Hiding a Little Boy in the Church

"...You don't need to explain that to me." Batman glanced at him, inadvertently catching sight of the muscular shirtless male model printed on the disc in Roland's hand. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly at the peculiar tastes of his acquaintances.

He paused and said, "You should go talk about these things with Gordon. He is a man who strictly adheres to principles. If I am not mistaken, he is going to have a sleepless night tonight."

"This is Gotham. Since when are there so many principles to speak of?" Roland shrugged. "It couldn't be helped... What about the people?"

Having obtained the information he wanted, Batman left directly without even saying goodbye.

However, not long after, personnel from the Wayne Foundation delivered over a hundred tents to the location, along with matching moisture-proof mats, sleeping bags, and other supplies.

Putting down the phone and learning that the supplies had been delivered, Batman continued doing what he was supposed to do under the cover of Gotham City's night.

He quietly arrived at the home of Gotham City Police Commissioner Loeb, listening carefully to the movements inside the room.

It was already midnight, but Commissioner Loeb was still not asleep; instead, he was in the middle of a phone call.

"...I didn't expect Gordon to actually be able to take down Victor Zsasz. This is simply..."

"...Yes, I know. Having such a capable captain in Gotham City is truly reassuring. I just hope that such a captain can live a healthy and long life, and not die in the line of duty."

"I will do my best to protect such an outstanding captain and ensure he isn't sent on dangerous missions."

"Mm-hmm... By the way, how is this captain doing in terms of his family?"

"He has a wife who is about to give birth."

"Oh... I didn't expect him to be able to throw himself into work under such family circumstances. But now is when his wife needs him the most; I hope he can still balance his family life a bit..."

"I completely understand..."

Anger flashed in Batman's eyes. What Commissioner Loeb and the person on the other end of the phone had been discussing had clearly arranged everything for Gordon's entire family. Yet, even if this recorded conversation were brought to court, it could not serve as any evidence of their criminal conspiracy.

Fortunately, however, he was Batman, and Batman did not need evidence.

Just as Commissioner Loeb was about to hang up the phone, he suddenly found his phone-holding arm violently twisted through three hundred and sixty degrees.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Commissioner Loeb felt a wave of excruciating pain as his arm was dislocated. "Batman, what the fuck are you doing?"

"I believe I made myself quite clear at Carmine Falcone's dinner party. I already warned you... What was it I said again?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, you have eaten well. You've eaten Gotham's wealth and its spirit, and your feast is coming to an end. From this moment on—none of you are safe!"

"But clearly, you didn't take my words to heart!"

"So now, you must pay the price."

Amidst Commissioner Loeb's miserable screams, Batman picked up the phone. "You must be Carmine Falcone, right?"

"It is I," Falcone said indifferently. "Don't bother trying to threaten me. The Sicilian Mafia has been in Gotham for over a hundred years and will continue to exist for the next century. As for you, you are merely a freak that popped up for a little while."

"I swore to my parents that I would rid this city of the evil that took their lives," Batman said coldly. "Just you wait."

"Then your wish is destined to remain unfulfilled. I will expose your true identity and eliminate you, along with your loved ones."

"And then—Agh!"

Falcone suddenly let out a miserable scream, and a moment later, a familiar female voice came through the receiver: "Hello there, Bat."

"It's you?" Batman was slightly stunned. The voice coming from the other end of the phone was unmistakably Catwoman's.

"I was just curious about how you managed to offend the Falcone family, so I came to their house to take a look."

"Curiosity killed the cat," Batman said flatly.

"But satisfaction brought her back," Catwoman chuckled softly. "Well, Falcone's bodyguards are coming. Our pleasant phone call will have to come to a temporary end."

"Hmph..."

The next day.

*Gotham City Topics* published the news of Captain Gordon rescuing children and taking down Victor Zsasz, instantly sparking widespread discussion throughout Gotham City.

Commissioner Loeb took a week's leave citing poor health, but the work efficiency of the Gotham City Police Department not only failed to drop, it actually improved significantly.

Carmine Falcone placed a bounty on Catwoman, with the amount set just slightly lower than Batman's, causing many thugs who had previously been taught a lesson by Batman to shift their focus to tracking her down.

The Maroni family was still searching everywhere for Professor Hugo's whereabouts and finally achieved results when they located Hugo's laboratory. As a result, more than a dozen of their men were wiped out by one of Professor Hugo's clones accompanied by a 50-foot-tall experimental subject.

The Penguin successfully managed to get his sentence reduced through various means and was released from prison, but instead of diving back into a life of crime, he began earnestly managing the Iceberg Lounge.

...

Gotham City remained as lively as ever, bursting with vitality and a scene of all things competing for growth.

Roland, however, was unaffected by this hustle and bustle and hired people to begin the construction work on the church.

"Although I'm not very proficient in architecture, building a house should start with laying a foundation, right?" Roland looked at the workers who were directly stacking bricks without laying any foundation, feeling a mild headache coming on. "Do you even know what you're doing?"

"Obviously not. Even the Three Little Pigs were more professional at building houses than him," Jason remarked. "The person you found is truly hopeless."

"Wasn't this guy found by you?"

"You're the one who laid out the requirements," Jason said righteously.

"I only had two requirements: don't get involved with the mafia, and keep the price low. Is that really so hard?"

"This guy only charges thirty dollars a day. You tell me if that's cheap or not?"

"That's fine and all, but he actually needs to be able to work! Couldn't you find someone a bit smarter?"

"Smarter? None."

"Then find someone who isn't quite that stupid."

"Also none."

"Then just... just don't pick a donkey!" Roland pointed at the clueless worker. "This is even worse than a donkey."

"Sigh, listen to me. In Gotham City, there are very few industries that don't have ties to the mafia, especially the construction industry. It's super lucrative with massive profit margins, so the mobsters catch the scent and come running," Jason explained. "Unless we go to another city to hire people, but we still couldn't rule out local mobsters using violence or threats to eliminate the competition..."

"Fine. Which mafia families in Gotham are involved in the construction industry?" Roland asked. "Looks like this matter still has to fall back on the mob."

"All the major mafia families are involved, after all, it's a huge cake, and no single person can eat it all," Jason thought for a moment and said.

"Then let's just find the Penguin. At least we're somewhat familiar with each other..." Roland mused. "Though we'll have to keep an eye on him while he builds. I'm worried he might hide a 'Little Boy' inside my church—and by that, I mean the kind that was dropped on Hiroshima."