Murder and Robbery (Part One)

"Do you have any other goods from Wayne Enterprises? If it's convenient, show me around."

Qin Wei didn't name a price right away. Having gone grocery shopping with his mother since childhood, he understood the art of bargaining for a little extra. As long as the vendor wasn't losing money, they were usually happy to throw in a scallion or a clove of garlic as a favor.

Victor led him to a cargo container deep inside the docks. Like the one holding the Batmobile, it was covered in a thick layer of dust.

Victor sneezed several times, brushed away some dust, and slid the key into the rusty lock.

He turned the key, and the rusted metal pieces inside the lock scraped against one another with a painfully grating creak.

The observant Qin Wei noticed a clear handprint on the container door's handle. Someone had opened it recently.

"Who else has bought something from in here?"

Victor froze at the question, then glanced at the handprint on the handle and smiled.

"You've got a sharp eye. That was just a couple of days ago. But we have to protect every customer's privacy, so I'm afraid I can't tell you."

"Really? You wouldn't say a word even if it meant dying?" Qin Wei's voice turned cold.

He lowered his head slightly, hiding his eyes in shadow until only his pupils remained fixed on Victor, as though he meant to pierce straight through the man's soul. He was already tall, and the gesture made him intensely intimidating.

Victor hunched his shoulders under that pressure, but his voice didn't yield an inch.

"Yes, even if I died! That's the professional standard I uphold as a businessman!"

"Relax. I'm just joking!" Qin Wei's brow eased, and he smiled as he patted Victor on the shoulder.

He wasn't after any secrets. He only wanted to test how tightly Victor could keep his mouth shut. He was planning a big job soon, and the Batmobile would probably make an appearance. Something that conspicuous could easily be traced to its source by anyone determined enough. If Victor couldn't keep a secret, Qin Wei risked being exposed.

For now, though, Victor seemed trustworthy.

Victor pulled open the doors and switched on the little halogen bulb overhead. The container full of equipment immediately caught Qin Wei's interest.

Apart from the rather basic setup, it looked just like a secret equipment room belonging to a movie spy. Several oddly shaped firearms hung on the walls, a dozen or so briefcases sat on a table, and a cluster of mannequins in the corner wore full-coverage, one-piece body armor.

But the belt on the table caught his eye most of all.

It looked exactly like the belt he'd taken from the fake Batman.

"You know quality when you see it. Wayne Enterprises developed this multifunction belt specifically for special forces. This feature in particular!" Victor picked up a belt and showed Qin Wei the little button on its side.

"Press it once to fire the grappling hook, again to lock it in place, and one last time to retract it. Three hundred feet of line-about ninety meters-with three thousand pounds of pulling force, around 1.3 tons. It can carry someone up to high ground without a sound.

"Would you like to try it?"

Qin Wei glanced at his left hand. The grappling hook had punched through it, and his palm still burned.

"No need. I tried it last night."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Tell me about this suit of body armor." Qin Wei walked over to a mannequin.

"Oh, this armor has quite a pedigree! It's lightweight and close-fitting. The outer layer uses a high-strength, three-ply woven carbon-fiber material, while the inner layer incorporates a Kevlar-titanium composite. Extra lightweight armor plates reinforce the shoulders and abdomen. It's more than enough to handle knife slashes and small-caliber firearms."

"And look at this ballistic helmet. It's made from Kevlar and a polymer developed by Norman Aerospace..."

Qin Wei rubbed his temples. He already had a mild concussion, and all that rambling only made his headache worse.

"Stop! I don't understand all that jargon. Let me ask you straight: how much for that car and this whole container of equipment?"

"Forty-six million."

Victor named his price without hesitation, and Qin Wei was just as quick to bargain.

"Five million, plus my Ferrari GT."

Victor did the math and frowned. Even a brand-new Ferrari GT was only worth fifteen million, and a used one in good condition would fetch less. That came to under twenty million altogether. He'd be losing far too much.

"That's too low. Forty million. That's my lowest price."

"Seven and a half million, plus the Ferrari."

"Thirty-five million. Not a cent less!"

"Eight million, plus the Ferrari." Qin Wei took out his phone and showed Victor his entire bank balance. "Look, I've only got eight million in liquid funds. Just tell me yes or no."

Victor fell silent.

Of course, he had no idea Qin Wei would receive another sixty-odd million over the next few days. All he knew was that if he let this customer slip away, the equipment would probably sit here collecting dust for the rest of his life.

Keeping it meant losing everything he'd sunk into it, while selling it would at least recover some of his money. Victor gritted his teeth and made his decision.

"Deal!"

After filling in the delivery address, Qin Wei handed Victor the Ferrari's keys. With a whole port sitting right here, he wasn't worried about the man taking his money and running.

He had just stepped out of the container when Royce called.

"Got it sorted!"

"Sorted? Did you find out where they're going?"

"How would a bunch of Beggar Gang members know that? I mean I got us some clothes. We put them on and slip in with the others, and we'll find out where they're going, won't we?"

It was a little risky, but on reflection, it could work.

Qin Wei hurried back. As luck would have it, the unloading on the other side was nearly finished.

He and Royce changed into the foul-smelling beggars' clothes, made a show of moving a few crates, then climbed into the truck with the other beggars.

The engine started, and the truck left the port with a full load of dangerous goods.

A dozen or so blindfolded beggars sat on crates inside, swaying back and forth as the truck bumped along. Fortunately, they had all been picked at random from the Lower District and didn't know one another. Otherwise, a suspicious figure like Qin Wei-tall, muscular, and wearing ill-fitting clothes-would have had his hood pulled off and been thrown out long ago.

Only after climbing inside did Qin Wei realize just how many weapons the truck carried. Several large crates stood right beside him, stacked almost higher than a person. He removed a rivet, lifted a corner of the lid, and peeked inside. It was packed with shotguns.

With this many weapons, they could do far more than rob a bank. They could storm city hall with plenty to spare.

Their objective seemed to go beyond a simple bank robbery. What exactly was the Joker Gang planning?

It looked as though he'd have to get through this stage first, then look for answers in the comic.

Royce had already started moving beside him. Right in front of the dozen or so beggars, he pried open a crate, handed Qin Wei a short-barreled gun, then rummaged around for some ammunition.

"What... what are you doing?"

Someone finally worked up the courage to ask. Qin Wei looked up to find that the beggars had all huddled into a corner.

"Don't worry, everyone. I'm District Attorney Harvey Dent, and I'm here investigating a murder..." Royce seemed to have developed a taste for posing as Harvey after discovering how useful that identity was. His stream of nonsense left the beggars completely taken in.

"Long story short, once the truck stops, they'll kill you to silence you. But don't panic. You run for it, and we'll stay behind to draw their fire."

The beggars believed every word and nodded furiously.

With everything settled, Royce discreetly gave Qin Wei a thumbs-up.

Was this the charm of a dependable middle-aged man? Qin Wei suddenly felt that recruiting Royce had been the most rewarding part of this journey.

After traveling for an unknown length of time, the truck finally began to slow. The bustle of Gotham City outside had vanished, replaced by the chirping of insects. It seemed the truck really had taken them out to the countryside.

The Joker Gang's base couldn't be out in the middle of nowhere. There was no need to spell out why they had brought a truckload of people here.

Royce's nonsense was quietly becoming reality.

Someone really did intend to kill them to keep them quiet.

Qin Wei heard a dense succession of footsteps outside the truck, probably a dozen or so people.

Then the group moved around to the rear of the truck.

Click!

Following the crisp sound of the lock opening, the rear door was pulled open a crack.

Meanwhile, Oswald also received an unwelcome visitor.

Inside the hospital room, a dagger pressed against the young nurse Gloria's throat. Beside Oswald's bed, Maroni held a handkerchief and wiped down Oswald's cane.

"Mr. Oswald, there's something I'd like to learn from you."

With enemies everywhere, Maroni was cautious by nature. Very little could draw him out of his lair in person, so the question he'd come to ask had to be important.

"I want to know how your good friend Will contacts Falcone, what code phrases he uses, and whether there are any restrictions."

Maroni flicked the handkerchief out, then slowly tucked it back into his waistcoat pocket.

"I suggest you answer this question carefully. Afterward, I'll take you back to my estate and cut off every means you have of contacting the outside world. Then I'll find your friend and verify your story. If your answers don't match, both of you will die."

"So I advise you to tell the truth."