Chapter 109: Realization #109
"Randomized my ass..." I remarked, my eyes twitching as I watched yet another pair of super brutes squaring up in the ring while waiting for the announcer to finish his nonsense.
After Croc and Bane's fight, several dull, long matches between regular thugs ensued with no notable names, making an appearance so far until Crush and Amygdala walked into the arena.
If I had any intention to believe The Penguin's words, then it just fucking evaporated. The mob boss was clearly pitting the powerhouse against each other and having them take each other out.
First, it was Bane and Crocodile. Now it was Crush and Amygdala.
'Why the sudden rush...? Did something change...?' I mused, watching as the two fighters headed to their respective sides after the announcer finished his nonsense.
'In the first place, what would The Penguin do with a bunch of superpowered juggernauts...?'I idly wondered while keeping my eyes on the fight as the match began and the two fighters quickly began punching at each other.
Amygdala initiated the engagement as he charged Crush, quickly closing the distance and driving his fist into the side of her face. Crush's head jerked sideways as the attack connected with a loud bang.
The alien girl shook her head and smirked at Amygdala before returning the favor and punching him with a straight to the face that sent him flying, only to crash into the arena's wall.
"That kinda hurt..." Crush said while rubbing her cheek where Amygdala hit her as she watched the latter get off the wall, screaming in a fit of violent rage. However, he looked unharmed beyond that.
"You make me so angry!" the muscular, humongous brute exclaimed with two balled fists in front of his rage. Every muscle in Amygdala's body enlarged as if to prove his point, making his already buffed body look even more intimidating.
"You make me want to hurt you! Crush your skull! Break your bones!" Amygdala roared as he charged at the alien girl. Suffice to say. She didn't look intimidated, more amused than anything else.
"Crush is my name, buddy. Breaking bones and skulls is my shtick," Crush said, maintaining her smirk as she stood her ground, lowering her posture and waiting for Amygdala to get to her.
"Get your fucking own, bitch," Crush added as Amygdala finally was upon her. She reached forward, holding the brute's shoulders and stopping him in his track.
The pale brunette grunted as she raised the brute into the air and smashed him into the ground, head first. She used so much force Amygdala had his head buried into the floor.
Crush kicked Amygdala's stomach getting him out of the ground and onto his back as she stood over him and proceeded to rain punches on him without saying another word.
Every hit would make the brute's face jerk to the side, but he persisted, still struggling to get up despite the constant punishment, and Crush seemed to it as a challenge.
She gradually began increasing the strength and speed of her punches, to which Amygdala's struggles lessened with every passing second. He never gave up trying to get up until the last second, when he lost conscience.
"You can take a beating... I'll give you that much..." Crush said to no one in particular as she turned away and left the stage without waiting for the announcer to declare her win.
The announcer did it anyway. He quickly ran to Amygdala's side to check his condition and immediately signaled for the bell to be rang, declaring the alien girl's victory.
"Another one bites the dust..." I remarked as I turned to Richard and Ben, who nodded and shrugged each. "Still, I wonder what the Penguin is doing with the losers..." I added with a sigh as I resumed my line of thought that the match interrupted, feeling the urge to scratch my head, but the helmet was in the way.
I already told the two about my discoveries, hoping they might know something, or at the very least help me brainstorm to get to the bottom of the matter, but apparently didn't have any idea.
"Who knows? It's none of our business..." Richard said with a shrug, briefly exchanging a cryptic look with Benjamin, to which I raised an eyebrow.
"I don't like not knowing what's going on around me. The cameras and bugs I left in The Penguin's office didn't catch anything useful..." I said, sighing as I shook my head and feigned ignorance of the suspicious looks they kept giving each other.
"I'll sneak into the club after the fight to see what's going..." I added, and the slight surprise in their expression and look of getting caught off guard, which they quickly hid, told me everything I needed to know.
'Looks like they might know more than they're telling me...' I held a sigh at the realization but didn't feel like exposing Richard and Benjamin for it, so I didn't say anything.
I had absolute that Richard would not do anything to harm me, and I could trust him to look out for me, and the same goes for Benjamin, even though I didn't like him when he first showed up.
If they were hiding something from me, then they probably thought it would be for my own good, which it might be, but I'm getting to the bottom of The Penguin's scheme regardless.
The aftermath of The Penguin's schemes might affect me negatively if I didn't do anything about it, or I might be able to benefit from it. Either way, I needed to know.
"That might not be wise, Gray," Richard said, immediately regaining control over his expression as he cleared his throat. "You've already injured one of The Penguin's announcers. Perhaps it would be more prudent to wait until the end of the tournament to make a move..." he calmly added, and I could see the reason in his words.
"We can't afford to piss him off too much before the end of the tournament, as you know..." Richard concluded, and I merely nodded without replying, still intent on sneaking into the club tonight.
Benjamin remained surprisingly silent during the conversation, maintaining a blank expression as he kept his gaze on the arena as if it was of no interest to him.
I copied Benjamin and stared into the ring, but I was zoning out, my mind going wild with theories and ideas about what could drive The Penguin to do such a thing.
Was he using them for labor, maybe hired (forced) muscle? No, he didn't have the means to control them. He was rich enough to pay for their services. Heck, the prize money and costs for arranging such an event would probably be more expensive than hiring everyone here.
Did he intend to take them out so they wouldn't get in his way? No, The Penguin isn't stupid. He'd surely realize doing that would make him a target to every single villain in Gotham if word of it gets out.
In conclusion, The Penguin wasn't doing it for himself, and the only reason he'd do something like this was if someone forced him, which begs the question, who?
It has to be someone powerful, connected, likely an organization interested in acquiring supervillains.
The only individual I could think of who could pull something like this was Lex Luthor, but the man was far too arrogant to resort to such methods, and it didn't fit his style.
Alien traffickers, who kidnap and sell meta-humans to warring planets? Possible, but highly unlikely. Such groups have their own channels and usually operate in Metropolis City and other meta-humans-infested cities and stay clear of Gotham because of how chaotic it is.
'That only leaves... The Suicide Squad...' I had the urge to sigh and face palm as the realization finally hit me. Amanda Fucking Waller was at it again.
It honestly made sense. I should have realized it sooner, but I was too focused on The Penguin and rushed to get a quick answer to make sense of the situation.
With how many people were in The Suicide Squad and their different power sets, it wouldn't be too hard to dig up some dirt on The Penguin and force him into something.
The man relied on his facade as an honest businessman to stay out of jail and run his crime ring personally. He would lose too much if someone exposed him for the vicious, penguin-obsessed mob boss he was.
It wasn't out of character for Amanda Waller to use such methods to recruit people into her Suicide Squad, but until I know for sure, my theory is just a theory, even if I'm 99% sure it's correct.
By Tonight I should have my answer.
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