Two Harveys

Maroni sat on the sofa with a cigar clenched between his teeth, watching a live broadcast on the television in front of him.

The man on the screen had a head of brilliant blond hair. Under the scrutiny of the media's cameras and microphones, he spoke with calm assurance.

"...Once this legislation is enacted, Gotham's crime rate will fall by twenty percentage points. I will personally oversee its implementation. Criminals who have evaded the law will face justice, whether they are corrupt officials or vicious mobsters..."

With that, the man pointed at the camera.

"I am Harvey Dent, and I will make you pay for your crimes!"

Whoosh!

Maroni let out a long plume of smoke. Draping both arms over the back of the sofa, he spoke to the empty space before him.

"Paul, was he just challenging me? Ho, ho! He actually challenged me through the screen. Looks like Harvey Dent really is as obnoxious as the rumors say. No wonder those guys in New York shipped him off to Gotham.

"Then let's send him a surprise. How about your corpse? We could rig up a little mechanism so you drop down the moment he opens the door and splatter blood all over his face.

"Why aren't you saying anything, Paul? Oh... I almost forgot I gagged you!"

Maroni leaned forward with a sneer, glanced at Paul, who lay trussed up at his feet, and yanked the handkerchief out of his mouth.

"Boss, I was wrong! Boss!" Paul pleaded, his face covered in bruises. "I didn't willingly work for Falcone. He kidnapped my wife and forced me into it. I had no choice!"

Maroni said nothing. He took the cigar from his mouth and tapped off the ash.

"I know. But betrayal is betrayal! You know how much I hate traitors!"

His voice grew colder and more frenzied. Maroni used two fingers to pry Paul's eyelids apart, then pressed the burning tip of his cigar against his eye as Paul frantically begged for mercy...

Agonized screams echoed through the room for a long time...

Before long, Maroni walked out of the study with graceful strides and beckoned a bodyguard over. "As I instructed earlier, deliver the corpse inside to Mr. Harvey Dent."

"Wait!"

As though something had suddenly occurred to him, he called the bodyguard back.

Maroni reached out to turn the man squarely toward him, then leaned in to study his face.

"Oh, my Jesus! That face of yours is perfect!"

After sitting down and chatting for a while, Qin Wei left the young woman's apartment.

Fortunately, she really hadn't meant anything more by it. They had simply shared a cup of coffee. Compared with her endless attempts at seduction before, Selina seemed to have set aside her identity as Catwoman and started trying to approach Qin Wei as a friend. That was good news.

But just before Qin Wei left, Selina casually brought something up.

"I almost forgot to ask. Do you know who owned the aircraft that fished us out of the sea that day? It looked like a giant bat."

The Batplane? So I wasn't the only one who saw it!

Qin Wei was almost going crazy. Every time he convinced himself to let go of his obsession with Batman, another clue surfaced. It was as though Batman were deliberately hiding from him.

Forget it. Stop thinking about it!

Since he had already thrown in his lot with criminals, he ought to wave goodbye to that thorn-strewn path of justice.

Now Qin Wei only had one worry: that Batman would suddenly show up after he had built himself into a major player. That was precisely why he had pushed Oswald into the spotlight. After all, if things followed the script, the man would eventually become one of Gotham's criminal overlords.

As long as he built a good relationship with Oswald during this time, he could hide behind Penguin and live in peace later on.

Qin Wei didn't want to be like this, two-faced and full of schemes. But how could he survive in Gotham without keeping a few tricks up his sleeve?

A few thugs were beating a beggar by the roadside. Qin Wei frowned at the agonized cries. But he had grown since the incident on the tram. This time, he didn't meddle. He took a quick glance, pulled his clothes tighter around himself, and hurried away.

After everything he had been through, his heart had grown increasingly cold.

His phone rang as he reached the street corner. He swiped the screen and saw that Gordon was calling.

"Got time? Someone wants to meet you."

"Harvey Dent?"

Qin Wei glanced at a newspaper rack by the street. The front page covered Harvey's appointment, complete with his photograph and name, beneath the headline-"Can the White Knight Bring Hope to Gotham?"

"That's right. He wants to go after Maroni first, and he'd like to get some information from you."

Qin Wei hesitated. He would have to meet Harvey sooner or later, but certainly not now. Every gang in the city was watching the new prosecutor at this critical moment. Rashly meeting the man at the center of attention would hardly be wise.

"Why me?"

"Because you're the only one I know, and I thought you'd be the most likely to cooperate with the investigation."

"Then you've got the wrong man."

Qin Wei intended to end the conversation, but his finger trembled over the hang-up button.

He was deeply torn.

He had checked the comic in his pocket. Every page was blank. Blank pages meant a crucial decision point. In the past, they had only appeared when the plot reached a matter of life and death.

But this time, the comic was blank from the very beginning. That meant there was a crucial decision to make before the story even started, and a wrong choice would get him killed.

His sixth sense told him this conversation was the decision point, and his life depended on it.

"I'll meet you at the station in half an hour. Have Harvey cover himself up and leave through the back door. Whatever happens, don't let anyone recognize him." After much deliberation, Qin Wei finally agreed and turned into a menswear shop by the road.

He took off the black suit that marked him as The Roman, mussed his slicked-back, hairspray-stiffened hair, and picked out a loose gray hoodie.

With the disguise on, he looked like a different person.

At the appointed time, Gordon led him through the noisy lobby of the police station and into a conference room.

Harvey Dent had already been waiting for some time. When he saw Qin Wei, he stepped forward first with his hand extended.

Harvey's hand was broad and strong. His skin had a slightly yellower cast than that of most white men, his chin protruded a little, and a large nose tip sat beneath his high bridge. Judged purely on looks, Harvey certainly wasn't handsome. But paired with his confident smile, the presence he exuded was every bit as impressive as Qin Wei's.

After a brief introduction, Harvey suggested, "Before we begin, it would be best to switch off our electronic devices."

Rather than answer directly, Qin Wei took out his phone, its battery already removed, and waved it.

"You're a very cautious man. I'm sure we'll enjoy working together." Harvey nodded approvingly.

Meanwhile, outside the Senate in the Lower District, Oswald parked by the roadside with a dejected expression.

It was his fifth day of recruiting. He didn't know whether the casino massacre had damaged The Roman's reputation or Harvey's inaugural speech had frightened off the little bastards looking to do evil, but he hadn't recruited a single person these past few days. All he had done was sink money into gas.

He talked about beating Maroni and kicking Carmine aside, but right now, he was just a small-time boss who couldn't even recruit underlings. When would his dream of ruling all of Gotham ever come true?

Oswald rather missed Qin Wei. Whenever he was upset, having a couple of drinks and a chat with him always helped. But the guy had gone out early that morning, and now it was nearly midnight and he still wasn't back.

He glanced at the passenger seat. The hot dog he had bought Qin Wei had gone cold, and the beer was no longer chilled.

Leaning against the car window, he cracked open a can of beer and gulped down a couple of mouthfuls.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the glass.

"Are you Mr. Oswald?"

The visitor wore a fedora that obscured half his face, along with sunglasses despite the late hour. He looked suspicious no matter how you looked at him.

Wariness was written all over Oswald's face. His right hand moved to the door lock while his left drew the dagger tucked behind his belt, ready to strike at any moment.

But when he saw the face beneath the sunglasses, he was so shocked he could barely hold the dagger steady. His mouth slowly swelled open like an angry pufferfish.

He had never imagined this man would come looking for him.

"Harvey Dent!"