Chapter 149: Leave a Better World Behind

Falcone had a thousand words he wanted to say, but in the end, he said nothing.

He could not dissuade Alberto in the slightest; after his son firmly declared, "I am the Holiday Killer," he could only leave that room in gloom.

"This is the full picture, Mr. Falcone." Chief Gordon shook his head and locked the door with a key: "The Maroni father and son cooperated with us to set a trap, and it was only with great difficulty that we caught your son red-handed. After I discussed it with District Attorney Harvey, I decided to temporarily hide Alberto to prevent him from being killed on the spot by that furious father and son pair, or by the Maroni family's assassins, right here in the police station."

Falcone raised his head and stared at Gordon; the other man's words seemed like a gesture of goodwill, but at the same time, they were a threat.

We could take your son to the police station right now to prepare for prosecution, and even allow you to directly manipulate the court and rig the trial verdict to bring him home, but how can you be sure he won't be killed on the spot by the bloodshot-eyed Maroni father and son?

Don't forget, Harvey Dent has already experienced one extreme retaliation from the Maronis in court, and he didn't even have a. 22 caliber pistol to fire at the Maroni father and son—similarly, if they want to move against your son, he will absolutely not last until the day of the trial.

Negotiating? What the hell is there to negotiate?

"Mr. Falcone, Chief Gordon actually saved your son's life; glaring at him won't change that fact."

Harvey stepped forward and shrugged: "Now, the most important thing is how to protect your son, and the upcoming conviction matters. Given the number of lives on his hands, it is highly unlikely he will ever get out of prison in his lifetime. You should be grateful that our state does not currently support the death penalty; otherwise, he would probably be going into the gas chamber."

Falcone looked at the two men, who were singing each other's praises, with a gloomy gaze. A certain thought flashed through his mind, causing his hand to instinctively touch beneath his trench coat. Although he did not have the habit of going out carrying a Clumsy and Heavy submachine gun, a pistol and grenades were not hard to hide; coincidentally, when he entered, Harvey had not searched his body.

"I advise you to keep the game within the courtroom." In the darkness, a third voice suddenly rang out: "Once you go to war with the Gotham City Police Department, Alberto is finished for good. No matter where you flee with him, I will bring both of you back to Gotham City for trial—and right now, you had better not even attempt to draw your gun."

The Roman was startled; he recognized whose voice this was.

"Batman."

As if responding to his words, a pitch-black, burly, towering bat emerged from the darkness, with Chief Gordon stroking his beard on its left, and Harvey Dent flipping a coin on its right. Three straight, unblinking gazes fixed on his face; three faces, covered by large patches of shadow under the basement lights, appeared exceptionally eerie and terrifying.

"Mr. Falcone, what is your opinion?"

"..." Falcone's face turned iron-green. For the first time in his life, he had been threatened like this, but after a moment of calm, he was forced to withdraw the hand he had thrust into his trench coat.

"You captured Alberto and hid him for so long; now you suddenly come to find me. It certainly cannot be simply to notify the criminal's family—speak, what do you want?"

Harvey and Gordon exchanged a glance; a hint of joy hid in both their eyes—this matter was settled.

By the time the Godfather returned to his apartment, it was already dusk. At this time of late autumn, a turbid golden halo shone through the dark clouds onto his body, yet he felt little warmth; instead, a bone-chilling cold wind swept past, stirring up patches of withered, yellow fallen leaves.

The Godfather recalled the conversation between the several people; his heart, like this late autumn, felt somewhat desolate and also weary.

"Mr. Falcone, let us speak plainly. Gotham City has been turned into a city of sin by your family and Mr. Maroni's family. Whether you intended it or not, the order of Gotham City has rapidly degenerated over these years: judicial corruption, rampant embezzlement, and poverty and disease spreading everywhere—I know you have always been indifferent to these accusations, but District Attorney Harvey and I do not intend to sit idly by."

Hearing this, Falcone clenched his fists; at that moment, he very much wanted to simply pull out his gun. So many years had passed, and almost no one in Gotham City dared to speak to him in such an inquisitive tone—except for one Batman.

Harvey, standing nearby, as if not seeing his expression, continued directly from where Gordon left off: "You have already seen Alberto; you know that Chief Gordon and I are not lying. Maroni and Luigi cannot allow the Holiday Killer, who attacked them and slaughtered members of the Maroni family, to continue living; but you cannot allow your youngest son to die in their hands—you two can only have one survivor."

The Godfather still said nothing, looking coldly at the two men.

"We do not wish to sow discord, but the fact is, you two tigers are fighting, and both will inevitably be injured; we simply want to see this result."

"If you want Alberto to inherit the Falcone family with a clean identity, we can agree to this request: we will not prosecute the crimes he committed, but only have him serve time in Wayne Prison. This would be a substantive punishment, yet his name would remain unstained—consider it, Roman."

"If the normal trial procedures were followed, he might never get out in his lifetime, but as his father, you can reduce his sentence. You only need to agree to help us eliminate the Maronis and simultaneously assist us in executing the Gotham Renovation Plan."

"We want a new Gotham, a Gotham City not controlled by gangs. If you help us execute this plan, it will surely succeed."

"Squander your fortune, Mr. Falcone. Squander the ill-gotten wealth you have extracted from Gotham, and let the Falcone family start anew. By the time this plan is completed, you will go to prison, and your son Alberto can come out to start over. We promise to support the Falcone family for helping with the renovation; this family name can stand in the sunlight again and be passed down honorably."

"Wasn't all your scheming just to whitewash the family? Mr. Falcone, this is the best opportunity. Sincerely atone for your sins, rebuild the order you destroyed, and you can let your son start over."

"Or, what kind of Gotham do you want to leave for him?"

"What kind of Gotham do I want to leave for him..."

The Roman stood by the apartment window, muttering to himself toward the dim horizon. If it were the old him, he would probably have exploded in rage at such conditions.

My black-market family's legacy spanning several generations, and you think a few words can make me voluntarily squander it all?

But...

He thought of his youngest son, thought of his loyalty to himself, thought of his love for himself, and thought of his original intention to whitewash the family.

Falcone was not a mindless black-market brute; he knew the great waves of the era were rolling in; he clearly understood which things would be eliminated and which could survive.

After weighing the pros and cons, this Godfather decided to first go learn about Wayne's private prison.

PS: I'll release one chapter first, the next one will be later; I'm starting a new dungeon instance and I'm a bit stuck on the writing.

(End of this chapter)