Sophia Falcone looked to be around thirty. White women's ages were always hard to guess.
Some looked old enough to be adults, when in reality they were only fourteen or fifteen.
Others looked young, but were already in their thirties or forties.
As an Italian-American, Sophia's nose was striking. Her bright, wide eyes came next, filled with fury.
Her smooth black hair fell over her shoulders. She wore a black evening gown with a coat casually draped over it.
She looked more like an aristocratic socialite than a mob boss.
The muzzle of her gun seemed to be pointing casually at Li Ang.
Li Ang's body tensed at once.
He didn't want to fight, but if he had no other choice, he couldn't keep hiding his abilities.
If no one else had been there, Li Ang would've acted long ago.
But with everyone watching, revealing his strength would bring him endless trouble.
Even Superman Clark didn't dare reveal his real identity, let alone Li Ang.
Besides, Li Ang had a family to support.
"Don't be nervous."
Sophia's voice turned husky and magnetic. "As long as you behave, I won't kill you."
Yeah, right.
Li Ang had no choice but to let go of the South African woman and walk over.
"What's your name?"
"Li Ang."
"Li Ang? Good. Call your boss."
Li Ang took the phone Sophia handed him.
He didn't know Penguin's number, of course, but he knew Frank's.
Frank was one of Penguin's trusted men, too.
The call connected quickly.
"Who is this?"
"Frank, put Boss Cobblepot on the phone. Something's happened."
Frank didn't ask any questions. He simply replied, "One moment."
It wasn't long before Penguin's gloomy voice came through the phone. "I hate bad news more than anything, Li Ang."
At the sound of Penguin's voice, Sophia snatched the phone away.
"Sorry, Penguin, but you're going to have to hear this."
Sophia Falcone spoke into the phone.
"Sophia!"
Penguin clearly knew who she was, and sounded surprised.
"You bastard killed someone from the Falcone family and kidnapped my brother. So, fair's fair. How about I blow up your Iceberg Lounge?"
Sophia spoke, her anger plain to see.
The Iceberg Lounge was the place Penguin cared about most, and the achievement he was proudest of.
She'd struck him right where it hurt.
Penguin fell silent for a long time. At last, he said, "It's only the Iceberg Lounge. You don't think I actually care about it, do you?"
He said that, but anyone could tell how much it had affected him.
Penguin Cobblepot continued, "Besides, Sophia, you should be grateful to me. I got rid of a rival for you. The Falcone family will be yours from now on."
"That's true."
Sophia smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "I should thank you, you bastard. But I also have to answer to my family. I'll make your men die alongside you—and your club, too."
"Wait."
Penguin hurried to say, "If that's the case, I don't want to kill Alberto, that idiot. He knows his sister doesn't care about him. Wouldn't that make for a fine show?"
At that, Li Ang keenly noticed Sophia's delight.
Clearly, she cared about her brother, despite what she'd claimed.
"What are you trying to do?"
"What are you trying to do, Sophia?"
Sophia fell silent.
She didn't want to reveal what she was after, but Penguin seemed to have already figured it out.
If she didn't care about her brother, why would she have acted so quickly?
Penguin had only just sent men to kidnap her brother, and she'd already struck back at the Iceberg Lounge.
It had caught Penguin completely off guard.
But Penguin had already won.
"Time's almost up, Sophia."
"What do you mean, Penguin?"
Sophia sounded flustered.
Penguin Cobblepot prompted her, "If you don't understand, go outside and take a look."
Sophia immediately pushed through the crowd and gestured for Li Ang to follow. The gun in her hand stayed trained on him.
When they reached the outside, Sophia shuddered.
A huge glow had appeared in Gotham's gloomy sky.
The light shone against the clouds, revealing the shape of a bat.
The Bat-Signal!
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
Penguin burst out laughing over the phone.
"Let's go!"
Sophia immediately hung up. She knew they couldn't stay.
Holding Li Ang hostage, she headed back inside.
But as soon as they entered the club, they found it already in chaos.
"Boom!"
After several muffled explosions, smoke filled the entire Iceberg Lounge in an instant.
"Ah!"
"Crack!"
Screams and the sounds of bones breaking rang through the club.
Batman had clearly made his move.
"Damn it!"
Sophia didn't run. She charged straight inside.
With smoke all around, she couldn't see a thing. She could only make out a shadow darting through the haze.
Li Ang was the only one unaffected. His enhanced eyesight let him clearly see Batman's agile figure.
Batman's suit was packed with high-tech gear: a grappling hook, a bat-cape, a projector, and a whole host of other equipment strapped to him...
Wasn't this sort of high-end cosplay too much for anyone but a trust-fund kid?
From head to toe, it all said one thing.
Money Power.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Without a word, Sophia opened fire at the shadow.
"Everyone, get out!"
She shouted as she fired.
Her men reacted at once, fleeing outside while shooting at Batman.
Batman dodged and weaved. When he couldn't avoid the bullets, he turned his back and used his cape to block them all.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The bullets all bounced off. Then he fixed his gaze on Sophia.
Batman was like a human bat as he lunged straight toward them.
Sophia showed no loyalty whatsoever. She ran outside and shouted, "Li Ang, stop him!"
Li Ang wasn't stupid. He quickly stepped aside.
But Batman had already set his sights on him.
Seeing Li Ang in uniform and figuring he was probably a mobster, Batman showed no mercy. He meant to take Li Ang down as quickly as possible, then continue the chase.
Faced with the attack, Li Ang could only defend himself.
Batman was vicious, going straight for the joints.
They said Batman never killed, but after he was done with ordinary people, they'd be better off dead.
"Thud!"
Li Ang blocked Batman's attack. Batman was clearly surprised, but immediately followed up with a flurry of blows.
As a human Fighting Essence, Batman had mastered almost every fighting style in the world. His attacks were sharp and flowed seamlessly.
He could attack with any movement, and never let up.
Li Ang could only react on instinct, relying on his speed.
In martial arts, speed was the ultimate defense.
Even so, Batman managed to land several hits. They barely hurt, though.
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