I Love Gotham

There's good news for Li Ang.

The Iceberg Lounge had been renovated, and it was time to go back to work.

Having a job was actually good news, but that was the state of things for the people of Gotham.

Having a job meant being able to stay alive.

When he got home, he found Kara waiting obediently for him.

Kara had gotten back even earlier than he had.

"Godfather, can I go test my abilities on my own from now on?"

Kara asked Li Ang excitedly.

Li Ang had wanted to say no, but seeing the eagerness in her eyes, he eventually nodded.

As long as she was happy.

"Sure, but be careful. Don't let anyone see you, and don't tell anyone about it..."

"Don't worry, Godfather," Kara promised after hearing him out. "No one can see me!"

She had already forgotten about the airplane she'd seen earlier.

"So, have you learned to fly?"

Li Ang asked after he finished speaking.

He had waited there for ages, but Kara never came back.

And he didn't dare linger by such a huge crater, so he'd left.

"No."

Kara looked a little embarrassed.

"I feel like I'm almost there."

Still, she had no idea what she was missing.

Li Ang knew: solar energy.

Kara was still young, after all, and Kryptonians had protective mechanisms in their biology. Their superpowers didn't all appear at once, but gradually emerged.

Of course, the main problem was that Gotham got so little sunshine. She could still absorb solar radiation, but it was slower than in sunnier cities.

If they were in Los Angeles, Kara would probably already be flying all over the sky.

This was bad. Was she really going to become the "Shame of Krypton"?

So Li Ang said, "Kara, remember to spend more time in the sun from now on."

"Got it."

Kara paused, then nodded.

She knew that she could gain energy from sunlight, after all.

Then Li Ang started making dinner.

He was trying his hand at some simple dishes, and they were turning out pretty well.

After dinner, Li Ang said, "Wait for me tomorrow. I'll take you to your new school when I get back. Get some rest early."

Kara used to get impatient with Li Ang's everyday reminders, but now she just nodded obediently.

As Li Ang walked down the street, he noticed that security in the Diamond District had gotten worse.

It was especially bad at night. Too many members of certain exceptionally gifted species were taking advantage of the darkness to rob people.

He hadn't gone far before someone tried to mug him.

Li Ang didn't panic. He could tell at a glance that these men weren't Penguin's men.

They weren't wearing suits and ties.

"Do you have a Crime License?"

"Huh?"

The startled robbers exchanged glances.

This time, Li Ang didn't need Frank to bail him out, either.

"You can't even commit a crime properly, and you think you can go around robbing people?"

As soon as Li Ang finished speaking, he launched a Lightning Jab.

One man went down. The other hurriedly pulled a gun from inside his jacket, but Li Ang snatched it away.

Crack!

With a little squeeze, the gun crumpled into a lump like a plastic toy.

"Get some sleep."

Li Ang knocked the man out, too.

Seeing that Li Ang was no easy target, the other criminals who had been eyeing him quickly moved on.

As far as the eye could see, there didn't seem to be a single normal person on the street.

In a place like Gotham, ordinary people didn't dare go out at night.

Iceberg Lounge.

The club had reopened, and despite what had happened last time, it was still bustling.

But it was clear that security outside the club had been tightened.

Gangsters in suits and ties stood outside, while others had been stationed upstairs to keep watch.

Ever since someone had broken into his home last time, Penguin Cobblepot had become very protective of his lair.

Of course, the main reason things had gone wrong was that Sophia Falcone had reacted too quickly. In the end, he hadn't even killed Alberto Falcone.

It had been a lesson he wouldn't forget.

"Li Ang, we've been waiting for you."

Frank spotted Li Ang and spoke up at once.

"What's going on?"

"Boss Cobblepot's calling a meeting."

Since he'd put it that way, it had to be about the Iceberg Lounge.

When Li Ang entered the club, he saw that the other employees had mostly arrived, and most of them looked nervous.

"Damn 'that guy' robbed me of twenty bucks!"

"These people don't follow the rules. I'd just been robbed, and before I'd gone far, someone else tried to rob me!"

"..."

In America, gangs had rules.

At least on gang territory, people were usually robbed only once. Once they handed over their money, the next person wouldn't hassle them.

So most people who went out at night carried a few dozen dollars in cash in their pockets. In a way, it was a good-luck charm.

And on Penguin's turf, these employees could simply say they worked at the Iceberg Lounge. Then criminals with a "Crime License" wouldn't rob them.

"Enough. Get ready to work."

Li Ang said a few words to the bartender and the waitress, then followed Frank inside.

As they walked down the corridor, Frank spoke up. "Do you remember what I told you the first time we met?"

"Of course."

Li Ang nodded.

He had just met Frank back then, and had asked him what to do at the Iceberg Lounge.

Frank's answer had been simple: when you worked at the Iceberg Lounge, you had to act like you were disabled.

Not just a little disabled, either. You had to act blind, deaf, and mute!

That was the only way to stay safe.

Li Ang had done just that.

Penguin's outfit was different from the Mafia and the Falcone family, but they still observed Omertà.

Omertà meant that nobody, no matter who they were, could inform the police. They had to keep silent. It was sacred and inviolable.

As long as they kept to that rule, gang members wouldn't go after their families; they would only hunt down the person responsible.

As far as Penguin was concerned, Alberto Falcone had clearly broken the rules, which was why he'd angrily led his men to attack.

That was also why Li Ang wouldn't inform James Gordon.

Frank was clearly reminding him to act as if he saw nothing and heard nothing—and, of course, to say nothing, either.

He just had to listen to Penguin.

He knocked on the door.

It opened from the inside. Sure enough, the room was already filled with a group of big shots in suits and ties.

Even Victor Saz had gotten used to dressing that way.

If the lighting hadn't been so dim, and they hadn't been in such a secret room, the gathering could have been mistaken for a celebration among financiers.

Li Ang and Frank sat down.

A little while later, Penguin Cobblepot finally emerged from the inner room.

He wore a black tailcoat and a black top hat. His umbrella was like a cane, and he waddled as he walked, much like a penguin.

He soon set the tone for the meeting.

"I love Gotham. It's my home!"

Penguin Cobblepot spoke slowly. "My parents, my grandfather, my great-grandfather... they all lived here. My ancestors built this city. I will never allow anyone to destroy it!"