"No... no... this... this is a bit too..."
Inside the police department's evidence room, Gordon sat on pins and needles as he stared at the indescribable footage on the computer, his expression twisting uncontrollably into a knot.
Beside him, Harvey held a vomit bag with a pale face, clearly having already thrown up a round.
As for Batman, he remained expressionless, merely silently pondering whether he should arrange for Zuo Ci to be admitted to Arkham Asylum.
"How is it, this is good stuff, right? With these tapes, your subsequent operations will be a lot more convenient too."
Standing behind the computer and re-donning his mage outfit, Zuo Ci observed the reactions of the three with keen interest.
At this moment, what played on the computer was precisely the custom little movie he had tailored last night for the Falcone Family higher-ups. Its visual splendor and explosive acting simply exceeded human imagination.
Of course, this was an edited version; everything related to Zuo Ci had been completely deleted, leaving only the passionate love-hate relationships between the main actors and their pets.
After all, directly playing footage of him extorting people in front of the police was simply going a bit too far.
Therefore, Zuo Ci didn't even take a single glance, sending all of it straight to Gordon and the others.
"That's enough, that's enough, quickly turn it off, I really can't take it anymore."
After watching for a while and finding it truly unwatchable, Gordon shut down the computer. Having worked in Gotham for so many years, he had witnessed plenty of extremely brutal sights, and he had originally thought his endurance was high enough. However, after seeing this, he knew he couldn't quite handle it.
It wasn't to say the visuals were all that bloody or perverted, it was just, how should he put it, very hard to keep a straight face, you know?
There was even a scene in there where a hedgehog burrowed all the way inside, you know!
Oh my god, may God forgive me for watching something so evil.
"I'm saying, as a mage, can't you adopt some more magical methods? What you've done is a bit too, too outrageous."
Gulping down several mouthfuls of water, Harvey finally managed to make his spasms and twisted-into-a-doughnut stomach feel a bit better. He simply couldn't understand why this mage had such... wicked tastes.
Are Batman's friends all this heaven-defying? Should I start re-evaluating my relationship with Batman?
What if one day, because we walk too close, I turn into some coin-flipping serial killer too?
"Sigh, look at you, you just don't understand. My approach is quite magical, alright."
"Where's the magic? I don't see it."
"You Muggles don't get it. This is the Art of Changing OO painstakingly researched by my blood and sweat. It has an irreversible, powerful effect on destroying the enemy's mental state and altering their XP, you know."
Harvey fell silent. Having been in Gotham for so long, this was the first time he began to doubt whether he had made the wrong choice.
"Talk business. Why are you showing us these?"
The only one present who could still keep a straight face was Batman. To be honest, he actually knew what Zuo Ci had done last night, and had even considered talking to him about it in private.
Yet he hadn't expected Zuo Ci to actively contact him, Gordon, and Harvey first, and then gather them here to watch adult movies.
So, what on earth was he thinking?
"It's very simple. I just want to help you guys, nothing more."
As he spoke, Zuo Ci snapped his fingers, and subsequently, a cup of fragrant coffee appeared in front of each of them.
"Gotham is so chaotic nowadays. Aside from that bunch of freaks and monsters, the biggest source is the mafia-you guys should be clear on this point.
It's precisely because they exist that Gotham's current business environment is like shit, making it hard for me to quietly do business and make money.
And coincidentally, you guys are dealing with this bunch of gangsters, so I figured I'd come help warm up the field."
Zuo Ci wasn't lying. Although the Falcone Family had been temporarily suppressed by him, they might not choose to seek revenge in the future-especially given that he had also extorted such a huge sum of money from them.
And since it was impossible for him to protect his little shop forever, there was no guarantee it wouldn't get sabotaged one day. Therefore, to solve this problem once and for all, Zuo Ci chose to cooperate with Gordon and them.
After all, it was impossible for him to directly kill every single gangster himself.
"Alright, I understand. But I have to tell you, it's a pity that these tapes cannot be used as evidence in court; at most, they can only serve as private leverage to blackmail them."
Harvey, having mostly recovered his composure, spoke in a slightly regretful tone. These tapes could indeed bring them help, but the effect probably wouldn't be very good.
"If it's solely the Falcone Family's, naturally it's of no use. What about if the Maroni Family's tapes are here too?"
"The Maroni Family..."
Hearing Zuo Ci put it that way, Batman instantly got an idea.
If the tapes of both major families were in their hands, they could completely use this as leverage to lure or even force the two families into a turf war, while they reaped the profits at the end.
Godfather, you wouldn't want your adult films with your beloved pet to get leaked, would you?
"Hold on, hold on, is something not quite right here? We're good guys, aren't we? Do good guys really need to rely on this kind of stuff?"
Gordon didn't consider himself a very rigid person; to solve crime, he was willing to adopt some less-than-righteous methods.
But using this-wasn't it a bit too much? To be honest, he didn't even want to touch it right now, feeling it was simply too ominous.
"Anyway, the tapes are right here. Whether you use them or not is your business."
Zuo Ci waved his hand indifferently. He was just a supplier anyway; Gordon and the others could use them however they liked, it had nothing to do with him as long as a good outcome was achieved.
"Then, how much do these tapes cost?"
After remaining silent for a moment, Harvey spoke up again, bringing up a quite important question.
Although they had only cooperated once, Harvey understood that Zuo Ci was a fellow who loved money dearly, so these tapes certainly couldn't be free.
These tapes might be useful, or they might be useless, but either way they were a card to hold, so Harvey was already prepared for a heavy bleeding.
"They're free. I'm not charging money."
As soon as the words left his mouth, three pairs of astonished gazes looked over.
"Don't look at me like that. A gentleman loves wealth and acquires it through proper ways. I'm doing a good deed here, it's very noble, so how can it be tainted by the stinking smell of money?
Alright, I'll tell the truth. I just want to make a wolf out of an empty hand and buy into a stake with this stuff. If there are any house-clearing activities or the like in the future, remember to call me along."
Hearing this, the three wore expressions of realization-as expected. It left Zuo Ci blushing furiously for a moment.
No, am I really that money-grubbing in your eyes? We've only cooperated once, alright? Did you have to slap a label on me so judgmentally?
I'm charging you all a 120% markup from now on!
After watching the tape, chatting a bit more generally, and making a small profit of money off Gordon and Harvey, Zuo Ci left the police department, with Batman following closely behind.
"This is the uncut version, everything's in there from start to finish. Take it back and watch it slowly yourself.
Let's make it clear first, there are only two copies of the tape total: the police department's and the one in your hand. If you break it, there are no backups."
Gordon and Harvey didn't know Zuo Ci's identity yet, and compounded with the fact that his extortion wasn't great for them to know, Zuo Ci had given them the edited version.
But facing Batman, Zuo Ci had nothing to conceal, directly handing the whole process over to him.
"Only two copies?"
"Only two copies. I'm not some pervert who likes collecting this heavy-flavored stuff."
Although when facing Falcone, Zuo Ci had claimed he would copy a billion copies and distribute them worldwide, that was actually just to scare him.
After all, copying that many copies was really expensive; it wasn't cost-effective at all.
"What is your true purpose?"
Putting away the tape, Batman proceeded to ask the next question. He had already seen it back in the evidence room: Zuo Ci hadn't actually told the whole truth, or had concealed certain things.
"Fine, I suppose I can't hide it from you.
I'll just say it straight. After the mafia falls, many industries will become ownerless, waiting either to find a new master or to go bankrupt.
So, rather than ceding them to others, why shouldn't I take them over? With the help of the police and the prosecutor, a little matter like this should still be quite simple, right?"
Batman didn't speak, but inwardly he believed Zuo Ci's explanation a little bit. This did indeed fit his personality traits.
"Alright, enough of this. I recently dug up a good thing, and I'm sure you'll definitely need it."
Before you continue