What's wrong with Superman's brother wanting to be Homelander?

Chapter 63 Bruce Wayne

Chapter 63 Bruce Wayne

"Do you remember what I said last night?" Lucas asked lazily, sitting on the sofa. "I dare not forget, Your Excellency," Oswald replied immediately.

Lucas casually hung his hand down, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, his fingertips flicking lightly one by one.

"Starting today, you'll need to give me 70% of all your earnings. Do you have any objections?"

"Your Excellency, rest assured, I will absolutely not embezzle even a single cent."

The penguin straightened up without any hesitation.

He didn't actually value money that much. On the contrary, he valued the power he held more.

For example, right now, he knows perfectly well that his power comes from this unimaginable being in front of him.

"Very good." Lucas looked at the golden sunrise in the distance. "Remember your promise, Mr. Cobblepot. Sometimes, loyalty and usefulness are both necessary. Loyalty allows you to live a secure life, but only usefulness deserves to continue standing in this sunlight."

Oswald nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

"By the way, Your Excellency, Gillian Loeb would like to invite you to the Children's Hospital charity dinner this afternoon."

He seemed to remember something, and then spoke.

A charity gala?

Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at the Penguin.

Oswald immediately explained, "Sir, the other party is unaware of your existence, but he doesn't believe I have the power to unify the Maroni family overnight. Therefore, this is more of a speculative invitation. If you don't wish to go, I can find a reason to politely decline."

Lucas pondered for two seconds: "Besides me, who else did they invite?"

"Some seasoned officers in the police department, holding high positions, had secretly received 'financial support' from Sal, as well as the mayor of Gotham City and the heads of some of Gotham's long-established wealthy conglomerates."

Oswald thought for a moment and then replied.

"So, is Wayne Group among those invited?" Lucas pressed.

"I'm not entirely sure about this. By convention, they should be here, but the Wayne couple were assassinated a few years ago, which has complicated the current situation of the Wayne Group," Oswald said uncertainly, scratching his greasy hair.

"Assassination? You think someone assassinated them?" Lucas asked with interest.

In Gotham, almost everyone believed that the Wayne couple were robbed and murdered by a homeless man on the street.

That force was deeply hidden and controlled all public opinion in the city; almost all of the top elites were members of it.

Oswald hadn't expected the man in front of him to be interested in the Wayne couple's deaths. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Outsiders all think this is just an unlucky street robbery and murder, one of the most common tragedies in Gotham."

But after so many years navigating the underworld and the lower rungs of Gotham, I know one thing: any random street robber in Gotham wouldn't have the guts or the ability to publicly shoot the infamous Wayne couple. This didn't seem like an accidental robbery; it was more like a premeditated, deliberately covered-up, and cleanly executed purge.

"Mr. Oswald, your analysis is indeed insightful."

Lucas stood up and patted the Penguin on the shoulder.

Although he was only a seventh-grade student, he was already a head taller than the Penguin.

"I will reply to them that I will be there on time," Lucas said calmly.

"Yes, Your Excellency, I will convey your message to them." Oswald straightened his posture.

Five o'clock in the afternoon.

The sky was overcast.

The ground was covered with puddles from last night's torrential rain, fallen leaves littered the concrete roads, and the air was thick with a pungent industrial chemical smell, almost as if Gotham itself had been marinated in it.

now.

The century-old classical royal banquet hall in downtown Gotham City is located in a stand-alone Baroque stone mansion.

Soft lights fell on the polished marble floor, reflecting the elegant and poised guests dressed in expensive gowns, their conversation exuding an air of superiority.

Fine wines and champagnes were continuously served by waiters on trays, creating a lively atmosphere.

In the crowd, the current Gotham City Police Commissioner, Gillian Loeb, was talking quietly with Mayor Aubrey James.

They leaned slightly closer together, lowered their voices, and seemed to be chatting casually, but in reality, they were carefully considering every word.

He was a seasoned veteran who had been entrenched in the city hall for many years, relying on Falcone's backing.

Aubry has held the mayoral seat for ten years now, while Thomas Wayne was still alive.

But at this moment, the focus of their conversation wasn't the old mafia boss, but rather Oswald, the Penguin, who had suddenly risen to prominence—

That skinny man with the lumpy gait, who walked like a penguin, killed Sal Maroni and his loyal followers with external forces unknown to them, becoming the new overlord of the East District.

This was as shocking to them as it was to Gotham police officers who refused to accept bribes or corruption.

There's never a shortage of new things.

New gangs are born every day, and old gangs die out.

But the top-level structure of this city of sin has not changed for decades.

Only two giants have always firmly established themselves in Gotham's underworld.

One is the Falcone family, headed by Carmine Falcone. With deep roots and influence extending to municipalities, police departments, and various industries, they are the undisputed emperors of the underworld.

Secondly, there was the Maroni family, previously controlled by Sal Maroni, which held sway in the East District and wielded immense power, enough to rival Falcone.

But now, the power structure of one of the top gangs has undergone an unimaginable change, and a man who once passed by them with nothing but contempt has become the new leader of Maroney.

Loeb's face was grim, his brows furrowed.

The bloody scene at Sal Manor that night still haunts him, sending chills down his spine.

In the main hall on the first floor of the manor, nearly fifty fully armed, battle-hardened gunmen lay sprawled on the ground.

All were killed with a single shot, without any trace of struggle; it was more like a one-sided massacre.

What terrified him most were Sal's two personal guards.

They were all retired special forces soldiers who had achieved dozens of victories in underground boxing matches. Even the super assassins hired by Carmine were wary of them, but their heads were smashed like watermelons.

Sal Maroni himself died a similarly tragic death.

His heart was brutally shattered by an extremely sharp and penetrating weapon, an object resembling an umbrella handle, and he struggled for a long time before dying.

"Overnight, the entire Maroni leadership was uprooted, and all of its core confidants were wiped out."

Loeb's Adam's apple bobbed as he spoke in a low voice, "I specifically looked into Oswald, that short, lumpy-legged bastard. He's a complete opportunist, a traitor. If he had the ability, he would have rebelled long ago."

Aubrey swirled the wine in his glass. "So you're absolutely certain there's someone else behind this?"

"Not just certain, but absolutely certain."

"Then let's see who this mysterious person is in a moment. Hasn't he already agreed to the appointment?" Aubrey downed his glass of expensive red wine in one gulp. "Perfect timing, Mr. McCann would also like to meet him."

Just as the mayor and Loeb were whispering and calculating.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the side of the banquet hall, a slender figure quietly watched them.

Bruce Wayne is now the nominal heir to the Wayne Group.

Half a step to his side was Alfred, his butler who worked 24/7, 365 days a year.