The Roman

The cold wind in Gotham's western outskirts swept like little knives over the bare hedges behind the wall. Li Jie drew his gaze back from Wayne Tower's cloud-piercing spire in the distance and looked at the faded, barely legible sign beside the gravel drive.

"Private property..."

Given Falcone's standing, he had expected a manor as lavish as the Palace of Versailles. Instead, it stood in a fairly remote stretch of countryside and looked like a collective farm.

The tires crunched over the thin frost coating the gravel. The G20 belched black smoke as it wound along the drive. Bob had asked the logistics and equipment division to patch it up a little, and they really had done only a little. Even the passenger-side door lock had been jury-rigged with a length of thick wire, never mind the suspension and steering. Whether it could make the trip back today was anyone's guess.

When the vehicle stopped outside the entrance and the engine died, Cobblepot, who stood beneath the porch waiting for their guest, nearly had his eyes pop out of his head. He probably hadn't expected a heap of scrap metal to actually move just because someone poured gasoline into it. Seeing Li Jie jump out and lift a box from the seat, he hurriedly limped forward a couple of steps.

"Welcome, officer."

Li Jie nodded and looked around. The towering walls and iron gates he had imagined were nowhere to be seen. Behind a low stone wall lay a somewhat untidy orchard, its bare apple trees spreading their branches. The manor itself was a sturdy, two-story building in the style of Tuscany, with a touch of Old World clumsiness. Dark red clay tiles covered the roof, and the paint on the balcony shutters had long since faded to a grayish white. Wisps of smoke rose from the chimney before the wind scattered them into the leaden sky.

They rounded the little fountain outside the entrance-the small angel statue inside no longer spouted water in this season-and climbed the porch steps. Their footsteps thudded across the wooden floor as they approached the sitting room.

Cobblepot knocked softly. A moment later, someone opened the door a crack, revealing a deathly pale face as gaunt as a skull. Deep-set eyes held a lifeless emptiness.

"Officer Li Jie has arrived."

Cobblepot's voice grew even more servile, with a hint of a tremor, and he bowed lower than usual.

Those eyes moved over Li Jie before their owner stepped back and opened the door. Cobblepot gestured for him to enter, but Li Jie's attention remained fixed on the skull-faced man.

A gleaming bald head, an expensive tailored suit, and what looked like rows of scars extending inward from the wrists exposed beneath his cuffs. He, too, looked up and stared at Li Jie. As they passed each other, their gazes crossed like blades, striking sparks.

"Officer... Li Jie?"

A fanatical gleam suddenly flashed through the skull-faced man's eyes, but Li Jie smiled and lifted the box in his hand for him to see.

"No use calling my name. This gift isn't for you."

He turned toward the room. It was unexpectedly warm inside. Several intricately patterned handwoven rugs covered the floor, and the sparks crackling in the fireplace and the burning logs cast a ruddy glow. Rather than paneling, the walls had an aged coat of cream-colored paint, with a richly colored painting of the Italian countryside hanging on them.

A tall, solidly built old man in a thick wool cardigan sat on the sofa in the place of honor at the center of the room. He looked more... robust than in the newspaper photographs, and more ordinary. His short gray hair was meticulously combed. In the firelight, the deep wrinkles on his face looked no different from those of an old newspaper seller on the street, but his eyes resembled two pieces of polished dark flint, sharp enough to pierce flesh and reach the marrow.

He held a steaming earthenware mug. As Li Jie entered, he raised a hand slightly toward the empty seat opposite him.

"Sit down, my boy. I heard the Gotham Police Department had found itself a remarkable talent, so I wanted to meet you."

Li Jie walked around the sofa and set his gift box on the coffee table. He was about to speak when he noticed someone else sitting nearby. Turning to look, he couldn't help exclaiming, "Gordon?"

He suddenly remembered that he hadn't greeted his host yet and quickly turned back with a wave. "Good afternoon, Mr. Falcone." He pushed the box across the table. "I brought you a little gift."

"Ha, thank you very much." Falcone straightened with a smile and brought the gift box closer to inspect it. "What lovely thing is this? May I open it?"

"Of course. It's Keemun Black Tea... a kind of tea from my homeland."

"Oh?" Falcone had been about to hand the box to the skull-faced man behind him, but at Li Jie's words, he drew his arm back. "Zsasz, please fetch my letter opener. I'd like to open this gift myself."

He reached a hand behind him. "Victor Zsasz, my bravest guardian and sharpest blade. I believe you've already met."

"Mm... yes." Li Jie gave Zsasz a wave as well. "I'm guessing he has a pretty good BMI."

Falcone smiled, took the knife Zsasz handed him, and gently slit the gift's outer wrapping. "Kee... mun... tea. I know this. A treasure that's won international awards. Oh, look at this beautiful box. This is far too precious a gift."

"Uh... it comes from the same place, but this isn't the award-winning kind." Li Jie rubbed his neck awkwardly. "That stuff is too expensive. I couldn't afford it."

"You're an honest boy." Falcone smiled and put the box away. "That's all right. I like it just as much. Cobblepot?"

He raised his voice to call out. Oswald opened the door, came inside, and bowed slightly. "Sir?"

"Come, sit down." He patted the sofa's right armrest, then the sofa to his left. "Zsasz, you sit down too."

Delight spread across Cobblepot's face. He hurried over with a limp, thanked Falcone, and only then sat down. Victor Zsasz shook his head and remained behind Falcone without a word.

"Now, I must be frank. Quite a few things have happened lately." Falcone took a cigar from the case on the coffee table, clipped it, and lit it. Cobblepot tried to rise and help, but Falcone stopped him with a wave. He looked around and slowly exhaled a mouthful of smoke. "Some of you here experienced these events firsthand. Others suffered losses in them."

Sitting opposite him, Li Jie clearly saw Zsasz's gaze flick silently toward Cobblepot. Cobblepot's upright posture instantly collapsed, and he shrank as deeply as he could into the sofa's soft leather upholstery.

"The cause was actually quite simple. Some members of the family let greed and desire go to their heads. Fish Mooney did not betray Carmine Falcone. She betrayed this family, its traditions, and the wall of order built over many years with blood and oaths."

He paused. Everyone present remained utterly silent; a pin dropping would have been audible. Li Jie wasn't particularly bothered. Back in school, his homeroom teacher had put on this sort of show of authority almost every day, so he was long used to it. His gaze passed over Cobblepot's shoulder and settled on the mantelpiece. In an inconspicuous frame, a faded photograph showed a much younger Falcone standing with several men aboard a fishing boat, the murky waters of Gotham Harbor behind them.

"...swaying like grass atop a wall, bending whichever way the wind blows... power is merely a tool, a heavy responsibility. This position... does it matter?... The family, la famiglia... that is the blood flowing through our veins, older than any throne, more sacred than any oath!"

His attention wandered, and quite a few words slipped past him. Then he suddenly heard Falcone speaking his name. "...if not for two brave officers, Gordon and Li Jie, things might have spiraled out of control."

"Huh?" He snapped back to attention. Just then, Falcone looked toward him. "Jay, I owe you an apology. To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and unrest, I told Cobblepot not to overstate the tension of the situation, but I also underestimated Fish Mooney's madness. Moreover, some of the weapons used by her ambush team came from those fence-sitting families."

Ah... got it! So you weren't sure you could keep things under control yourself back then. And we don't seem to know each other that well. No need to act so familiar.

Those words stayed in his head, of course. He wasn't actually going to say them aloud.

"It's all right, Mr. Falcone. If I encounter terrorists attacking ordinary citizens while on patrol, naturally I can't stand by and do nothing." Li Jie smiled politely. "Although my colleague was seriously injured and my vehicle was wrecked, forcing me to pay for repairs out of my own pocket, and although I could only drive a half-wreck here today to accept your invitation, an officer of the Gotham Police Department fears neither death nor hardship. We work diligently and strive to improve. As long as we can maintain the city's stability, preserve peace in Gotham, and protect the safety of innocent citizens, it's all worth it."

Apparently, none of those present had ever encountered an "official bureaucratic speech." Even a seasoned crime lord like Falcone looked briefly dazed. He gathered himself, tapped the ash off his cigar, and smiled. "Beautifully said..." Then he fell silent again. It took quite a while before he steered the conversation back.

"I heard that during this... attack, Mr. Cobblepot took certain actions on his own initiative, which also caused some misunderstandings." Falcone turned to look at Cobblepot. The little man sat motionless, his damp hair plastered to his forehead, almost soaked through with sweat. "But his planning also succeeded in exposing those thugs' crimes and stabilizing the situation. So..."

He looked at Li Jie, then turned toward Victor Zsasz. "Zsasz?"

"As you wish."

Zsasz nodded and said nothing more, merely continuing to stare expressionlessly at Cobblepot. Sweat streamed down Little Penguin's neck, soaking the collar of his white shirt.

"Then... Jay?"

"No problem! Just the day before yesterday, I told Mr. Cobblepot that his idea had worked very well. If I were in his position, I might have done the same thing."

Although Li Jie was still pretty annoyed with Cobblepot, the department had already accepted both the money and the vehicles. He couldn't take someone's payment and then refuse to follow through right in front of them.

"Besides, Mr. Cobblepot donated quite a few things to the department. Our Chief couldn't be happier. Although Fish Mooney's men smashed up my own vehicle, that's all secondary. It was worth it, too."

"Yes, for stability and order, it was all worth it." Falcone smiled. "Now Zsasz has eliminated those greedy men and fence-sitters. Peace and tranquility have returned, and they will last a long time. Jay, you're very honest. Don't worry about your vehicle."

He waved a hand, and Zsasz took a small case from a cupboard and placed it on the coffee table. Falcone opened it, took out two bundles of bills, and set them on the table. He pushed one toward Li Jie and the other toward Gordon.

"We're all family. No family member should have to bear his losses alone."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Falcone, but we aren't family."

Gordon, who had remained silent and all but invisible beside them, suddenly stood. "My name is Gordon. I'm an officer of the GCPD, and I will never be part of the Falcone crime family."

He turned to look at Li Jie, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt and disappointment. "You insisted that I come here today just to show me how a police officer can be bought off. But I'm not like him."

He raised his head and looked at Falcone with unwavering resolve. "To me, justice is priceless. You may be my father's friend, and I can respect you, but I will not compromise."

With that, he turned and walked away without hesitation. Zsasz moved to stop him, but Falcone raised a hand to hold him back.

"Let him go." The Roman shook his head, then looked at Li Jie. "And you, Jay? What is your choice? Do you also think justice is priceless?"

"I think justice is an immensely precious, indispensable, seldom-seen quality or spirit. It deserves everyone's effort and struggle. So..." Li Jie shook his head, swallowed, and pushed the bundle of bills back with difficulty. "Justice is worth a lot more than that."

"What do you think?"

Watching from the balcony as the Chevrolet struggled away trailing black smoke, Falcone turned to ask Zsasz and Cobblepot.

"Just fools who don't know what's good for them." Zsasz gave a cold smile. "Give the word, and I can kill them both immediately."

"I found it rather interesting." Falcone discarded his cigar and lightly clapped his hands. "Two men with utterly opposite personalities rejected me for utterly opposite reasons. Truly very, very, very interesting."

A smile slowly spread across his face. "My dear Mr. Cobblepot, could you tell me what else you said to our officer when you saw him off just now?"

Meanwhile, inside the jolting, swaying Chevrolet, Li Jie was letting out a deep sigh of his own.

"Damn it, I didn't manage to snag a single thing on this trip. What a lousy loss!"