Marvel: God-Tier Talent—Infinite Critical Strikes!

When Harvey Dent asked him for financial support, Bruce Wayne merely shook his head dismissively.

Funding the police department directly would violate the rules, and Bruce had no legitimate standing to invest money in it that way.

Harvey’s mouth fell open in dismay.

If he could not raise enough money, his already miserable position would only become worse.

”Don’t look so miserable,” Bruce said when he saw his friend’s expression fall. ”If I remember correctly, after those licensed houses opened, every establishment in the city was required to pay a certain amount to the police department in exchange for security.”

Bruce continued,

”If Karl is making that much money, then doesn’t it seem strange that the police department overseeing all those establishments somehow doesn’t have enough money to pay its own employees?”

Bruce’s original intention was simply to draw Harvey’s attention to the police department’s financial problems.

As far as Bruce knew, ever since Harvey’s prestige had collapsed, precincts outside Arkham had increasingly begun withholding funds from headquarters.

If Harvey investigated the issue from that angle, he could not only solve part of his funding problem but also put indirect pressure on the local power brokers controlling those districts.

It would accomplish two goals at once.

Harvey Dent, however, interpreted Bruce’s words very differently.

His eyes immediately lit up.

”That’s it!”

Harvey spoke excitedly.

”If Karl had enough money to buy an entire television station, he must have made a fortune from these establishments! With this lead, I might finally be able to dig something up on him!”

He stood up eagerly.

”Thanks, Bruce. I’m going to investigate Karl’s Luna Houses and find out exactly what he’s been paying.”

Seeing Harvey still obsessively thinking about how to bring Karl down, Bruce Wayne could not help feeling disappointed.

He had hoped the two of them might eventually stop fighting.

Bruce was just about to offer Harvey some advice when another thought suddenly occurred to him.

The more Bruce learned about Karl, the more he felt that the man possessed secrets no one else knew.

Bruce could not even determine the upper limit of Karl’s strength.

His own spine had been broken, and although Lucius’s advanced technology allowed him to stand and move around again, a complete recovery would still take a considerable amount of time.

Why not use this opportunity to investigate Karl more thoroughly?

After all, this young man had already caused Bruce more than enough trouble.

If Bruce continued judging Karl according to his old assumptions, he would only keep paying the price for underestimating him.

”Investigating the Luna Houses isn’t necessarily a bad idea.”

After thinking for a moment, Bruce Wayne added,

”I’ll go with you.”

Harvey looked at him in surprise.

”I’m interested in Karl myself. We might as well go in together, take a look around, and see what secrets that guy is hiding.”

Bruce’s real intention was to let Harvey learn something from Karl while they were there.

After all, both of them were police officers, yet Karl had proven far more capable than Harvey in many respects.

Harvey could only complain that his department had no money.

Karl, meanwhile, had managed to build an enormous personal fortune without relying on dirty police money or simply extorting local merchants.

Harvey Dent, however, interpreted Bruce’s agreement as proof that Bruce was finally willing to join him in going after Karl.

Most of Karl’s Luna Houses were located along Arkham’s more depressed streets.

The neighborhoods were run-down and gloomy, while enormous neon signs illuminated the darkness.

Sometimes it seemed as though this particular business was the only industry keeping entire blocks alive.

Bruce Wayne wandered through the area in disguise.

He remembered very clearly what these streets had once looked like.

Exhausted women had stood along the sidewalks, mechanically smiling at every man who passed.

Truckers coming through the nearby docks would frequently pull over, disappear into one of the local establishments, and remain inside for a very long time.

But after Karl took control of Arkham, street prostitution had almost completely vanished from the district.

There was a very simple reason.

Karl had announced that a portion of the Luna Houses’ profits would be distributed as subsidies to local police officers.

That immediately transformed Arkham’s previously lazy cops into exceptionally motivated law-enforcement officers whenever independent street workers appeared.

After all, anyone conducting business outside Karl’s establishments was effectively taking money out of the officers’ own pockets.

As a result, the police cracked down on street solicitation with remarkable enthusiasm.

Ironically, this had made Arkham one of the best-policed districts in Gotham City.

”Look at this!”

Harvey laughed.

”They’re already open for business in broad daylight, and Karl’s Luna Houses don’t even close at dawn!”

He shook his head.

”No wonder he makes so much more money than the other adult establishments in Gotham.”

By Gotham City standards, whether someone ultimately went to Heaven or Hell was for God to decide.

But willingly passing up an opportunity to make money?

That was practically an unforgivable sin.

In that respect, Karl had adapted perfectly to Gotham’s values.

There was not merely one Luna House in Arkham.

More precisely, there were around ten of them.

All were managed under the supervision of a woman named Selina Kyle.

According to local stories, Selina had once been one of Arkham’s finest pole dancers before Karl invited her to manage his most profitable business.

Bruce and Harvey casually pushed open the door of one Luna House.

The interior resembled similar adult establishments in Gotham’s other districts.

Heavy curtains were everywhere, and the distinctive smell of air conditioning filled the building.

Cheap wooden partitions divided the first floor into individual rooms.

The rooms were surprisingly small, so there was little hope of genuine soundproofing.

The owner had apparently realized the same thing.

Loud music blasted through the center of the building, nearly deafening anyone who entered.

”Yo. You two are new faces, aren’t you?”

A youthful voice suddenly called out.

”Here to have some fun?”

Bruce Wayne and Harvey turned around.

A teenage boy dressed lightly for the warm interior sat in a corner near the entrance.

He held a pen in one hand and was scribbling something in a notebook, apparently busy with his own affairs.

Harvey might not have recognized him.

Bruce Wayne certainly did.

Bruce frowned.

After dealing with Karl for so long, there was no way he would fail to recognize the boy sitting in front of him.

It was Jason Todd, Karl’s godson.

Bruce had even patrolled Gotham alongside Jason before.

The boy was extraordinarily talented and capable.

Bruce never imagined he would run into him in a place like this.

It was almost unbelievable.

”But before you two start having fun, there are rules in this establishment.”

Jason spoke unhurriedly without even looking up from the notebook in his hands.

”Any weapons you bring inside have to stay secured on your person. We don’t allow trouble, fighting, or brawls in here.”

He casually turned a page.

”Of course, we also guarantee your safety while you’re inside. No robber in Arkham is stupid enough to come in here looking for trouble.”

Harvey Dent stared at Jason for several seconds.

Having a kid this young working inside an adult establishment?

Surely that had to violate some kind of law.

”Shouldn’t you be at school?”

Bruce Wayne asked in a low voice.

”What are you doing hanging around here?”

He paused before adding,

”I mean, someone your age shouldn’t be staying in a place like this. You’re getting in the way of the customers.”

Jason waved a hand dismissively.

”Forget it. This place belongs to my godfather. I’m only here because I like the air conditioning, and I’m supposed to meet someone here later to discuss something.”

He remained completely calm.

”As for school, I got suspended last week for fighting and was ordered to stay home and reflect on what I did. Even if I wanted to go to school right now, they wouldn’t let me.”

Jason finally looked up.

”But I haven’t stopped studying.”

He tapped the notebook in front of him.

”I’ve finished all my homework for the past few days. Didn’t miss a single assignment.”

(End of Chapter)

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