Gotham Old Town

Rumor has it that Gotham was expanded with the consent of the Four Great Families.

They were the Wayne Family, where Bruce Wayne belonged, and his mother Martha Wayne's family, the Kane Family.

The other two were the infamous Elliot Family and Penguin's family... the Cobblepot Family.

Though this rumor was exaggerated, these families indeed played an undeniable role in Gotham's founding and development, holding significant positions in the city's economy, politics, and criminal activities.

The Cobblepot Family wasn't always a crime family; back then, its members even ran for Gotham Mayor and oversaw the city's steel industry.

The Wayne Family handled Construction and Transportation at the time, the Elliot Family managed Media and Newspapers, and the Kane Family controlled Northern Kane County.

It could be said these families were true Billionaire Families, possessing endless wealth.

This makes it understandable how unbelievable it was that Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha Wayne were gunned down on the streets of Gotham.

Of course, by now, the Four Great Families have declined considerably.

Otherwise, families like Falcone wouldn't have emerged.

"I've said it before—we brought order to Gotham!"

"Even the worst order is better than no order at all!"

Penguin Cobblepot continued, tapping his umbrella on the ground a few times, clearly angry.

"Look at Gotham now. Without our maintenance, every criminal robs the streets unchecked, without a shred of order, as if they're having a carnival!"

"I don't know what you've been doing these past few days!"

"But now, immediately, right this second, go out and restore order. Anyone without a Crime License, throw them out!"

Everyone inside was silent as mice, especially with Victor Saz walking behind the crowd, as if he might stab someone in the back at any moment.

Li Ang found it somewhat absurd.

Penguin was acting like he was Gotham's ambassador.

But the order he spoke of was laughable.

His so-called order only allowed his own people to commit crimes.

Anyone else committing crimes was... stealing business.

So, about half the people sitting there left.

"Li Ang, I hear the club's liquor is almost gone?"

Penguin Cobblepot came up to Li Ang and asked, a smile on his face that he thought was friendly.

Li Ang didn't know about this and immediately realized he'd been negligent.

After all, he was the Bar Manager now.

This kind of thing wasn't his responsibility before, but since he was taking this salary, he had to do the work!

"I'll handle it."

Li Ang said decisively.

"Good. I don't want the club running out of drinks."

Penguin didn't say more. If Li Ang couldn't do the job, he'd find someone else.

So he left with Victor Saz.

Li Ang pulled Frank aside and asked, "What's the deal with the liquor?"

Frank gave Li Ang a strange look.

"You're the Bar Manager, not me."

Frank laughed. "I only know how to drink."

With no other choice, Li Ang went back to the bar and asked the professional bartender.

The bartender knew what was going on.

"The club buys liquor from the Mexicans every week. The reason? It's moonshine and cheap."

Don't mistake Penguin for a good man. Everything in the Iceberg Lounge uses cheap stuff, but the quality isn't bad.

Penguin pursued high quality but didn't want to pay a high price...

Since smuggling and crime were as natural to him as drinking water, he naturally didn't want to spend money.

So the Iceberg Lounge would never buy from legitimate chain liquor stores.

Even smuggling liquor was a gang-run business in Gotham.

It's just that Penguin wasn't in that line anymore.

It wasn't the Prohibition era, and liquor profits weren't as high as other high-margin industries.

"Why hasn't there been any delivery now?"

Li Ang asked.

The bartender replied, "The supply line was cut. Those Mexicans are in Old Town, which is Demon Gang territory. Now that relations are tense, they won't sell to our club anymore."

After hearing this, Li Ang understood.

"So, either we get them to sell alcohol again, or we find a new supply channel."

And it had to be a cheap channel. If it were a legitimate chain store, Penguin definitely wouldn't agree.

The price would be too high for him.

Too high a price meant too low a profit.

Too low a profit meant Penguin wasn't making money—how could he be happy with that?

Besides, the Iceberg Lounge consumed a massive amount of alcohol daily. Once costs went up, it was like losing a lot of money.

Losing money was the same as taking a loss!

But based on Li Ang's understanding of Gotham, which was basically no understanding at all, finding a new channel was about as feasible as going straight to fight Batman.

At least he could find Batman's lair.

So, calling it a choice between two options was really a single-choice question.

That meant getting them to sell alcohol again.

But that was another gang's territory.

Gangs competed with each other, so Li Ang couldn't just waltz over.

Thus, he went to Frank again.

"Frank, lend me your car."

"Here you go."

Without a second word, Frank pulled out the keys.

"I mean, you drive."

Li Ang was a bit embarrassed.

This big guy was too straightforward.

Sure enough, Frank didn't understand but agreed anyway.

"No problem, but you're buying me a drink!"

Frank laughed.

His only joy was drinking; he wasn't even interested in women.

Of course, Frank was also a filial man, always listening to his mother.

That's why Penguin liked him so much.

Penguin's criminal group, from top to bottom, was defined by one word.

The two of them left the club, which was already buzzing inside.

It was as if the events of a few days ago had never happened; the party creatures had sunk back into their drunken stupor.

As for outside, the Diamond District seemed to have stabilized in an instant.

The people Penguin sent out were still useful.

At least not everyone could commit crimes anymore!

The car drove along, and there were far fewer criminals on the roadside than before. Especially those wearing hats and moving furtively—they were gone.

Those were the ones Penguin's men cracked down on; they clearly didn't have a 'Crime License.'

Li Ang agreed with one thing Penguin said.

Even the worst order was better than no order at all.

And just like that, the familiar Gotham was back.

A suited thug on the roadside whistled at Frank's car.

Frank flipped him the middle finger.

Though the suit was on, the heart was still wild.

Gotham's Old Town bordered the Diamond District to the south.

Entering the Old Town, you could clearly see the buildings were quite aged, with a darker Gothic style than the newer structures.

This was the area before Gotham decided to expand. In high-EQ terms, it was full of the aura of history.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be controlled by the Demon Gang, a group Li Ang had never even heard of.