Chapter 2: Gotham
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The ship stopped at the port of Gotham, and Dean walked out with his luggage. Since this trip to Gotham had been planned for a long time, Dean was not in a hurry.
Before leaving, the captain chatted with him for a while.
"You are the only police officer who has asked to be transferred to Gotham in so many years."
The captain tapped Dean on the shoulder.
"Young man, Gotham is not like Central City. If the police want to survive, it is essential to be cautious in their words and deeds."
Dean listened to the captain's life lessons, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the bulge in the pocket of the crewman who was carrying the cargo not far away.
"Gotham really deserves its reputation. The port is still so busy at night."
Lamenting the simplicity of Gotham's folk customs, Dean said nothing. He was not a superhero, and he had no ability to fight one against a hundred. Besides, he had no gun on him. The original pistol was left at the police station in Central City, and the new gun had to be applied for at the Gotham Police Department after reporting to the bureau.
Dean pulled the luggage and passed by the crew members as if nothing had happened. One of them reflexively reached for his waist, but his companion stopped him with a look.
"Don't move. He's one of our own. The captain brought him here. I heard he's a newly-recruited policeman."
"Taking the initiative to apply to be a police officer in Gotham? Heh."
Placing informants in the police station is a basic operation for the gang, even for the officers under Chief Gordon. What's more, a new policeman is so close to the gang. Even if Dean is innocent, jumping into the evolutionary pool now cannot clean him.
In fact, Dean was also puzzled as to how it could be such a coincidence. Since he was the only police officer transferred to Gotham, it was impossible for the upper management to rent a boat specifically for him. They only gave him travel expenses and asked him which boat to take. It was Dean's decision.
So Dean spent some time to inquire and learned that there was a cargo ship bound for Gotham. He went to the captain to discuss whether he could get a ride on the ship. Of course, he would pay. The captain happily agreed, and they set sail. At that time, the captain also asked Dean what he was doing in Gotham. Dean answered truthfully.
It was only after Dean revealed his identity as a police officer that he noticed a change in the captain's expression. He observed it carefully and realized that the goods being transported were slightly different from what he had imagined.
Out of sight of the crew, Dean put his luggage aside, tied up his loose clothes with straps, took out the mask he carried with him, and put it on. This was a habit he had developed in his previous life.
Stepping onto the luggage and climbing onto the container, Dean carefully crawled forward, stretched out half his head, and saw the captain who had just "taught" him life lessons standing with a fat man in a tuxedo.
"Edward, have you brought everything I asked for?"
Mr. Cobblepot, the Penguin, was holding an umbrella and puffing on a cigar, making his expression unclear.
Captain Edward is not a simple character. There are several good people who can transport goods to Gotham.
"Well, my reliable crew members have all been unloaded for you. Also, please stop talking nonsense, Mr. Cobblepot. Time is money, my friend."
Edward was not afraid of the Penguin. His main area of activity was in South America, and Gotham was just one of his stops. It was even less likely that he would show weakness to his partners, or else this hateful penguin would definitely take the opportunity to act like a monster, just like before with the capitalists who exploited him and drained him of all his resources.
Penguin was still acting like a gentleman. He glanced at his younger brother beside him. The younger brother immediately understood and led his men to open the wooden box with a crowbar and took out a can of herring... Wait, canned herring?
There seemed to be nothing wrong with penguins eating fish, but Penguin was just Cobblepot's nickname. He was just a highly intelligent villain. It was impossible for him to lead his younger brother to trade canned herring with others in the middle of the night.
Sure enough, when the canned herring was emptied, the targets of the transaction finally revealed their true colors: arms—boxes of arms, and even rocket launchers.
With such a large amount of arms, was Penguin going to fight to the death with the Gotham Police Department?
Dean put his left hand into his pocket and rubbed the screen of his phone. Barry had given him the contact information for Sheriff Gordon. Dean hesitated whether to make the call.
Gordon probably didn't know that Barry was the Flash. As a small forensic examiner, Barry wasn't convincing enough. Gordon might not believe a newcomer who had just arrived. Moreover, with the firepower Dean had seen, if the entire Gotham Police Department didn't respond, they would just be delivering food when they showed up.
Let's withdraw first. Maybe I have too little experience. Is large-scale arms smuggling really that common? After all, this is Gotham.
Dean twisted his body and was about to get off the container when a black thing suddenly appeared not far from him. Dean, who had been at the police station for half a year, recognized this little cutie at a glance. He immediately buried his head in his arms.
With a bang, the port at three o'clock in the morning was as bright as day. Several smoke grenades fell, and police wearing night vision goggles and riot shields followed closely behind.
"Damn, it's Gordon."
Flashbangs didn't work on the Penguin. His senses were more sensitive than Dean's. The moment the flashbang fell, he had already opened his special umbrella.
But the umbrella could block the bright light, but it couldn't block the diffuse smoke. The Penguin shouted at his men to hold on while he retreated first.
The Penguin's physical skills were very good among normal people. He was able to fight Batman for two rounds before falling down. Although it was all thanks to his umbrella, he knew very well that this wasn't a place where he could stay with good physical skills.
"Stop, don't move!"
The usual warning to control the situation, but this is Gotham, and those who are trading arms are the Penguin Gang. They aren't afraid of the police. In the series of shouts, the police lost the opportunity. The gangsters recovered from the dizziness and grabbed their weapons, firing at the police.
Gordon knew that warnings were useless to the gangs in Gotham, but he still let the police do it because they were policemen. He knew very well the consequences of firing without warning. After a desperate fight with the criminals, if Gordon were killed, the case would go to court, and the other side's lawyer would definitely try to entangle with the police station.
The law is not always a weapon of justice; sometimes, it is also the enemy's. Don't let the law harm you. This is the lesson Gordon gave to his police officers.
"The situation has reached a stalemate, Sergeant. The other party's firepower is too strong, and the commando team can't get in..."
Gordon took off his gray and yellow trench coat, put on a heavy body armor, and checked the safety of his pistol. "Then continue to block the port and don't let any penguins escape."
Gordon knew there were members of the Penguin Gang inside.
It's not just gangsters who plant informants. American law enforcement agencies are their ancestors in this regard. Gordon had also learned a trick. Earlier, his informant had sent word that the Penguin was conducting a large arms deal at the port at three o'clock in the morning.
Gotham's underground arms market had always been controlled by the Penguin, and Gordon had always been looking for opportunities to destroy his supply channels, which could reduce the death rate of Gotham's police officers by at least ten points.
Gotham police officers knew the importance of cracking down on smuggled arms. Every bullet they seized could reduce the possibility of being killed by a black gun in the future.
However, Gordon had obviously underestimated the Penguin's appetite. The opponent's firepower exceeded expectations. In order not to alert the moles in the police station, Gordon had not brought the best equipment, which put him at a disadvantage.
"Things are not good."
He was talking about Dean.
Although the sudden arrival of the police disrupted the Penguin's arms deal, it wasn't necessarily a good thing for Dean because he couldn't explain why he, a rookie police officer, appeared at the scene of the arms deal at around three in the morning.
It was impossible to sneak away quietly. The person leading the team was Gordon. This old policeman had definitely sealed off the scene in advance. He believed that he wouldn't be shot to pieces by bullets when walking out holding the French military salute high. However, he couldn't explain clearly, and he was afraid the police department would be unable to move forward.
"Can we only take risks..."
What is the most direct way to prove they are not enemies? If they stab their enemies, they won't recognize Dean as one of their own, but at least he'll be counted as a third party.
And it just so happened that although Dean didn't have a gun, he did have a sword—an unusual one.
Dean opened the warehouse and the unbladed wooden sword fell into his hand.
"I've wiped it dozens of times. Even if there's curry, I've wiped it clean. Why does the handle of the knife still feel so greasy?"
Dean jumped down from the container. The gangsters below never expected someone to be lurking above them.
"Let these bullshit police have a taste of what we can do!"
The guns spat dazzling tongues of fire, and there were only continuous gunshots in their ears. The poured out firepower like crazy, suppressing Gordon's men until they couldn't lift their heads and had to retreat.
With a sharp swing, the tip of the sword accurately hit the enemy's head, knocking him unconscious. Dean held the sword in his right hand and retracted his left hand unconsciously into his clothes.
"A guy with a sword rushed in, kill him!"
Sneak attacks can only be a temporary solution. The Penguin Gang is not an ordinary group of gangsters. They've fought Batman more than once and survived. They shouldn't be underestimated.
After returning the gun to the police station, Dean tested the only weapon he had and found that Hoshikudaki wasn't as bad as it seemed.
An ordinary wooden sword can't get a rating of one and a half stars. Hoshikudaki itself doesn't have the property of strengthening body functions, but it can increase the holder's control over their own power.
Dean can use Hoshikudaki to accurately injure or stun criminals, ensuring that they won't wake up for a while and will never endanger their lives. Correspondingly, they can also move their feet and change their breathing.
This was also the reason why Dean dared to leave the field directly. It was night now, and as long as Dean struck quickly enough and moved fast enough, it would be difficult for him to fall into a besieged situation.
Bullets came like rain. At this moment, Dean felt like a carp swimming upstream. Facing these bullets that eliminated the samurai, Lake Toya suddenly began to glow, and Dean felt a heat flowing in his body.
The special effect [Samurai Soul] is not just as simple as it sounds, but also include the understanding of weapons, control of the body, and a strong mind.
The sword smashed the submachine gun in the enemy's hand. At this time, the heat finally took shape and converged on Dean's lower abdomen. This location is... the dantian!
Could it be that Tokuya Bokuto also has the effect of opening up the Ren and Du meridians and opening up the Dantian? Dean's heart was full of surprises. It was indeed Gintoki's favorite sword—much stronger than the one from a certain peaceful country.
However, the next second, the gathered heat rushed down, and Dean instinctively clamped his legs.
"What the fuck!"
Dean's whole body trembled and he was almost hit by a bullet.
This heat was not what he imagined, but some kind of liquid, and it was constantly trying to break through his defenses.
Dean felt like his brain was shaking.
Seeing Dean's appearance, the Penguin Gang, who were being attacked from two sides, immediately reorganized their formation.
"Continue to maintain suppression, bring in a few who can beat him, beat the vigilante to a disability, and let him understand that not everyone in Gotham can 'uphold justice'!"
The criminals in Gotham hate superheroes, and they hate foreign superheroes even more. Even Superman is not recognized by them. There is only one person who is really regarded as a thorn in their side.
A dark shadow fell on the crane of the shipping container, holding a round fat man in his hand. It was the Penguin who had escaped earlier. He arranged three speedboats to drive in different directions and borrowed the one mounted on the crane to escape via paraglider.
Apparently, the Penguin's escape plan had failed, and his old friend Batman had guessed his plan.
"Cough, cough..."
When captured, the Penguin tried to resist, but all he got was a purple eye and swollen corners of his mouth.
"This time, this place, Batman, you came at the right time, hahaha."
The Penguin laughed, even though his monocle was blown out. The laughter was full of intrigue.
Batman's eyes narrowed slightly. "The firepower of the Penguin gang is too strong. Gordon can't bear it."
After knocking out the Penguin with one punch, Batman wanted to get the information out of the Penguin's mouth, but that would have to wait until the Penguin woke up. What he should do now is...
He stood on a high place, overlooking the entire harbor, watching his prey like a bat that lay dormant day and night.
A commotion caught Batman's attention, and a young man armed with a wooden sword broke in on the left side, knocking down several Penguin gang members.
"It's new again. There are more and more vigilantes in Gotham. This is not a good sign."
Batman always remembers that people like him should be feared, not worshipped. Unprofessional imitators mean chaos. Gotham doesn't need other superheroes.
Gotham belongs to Batman.
Batman gave up the airborne landing and lurked in the dark to observe Dean.
The movement of the sword was very smooth, with no unnecessary flourishes. It looked like it had been taught by a famous teacher, but with Batman's knowledge, he couldn't recognize the genre. Every thrust was aimed at a vital part, but the force used was just right.
Although this young man has not noticed it yet, he is getting closer to the term "warrior" little by little. His strikes are becoming more and more precise, his movements more concise, and the number of Penguin gang members who fall under his sword keeps increasing.
Batman frowned slightly. This young man had good skills. However, Dean's movement speed was too fast. His stealth ability had reached a level that ordinary people could not understand. It was like a person who had long lived in the shadows.
Dean entered the port of Gotham tonight without anyone noticing. Just as he prepared to make a move, he saw a figure on the crane. This man had been watching everything from above. Dean didn't have the confidence to face him at this time, and the battle had reached a deadlock.
The battle between the Penguin Gang and the Gotham Police intensified. Batman silently waited in the shadows. It was only a matter of time before these two sides would clash directly.
"You guys, get out of here!"
Dean sprayed saliva from his mouth, knocked out the two people below him with a rotation in the air, and kept thrusting forward with his legs between his legs.
As long as you can get there!
Dean focused all his attention on the gang members directly opposite him, while the Penguin Gang had already begun to smash the jars and took out the shoulder-mounted rocket launcher.
The shells flew towards Dean with tail flames, but he not only did not slow down, but also rushed forward upright.
"Pure recklessness still has something to rely on..."
Batman quickly pulled out a batarang, which was equipped with micro-explosives that could detonate the projectiles remotely.
But there was a wooden sword that was faster than his Batarang. Hoshikudaki cut through the cannonballs like a knife cutting tofu.
An explosion occurred immediately, and the wooden sword was blown back to the owner's hand by the air wave. In the flames, Dean swept away the remaining Penguin Gang.
A dark shadow fell, and Batman suddenly appeared as always.
"Put down your weapons. The police will be coming in soo-"
With an extremely fast thrust, the wooden sword was pressed against Batman's lower abdomen.