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98.18% Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics / Chapter 4211: Chapter 3314: Bloodbath in New City (26)

章節 4211: Chapter 3314: Bloodbath in New City (26)

The current leader of the Charabang Family isn't particularly talented, but he barely qualifies as a competent steward. Under his management, the industries' revenues have remained stable and over the years, a sizable sum of money has been accumulated. For the upper class, this is a significant amount; for ordinary people, it's astronomical.

Another advantage of an industrial group is that if they want to raise liquid capital, they have assets they can sell without resorting to financial means with long payment periods, allowing them to quickly raise funds. Of course, a fire sale might affect the prices, but they can't afford to care about that now.

At first, they were hoping for some luck, thinking that Gordon, who knew nothing about the chemical industry, wouldn't set a very high price, and Shiller had confidently assured them that he would definitely help them drive the price down.

Little did they know that this was right up Shiller's alley, squeezing a toad until it pees. Forget about plucking a feather from a passing goose—today is Doomsday, and he'd strip the scales clean before leaving.

After some investigation, Shiller had estimated the maximum cash the Charabang could pull together and reported this figure to both Gordon and the Charabang Family at the same time.

Gordon nearly fainted when he saw the string of zeroes after the number.

Just to put it in perspective, the highest offer in the ongoing first round of bidding is merely a fraction of that number.

The people of the Charabang Family were out of temper, thinking that the old police chief had someone capable behind him. The price was exactly on their breaking point, not a dollar more could they withstand.

But they really needed this knife, despite how much this price would hurt them, possibly leaving them weakened for the next decade. If they didn't pay this price, they'd have no future.

And so, the Charabang Family offered Gordon a price he simply could not refuse. It's not that Wayne Enterprises couldn't afford it, but Lucius Fox would be insane to spend so much money on this matter.

Even though Gordon very much wanted Batman to take charge of the GTO, sorry, brother, they really offered too much.

"Don't be nervous, Lady," Shiller said. "I told you I would help you get control of GTO, and then no one can compete with you for the property. But before that, I would still like to talk about my remuneration."

Lady Charabang paused, then smiled and said, "You did indeed do a good job and deserve to be paid. How much do you want?"

Shiller shook his head slightly, then pulled out a document. "I can't take your money privately, after all, I have to consider my safety. This is a management contract. Once you sign this contract, you can pay me a salary."

Lady Charabang took the contract, which had no complicated terms. Basically, it stated that Lady Charabang entrusted Shiller to manage her industry, so she had to pay him a commission.

The amount wasn't much, only a few million, and it was a three-year employment contract.

Lady Charabang raised her eyebrows at Shiller, who said, "This is for the work I've done before. If you want me to do something for you later, you'll have to pay extra."

"Even so, it's not much," Lady Charabang said. "What else do you want to do?"

"You've noticed, clever lady," Shiller said with a smile, palms joined. "It's just a small personal issue of mine that requires the Charabang Family's power to solve."

"Tell me, as long as it's not too difficult, I'll try to handle it." Lady Charabang already saw herself as the future leader of the Charabang Family.

She knew the people of the Charabang Family wouldn't sincerely follow a vagabond like her, so Shiller was the only person she could rely on at this stage. Giving him a little incentive was no issue.

"First we need to deal with the pollution of the Natural Forest."

Upon hearing this, Lady Charabang frowned. Despite having just shaken off her vagabond status, she had no sympathy for the poor. "Why bother with pollution control? We're not affected anyway. If those people die, they die. At worst, we pay a bit more compensation."

"I'm not saying we really go and deal with it, but rather, the Natural Forest Protection Fund established by Mr. Charabang needs to keep running."

"Why?" Lady Charabang instinctively showed disgust. She wanted to eliminate anything related to her brother.

"So I said it's my own little issue. I hope to become this fund's Manager, on behalf of the Charabang Family, once the situation stabilizes."

Lady Charabang immediately understood. As a spoiled young lady in her childhood, she knew a thing or two despite not being studious. Those fund managers were filthy rich due to the massive manipulative liberty of such entities.

It's good to have a golden egg or two, but having the goose that lays golden eggs would be even better.

"I won't lie to you, Lady," Shiller said with a smile. "I have no grand ambitions. I just want to find a place to retire early, and a manager of an environmental fund is quite a nice position—it's the most laid-back job I can find."

Lady Charabang smiled too; she got Shiller's joke. In Gotham, the biggest splash an environmental fund makes is on the day it's founded; it's quieter than a cemetery every other day.

"Okay, I promise you. I won't dissolve the fund and will hire you as the fund's Manager."

Shiller pulled out another contract. Lady Charabang looked it over, finding it quite straightforward with no hidden tricks. She then signed it along with the previous one.

"I am truly grateful." Shiller turned and took a small wooden box out of his briefcase, placed it on the table, and said, "The best way to celebrate our temporary victory is with a drink, don't you think?"

Lady Charabang picked up the wooden box and discovered a bottle of red wine inside, and not just any wine—it was a fine one. As an alcoholic, the sight immediately triggered her cravings.

Just as she was about to call the waiter over to open the wine, Shiller's phone suddenly rang.

"Hello? Director Gordon? What's the matter? ...Okay, I'll be right over, please wait."

After hanging up, Shiller stood up and said, "Something's come up at the police station, related to GTO. I have to take care of it right away. My apologies, this exquisite Dionysium is yours to enjoy alone."

Lady Charabang didn't want to share with anyone to begin with, as she had a habit of doing drugs while drinking. Seeing Shiller about to leave, she didn't stop him, which was exactly what she wanted.

After Shiller left, she took the red wine and hurried back to her new house, took out the expensive drugs she had bought earlier, and prepared to enjoy herself.

She poured the wine into a glass, the allure of the red liquid's aroma filling the air. She lit her drug, took a deep inhale, gulped down a mouthful of wine, and then exhaled with satisfaction.

Then, with a thud, Lady Charabang collapsed to the floor.

Meanwhile, at the police station, Shiller said to Gordon, "My boss just mentioned at the dinner that she will send me an important document in ten minutes, but now I can't reach her. Can you dispatch someone to come with me to find her?"

Gordon, still dumbfounded by the zeroes on the payment from the Charabang Family, jumped up anxiously when he heard Shiller's boss had disappeared, thinking it was the pale knight. "What about the Mayor? Is he missing?"

"No, not the Mayor."

Just as Gordon let out a sigh of relief, he heard Shiller say, "It's Lady Charabang, the heir of the Charabang Family."

Gordon went completely cold. He hurriedly took his men with Shiller to Lady Charabang's house.

Upon entering, they found Lady Charabang unconscious on the living room floor, with white powder scattered around her.

Shiller took in a sharp breath and then said, "My client has a history of drug use; she might have overdosed. Hurry, take her to the hospital!"

The police rushed to carry Lady Charabang out, and Shiller quickly stopped Gordon saying, "Let's not make a spectacle of this. The Charabang Family is already in trouble, and if people see the future leader overdosed and unconscious, we're finished."

Thinking of the big sum of money in the GTO account, Gordon gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go out the back door, don't let anyone see. Take her to the nearest hospital."

Watching their hurried departure, Shiller smiled. He had rented this house for Lady Charabang, and the nearby community hospital had long been bribed by him.

The two million Rose had given him before were almost spent, but no matter, even if Lady Charabang was now unconscious, the contract he had previously signed was still in effect, and soon Shiller would gain control over several million more, and the management of the Natural Forest Protection Fund.

While Gordon was downstairs, Shiller went back to the room to take the bottle of red wine, leaving the rest in the glass untouched.

He wasn't afraid of the police analyzing the wine, because he had tested it—neither Batman nor Rose could detect anything wrong with Nya's wine, so the Gotham Police Department's forensic science unit was even less likely to find anything.

Arriving at the nearest hospital, the doctor's initial assessment was consistent with Shiller's: a coma due to drug overdose. Although she was out of danger after emergency treatment, when she would wake up was unknown.

Shiller didn't bother to look at Lady Charabang again. He had gotten what he wanted, and the Charabang Family was no longer of any use to him.

The hospital was under his control; even if the Charabang Family and journalists found out that Lady Charabang was admitted, they wouldn't be able to get in anytime soon. And in that time, Shiller could take the contract to the Charabang Group's finance department to cash in his salary.

At the same time, he would certificate the entrustment relationship Lady Charabang had given him regarding the Natural Forest Protection Fund, to advance some money into the fund.

The Charabang Group's finance department felt something strange but it also made sense. If Lady Charabang took over the group, she would have to address the pollution problems in the Natural Forest whether she wanted to or not. Even without resolving the pollution, the public relations needed to address it would cost money, which was normal.

Because they had invested in GTO, their cash was not excessive—they only advanced two million cash to Shiller. The head of the finance department might also have felt the amount was a bit short as if to fob off, and could only ask Shiller to explain to the future boss.

Seizing the opportunity, Shiller proposed that if cash was insufficient, then supply some materials instead, even just equipment to make a show at the Natural Forest, at least to quiet down the protesters.

With the coordination from the finance department and the fact that the Charabang Group originated from the chemical industry, they were able to obtain many materials for purifying groundwater and neutralizing soil pollution, and even plenty of household water purification equipment, ready to flaunt in front of the journalists as compensation for the residents, to enhance their own reputation.

Since they did not believe their boss would really use these items, they piled up as much as they could, taking out all their available materials, as a way to curry favor with the new leadership.

Yet, some unscrupulous person leaked this to an environmental organization, and on the very first day the materials were transferred, the environmentalists surrounded the place.


next chapter

章節 4212: Chapter 3315: Bloodbath in New City (27)

Environmental activists claim that using chemical methods to decompose pollution is merely another form of pollution. The initiatives by Charabang Group to manage pollution are not eco-friendly. These materials must undergo scrutiny before they can be used within the Natural Forest, otherwise, it's illegal.

Charabang Group has just learned grappling techniques; how could they tolerate this humiliation? They directly dispatched GTO to surround the environmental activists.

But after all, the environmental activists hadn't broken the law. They were protesting, but they didn't touch anything or cause any major damage. Except for surrounding them, GTO couldn't really do much else.

Still, they had to be surrounded, otherwise handling these hot issues would be too much to bear.

Moreover, Gordon felt secretly relieved that if his new employer asked them to do something illegal, it would place him in a difficult position. Now this kind of procrastination under the guise of maintaining law and order was the best kind of work, proving their usefulness without danger or violating their own moral standards.

If only they could muddle through like this for the coming year, Gordon couldn't help but hope.

Batman then faced a new problem.

GTO was not purchased, so the money he had prepared could be used for another option, that is, to carry out the pollution control plan for the benefit of the residents that Mr. Shiller had previously devised.

Ironically, the chemical materials required for water purification and soil pollution neutralization in this plan were all surrounded by environmental activists in the Natural Forest.

It's not that Charabang Group was the only one producing these materials; crucially, these chemical agents were not only for pollution control, but also had other uses.

To save face, Charabang Group transported all the materials there for a photo op, but after being surrounded, they also lost their own production materials.

They had already drained their cash flow, and now that production was stopped, seeing that they couldn't fulfill orders, they could only hurriedly try to buy these materials from various places to resume production.

It did not matter that there wasn't much money left on the books; they had several real businesses; as long as they suppressed prices sufficiently, they could quickly dispose of them, and some of the organic materials could also be sold to recover funds.

Being willing to suffer loss can bring down even the Emperor — never challenge someone's livelihood with your hobbies.

Charabang needed the materials as it was a battle for survival. Wayne Enterprises, aiming to add icing to the cake should step aside for now.

Batman had considered competing with Charabang, but the opponent had clearly gone mad, raising prices to the extent that even Batman was startled.

If he were to purchase the chemical materials at such a price, the money he prepared wouldn't suffice even for area X15, let alone managing a small district.

To solve the problem of the soaring prices of chemical materials necessary for pollution control, the market needs to have an adequate supply, especially ensuring Charabang has stock, so they won't desperately grab these materials.

So how can Charabang be resupplied?

That would necessitate freeing up the batch of raw materials trapped in the Natural Forest, which would mean finding a way to disperse the environmental activists.

If Wayne Enterprises had money, Batman could also spend some to solve the problem, but he didn't have the funds at the moment. If he were to spend his money on dealing with the environmental activists, then he wouldn't be able to manage X15 district.

If this method couldn't resolve the environmental activists issue, then Batman would take some special measures, such as wearing the bat suit and causing disturbances late at night in the environmental activists' location to scare them away.

But isn't this just too coincidental? The place where environmentalists hang out, GTO is also there.

To show off his excellent working capabilities to his new employer, Gordon had the place surrounded layer by layer. Batman, taking advantage of the night, circled the area three times and still couldn't find a breakthrough.

To take down the environmentalists, one must first take down GTO. But because Batman hasn't, he is now stuck needing to deal with the environmentalists here; isn't this a vicious cycle?

The key point is that now Batman and the pale knight, these two smarties, suddenly realized there were no allies left on their side.

Having received the money, Gordon could maintain the normal operation of GTO. Even though they are working for Charabang now, they can't keep it surrounded forever.

After this incident, the anti-terrorism squad can still maintain Gotham's security like before, continuously reducing Gotham's crime rate. Gordon really doesn't need to rely on Batman anymore.

Nightwing has joined the GTO squad. Though he's reluctant to work for the wealthy, they pay too much to ignore. With those funds, GTO can be maintained for three years, he must act loyally against his will.

If he lets Batman slip by, and something happens to the spot they are securing, a bad start would really tarnish their reputation, and he'd have to sever all ties.

Batgirl does stand with Batman, but sadly, her sophisticated hacking skills are useless against the trees in the Natural Forest. Gordon employs full manpower surveillance which is impenetrable, making hacking into their terminals useless and Batman still couldn't get in.

As for Shiller, don't even mention him. Without the pale knight loosening his stance, Shiller has completely disappeared and cannot be contacted at all.

As for Bruce, he's just strolling around. During his days in this city, I barely saw him work; relying on him is less feasible than expecting raw materials to grow legs and walk out on their own.

Batman did consider taking some drastic measures, but the environmentalists weren't breaking the law. They were just sitting there quietly. Charging in and beating them up would just completely ruin the little bit of good reputation Batman had managed to build.

In the Natural Forest, the environmentalists had set up quite a few tents. The leader, Big Beard, stepped out of the tent and went to the small grove behind to take a call.

"Hello? Mr. Shiller, you were right. These menacing police actually didn't make a move. God, such cowards!"

"Okay, okay, received, thanks to the generosity of the Natural Forest Protection Fund. But how many more days do we need to stay here? What? Can't we stay a few more days? Good opportunities like this are hard to find these days..."

"Alright, I understand, goodbye."

Shiller hung up the phone, looked at Catwoman opposite him, and said, "By tonight at the latest, Batman should be coming to find you."

"Why are you so sure he will come to find me?"

"Batman's Stealth skills are good, but his bulky size is a disadvantage. He also fears being caught red-handed and thrown into prison, naturally, he can only turn to you."

Catwoman, eating a steak from a high-class restaurant, said while chewing, "That night, I had to stroll him around half the night. You just gave me ten thousand for the trouble, and I almost had to sacrifice my looks!"

"Stop it, it was Batman who had to sacrifice his looks."

Caught in the act, Catwoman made a silly face but quickly asked, "If he comes looking for me, what price should I quote? Isn't fifty thousand a bit too much? Although those police are a bit tough to deal with, the distance isn't far and it's not very difficult."

"Fifty thousand? Are you belittling Bruce Wayne?"

"Hmm, how about a little more, seventy thousand?"

"Don't forget what we agreed, sixty-forty split. Am I here just to make these few tens of thousands from you?"

"So, how much then? I'm afraid if it's too much, he won't do it."

Shiller snorted, "Two million, not a penny less."

Catwoman gasped, her eyes widened as she stared at Shiller, "Are you crazy? Just for a little stealth job, you want two million???"

"The place you need to stealth into is a place even Batman can't get into. Two million too much? Tell him that, and he needs to throw in a little charm, otherwise, it's five million non-negotiable."

Catwoman spat out her water.

She looked at Shiller weirdly, "Have Batman sacrifice his charm? You really think of everything."

"So, are you in or not?"

Catwoman recalled the sensation of the muscles she felt through the fabric that night, licked her somewhat dry lips, and then said, "Then he needs to sacrifice a bit more, otherwise, I'm not doing it!"

"That's right," Shiller raised his glass and clinked it with hers, then said, "If his sacrifice isn't good enough, you up the price."

Catwoman rolled her eyes, "I'm not that kind of lascivious person."

That evening, Catwoman flipped down from the upstairs, hugging Batman from behind.

Batman froze on the spot.

"Baby, looking for me?"

"Let go first."

"You're no fun." Catwoman released her hands, swaggering in front of him and said, "You seemed pretty pleased while swinging through skyscrapers with me before."

Batman pursed his lips, "I'm here on serious business."

"And what's that 'non-serious' business you're talking about?" Catwoman moved closer and blew in his ear then said, "Am I wrong, or do you actually have ears up there?"

Catwoman could tell Batman really wanted to dodge, but the urgency of his business made him stiffen.

"Alright, no more teasing, what's wrong?"

"I want you to go somewhere."

"Don't tell me your place, that's too cliché."

"No, it's the Natural Forest."

"You're kidding!" Catwoman exaggeratedly said, "The place is swarming with police right now, am I supposed to walk right into a trap?"

Batman seemed to realize he was asking a lot of her, sending a thief right into a swarm of police wasn't just fishing, it was electrified fishing.

"And why don't you go yourself, aren't you on good terms with the Gotham police?" Catwoman eyed him, "You wouldn't be trying to use this opportunity to get me locked up, would you?"

After saying that, Catwoman raised her hand to slap Batman, but he caught her wrist saying, "For certain reasons, I can't go myself. I want to hire you, name your price."

"No way." Catwoman flatly refused, "I think you just want to capture me. If you can't do it yourself, you let the police help you, how cowardly!"

Batman took a deep breath, "I'm serious, I can pay you upfront."

Catwoman hesitated slightly, but then said, "Just so you know, I'm not some kind of terrorist, just a petty thief. Even if I get caught, the sentence won't be long. If you really do this, once I get out, I will definitely scratch your face!"

"But even so, I'd still be risking jail. Once a thief like me goes to prison, my reputation is ruined, and no one will hire me for jobs anymore. You'd need to provide a sum that will keep me comfortable for the rest of my life, otherwise, I'm not doing it!"

"How much do you want?"

"Three million, not a penny less."

Batman paused for less than a second.

"Deal."

"That's too low!" Catwoman inwardly moaned, "This damn rich guy, wasn't he out of money? How does he still have so much?!"

Just as Shiller said, the two million was just because Batman threw in some charm; it should have been five million!

Thinking she might have lost out on two million infuriated Catwoman, no way could she just let it slide!

Then Batman suddenly realized Catwoman was eyeing him like a fish, and he wasn't quite sure if the flames in her eyes were due to hunger or something else.

But in the next second, he knew.

Catwoman reached out and grabbed the base of his cape, yanking fiercely and knocking him to the ground.

"Wait a second, what are you doing?"

"What do you think? Baby?"


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