There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 129, Section 26: The Unrest Before Dawn

Chapter 129, Section 26: The Unrest Before Dawn

Kneeling on the ground, Roman's hands trembled as he raised them to the muzzle of the gun.

"Don't kill me! If you want to know the Joker's plans!"

Jason turned his gaze to Qin Wei, who tapped his earpiece with his index finger, attempting to contact the hacker.

"Wait, wait, wait, I'm locating nearby phones."

"Connected! Wow, this is full of pornographic films... Sorry, wrong one!"

"Now that's right, let me download all the data from Roman's phone."

"Just as I guessed, they're being manipulated. Judging from the tone of their conversation, all the gangs that have emerged in Gotham in the last six months are related to the Joker."

They were all there for the evidence. As for the plan—the Joker hadn't revealed it to him at all.

"I understand, I won't talk so much next time."

Qin Wei hung up the phone and ran a finger across his throat.

Jason, having received the signal, prepared to carry out the execution.

"Wait, wait, wait—"

Upon hearing the sound of the latch being pulled, Roman disregarded everything else and reached into the gap of the mask.

"My abilities—all come from—it!"

Amidst rapid and painful gasps, he slowly removed the mask.

The mask seemed to be stuck tightly to Roman's skin, and the sticky, pulling sound, like glue being peeled off, echoed in the tunnel.

Hiss! Ahh ...

The two watched helplessly as Roman ripped off his mask, exposing a mangled face to the air. Most of Roman's skin was stuck to the mask, and his bright red muscles writhed and struggled in agony, while thick blood dripped continuously from his jaw.

"By simply wearing this thing—and with the help of my special mask—I can theoretically control anyone!"

boom!

Before Roman could finish his introduction, Jason, unable to bear it any longer, fired a shot.

The black mask rolled to Qin Wei's feet, where he picked it up with his two index fingers.

"You're not actually interested in this stuff, are you? It looks pretty weird."

"It's better to be prepared. I don't want to regret not picking it up today when I might need it in the future."

Compared to Jason, whose face was full of disdain, Qin Wei appeared remarkably calm.

As the incident came to an end, Jason once again became a hero, being tossed high into the air amidst a crowd of homeless people in the settlement.

Qin Wei, meanwhile, was busy collecting spoils inside the carriage shelter.

After Roman's death, those who had been mind-controlled regained their freedom and removed their masks, which ended up in Qin Wei's pocket. Qin Wei's thinking was simple: even if he didn't need them, he couldn't let them languish outside, otherwise, if a second or third generation of Black Masks appeared, wouldn't that just increase his workload?

If he could turn back time, he would even go back to Arnold's mansion and collect the talking scars, so that when Gotham becomes harmonious and stable again, he could put them up for a paranormal exhibition or something.

Everything settled down, and the two met up by the Batmobile.

"Where have you been these past six months? Everyone misses you."

"I have some psychological issues that I need to process on my own," Qin Wei replied, his rough hands lightly touching the hood of the Batmobile.

After the timeline changed, the appearance of this car also changed drastically. If the previous Batmobile's thick bulletproof steel plates revealed a strong industrial style, then the current one has a more technological feel.

The car is a bit narrower, and the body shape is more compact and rounded. Qin Wei especially loves the tall, retractable rear spoiler.

"So now, is the problem solved?"

"More or less, at least I know what I should do now, as for you—"

Qin Wei didn't want to talk too much about himself, so he steered the conversation toward Jason.

"Your skills have improved a lot! Who taught you?"

Jason was speechless for a moment, as Thomas Jr. had repeatedly warned him that some things should not be revealed to outsiders.

Seeing the other party's troubled expression, Qin Wei didn't press the matter further.

"Let's meet up for lunch tomorrow. I'll let the others know too."

"Here's your car back!"

Seeing Qin Wei about to leave, Jason chased after him, intending to return the Batmobile's control keys.

"If you like it, you can keep it open for now."

Qin Wei waved his hand, picked up a canvas bag full of spoils, and disappeared into the wind and snow outside the tunnel.

When Qin Wei appeared at the office door, Royce, who was engrossed in reading an adult magazine, shuddered, and the coffee in his mouth gushed out like a waterfall.

"Boss, you're back to life!"

"We haven't seen each other for half a year, can't we say something auspicious?"

After confirming several times that the disheveled, bearded man in front of him was indeed Qin Wei, Royce excitedly went up to him and took the bag off his shoulder.

"Where did Oswald go?" After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Qin Wei asked about the little penguin's whereabouts.

"Him! Something happened to the Copport family. Apparently, his father, Tucker, died."

"I remember he had a terrible relationship with his father. Could it be that they're fighting over the inheritance?"

"It's much more troublesome than that! I don't know what that old man was thinking. He despised Oswald in every way before he died, and even kicked him out of the house, but in his will he wrote that he would pass on all his property and the position of head of the Copport family to Oswald. His three relatives were in an uproar when they heard the news."

Royce lit a cigar and said slowly,

Qin Wei pouted and remained silent; the twist in this story was far more interesting than his current expression. His first thought was to call Os to ask about the situation, but then he reconsidered. This guy had been sitting on the gang's throne for half a year; if he couldn't even handle this small matter, he would be utterly useless.

"You take care of your family matters, let me handle the gang's affairs for you first." Qin Wei asked Royce for the financial report and began to read it, his smile growing wider.

Just as he had imagined, Oswald had been working hard to adjust the gang's business structure over the past six months. He had hired a professional financial advisor and invested a large amount of cash in industries outside Gotham City, including real estate, technology, film and television, and restaurants.

The gang is now gradually distancing itself from the shady businesses of the Maroney era, such as collecting rent, robbery, extortion, and drug trafficking, and is moving towards becoming a legitimate investment company.

Oswald seemed to sense the unusual atmosphere in the air: the extremely low air pressure, the restless mood, and the dragonflies gliding low overhead—all preludes to an impending downpour.

He will not leave any evidence of his crimes before the day of reckoning arrives.

"It's alright, let's go eat! I made a reservation at a French restaurant; it's been so long since we got together."

Qin Wei put his arm around Royce's shoulder and said.

But just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

I took out my phone and saw that there was no caller ID. I figured it must be the hacker calling again.

This means that another event has occurred.

"crooked!"

Qin Wei, whose dining experience had been interrupted, pressed the call button, his dissatisfaction practically overflowing from the receiver.

"Have you seen the news? Something terrible has happened!"

The hacker spoke quickly, and his eagerness was evident from the fact that he didn't have time to turn on his voice changer and revealed his true voice for the first time.

"This is your real voice—are you—an adult?"

The childish voice coming through the receiver surprised Qin Wei greatly.