I Create the League of Heroes in Gotham

Logically, Li Wei showing up here and coincidentally running into me meant I had to silence him to protect the plan I'd arranged with Mr. Falcone.

I couldn't let any acquaintances see me right now; the plan had to proceed in secret.

But killing Li Wei?

The moment the thought crossed Cobblepot's mind, he shut it down.

Cobblepot couldn't afford to gamble right now on whether Li Wei was connected to Ka-El.

Besides, he always felt Li Wei was mysterious, that what he showed was far from all he was capable of. It was an inexplicable sixth sense.

Just like how he'd kept quiet about what Li Wei had whispered in his ear before.

"Me? I just came here for a stroll and happened to bump into you," Li Wei said, spreading his hands. "Cobblepot, you look like you're in a bad way. Need some help?"

Cobblepot swallowed hard. Even with the knife in his hand, it offered him no sense of security.

"Why?"

"I told you, I think very highly of you," Li Wei smiled. His past words echoed in Cobblepot's ears like a devil's whisper. "I think you have the talent to be Gotham's underground overlord. You're not lacking anything compared to others..."

Cobblepot felt as if he'd been struck by lightning.

His secret plan with Falcone was a desperate bid for survival. He couldn't help but recall Fish's words before she'd tried to kill him.

'Falcone is old and useless. Someone has to take over, so why not me...'

If Fish could do it, why couldn't he?

Wasn't the war about to begin? This was the perfect opportunity!

A smile finally appeared on Cobblepot's face.

"Oh, my friend!" Cobblepot looked at Li Wei. "I trust you. You won't say anything about seeing me here today, will you?"

"Of course," Li Wei replied with a smile, knowing Cobblepot had made up his mind. "If you need help, you can find me at Arkham Asylum."

"Of course, I will, if I really need to," Cobblepot said with a smile as he walked ashore. "I have to go now, friend."

For Cobblepot, while Li Wei's words had made him realize what he needed to do, he felt it was best not to get involved with Li Wei. He couldn't understand him.

He would act as if they had never met today.

Unfortunately, not everything in the world always goes according to people's wishes...

Cobblepot walked step by step in the direction the sun was rising.

Though his gait was a limp, comically resembling a penguin.

But his shadow stretched longer and longer, like a mountain steadily rising.

Li Wei watched with satisfaction as Cobblepot disappeared from his sight.

His objective had been achieved.

As for Cobblepot's opinion of him?

That didn't matter.

No matter how Cobblepot saw him, it wouldn't affect his interests, just as Cobblepot would never become a good person, no matter what.

Gotham City was becoming the city he wanted it to be.

Thinking of this, Li Wei suddenly let out a wry laugh. What was the difference between him and the Court of Owls?

Perhaps the only difference was that he had the ability to control his own destiny, while the nobles of the Court of Owls did not...

This was Gotham City. Here, the weak were trampled by the strong.

Over the next few days.

Li Wei finally bid farewell to the creaky, old, worn-out bed.

He had to admit, a bed that cost a hundred thousand dollars was indeed comfortable. Li Wei slept until well past sunrise every day.

Arkham Asylum remained uneventful, as peaceful as a retirement home.

Gordon and Harvey hadn't come, the mob hadn't come, not even patients had come.

Because they had just signed a medical services contract with City Hall, no patients were being admitted for the time being.

If not for the constantly decreasing number of test subjects in the asylum wards and Dr. Hugo's continuous failed experiments, everything would have seemed peaceful and quiet.

Now, Dr. Hugo had gradually changed his experimental approach.

He had added a new main ingredient to his experimental materials: the mysterious green liquid from the container behind Singed.

Unfortunately, it seemed as if some crucial material was missing, and the final experimental steps kept failing.

Dr. Hugo didn't care about these test subjects, and neither did Li Wei.

These were all addicts, habitual thieves, or gang members who had somehow offended Dr. Hugo that he had rounded up from the streets...

They couldn't even be called villains; at best, they were just small-time thugs.

Naturally, they weren't qualified to be carriers of the Hero Template.

Outside Arkham Asylum, however, the atmosphere was the complete opposite of the interior.

Crime is skyrocketing, and Gotham TV reports on various criminal cases happening in Gotham every day.

From petty street robberies to gang wars, and even murder.

Even Li Wei, a law-abiding citizen, could sense the brewing storm hanging over Gotham.

Perhaps because of the precedent set by "Katarina the Caster," the murders reported in the news were also quite peculiar.

The murderer was dubbed "Balloon Man" by the media and the public of Gotham. His method was to tie his victims to balloons and let them ascend to high altitudes to freeze to death. Only when the balloon deflated and could no longer support the corpse's weight would the body fall from the sky, where it would be discovered.

Unlike other murderers, this Balloon Man received significant support and sympathy from the citizens in the lower strata of society. ...

This was because his victims included businessmen who profited from Ponzi schemes, ostentatious crooked cops, and priests who enjoyed sexual abuse...

This forced the Gotham police to repeatedly issue statements, declaring that vigilante justice was illegal and would be punished by law.

Unfortunately, everyone knew that statement was useless. With Katarina the Caster and Balloon Man setting the example, once the floodgates of the law were opened, they would be like a dam bursting, with no possibility of being closed.

Moreover, the Gotham Police Department's long-standing negative reputation was not something Gordon could turn around in a short period.

It's worth mentioning that in recent media reports, the partnership of Gordon and Harvey has been shining, with them finding clues to all major cases, including the Balloon Man murders.

They were hailed as Gotham's detectives by the media.

On television, Gordon also declared to the media that their next step would be to crack down on the mob and stop more criminal activity.

"The police force is a bit too powerful now, it will disrupt the balance of power..." Li Wei murmured while watching TV. "Cobblepot's development still needs time..."

An idea formed in Li Wei's mind.

When the forces of order become too strong, one must strengthen the forces of chaos.

Support, or rather, create a new villain.

To replace the Falcone Family and Maroni Family, who were currently fighting each other, and thus counterbalance the increasingly famous duo of Gordon and Harvey.

A Gotham where the forces of black and white maintained a relative balance was in his best interest.

Any party gaining absolute advantage would lead to a decrease in Li Wei's Soul Essence income.

In recent days, his "passive income" of Soul Essence had already begun to show a downward trend. In nearly half a month, Li Wei's Soul Essence income combined only barely exceeded the 1300 mark.

Soul Essence Balance: 1358 points.

At this price point, there were quite a few Hero Templates to choose from, but Li Wei was troubled about which one to select.

He didn't have a particularly suitable host at the moment, and insufficient compatibility would affect the strength of the Hero Template.

Just then, Dr. Hugo, who hadn't been seen for several days, suddenly pushed the door open, interrupting Li Wei's thoughts.

His face was filled with unconcealed excitement and fanaticism, and he held a green glass bottle in his hand.

"Warden, I've found the material to synthesize the Rage Potion..."

"New material? What material?"

Li Wei's interest was piqued.

Although he couldn't help much with Dr. Hugo's research, he had always supported it.

Dr. Hugo was his logistical support in research and development.

The werewolf experiment could directly become the host for the Hero Template of Warwick the Madman of Zaun!

He knew that Dr. Hugo's experiments had been trying many materials recently, almost everything imaginable, but had been failing continuously.

Why had he suddenly found the correct answer today?

"It's this!" Dr. Hugo shook the green glass vial in his hand. "This potion can be used to synthesize the Rage Potion."

Li Wei took the test tube from Dr. Hugo. The green liquid inside was slightly viscous and swayed gently with his movements.

Although the liquid in the test tube had a similar color to the liquid in Singed's back canister, Li Wei carefully observed and found subtle differences between the two liquids.

The green liquid brought out by Dr. Hugo seemed to vaporize more easily, and its color was slightly deeper, close to dark green.

"Where did this come from?" Li Wei held the glass test tube very cautiously, not opening it.

Even though he had a Hero Template, which was enough for Li Wei to handle most dangers.

But this was Gotham City, the most dangerous place in the DC Universe. Who knew what strange things the talents here could concoct!

The probability of Li Wei being killed by toxic substances was very low, but not zero.

"I collected this from Gotham's black market. Someone is currently distributing this super-powered potion for free in Gotham's underworld..."

Li Wei accurately caught the key information in Dr. Hugo's words.

"You mean... a super-powered potion?" Li Wei's brow furrowed slightly.

There were indeed many extraordinary powers in the DC Universe, like Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash... but there was no reason for them to appear in Gotham.

"Yes, this potion is called Viper Potion. It's being distributed for free as a drug to addicts and vagrants. Everyone who takes this Viper Potion becomes incredibly strong, accompanied by intense aggression and a desire to destroy. I've already verified it."

Li Wei had no reason to doubt Dr. Hugo's verification results.

But Li Wei knew that such power coming so easily must come with a corresponding price.

"What are the side effects?"

"Like a beast, endless! If the potion and nutrients aren't replenished in time, the consumer will die a gruesome death."

As he spoke, Dr. Hugo's expression was a mix of excited fervor and lingering dread.

Even he, after personally witnessing the transformation of a living person who had consumed the Viper Potion, found it shocking.

A tiny vial of potion had turned a living human into a pure beast.

Combining humans and animals to create biological weapons, while retaining humanity and one's own consciousness.

But after consuming the Viper Potion, let alone consciousness, even the most basic humanity was lost!

They transformed into a beast wearing a human's skin, with only the instincts of eating and hunting left!

While Li Wei was surprised by the efficacy of the Viper Potion, he wasn't too shocked considering this was Gotham.

Anything could happen in Gotham, after all.

He was more concerned about Dr. Hugo's progress with the Rage Potion and the werewolf experiments.

Perhaps he could decide on the next hero candidate.

"Since this stuff can synthesize the Rage Potion, why are you looking for me?" Li Wei shrugged. "What do you need my help with?"

Dr. Hugo nodded.

"That's right, Warden, the Viper Potion can indeed synthesize the Rage Potion, but only after it's highly concentrated. What I have on hand isn't enough. I need more Viper Potion."