Chapter 41: The Essence of Humanity Is ____

Gotham City has been on edge lately.

Everyone knows that Carmine Falcone, the formidable mob boss of Gotham, is feeling the heat. It began when Catwoman and Batman broke into his home during his nephew’s wedding and stole something of value. Shortly after, the Falcone Import Company suddenly found itself blacklisted by every bank in Gotham. Then, on Halloween night, his nephew was assassinated, and twenty million dollars in cash was burned to ashes.

The killer even left behind a hideous pumpkin as a mockery.

You see, the focus of Gotham City is notoriously peculiar. Amidst a string of major disasters, the public always manages to latch onto the most bizarre, insane, and eccentric detail.

Falcone is different; he cares more about his own reputation and the honor of the Falcone family. He put out a heavy bounty, but unfortunately, after much investigation, the only clue unearthed was that a "mysterious person wearing an ugly pumpkin mask had appeared in the Diamond District."

It was a dead end. The "Pumpkin Man" had only been seen for ten minutes before vanishing; the only reason he was remembered at all was the distinctiveness of the gourd on his head.

Falcone was dissatisfied with this result. He offered a massive reward for the pumpkin-headed man's neck, but after an entire week, he had nothing to show for it. His authority was waning by the day, and his sister, Carla, a fellow leader of the Falcone family, screamed at him in a rage every single day.

"My Johnny! My son is dead! Carmine, if you can’t find a way to catch that damn Pumpkin Man, I’ll handle this problem my own way!"

"Carla, we are the Falcone family, not common street thugs. We do not slaughter the innocent, nor do we use indiscriminate retaliation to vent our anger."

"Slaughter the innocent? Don't you think that prosecutor, Harvey Dent, deserves to die anyway? How many of our family’s operations has he already ruined?"

"You aren't doing this for the family, Carla. We both know it’s because he was in the parking lot at Johnny’s banquet that you suspect him. But given his character, he would only be thinking about how to bring the mob to justice, not picking up a gun, wearing a pumpkin mask, and breaking into someone’s home to kill."

"Oh, really? Is it truly such a coincidence? That Harvey Dent just happened to be working with Gordon on Halloween night? That there just happened to be a commissioner who could provide his alibi? That the ledger you lost just happened to be in his hands? Ask all the family members outside the factory that night; every one of them saw him flipping through your ledger in the warehouse with his own hands."

"Enough!"

Falcone cut off his sister’s hysteria and meddling. The prestige he had built as a godfather over the years was fully on display, his overwhelming presence forcing Carla into silence.

"We cannot be certain if Harvey Dent killed Johnny, but he does have our ledger. If there isn't a high-level mole within the family, he is the only one who could have tracked down the whereabouts of that twenty million."

"And that Gordon! And that Batman!"

"Carla, I said, enough. I don't want to repeat myself a third time."

The woman, draped in gold and silver, sat to the side, fuming in silence but obeying the godfather's command.

"Regardless of whether he is responsible for Johnny's fate, anyone who takes what is ours must pay the price. I will handle this."

***

Nearly a week had passed, and Ma Zhaodi felt slightly more relaxed.

At the very least, "The Roman" hadn't truly suspected him because of an ugly pumpkin, which was a relief. Then again, it was highly unlikely that anyone would associate a down-on-his-luck newcomer working at a local mob-run restaurant with a cold, elusive, and psychopathic killer.

He had neither the motive nor the capability to do such a thing. Besides, no one could be sure if the killer hadn't been hired by Falcone himself.

After all, his own nephew, Johnny Viti, had once intended to tell the grand jury everything he knew about the Roman—the extortion, the bribes, the murders—before the wedding. At that time, everyone believed Falcone was desperate to shut his nephew up forever.

But later, the Roman had personally footed the bill for Johnny Viti’s lavish wedding. On that day, Johnny Viti hadn't gone to court to testify as promised, and the two had appeared to be a loving, harmonious family.

Contradictions? What contradictions?

Yet, then again, could anyone who had once threatened the godfather truly survive him? Who could ever guess the mind of the Roman?

Just to be safe, he had advised Drake to move his wife, Mrs. Camilla, out of Gotham City, and had even lent him thirty thousand dollars.

He was genuinely afraid that one day one of Drake’s enemies would come knocking. That guy’s ability to attract trouble was simply too strong. It wouldn't be a problem if someone just showed up with a gun, but Ma Zhaodi, living in the same house, had no desire to be caught in the crossfire.

Besides, he didn't have any urgent need for cash. Of the most common American burdens—car loans, mortgages, student loans, and credit card debt—he had none.

He hadn't attended university locally, so there were no student loans to pay off. He didn't buy luxury goods, so he had no credit card debt. He rented a place in the East End, which he found quite satisfactory, and he planned to renew the lease after Drake left. As for his car, it was a "soul-ring" special—dirt cheap.

By his calculations, Ma Zhaodi had even managed to save a little money on top of his fifty thousand dollars. At the very least, he hadn't had to pay for this month's rent.

To pay for his wife's medical treatment, Drake had been left penniless. Ma Zhaodi, operating on the principle of squeezing out every cent he could, had given him the thirty thousand as a high-interest loan. If he could make enough money and manage to walk out of Gotham alive, Drake would have to pay him back...

"Damn it, what was the interest rate again?"

Ma Zhaodi stared blankly, recalling the scene. It seemed he hadn't actually settled on an interest rate.

"Crap! I lost out!"

"Ding! You have a new gig available. Please check it."

"Screw you. The last three gigs nearly got me killed afterward, and the third one nearly killed me on the spot. If I ever take another gig from this system, I’m a dog!"

"Task Reward: Advanced Culinary Mastery."

"Hell, you’re really obsessed with cooking, aren't you..."

Despite his words, Ma Zhaodi’s body was honest; he opened the store to check the price of Advanced Culinary Mastery.

"Advanced Culinary Mastery. Price: $20,000. Note: Don't get your hopes up; cooking that makes food glow is a different price bracket."

"Thank you, System Daddy. You’re the best. Come here, give us a kiss, mua!"