After work, William met Commissioner Norman in the garage.
He received a leather suitcase containing a waiter's formal uniform for the reception, along with a blueprint of Falcone's mansion.
"I've smoothed things over at every level. All you need to do is be in the right place at the right time."
William glanced at the blueprint and found that his job was simpler than he had imagined: slip onto the third floor posing as a waiter, then steal the documents from Falcone's office at the end of the hall.
Of course, the documents wouldn't be sitting on a conspicuous desk for him to take.
His final opponent was an electronic safe.
"How am I supposed to get into the safe?" William asked the crucial question after carefully reading the mission plan.
Norman glanced around, then fished a small slip of paper out of his pocket.
Unfolded, it revealed twelve handwritten digits.
"You even got the code?!"
"I used a few little tricks... As for what those tricks were, that's not something you need to worry about."
Norman twirled his handlebar mustache and raised a hand, cutting off any further questions from William.
Carrying the suitcase out of the parking garage, William watched the passing cars with a deep frown.
He couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't that simple. If Norman could get hold of the code, that meant he had a mole close to Falcone. Stealing the documents along the way shouldn't have been difficult, so why go to all this trouble to have William do it?
As far as anyone knew, he was just a low-ranking cop, not one of Norman's confidants.
Unfortunately, Norman wasn't an eligible romance target. Otherwise, William would definitely have spent a Marking Beacon to peek into his mind.
After turning it over in his head, William decided to discuss a strategy with Stuart.
In the lounge at the Black Truffle boxing gym, Stuart was stretching for that evening's match. When William opened the door and walked in, he raised a hand in a casual greeting.
"What are you doing here? Didn't I say I'd pick you up after the match?"
William handed him the operation plan and voiced his concerns.
"I think something's off about this."
"It is. Looks like you're sharper than I thought."
Stuart skimmed the documents and reached the same conclusion as William.
"But we can't rule out the possibility that Norman just wants an unfamiliar face for the mission, someone he can easily throw under the bus if the plan gets exposed. Still, I'd put the odds of that at only twenty percent."
"What about the other eighty percent?"
"He's figured out who you are. He knows you work for Maroni. This operation is aimed at you, or at Maroni's entire organization."
Stuart tossed the documents aside and braced himself against a locker to stretch his thighs.
"What do you think I should do?"
With his suspicions confirmed, William actually let out a long breath of relief.
But he truly had no idea what his next move should be.
"What's your biggest trump card?" Stuart asked in return.
William's first thought was the system. Then his gaze settled on Stuart.
His trump card was undoubtedly Batman.
Stuart's lips curled upward, and he leaned close to whisper in William's ear.
Night shrouded Falcone's mansion, and luxury cars crowded the grounds outside.
Dressed in his waiter's uniform, William entered through a side door of the castle after his identity had been verified.
He pinned on his identification card and found his contact at the designated spot: the castle's head of security.
"At 12:15 a.m., I'll create a disturbance outside. The guards will be called away, and you'll have about ten minutes to complete the mission. If anything comes up, I'll call the third-floor phone to let you know."
William noted the time and made it into the castle without trouble under his contact's cover.
The infiltration went remarkably smoothly. He had barely stepped into the banquet hall when someone thrust a tray into his hands.
Things were moving too fast. Before William was ready, he had already been pushed into the thick of it.
He made his rounds through the hall to the delicate notes of the piano, his footsteps sinking into the soft red Persian carpet.
Falcone held a reception at his estate every week. Unlike Maroni, who controlled politicians through bribes and scandals, he acted more like a middleman, providing a meeting place for people who ordinarily should have had no private dealings with one another.
He didn't collect a commission directly after each dirty deal, either. Over the decades, the social circle he had built had long since developed its own unwritten rules.
Anyone who tried to bypass him or shortchange his commission would be shut out.
In theory, he hadn't committed any crime. Gotham's police, and even Batman, couldn't find any leads.
That was also why Falcone had managed to preserve his power during "Dawn Blade," the joint operation conducted by Batman and the police.
Of course, that business alone couldn't have built his empire, which was why Maroni had always wanted to dig up dirt on Falcone.
That was also why William was here today.
A small fry, or a sacrificial pawn-those were the terms people usually used.
After a few busy rounds, William gradually began to relax.
If this really was a trap set for him, then in theory, he shouldn't encounter any danger.
His gaze landed on the girl playing the piano in the corner.
Under the lights, her rose-red gown resembled a quietly burning flame. Her black hair was neatly coiled atop her head, with a few loose strands hanging beside her ears.
Her fingers danced lightly over the keys, and the melody of Moonlight Sonata rippled through the hall like flowing water.
Her profile was lovely and finely sculpted, her expression focused. Shut off from the noise around her, she was completely immersed in her music.
William had to admit that she was the most beautiful girl he had seen since arriving in Gotham. Her skill at the piano was another point in her favor.
For a moment, William even wanted to use a beacon on her.
If she wasn't an eligible romance target, the beacon would only display her current location. He wouldn't be able to see her affection level or her thoughts.
But at least William could arrange a few chance encounters.
Wasn't that how a dating system was supposed to be used?
But he only had six beacons left. Without missions to replenish them, every one he used was one gone for good.
While he hesitated, the piece came to an end.
The girl rose and bowed.
The important people in the hall were all busy currying favor and flattering one another. Only William, standing in the corner, gave her a thumbs-up.
The good news was that she saw it. Her azure eyes swept across the room and settled on William's face.
She answered with a gentle smile, then lifted her skirt and disappeared through a side door.
William let out a long breath.
In the end, he hadn't deployed the beacon.
[Little A has detected an elevated heart rate and increased hormone secretion. Your lower house has made an urgent appeal. A pursuit route has now been planned for you. A friendly reminder from your intelligent assistant: one Dazzling Fireworks remains in your storage slot...]
The AI's notification popped up without permission yet again, and William closed it at lightning speed.
He still knew how to keep his priorities straight.
William glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner of the hall.
11:55 p.m. Twenty minutes remained until it was time to act...
BOOM-!!!!!
The sudden blast jolted the tray out of his hands.
Through the glass windows, William could just make out flames shooting into the sky.
The hall shook. The crystal chandelier swung violently, shaking loose a fine shower of dust.
An explosion?
Was this the disturbance his contact had mentioned?
William noticed the guards stationed at the second-floor entrance rushing outside.
This was a perfect opportunity to slip in.
But the problem was, it wasn't time to act yet!
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