind the sofa, his expression still blank.

"Boss, I don't have any particular thoughts, but I can sense that Li Wei is a dangerous individual."

Falcone didn't mind Victor's meaningless reply; he didn't need an answer, just a listener.

"Victor, you're the only one I can trust. That Li Wei fellow is difficult to deal with. Even if he has no connection to Khada Jhin, he's hard to handle on his own..."

"Didn't Fish say that Li Wei might have some special connection to Khada Jhin?" Victor asked, confused. "Can't his identity be confirmed yet?"

"That's only an eighty percent certainty. We can't afford to gamble," Falcone sighed softly. "The Marroni Family is a lesson learned. I'm old now, I can't fight anymore, and I don't want to be overly stressed."

Victor remained noncommittal about his earlier statement, but he strongly agreed with Falcone's latter remarks.

Falcone was indeed getting old, his fighting spirit gradually fading.

If Falcone were young, facing provocations from the Maroni Family, who were just a small gang back then, they would never have seen the next day's sun.

Now, the Maroni Family had grown to a point in Gotham's underworld where they could rival Falcone.

"Boss, you not only helped Li Wei secure the prison's mental treatment cooperation, but you also gave him five million dollars..." Victor sounded confused. "Anyway, as long as we don't provoke him, he has no grudge against us, and Khada Jhin shouldn't come looking for trouble with us. There's no need to pay such a high price."

Although everyone had different opinions about Khada Jhin, at least one thing was universally acknowledged.

That was Khada Jhin's combat power, which was definitely not something ordinary people could resist!

Even Victor, Falcone's bodyguard and top assassin, had to admit this.

"Victor, you said 'possibly'..." Falcone sounded helpless.

Victor was good at everything: strong combat ability, loyalty, and he was young...

But his way of thinking was always unsuitable for someone in power. He always seemed a bit dim, otherwise, Falcone really would have wanted Victor to be his successor.

"By helping him secure the mental treatment cooperation business and giving him five million in sponsorship, I'm buying a possibility. What if he really has a connection with Khada Jhin?"

"Li Wei would have Khada Jhin help us strike the Maroni Family?" Victor scratched his head.

He felt that all these twists and turns were too complicated and he couldn't understand them at all. It would be more satisfying to just shoot them directly.

Yet, Mr. Falcone always loved to talk about these things with him!