"What do you want me to do for you?"
Red Hood revealed a slightly appalling smile, looking at Constantine and said, "Find the Court of Owls, and then…."
"Mr. March, our patience is almost exhausted. If you can't take down Mrs. Maya, I'm afraid you might have to contemplate inside a coffin."
A woman wearing a white owl mask was standing behind the desk in the mansion's reception room. Looking at Lincoln March with evident impatience she said, "You know, the martial faction has always wanted to maintain absolute superiority. The Talons they breed are increasing day by day, and soon even without you, they can trap Batman."
"And if you make no contribution, causing our long-term cultivation and investment to be in vain, you are clearer than us about the consequences. March, you don't have much time left."
"Did you call me here just to intimidate me?" March's face slightly changed but he held back his emotions. He gently touched the ring on his hand and said, "Getting Batman to lose control and fall into a trap isn't that simple. There have been too many uncontrollable events in Gotham recently, making you all so anxious."
"Think about how you used to have a grip on the overall situation, calm and cautious. Now you're taking such a big step, not fearing a sprained foot."
Despite the owl mask, March could see the woman's face darken, but he continued, "I'll handle the current mayor, Magon. I have caught evidence of his bribery in approving the Deepwater Port project. Soon, he won't be my rival."
"In addition to him, the other candidates are your puppets and don't have any competitiveness. Prepare to toast at my election celebration, goodbye."
March strode away from the meeting at the mansion. When he returned to the office, he had rented in the Upper city area, a female assistant with a pale face came up and whispered a few words in his ear.
March widened his eyes immediately. He rushed into the office, slapped the table angrily, and shouted, "What's going on? How did Oswald Cobblepot, the mob boss, join the election? Where did he come from?"
"Mr. March, according to our investigations, Oswald Cobblepot is the owner of the Iceberg Restaurant. The funds and connections gathered for the Deepwater Port project in Gotham city might be in his hands. This includes not only the wealthy in Gotham but also many big bosses involved in smuggling activities along the East Coast who are very generous."
This smart and capable female assistant stepped forward and said resolutely, "If he is serious about running, even Magon, who currently holds a significant advantage, may not win. Cobblepot's geographically advantageous!"
"Why does he suddenly want to run for mayor?"
"It's very likely that during the negotiation for the Deepwater Port project, he had a disagreement with Mayor Magon. I think there's a high possibility that they couldn't agree on the amount of bribe. Magon wanted more, and Cobblepot didn't want to give, so he decided to do it himself."
March covered his forehead and took a deep breath. He then waved at the person sitting at the table and said, "Stop using the computer. Prepare a meeting. After training soldiers for thousands of days, it's time to put them into use. We must find a way to bring down Cobblepot. I will be the mayor!"
Inside the Central City Wayne Family residence, Tim's face was flickering with the blue light reflected from the computer. He typed quickly on the keyboard and said, "Lincoln March proposed the 'Twelve Proposals for Gotham City Government Reform', published on his personal campaign website. There are already more than two hundred comments now."
"He will make a speech at tonight's press reception at the City Hall. I suspect he might elaborate on this new campaign slogan, and we must immediately find its loopholes."
Jason leaned over, staring at the lengthy arguments and said, "Let me see...This is definitely not his own work. I've heard recordings of his casual talks, he's an absolute illiterate."
"Of course it's written on behalf of the campaign team, but his speech drafts are good. They must be imitating President Roosevelt's style, creating a professional but pragmatic image."
Jason rolled his eyes and then said, "This is easy, we have existing experience to copy. Our Gotham Mayor, Roy, has gone through two mayoral elections. Even without using any special means, his votes have always been high. He's really something."
"Previously, I heard him talk about Gotham's traffic and municipal reform three times, and I can remember about ninety-five percent of the content. I'll write them down later, add the content to refute March, and give me two hours, we'll also make a speech tonight."
As night fell, the Iceberg Restaurant was unusually empty without the usual crowd of guests. Instead, it was somewhat quiet. When you walked into the Iceberg Restaurant, what you saw wasn't the bustling waiters, but a whole set of interview shooting equipment.
"This gadget definitely works." Harley Quinn chewed bubble gum and said, "My little cookie uses this to film his terror proclamation every time. He spent a lot of money on this to ensure Batman could see his every expression clearly."
"Look, each of these sound collection devices costs tens of thousands of dollars, ensuring your words can be heard clearly throughout the entire East Coast. And this lens, it must be worth more than a hundred thousand dollars."
"Don't stand there in a daze, come and help me adjust the stand!" Harley called to Harley Quinn.
When she found Harley Quinn ignoring her, she had to pinch her throat, bobbing up and down, and shouted, "Oh, my dear mama, could you please come over and help twist the knob I can't reach? Thank you!"
Then Harley Quinn happily ran over with a smile.
The Penguin man stood behind the normally occupied liquor cabinet, but looking a bit hesitant. He put down the draft in his hand and looked at Jason, who was next to him adjusting the camera position, and said, "Are you sure this will work? Our dumb mayor is being interviewed in the bright and spacious hall of the city hall, and my restaurant… Any Gothamite knows that nothing here is legal."
"How many things in a Gothamite's house are legal?"
The Penguin man had no answer. In the end, he revised the draft one last time. Roughly half an hour later, Batman heard this in Batcave along with the Joker,
"...When did you ever care for us? Where was the Federal Bureau of Investigation when the mob occupied this city? Where was the Central Intelligence Agency when foreign drugs were being imported widely?"
"You didn't talk about environmental protection when Gotham was polluted by industry. You didn't talk about environmental protection when the surrounding farms ceased production. Now that we're making money by building docks on our own, you want to talk to us about environmental protection."
"I can only say, screw it! State Council or Federal Government? Yes, I have only these words for you! You should all get out of this city, with your soft bodies, the farther, the better!"
The next morning, Batman looked at the report on the rise of Oswald Cobblepot, a mayoral candidate in the newspaper, and sighed deeply.