Old Town, Gotham

According to rumor, Gotham had been expanded with the approval of the Four Great Families.

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

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

Though the rumor was exaggerated, these families had indeed played an indispensable role in Gotham City's founding and development, holding important positions in the city's economy, politics, and criminal activities.

The Cobblepot Family hadn't always been a criminal family. Back then, its members had even run for Gotham Mayor and been in charge of Gotham's steel industry.

The Wayne Family had overseen construction and transportation, while the Elliot Family had controlled the media and newspapers, and the Kane Family had held sway in Northern Kane County.

In a sense, these families were all truly wealthy dynasties, with more riches than anyone could count.

That made it easier to understand how unthinkable it had been for Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha Wayne to be gunned down in the street in Gotham.

Of course, by now, the Four Great Families had long since fallen into decline.

Otherwise, families like the Falcones wouldn't have appeared.

"I told you long ago: we brought order to Gotham!"

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

Penguin Cobblepot continued, angrily tapping the ground several times with his umbrella.

"Look at Gotham now. Without us keeping things in check, every criminal is running wild in the streets, robbing people without restraint. There's not a shred of order—it's like one big celebration!"

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

"But now, immediately, get out there and restore order. Anyone without a Crime License gets tossed out!"

Everyone inside fell silent, too afraid to breathe. Victor Saz was especially unnerving as he walked behind the crowd, as if he might stab someone in the back at any moment.

Li Ang found the whole thing rather ridiculous.

Penguin was acting like Gotham's ambassador.

Still, there was something laughable about the order he talked about.

His version of order just meant that only his own people were allowed to commit crimes.

Anyone else doing it was... stealing his business.

So half the people sitting there got up and left.

"Li Ang, I heard the club's running low on liquor?"

Penguin Cobblepot came over to Li Ang and asked, wearing what he thought was a friendly smile.

Li Ang hadn't known about it, and immediately realized he'd neglected his duties.

After all, he was the bar manager now.

He hadn't been responsible for things like this before, but now he was getting paid for the job, so he had to do it!

"I'll take care of it,"

Li Ang said decisively.

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

Penguin said no more. If Li Ang couldn't handle the job, he'd be replaced.

Then he left with Victor Saz.

Li Ang tugged at Frank's sleeve. "What's the situation with the liquor?"

Frank gave Li Ang a strange look.

"You're the bar manager, not me."

Frank grinned. "All I know how to do is drink."

With no other choice, Li Ang returned to the bar and asked one of the professional bartenders.

The bartender knew what was going on.

"The club gets its liquor from the Mexicans every week. As for why, well, it's bootleg and cheap."

Don't mistake Penguin for a good person. The Iceberg Lounge used cheap supplies, though they weren't bad quality.

Penguin wanted high quality, but wasn't willing to pay a lot for it...

Smuggling and crime were as effortless to him as drinking water, so naturally he didn't want to spend money.

That was why the Iceberg Lounge couldn't possibly buy its stock from a legitimate chain liquor store.

Even liquor smuggling was a business run by gangs in Gotham.

Penguin just wasn't involved in it.

And it wasn't Prohibition anymore. Liquor didn't bring in as much profit as other, more lucrative industries.

"Why haven't we been getting deliveries?"

Li Ang asked.

The bartender explained, "The supply line's been cut off. Those Mexicans are in Old Town, which is Demon Gang territory. Relations are tense between us right now, so they've stopped selling to the club."

Li Ang understood.

"So we either get them to start selling to us again, or find a new supplier."

And it had to be a cheap supplier. Penguin definitely wouldn't be willing to buy from a legitimate chain store.

The prices would be too high for him.

High prices meant low profits.

Low profits meant Penguin wasn't making money. How could he be happy with that?

Besides, the Iceberg Lounge went through a huge amount of liquor every day. If the costs went up, that meant they'd be making a lot less.

Making less was the same as losing!

But Li Ang understood so little about Gotham that he might as well have understood nothing. Asking him to find a new supplier would be like asking him to go fight Batman.

At least he could find Batman's lair.

So while it sounded like a choice between two options, it was really only one.

He had to get them to start selling liquor again.

But that was another gang's territory.

Gangs competed with each other, and Li Ang couldn't just go barging in.

So he went to Frank again.

"Frank, can I borrow your car?"

"Sure."

Frank immediately handed him the keys.

"I mean, I need you to drive."

Li Ang felt a little embarrassed.

The Big Guy was too straightforward.

As expected, Frank didn't understand, but agreed anyway.

"No problem, but you've gotta buy me a drink!"

Frank grinned.

Drinking was his only pleasure. He wasn't even interested in women.

Of course, Frank was also a devoted son who always listened to his mother.

That was why Penguin was so fond of him.

Penguin's criminal organization had one defining characteristic, from top to bottom.

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

It was as if nothing had happened a few days earlier. The partygoers had once again sunk into a drunken stupor.

Outside, the Diamond District seemed to have settled down in an instant.

The people Penguin had sent out were doing their job.

At least, not everyone could commit crimes anymore!

As the car drove along, there were far fewer criminals by the roadside than before. Those wearing hats and sneaking around in particular had vanished.

Penguin's men had cracked down hard on that sort. They looked like they didn't have a Crime License.

Li Ang agreed with one thing Penguin had said.

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

See? The familiar Gotham was back.

A passing thug in a suit whistled at Frank's car.

Frank flipped him the middle finger.

He wore a suit, but his heart was still wild.

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

Once they entered Old Town, the buildings were clearly much older, with a darker Gothic style than the newer structures.

This was the area Gotham had occupied before deciding to expand. To put it politely, the place was steeped in history.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have fallen under the control of the Demon Gang, a gang Li Ang had never even heard of.