Zeus Grand Hotel

The Zeus Grand Hotel had been designed in the style of ancient Greece, with twelve towering white marble pillars that seemed to hold up a hall of Greek gods.

The lobby was resplendent in gold and jade, its walls hung with portraits of the Greek gods. At the front stood a statue of the Greek god Zeus, gripping a thunderbolt of punishment.

The enormous statue looked incomparably imposing, forcing mortals to look up in awe and feel the unfathomable grandeur and terror of divine might.

But Miao Mu dismissed it with disdain.

The owner of the Zeus Hotel, Maxie Zeus, truly believed himself to be Zeus incarnate. He could say that in Gotham, but if Wonder Woman on Themyscira ever heard about it—

It would count as Diana being in a good mood if she did not tear the hotel down. After all, Zeus was her biological father.

"Mumu, I'm a little nervous."

Jerry, dressed in a suit, spoke rather sheepishly. His broad build made him look just like a bodyguard in the suit; at the very least, he looked the part.

"Calm down! Mr. Cabuson, show some courage. This place isn't some man-eating tiger. What are you afraid of? Look at Otis..."

Miao Mu turned and pointed at Otis, only to fall silent. Otis was so nervous that his entire body had stiffened. He stood there without moving, like a wax figure from a slapstick movie.

Some richly dressed, clearly wealthy guests could not help smiling at the sight. There was no malice in it; they simply found it amusing.

Miao Mu wore a dark pinstriped suit, his hands in his pockets and an unlit thin cigar between his lips. His polished black leather shoes gleamed as he impatiently tapped one against the floor.

"Sorry, I'm late!"

Oswald hurried in from outside, his hair slicked back to a shine. He wore a tie and an expensive custom-made suit, carrying himself with impeccable gentlemanly grace.

As he entered, he even held the door for a lady and let her go in first. He was the very model of a gentleman.

Compared to him, Miao Mu and the others looked like street punks.

"Waiter, get the food ready. We reserved table thirty-one in the revolving restaurant," Miao Mu called out, raising a hand without the slightest elegance.

The waiter, who had been waiting nearby for quite some time, gave an awkward smile. He was clearly helpless in the face of these nouveau riche types, but he still maintained his professional demeanor and gestured. "This way, please."

Miao Mu and the others followed the waiter toward the elevator, only realizing halfway there that Otis was still standing where he was.

Miao Mu ran back and directly pushed Otis into the elevator.

"Four well-done steaks, a bottle of Louis Roederer Champagne, cream of mushroom soup, four servings of this caviar, chocolate cake for dessert, and four roasted chicken drumsticks!"

Miao Mu sat in his chair, ordering from the menu.

The waiter taking notes nodded hurriedly. He could not even worry about the order of the courses anymore. In any case, this meal would cost enough to make them qualified guests, so they had to be served like God.

"Do you guys want anything else? Order for yourselves."

Miao Mu placed the menu on the table. Jerry and Otis hurriedly shook their heads, while Oswald said with a smile, "This is already more than enough."

"Then let's enjoy ourselves for once. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the chef here can do." Miao Mu leaned back in his chair with a smile.

"Um, I always see people eating medium steaks on TV. Isn't well-done a little embarrassing?"

Jerry looked around and whispered.

"Come on, well-done is the tastiest, and it tests the chef the most. The key is that if a well-done steak can still stay tender, the meat must be excellent."

"Mumu, you really know your stuff. Though it's true that some bastards always like to use inferior steaks to fool people." Oswald teased with a smile, and Miao Mu laughed it off without explaining.

They had barely chatted for a few sentences before the champagne arrived, followed by dish after dish being laid on the table.

"Gentlemen, I won't say much. We're gathered here today because we're friends who can count on each other. Cheers!"

Miao Mu raised his glass. Jerry and the others raised theirs as well, and the glasses clinked together.

"By the way, Oswald, this is Otis Flanagan, a friend we met in the Arkham District."

Miao Mu introduced him to Oswald.

Otis looked delighted. "I..."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Flanagan. You're Mumu's friend, which makes you my friend too."

Oswald extended his hand and shook Otis's hand seriously, his face full of sincere smiles.

Otis was deeply flattered. He sat stiffly in his chair. He had never even dared dream of a place like this, much less imagined that he would eat here—with friends.

"Otis, don't be so nervous. We're all ordinary people. We might even be worse off than you." Miao Mu waved with a smile.

Oswald held his wineglass and thought for a moment before speaking. "Mumu, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Go ahead." Miao Mu nodded.

Oswald had helped them out, so it was only right for them to help him in return when he needed it. Only mutual assistance could last.

"It's like this. Is there someone in the Arkham District who can sew people together?"

"Sew them together?"

Jerry looked confused when he heard that. "What do you mean, sew them together? A doctor who stitches wounds?"

Oswald shook his head. He cut off a piece of steak with his knife, tossed it into his mouth, and said as he chewed, "The kind who sews a person's hands onto their feet, or cuts off their face and stitches it onto their stomach."

"There have been several cases in the Lower East Side. One of my men ran into it. His five-year-old brother went missing, and his hands and feet were chopped off and sewn together. I have to avenge him."

Miao Mu, who was sitting beside him, lifted his glass and took a sip, his brow furrowing slightly. Sewing hands and feet together sounded familiar.

It sounded like Pig-Faced Professor's work. The "Hundredfold" monsters that bastard created through stitching all wore pig-face masks. They were several times more disgusting than the Human Centipede or Humanoid Seal.

"Was he wearing a pig-face mask?"

Miao Mu asked.

"A mask?" Oswald thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"I don't know. We never caught him. But one of my sources in the police department said a special investigation team has started looking into that bastard. I want to... kill him myself!"

Oswald's voice was icy as he said this. It was both an opportunity and a challenge for him. If he truly managed to avenge them, his reputation in the Roman Empire would rise even higher.

No matter how one looked at it, he would not let off that sick pervert who treated people like cloth dolls and stitched them together.

Miao Mu nodded, then asked, "How do you know he's gone to the Arkham District? Our side isn't just ordinarily chaotic. There are plenty of places even the police can't touch."

"A lieutenant from the Gotham Police Department discovered it. They found a kidnapped orphan through the sewers and tracked the trail. They'll probably end up at your precinct."

"By the way, that lieutenant's name is Gordon. James Gordon. He's a tough one," Oswald said gravely.

In the entire Gotham Police Department, he was the only cop willing to refuse the Roman's demands—a veteran who had retired from the special forces.

When Miao Mu heard the name, curiosity appeared on his face. That was Lieutenant Gordon, the only conscience in Gotham law enforcement.

A police officer who truly protected justice. Old-fashioned, rigid, and steadfast, yet also a tragic hero. Whether it was his daughter whose spine Joker had shattered, or the torment inflicted by those villains—

None of it had made him waver in the slightest. Perhaps he was the kind of person who emerged unstained from the mud.

Miao Mu shook his head. "Other than stitching limbs together, are there any other clues? That alone isn't much to go on."

"He has others with him. A lot of them... things like monsters." Oswald frowned as he spoke, because he was not sure either.

"Alright, I'll keep an eye out."

Miao Mu nodded. Oswald's phone suddenly rang. He raised a hand in apology, bowed slightly, and walked outside with the phone.

A moment later, he returned.

"Sorry, something happened on our side. A guy in a hood attacked our people. I need to deal with it."

A hood? Batman?

"What kind of hood?" Miao Mu asked.

"I don't know. The Red Hood Gang has been provoking us lately. It's probably those bastards, hiding their faces like the cowards they are."

Oswald turned to leave with a fierce expression, but Miao Mu suddenly called out to him. "Wait, your umbrella!"

Miao Mu walked over carrying the black umbrella, which had been cleaned and put back in order, and handed it to Oswald.

"Be careful!"

Oswald smiled knowingly. He spun the umbrella once in his hand, tucked it beneath his arm, and gave a gentlemanly bow.

"Gentlemen, enjoy your meal!"

With that, he turned and left in style. Miao Mu watched his retreating back, then looked out at the brilliant nightscape beyond the window.

Between the neon-lit skyscrapers came the wail of sirens, the flashing red and blue police lights, and a darkness that even their glow could not pierce.