A storm was brewing

Qin Wei had never intended to take over the drug business. For certain reasons, he loathed the stuff.

As for the estate...

The Node Event would occur in a month, and Qin Wei had given himself an absolute order: he had to use it to bring Maroni down.

If he succeeded, Maroni would be put on trial. As the estate's actual controlling owner, his property would be seized as an illegal asset. In other words, they could enjoy the estate for one month at most.

Besides, Oswald was recruiting, and money was pouring out like water. They might as well trade the estate for dollars. Not only could they recruit a batch of high-quality men, they could also set aside ample funds for their next operation.

But what if he failed to bring Maroni down?

Qin Wei had never considered that question. After going through several events, he had built up enough confidence to take success for granted. If he couldn't even deal with Maroni, he might as well carve off a block of tofu and bash himself to death with it, never mind spouting bullshit about stepping over Falcone to claim Gotham's throne.

Back at the castle, Dodge's men had turned purple with rage. Their fists clenched, and veins bulged across their foreheads.

But the gun in Oswald's hand wasn't just for show.

"Forget it. Let's go!"

The black man leading them was the first to face reality. Arguing with Qin Wei now would accomplish nothing. The man had clearly come to drive them out, yet they had naively thought they could intimidate him into giving them a bigger cut.

But he couldn't understand. Wasn't Qin Wei afraid of offending Maroni by doing this?

Of course Qin Wei wasn't afraid. The fact that he dared to take this step meant he was already prepared to deal with the consequences.

Not long after the men left, Maroni called.

Qin Wei didn't rush to answer. First, he took a bottle of 1982 Lafite from the wine rack and sampled it with Oswald. Only after they had drunk half the bottle did he suddenly realize something.

"Shit! I forgot to let it breathe... Oh, whatever! No point casting pearls before swine. We're not the sort who drink fancy wine anyway. This'll do."

It wasn't until Maroni called a second time that Qin Wei drunkenly answered.

"Why did you drive all the men away? Did they upset you?" Maroni's tone sounded no different from usual, so Qin Wei couldn't tell whether he was angry.

Still, he guessed Maroni wouldn't be angry.

Was that really the case?

Of course. Maroni wasn't angry in the slightest. In fact, he was secretly delighted.

As long as the team stayed together, it made no difference who played the puppet. He had been worried Qin Wei might lose his mind and report his drug trafficking to Harvey Dent. Now that problem was solved. Qin Wei had chosen to distance himself from it, even announcing that he would sell the estate. Those actions only cemented his image as a money-grubbing little scoundrel.

Maroni liked greedy people. They were easy to control and buy off. He believed that as long as Qin Wei got his share, he would obediently do his bidding.

"Is Oswald beside you?"

"Of course! I gave him a beating, and now... uh... he's behaving himself." Qin Wei deliberately let out a drunken belch.

"If you sell the estate, how much will you give him?" Maroni raised his voice.

"That's my money... Why would I give him any?"

"Hey, that's not what we agreed on!"

"Shut up!"

Qin Wei's drunken roar had barely ended before the rapid crash of breaking glass erupted like a drumbeat, mixed with Oswald's foulest curses.

Their voices rose and fell, overlapping without pause in a spectacular farce.

Hearing the noise on the other end, Maroni hung up, thoroughly satisfied.

"Did he hang up?" Oswald asked.

"Yep, he did!" Qin Wei nodded.

The two exchanged a smile.

But as soon as Qin Wei put down the broken half of the wine bottle in his hand, his phone rang again. This time, there was no caller name. Even the number came up as unknown.

Qin Wei hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Hello, my dear partner." Falcone's voice came from the other end.

Qin Wei said nothing and waited for him to continue. This was a code the two had arranged to guard against eavesdropping. If Qin Wei judged his surroundings safe, he didn't need to respond except to necessary questions.

"Put the phone on the table and turn on speakerphone. Let me hear what's around you."

Qin Wei complied.

"I hear you've become Maroni's favorite and taken over Dodge's drug business. I'm genuinely happy for you.

"Now, I have a few questions for you."

The old lion's voice was slow and steady. Even over the phone, it exerted an inexplicable pressure.

"First, is a third person listening to our conversation?"

"Yes."

"Oh, that would be Oswald, I assume. He's part of my plan as well. He has my permission to listen to this call."

"Now for my second question. Have you contacted Harvey Dent yet?"

"No," Qin Wei answered.

"Hmph!" A short, heavy grunt came through. "Please hurry. My patience is limited. Now, the third question...

"Has Maroni begun to suspect you?"

"No."

"Good. Maroni is suspicious by nature. If he hasn't become suspicious of you, that means I chose the right partner. Now, one final question..." Falcone paused for a long time. An invisible pressure drifted through the room like a ghost.

Oswald pressed his lips together and instinctively held his breath. If he could, he would have grabbed his own heart to stop it from beating.

Letting a bloodthirsty lion hear your heartbeat was anything but wise.

"Has Maroni turned you, and are you working for him now?"

Oswald thought his repeated trials had toughened him considerably, yet under Falcone's pressure, he still felt like a lamb stripped of its skin and dripping blood.

If he were the one answering, even if he found the courage to lie, he would certainly stammer.

He couldn't believe Qin Wei could withstand that much pressure and lie without so much as a change in expression.

Come on, that was Falcone!

"No!"

Qin Wei's voice remained as cold and calm as a robot's, without the slightest fluctuation. As his answer ended, the busy tone sounded from the phone.

Oswald let out a long breath and rubbed his dizzy head. He had so many questions he wanted Qin Wei to answer.

"Weren't we supposed to be working for Mr. Falcone? Why didn't you tell him the truth?"

"Please trust my judgment. With some things, the less you know, the safer you are."

Since Qin Wei had put it that way, Oswald took the initiative to change the subject.

"So what do we do next? Find a room and get some rest? It's already ten in the morning." Oswald glanced at the enormous grandfather clock in the corner.

"We haven't slept in over twenty-four hours."

Qin Wei hadn't felt tired before, but now that Oswald mentioned it, drowsiness swept over him.

It really was time to get some sleep.

Qin Wei drew the blackout curtains, plunging the room into darkness so deep he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. The rapid release of melatonin made him yawn widely. He stretched his legs out and settled into a comfortable position on the sofa, remembering to pull a nearby blanket over his stomach.

"Get some sleep. I've arranged for the property appraisers to come at one this afternoon. We can still get three hou-"

Before he finished speaking, Qin Wei was already snoring softly.

Oswald soon fell asleep as well.

Yet mere minutes after he had drifted fully into slumber, the phone began ringing over and over in the dark room. Its piercing ringtone screamed as though announcing something urgent.

But both men were far too exhausted. Neither woke.

Meanwhile, far away in the Lower West End in southern Gotham, a horrific massacre had just come to an end.