Chapter 125: Court Trial (Happy Lantern Festival)

【Ding】

【You have a new part-time job available, please check and collect】

"Wh-what the heck?"

Ma Ma Zhaodi, who was asleep, jolted awake, disturbed by the system's notification sound.

He looked up at his watch; the time was exactly six in the morning, the sky still just beginning to lighten, so he couldn't help but complain.

"System, although I'm happy you gave me a new part-time job, I don't like the timing of this part-time job."

"It's only six now! I went to sleep at one. Do you know how much five hours of sleep means to a kid? — Oh, I have deep sleep. But you still shouldn't wake me up at six. Can't you let me sleep a bit longer!"

【Request "sleep a bit longer" received. Deleting virtual reality tactical game from system.】

"Ah, no, no, no! I was wrong, I was wrong, bro. That tactical game was actually quite fun — no, I mean, it was quite helpful for training my combat abilities and tactical planning. Don't delete it yet."

Ma Ma Zhaodi had been training quite a bit recently, but had very few opportunities for actual combat, so he specifically found a virtual reality game in the system that allowed him to enter and train while sleeping at a price of ten asset points per hour.

The game content included fighting, shooting, group battles, stealth, and so on; he could also spend asset points to simulate specific opponents. The muscle memory formed within would be carried over into his body upon waking. Ma Ma Zhaodi had been immersed in it every day recently; he adjusted the art style to a 3D modeling look and treated it like a VR game.

Although getting hit really hurt, this fun VR project was a special attack against otaku, so Ma Ma Zhaodi still played it tirelessly.

【The part-time job will begin in three hours. Please prepare in advance.】

【Justice interwoven with black and white】

Mission Description: Sal Maroni is about to testify in court against Carmine Falcone. One underworld boss uses legal means to drag another underworld boss to mutual destruction — on the path to justice, District Attorney Harvey Dent has lost too much and learned too much. As today's plaintiff, he will absolutely not waste this opportunity.

Note: This is a seed you planted, now grown into a strange flower. Today, you only need to quietly watch this trial — and one more thing: no popcorn allowed inside the courtroom.

Status: Pending completion (0/1)

Reward: Two-sided coin of black and white — Two-Face limited edition】

Ma Ma Zhaodi's eyes widened; this was the first time he had seen the system give a prop directly related to a super-villain.

However, it was still early, so Ma Ma Zhaodi got up, put on clothes, and went to make breakfast. The trial would start in three hours anyway; since attire wasn't restricted, there was no difference in him wearing casual clothes.

Gotham City Courthouse, underground prison.

Maroni, with a cigarette in his mouth, changed into a brand-new, high-end suit, as if he wasn't going to attend a trial but rather a gathering of celebrities. He leisurely finished dressing up and then walked out of the cell.

Chief Gordon stepped forward, carefully patting down his newly changed suit and trousers, confirming he carried nothing that could be used as a weapon. Maroni was about to appear in court in a moment; this was a necessary security step.

Several officers holding shotguns surrounded him, and one of them held handcuffs. They all stared intently at Maroni; the moment the other party made any move, they would act immediately.

"Why so serious, Jim?" Maroni said with a grin: "Don't you trust me?"

Gordon did not answer him. After completing the inspection meticulously, he signaled the others to take him away.

Only after the group's figures had walked far away did he faintly say to their backs: "I don't trust you."

When the group brought Maroni to the front of the court, Vernon, dressed in a suit, happened to be waiting at the door, holding a paper bag in his hand.

"Are you... Mr. Maroni?" he asked hesitantly: "I am Vernon Fields. I work for District Attorney Harvey Dent."

Seeing the officers around merely tighten their grip on their guns but not drive him away, Vernon quietly breathed a sigh of relief. His youthful appearance and the identity of a district attorney possessed a strong deceptive quality, making people subconsciously feel he couldn't be a villain.

"Mr. Dent asked me to give you something."

"What the heck is that? Stomach medicine?" Maroni sneered: "Did Dent suddenly start caring about my stomach ulcer?"

Vernon held up a small bottle taken from the paper bag, seeming somewhat at a loss: "Th-that's fine then. Mr. Dent just wanted to express his friendship. If you don't want it..."

"Alright, alright." Maroni replied impatiently: "Just give it to me and scram."

He took the stomach medicine bottle and, urged by the officers, walked into the courtroom. Looking up, he saw a seat; that was the position for the accused in this trial, the position the Roman should sit in. However, the Romans always sent someone to represent them in court. To this day, this greatest underworld boss in Gotham City had never lost a single lawsuit; this could not help but be a kind of black humor.

At this moment, in the top-floor apartment of the Roman, Sophia pushed open Falcone's door.

"Father, they are ready."

"Hmm, Sophia, the matter I entrusted to you earlier—"

"It's done, Father. Maroni is now our ally."

A gratified smile appeared on the Roman's face.

"I trust you, Sophia. You have always been my most capable right-hand man. Matters entrusted to you can always be relied upon."

He stepped out of the room and, with his daughter, pushed open the door to another room. Immediately, a chorus composed of several voices rang out from inside.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you—"

The Roman smiled and walked inside. Sophia casually closed the door behind her. Inside, only a dozen or so people were singing the birthday song. Compared to the Roman's status, such a birthday banquet looked somewhat petty, but in reality, every person here was a core member of the Falcone family, the core running this huge machine.

Each of them was a prominent figure in Gotham City, holding a portion of the power within the Falcone family.

On the table were large and small gift boxes and bunches of fresh flowers. Obviously, everyone had carefully selected a gift for this godfather of the Heidao Sect.

After the crowd finished singing this birthday song, a cart carrying a multi-layered, luxurious large cake was immediately pushed out. Beautiful candles adorned the cake, and the flickering candlelight looked very nice.

"Make a wish, Dad?"

A smile appeared on Falcone's face. Looking at this cake was like looking at Gotham City, and whether in the past or the present, he was the one with the power to divide the cake.

So he made a wish, then blew out the candles amidst the blessings of the crowd.

(End of this chapter)