Grasping His Weakness

"Godfather, did you lose your job?"

Kara asked as she ate a steamed bun and watched the news on TV.

The news was still reporting on the Iceberg Lounge incident, and Kara knew he worked there.

"No, I'm just taking a few days off."

Li Ang replied while eating a fried dough stick.

"Godfather, I heard the Iceberg Lounge is Penguin's territory, and Penguin..."

Penguin's reputation preceded him. Even Kara knew of him.

Though she had learned about him through her super hearing before.

So she was somewhat worried about her godfather.

Li Ang sat down beside Kara. "Gotham is full of gangs. Even Chinatown, where we often go, is controlled by someone."

Kara fell silent for a moment at that.

Then she asked somewhat blankly, "Doesn't Gotham have Batman? Why is it still like this?"

"Because he's one of the beneficiaries too."

Li Ang sneered.

Unfortunately, Kara still didn't understand.

But she didn't think too much about it. As long as Li Ang was fine, that was enough.

On Earth, there were only two people she cared about.

One was Li Ang, and the other was her cousin.

The reason she had come to Earth was because she had followed her "cousin" Kal-El's spaceship.

She had arrived safely. She wondered how her cousin was doing.

During his days off, Li Ang didn't go out for the first two days.

It wasn't until Friday, after Kara went to school, that he headed out in the afternoon and arranged to meet that French girl.

That girl had also come to Gotham for work, and she worked at a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises...

She had slightly curled hair, large bright eyes, and sweet, delicate features.

"Hello!"

When she saw Li Ang, she immediately spoke Chinese.

Though after coming to America, she had become somewhat rusty with it.

"Lianlian, it can't be easy getting into Wayne Enterprises, right?"

Li Ang glanced behind her. The Wayne Pharmaceuticals sign was especially conspicuous.

"Mm, I wanted to join the main company, but I didn't expect to be assigned to a subsidiary."

Lianlian answered, though the pride on her face was still obvious.

Wayne Enterprises had a presence in every industry in Gotham. Working for Wayne Enterprises practically made someone part of Gotham's upper class.

"What about you? What do you do in Gotham?"

Li Ang had gone through this many times, so he smiled. "I'm a manager now."

"Oh? Where?"

Seeing her press him relentlessly, Li Ang could only answer, "Iceberg Lounge."

"..."

Lianlian thought of the recent news.

After a moment of silence, she said, "Maybe... I can go there sometime when I'm free."

"You're welcome anytime."

Li Ang quickly noticed that Lianlian had suddenly become somewhat distant.

So, instead of suggesting dinner, he invited her for coffee.

Lianlian also began talking about topics Li Ang didn't understand.

She seemed to be emphasizing that they had nothing in common.

Since that was the case, Li Ang checked the time and said, "It's getting late."

"I'm a little tired. I want to go back and rest."

Lianlian seemed worried that Li Ang wanted to keep spending time together, especially since it was dinner time, so she answered immediately.

Li Ang smiled. "Me too. My daughter's out of school as well."

"Uh..."

Lianlian's expression changed again.

She hadn't expected Li Ang to already have a daughter, and she instantly became even more distant.

But Li Ang didn't care what she thought and coolly said goodbye.

For this nonsense, he had even come to Gotham's Financial District. It was located in the southernmost part of Gotham, close to Blackgate Island.

Thinking that Kara hadn't eaten yet, he called home and told her he would bring back some food.

Then, rather than walking himself, he took a car.

To get back to the Diamond District from here, he had to cross two districts—the Civic District and Gotham's Old Town—so driving was obviously faster.

About half an hour later, Li Ang returned to his Diamond District apartment carrying dinner.

But something felt strange.

Why was it so unnaturally quiet?

"Kara!"

Li Ang called into the apartment as soon as he opened the door.

But the person inside surprised him.

The one sitting on the couch wasn't Kara, but another woman.

Someone he had met only a few days ago.

Sophia Falcone.

Though he knew it was unlikely anything had happened to Kara, Li Ang still said angrily, "This isn't a place you should be. Where's Kara?"

What he hated most was this kind of situation.

Someone disturbing their peaceful life.

Seeing how anxious Li Ang was, Sophia smiled.

Everyone had someone they cared about, and she liked using that to control people.

However, Li Ang's fury gave even her a fright.

"Don't worry. I just had a little chat with her."

Sophia smiled and clapped her hands. "Come out, darling."

Kara's bedroom door opened, and she emerged obediently with her hands behind her back, her big eyes fixed on Li Ang.

"Godfather."

Only after seeing that Kara was fine did Li Ang relax. He looked at Sophia. "I have nothing to do with you. What do you want?"

Sophia rose from the couch. Sitting there had been rather uncomfortable.

"I saw what happened to you that day..."

She began with a meaningful smile.

When she had left that day, she had taken a glance back. She hadn't expected Li Ang to truly be able to stop Batman.

That was what had sparked her immense interest in Li Ang.

Otherwise, Sophia would never have spared a mere bartender a thought.

Li Ang stared at her intently at those words.

Sophia inexplicably felt a chill, as if she were being watched by a beast rather than a person.

So Sophia didn't finish what she had been about to say and instead said, "Don't be nervous. I didn't bring anyone else, so you can rest assured."

At those words, Kara immediately glanced next door and gave Li Ang a look.

To her eyes, walls couldn't block her vision. She could see plenty of people at a glance.

So she looked eagerly at her godfather, as if saying: Let me handle it. I can defeat them all!

Li Ang shook his head slightly at her.

Kara looked disappointed, but she still stood obediently to the side.

"What do you want?"

"Very simple. Work for me."

Sophia smiled. Beautiful as she was, she now seemed utterly seductive. "Penguin failed to recognize your worth. Whatever he can give you, I'll give you ten times as much."

"If you don't want to do those things, you can simply be responsible for protecting me. I'll provide you with a very nice house, instead of having you squeeze into this rundown apartment building."

"And Kara—I like her very much. I believe she likes me too, don't you, darling?"

Kara curled her lips as she looked at her.

Sophia didn't mind. Her large eyes turned to Li Ang. "I'll arrange for Kara to attend Louis Memorial School. When she grows up, no matter what university she wants to attend or whether she wants to study abroad, I'll support her completely."

Her words had practically seized an old father's weak spot.

Hearing that, Li Ang was somewhat tempted. This was exactly what he wanted to provide Kara with.

A good living environment, and an even better educational environment.