I Like Filial Children

When Li Ang first arrived in Gotham, he had actually gone to Chinatown first.

In America, nearly every moderately large city had a Chinatown, and Gotham was naturally no exception.

Since Li Ang did not dare use his real identity, the boss saw him as an undocumented immigrant and arranged for him to wash dishes at an extremely low wage.

To stay in Gotham, Li Ang accepted.

The facts proved that washing dishes for three months would not buy a villa in America.

Until the boss learned that he was looking after Kara, a teenage girl...

Li Ang had nearly been thrown into jail by the Gotham Police Department.

The restaurant owner, also Chinese, did not hesitate to call the police, claiming Li Ang was a "child molester."

His reasoning was that Kara was a blond, blue-eyed white girl, and Li Ang could not possibly be related to her.

In the distorted country that was America, the more it lacked something, the more it emphasized it.

They emphasized protecting children precisely because children suffered widespread abuse, and whenever such things happened, they treated them with extreme seriousness.

From then on, Li Ang never trusted so-called compatriots again.

After leaving Chinatown, Li Ang brought Kara to the Diamond District and instead managed to settle into the Iceberg Lounge.

After changing into a server's uniform, the head bartender immediately came looking for Li Ang.

"Li Ang, Mr. Victor came by just now and asked for wine to be sent in."

Since the head bartender said so, Li Ang naturally understood what was expected.

"I'll go."

"No problem. I know you're good at mixing drinks."

Li Ang's bartending skills were only average. The main thing was that he knew many "recipes."

That alone was enough to earn him preferential treatment at the Iceberg Lounge.

After searching the wine cabinet for a while, he found Bordeaux wine from France and specially mixed a glass.

Then he prepared several other drinks before quickly placing them on a tray and heading into the Iceberg Lounge's inner corridor.

The bar and casino outside merely served as cover for the place within.

Li Ang carried the tray to the end of the corridor, where two men in suits stood outside a door.

Penguin considered himself a "gentleman," so his subordinates were gentlemanly criminals as well.

"I'm delivering drinks to Mr. Cobblepot."

Li Ang said this to the two men.

They both knew Li Ang and immediately opened the door.

The moment the door opened, the conversation inside stopped.

There was a long table inside, with several people seated around it.

Li Ang glanced over and immediately saw numerous photographs and pieces of information laid out on a board, but he looked only once.

It had nothing to do with him.

He hurried to the head of the table first.

The person seated there looked middle-aged, short and immensely fat, with a nose as long as Pinocchio's.

Yet despite that, he wore a proper black formal suit, puffed contentedly on a cigar, and had a sharp black umbrella resting beside him.

This was Penguin, Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot.

"Mr. Cobblepot, this is a freshly mixed drink."

Li Ang set down his glass first and had even used a finer wineglass to make it stand out.

Penguin first lifted it and took a sniff, a satisfied expression appearing on his face. "My favorite Bordeaux. Li Ang, you're Chinese, aren't you?"

"Yes, Mr. Cobblepot."

Li Ang nodded. Even when facing a Gotham supervillain, he did not panic.

"I like how meticulous you Chinese are. Just like you—you never call me Mr. Penguin."

Penguin Cobblepot revealed a "kind" smile.

"Because you hate being called that, and I also think that form of address disrespects you."

Li Ang answered directly.

Anyone who dared call him Penguin to Cobblepot's face probably did not know how the word death was spelled.

"Yes, respect!"

Penguin clapped his hands. "Even you know to respect me, but some people do not."

He suddenly looked at a young man in a black suit. "Tommy, what benefit did that stupid son of the Falcone Family give you to make you betray me?"

A bald man dressed in a sharp suit had somehow appeared behind Tommy. He grabbed Tommy by the hair and slammed his head directly into the table.

Bang!

In an instant, young Tommy's front teeth were knocked out, and his mouth filled with blood.

The bald man wore a sinister grin. If he had hair, he would surely have been a handsome white man.

He was Penguin Cobblepot's most trusted subordinate, Victor Zsasz.

He was a homicidal maniac, rumored to carve a tally into his own body after every murder.

"Boss Cobblepot!"

Tommy had already been scared senseless. Air leaked through his missing teeth as he stammered, "It wasn't me, it wasn't me."

His excuses made Penguin Cobblepot lose patience.

Penguin elegantly tasted the delicious Bordeaux, then wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "Tommy, I hate people who do something but lack the courage to admit it. I heard you've always been a filial child..."

"Please don't do this, Boss Cobblepot. He threatened me with my mother. I didn't want to do it."

Tears and saliva flew from Tommy's face. "My mother can't lose me. She's already half-paralyzed. Please forgive me..."

Hearing this, Penguin seemed somewhat angered. "You betrayed me over an old woman!"

Tommy merely sobbed. Faced with Penguin's double standard, he did not dare say a word.

"Don't worry. I guarantee your mother will be safe and sound."

Penguin then spoke.

Victor, who had been holding Tommy's head, naturally understood. He dragged him away directly.

And the unlucky Tommy kept begging for mercy.

With a bang from the back, there was no sound anymore.

Li Ang had kept his head lowered the entire time. His days working at the Iceberg Lounge had shown him Gotham's darkness.

But scenes like today's were still rare.

Everyone said Penguin was cruel, cunning, and selfish, but he treated his subordinates fairly well.

Especially those who worked under him at the Iceberg Lounge; they had all received quite a few benefits.

"Do you know what is most detestable in this world?"

"That is betrayal."

"It is like a cup of poison, slowly seeping into your bright red heart and making it wither."

After finishing his speech, Penguin Cobblepot waved at Li Ang.

This made Li Ang breathe a sigh of relief, and he quickly placed the other drinks before everyone.

Just as he was about to leave, Penguin remembered him again and asked, "Li Ang, I heard you have a daughter?"

With an inward sigh, Li Ang stopped and said, "Mr. Cobblepot, she is my goddaughter."

"Where are her parents?"

"They're in heaven."

"What a pitiful child. Then is she filial?"

Li Ang looked at Penguin Cobblepot and said, "I believe so. She is very filial."

This made Penguin laugh happily.

"You see, I like filial children."