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Chapter 73: The Mystery Of Ian Rose VIII
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"What did you do!!" A crisp yell reverberated throughout a certain roof amidst the darkness, very late at night.
"We had a deal!" Another yell by the same person followed soon after. The source of the sound was a muscular figure, attired entirely in a black suit. He was none other than Batman.
His irritation was obvious as he almost held Ian above the ground as he was grasping the neckline part of Ian's sweater, almost choking him with how rough he was.
Ian however remained impassive as he calmly spoke, "Let me go."
"We... Had a deal!!"
"And I've done nothing to breach it," The only remaining crime lord in Gotham lied without batting an eye.
"What? Do you think I'm a child? I know! I know what you've done," Batman was understandably having none of it.
"Then all you've to do is to prove it," Ian was tired of the Bat's unpleasant manners by now as he kicked him to the chest to gain his freedom once again.
"Isn't this what you want anyway? What happened was for the best. Gotham has fallen to my hands much faster than I've ever anticipated, so what's your problem?"
"Innocent people died! You not only killed the crime lords but also destroyed all of the surroundings of their meeting place. Do you have any Idea how many innocents died due to that?!"
Batman was only getting angrier while Ian was simply tidying up his clothing as he shrugged his shoulders, "I mean, I've done absolutely nothing of that, but If I did, I'd say that's collateral damage.
You may not know, but I do. I know how hard it is to assemble all the crime lords in one location. Even in the usual meetings, at most about two-thirds participate."
Batman was speechless, not because Ian's logic makes sense or anything like that, but more because only now did he realize how apathetic Ian is to death.
"How about all the others? How many people died after the incident. The crime lords' families and many others, some of which didn't choose such a life, didn't want to be born into a family of criminals. Have you even bothered to check whether anyone is innocent or not?"
Batman got his cool back as he eyed Ian with cold eyes, only he knows what he was thinking.
"You should know better than me Bat. Getting rid of the head will do nothing. A head will fall and another will take its place, a never-ending cycle. You've experienced what it feels like, haven't you?
No matter how much you tried, it was all for naught. Very little impact. They fear you, but they can never fear you enough... Because of death, they don't have to fear death with you, but they will with me."
"I see... I didn't see it before, but you're the kind that makes excuses for their actions, for the greater good huh? The end justifies the means?
All that you're doing is making an enemy of me, and no matter how much good you do, I will always know that there is even more bad going behind the scenes... I can never trust you with Gotham."
Batman turned around, ready to go on his merry way. His emotions were strangely calm... Until he heard Ian's loud laughter that is.
"Hahahaha hah," Ian shook his head in disappointment, "You don't understand. Have you ever seen it in a different way? The ones capable of spilling blood for the greater good are those that are okay with bearing the guilt of killing and handling all that comes with it.
Many will hate them and despise them, and they know it, yet they bear such a responsibility all the same. There are of course a few bad apples in every field, but you should get my point."
Ian let out a sigh, "But I'm getting ahead of myself. I do not bear such responsibilities nor am I willing to bear them. Death never meant much to me, and its meaning is only losing its value to me, not the opposite.
I don't mind dying, and I don't think I'd feel much if the people around me die though I'd like to believe that I would feel something,"
A strange smile surfaced on Ian's face, one that weirded even Batman out, "I kind of want to know how I'd feel... Hmm. I'm getting too into it, so let me get to the point.
I'm perfect for Gotham. All of your fears and your limitations don't apply to me. There is nothing Gotham's darkness can do to stop me except if something too unnatural happens."
Ian turned around as he let out a chuckle. He lifted his hands in the air as he looked at the strangely silent Gotham from the edge of the roof, it's been just as silent for the entirety of the past week since the incident known as the breath of salvation.
"Can you see it? Do you see it? Silence before the storm, but the storm am referring to is one of prosperity and riches."
"Bat, Gotham is in my hand right now, so I can at least guarantee that I'll protect it to the best of my abilities. Otherwise, you can give it your best shot, I'm waiting."
Afterward, Ian took a seat at the edge of the roof and heard nothing more from the Bat. The latter gave no response, perhaps he didn't want to or he didn't have one.
"What a good day." Gotham's crime lord took a deep breath and went downstairs, returning to a meeting he was having before Batman arrived.
It was somewhat of a private meeting as only four people were in it, namely Selina, Ivy, Rachel, and of course Ian.
The meeting was quite special as it's the start of a strange team, a menace for a team.
The moment he entered the room, Rachel jumped to speak first, "I don't get it, why am I here? I won't be a part of this."
Her complaints brought a smirk to Ian's face, "Oh, you're gonna want to be part of this when I'm done, so let's start."
He ignored the obvious staring contest happening between Selina and Ivy. The latter seemed especially mad, seeming as if venom was swirling in her eyes.
"So as I told you all before, I'm planning on forming a small special unit. Its main function is for its members to support each other, perhaps we'll even be able to help you solve your problem Rachel."
Rachel however didn't seem convinced. In her mind, only she knows the monstrosity that is her father, but she was desperate, so she remained silent, thus Ian continued.
"Anything you desire can be met as long as it's something I don't mind doing, or I consider to be worth doing. I am the leader so I'll be calling the shots."
"What can you do? She can control plants, what about you?" Rachel questioned, genuinely curious.
"Lots of things. I'm not stupid and I'm most often than not; successful. I also seem to have an infinite life force. I assume you sensed that, didn't you?"
The purple-haired girl nodded though she was still confused, "And what's the use of that?"
Ian shook his head and responded, "We'll talk about that later. Now, I have a few things to say. Our first priority is getting firm control over Gotham, and that's not done yet. It should take a while though a project of mine can make it faster.
Ivy, we'll be building several parks or gardens all over Gotham as well as a few plant shops throughout the city with the main one being close to Cat's rest.
We'll be using your power and I as fuel to quickly grow a bunch of rare plants, a variety of exquisite plants, and perhaps even new species. I'm sure it will become popular very quickly especially since I plan to do some advertisements for it, lots of ads."
Ian didn't get the chance to continue as Ivy stood up with a strange expression and directly jumped at him, hugging him tightly before giving a quick peck on his cheek, "You just don't know how happy that made. I will repay you however you want, so just tell me if you want anything, alright?"
Ian could swear her eyes were burning with passion and expectation, a strange thing considering how she acted in their first meeting.
Her obsession with him was definitely bizarre, he noted that in his mind before shaking his head in exasperation and pulling her back to her chair, making her sit down while she was dazed.
He flickered her forehead gently and said, "All I want from you is to be obedient and don't cause any trouble, or if you want to, just tell me and I can add a bit of chaos to the mix, I'm good at that. Understand?"
Ivy was still a bit dazed but nodded nonetheless, and throughout that strange interaction, Selina didn't make a move or question anything, she just observed Ivy's bizarre state with interest.
"Once all the plants and the vegetarian life spread throughout the city, we'll have a new set of eyes on our side. This is the main reason for this project. You function best in nature, so I'll grant you a Gotham suited for your gift."
Granted, her power isn't so powerful yet. She exaggerated before, but her power's range only extends to a few blocks so far, and that's with Ian's constant supplement of life force which strengthened her quite a bit.
Ian was eyeing the long-time benefits, a godsend has fallen within his grasp, and he will be using it to its fullest potential.
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