Chapter 51: Leslie Thompkins
"No evidence? Then we'll go find some!"
In the end, Gordon could only leave Arkham Asylum with Harvey, full of unwillingness.
He clearly knew there was something wrong here, yet he could not touch them. He could not even search the place. The feeling left Gordon incredibly frustrated.
At least until they found conclusive evidence, they absolutely could not make a move against Arkham Asylum!
Li Wei stood before his office window, watching the classic sedan drive away with a smile on his face.
Go ahead and suspect me. Suspect all you want. If you can find any evidence, I lose!
Gordon might have been known as Gotham's King of Duels, but the overwhelming gap in raw power brought by the Hero Template was not something faith, experience, or any other nonsense could make up for.
Besides, the scapegoat would soon be making an appearance...
Li Wei shook his head, withdrew his attention from Gordon, and habitually swept his gaze across all of Gotham.
"Huh? Interesting!" Li Wei suddenly noticed something else amusing.
Or rather, an event that could be called a milestone for Gotham, even the DC Universe!
The Batman training plan was finally about to begin!
At Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne, who had just gotten even with the classmates who bullied him, sat on the sofa. As he rubbed his bruised fist, he frowned and spoke to Alfred, the butler.
"I liked hurting him."
Alfred put down what he was holding, spread his hands, and comforted Bruce.
"Of course you did. He made you angry. He deserved to get beaten up."
"But... I'm always so angry. What should I do?" Bruce Wayne's eyes were filled with confusion.
Now, Bruce Wayne was not the only one confused. Even Alfred was at a loss.
He had never married or had children in his life. This was his first time caring for a child, and faced with Bruce Wayne like this, he had no idea what to do.
"I... don't know either." After a long silence, Alfred finally managed to say that much.
"Alfred, can you teach me how to fight?" Bruce Wayne suddenly looked up at him with anticipation in his eyes.
Alfred fell silent again.
He knew perfectly well that violence was not the right choice, especially for Bruce Wayne.
He wanted to refuse Bruce's request.
But after considering it for a long time, he ultimately agreed.
"Of course, Master Bruce."
Perhaps violence was not the right choice, but for Bruce, violence was the only choice. Only through violence could he protect himself from being bullied...
Li Wei watched the scene and felt somewhat moved.
Alfred probably did not know what kind of monster his decision today would create in the future.
That was right. A monster.
A monster who stood shoulder to shoulder with gods in a mortal body!
Batman possessed no superpowers whatsoever. With nothing but learning and training, his physical abilities and intellect had already reached the limits of humanity. Combined with his nearly deranged willpower and mental endurance, he always had a Plan B.
Perhaps Batman was Gotham's craziest madman!
No one could imagine how terrifying Batman would become if he were given superpowers as well!...
But Li Wei happened to have that ability.
Perhaps someday in the future, when Batman finally reached his peak, Li Wei could help him take one more step forward...
He was already looking forward to that day.
In any case, the DC Universe had long been changed beyond recognition by his intervention. Li Wei did not mind making this world a little more interesting.
But those were matters for the future. The current Bruce Wayne was not even Batman yet, and all his abilities were still painfully immature.
Li Wei withdrew his gaze and turned it toward another target who needed him.
Penguin Cobblepot.
It had to be said, he truly had not misjudged the man.
Without any help from him, Cobblepot had already made a name for himself in Gotham's underworld.
He was steadily climbing toward the position of King of Gotham.
Through betrayal, sowing discord, and other methods, he had accumulated considerable power of his own and had become an influential figure in Gotham's underworld.
From an umbrella-carrying lackey to Boss Cobblepot, he had taken less than a month!
He was like a venomous snake: patient, ruthless, and always waiting for the right moment. Yet he also possessed intelligence and decisiveness!
Fish's death had a tremendous impact on Gotham's underworld.
While everyone else waited to see how Falcone and the Maroni family would respond, Cobblepot was directing his men to swallow up Fish's remaining forces!
That alone put him far ahead of everyone else in Gotham's underworld!
Opportunities always went to those who were prepared.
Cobblepot was clearly one of those people.
Fish's death had allowed Cobblepot to see an opportunity!
As for whether the Maroni and Falcone families would cause trouble for him afterward because of his unauthorized actions?
Cobblepot was not worried at all. He had already made plans. The two mafia families would be driven into an all-out war by his scheme, leaving them with no time to trouble him.
Fish's unexpected death had merely moved his plans ahead of schedule.
The only thing Cobblepot worried about was that mysterious Arkham Asylum and its even more mysterious director, Li Wei...
Meanwhile, Gordon and Harvey were in a car heading out to search for evidence.
Harvey glanced at Gordon from the corner of his eye several times. He seemed to want to say something, but stopped himself each time.
Gordon noticed as well and could only speak helplessly.
"Harvey, if you have something to say, just say it. We're on the same side."
Harvey fell silent for a moment, reorganized his words, then spoke.
"Buddy, why are we targeting Arkham Asylum and Li Wei?" Harvey shrugged. "Forget the fact that there's no evidence right now. Even if Arkham Asylum really is connected to Khada Jhin and the Gotham Beast, they haven't harmed ordinary people. Everyone they've killed so far has been a gang member."
Harvey could not really be blamed for complaining.
Evidence directly proving that Arkham Asylum was connected to Khada Jhin and the Gotham Beast was simply too difficult to find!
At least so far, they had searched through many channels and found nothing at all.
Besides, in Harvey's view, he and Gordon were completely powerless against mafia organizations like Maroni and Falcone, yet Khada Jhin and the Gotham Beast could make them tremble with fear...
That was not necessarily a bad thing.
Gordon shook his head and looked at the streets rushing past outside the window. His eyes were distant, as though he were recalling someone.
"My father once said that people cannot use unjust means to achieve just ends."
Gordon's words left Harvey speechless.
Yes, the principle was right. But the problem was that this was Gotham!
In Gotham, the system and everything else here meant that Gordon's ideals could only ever remain ideals. They could never be realized completely.
In the end, Harvey could only sigh and say nothing more. Perhaps someday in the future, Gordon would understand these things.
All he could do was continue walking alongside his partner.
They were partners!
Meanwhile, just as Li Wei was enjoying the show,
Stan suddenly knocked on the door to Li Wei's office.
"Director, someone outside is looking for you. She says she wants to apply for a job as a doctor..."
Li Wei withdrew his attention and raised an eyebrow. "Just send her away, Stan. We don't need any doctors right now."
Stan nodded and turned to leave.
But as Stan pushed open the office door, Li Wei inexplicably added another question.
"What's her name?"
"Leslie. She said her name is Leslie Thompkins." Stan answered honestly. "She's quite pretty, too."
The moment he heard that name, Li Wei changed his mind.
"Stan, bring her up to see me."
Chapter 52: Gordon, Your Wife Is Amazing
Leslie Thompkins.
The name might not have sounded special, but in the original DC storyline, she had been one of Gordon's girlfriends.
That was right, one among Gordon's many girlfriends.
Gordon was practically Gotham's human walking cannon!
But none of that was important. What mattered was what Li Wei could do with Leslie!
When Stan pushed open the office door again, a young woman was following behind him.
"Hello, Miss Thompkins." Li Wei wore a warm, amiable smile. "Please, have a seat."
Leslie timidly looked around Li Wei's office. It was clear that she was nervous.
However, Li Wei's warm smile, handsome face, and Stan's kindly appearance eased Leslie's nerves as much as possible.
Only after Leslie sat down did Li Wei nod to Stan.
"All right, Warwick. Go attend to your work first. I'll be conducting the interview now."
With Leslie, an outsider, present, Li Wei naturally could not call Stan by his real name. Fortunately, Stan was not stupid and understood what Li Wei meant.
He nodded, turned, left the office, and closed the door behind him.
Only Li Wei and Leslie remained in the office.
"All right, Miss Thompkins, let's formally begin the interview. I trust you won't mind introducing yourself first..."
To be fair, Li Wei's serious expression really did suit his identity as the director!
The interview process was quite formal as well.
Li Wei had only intended for the interview to be a formality, to make everything look proper, but Leslie...
Li Wei really wanted to say, Gordon, your wife is amazing!
Don't misunderstand. She really was amazing. Leslie's résumé was so impressive that it surprised Li Wei.
Leslie had graduated from Harvard Medical School, the same school Bruce's father, Thomas Wayne, had attended. It was considered the top medical school in the United States.
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