There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 25 The Knight of Light

It was late at night when Harvey arrived at Dodge's residence after traversing the entire city. The magnificent manor, nestled on a hillside, was still brightly lit, and Harvey could even see purple lasers shooting across the vast meadows from behind the castle into the sky.

It seems there's a lively party going on at the manor.

With enough money, Gotham residents can have a vibrant nightlife.

In theory, Oswald and Dodge were equals in the gang, both reporting directly to Maroney, but in reality, their finances, manpower, and overall strength were completely different.

The down-on-his-luck Oswald is not even as good as Dodge's underlings. Look at the guy leading the way for Harvey. He's wearing a sharp black suit, not a speck of dust on him, and the gold watch peeking out from his left wrist doesn't reveal any brand, but it's probably not a cheap one.

After identifying himself, Harvey was led onto a sightseeing vehicle, which took him through vineyards, pastures, and stables to a private swimming pool located behind the mansion.

A midnight party is being held here. People are moving around in the 300-square-meter backyard, and every glance reveals supermodels in hot bikinis.

Harvey couldn't imagine how much money this guy had made through drug trafficking, given that even a low-level gang leader could live such a wealthy life.

Surrounded by a group of beautiful women in the center of the pool, the fat man riding on an inflatable duck was Dodge. Although he allowed Harvey to come in, Dodge had no intention of entertaining him. He only glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before continuing to indulge in his pleasures.

He was clearly ignoring Harvey, trying to give this New York kid a Gotham-style shock.

Harvey, of course, wasn't going to just stand on the shore and watch helplessly. He took off his coat, jumped into the pool with a splash, and swam toward Dodge.

Dodge was stunned for a moment because he didn't expect the other party to break the deadlock in this way. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, waving his hand to dismiss the woman and stopping the DJ who was spinning records on the shore.

He pulled a small sealed plastic bag from under the inflatable duck, inside which were two small white pills.

"Want some to try?"

"No need, I'm here to talk business."

"The important thing for me is to enjoy myself!"

Dodge tore open the bag and swallowed one, and soon a sickly flush spread across his entire face. His eyes rolled back, and his heavy breathing was accompanied by the twitching of the fat on both sides of his cheeks, making him look like an infected person who was about to turn into a zombie at any moment.

"New Jersey is a law-abiding state. Taking drugs in front of a prosecutor, aren't you afraid I'll put you in jail?"

"Come on, Harvey Dent, I've seen plenty of people like you!"

Dao smiled strangely and snapped his fingers, and his subordinates brought over two explosion-proof boxes.

As the box was opened, the entire box of banknotes spilled into the swimming pool.

Dodge sneered, "Go ahead! Take as much as you want. As long as you promise not to interfere in my business, I'll save a seat for you at future parties."

The water rippled, pushing a hundred-dollar bill toward Harvey.

The image of Benjamin Franklin on the banknote is distorted and deformed from being soaked in water; it looks like he's laughing or making a face.

Harvey kept his eyes straight ahead, letting the waterlogged banknotes slowly sink to the bottom of the pool.

Harvey's actions made Dodge frown. He paddled his rubber duck to the shore, put on a bathrobe, and took a cigar out of his pocket.

"Harvey Dent! You need to understand that as a newcomer, you're only worth this much money. If you want deeper cooperation, you must provide some valuable intelligence."

"You've misunderstood from the beginning; what I want isn't money."

Dodge was somewhat confused. He had seen too many police officers and prosecutors, and without exception, these guys were all after money. In Gotham City, everyone was clearly priced.

Like those glamorous models, they walk the runway during the day and frequent various social venues at night, spending the night with anyone who can afford it.

They are indeed very beautiful when they are dressed, but their true appearance is when they are naked and have their hair down.

He didn't believe Harvey's outward appearance.

"Harvey Dent, just how much money would it take for you to show your true colors?"

"No money is needed, just evidence of Maroney's crimes," Harvey said.

With a snap, Dodge ruthlessly cut off the end of his cigar and, with lightning speed, pulled out the golden revolver from his pocket, pointing it directly at Harvey Dent.

"You've got some nerve! You're going to die here!"

"Really?" Harvey flashed his signature bright smile.

"If you fire, my colleagues will surround this place and search the entire estate in the next second. They won't be doing it for justice or to avenge me, but they will definitely seize all the valuables in your estate. Even if Maroney prepares a scapegoat for you the next day, you will never be able to recover the stolen money."

"You know better than I how corrupt the Gotham Police Department is. If you want to kill me, are you prepared to lose everything?"

Harvey's eyes were sharp, and he opened his arms wide.

He knew better than anyone that this secret operation had no backup, but he was still fearless, betting that the Dodgers wouldn't dare to go all in.

A rat crawling out of the sewer is attracted by the fragrant cheese on the dining table. It would never give up this hard-won delicacy unless its life is threatened.

Dodge laughed, plopped down in the recliner, pulled the trigger, and lit a cigar.

This pistol-shaped cigarette lighter was a show of force he gave to Harvey, but unfortunately, the latter didn't fall for it.

"I have nothing to say to you. Please leave my manor."

Dodge gave them the boot.

He still naively believed he held the reins of the game. Little did he know that from the moment he chose to meet with Harvey Dent, death had already begun its prelude.

Sitting in the back of the sightseeing bus, Harvey finished editing the briefing and flicked his wrist, taking advantage of the driver's inattention to throw his phone into the vineyard. The unsent text message accusing Dodge of betrayal would later become the fuse for Maroney's purge of Dodge.

He returned to the Senate, gave his clothes back to the poor corpse, and together with Qin Wei, drove across the Brown Bridge to the outskirts of the city, where they threw the body bag into the flowing Gotham River.

"It's over," Harvey said.

"Yes, hopefully it will end."

The temperature plummeted in the early morning, and Qin Wei leaned against the warm hood of the sports car to absorb the warmth. Although he didn't smoke, he suddenly felt like having one.

In the desolate suburbs, with the full moon setting in the west, there were two men, each lost in their own thoughts. It would have been perfect to have a cigarette between their fingers at that moment.

"By following us in disposing of the body, wouldn't you become an accomplice? Your Honor, Prosecutor."

"The body will decompose and expand in the bag, producing a lot of gas, and eventually float to the surface. It will then travel down the Gotham River to the port and be discovered. If I knew it would be discovered, I think this action would at most be considered moving the body. Besides, the person just accidentally fell off the building, so what does it have to do with me?"

Harvey Dent's words sent chills down Qin Wei's spine.

Qin Wei hadn't known this man for very long, and only now did he vaguely sense that the man had some psychological issues.

Unlike Gordon, this man doesn't seem to be pursuing procedural justice; he might do anything for the sake of fairness in his heart.

Knight of Light, if I could stop Maroney from throwing acid at you, would you really change the course of the story and ultimately become the savior of Gotham?

Qin Wei glanced sideways at Harvey Dent beside him, only to find that the other was also looking at him.

At this moment, his face was perfectly divided by light and shadow, half bathed in moonlight and half lurking in darkness.