章節 45: Chapter 45
[1st POV]
There were some notable developments after three days of basement training and Mouseman's "heroic" escapades.
Firstly, "Mouseman" kept arresting petty criminals, helping elderly ladies cross the street, and rescuing cats from trees.
I have to admit, there's one part of this that bothers me. I've received a new title: Latent Superhero.
I get why it's labeled "latent" since I'm hiding my identity, but something about the phrasing feels... off.
On the bright side, I unlocked a new skill: Fear Aura.
If I develop it further, it could be useful in all kinds of surrounding situations.
Secondly, I had a call with Lucifer, who informed me that his new record label and pop star production agency officially opened on the second day of my break.
I should probably email him more songs I remember from the previous world, given that I'm a shareholder in this business.
Thirdly, I somehow unlocked the path of a Medical-nin, even though I don't technically have a healer class.
Well, I wanted to push my regeneration speed even higher, and the only way to do that was to torture myself and get this.
To accelerate this, I began infusing chakra into small cuts I'd make on my hands to stimulate healing.
After five additional levels in regeneration, a message popped up from the system:
[You have unlocked the "Medical-ninjutsu" path.]
[Rewards:
+500 Chakra
+50 Chakra Control
+5 Health
+5 Endurance
+5 Strength
+10 AP.]
This could be useful not only for my own survival but also to help others if needed, and the stat boosts are just the icing on the cake.
The boost from unlocking "Medical-ninjutsu" got me so excited that I decided to make good use of those 45 points.
I invested in "Mystic Palm" for healing and the "Water Jellyfish" technique, which creates a jellyfish-like water construct that attaches to my body and heals wounds.
Fueled by this joy, I even made a few small cuts to test "Mystic Palm"—only to get a notification:
[You have received a new skill "Masochist"]
That one caught me off guard, and I just stood there in shock while the cut healed on its own...
Then, I experimented with forming a Chakra Scalpel.
Surprisingly, it only took about fifteen minutes to get it right—I just had to condense and shape the chakra properly, and it was nothing too difficult.
However, "Masochist" kept leveling up every time I tried to increase my regeneration.
That is not exactly the outcome I was aiming for, and as if that wasn't enough…
Then, I decided to take a look at the League of Shadows right before my work week.
I went through the usual roster: Ra's al Ghul, Talia, Nyssa, and even her older sister, who, according to the canon, should be in Russia with her "clan."
Then, closer to midnight, I had this feeling that I was forgetting someone important from this organization.
Suddenly, I remembered one of the greatest martial artists in this world.
Batman considered her among the top, if not the top, putting her within the best five, possibly even three fighters alive.
So, I added Lady Shiva to the search from the "Search Map" Death gave me.
Then I got a response.
"Gotham City. 232 Meredith Street. Geographical coordinates…"
My face went pale as I read that line when realizing that I live at 237 Meredith Street.
It didn't take much guessing to realize that the arrival of someone like Lady Shiva in Gotham wouldn't be without repercussions for me.
I doubt they'd approach me directly today; it will likely happen when I'm on duty and ready.
Moreover, the house is under the watchful protection of the "Queen of Tentacles," Pamela Isley.
Lady Shiva probably doesn't share Joker's particular madness. I'd rather not imagine she has any fondness for tentacles.
It's most likely that she's here on League business, and it probably doesn't involve killing anyone hopefully.
I might be overthinking it.
Canonically, the League's focus was always on Batman as Ra's al Ghul's potential successor.
They probably aren't here for me even if they're on my street because I'm a nobody.
Their target is Batman.
So, I'll just keep my distance from the places where Batman operates, and I should be able to avoid any confrontation with them.
I'm nowhere near ready to deal with an organization like the League of Shadows.
I still have a long way to go before I'm invincible.
...
The precinct greeted Renee and me with the usual hustle and bustle.
For me, it was business as usual, but for Renee, there were snickers and whispers behind her back.
Renee was never the precinct's most special, and some of our "colleagues" took every opportunity to make things hard for her, whether from professional grudges or from rejection.
She'd accumulated a nice list of people who enjoyed spreading rumors about her.
Despite the irritation, Renee mostly ignored it, perhaps thanks partly to my support.
We'd received a fresh batch of cases and dove right in.
We are once again looking for the "Black Cross" gang.
This time, we are focused on smaller cases connected to them, like murders and extortion schemes.
We aim to track down these operatives and hopefully use them as stepping stones to the bigger fish.
The thought struck me like a lightning bolt.
What if I could use the card that Death had given me to uncover the boss's identity?
Taking advantage of being alone for a moment, I pulled out the card and wrote "Boss of the 'Black Cross' gang."
The response was immediate: "Gotham City. Police Precinct. Geographical coordinates..."
"Motherfucker!"
I cursed under my breath.
Was this mysterious, unknown boss of the 'Cross' gang actually among the police force?
Suddenly, everything made sense.
I understood now why no one had been able to find him. It wasn't about his "cleverness," but about the fact that he was the one running the show.
He was the power behind the operations. Now, the only thing left was to find him—or her—among us.
"Dinklage!"
Gordon called out, interrupting my thoughts, "Where's Montoya?"
"She stepped out for a minute."
I replied quickly, trying to stay composed.
Gordon paused momentarily, then seemed to realize what I was getting at. His expression softened, but there was still a trace of annoyance.
"Got it. Then tell her that..."
He paused and furrowed his brows, "…actually, never mind. She doesn't really like these kinds of events."
"What kind of events?"
I asked in surprise while also tensing up, anticipating that they would hand us some troublesome task.
"We've received a request from old friends in the 'Gotham Board of Committee'. They're hosting another party for the elite and they asked us to provide extra security for the building. I know these freaks are locked up in their cells with their own security, but they still worry about their safety."
"That's good, of course, but what does that have to do with me and Renee?"
"They asked for experienced and capable police officers. From those who are in the city and active, I have only a few in mind who could be available on Saturday. However, Montoya doesn't like these kinds of events. So, Detective Gonzalez will go with you."
"Detective? Did I miss something in the news?"
"Yes. He was officially promoted a couple of days ago. They were going to promote him in Metropolis, but the paperwork was delayed and only arrived now. Moreover, he made quite an impression here while you were away. He took down a very large shipment of drugs from the Middle East."
"Got it. He's probably still soaking in his promotion."
I nodded, processing the information.
"No, he's off today. Well, he might still be celebrating. Anyway, come by in the evening for the briefing, Ricardo will be there, and I'll explain in detail what's expected and the plan of action. You'll have a dozen officers under your command."
"Understood."
"Alright. In the meantime, get to work."
Well, things are getting interesting from the ship to the ball. I need to consider this event for rich people to have fun.
Given my luck, I wouldn't be surprised if some mess happens there.
I hope the Wayne family helps out if anything goes wrong. After all, Wayne is a member of that board.
...
Rick was the most excited about this meeting.
This was probably because the snacks and drinks that would cost a cop at least a month's salary were on the house.
Although we weren't allowed to drink on duty, Rick had a sip of some fine champagne, just a glass.
I, on the other hand, decided to play it safe and sent a few clones to the roof of this building and the surrounding ones.
Over the past time, I can now use six clones and keep them active for a long time without dispelling them.
Some of them are hidden with a special technique I got using points after leveling up "Chakra Manipulation" to level fifty.
As a result, I'm now at zero points, but I now possess "Concealment Technique - Level 2."
There were quite a few guests.
I spotted Bruce Wayne and his protégé Jason Todd among the local celebrities.
I even managed to notice the future third Robin Timothy Drake with his father.
Then I bumped into Cobblepot and even a couple of "big shots" equally tied to the criminal underworld and high society.
However, we can't touch them.
After the mayor arrived, the official part of the event began with speeches, a charity auction, and performances from several pop stars.
One of my clones dispelled and spotted Batgirl and Nightwing on the roof of the neighboring building, keeping an eye on the situation.
This was somewhat reassuring.
The evening indeed went as I had hoped, without any accidents or problems.
There was no attack or attempted robbery.
As the guests started to leave, I met with one of our colleagues.
Detective Raymond King is a man of average height, middle-aged and dark-skinned.
"Detective Dinklage."
King gave a slight smile.
"Good to see you. How are things on your end? No incidents?"
"Fortunately, yes. What's going on? I don't think the commissioner sent you here."
"That's right. I have my own business here."
He frowned and began scanning the crowd intently.
"Something dangerous? Need help?"
"No, I don't think so. Just need to... question someone. Well, it's more like asking for an "audience" with the elite."
"Not everyone in Gotham loves the rich."
"By the way, do you happen to know where Mr. Cobblepot is?"
"He's on the balcony, if I'm not mistaken. Negotiating with some "important guests" of a model-like appearance."
"Thanks for the help."
He nodded and headed to the indicated spot.
"No problem."
I waved him off and started walking through the hall, looking for Rick.
However, I couldn't find him. In the end, I had to call him, but he wasn't answering.
Then, I ran into him as he came out of a storage room with the mayor's wife... She was pretty drunk and didn't even notice me, but Rick saw me and gave me his goofy smile.
I smiled back and quickly turned around the corner, not wanting to embarrass the lady.
Ricardo is quite the player.
I hope the mayor doesn't find out, or I have a feeling we'll be down one good cop.
At that moment, Pamela called me.
"Isaac, where are you?"
Pamela asked, sounding worried.
"I'm finishing up with that party I told you about. Another half hour, and I'll head home."
"So you're not at the precinct?"
"No. Why do you ask about the precinct?"
"It was blown up. And from what I heard from Harley, the "Cubans" are involved."
"Damn it!"
It looks like my peaceful evening just went out the window.
"It looks like I'll need to visit the precinct. I'll be late, so get some rest."
"Be careful, Isaac."
Pamela said, almost pleading.
It looks like my karma is kicking in somewhere else. Hopefully, it's just a gas explosion or some minor thing.
After all, the "gang war" just ended. Starting a new one would be a bigger mess than the last.
To be continued...
...
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