Endless Restraint...
These abilities, combined with the Hunting Instinct inherited from Warwick, had completely turned Stan into a Lethal Beast!
Pure Wolf Nature!
"Alright, Stan. I believe you've accepted the changes in your body..." Li Wei said, pulling Stan back to his senses with a smile. "Want to test out your newly acquired strength?"
Stan fell silent for a long while before nodding.
It would be a lie to say he didn't want to, but... what would his target be?
Although he had accepted that he had become a Lethal Beast, he still could not bring himself to harm innocent people.
"Then go. Remember to come back before dawn. I think the criminals wandering through the alleys will be enough to satisfy your craving for blood!"
Never expect Gotham's nights to be peaceful, even if Stan had brutally slaughtered two teams from the Maroni Family and the Falcone Family not long ago.
Whether in the past, present, or future, Gotham's nights would always be filled with every kind of crime.
That was Gotham!
Stan's eyes lit up!
If his prey were criminals with blood on their hands, then he had no objections!
"Alright!"
Watching Stan enter the elevator, Li Wei did not follow him this time.
He had long since fully mastered Warwick's abilities. He also knew that Stan, after merging with Warwick's Hero Template, would not completely lose control.
Naturally, there was no need for him to follow.
Besides, just as Dr. Hugo could revert to human form after merging with Singed's template, Stan could now transform back whenever he wished—able to attack or defend as needed.
He turned his head, surveying the mess in the laboratory before glancing at Dr. Hugo beside him.
"Ahem, Dr. Hugo, remember to clean this place up. I'm going upstairs to sleep..." Li Wei whistled as he casually left the laboratory, tossing out a light remark before he went.
Dr. Hugo: ...Didn't you feel guilty? Didn't you feel even a little ashamed?
Of course, Li Wei could swear that he absolutely was not exploiting Dr. Hugo. The laboratory was his territory, so he should handle his own business!
At the same time, on the streets of Arkham District.
Because of the disappearance of those two teams, both Maroni and Falcone had sent out another team to search for them.
By sheer coincidence, the two search parties ran into each other on the streets once again.
Just as both sides began fighting, the exact same scene from before replayed itself.
Perhaps the only difference was that this time, no wolf howl rang through the night sky.
"I can smell you..."
On the dark street, a pair of scarlet eyes slowly emerged...
The First Employee
That night, both the Maroni Family and the Falcone Family suffered devastating losses.
The search parties sent out because of the missing men alone lost no fewer than a hundred people!
It was only after Maroni and Falcone gradually realized something was wrong that they stopped sending more people out and pulled their men back, preventing even greater losses!
At first, both sides believed their men had fallen into the other side's ambush and vanished without a trace.
After all, throughout Gotham, the only forces capable of contending with them were each other.
But when dawn came and people discovered severed limbs and mangled remains scattered through the streets and alleys, both sides finally realized something was off!
All the missing men had died together, and every one of them had suffered horrific deaths. Analysis of the wounds showed that they had been killed by a large beast!
The wounds suggested there was an eighty percent chance it had been a wolf!
This discovery left both Maroni and Falcone staring at each other in disbelief.
They knew Gotham at night was chaotic and dangerous, but since when had wolves appeared in Gotham City?
And besides...
What kind of wolf could kill two fully armed teams of gangsters?
These dead men were all highly skilled fighters. Not to mention the various illegal firearms they carried, even barehanded, they should not have been silently wiped out by a beast's jaws!
It made no sense. Absolutely no sense!
Perhaps a deadly enemy was watching them from the shadows, waiting for a chance to tear them apart!
This unexpected development cast a dark shadow over the two gang bosses' hearts.
They did not know who their opponent was, nor did they know who the killer was. They knew even less why the other party had done this. Everything was unknown!
Although both men wanted to restrain their subordinates for the moment and pull back their lines to avoid further losses,
their enormous organizations also carried enormous inertia. The two crime families were now like cars speeding down a highway—there was no way they could stop in a short time.
If they forcibly hit the brakes, perhaps no one else would even need to act. Their own massive inertia would be enough to tear them apart!
There was no choice. The only solution now was to step on the gas and crash into the other side at even greater speed!
Only when one side remained could they turn their guns around and concentrate their firepower on the enemy lurking in the shadows.
Thus, the two gang bosses tacitly made the same decision...
The struggle in the underworld would become even fiercer!
The final battle was coming!
At the same time, an urban legend inexplicably began spreading through Gotham's underworld.
A Lethal Beast hidden in the darkness had appeared in Gotham City at night, specializing in hunting gang members. The beast would brutally tear its targets apart, and none of the firearms they had once relied upon could save their lives.
Human fear came from the unknown.
For a time, panic swept through Gotham's entire underworld.
Meanwhile, Stan, Gotham's newest urban legend, faced a new test...
"Stan, this is the list of damages you caused yesterday. Take a look and see whether you have any objections." Li Wei smiled as he handed Stan a stack of papers.
Stan accepted the list and carefully read through it.
But as he examined it, Stan's expression grew increasingly ugly.
Oh, God!
There were far too many things on this list!
A metal laboratory table was worth nearly a hundred thousand dollars? Was the table made of gold?
And!
There was also an entire cabinet of blood he had drunk yesterday. Elephant, tiger, and lion blood was one thing, but what the hell was jellyfish blood?
Did jellyfish even have blood?
Stan wanted to argue against this absurd list, but the moment he opened his mouth, the words would not come out.
He had no evidence.
Director Li Wei probably wasn't trying to swindle him. He must have remembered it wrong...
After all, Director Li Wei had revived him. How could he doubt such a good man's character over such a small amount of compensation?
I'm terrible!
After realizing this, Stan nearly wanted to slap himself a few times!
"Director Li Wei, I have no objections." Stan awkwardly placed the list back on the desk, his face full of bitterness. "But I truly can't afford this much compensation right now. You know my situation..."
Stan had previously only been a researcher at Weizhan Pharmaceuticals. He was not poor, but neither was he wealthy.
He had never had much savings to begin with, and most of them had gone toward repaying his mortgage from Wayne Bank.
Not only did he have no savings, but even if he had enough, he could not use them now.
Outside the asylum, the identity of Stan Topolsky was now that of a dead man. He had no heirs, so his few remaining assets had naturally gone to his creditor, Wayne Bank.
"I know, Stan." Li Wei continued smiling. "So, I prepared an employment contract for you. Your monthly salary will be fifty thousand dollars. Forty-five thousand of it will go toward repaying the damages listed here, while you'll keep five thousand dollars for living expenses..."
Naturally, Stan had no objections.
A monthly salary of fifty thousand dollars was already far more than twice what he had earned at Weizhan Pharmaceuticals.
Although he would only actually receive five thousand dollars each month...
"Alright, I have no further issues, Director Li Wei." Stan signed his name on the contract.
Only then did Li Wei put the contract away in satisfaction. "Good. Since that's settled, Stan, you're officially employed. The first thing you need to do is familiarize yourself with the hospital. Normally, you'll be responsible for the hospital's miscellaneous work..."
Stan nodded and turned to leave the office.
Although having a Doctor of Chemistry handle miscellaneous work seemed like a waste of his talents, Stan had no complaints. After all, he was alive, wasn't he?
And he had gained strength he had never imagined possessing before, allowing him to do the things he wanted to do.
He needed to adapt to his new life and new identity as quickly as possible.
After Stan left, Dr. Hugo emerged from the washroom with a speechless expression.
"Director, aren't you taking advantage of an honest man?"...
Li Wei had asked him to write up that list that morning.
As for damages?
Although Indian Hill Hospital had been built by Wayne Enterprises, it was not so extravagantly funded that even an ordinary laboratory table would cost a hundred thousand dollars.
It was all made up. Every bit of it!
Li Wei did not get angry at Dr. Hugo's words. He merely shook his head slightly. "Dr. Hugo, you don't understand. Oh, right—use the Court of Owls' channels to get Stan a new identity later..."
Even if he had not paid Stan a single dollar, Stan would have stayed here. Other than Arkham Asylum, he had nowhere else to go.
What Li Wei wanted was legitimacy.
Stan was now Arkham Asylum's first truly hired employee.
And in the future, Arkham Asylum would also have to face the issue of hiring employees.
Everything had to be legal and compliant. Li Wei did not even intend to violate labor laws.
At least on the surface, no one could find any issue that might violate laws or regulations.
Arkham Asylum was gradually stepping onto Gotham's grand stage. It was impossible for no one to ever become suspicious of the asylum, and Gotham had no shortage of smart people!
Li Wei knew that whether he was dealing with Sheriff Gordon or Batman in the future,
even if they suspected something was wrong with Arkham Asylum, there was nothing they could do if they could not find evidence.
As for those villains...
Even if they did not come looking for Li Wei, Li Wei would go looking for them. They were all living template materials!
In Li Wei's view, fighting superheroes for no benefit at all was simply idiotic!
He was not some lunatic like The Joker.
Superheroes had weaknesses that were far too obvious!
Very soon, what happened next proved that Li Wei's foresight had come in handy...
Greater Trouble
Before you continue