He did not need Falcone to fully side with him and crush the Maroni Family. At the very least, when he was in danger, Falcone could save his life.
Li Wei had that ability!
"...Mr. Falcone probably hasn't eaten yet, so I won't keep you here for lunch. Hurry back and have your midday meal." Li Wei stood up with a smile, his intention to see them out written all over his face...
Falcone: ???
Victor: ???
Even Falcone could not comprehend Li Wei's train of thought, let alone Victor.
"Boss, shall we head back?" Victor asked Falcone in a low, confused voice.
"Go! We're going back!" The smile on Falcone's face stiffened slightly as he rose, doing his best to maintain his elegance.
"Alright! Then I'll see you downstairs!" Li Wei immediately added with a beaming smile.
In the end, under Li Wei's watchful gaze, Falcone left Arkham Asylum with Victor.
Li Wei had just received ten million, so it was not as though he truly cared about a meal from Falcone. He simply enjoyed watching that old fox lose his composure.
Otherwise, that old fox might really think he was someone who would bow to money!
But now that the old fox had agreed to get Gordon assigned to Arkham as a security guard, everything was ready but the final push!
Didn't Gordon want to investigate Arkham Asylum? Then Li Wei would let him investigate to his heart's content!
Li Wei sat back down in his office chair and turned his attention back to Gordon.
What? Peeping? No, no, no. This was not peeping. It was merely the concern of a law-abiding Gotham City citizen!
Let's see what dear Sheriff Gordon is up to...
In Gotham, there were no secrets.
Not even for Falcone.
News that Falcone had personally visited Arkham Asylum, only for them not to keep him for lunch, spread like wildfire.
This news clearly lent more credibility to the previous rumors about Arkham Asylum, while once again throwing Gotham's underworld into turmoil...
Catwoman! Selina!
A rumor was now circulating throughout Gotham's underworld.
Fish's death had been the work of Arkham Asylum.
Khada Jhin and the Gotham Beast both belonged to Arkham Asylum.
Although no one could produce any evidence, it was practically an accepted fact in Gotham's underworld.
And after Falcone's visit to Arkham Asylum, the rumor was completely confirmed! The word "practically" had been removed!
The terror of Khada Jhin and the Gotham Beast had left everyone in the underworld deeply fearful. Even their names had gradually become taboo in the retelling!
Everyone understood.
Gotham had changed!
A new uncrowned king had risen!
No matter how the war between the Maroni Family and the Falcone Family ended, an insurmountable throne would always stand above Gotham!
Unless someone could surpass the power Arkham Asylum possessed!
But thinking of the terror of Khada Jhin and the Gotham Beast... could anyone truly do that?
As one of Gotham's former underworld overlords, Maroni was just as anxious, like his ass was being roasted over a fire.
Compared to the gossiping bystanders in Gotham's underworld,
he was far more clearheaded.
Especially when it came to the rumors about Arkham Asylum.
He did not know about the Gotham Beast, but Khada Jhin definitely came from Arkham Asylum.
Back then, Khada Jhin had inexplicably launched a brutal attack on the Maroni Family, massacring the Maroni Family's psychiatric hospital. Then Arkham Asylum had taken over the Maroni Family's mental health business and secured the city hall's exclusive medical cooperation contract.
Combined with what had happened to Fish,
if Khada Jhin came from Arkham Asylum, then everything made sense!
He could even roughly guess why his old rival Falcone had gone there!
He wanted to go too, but he could not, and he did not dare.
The Maroni Family had already made an enemy of Khada Jhin. Going there himself would be delivering himself to their doorstep!
What made Maroni anxious was not just his old grudge with Khada Jhin, but the future as well.
The Maroni Family and the Falcone Family were now engaged in all-out war. Wasn't it all to fight for the position of Gotham's sole underworld overlord?
But now...
Even if the Maroni Family won,
then what?
To become Gotham's true ruler, wouldn't he still have to face the Arkham Asylum that had appeared out of nowhere?
Just thinking of Khada Jhin's terror, combined with that deadly Gotham Beast, sent chills down Maroni's spine.
Do not mistake Maroni for a coward. A coward could not have risen to where he was today.
The gap in strength was simply too vast. It was no longer something human effort could bridge!
But even if Maroni wanted to give up now, coexist peacefully with the Falcone Family, and jointly develop the Arkham district, it was already too late.
He understood his opponent Falcone very well, just as Falcone understood him.
That old man would absolutely kick him while he was down and take his life!
Therefore, even though he knew the future led only to death, he had no choice but to fight!
He even had to destroy the Falcone Family as soon as possible! Go all in!...
As for what came after victory...
He would worry about that later. Living one day at a time was enough.
Li Wei's show of force went exceptionally smoothly—so smoothly that Arkham Asylum was almost immediately elevated to the position of Gotham's uncrowned king within the underworld!
Even those who had once harbored designs on Arkham Asylum completely abandoned those thoughts.
Even the Falcone Family and the Maroni Family were no match for it. Were they supposed to throw themselves at it and court death?
In Gotham, one could lack money or influence, but one absolutely could not lack brains. Otherwise, dying would be a waste.
Madmen excluded.
Meanwhile, Gordon, who continued investigating Arkham Asylum, also heard rumors about it from people in the underworld.
When he heard a gang member say that Khada Jhin and the Gotham Beast both came from Arkham Asylum, Gordon's eyes lit up.
He asked the gang member for evidence, but all he got was a look as though the man were staring at an idiot.
Evidence?
Not to mention that there was no evidence—if there were, he still would not dare give it to Gordon!
No one wanted to provoke that madman Khada Jhin or that butcher, the Gotham Beast!
Once they were provoked, Fish, who had been left with an intact corpse, had already gotten the best possible death!
Even when Gordon threatened to arrest him and throw him into Blackgate Prison, the gang member still refused to cooperate.
Under such pressure, he would ordinarily rather fabricate testimony and falsely accuse someone than refuse to cooperate.
But now, he did not dare entertain that thought at all.
In the end, after Harvey talked him down, the furious Gordon could only let the gang member go.
There was no point in catching a small fry like him. Besides, the man had merely come out to buy groceries. Gordon had not caught him at a crime scene, so there was no evidence at all!
Unlike the anxious Maroni and Gordon,
Li Wei was currently lounging in his office chair with his eyes narrowed.
Ever since Falcone left, he had been watching Gordon.
That included Gordon's attempts to obtain evidence against him from other members of Gotham's underworld, all of which ended in failure.
Li Wei gently shook his head. In his eyes, Gordon was just raging impotently.
Why did he have to keep butting heads with him?
Evidence?
Perhaps in the future, once Gotham was filled with all kinds of strange superpowered individuals, someone might be able to obtain evidence against Arkham Asylum. After all, those superpowered individuals would have all sorts of bizarre abilities.
But right now, everything Gordon was doing was utterly pointless.
Whether it was Khada Jhin, Warwick, Singed, or Jigs, after receiving a Hero Template, they gained not only their powers and abilities, but also their knowledge and combat experience.
Which one of them had not gone through countless battles?
Their strength already surpassed ordinary humans, and their combat experience utterly crushed them. It would be a miracle if anyone found evidence!
Sheriff Gordon, do you want a wife?
You're doing a fine job investigating cases. Don't investigate next time. Hurry to Arkham Asylum and fall in love instead!
Over the next few days, aside from Leslie reporting to the hospital the following day, Gordon had virtually no privacy under Li Wei's watch.
Barbara had already left without saying goodbye and no longer lived with Gordon, so Li Wei did not see anything that would fail censorship.
Perhaps because there was no woman by his side, the single sheriff spent every day either sleeping or investigating cases, and his temper gradually grew worse.
Quite a few underworld figures got a severe beating during his investigations.
It was still useless.
Besides that, Li Wei discovered something else interesting.
A little girl named Selina Kyle claimed that she had witnessed the murder of The Waynes.
Selina Kyle might not have been a famous name, but nearly every DC fan had heard her other name!
Catwoman!
She was also one of Li Wei's ideal Hero Template vessels...
Go! Pull Off Something Big!
Catwoman Selina's appearance could not actually have any direct effect on Li Wei.
After all, Catwoman was still young. She was probably not suitable to serve as a Hero Template anytime soon.
At most, the current Catwoman was a nimble little girl.
But the chain reaction triggered by Selina's appearance would indeed affect Li Wei's plans.
Selina claimed that she had witnessed the murder of The Waynes, and Gordon found her again.
Gordon clearly would not let this lead slip away. He had been pursuing the truth behind The Waynes' shooting.
Before you continue