I Can Learn

Hearing the two men's conversation, Ma Zhaodi immediately felt a deep respect for them.

He had long heard that the Falcone family was full of ruthless characters, but only today did he understand that seeing was better than hearing. Take down Two-Face first, then deal with Batman—such bold words were things he had never even dared say in his dreams. He had only dared mutter a few insults about Batman in his heart.

"Idiot."

Just then, a cold, mocking voice came from nearby.

Ma Zhaodi nodded subconsciously. That's right, that's right. What a sharp assessment.

Wait, why did that voice sound so familiar?

"Who the hell are you calling an idiot? Looking for a fight?"

The family member whose proposal had been rejected by his companions was already thoroughly annoyed. Hearing someone else mock him, he immediately felt a surge of anger rise from the depths of his heart. He widened his eyes and twisted his head to look to the side, wanting to find whoever had chosen to provoke him while he was already in a bad mood. But Ma Zhaodi spotted the mocking, burly man before he did.

Holy crap, Clinton Banner!

That damn bird-brain who took the bus for half a year and still chased me and Drake around shooting at us! Did he come to join the Falcone family?!

Clinton seemed to recognize Ma Zhaodi as well. He raised his chin at him in greeting.

When the man saw Clinton and the Beretta at his waist, his furious voice suddenly lowered. If Ma Zhaodi had guessed correctly, Clinton might already have made a little name for himself in the Falcone family through his marksmanship.

Of course, he might also have blown the heads off several gang members who had dared provoke him.

"Stop arguing." The person who had first said he was asking for death spoke up, easing the tense atmosphere. "Don't talk about family business here unless you have nothing better to do. If you've got that much free time, you might as well think about how to spend Thanksgiving."

"How can I spend Thanksgiving? I don't even have a wife—"

The topic gradually went off track. Clinton sneered and turned to leave. Ma Zhaodi no longer felt like staying either. Their interruption and reminder finally made him remember that he still had a mission to complete.

"Better to divert than to dam

Status: Incomplete (0/1)

Reward: Advanced Culinary Mastery

Blowing up his house with a bomb was somewhat lacking in conscience. It also carried enormous risks, and the bounty he received would not count toward his Asset Points. But considering that Falcone's bounty was still active, meaning a few small-time thugs could show up at any moment and help Two-Face complete his origin story, Ma Zhaodi had no choice but to complete the mission.

Besides, Falcone's twenty million hidden in the factory had ultimately been burned by him. Making Harvey Dent take the blame left Ma Zhaodi feeling just a tiny bit guilty.

So he walked toward Clinton.

"Hey, Clinton." He greeted him. "Long time no see."

Clinton turned his head. He was still wearing that same hangdog expression he had worn on the bus that day and when he had helped Ma Zhaodi chase off the robbers that night. Strangely, several more scratches had appeared on his completely bald forehead. Ma Zhaodi had no idea whether someone had clawed him while he was seeking revenge.

"Coward. What do you want with me?"

The moment he opened his mouth, Ma Zhaodi found it hard to keep a straight face. He should have been angry, but seeing Clinton's ferocious expression paired with his smooth, round head covered in claw marks suddenly made him want to laugh.

"My name isn't Coward. It's Ma Zhaodi, thanks."

"There's no difference. You need something?"

"Yeah, yeah, I do. Do you know the Irish Mob?"

--

"I was the one who drove the car and took everyone away from the scene that day. I'll write down everything if you need me to."

The skinny man with a small mustache and a shifty appearance was "Slippery" Jimmy.

"The package I delivered to that woman was for Harvey Dent's wife, Mrs. Dent. You know that. I'll write down everything if you need me to."

The dignified-looking man was "Hypocrite" Kevin.

"I followed Dent to his house. That's right, I did it. I followed him until he got home. If you need me to, I'll write it all down. I will."

The pudgy, balding man with glasses always liked to repeat himself. He was "Duet" Willy.

"I was the one who pressed that damn button on the remote. And I'll write everything down too, if you need me to."

The man with thick eyebrows, black hair, and a large nose was "Boy" Donny.

"I bought the materials and made the bomb. That's right, I did the job—but I'll write everything down, bro. You want me to say it like that, right?"

The last man, with large ears and a long, thin face, was "Mink" Mickey.

Five men, five voices, and five perfectly matching confessions rang out one after another in the room. Meanwhile, Ma Zhaodi, who was hiding nearby and eavesdropping, couldn't help drifting off.

"This guy's actually named Mickey, and even his nickname is Mink. Is that really okay? Won't Disney's legal department have something to say?"

He couldn't help thinking of a certain red fumo from a certain game.

The conversation in the room continued.

"Everything's fine now, right, Mickey?"

"Everything's fine. I've memorized the lines really well. If anything happens, that's exactly what we say."

"Sigh—finally, we can get some rest. These past few days have really worn me out."

"What the hell have you been tired from? You haven't done anything from start to finish. All you've done is practice hitting on married women outside, then trick ordinary girls."

"It was all for the plan. What else could I do? You spent every day staking out Harvey Dent's house until midnight before coming back, and I never said anything about that."

"What the f*ck are you talking about? I crouched outside Harvey's house for a few hours every day just to see when he got home. I was bored to death—you should trade places with me!"

"Do you have this gentleman's face of mine?"

"More like a 'hypocrite,' right?"

"Why don't we ask our Mickey? Who wants to trade places with him?"

"You know how to make bombs? Then go ahead. Mickey must be sick of doing such dangerous work by now. He'd probably be delighted if someone replaced him."

"I can learn."

"F*ck off. Last time, you said you would replace Jimmy as the getaway driver, and you said those exact words. As a result, the whole crew spent half a year in jail."

Ma Zhaodi desperately held back the corners of his mouth. These four idiots were far too hilarious, and he could barely suppress his urge to laugh.

He put away the laptop in his hands and noted down the location of these men's hideout. Then he left on foot. The Irish Mob's usual hideouts were in the East End, so Ma Zhaodi simply traveled back and forth on foot. If his two vehicles weren't so conspicuous, driving or taking the wheelchair would have been much more convenient.

As for how he had managed to eavesdrop:

"Set—laptop, one lighter-shaped listening/tracking device

Price: 4,000 dollars

Note: Wondering why it's so expensive? Buy the hacking skill and you'll know.

Note 2: Even in a world without CTOS, its built-in software and hardware could become an excellent weapon in an expert's hands."