บท 100: Chapter 77: Drive the Tiger to Swallow the Wolf Scheme (Part 3)_1
Of course, it would be impossible for the entire Gotham to unanimously follow the commands of the Godfather. Gotham was never short of rebellious mavericks, and now, the most notorious among them was Sal Maroni.
Maroni was an ambitious man, as evident from the name he gave his mob. In Gotham, not all mobs can be named after surnames. Initially, only the Falcone Family had the privilege to do so. Now, all twelve mob families established by Falcone are named after surnames while the rest of the smaller mobs are named after their respective codenames.
Naming a mob after one's own surname in Gotham was a matter of great honor, because Falcone was the first to do this and achieved unparalleled success.
Since Maroni was doing it too, it meant that from the very start, he had ambitions of challenging the Godfather.
After the Red Crow Gang was wiped out, Maroni swallowed up most of its remains. He also eradicated another mob that had constantly opposed him. Now, virtually no one could challenge him in the East District.
Of course, he wanted to go further, especially since he knew that the Godfather was getting old. The transition of power within the Falcone Family was the ideal opportunity to take action.
Falcone handed many of his businesses to Evans. Although Evans was smart, he lacked the sophistication and ruthlessness of the old Godfather. The two bars that were attacked by newcomers from Metropolis were places Evans wanted to reform.
From this incident, Maroni astutely sensed the Godfather's struggle with succession. Young Falcone was still too green. He wanted to reform, but he lacked the decisive and ruthless measures of the old Godfather. He wanted to maintain stability but lacked sufficient cunning. Maroni thought this was the perfect opportunity to land a lethal blow on the Falcone Family.
In Maroni's estimation, he didn't believe the Godfather would mobilize a large-scale operation to deal with the killers. Although losing face might affect his prestige, the Godfather was indeed old. More important than saving face was the transfer of power. In this crucial period, if his attention was diverted elsewhere, it could cause havoc. Falcone wouldn't take big risks for small gains.
Initially, Maroni planned to use this opportunity to further undermine the Godfather's prestige. He even planned to attack the Godfather's other businesses under the guise of being from Metropolis. But who knew that Shiller would suddenly check himself into the hospital, causing the mobs to frantically hunt down the killers?
This threw Maroni for a loop.
He figured it wouldn't matter if the Godfather chased after the killers. As long as the Godfather's attention was diverted, he could find opportunities to nibble away at the Falcone Family's businesses.
Maroni was a balsy man. He didn't believe the Godfather had unshakeable authority. Even if he did, Maroni wanted to take a bite out of him.
But to his surprise, the entire Gotham City was stirred up. Almost all the mobs started to make a move.
Under such a commotion, Maroni was indecisive. If he made a move now, would the Godfather target him like a madman? He wanted to attack unexpectedly, not challenge the Falcone Family openly in a ring fight, which he couldn't win.
But if he did nothing, Maroni had already made a few minor moves. If this wave were to pass without him securing a firm footing, he would completely collapse when the Godfather eventually takes him to task.
Just as he was torn, to his surprise, the ringleader of the gunmen actively approached him.
The gang was unlucky enough. They were originally a group of terrorists active in the Middle East, doing mercenary work all year round. They were attracted to the East Coast by another order, but ended up picking another contract from Metropolis.
The client was generous, so they worked very hard. But who knew this Gotham was such a ghastly place. Even Satan himself would have a hard time here. They couldn't escape from the Mob-controlled docks, getting relentlessly hunted in the city, and were left with bruises all over.
Out of desperation, they could only cooperate with an enemy of their enemy.
Maroni's challenge to the Godfather was something even Gordon knew about, so the gangsters would definitely know it as well. They wanted to strike a deal with Maroni. As long as Maroni was willing to help them out of Gotham, they could remove a nuisance for Maroni before they left.
At first, Maroni didn't want to make this deal. But he figured, since these guys have survived under the attack of all the mobs in Gotham this long, they must be skilled. With this group of killers, he could do even more.
Of course, Maroni wouldn't let them assassinate the Godfather, which wouldn't make any sense, and they wouldn't do it either. So he targeted another part of the Godfather's newly developed industrial chain – the police.
Maroni knew that the Godfather was making a significant profit from this new industry chain. If it were to continue, the Falcone Family's rule would remain strong, and he would have no opportunity. So he had to sabotage this industrial chain and prevent the private prison model, controlled by the Falcone, from continuing to bring him so much profit.
The cops and the judges were indeed an essential part of this industry chain. After all, they had to make lawful arrests, followed by trials, to bring the criminals into the mental hospital.
Falcone went all out to protect Shiller because he felt that Shiller lacked self-defense skills. But after providing the cops with enough heavy firepower, he didn't bother about them anymore. After all, anyone daring to be a cop in a crazy place like Gotham had some skills. With enough weapons, they should be able to defend themselves.
The target for Maroni was now Gordon.
Back in the day, to deal with Old Director Victor, Maroni had chosen to help Gordon get promoted. Gordon was an unknown entity to him, but Maroni didn't feel the need to understand him. He figured all of Gotham's cops were the same - cooperating with the mob was simply an everyday matter. Even the minor clerks in the office were backed by at least one gang.
Maroni figured that since he was the one who helped elevate Gordon, a simple talk would be enough to have Gordon working for him.
Though it was risky to switch sides from the Godfather's chain of interests, having a gang of hoodlums on side meant that if soft tactics didn't work, he could resort to hard ones.
At this time, Gordon was in high spirits because his fiancée Barbara had finally arrived in Gotham.
They met at the Chicago Police Training School when he was only a deputy trainee, and Barbara was an intern lawyer. They worked together on the same internship case, fell in love, and got engaged.
Then, when Gordon took his job in Gotham, they had to endure a long-distance relationship because of their financial constraints - they couldn't quit their jobs and didn't have the funds to consider marriage and children. But now that Gordon's economic status had improved, they chose to come and live together in Gotham.
One day, as was usual, Gordon returned home from work. Although there wasn't much extra money coming in, Barbara had some savings. Their combined funds were barely enough for a decent apartment.
He and Barbara agreed they would go house hunting that night and, if all went well, they could move into their new home within two weeks, no longer having to squeeze into this old rental.
Upon his return, he heard Barbara come out of the kitchen and the smell of food wafted out. "What have you cooked? It smells amazing!" Gordon said, taking off his coat.
"Your favorite, roast lamb ribs." Barbara winked. Gordon took her by the shoulder and they headed to the dining room together.
"A friend gave me a great tip about a property in the Pelican Community. We'll view it tomorrow, and if we're satisfied, we can place a deposit and move immediately."
"That's wonderful." Barbara exclaimed, "You know, I was never able to afford a luxury apartment, does it have a nursery? I've always wanted a daughter, a little princess!"
"Of course, I feel the same way." Gordon kissed Barbara's cheek, and they sat down to have dinner.
"I want our daughter to learn to dance. I always wished to be a dancer but never had the chance."
"And if you were a dancer, we would never have met, right?" Gordon laughed, adding, "I think our daughter should be free to do whatever she wants. Whether that's dance, drawing, or becoming an accomplished lawyer like you."
"Please." Barbara made a helpless face, "That job is exhausting, I don't want her to be a lawyer, she deserves a less stressful life."
"Dance is the same. It's only because you didn't get the chance to learn that you yearn for it. I see the cheerleading squad at Gotham University, they stretch every day. Some dance students even complain that it's a career that fades with age, leading to an easy dismissal..."
"You're really putting a lot of pressure on me. What if our child doesn't have a good life? What then?" Barbara asked.
"You have to believe in her. And how she lives is her own choice."
"Even if she chooses to be a cop in this dangerous city like you?"
"Oh, darling..." Gordon said, "Don't say that."
"I know, you've told me before, your dream was always to be a cop. Because you were born in Chicago, a similarly dangerous city, a cop saved your mother. So you want to be a cop who upholds justice too."
"But this job is really too dangerous. I've said more than once, we can go live in Arizona where my family's from, even if we're a bit strapped for cash it's safer."
Gordon sighed. He knew Barbara was right. With his current salary, he could buy a villa in rural Arizona. He could find a job as a deputy down there, and Barbara could work as a legal advisor. Their life would be peaceful and joyful.
But even knowing that Gotham was a hellhole, he still didn't want to leave.
He thought, if a cop couldn't stay in the most dangerous place to protect people, what was the point?
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