Marvel : Master of Role-Playing

"We've lost..."

In the office of Sal Maroni.

The core members of the Maroni family had gathered there, and Sal Maroni, the current head of the Maroni family, lowered his head, declaring the failure of their battle against the Joker.

"Boss, please reconsider! Our power hasn't been significantly diminished. The Joker set fire to the warehouse, but he didn't gain anything. If we hold on, we can still win..."

"It's because the money was burned by the Joker that I've admitted defeat!!!"

Sal Maroni yelled in frustration. He didn't want to surrender, but he had no other choice.

"That warehouse had nearly a hundred million dollars in it. For us, such a loss is severe, but not unbearable. But what happened? The Joker burned it down. He didn't want the money. He set it on fire and wiped out everything we held dear! This... this is madness!!!"

Maroni shouted, and gradually, the others started to understand the gravity of the situation.

"If the Joker wanted the money, I could at least be relieved. We have the money, we could afford to outlast him. But he doesn't want the money. He's just a reckless madman! We're not only fighting the Joker, but also the Falcone family. Does the Maroni family really want to risk everything and perish with a lunatic like him?"

"Although they're temporarily caught up with Wayne Enterprises and can't get involved right now, if we end up both taking each other down with the Joker, will the Falcone family pity us? Will they help us?!"

No matter from what angle, going against the Joker's gang is simply not worth it. Those lunatics are willing to die at any moment, and the Joker's existence ensures that his gang will always drag them into a situation where both sides suffer.

To abandon their current position just for the sake of the Joker's gang—how could that be possible?

Finally, Sal Maroni sighed deeply.

"All the businesses attacked by the Joker's gang should be handed over to them. After that, we'll give them some of the still-profitable underground fighting arenas and casinos. Peace, for now. We need time to recover from our losses."

"Understood."

No one objected to Sal Maroni's decision.

They all realized the same thing: if giving up a few small businesses could help stabilize the Joker's gang, it was a small price to pay. The real focus should be on the competition with the Falcone family for control of Gotham's largest criminal empire, which was the Maroni family's biggest challenge.

...

At Gotham City Police Department, Gordon felt a strange sense of relief after learning the details of the Joker's gang conflict with the Maroni family last night.

From what it seemed, the Joker's actions weren't directly related to him. It appeared the Joker was planning to use the Maroni family as a stepping stone to rise to power, and Gordon was just caught in the middle.

As for why the Joker had spared him and not killed him with laughing gas, Gordon could only assume it was due to the Joker's twisted way of thinking—something far from conventional.

'Anyway, the fact that the Joker isn't targeting me is probably the best news.' Gordon thought to himself, and for the first time, a relaxed smile crossed his face. At this moment, there was a knock at his office door.

Before Gordon could respond, a beautiful female officer entered, holding a stack of files. They exchanged a brief smile, and without saying much, the officer sat down next to Gordon after organizing the materials. She gently leaned against him.

"James, your mood seems better." she observed.

"Yeah..." Gordon reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder and pulling her into his embrace.

"I haven't forgotten about our date in a few days." he said with a soft smile. "Don't worry, I will definitely arrive on time."

The officer was none other than Sarah Essen Gordon, Gordon's second wife.

If there was anyone at the Gotham Police Department who, apart from Gordon, still upheld a strong sense of justice, it was Sarah. It was because of their shared values that they had gradually grown close.

The two shared a passionate kiss, and as their lips parted, Sarah smiled and said, "You know, Gotham's been dangerous lately. With Maroni, the Joker... so please don't make me wait too long, Officer Gordon, the man of justice."

"Don't worry, I'll be there on time." Gordon replied, his voice filled with reassurance.

Sarah left, having her own work to attend to, while Gordon remained, a smile of happiness on his face as he looked forward to tomorrow.

He still has a beautiful wife who loves him and a young daughter and son. He was determined to bring justice to Gotham City. Whether it was criminal families like Maroni's or madmen like the Joker, he would bring them to justice.

...

December 24th was an important day. For ordinary people, it was Christmas Eve.

Even in Gotham, there was a slight festive atmosphere that night. After all, even the gangs wanted to enjoy the holidays. If they didn't have time to relax, how could they have the drive to make money?

But for Reid, today was the day of his plan's final phase.

He had already sent an invitation via email to Earle and his advisor, Edward Nygma, to dine at a restaurant owned by the Wayne family.

The reason, of course, was that there were important matters to discuss.

In their view, the bargaining chip that Alfred, the butler, could use to communicate with them was naturally the shares of the Wayne family that he held in his hands.

What Reid needed to do tonight was ensure that Earle's death would be known across Gotham. He wanted everyone to know that Earle had died at the hands of the Joker.

...

"Mr. Earle, I must remind you that Alfred's loyalty to the Wayne family is beyond question. His invitation to you must be part of some kind of scheme."

Edward, trailing behind Earle, did his best to dissuade his boss, but his words were in vain. Earle merely gave a dismissive smile.

"No, no, no, Edward, you're wrong this time. Where is our dinner taking place? At a restaurant owned by the Wayne family. It's precisely because Alfred is loyal to the Wayne family that I'm certain he won't harm me—at least not in the restaurant. He wouldn't risk tarnishing the Wayne family's reputation by harming someone of importance there!"

Earle spoke with great confidence, dismissing Edward's warnings. Without a second thought, he pushed open the door and entered the restaurant.

Inside, he quickly spotted Alfred—or rather, Reid—sitting alone at a table in the center of the large hall, waiting.

"I thought you'd clear the place out. After all, what we're about to discuss isn't exactly a respectable matter, is it?" Earle remarked as he sat down across from Reid.

He glanced around at the people dining—the men and women who had come out to enjoy their Christmas Eve dinner—and felt discomfort rise within him. He didn't like discussing important matters in such an atmosphere.

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