Chapter 764: Gotham Spring Breeze (Part 2) (Patreon)

In DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

Inside Goth Manor, Mrs. Goth was anxiously awaiting news.

Her plan was simple: to conceal the unspeakable deeds she had committed, she decided to eliminate everyone involved in the matter. This was a typical Gotham mindset—only the dead could keep secrets forever.

However, finding Gotham's assassins was proving to be difficult.

Given the high demand for personnel in the logistics industry, former assassins had been recruited by gangs for other tasks. Mrs. Goth was reluctant to use assassins employed by other gang leaders, fearing potential leaks. Outsiders were even less trustworthy, lacking the required professionalism. After careful consideration, Mrs. Goth identified a person.

She had heard about a JokerTruck driver in Gotham who specialized in creating explosive incidents, causing numerous casualties. In Mrs. Goth's view, why would someone kill unless there were benefits involved? Therefore, she believed this JokerTruck driver must be an assassin, creating a spectacle to establish a reputation, as had happened before.

With everything arranged, Mrs. Goth breathed a sigh of relief. She felt that by the end of tonight, everything would be resolved.

Gotham nights were always dark and profound, appearing terrifying. Even the lights at the Pier couldn't warm up the night here.

A short distance from the Pier, various peculiar machines with illuminated control rooms attracted the attention of busy Pier workers who occasionally paused to gaze at them.

These workers knew that those employed here earned much higher salaries, even the security guards had an easier job compared to them. Perhaps due to the relaxed work environment and generous pay, the security here seemed lax. Guards were often found dozing off inside their booths. The words on the door, faintly lit in the dim light, read "Goth Shipyard."

Suddenly, a dark figure appeared outside the security booth, skillfully entered, and silently took down the guard.

Several more shadows swiftly entered the shipyard, traversing the yard and entering the buildings, searching for something.

From their attire, it was challenging to discern their identities. However, during the capture of an employee, their affiliation was revealed.

"U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation! Cooperate with our investigation! Where is the materials storage room? Where are the important bills and design drawings stored?"

"FBI?" the employee exclaimed in fear, "I haven't done anything. I've only been here for two months!"

This response raised suspicion among the agents. One of them said, "You haven't done anything? So, someone else did? Where is the materials storage room? Take us there!"

"Alright, I'll take you there, just don't kill me!"

As the employee turned around, the agent holding his neck failed to notice the crazed smile under the lowered brim of his hat.

A few minutes later, a person in work attire and a hat appeared outside the shipyard, leaning casually on the sign, conveniently positioned over the letters "Goth." Manipulating a remote control, he took two steps forward, and behind him, a massive fireball erupted from the shipyard with a deafening explosion, showering countless fragments.

The explosion illuminated the entire sea, and the small figure disappeared into the darkness of Gotham, leaving behind a series of maniacal laughter.

With a light "pop," the telephone handset in Mrs. Goth's hand dropped to the floor. She widened her eyes in disbelief, revealing a grotesque expression, and emitted a piercing scream.

Suddenly, her face turned pale, she clutched her chest, collapsed, convulsed twice on the floor, and lay still.

Leon, who had just entered the manor, found Mrs. Goth unconscious. He rushed forward, placed her on the sofa, wiped his face, and made a painful inhalation.

Three scars marred his face, as if scratched by a cat. Blood covered half of his face, even staining the right side of his collar. Judging by the shape of the marks, it was clear he had difficulty communicating with Catwoman.

The pain made Leon somewhat disoriented. The scent of blood filled his nostrils, and the thought of possible disfigurement fueled his growing anger.

After a while, Mrs. Goth slowly regained consciousness. She let out a desperate cry, unable to articulate a complete sentence.

Leon, who had come a long way from the seaside and hadn't witnessed the explosion, didn't know what had happened. He felt extremely irritated and said, "What are you crying about? There's been no progress. Isn't it your fault?"

"You only care about your shabby shipyard! If you weren't so stingy, our plan would have succeeded by now!"

At the mention of the "shipyard," Mrs. Goth jumped off the sofa as if insane, grabbed Leon by the neck, and exclaimed, "It's all because of you! Because of you, the security and livelihood of the Goth family are gone!"

"If it weren't for you, if it weren't for you making me deal with those illegal goods, those damned weapons, how could the Goth family's shipyard... how could it..."

Mrs. Goth's long pointed nails embedded into Leon's neck, intensifying his pain. He roared, pushing Mrs. Goth away, shouting, "You damned fool! Because of your hesitation, I've been disfigured. How am I supposed to return to the West Coast?!"

Mrs. Goth crawled to the coffee table, grabbed a vase, and threw it at Leon. However, due to her frailty, the vase didn't hit Leon but instead crashed near him.

Leon, now completely unhinged, grabbed the unbroken neck of the vase and charged towards Mrs. Goth. Using the sharp edge of the broken bottom, he slashed Mrs. Goth's neck.

Instantly, blood splattered, and in his madness, Leon relentlessly attacked Mrs. Goth's head and neck with the vase's broken neck until it became a gruesome mess.

Outside the window, the rain in Gotham intensified. Rain was impartial to everyone. Each night and every rain shower added fuel to the madness of souls, unknowingly descending into darkness, eventually becoming sacrifices.

Many pairs of rain boots crossed through the rainwater, black clothing reflected in puddles, adorned with a silver-gray glow. When Falcone's men stormed Goth Manor, all that remained was a corpse and a deranged man.

Leon had lost his sanity, thinking these were Goth family bodyguards. He charged, howling, intending to attack. However, Falcone's assassins were not defenseless like the esteemed lady. Seeing Leon rushing, the leader drew a gun.

A loud "bang" restored silence to the world. The only sound remaining was the patter of the rain. As for why Falcone's people came here, it all started with the explosion at the shipyard.

The CIA, tipped off by Catwoman, immediately wanted to investigate the Goth family. The only problem was that the Goth family was in Gotham, and they had failed several times in this city.

After multiple failures, they adjusted their strategy, no longer openly entering the city but infiltrating quietly at night.

In a city this large, not all gangs focused on strangers. They entered smoothly, but to avoid drawing attention, they planned to investigate discreetly, starting with the Goth family's shipyard.

Unfortunately, the location of the accident reported by Mrs. Goth, who dared to hire the Joker, happened to be the entrance to the shipyard.

Ignoring why Mrs. Goth believed Joker had really taken that job, as a killer, Joker was efficient. Within a few kilometers, there was no living creature left after his intervention.

The CIA agent investigating the shipyard was in big trouble, completely wiped out within the shipyard.

Learning from past mistakes, the CIA equipped each of them with a black box that would send back footage before their demise.

Upon reviewing the records, headquarters became suspicious.

If they had really discovered something, it would be one thing, but everyone disappeared before any findings. Did this not suggest that the Goth family was extremely nervous? It might even indicate a trap set by the country across the sea against the CIA.

Initially, the CIA wasn't very concerned about this matter, as there were more important tasks at hand. However, now the priority of this case had been raised to the highest level.

But if they were to send more people to investigate, they might disappear quietly as before. This time, the CIA became smarter and decided to find a stable collaborator. Who better than Godfather Falcone?

Falcone didn't want to cooperate with the CIA, but he had sensed some of the Goth family's actions. After all, in transporting heavy weapon components, raw materials would pass through many hands, making it hard to go unnoticed.

Falcone also wanted to know what the Goth family was up to. Thus, he sent assassins to investigate. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Goth died, and Leon went insane, leaving nothing behind.

Of course, Miss Goth was still alive, but she was currently studying at Gotham University, and Gotham University was under the domain of that Professor.

After some contemplation, Falcone decided to start the investigation from Goth Manor. Since the Goth family no longer had anyone, the entire manor was in an undefended state.

Because of this, they could meticulously examine everything, and even the hidden compartment couldn't escape the eyes of the professionals. As a result, the collection hidden by Mrs. Goth in a warehouse was revealed to the CIA.

The bad news within the good news was that there were indeed seven Soviet Union defense medals. The good news within the bad news was that there was another Nazi medal, specifically the Golden Diamond Double Swords Oak Leaf Medal, the highest-ranking medal in the Nazi military.

On this night, Gotham experienced its final chilly spring breeze, sweeping across the entire city.

Outside Gotham, atop the highest peak of a mountain, a robust mysterious figure overlooked the city like a king surveying his realm.

He noticed that certain locations in the city were distinct—the strategically positioned Wayne Tower, the serene Gotham University, and the unique cave base on the other side of the mountains.

Then, his deep voice resonated:

"Go, uncover the secrets of these places for me... Mirror Master."

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, without ads and support the work.]

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

Next Chapter>>Chapter 765: The Consequences of Faking a Paper (Part 1)