Falcone's Show of Force

Li Ang had not slept for long before he woke up.

Thanks to his enhanced physique, not only did he feel no fatigue, but he was actually full of energy.

Before this, he would have slept until four or five in the afternoon at the earliest, and even then, he would have needed an alarm clock.

And after waking up, he would still go through a period of sluggishness.

Of course, things were different if he had made plans with someone in advance.

There was a huge difference in a man's state depending on whether he had a partner.

But no matter what, being full of energy was the key to accomplishing great things.

Take Bruce Wayne, for example. He had to play the playboy during the day and become the Dark Knight at night. Li Ang genuinely wondered whether Bruce Wayne was even human and whether he ever needed rest.

Li Ang made little noise as he entered the living room and checked Kara's room. Her door was tightly shut.

Unfortunately, he did not have vision that could see through doors, nor did he have super-hearing, so he had no idea whether Kara was asleep.

The enhancement to his physique mainly improved his physical attributes. His eyesight had indeed improved considerably.

He had been slightly nearsighted before and could not see clearly at a distance.

But now, it was as though he were wearing magnifying glasses. He could even clearly see a mosquito flying past.

It just was not so miraculous that it could see through everything.

His hearing was the same. It felt as though his ears had been cleared out; he could detect even the slightest rustle of wind, but he did not have Kara's mind-reading ability.

Those were probably separate "abilities."

After all, Kara had activated them gradually.

Afterward, Li Ang went out to buy dinner.

Gotham was a major city with a population of more than three million, nearly as large as neighboring Metropolis.

As a result, food from all over the world could be found in Gotham.

Li Ang deliberately did not take a car and instead began jogging.

He only felt as though the wind were beneath his feet, every step making the ground seem to tremble.

With a light jump in an empty alleyway, he felt as though he could break free of gravity and fly.

His super physique gave him a Superman-like sense of power, as though he possessed an incomplete Kryptonian bloodline and could still absorb solar energy.

That was the most incredible thing about Kryptonians: they could keep growing stronger, and they possessed an inexplicably powerful bioelectric field.

If he did not have a child to care for, Li Ang truly wanted to find some deserted place and indulge in the thrill brought by his extraordinary power without restraint.

Before long, Li Ang crossed the Diamond District and arrived in Chinatown.

Even after traveling such a long distance, he was not tired at all.

Kara was highly receptive to Chinese food, and children liked strong flavors. She could even handle spicier food than Li Ang.

So Li Ang found a Chinese restaurant that had not been altered much and ordered several dishes.

Most of the restaurant workers were Chinese, and Li Ang seemed to see his former self in them.

If he had not been reported, he might still have been washing dishes at some Chinese restaurant instead of working at the Iceberg Lounge.

After eating at the restaurant, Li Ang packed up the leftovers for Kara, then went home and placed them on the dining table in the living room.

Seeing that her door was still tightly shut, he figured Kara was asleep.

Thinking that even though she was a Kryptonian, she had gone an entire day without sleep, he did not wake her and went straight to work.

After all, he had only become the bar manager yesterday. He needed to be more proactive today.

Nothing like yesterday's robbery happened along the way.

In the Diamond District, Penguin did not allow random robberies or violent crimes.

"Iceberg Lounge."

Before Li Ang arrived, the lounge had already opened, though customers were not yet allowed inside.

It was still early, but several customers were already waiting in line outside.

The Iceberg Lounge was an extremely famous place throughout Gotham.

As soon as Li Ang arrived, he noticed that there were far more of Penguin's men on guard today.

Each wore a suit and tie, carrying weapons to varying degrees, and there might even have been guns hidden beneath their jackets.

"What happened?"

Although he was now the bar manager, many of the men still did not give Li Ang the time of day. Only someone who had drunk his cocktails before answered, "Someone provoked us."

"Don't make a fuss after you go inside."

Li Ang was then let in, his curiosity growing.

The lighting inside the lounge was dim. When he entered the main hall, Li Ang immediately saw blood all over the floor.

Perhaps because some time had passed, the blood had turned a dark red.

Looking up, he saw a corpse hanging before the iceberg in the hall. It was an elderly white woman, suspended by white cloth around her neck and arms. There were obvious wounds from a sharp blade across her body, her blood had been drained dry, and she looked as horrifying as a desiccated corpse.

No one had touched the body. They had merely cordoned it off. All the employees huddled to one side, staring at it with fear or shock on their faces. No one was in the mood to work.

Li Ang was naturally the same. This was Gotham, but such a horrific sight was rare even here.

And it was easy to feel physically sick from it.

Several waitresses were retching dryly nearby, while others had simply hidden away, too afraid to look.

Li Ang quickly walked over to the bar area. "All of you, go to the back room. Don't stay here."

Who knew what they had been thinking? Penguin's men had actually allowed the ordinary employees inside as well.

Hearing Li Ang's words, the ordinary employees finally came to their senses and fled toward the back room.

The hulking Frank walked over. "Those idiots are definitely going to get chewed out by Boss Cobblepot later."

Li Ang's expression turned grave. "What's going on?"

Frank only answered, "She was Tommy's mother."

Hearing that name, Li Ang immediately understood.

Tommy had betrayed Penguin and been dealt with directly by Victor, but Penguin, Cobblepot, had also said he would take care of Tommy's mother.

Clearly, this was not the kind of care he had meant...

Obviously, someone had entered during the time the Iceberg Lounge was closed and done this.

So it was seen as a provocation, a show of force, and a slap in Penguin's face.

That was the mafia. Not only were they themselves easily dragged into trouble, but their families could be implicated as well.

Li Ang immediately stopped asking questions. He had no interest in this sort of thing. As long as it did not affect him and Kara, that was enough.

It could be said that Kara was Li Ang's only attachment in this world. Even if the world ended, he would not care about anything else.

Before long, Penguin arrived.

He came in a private car, his umbrella planted on the ground like a cane, with the bald Victor and several other trusted subordinates following beside him.

When Penguin, Cobblepot, was young, his father had contracted pneumonia and died during a heavy rainstorm.

His mother had then demanded that he never be without an umbrella. The filial Penguin obeyed her faithfully, even when people mocked him for it.

Until now, no one dared mock him so casually anymore.

Thud. Thud.

The sound of the umbrella striking the floor was heavy, like the tolling of a death knell.

"BOSS!"

Penguin's men inside the Iceberg Lounge instantly stood up.

Almost everyone present wore black suits. Anyone seeing them would think they were a group of Wall Street elites rather than street gangsters.

Gotham's gangs also had one defining trait: many operated as "families."

Like their opponent this time...

"Falcone!"

The instant Penguin saw the scene, his face turning frosty, he spoke.

In Gotham, anyone who heard the surname Falcone had to tread carefully.

Once upon a time, the Falcone Family had been a massive family that controlled all of Gotham. Whether legitimate or criminal, everyone had to obey the Falcone Family.