Leslie had just returned to Gotham City. After learning that Arkham Asylum was a "charitable" medical institution designated by Gotham City Hall to treat criminals, she had come to apply for a job.
As expected, Li Wei kept Leslie on and told her she could start work tomorrow.
However, Li Wei had no intention of getting involved with Leslie. He intended to use her for something!
It was not that Leslie was unattractive. On the contrary, she was beautiful and had a hot figure.
More trustworthy than Gordon's character was this human cannon of Gotham's taste in women.
It was just that Leslie was too "ordinary," completely unworthy of making Li Wei stop in his tracks.
In Li Wei's eyes, Leslie was no different from anyone else. She was merely a tool.
As for her purpose...
Naturally, it was to help Gordon become stronger!
Batman had already begun learning to fight, and the villains of Gotham were gradually being powered up as well. As the representative of the good and orderly faction, Gordon naturally needed a boost to maintain the balance.
Didn't this guy get stronger every time he changed girlfriends?
Sacrifice a girlfriend, gain boundless power...
However, Leslie's arrival reminded Li Wei of something...
Perhaps Arkham Asylum should hire some normal employees besides Hero Template vessels!
Otherwise, it would indeed seem strange for an asylum designated by City Hall to have only a handful of people.
At the very least, aside from Dr. Hugo, the psychologist who spent all day in the underground laboratory, they needed a few regular psychologists to keep up appearances.
Of course, although Li Wei had decided to recruit people, he was not going to accept just anyone.
At the very least, they had to earn his approval!
After Leslie left, Li Wei thought briefly before summoning the asylum's only three people.
Leslie would officially join Arkham Asylum tomorrow, so there were some things he needed to tell them. After all, Leslie was not truly one of them!
The first matter concerned Stan's name.
The others were fine, but Stan was different. Gordon already suspected Stan's identity, so they naturally could not call him by his full name in front of outsiders.
"Starting tomorrow, no one should call Stan by his name in front of others. Call him Warwick instead. Warwick Vander. Does anyone have any objections?"
Li Wei had expected a chorus of agreement, but to his surprise, the only one who objected was honest Stan.
Looking at Stan raising his hand like an elementary school student, Li Wei asked helplessly, "Stan, what are you thinking? Calling you Warwick is only to hide your identity from Leslie."
In truth, Li Wei was quite tolerant toward his own people, especially these hero vessels. Though he could, he did not want to crush their autonomy.
Otherwise, wouldn't spending every day with a group of "machines" be terribly boring?
"Ah, Director..." Stan scratched his scalp. "I don't object. I think that since I have a new life now, I should also adopt a new identity to say goodbye to my old self. Starting today, I want to be called Warwick Vander."
"Ah?" This time, Li Wei was the one left stunned.
He had not expected honest Stan to be so open-minded.
"Fine, then we'll do as Stan... no, Warwick says!" Li Wei naturally would not object. This would make things even more convenient!
With the name issue settled, the next matter was superpowers.
Li Wei placed particular emphasis on this: unless absolutely necessary, they were not to display too many unbelievable abilities in front of Leslie.
Clearly, this rule was aimed at Ian and Dr. Hugo.
As long as Warwick did not transform, he was at most stronger and more energetic than an ordinary person. It was not that unscientific.
"Then how long do we have to keep pretending?" Ian could not help asking. "I still have many experiments to do."
Li Wei frowned.
He could not give even a rough estimate of how long Leslie would stay at Arkham Asylum.
In his plan, Leslie should not leave before Gordon got together with her.
But the next moment, when the corner of Li Wei's eye caught sight of a luxurious Rolls-Royce slowly pulling up outside Arkham Asylum and a familiar figure stepping out of the car...
A smile finally appeared on Li Wei's face.
This was part of the plan!
Next, all he needed to do was get Gordon to Arkham Asylum and have him encounter Leslie!
"Don't worry. The person I've been waiting for is here. I don't think Leslie will stay here much longer."
Li Wei dismissed the three of them and personally went downstairs to the entrance of the asylum.
"Mr. Falcone, long time no see." Li Wei said with a smile. "May I ask what brings you here this time?"
Not only did he have no grudge against this mafia boss, but the man had even donated five million last time.
Naturally, one had to be polite to a god of wealth.
Making money was nothing to be embarrassed about!
"Yes, Director Li Wei, long time no see. I've been busy lately, and only today did I have time to pay you a visit." Falcone's face was equally full of smiles. "I've come to deliver a second donation, and at the same time, I wanted to see whether there was anything at Arkham Asylum that I could help with."
"You know me, Director Li Wei. I am a philanthropist who cares about healthcare."
Victor Zsasz, the bald bodyguard following behind Falcone, could not help rolling his eyes.
Even he could barely stand his boss's nonsense. No matter how one looked at it, the word "charity" had nothing to do with the name Falcone.
But what left Victor dumbfounded was that Li Wei actually nodded in deep agreement, telling blatant lies with his eyes wide open.
"That's right, I know. Mr. Falcone is a famous philanthropist in Gotham City. Thank you for your donation, Mr. Falcone. As it happens, I do have something I need your help with. Shall we discuss it in my office?"
"Certainly, it would be my honor!" Falcone nodded, also telling blatant lies with his eyes wide open.
Thus, amid Li Wei and Falcone's fake smiles and Victor's blank stare, the three slowly walked up the stairs.
Li Wei knew why Falcone had suddenly come, and Falcone knew why Li Wei was being so courteous. Both men had their own ulterior motives.
Li Wei's "enhancement plan" for Gordon had finally filled in its last missing piece. If he wanted to be a hero, how could he avoid a few twists and turns...
Let Me Have a Look
Why had Falcone come to visit Li Wei so suddenly?
Anyone could figure it out without thinking—it had to be because of Fish.
If the Gotham City Police Department could investigate it, then Falcone naturally could as well!
Gordon at least needed concrete evidence. Otherwise, Li Wei could only be his personal suspect, not even a criminal suspect.
But unlike Gordon, Falcone did not need evidence.
All signs indicated that Fish's death had definitely been Li Wei's doing!
Even if Khada Jhin was not Li Wei, he was in league with him!
As for the lack of evidence...
Since when did the mafia need evidence to do things?
Besides, he had not come to Li Wei to avenge Fish!
Normally, when a mafia member—especially his own second-in-command—was killed, Falcone would have to save face no matter what. Otherwise, his subordinates would surely have plenty to say.
But if the person in question was Li Wei, then it was no problem.
Hadn't Fish brought her death upon herself? At such a critical time, she had gone out to provoke enemies. Even if Fish were still alive, Falcone would have killed her! Otherwise, she would have become a disaster sooner or later!
They were the mafia, yes, but they were reasonable people—the flexible kind!
As for whether his subordinates would have objections...
Falcone's response was that anyone with objections could go avenge Fish themselves!
Li Wei and Arkham Asylum were right there, after all. If anyone truly managed to avenge Fish, Falcone would not mind letting him take Fish's position as second-in-command.
Inside the director's office.
"Mr. Falcone, thank you very much for your donation." Li Wei accepted the check Falcone handed over with a smile, lavishly praising him. "You are a very qualified philanthropist."
It had to be said that as an old underground overlord, Falcone was extremely generous.
The first time had been five million. This time, he had directly doubled it to ten million!
Do not underestimate ten million. To the current Li Wei, ten million was more than all his assets combined!
Of course, that did not include his cheat system's shop. That thing was priceless, and Li Wei would never sell it no matter what.
Li Wei was already looking forward to Falcone's next "donation."
Li Wei's acceptance of the check made Falcone breathe a sigh of relief. The two looked at each other and smiled, understanding everything without saying a word.
Although neither mentioned Fish even once, the old and young foxes reached an agreement regarding Fish during their conversation.
Now that it had been confirmed that Arkham Asylum was not only connected to Khada Jhin but also deeply connected to the Gotham Beast.
Khada Jhin alone was enough to severely damage the Falcone Family, let alone adding the lethal Gotham Beast!
Falcone had no desire to offend Li Wei, especially at this critical time when he was in all-out war with the Maroni Family.
The trouble Fish had caused came to an end the moment Li Wei accepted the check. As long as Li Wei took the money, it meant he had agreed not to take his anger out on the Falcone Family.
That was also the purpose of Falcone's visit...
Paying for peace was well worth it.
As for Li Wei, he had suffered no loss at all. He knew better than Falcone just how wronged he had been. Not only had Fish abducted Ian on her own initiative, she had even planned to kill Falcone, this wealthy benefactor.
He had never planned to trouble this wealthy benefactor in the first place. Ten million was entirely an unexpected windfall!
"By the way, Director Li Wei, you said earlier that there was something at Arkham Asylum I could help with?" Falcone naturally changed the subject.
"Ah, right!" Li Wei cooperatively shifted the conversation to another matter. "Mr. Falcone, you should know that Arkham Asylum has officially begun operating, correct?"
"Yes, I do know. Arkham Asylum has truly become famous throughout Gotham now." Falcone said with a smile, his words carrying a double meaning.
"Here's the thing: as more and more patients come here, I feel that Arkham Asylum's security may not be sufficient..."
Falcone: ???
Insufficient security?
Are you sure you're talking about Arkham Asylum?
Khada Jhin and the Gotham Beast together—those two alone could completely rule Gotham's underworld. And you're telling me your security is insufficient? What are you trying to do, destroy Gotham or start a rebellion?
"...but I don't particularly trust outside security companies." Li Wei ignored Falcone's strange look. "I think Sheriff Gordon from the Gotham City Police Department is very responsible, and his capabilities are more than sufficient."
Only after hearing Li Wei's words did Falcone suddenly understand.
What insufficient security? It was all nonsense. The real target was Gordon.
Come to think of it, Falcone and Gordon were old acquaintances as well. Gordon had even barged straight into his home, attempting to arrest both him and the mayor.
But the old ginger was wiser. Falcone had been prepared and had taken Gordon's girlfriend hostage in advance. More accurately, she should have been called his ex-girlfriend—Barbara. Only then had Gordon obediently surrendered.
Falcone actually had a bit of appreciation for Gordon.
Gotham's underworld also needed order.
However, appreciation was one thing, but compared to Li Wei, Gordon was insignificant in Falcone's eyes.
"Fine, leave it to me. I think Gordon will come report to Arkham Asylum himself before long."
Falcone did not even need to know what Li Wei wanted Gordon for. For him, making a Gotham City police detective lose his job did not even count as lifting a finger.
"Good! Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Falcone!" Li Wei looked up at the clock. "It's nearly noon. Mr. Falcone probably hasn't eaten yet..."
Falcone had already prepared himself to accept Li Wei's invitation to lunch. Although the environment of Arkham Asylum made it seem certain that lunch would be terrible, in order to befriend Li Wei, even if Li Wei served him stargazy pie, he would hold his nose and eat it.
Before you continue