There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 32 A Manor

The meeting was not held in the study, but in Maroni's conference room.

A five-meter-long wooden table separated the two people in a dimly lit, empty room.

The scene was so similar that it reminded Qin Wei of his previous conversation with Falcone. The difference was that he was less reserved now and more composed and confident.

With one hand supporting his chin and the other resting on the table, he stared intently at Maroni.

"What did Falcone promise you?" Maroni asked directly, getting straight to the point.

"Your status, all your assets, and your business."

Qin Wei's answer made Maroni laugh.

Do you believe him?

"Of course I don't believe it. Falcone has already cultivated a behemoth that is difficult to deal with. Do you think they would repeat the same mistake?" Qin Wei said.

These were his true feelings; Qin Wei had never believed Falcone from beginning to end.

Of course, he didn't say the other half of what he was saying; he didn't believe the man in front of him either.

"It's always a pleasure to talk to intelligent people."

Maroni smiled and nodded, then took something out of his pocket, threw it on the table, and pushed it hard.

It made a loud noise as it scraped across the table, and finally stopped in front of Qin Wei.

A bronze key.

"The keys to Dodge Manor, and from this day forward, all its businesses and properties, belong to you. But on the condition that you follow my instructions and deliver false information to Falcone. How about that? Is my offer sufficient?"

"Enough!" Qin Wei gripped the key tightly.

He had anticipated that Maroni would try to bribe him.

Compared to a hidden pawn buried nearby, an open pawn has its natural advantages: it can be used in reverse, it can arouse Falcone's suspicion, and it can even be used as a double agent.

Qin Wei never expected Maroni to offer such a high price to bribe him. What exactly was Maroni up to?

Things took Qin Wei somewhat unexpectedly.

Fortunately, he always had excellent control over his expressions, so Maroni only captured ecstasy, urgency, and a hint of flattery.

"And what about Oswald?" Qin Wei then asked.

"Oswald should continue with his old job. By the way, tell him that if he can't gather enough staff within two weeks, he can be fired."

Whether it was due to Maroni's overconfidence or his belief that the situation was already under control, he made no attempt to hide his words from Qin Wei.

Qin Wei was incredibly astute, so how could he not understand the implied meaning? The previously confusing situation instantly became clear.

Two peaches kill three warriors? You want to use this key to sow discord among us? You're quite cunning, fox, but it's all stuff our ancestors already knew.

Qin Wei calmly put the key into his pocket:

"Is there anything else?"

"It's alright, you can go now. Remember to close the door behind you before you leave."

Maroni yawned softly.

But after Qin Wei pushed open the door and left, his previously relaxed brows furrowed again.

He always felt that this man named Wei was not as simple as he seemed.

Maroni sat there for a moment, hesitated, then bent down and took out a Winchester M1866 from under the table.

Insert the bullet into the feed port on the side of the gun.

I walked to the window and lifted the curtain a little.

Maroni hoisted his rifle and locked onto Qin Wei's head with a three-point alignment.

"I'm sorry, I think I've changed my mind."

……

As Qin Wei stepped out of the gate, a sudden, inexplicable chill ran down his spine.

At the same time, Oswald strode towards him.

"How did it go? Did Maroni give you any trouble?"

Qin Wei did not answer, but after hesitating for a moment, he suddenly took out his keys from his pocket.

"What is this...?"

"Grab my collar, quick!"

Oswald didn't understand, but he still obediently did as he was told.

Unexpectedly, Qin Wei knocked him to the ground with a single punch.

"What do you mean by that? What do you mean you got nothing? This is what I deserve! What contribution did you make? Also, Mr. Maroni told me to tell you to hurry up and recruit all the people, or get out of here!"

Is Qin Wei acting? Maybe I should play along.

Oswald, who was lying on the ground, understood immediately and lunged forward like a mad dog, baring his teeth.

The two men, pulling at each other's clothes, wrestled together in front of Maroni's mansion.

Although Qin Wei didn't understand where the chill came from, his reason told him that if he was going to put on an act, he should play it right and be a little more careful.

This time, his cleverness saved his life once again.

After hesitating for a long time with his finger on the trigger, Maroni finally lowered his gun.

He felt he was being far too sensitive; no matter how he looked at it, the man named Wei was just a petty character with a bit of cleverness and a knack for reading people.

He gave Falcone the money and status that Falcone couldn't give him, so there's no reason for him to betray him.

"Damn it, have I been sleeping too little lately?" He rubbed his throbbing temples and quietly closed the curtains.

At this point, his last chance to easily kill Qin Wei had slipped through his fingers.

Maroney has once again made a crucial mistake, and this mistake will transform into a butterfly in the Amazon rainforest, eventually turning into a massive storm capable of destroying the mafia empire.

……

When the two returned to the hospital, it was already dawn. Oswald happily went to find the beautiful "Gloria" lady to have his wounds bandaged.

Qin Wei applied some medicine and went to the intensive care unit.

Dick's ward was at the end of the corridor. It was just getting light, and the corridor was full of tired caregivers. Some were huddled together on a bench in twos and threes, while most were sitting on the floor.

After a rain shower, the temperature plummeted in the early morning, and many caregivers were shivering from the cold.

Qin Wei carefully stepped over the pairs of legs and pushed open the ward door.

The empty bed made him feel the danger. Before he could turn around, a willow-leaf knife was pressed against his waist.

"Don't make a sound, come in with me." Dick's voice sounded weak as he led Qin Wei into the ward and carefully closed the door.

"You killed my family!"

"what?"

Unexpectedly, Dick immediately threw a bucket of dirty water at him, making Qin Wei strongly suspect that the other man's mouth was connected to an alternate dimension full of excrement.

"I saved you, paid your medical bills, and stayed with you until this late, and instead of being grateful, you're slandering me. Don't you have any conscience?"

Even with Qin Wei's usually good temper, he almost lost his composure and nearly blurted out a classic Chinese curse.

"Who knows why you saved me? You and the murderer of my parents are both Romans. None of the Mafia are good people!"

Qin Wei was so angry he laughed. If he had known Dick was such a brat, he should have let him rot and breed maggots in the church square.

He didn't want to waste any more words arguing with the stubborn brat, but with his kidneys firmly in the other's grasp, it was better to put up a verbal struggle.

"Fine, fine, so you're discriminating against people? What about the Gotham police? They're pretty noble, aren't they? Go call the police now and see if they'll do anything about it!"

"You think I wanted to be a mafia member? I used to be a good citizen, you know. I couldn't even get two stars in GTA. It was all because of this godforsaken place, Gotham!"

That verbal sparring really worked; regardless of whether Dick understood what GTA was, he was indeed silenced.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Qin Wei suddenly turned around, grabbed the other party's wrist, and successfully disarmed him.

Dick's face turned deathly pale. He regretted that he had been bewitched by the demonic words. Now his body was so weak, and his weapons had been taken away by the Mafia. He couldn't even save his own life, let alone avenge his family.

Seeing Qin Wei raise his hand, he closed his eyes in despair.

But instead of a cold blade, he was met with a sharp tap on the head.

Qin Wei bent his fingers and slammed his knuckles hard against Dick's head.

Boom!

"What are you doing!"

Dick gasped in pain, touching his head where a large bump had swelled up.

Qin Wei remained silent with a stern face, then raised his hand and slapped Dick again.

Boom!

Given Qin Wei's temper, he would have loved to slap the boy a few times, but the boy was just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old child who had just lost his parents.

He simply couldn't bring himself to be ruthless, so he imitated the way his mother disciplined him when he was a child, leaving him bewildered and not causing any harm to his brain.

But how could an American kid have ever been hit by such a move? Dick was in so much pain that he hissed and gasped for breath. Instantly, he stopped being stubborn and stopped being defiant. Qin Wei forced him into a corner step by step, and he covered his head with his hands, not daring to lift his head.

"Wei, you must be hungry too. I bought some food..." Oswald pushed open the door carrying two bags of food and happened to witness Qin Wei bullying the child.

For a moment, the three of them stared at each other in disbelief.

"Uh... what's going on here? Can someone explain this to me?"