Where's Batman? Someone Help!

"I think you'll really like this gift."

Only after hearing Zuo Ci's unspeakable whisper did Falcone finally understand just what kind of person he had crossed.

This guy wasn't human at all. He was a devil wearing human skin!

"Hee-hee, let's begin. Go on, good boy. Go play with your dear master."

"Woof! Woof!"

As he watched the Labrador he had always cared for so lovingly, which now harbored desires toward him that it should never have had, Falcone lost all the composure he had been feigning at the start. Boundless fear and panic took its place.

He thrashed wildly, trying to escape, but Zuo Ci's restraints were so secure that he couldn't move even an inch.

All he could do now was watch helplessly as the Labrador approached. He could even faintly feel the heat radiating from the little Labrador's body!

"All right, good boy. Stop for a moment."

Just as Falcone was about to die of fright, Zuo Ci grabbed the Labrador by its collar and casually tossed it back into the iron cage.

Then he set up the video camera off to one side and yanked the filthy rag out of Falcone's mouth.

"Hah... hah..."

With the immediate danger lifted, Falcone panted uncontrollably, his face drained of color and his head drenched in sweat. Zuo Ci didn't rush him, simply waiting patiently for him to recover.

"Well, Mr. Falcone? You should understand what you need to do next now."

"Yes, I understand. Three hundred thousand dollars. I'll give you every last cent!"

Whatever pride and dignity Falcone had once possessed had vanished in the face of a threat more terrifying than any serial killer. All he wanted now was to send this walking calamity on his way as quickly as possible, preferably never to see him again.

"Three hundred thousand? No, no, no, my esteemed Mr. Falcone. You've been running shady businesses for so many years. Surely you understand that prices change over time?"

At the mention of three hundred thousand, Zuo Ci gave a disdainful chuckle, his initially casual, languid tone turning cold.

"Yes, yes, I wasn't thinking. How could three hundred thousand possibly be enough? Five hundred... no, a million. I..."

"Five million. Starting this month, you'll pay me five million in protection money every month, and it must be in cash. Understood?"

Five million in cash...

Falcone did indeed run Gotham's largest gang, and he did indeed control an enormous range of businesses, with assets worth hundreds of millions, if not billions.

However, most of those assets were tied up in stocks, real estate, and other holdings that were difficult to liquidate. The cash they had available wasn't actually all that much-only a few tens of millions.

Yet Zuo Ci was demanding five million all at once, and every single month at that. That added up to at least sixty million dollars a year, a staggering sum that Falcone could scarcely afford.

Instinctively, Falcone wanted to refuse, but he was at someone else's mercy now and had no choice but to bow his head. He could only grit his teeth and agree.

"I will, sir. I'll follow your orders and deliver every last cent."

"Very good. Then I wish you a wonderful evening, Mr. Falcone."

Having received a satisfactory answer, Zuo Ci clapped his hands in satisfaction, then rose, elegantly pushed open the door, and left this place of trouble behind.

"It's finally over..."

As that devil's figure disappeared from sight, Falcone breathed a sigh of relief. But immediately afterward, he realized something extremely important.

He hadn't untied him! Was he supposed to hang here all night?

Soon, however, Falcone stopped worrying about that. Not because the problem had been resolved, but because an even more terrifying problem had appeared before him.

He seemed to have... left the dog cage open...

"Woof! Woof!"

As the Labrador approached with reddened eyes, excited beyond measure, Falcone felt for the first time in his life that living so long might not have been a good thing.

"No! No! Don't, don't come any closer! Help! Where's Batman? Where are the police? Get over here! Hurry up and save me!

I'll confess! I'll confess to anything! Just arrest me! Hurry! Help!!!"

Falcone, male, fifty-two years old.

Over the course of that far-too-long night, he lost something very important.

The next day, it wasn't until nearly noon that the servants Zuo Ci had knocked unconscious in Falcone's villa finally began to wake.

Once awake, they immediately realized someone might be trying to hurt Falcone. Forgetting everything else, they all rushed into his bedroom and witnessed the tragedy firsthand.

Of course, being consummate professionals, they quickly rescued Falcone and prepared to take him to the hospital for treatment.

However, at Falcone's insistence, they had no choice but to obey the Godfather and summon his senior officers for a meeting first.

"Gentlemen, you..."

In the conference room, Falcone stood shakily at the head of the table, leaning on a cane. His complexion looked terrible, making him resemble an aging zombie.

As for the other officers, they looked little better than Falcone. Every one of them was deathly pale, as though they had suffered some devastating blow.

And without exception, not a single one of them was sitting down.

"Ah..."

Realizing they had suffered the same torment he had, Falcone let out a sorrowful sigh. At the same time, an inexplicable little flicker of delight rose within him.

That was how people were. If you were the only one suffering, it was agonizing. But if someone else suffered alongside you, things became much easier to bear.

"I'll keep this brief. Zuo Ci... Mr. Zuo Ci came to see me last night. He demanded that we give him five million in cash every month as protection money. Does anyone have any objections?"

At those words, the senior officers seated... er, standing there exchanged glances. Not one of them uttered so much as a word. Their eyes were filled with fear.

"Then it's settled. Mark, I'll leave this to you. Make sure everything is handled perfectly. There can be no mistakes."

"Understood, Godfather."

Mark's voice was dry and hoarse. Unlike Falcone, he kept three dogs, so he was arguably in the worst condition of anyone present.

Even so, he maintained as much dignity as he could and respectfully accepted the assignment.

"By the way, why isn't Lucas here?"

With business concluded, Falcone was about to leave and hurry off to see a doctor when he suddenly noticed that one of his officers seemed to be missing. A closer look revealed that Lucas, usually the most eager to pick a fight, was nowhere to be seen.

That was certainly unusual.

"Godfather, he likes keeping horses."

"Never mind, then. May God bless his soul."