"Don't waste your teenage years trying to find love in anyone else but yourself."
- Unknown
...
The situation is very bad.
It was even more than Dean had imagined.
He had thought that Blackgate Penitentiary had been attacked only a few hours ago, and the thousands of escaped inmates would go and find a hiding place or lay low for a while before coming out again.
Dean thought that's what any normal person would do.
But he had underestimated the madness of Gotham's criminals.
Not mental madness, but the kind of craziness that comes from being fearless.
At the moment, the streets of Gotham are already filled with hundreds of Blackgate fugitives, causing havoc on the stores and buildings.
They are armed with all sorts of weapons: baseball bats, golf clubs, machetes, hammers...you name it.
However, the melee weapons were more common, and there were fewer firearms.
This is probably because they just escaped from prison and didn't have the connections to get guns quickly, so they had to decide on common objects they could use as weapons.
They even still wore their Blackgate Penitentiary prison uniforms.
A few lucky prisoners happened to find a gun store, and dozens of others swarmed in, killing two or three victims to get a small firearm that would let them upgrade their weapons.
This group is the most violent and dangerous among the Blackgate fugitives.
They don't care about anything; they are recklessly courageous, and they are filled with hatred for society.
So, when they regained their freedom, they only had one thing on their minds.
Destroy
Perhaps the only difference between them and the prisoners of Arkham Asylum is not the mental illness but the severity of the symptoms.
If it were just a few hundred armed thugs fighting and causing chaos on the streets, it might not have been considered a particularly serious situation.
It shouldn't be difficult for the GCPD to deal with the situation.
But this is Gotham, and Gotham is a powder keg ready to explode at any moment.
How can hundreds of escaped criminals causing havoc in Gotham not attract the attention of local gangsters and thugs?
The stores on this street have all paid protection fees, so of course they will fight back when their stores are destroyed.
One gang on this street would chase escapees, while another gang on another street would be doing the same.
So here's the question, what would happen if these two gangs had a war?
When ruthless gang members saw their worst enemies close, they wouldn't think twice, especially if they were ready to fight.
They would look weak if they didn't attack.
It's also possible that some Blackgate fugitives are members of one of these gangs. Now, they team up on the spot and go after the other gang.
Maybe some ambitious gang sees this as an opportunity to take over and join forces with others...
Gotham's countless streets are occupied by numerous gangs.
The chaos caused by the hundreds of Blackgate escapees has directly sparked conflicts between dozens of large and small gangs.
A massive riot is rapidly spreading throughout the city.
On top of a tall building in Gotham, Dean was suited up in a tight black suit, wearing a cape and a mask.
There is a yellow bat symbol on his chest.
He looks like a knockoff version of Batman.
However, he is shorter, and his costume looks cheaper. He had put on that knockoff Batman suit again.
He doesn't plan on becoming a superhero to save the day. Dean just thinks wearing this outfit is more convenient in the current situation.
Looking at the chaos on the streets below—prison fugitives, gangsters, GCPD, special police forces—all sides are involved in the battle.
It was more of a battlefield than a street.
There are even some individuals with superpowers who are standing out on the battlefield, but they quickly become targets and get shot down.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Gunshots and explosions echoed from all corners of Gotham.
In several directions, anyone could see flames rising high into the sky, and it's unclear which unfortunate person's house was being burned.
"This is Gotham indeed."
Dean couldn't help but exclaim, a mix of familiarity and strangeness in his voice.
This kind of situation isn't happening for the first time. He has been living in Gotham for many years and has experienced these kinds of riots before.
But usually, when these things happen, he will hide in his own basement and listen to the sound of gunfire through the night.
Seeing the chaos happen right before his eyes like this is a completely new experience for him.
It had to be said that when Dean first appeared as Phantom Thief a few months ago, he happened to encounter a rare period of calm in Gotham.
There weren't any major incidents for a few months.
For someone like Dean, who is a local in Gotham, it was a bit unusual.
Now, he finally feels the familiar atmosphere.
'I wonder if my home has been affected. The walls were specially reinforced to be explosion-proof, so they shouldn't suffer too much damage, but the windows are probably gone.'
Dean thought to himself.
'Hmm... given the current situation, there's probably nowhere safe in Gotham. What should I do?'
If there is any place that can be considered safe when most areas of Gotham City are in chaos, it would definitely be the Iceberg Lounge.
At this moment, hundreds of Penguin's henchmen gathered near the Iceberg Lounge, all wearing bulletproof vests, holding military rifles, and looking even more professional than the GCPD.
No one stupid enough would dare mess around here.
Whether they were prison fugitives from Blackgate or members of other small or large gangs, nobody wanted to mess with the Penguin.
"Have we figured out who's behind this mess?"
In a meeting room, the Penguin sat at the head, his expression cold, and he asked in a stern tone.
Below him, a dozen high-ranking Penguin gang leaders had gathered; their expressions were all unpleasant.
Gotham is now a mess, and if it continues like this, their business will be ruined.
"Boss, we've found out. It happened a few hours ago. Roman Sionis, also known as Black Mask, attacked Blackgate Prison and released all the prisoners. The riots in Gotham are being caused by the prisoners who have escaped from Blackgate prison."
"We still don't know if those inmates are following Roman's orders."
Speaking from below, Ignatius had bandages on his wounds from a recent encounter in which Batman had kicked him.
He should have been resting in the hospital, but when such a big event happened today, Penguin summoned all his top subordinates, so Ignatius came despite his injuries.
As Penguin's personal secretary, he often had to communicate on his behalf.
"Black Mask? What a stupid name! How could that useless rich kid Roman have the audacity to attack Blackgate Prison?"
Hearing this, Penguin raised an eyebrow.
In his impression, Roman was a rich heir with terrible business skills, on the verge of bankruptcy, who came to him for money laundering.
It even caused him to have his first conflict with the Phantom Thief, which resulted in losses for Penguin.
"Hmph! Releasing all the inmates from Blackgate is just asking for trouble for everyone!"
One of the gang leaders snorted.
"Black Mask? I've heard of him, and it's not for a good reason! What a stupid name! Does he think he can control all the prisoners in Blackgate? He's delusional. I bet he's already been torn to shreds by angry prisoners by now!"
Another leader commented.
"I heard that Black Mask has appeared in Wayne Enterprises' territory, leading a group of nearly a thousand people, and they're attacking Wayne Tower."
At this moment, Ignatius spoke up again.
The whole room went silent when this was said.
It's not easy to attack Wayne Enterprises.
If it were in the past, they wouldn't hesitate to blow up Wayne Tower, but after Wayne Enterprises openly supported Batman and even the Justice League, they had to think twice.
"Gotham is my city, and I won't allow anyone to make trouble here without my permission!"
Penguin slammed the table with a dangerous look in his eyes.
"Gather our people. We are going to show this Black Mask who the true ruler of Gotham is!"
...
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