Reading settings
**Chapter 84: S.H.I.E.L.D. Arrives**
In a daze, Anderson was tied up and brought before the Falcone Family.
Maroni, the leader of the Falcone Family, patted Anderson's head, revealing a contemptuous smile.
"A trashy rat like you, daring to stir up trouble in my territory... Are you tired of living? Do you really think Stark would start a conflict for a small-time thug like you?" Maroni kicked Anderson fiercely, disregarding Anderson's pained wails, and took out his phone to dial a number.
The number's contact name was "Joker."
"As per your request, I've tied Anderson up and brought him over. You need to take action against Batman immediately; I don't want to see that damned Vigilante alive anymore. After it's done, I'll pay you half the money," Maroni said.
He didn't understand why Joker wanted them to tie up Anderson, but it wasn't important. Even if Joker hadn't said anything, the Falcone Family would have acted anyway. Anderson's actions were becoming increasingly arrogant; at first, he was secretly selling weapons in the dark, but these days, he'd become brazen. How could the Falcone Family tolerate it? Being suppressed by Batman was one thing—they had no way to deal with Batman—but what was Anderson?
Maroni had a good plan in mind; they were handing the person over to Joker anyway. Even if Stark questioned it, he should go find Joker; it had nothing to do with the Falcone Family.
"Soon, hehehe, soon..." Joker's extremely unsettling, eerie laugh came from the other end of the phone, and faintly, Maroni could also hear sharp, miserable screams. Maroni blinked, then indifferently hung up the phone.
Anderson mumbled, his mouth full of blood. He desperately opened his eyes, making gurgling sounds as he indistinctly said, "The Falcone Family will eventually become a thing of the past... You people will go to Hell."
Maroni suddenly became interested. He grabbed Anderson's hair. "If an ordinary person said that, I could accept it, but these words came from the mouth of a rat like you... Who gave you the courage? Stark Industries? I don't believe Tony would fight to the death with our Falcone Family for you. You think too highly of yourself."
He instructed his subordinates, "When Joker's people arrive, directly hand this stupid rat over to him."
After speaking, Maroni hastily left. Anderson's words had also given him a reminder: Tony was a dangerous individual. Even though handing Anderson over to Joker would divert attention, it might still incur Tony's wrath, so it was better to leave first.
A few hours later, a corpse dressed in Batman's attire was hung on the City Hall building, and a video was uploaded to the Gotham City media.
"Hehehe... Tell me, who are you? Uh hahaha, are you Batman? Hmm? Are you?"
"I'm Brian..."
"Then why are you dressed up as Batman?"
"Batman makes us no longer fear scum like you!"
"Uh hahaha... From now on, I will kill one person every day until Batman voluntarily comes forward and surrenders~ hahaha!"
Joker's public declaration caused a huge stir in Gotham City. Was it a blessing or a curse for ordinary people that such an arrogant criminal openly declared war on Batman? Gotham City never lacked criminals, but few criminals, like Joker, would use the entire citizenry as leverage to openly declare war on Batman in the media.
Many people who had a bad impression of Batman believed he should take off his mask and voluntarily surrender to avoid innocent casualties. There were also those who opposed this, believing they just needed to wait, because Batman would save them.
On that corpse, the police found three playing cards, each with fingerprints on it. After examination, these three fingerprints all belonged to high-ranking officials in Gotham City. Joker, in this way, unreservedly exposed his targets.
One of them was Harvey.
Joker also succeeded. Countless people across the city were secretly swayed by him through various means. The mayor's cup was poisoned, and the judge frantically drove her official car to escape for her life, but explosives had been placed on the roof by an insider. Almost instantly, the mayor and the judge died tragically one after another, leaving only Harvey barely surviving.
The entire city plunged into immense panic; everyone feared for their own safety. For a time, acts of smashing, looting, arson, and robbery surged, crime rates skyrocketed, and the police were overwhelmed. Many drove day and night to other places seeking refuge. If even the mayor and judge, under layers of protection, could be killed, how much more so others?
The escalating situation in the Old City, fueled by Joker, quickly spread to the New City District; all of Gotham plunged into immense chaos. Large numbers of citizens fled, causing severe congestion on major city routes, and everywhere, ear-splitting curses could be heard.
At this time, an ordinary car, however, drove into Gotham City. On the road leading into Gotham, it moved smoothly, forming a stark contrast to the congestion on the other side of the barrier.
The driver was a cold and beautiful woman. Smooth hair rested on her shoulders, and her expressionless face could not conceal her arrogant demeanor. She drove indifferently, ignoring all the chaos along the way, her calm eyes fixed straight ahead.
Her phone rang.
"May, how's the situation in Gotham City?" Agent Coulson's gentle voice rang out on the phone.
"A mess of chaos, everyone is fleeing in panic," the woman named May responded, finding a secluded spot to park.
Someone was robbing a convenience store nearby. The robber ran out, clutching a bag of money and valuables, shouting loudly: "Got it! Hurry to the next one! Take advantage of this time to grab more... Get out of the way, woman, don't block the road!"
With a swift stride, May rushed forward. Her slender arms erupted with astonishing power, striking the person's chin with a punch, then following with a direct side kick, heavily slamming into the robber's waist. In almost the blink of an eye, the leading big man was neatly knocked down onto the ground.
The other robbers scattered in all directions.
"Done?" Agent Coulson calmly waited for May's reply; he had enough confidence in this colleague of his.
"Can't handle it. Riots have broken out in many parts of this city; it's too much to manage," May responded coldly. Every one of her words lacked emotional fluctuation; her entire being was like an iceberg.
"Then, according to the original plan, first find Tony. He knows the specific situation of this city," Agent Coulson said. "At the same time, find a way to extract from him the purpose of his lurking in Gotham City."
"I've already arrived in Gotham City, and only now you're telling me the 'original plan'," May said. "Moreover, I'm not familiar with that Machinist."
"Don't worry, I know him very well. That guy is very easy to get along with; as long as you don't make him angry, he's still very gentle, and I'm also about to set off for Gotham City," Agent Coulson said, full of confidence.
Just ahead, a gloomy-faced young man walked on the street, his expression as if the whole world owed him money. He had a thin layer of hair on his head, as if it had just grown out.
May held a photo, looking left and right, comparing it horizontally and vertically repeatedly, feeling this should be the same person.
"Easy to get along with? Are you sure?"
A small-time thug waved a gun and shouted around, only to be casually killed with a single punch by that gloomy-faced young man.
(end of chapter)
In a daze, Anderson was tied up and brought before the Falcone Family.
Maroni, the leader of the Falcone Family, patted Anderson's head, revealing a contemptuous smile.
"A trashy rat like you, daring to stir up trouble in my territory... Are you tired of living? Do you really think Stark would start a conflict for a small-time thug like you?" Maroni kicked Anderson fiercely, disregarding Anderson's pained wails, and took out his phone to dial a number.
The number's contact name was "Joker."
"As per your request, I've tied Anderson up and brought him over. You need to take action against Batman immediately; I don't want to see that damned Vigilante alive anymore. After it's done, I'll pay you half the money," Maroni said.
He didn't understand why Joker wanted them to tie up Anderson, but it wasn't important. Even if Joker hadn't said anything, the Falcone Family would have acted anyway. Anderson's actions were becoming increasingly arrogant; at first, he was secretly selling weapons in the dark, but these days, he'd become brazen. How could the Falcone Family tolerate it? Being suppressed by Batman was one thing—they had no way to deal with Batman—but what was Anderson?
Maroni had a good plan in mind; they were handing the person over to Joker anyway. Even if Stark questioned it, he should go find Joker; it had nothing to do with the Falcone Family.
"Soon, hehehe, soon..." Joker's extremely unsettling, eerie laugh came from the other end of the phone, and faintly, Maroni could also hear sharp, miserable screams. Maroni blinked, then indifferently hung up the phone.
Anderson mumbled, his mouth full of blood. He desperately opened his eyes, making gurgling sounds as he indistinctly said, "The Falcone Family will eventually become a thing of the past... You people will go to Hell."
Maroni suddenly became interested. He grabbed Anderson's hair. "If an ordinary person said that, I could accept it, but these words came from the mouth of a rat like you... Who gave you the courage? Stark Industries? I don't believe Tony would fight to the death with our Falcone Family for you. You think too highly of yourself."
He instructed his subordinates, "When Joker's people arrive, directly hand this stupid rat over to him."
After speaking, Maroni hastily left. Anderson's words had also given him a reminder: Tony was a dangerous individual. Even though handing Anderson over to Joker would divert attention, it might still incur Tony's wrath, so it was better to leave first.
A few hours later, a corpse dressed in Batman's attire was hung on the City Hall building, and a video was uploaded to the Gotham City media.
"Hehehe... Tell me, who are you? Uh hahaha, are you Batman? Hmm? Are you?"
"I'm Brian..."
"Then why are you dressed up as Batman?"
"Batman makes us no longer fear scum like you!"
"Uh hahaha... From now on, I will kill one person every day until Batman voluntarily comes forward and surrenders~ hahaha!"
Joker's public declaration caused a huge stir in Gotham City. Was it a blessing or a curse for ordinary people that such an arrogant criminal openly declared war on Batman? Gotham City never lacked criminals, but few criminals, like Joker, would use the entire citizenry as leverage to openly declare war on Batman in the media.
Many people who had a bad impression of Batman believed he should take off his mask and voluntarily surrender to avoid innocent casualties. There were also those who opposed this, believing they just needed to wait, because Batman would save them.
On that corpse, the police found three playing cards, each with fingerprints on it. After examination, these three fingerprints all belonged to high-ranking officials in Gotham City. Joker, in this way, unreservedly exposed his targets.
One of them was Harvey.
Joker also succeeded. Countless people across the city were secretly swayed by him through various means. The mayor's cup was poisoned, and the judge frantically drove her official car to escape for her life, but explosives had been placed on the roof by an insider. Almost instantly, the mayor and the judge died tragically one after another, leaving only Harvey barely surviving.
The entire city plunged into immense panic; everyone feared for their own safety. For a time, acts of smashing, looting, arson, and robbery surged, crime rates skyrocketed, and the police were overwhelmed. Many drove day and night to other places seeking refuge. If even the mayor and judge, under layers of protection, could be killed, how much more so others?
The escalating situation in the Old City, fueled by Joker, quickly spread to the New City District; all of Gotham plunged into immense chaos. Large numbers of citizens fled, causing severe congestion on major city routes, and everywhere, ear-splitting curses could be heard.
At this time, an ordinary car, however, drove into Gotham City. On the road leading into Gotham, it moved smoothly, forming a stark contrast to the congestion on the other side of the barrier.
The driver was a cold and beautiful woman. Smooth hair rested on her shoulders, and her expressionless face could not conceal her arrogant demeanor. She drove indifferently, ignoring all the chaos along the way, her calm eyes fixed straight ahead.
Her phone rang.
"May, how's the situation in Gotham City?" Agent Coulson's gentle voice rang out on the phone.
"A mess of chaos, everyone is fleeing in panic," the woman named May responded, finding a secluded spot to park.
Someone was robbing a convenience store nearby. The robber ran out, clutching a bag of money and valuables, shouting loudly: "Got it! Hurry to the next one! Take advantage of this time to grab more... Get out of the way, woman, don't block the road!"
With a swift stride, May rushed forward. Her slender arms erupted with astonishing power, striking the person's chin with a punch, then following with a direct side kick, heavily slamming into the robber's waist. In almost the blink of an eye, the leading big man was neatly knocked down onto the ground.
The other robbers scattered in all directions.
"Done?" Agent Coulson calmly waited for May's reply; he had enough confidence in this colleague of his.
"Can't handle it. Riots have broken out in many parts of this city; it's too much to manage," May responded coldly. Every one of her words lacked emotional fluctuation; her entire being was like an iceberg.
"Then, according to the original plan, first find Tony. He knows the specific situation of this city," Agent Coulson said. "At the same time, find a way to extract from him the purpose of his lurking in Gotham City."
"I've already arrived in Gotham City, and only now you're telling me the 'original plan'," May said. "Moreover, I'm not familiar with that Machinist."
"Don't worry, I know him very well. That guy is very easy to get along with; as long as you don't make him angry, he's still very gentle, and I'm also about to set off for Gotham City," Agent Coulson said, full of confidence.
Just ahead, a gloomy-faced young man walked on the street, his expression as if the whole world owed him money. He had a thin layer of hair on his head, as if it had just grown out.
May held a photo, looking left and right, comparing it horizontally and vertically repeatedly, feeling this should be the same person.
"Easy to get along with? Are you sure?"
A small-time thug waved a gun and shouted around, only to be casually killed with a single punch by that gloomy-faced young man.
(end of chapter)
