Chapter 809: Red Hood (Part Three) (Patreon)

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

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

In the end, Red Hood decided to accompany Jason on his mission. They found themselves on the dark streets of Gotham in the dead of night. It was undeniably a risky endeavor, for Gotham's nights were infinitely more dangerous than its daytime.

However, embarking at night had its advantages; everyone knew how perilous Gotham nights were, and taking the risk often yielded great rewards.

"You mean to say that the mob boss you know assigned you a task to find someone named Wanda Earl Savage, an outsider who trespassed Falcone Family's territory last night?" Red Hood asked Jason as they walked together. "But he didn't cause any harm to Falcone Family; he just appeared and disappeared."

Jason paused for a moment and replied, "Looks like you're quite the greenhorn."

"In Gotham, entering someone else's territory is considered a provocation in itself," he continued. "Of course, Gotham can be unpredictable, and sometimes, certain gangs are forced to cross through another gang's territory. In such cases, if there are available hands, someone should stay behind to explain the situation."

"This guy Savage not only recklessly entered but also left without a word, displaying extreme impoliteness and recklessness."

"So, what's the right course of action?" Red Hood inquired.

"If he genuinely stumbled in by mistake, he should have raised his hands when people discovered him," Jason explained.

But Red Hood interrupted him, asking, "Gang members carry guns. If he raises his hands, doesn't that mean surrender? Won't the Gang members shoot?"

"Of course not," Jason replied confidently. "If the other party is a member of a larger gang and genuinely made a mistake, shooting them would not only be on you but could also bring trouble to your gang's leader. Nobody is that reckless."

Red Hood nodded, and Jason continued, "If you have urgent matters to attend to, after leaving and settling your business, you should call the Gang's territory and offer an apology."

"Of course, if the situation is more severe, you might need to pay a visit in person, but not to apologize to fellow Gang members. Instead, you should seek out their leader."

Red Hood listened attentively, understanding that these were essential qualities for a Gang member. Jason picked up the pace and said, "If there's significant damage done, you might need both Gang leaders to sit down and talk, to deal with the dispute."

"But what if they can't resolve it?" Red Hood asked.

"In that case, a third-party mediator is required. Typically, it would be the leader of the powerful Gang in that area. If both gangs are of high standing, it might involve the Twelve Families."

"Usually, it's the heirs of the Twelve Families who mediate these issues, offering them a chance to gain experience. In these disputes, you see various aspects of Gang dynamics."

"For instance, some conflicts arise due to interests, like disputes over territories or warehouses."

"Are there any that aren't about interests?" Red Hood inquired again.

"Of course, there are many," Jason said with a strange expression, as if recalling something. "I remember hearing about a dispute involving the Twelve Families in the North District. It started when a Gang leader's mistress caused trouble. At the time, his wife was pregnant, and the shock led to a miscarriage."

"It was partly the Gang leader's fault, but the mistress had connections with another Gang leader, not a direct blood relative but still tied by a relationship."

"The Gang leader's wife had her own connections, as her husband's Gang was the most powerful among the nearby three gangs. Fuming with anger, she sought her father's help to resolve the matter, and he, too, was furious and approached the mistress's Gang."

"The Gang leader's wife had a background, and her husband's Gang was the most formidable among the nearby three. Fueled by rage, she sought her father's intervention, who was equally enraged and approached the mistress's Gang."

"The Gang leader's wife had connections, and her husband's Gang was the most powerful among the nearby three gangs. Furious, she turned to her father for help, who was also infuriated and approached the mistress's Gang."

"The Gang leader's wife had connections, and her husband's Gang was the most powerful among the nearby three gangs. Furious, she turned to her father for help, who was also infuriated and approached the mistress's Gang."

"The Gang leader's wife had connections, and her husband's Gang was the most powerful among the nearby three gangs. Furious, she turned to her father for help, who was also infuriated and approached the mistress's Gang."

"The Gang leader's wife had connections, and her husband's Gang was the most powerful among the nearby three gangs. Furious, she turned to her father for help, who was also infuriated and approached the mistress's Gang."

"In the end, the matter escalated to the Twelve Families. Spencer Family's eldest son was studying out of town, so only their eldest daughter could mediate. However, this caused further friction as the Gang leader was unhappy with her favoring the legitimate wife."

"Because of the chaos caused by her father's intrusion into the other Gang's territory, the subsequent business negotiations failed, and he lost face. Consequently, he decided to divorce his wife."

"It's said that their daughter mediated the situation to the point of divorce. The Gang leader's wife, unable to vent her anger, took out a gun and shot the mistress, which completely embarrassed Spencer Family. Old Spencer intended to summon the couple for a talk."

"But the legitimate wife had a miscarriage, and her health was already fragile. The mediation process was lengthy, and her anger took a toll on her. Spencer had just sent an invitation when she was rushed to the hospital's emergency room."

"She fought for her life all night but couldn't make it. At that point, the Gang leader, perhaps realizing his mistake, blamed Spencer Family for the injustice. Things escalated further and reached the Godfather's ears."

"And then?" Red Hood listened intently, realizing that Gangs had stories beyond what he had imagined. He had always assumed their tales were filled with bloodshed and gunfire.

"I don't know how Godfather mediated, but in the end, everything settled down. However, Spencer Family's eldest daughter and her father had a falling out, and their eldest son returned from out of town, triggering a power struggle."

Jason had only recounted the events, but Red Hood sensed deeper motives behind the scenes. Thanks to this story, he began to grasp the intricate order within the Gangs, making him admire the Godfather even more.

In Gotham, Gangs weren't unruly beasts; they wore collars and were tethered by a leash, yet all of this was disguised beneath rules and etiquette. Adhering to these rules was a matter of honor.

This made Gotham's Gangs distinctly different from Gangs in other parts of the world. They had a plethora of rules, and they effectively replaced the societal status of the law with their own unwritten rules.

This was almost like rewriting an entire legal code, and the difficulty of it was unimaginable. It was like diving into very deep waters, and only by reaching out to touch the surface could you fathom its true depth.

As the two continued chatting, they walked out of the main street. Jason glanced around at the intersection, and Red Hood looked at him, asking, "Do you have a target? Where do you want to find Savage?"

"Of course, you have to understand that an outsider can't hide for long in Gotham. After all, everyone here is a gang's informer. If he hasn't been noticed and reported as a suspicious person, it means he's staying in an area with very few or no gang members," Red Hood pondered.

Jason raised an eyebrow, then squinted at Red Hood, saying, "So, you're a rich person. You even know about a place like Soksworth Grand Hotel."

Red Hood remained silent, and Jason didn't press further. He continued, "Correct, Soksworth Grand Hotel in downtown Gotham was established by many wealthy businessmen living here. Since they weren't born in Gotham and disliked gang members roaming around their residences, they collectively funded the construction of an extravagant hotel, which can rival the luxurious Wayne Hotel."

"The hotel staff, including waiters and servers, are recruited from out of town and occasionally rotate to other cities. They avoid forming significant relationships with gangs. The residents there don't even need to provide a driver's license because the exorbitant room rates automatically filter out anyone looking to sneak in."

Jason walked forward as he explained, "Soksworth Grand Hotel may not match Wayne Hotel in terms of hardware, but its prices are three times higher. In other words, those who stay there are wealthy outsiders who believe that by staying in this hotel, they can escape the dangers of Gotham. But I can tell you, they're too naive."

"Why do you say that?" Red Hood inquired.

Jason sighed, "They want to isolate themselves, keep the violent gangs away from them. But why don't they realize that as long as this building remains in Gotham, they can't avoid interacting with the city?"

"Firstly, people living in the hotel need to eat, right? Even if they spend a fortune on importing ingredients from other cities, with helicopters landing directly on the rooftop, they still generate a lot of kitchen waste and human waste. Can they fly it out to another city?"

Red Hood's expression remained hidden beneath his hood, so no one could see the astonishment in his eyes. It was impressive that he could deduce Soksworth Grand Hotel's location, which already outsmarted 99% of Gotham's residents. To identify the hotel's vulnerabilities so quickly and precisely was nothing short of strategic genius.

Soksworth Grand Hotel was established by wealthy businessmen who came to Gotham for business but were wary of its security situation. Due to their business needs, they had to interact with the city. However, they strongly disliked the chaotic environment and wanted a safe place to stay.

So, they joined forces to create Soksworth Grand Hotel and marketed it as a "land-based cruise," completely disconnected from everything around it. This attracted many rich individuals who wanted to do business in Gotham but were concerned about safety.

The hotel's prices for accommodation were exorbitant, bordering on absurdly high, effectively filtering out most people looking to exploit the situation.

Gangs had no interest in spending so much money to stay with these wealthy people. Despite the hotel's luxury, it couldn't compare to Wayne Hotel. If they wanted to enjoy luxury, why not go to Wayne's local hotel?

However, as Jason explained, the "land-based cruise" label was just a gimmick. While cruise ships could dump waste into the sea, a hotel building was constructed on land, and trash couldn't be discarded just anywhere. So, they had to interact with the outside world.

Perhaps this strategy might sound dirty, but it wasn't. To transport items from inside the hotel to outside, there had to be various points of contact.

The hotel had its cars and drivers, but when those cars were on the road, they would be surrounded by Gang drivers. The dumping ground for garbage was Gotham's landfill, and it was surrounded by Gotham residents. When it came to negotiating waste disposal fees, they had to deal with Gotham's municipal authorities, all interactions with Gotham.

In reality, this grand hotel was created by its owners to deceive outsiders. They claimed it had no connection to Gotham, but in reality, it had more interactions than they realized.

"When I was on night duty, I saw their transport vehicles on the road around this time. They usually send some kitchen waste to the incineration plant and then return to the hotel," Jason explained.

Standing at a street corner, he continued, "We can catch a ride on their return journey and sneak in. Once we're sure that the strange person is inside, we don't need to do anything to him. We can just inform the others and leave."

At this point, Red Hood asked another question, "If you can deduce that he's here, the people trying to find him can probably figure it out too. So why did he make such a fuss by issuing a city-wide wanted notice? Why not just send someone here to arrest him? That would be more efficient."

Jason rolled his eyes and said, "Who told you it's a city-wide wanted notice? If Godfather had ordered a city-wide manhunt, no one in Gotham would sleep tonight. The streets you see would be lit up, and they wouldn't go dark all night. Everyone would come out to search, and they would turn every corner inside out."

"Then what's happening now?"

"The information was only given to the children. Gang leaders specifically emphasized to the children that they can show their faces in front of Falcone Family. It means this strange person wants to challenge us, so we must turn the tables on him."

"Let a child find him, then send someone to capture him and bring him to the Manor. Let the child confront him directly. Is there a more humiliating way?" Jason continued.

While he spoke, Jason leaned against a wall, peering outside. He didn't notice the hooded figure, Red Hood, who was staring intently at him.

Beneath Red Hood's deep-set eyes were a pair of piercing blue eyes.

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

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

Next Chapter>>Chapter 810: Red Hood (Part Four)