บท 69: Chapter 69: The Death of Veterans
"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."
- Confucius
...
In the Iceberg Casino, Ignatius and his subordinates were having secret conversations in the office.
They are discussing something about hurting their workers.
"Boss, don't worry, that idiot Lark and the fat pig William are now in hell, meeting Satan."
One of the henchmen says this with a sinister smile.
"Did you leave any traces?"
Ignatius calmly asks while sitting in his chair.
"Don't worry, I guarantee there's nothing!"
The henchman patted himself on the chest and made a serious promise.
"I bribed the prison guards and provided the inmates with the murder weapons to take care of them. Afterward, I got rid of everyone who knew about it. I used fake identities throughout the whole process, so no one knows my true identity, let alone trace it back to you."
"What about the surveillance footage?"
Ignatius asks abruptly.
"When I bribed the guards, I had them secretly damage some cameras. The maintenance crew won't go to the prison until tomorrow morning."
"Lark and William have made enemies during their years in the gang. They've brought enough enemies from Gotham to the seaside. There is no shortage of capable people who could have killed them. No one will suspect us."
After hearing his henchman's report, Ignatius nodded in satisfaction. Then he spoke seriously.
"Well done, but we still need to be cautious. That old Penguin is cunning, and it won't be easy to deceive him."
"Boss, there's something I don't quite understand. Why do we have to get rid of those two guys?"
The henchman suddenly looked puzzled and asked.
"Lark and William may have ruined our money laundering business, but they've been loyal to Penguin for many years. Penguin might still care about them for personal reasons. If these two suddenly and mysteriously die, he might start investigating, which could lead to us."
"They will definitely be imprisoned for their crimes. At least ten to eight years. They won't be a threat to us. If you still fear Penguin, why take this risk?"
"You're mistaken about two things."
Ignatius raised two fingers and sneered.
"The first reason is that the Penguin is a cold-blooded monster who doesn't really care about the lives of his subordinates. When Lark and William die in prison, he will only pretend to be angry and vow to avenge them, but he actually just wants to maintain his reputation in Gotham."
"It doesn't matter who killed those people./ What matters is the Penguin's public image."
Ignatius lowered one finger and continued speaking.
"The second reason is that even though they're in prison, those two people still pose a huge threat to me!"
"Lark was in charge of managing the Iceberg Casino, while William handled money laundering and shipping. These businesses make huge profits, and they have made enemies, but they have also formed alliances with people who have others for their mutual benefit. There is always a possibility that they could be released on parole."
"They were both loyal subordinates of Penguin. If they were to be released, everything I planned and schemed for would be meaningless."
Actually, there is one more reason that Ignatius didn't mention.
It is that he wants to use the deaths of these two older members of the Penguin Gang to make Penguin believe that the other gangs in Gotham are becoming unstable.
To secure his own position, Penguin will definitely start a violent war.
If Ignatius performs very well during the war, he will get more respect and trust from Penguin, which will increase his influence.
Ignatius's power right now is too weak; he can only build it up by attaching himself to the Penguin first.
After finishing his explanation, Ignatius's henchman nodded as if he understood and liked his plan.
"The boss's plan is indeed good. At first, you had me release the news about the 'Pink Fantasy' being a fake diamond to attract those who were suspicious. Once the money laundering was discovered, Lark and Willliam would definitely be caught. At this time, you turned Penguin's attention to Phantom Thief and took the opportunity to get rid of them completely."
The henchman continued complimenting Ignatius, saying, "You killed two loyal Penguin gang members almost easily and gained control of the Iceberg Casino that Lark used to handle. This way, you not only remove your competition but also strengthen yourself. In this way, the desire to replace Penguin has greatly increased..."
"Hmph,"
Ignatius snorted lightly and said, "Phantom Thief unexpectedly joined the game, which was not part of my plan. But his appearance actually helped me a lot. If he hadn't targeted the 'Pink Fantasy,' I would have been worried about how to secretly reveal the money laundering information to the GCPD."
"The fact that Phantom Thief suddenly issued a notice letter saved me a lot of trouble."
"This means that the Goddess of Luck favors you, boss."
Listening to the flattery of his subordinate, Ignatius smiled with satisfaction and promised, "If there ever comes a day when I control this city, you will be my greatest ally."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ignatius quickly raised the gun he had already been holding and shot his henchman in the forehead without any hesitation.
Both of their faces still had that smile.
Ignatius slowly put away his smile and coldly glanced at the corpse of his henchman. He pressed a black call button on his desk.
Soon, several people wearing black uniforms came in carrying strange tools.
After seeing the corpse on the ground, they immediately started to put it into a body bag and clean up the bloodstains on the floor.
After the cleanup was finished, they quickly left the room.
No one asked any questions or found anything strange about the situation. It seemed like seeing dead bodies happened all the time.
These people were the cleaners from the Iceberg Casino, responsible for disposing of bodies.
Penguin was obsessed with maintaining his reputation and strictly banned cheating in his casino.
However, there were always a few who didn't listen, and when they were caught, they needed to be killed to set an example.
The cleaners hired by Penguin were top experts in the field and understood that the more they knew, the faster they died, so they never asked for any information.
In fact, when Lark was in charge of the casino, she killed many more people than Ignatius.
After the cleaners left, Ignatius walked to the window and gazed at the night sky, his eyes deep and mysterious, as if he were thinking of another scheme...
...
A/N 2: As i promised before, since we reached 600 power stones, I will release a additional chapter today and please give me more stones so i can release more chapters someday.
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