103 Chapter 103: A Win for Wayne
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"I Invent, Transform, Create, And Destroy For A Living."
- Rick Sanchez, (Rick and Morty)
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<(Bruce Wayne POV)>
"It seems that I underestimated you Sionis. You do have some guts. I like a guy like you who can snatch any opportunity he sees... Fine, it's decided then. From now on, this mall will be under our control including all of your pesky useless lives inside it as well. HAHAHAHA, I have never had this much fun before." The guy called Red Hood One declared as he excitedly nodded at Black Mask while mocking the rest of the ordinary crowd. It almost seemed like he was enjoying this.
The two bosses probably knew that it was too late for them to run, even if they tried to escape while taking Bruce with them. So instead, they decided to hold on to the mall and negotiate with cops using the hostages here instead. They knew that most people in a luxury mall like this would be from the privileged section of Gotham and their families would do anything to get them back including pressurizing the government and the cops to get them released as soon as possible, even if it meant letting the criminals walk away.
The two gang leaders wouldn't even have to try that hard in their negotiations to get an escape route out of here even if they were to take Bruce Wayne with them. They would have to go underground for a while till things cool down due to the media and those loyal to the Wayne family, but they would survive, nonetheless. As for the Wayne fortune, even a few measly signatures from him alone could make every one of them billionaires and make their gangs the richest organizations in the country. The rewards heavily outweighed the risks. Now, of course, this wasn't a perfect plan, but they could certainly make do with it.
"Don't, whatever you are thinking right now, don't. You still have time to forget all this and leave. I heard that you are a smart man Black Mask, so use some of that smartness and escape before it's too late." I advised with a tired sigh.
I actually did want him to escape, I had big plans for him and his new rising 'empire'. I wanted him to become as big as he could before I started the process of removing him from the equation. But instead, the guy is actually asking to be killed. 'Fucking dumb ass.' I could not help but mentally swear at his idiocy. Also, why the hell does he think that he can even survive if he hurts me in any way? Even if I were to die by some miracle, none of the gang members here would be able to escape. The two fuming sisters behind me alone would be enough to take care of all of them.
As for taking my properties, these stupid fucking idiots have no idea that people can't just steal money from billionaires' accounts or take away their properties by a few signatures. That only happens in movies or with the common people in the real world. The government and banks have much stricter rules in place to protect the wealth of rich people like me. The only money they would be able to steal somehow would be some physical cash and whatever I had left on my credit cards after this shopping trip, which was still a lot by the way but almost negligible for someone of my stature.
Now, they could try to blackmail me into transferring my shares to them or writing them some hefty checks, but they could also just as easily be traced if I were to request it later to the government within a few days of the transaction since none of my money is illegal and could easily be monitored even if it were to leave the country. So, it might take some time, but they would definitely be caught no matter what. Of course, if cryptocurrencies had already been invented, the outcome would be totally different, but right now, they would be doomed the moment they took my money.
"I am sorry Mr. Wayne but unfortunately for you, we require a financier, and you have been chosen. But don't worry, we probably won't harm you as long as you cooperate with us. I am sure we can work something out in exchange for your life. I mean, what is a few billion compared to your life, right?" Black Mask responded in a threatening voice. It seems he was quite confident in himself.
'They really need a finance guy or better yet, a bloodsucking lawyer who can explain to them the difference between the poor and the rich in the eyes of the government.'
"Can I shoot them now master? They are not going to let you go anyway, so might as well get this over with. We can just claim later that your guards were keeping an eye on you as snipers, and they were the ones who shot to protect your life as well as the lives of all the hostages." Cortana requested in my ears with a complaining tone in her voice.
"... Fine, but don't shoot everyone. Let Black Mask and a few others leave, mainly the members of his gang. As for the Red Hood gang, I have never heard their name, so you can kill most of them but still leave one or two alive to not raise any eyebrows. Oh, and only take shots you are absolutely sure of, make sure to not harm the girls or any civilians." I agreed with her. There were a dozen different ways I could have done this but most of them would have put my identity at risk or incriminate Nyssa and Talia in some manner. This was the most efficient way I could do this without putting anyone in any form of danger at all.
"Command received Captain. All targets have been selected. 24 of 30 threats have been designated for termination." Cortana's cheerful voice echoed in my earpiece.
"You had to wake up and choose violence today, didn't you?" I uttered in a low voice as I signaled to Nyssa and Talia to not move since I could sense that they were using their chi to get ready to attack two gangs. "Anyway, best of luck to all of you in Hell."
*Thud* *Thud* *Thud*...*Thud* Soft sounds suddenly began to resonate in the surroundings as all the criminals dressed in black and red costumes began to drop like flies with gaping red holes in their skulls. All of them were clean hits with each bullet lodged directly at the center of their heads with no chance of survival whatsoever.
"THE FUCK? SNIPERS! TAKE COVER." Black Mask yelled in surprise as he and a few of the others in his gang jumped away to hide from the 'snipers'.
Red Hood One who was the only one of the Red Hoods still alive was also equally shocked but instead of taking cover like the members of the Sionis crime family, he began to run towards the exit in an attempt to escape. He was either really smart having realized that he wasn't one of the targeted people or really dumb just trying to run away on instinct. Even his way of running away was weird like he was sprinting in a comedic manner while trying to keep the bucket on his head from falling down.
"I left the leader of the Red Hood gang alive sir. He is the only one of the Red Hoods I didn't eliminate completely to make it seem that the snipers just missed some of the people anonymously?" Cortana explained.
"Why do I feel like I am going to regret letting him leave?" I muttered to myself ignoring Cortana. My guts were telling me to shoot the running man down and the further he was getting, the more this feeling was intensifying. It was almost like not ending this man right here, right now would be one of the biggest mistakes I could possibly make... But do I really want to kill someone and ruin a perfectly good plan just because my gut says so?
'But again, my instincts have never been wrong before.' I thought to myself as I picked up the nearest firearm from one of the dead bodies and aimed it at the sprinting, crimson-robed criminal who had even begun to laugh maniacally for some reason. 'That laugh...'
*Bang* The sound of a single bullet echoed in the air before the man called Red Hood One fell down in his tracks without even getting a chance to defend himself.
But quite interestingly, it was not me who had actually shot him.
"This is the GCPD, you are all surrounded. Everyone, drop your weapons and get on your knees." Commissioner Gordon had personally entered the mall while leading about a couple of dozen cops behind him through the same exit Red Hood One was running towards. He was dressed in a bulletproof vest with a slightly smoking handgun in his hand.
Black Mask after noticing the cops immediately surrendered as he and the few others of his gang who were still alive dropped their guns and slowly rose up from their covers with slightly shaking bodies. They were still reeling in shock from the death of so many of their associates. They still could not believe that so many of their people had died just like that without even being able to realize what was happening.
Well, at least, most criminals will no longer try to come after me, now that they know how dangerous fucking with someone who was filthy rich could truly get.
"That was a waste. If I knew that Mr. Gordon was going to shoot him, I wouldn't have let that man live. Now, your forces could be called inefficient for leaving so many of them alive." Cortana complained in a disappointed voice.
"It's okay, Cortana. You did more than just good." I praised her to keep her from feeling down.
Talia and Nyssa who were just as surprised by everything as everyone else approached me with curious eyes as they looked at the dead bodies. They seemed to have realized that I was the one responsible for the deaths but from the uncaring expressions on their faces, it didn't look like they were at all bothered by the bloody massacre.
The Commissioner and his men on the other hand quickly apprehended the remaining criminals and began to help the hostages while leading them out, checking for anyone who was hurt.
"Bruce..., you have grown a lot taller and quite good looking too. No wonder, you are so popular among girls and teen magazines. By the way, you and your companions aren't hurt, are you?" Jim Gordon asked as he approached us with a small and tired, yet genuine smile on his face.
It didn't even seem like he had just killed someone. But again, this was probably a regular occurrence in Gotham for someone like him.
"No, we are alright. You guys came just in time... Anyway, you seem really happy Mr. Gordon, any particular reason why?" I asked with interest.
"Hmm? Oh, umm, the guy I shot there was actually a psychotic criminal we had been after for quite some time. We had intel that he had recently replaced the previous Red Hood gang's leader while taking over his position and since then, he had done his best to spread as much chaos and destruction as he could. From starting turf wars to killing innocent people for no reason at all, he had been destroying any remnants of peace he came across. He was a real nut job. That was why, the moment I saw him running towards us with a gun in his hand, I took the shot, otherwise, I would have at least tried to arrest him. Oh, and call me Jim. Gordon makes me sound old." Gordon revealed with a half-smile as he signaled one of his colleagues to seal the bodies.
"Oh..., congratulations. One less criminal for Gotham to worry about now. But is it alright for you to tell us all this?" I asked with a raise of my eyebrows.
"Truthfully, it doesn't matter. They aren't going to fire me over a criminal who had a shoot-on-sight order on him. Unlike the rest of the smarter bunch of criminals, he didn't have any friends in the city government since he was just starting out and a lot of people in Gotham's underworld wanted him dead for upsetting the power balance. I think even most of the members of the Red Hood gang didn't like him very much. They will probably be more than happy to elect a new leader before the day is out... given that some other gang doesn't wipe them out or something." He shrugged. "Although I would have to answer how so many of these criminals died before we even came here... Would you happen to know anything about the snipers who shot them?" He asked.
"Yeah, I actually do. However, I think we should find a more private spot before I explain everything." I answered as I looked at the half a dozen people trying to eavesdrop on our conversation.
"Of course, let's go to a cafe. I'll treat you three to some coffee while taking your statements... or whatever else fancy drinks people like to drink now. Anyway, welcome back to Gotham kid."
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(A/N: As some of you might have noticed, Red Hood One might have some similarities to the Joker's origin story in the comics. As for whether he really is the Joker..., I have no idea. But, I can assure you of one thing. The Joke in this story is definitely not over.)
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