Go Pick It Up

Midnight. A meeting of the Maroni Family's top brass.

"For some reason, that old bastard Falcone has suddenly gone quiet lately. But that's a good thing. Now's the time for us to make our move."

In the Maroni Family's banquet hall, Maroni sat at the head of the table and spoke with fiery enthusiasm.

He had only just turned forty that year, considerably younger than the aging Falcone, with far more drive and ambition.

Being kept under Falcone's thumb all this time had long left him resentful. Though he couldn't figure out what they were up to, this was undoubtedly a golden opportunity.

"Now is certainly a good time to act, but won't there be trouble? Things in Gotham are complicated these days. What if we rush in and it's a trap?"

Not far from Maroni, a weathered-looking senior member frowned slightly. Gotham wasn't what it used to be. If they really made a move, they would inevitably expose weaknesses of their own.

And that damned Harvey Dent and Gordon, along with that blasted bat from who knew where, might seize the opportunity to strike and deal them a serious blow.

There was an even worse possibility: what if this was a trap Falcone had set with those cops?

It wasn't impossible. There was even precedent. Back in the early days, before The Roman had become as powerful as he was now, he had colluded with the police to crush his competitors. None of those unlucky bastards had ever recovered.

He was worried this was a rerun of that early playbook. If it really was, they would be in danger.

"I understand your concerns, Uncle. If this is a trap, we'll be facing utter ruin. There might never be a place for the Maroni Family in Gotham again."

Maroni patted his shoulder and nodded, signaling that he understood the risks.

But a moment later, his tone shifted, and he slammed his hand onto the table.

"But! If we don't even have the guts to take a gamble, how are we any different from dead men?

Think about it! Are you really willing to spend your entire lives beneath someone else? Are you willing to spend your entire lives being treated like clowns who aren't fit for polite company?

Think about it. Really think about it. This world only ever remembers number one. Nobody remembers who came second.

Do any of you even know what the second-highest mountain in the world is?"

"I do! It's K2!"

"Uh..."

That single remark choked off the speech Maroni had so carefully prepared.

Maroni's eyes widened in fury as he glared around the dining table, looking for whichever clueless idiot had dared interrupt him.

Then he saw that the banquet hall's doors had somehow been opened. A moment later, Zuo Ci strode brazenly inside, wearing a suit and, inexplicably, a Wizard Hood that completely concealed his face.

Then he yanked some unlucky bastard away from the table and sat in his seat.

Clatter!

In an instant, everyone present except Maroni himself raised a pistol and aimed it at Zuo Ci. Zuo Ci didn't even spare them a glance. He simply picked up a knife and fork and began cutting his steak.

"Who are you, sir? Why have you barged into our banquet?"

Maroni pressed a hand downward, signaling for the others to hold their fire. He was curious about where exactly Zuo Ci had come from.

After all, he had stationed plenty of guards and hired muscle around this banquet, yet this man had walked in as though no one was there.

Acting rashly might put them at a disadvantage.

"My name is Zuo Ci. I run a little general store. Maybe you've heard of me, maybe you haven't."

The others couldn't help laughing when they heard that Zuo Ci ran a general store, but Maroni remained serious.

"You're the one they call 'Dad'?"

Over the past few days, he had heard bits and pieces of news. Apparently, the Falcone Family had suffered a setback at a general store, and people in the underworld were now calling its owner "Dad."

He had only recently sent men over to find out what was really going on, and now the man himself had come knocking. He certainly didn't waste any time.

"Looks like I've got a bit of a reputation after all. That makes things easier.

I won't hold your eternal runner-up status against you. Here's the deal: just like the Falcone Family, you'll bring me five million dollars in protection money within three days. From now on, you'll also pay me five million every month. Cash only. Understand?"

In an instant, the mockery in the banquet hall vanished, replaced by shock and confusion.

Had this guy gone crazy from taking enhancement drugs? What the hell was he talking about?

"I assume you didn't come here just to entertain us."

Maroni's expression gradually darkened as he listened.

Over the past few years, more and more costumed freaks had appeared in Gotham. He had initially assumed Zuo Ci was one of them, merely using extreme methods to raise his profile. He hadn't expected him to say anything like this.

It looked like they would have to teach him what happened when someone angered the Maroni Family.

So he quietly exchanged looks with several men beside him, signaling them to be ready to pull their triggers.

"Ah, I'm asking so nicely. Why can't you just agree instead of making me go to all this trouble?"

With a helpless sigh, Zuo Ci pulled open his suit jacket, revealing the grenades packed beneath it.

"Don't move! What the fuck are you doing?!"

Ignoring them completely, Zuo Ci casually pulled one off and tossed it onto the floor as though he were throwing away trash.

"Go pick it up."

The grenade, its safety pin already pulled, struck the floor with a clunk. Everyone immediately panicked. In the end, one of the quicker men dropped his pistol and grabbed the grenade, clutching it tightly.

"You... what the fuck are you..."

"Go pick it up."

Another grenade flew out, and everyone scrambled to pick it up again.

"Heh-heh, this is fun. Come on, go pick up another one~"

After several rounds of this, every member of the Maroni Family's top brass was bent over with his ass in the air, gripping a grenade and barely daring to breathe.

"Good. Much more comfortable now. Just look at you. All you had to do was agree, and everything would've been fine. But no, you had to make things difficult. Happy now?

All right, that's all I came to tell you. If I don't see the money in three days, you know what happens.

Oh, and your steaks are pretty good. Give my compliments to the chef."

As he spoke, Zuo Ci paid no attention to the venomous looks they gave him. He simply tucked into several steaks, then stood up, thoroughly satisfied, and headed for the door.

After stepping outside, Zuo Ci didn't leave immediately. Instead, he pushed a huge cardboard box into the room.

"Oh, right, one more thing. Once the pins are pulled on these grenades, they'll go off after three minutes even if you keep holding the levers down.

No need to thank me. Have fun~"

Then, as though he had made up his mind about something, he left without looking back, locking the doors firmly behind him.