I Create the League of Heroes in Gotham

But now, everything belonged to Li Wei, including the dire financial situation.

Dr. Hugo might be a genius in biological research and human modification, but when it came to management, he was an absolute fool!

Excluding the land value of the asylum itself and fixed assets like its equipment.

The asylum's liquid capital was practically zero!

Who knew how Dr. Hugo managed to run such a famous asylum into the ground!

Based on the current situation, it could probably only last another half a month. If no new funds came in, Arkham Hospital would face bankruptcy.

Gotham City might have a simple populace, but it was also rife with corruption, violence, and destruction. However, at least the facade was always maintained.

The city hall would take over poorly managed medical institutions to ensure the medical needs of Gotham's citizens were met.

In reality, Indian Hill Hospital had a lot of extremely rare, high-end experimental equipment. Just one piece thrown onto the black market could solve Li Wei's current predicament, and then some.

But Li Wei had no intention of doing that.

He had other plans for Indian Hill Hospital, just like he did for Dr. Hugo.

As for the true mastermind behind Dr. Hugo—the Court of Owls—Li Wei had no intention of falling out with them for now. In his plan, they would still provide considerable value.

Li Wei never trusted Dr. Hugo's loyalty.

The original plot had already proven he was a two-faced, opportunistic weasel.

Li Wei wanted absolute loyalty.

But killing him would be too wasteful. Dr. Hugo was known as Gotham's villain resurrection point, and his biological modification technology was outstanding.

It would be better to transform him into a vessel for a Hero Template!

Alchemist Singed!

This would guarantee Dr. Hugo's absolute loyalty, allow him to be utilized, and also maximize Indian Hill Hospital's value!

It was perfect!

However, Li Wei currently lacked sufficient soul reserves. He had checked, and the Alchemist template required 1350 points of Soul Essence.

As of now, Li Wei's Soul Essence reserves had just barely surpassed the 500 mark.

These over 500 points of Soul Essence didn't just come from the sea of bloody flowers at Indian Hill Hospital; they also came from people who had died in Gotham City during this period.

The collection range for Soul Essence, besides targets killed by Hero Templates, encompassed the entire Gotham City.

[Pausing Khada Jhin Trial Card]

[Remaining Time: 23:30]

Walking back to the top-floor Warden's office, Li Wei's plan gradually solidified, drawing on memories from his past life.

In truth, if Li Wei really needed money, he had many options.

For example, robbing a bank. With the Khada Jhin trial card, he wouldn't have to worry about getting caught by the police.

But that didn't align with his goal of maximizing profits.

Ultimately, Li Wei chose the "Reboot Arkham" plan.

Arkham Asylum was originally built to house and treat criminals suffering from mental illnesses.

However, due to subsequent events and conflicts of interest, it was abandoned by city hall, which opted for another hospital in Gotham City.

If he could reboot Arkham Asylum and monopolize this business, the city hall would allocate a huge subsidy fee annually.

Gotham City certainly didn't lack for lunatics and criminals.

Arkham Asylum would be the final destination for all of Gotham's villains.

For Li Wei, besides gaining a cash cow, he would also acquire countless vessels for Hero Templates.

He eagerly anticipated the sparks that would fly between Hero Templates and characters from the DC universe.

The Joker and Fiddlesticks, Scarecrow and Fiddlesticks...

Most importantly, compared to robbing banks, this method was far more sustainable.

It was truly killing multiple birds with one stone!

The plan was perfect, but Li Wei had to face another problem.

That was, how could he reclaim this business from the current mental health treatment hospital?

After all, this subsidy from Gotham City was a massive cake, and many people had their eyes on it.

And he had no connections with the Gotham City Hall or the mayor.

After careful consideration, Li Wei finally decided that he would go to City Hall first thing tomorrow morning to have a good chat with the mayor.

If the mayor agreed, everyone would be happy.

If he didn't agree, Li Wei would find his own way to make him agree.

As a five-star good citizen of Gotham, he had to contribute to a better tomorrow for Gotham, didn't he?

If Li Wei remembered correctly, the current mental health treatment institution likely had some ties to organized crime.

The Khada Jhin trial card mission isn't finished yet...

Chapter 4: Opening Ceremony

After sleeping for a night in his dilapidated office, Li Wei's resolve to restart Arkham grew even stronger.

Who would have thought that the lounge in the Warden's office would have no beautiful professional secretary, no comfortable chairs, but only a worn-out small bed!

Not only did it make Li Wei stiff all over, but lying on it, any slight turn would make it creak incessantly.

This night was simply torture!

Li Wei swore that as soon as he got the subsidy from City Hall, the first thing he would do was buy himself a soft Simmons mattress!

Li Wei put on his only suit and left the asylum, heading straight for Gotham City Hall.

At this time, a long queue had already formed in front of City Hall, filled with Gotham citizens coming to handle various affairs.

Their glamorous and elegant attire formed a stark contrast with the disheveled vagrants huddled in the alley corners across the street.

Separated by just a road, one side was bustling with activity and smiles, while the other was wretched and gaunt.

Li Wei, standing in the crowd, watched this dramatic scene unfold. He smiled and nodded to those around him, taking a deep breath of the air that faintly carried a scent of blood.

This was Gotham!

A place where the strong preyed on the weak!

This was also the starting point for his rise!

He loved it here!

There was only one fundamental reason why people hated the privileged class: they themselves were not part of the privileged class.

Although Li Wei himself was not yet part of the privileged class, he soon would be...

City Hall opened on time, and people entered in order according to their queue number.

It was orderly, which was not like Gotham at all.

Li Wei went directly to the Mayor's office.

A middle-aged man with a receding hairline blocked his path.

"Name? What business do you have?"

"Li Wei, Warden of Arkham Asylum. I have urgent matters to discuss with the Mayor."

Upon hearing Li Wei's reply, the middle-aged man's expression returned to its usual lazy state.

"Mm, I'm the Mayor's secretary. You need an appointment to see the Mayor. Do you have one?"

"No," Li Wei shook his head and repeated, "I want to restart Arkham's medical services for mentally ill criminals. This is very important."

"Then..." The secretary smiled at Li Wei, subtly rubbing his fingertips together.

Li Wei: ...

Li Wei naturally understood what the secretary meant; he was looking for some "sincerity."

But the problem was, if he had "sincerity," why would he even bother coming to see some damn Mayor?

Li Wei could only spread his hands, indicating he had no money.

The secretary scrutinized Li Wei from head to toe, then unashamedly revealed a look of disdain.

"Alright, no problem. I'll relay your request for an appointment to the Mayor, but I'm sorry, the Mayor is busy today. If he has time, I'll call you."

This kind of person, the middle-aged man had seen many times. No money, yet wanted to see the Mayor?

Basically, everyone who came to curry favor said the same thing, claiming their business was important. But how could it be more important than their own money-making?

Besides, if it were truly important, the Mayor would have come out to greet them personally. The secretary thought carefully about the influential figures in Gotham that the Mayor would value, and the person before him certainly wasn't one of them.

As for Arkham Asylum and treating the mental illnesses of criminals?

That was the Maroni Family's business. This man actually wanted to snatch this business from the Maroni Family?

He was simply courting death!

Li Wei said nothing more, merely giving the secretary a deep look before turning and leaving City Hall.

From behind, he vaguely heard the Mayor's secretary's sneer, "Heh, a nobody trying to see the Mayor..."

No world lacks people who use their minimal power to make things difficult for others to the greatest extent.

In that case, he would have to find his own way to achieve his goal!

Li Wei walked out of City Hall. The sunlight briefly dispelled the dark clouds, and the strong light made him squint.

The next moment, another, larger cloud drifted over, blocking the dazzling light.

Li Wei had already prepared himself for this situation.

If everything went smoothly, this wouldn't be Gotham, but Paradise Island.

According to the memories Li Wei had inherited, the institution currently monopolizing the mental criminal medical services at City Hall belonged to the Maroni Family.

The Maroni Family was one of the top criminal families that had risen in Gotham's underworld in recent years.

Under rapid expansion, they were on par with the old established crime family, the Falcone Family.

The two crime families split Gotham's underworld in two, with all of Gotham's gangs under their control, their influence reaching deep into politics and business.

Since he, a "nobody," couldn't attract attention, he would announce Arkham Asylum's return to Gotham with a grand performance!

The Maroni Family would become the perfect stage!

Khada Jhin would present Gotham with a unique and breathtaking performance!

Although the Maroni Family's location wasn't a secret in Gotham, Li Wei didn't go directly to their doorstep.

A grand performance needed a warm-up.

Let the Maroni Family's psychiatric hospital be the opening act for this performance!

Leaving City Hall, Li Wei casually hailed a taxi by the roadside.

"To Scott Asylum."

Scott Asylum was a medical institution affiliated with the Maroni Family.

Upon hearing the destination, the taxi driver's expression turned nervous. Just as he was about to refuse, he glanced at Li Wei in the back seat through the rearview mirror and swallowed the words he was about to say.

There was no other way; Li Wei, dressed in a suit and tie, looked no different from the big shots in his eyes.

Although Gotham was full of villains, in reality, before nightfall, it still wore a fig leaf. Most people active on the streets were still ordinary citizens.