Silence echoed in the empty room. Finally, Batman said: "From that day on, everything I did and all the training I experienced was for revenge."
"The law and the trial told me that it was Joe Chell who killed my parents, but I knew that was not the case, and it took me years to give myself the ability to question that result."
"...And now, it's time for the bat to take revenge."
Along with the dull evening bell of the Gotham Cathedral bell tower, Batman disappeared.
The recent changes in the Edward family have allowed Batman, who is constantly monitoring the entire Gotham City, to discover that before brother Edward became successful, when they first came to Gotham, he was the boss of the alley where his parents died.
But now, the Edward brothers are dead, leaving only their nephews, and little Edward has offended his godfather. If Falcone is unwilling to let him go, the Edward family will cease to exist.
Batman first found Little Edward. He didn't need to send people to invite people like the Godfather. He could appear directly in the shadow behind anyone.
The next day, Gotham was filled with gloomy fog again. Later, dusk dyed the hazy fog over Gotham with more colors.
Schiller was chatting with the priest at the door of the church. Like a true Westerner, he entered and exited the church on time without any violation.
The priest here is very knowledgeable and has a very deep understanding of theology. Schiller likes to chat with him about philosophical and theological issues, and at the same time, he can also learn about information.
The old priest has lived in Gotham all his life, experienced all eras of Gotham, and knows all the stories here.
The priest said: "The workers at the dock have not come often recently. Maybe their business has improved. I hope so. God tells people that they need to use such hard work to atone for their sins."
"Recently, the number of merchant ships at the dock has increased, and the business of cargo ship owners has also improved," Schiller said.
"I remember many years ago, there was a time when many workers liked to come here to pray. The church had never been so busy."
The old priest's voice carries the unique mark of the times, like a railroad track laid out from history, old and a little faded.
"It can be seen that they were not busy at that time, maybe because there was not much business. Many people were complaining. Some people were very angry, and there were also quarrels. I tried my best to dissuade them."
"You are a good man," Schiller said.
The old priest squinted his eyes and recalled, he said: "In those days, everything was in chaos. I remember that the person who dominated the dock at that time was a man named Leif. He was not easy to mess with. People called him Big
Beard, some people call him a Viking."
"He is tall and strong, with a beard and a dozen equally strong men. They run rampant at the dock and no one dares to offend him. They specialize in collecting protection fees from workers and extorting others."
"What happened later? Who sanctioned them?"
"It's Falcone. His Excellency the Godfather gave him a hard blow."
The priest touched his fingers that were somewhat dry due to aging, and said: "Originally, the godfather was supposed to take over those docks, but for some reason, they ended up in the hands of the Edward family."
The priest shook his head and finally said: "I'm not saying that the Edward family is not good at managing it, but maybe if the Falcone family had taken over the dock and the entire East District was connected in one line, the Falcone family would have been even stronger than it is now.
many."
"I often hear people say..." Schiller said, "The Godfather's control of the East End is somewhat weak, because he only controls some areas in the northeast and southeast, but leaves the most important part of the docks alone."
The priest shook his head and said, "Maybe he has his own plan."
Schiller thought about it. What the priest told him was not a secret. The reason why it was not widely spread was because there were not many people who survived that era.
Of course, as to why the Godfather failed to take control of the dock in one fell swoop, Schiller guessed that there might be a more complicated dispute.
After the sky darkened, Schiller said goodbye to the priest and walked out of the church alone.
When the last ray of sunset sank below the horizon, he heard seven heavy continuous ringings from the church bell tower above him. The bells had an indescribable aura of decay.
The priest made the sign of the cross on his chest in front of the church door and whispered: "This is the death knell... God bless, your soul will be freed..."
Schiller stood outside the door. He turned around, and in the dark gray haze, he saw a black and yellow figure standing on the high bell tower.
On the other side, little Edward collapsed on the ground, facing the shadow with two pointed ears in front of him. He trembled and said: "I only know... I only know that at the beginning... The Godfather ended the chaos at the Eastern Pier.
situation, my father and uncle want to get a share of the pie, even if they can only get a dock..."
"But, my godfather suddenly didn't want any of them... So, our family got all five piers. I don't know what happened... I was too young at that time. You can only ask your godfather.
Yeah, I really don’t know anything..."
After the shadow of the bat left, little Edward got up from the ground tremblingly. He cursed in a low voice, and suddenly he saw another shadow appearing in front of him.
He looked up and saw a huge umbrella facing him. Behind the umbrella, a sinister eye was staring at him. Just as Edward was about to scream in fear, his vocal cords were severed along with his throat.
After a slight soft sound, the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground was accompanied by the lights extinguishing in Edward's old house, and everything became quiet.
Finally, Batman arrived at Falcone's mansion. It was dark and quiet as if no one existed.
Unlike Edward's old mansion, which is brightly lit and guarded all night long, the mansion where the Godfather of Gotham lives seems to have no defense. Batman knows that this is not normal.
Finally, Batman saw him in Falcone's office. There was still no one here. Falcone seemed to be waiting for him, sitting alone in the office in the early morning.
"I knew you were coming," said Falcone, "but you weren't careful enough when investigating old Edward's resume."
"That means there must be something special about his resume that deserves your concern." Batman said.
"Indeed, are you interested in hearing stories from many years ago?"
Then, Batman learned about the turbulent era that he had never seen or heard from the godfather who had ruled Gotham for forty years.
"...They attract friends and are ruthless. Among them, the Viking pirate Leif is the most powerful."
"I know very well that if I want the Falcone family to truly gain a foothold here, I have to take action on him."
"That big bearded man has made a lot of money through years of blackmail or ship owners. He is not convinced and wants to resist me."
"So, I killed all his family members in front of many people, and then stuffed him into a powder keg."
"Of course, that scared a lot of people and made my plan go smoothly."
"What I want to know is about Park Street," Batman said.
"Don't worry, we're almost there."
Falcone turned his chair, turned to look at Batman and said, "You look a bit like your father." He nodded and said, "... very much."
Before Batman could say anything, Falcone said: "I wiped out all the major forces in the dock at that time, but I did not take over the dock, but left them to the Edward family. This matter has nothing to do with your parents."
related."
"Your mother is a good person, a kind lady. She sympathizes with the workers on the dock and feels that they work for more than ten hours a day. Your father also agrees. They feel that they should treat those poor poor people better."
"So, they didn't allow the gangs to oppress the workers and created a more relaxed work system for them. You know, you only work for a few hours and then you have to take a break, eat something and drink some water."
"The Wayne family is determined to reform the order of the entire Gotham Pier, but I know...I know."
"I know they can't do this, but I don't want to fight against the Wayne family, so I retreat and let them do whatever they want."
"I let the Edward family control all the docks. Brother Edward is quite smart."
Falcone lit a cigar, and the weak firelight illuminated his face. Under the sharp eyebrows, dark shadows were cast, shrouding his eyes, and he could still vaguely see a bit of the all-powerful young man of that era.
The look of a godfather.
"So, Edward hired that gangster named Joe to kill my parents?"
The smoke from the cigar slowly rose, and Falcone began to speak slower and slower, as if the things he recalled were becoming more distant and unclear.
"You mean the ones who really did it? No, not them, not Edward."
"The person who really did it was a dock worker named Louis."
"Labor?" Batman felt very ridiculous. He asked: "Why? How could it be a dock laborer?"
"I know you don't understand. The Waynes helped them. Yes, the workers don't have to work so long every day. They are oppressed by gangs and cargo ship owners. They have found their savior..."
Falcone shook his head and said: "But you don't understand, there are also three, six, and nine levels of labor. Carrying sandbags and moving heavy objects are the most tiring work. In the past, it was the lowest level workers who did it."
, the big workers only do the light work of allocating manpower and counting supplies."
"Your parents want to make it easier for everyone. No one will do the dirty work. The cargo ship owners have been delayed for too long and lost a lot of cargo. They would rather take a long way around than come to Gotham Pier again."
"I remember... that Louis was... the chief foreman of the third or fourth dock. He was closely watched by the Wayne family and had to give everyone the same job. He could only work nine hours a day, with a lot of work in between.
You have to rest for two hours and let them eat."
"The cargo ship was parked there, and no one moved the cargo. The fresh produce and fruits on it were damaged. The cargo ship asked Louis to pay for it, but Louis couldn't afford it. He was beaten up by the cargo ship owner and the sailors, and his legs were broken.
"
"So, he hired that gangster to kill the Waynes?" Batman's voice was hoarse as if it had hit rock bottom.
"He turned to old Edward for help, and together they committed the murder on Park Street."
"It must seem ridiculous to you that Judas betrayed his Lord and allowed his benefactor to suffer," Falcone said.
"...But this is Gotham, a place where the devil will always take a detour whenever he sees it."
Batman closed his eyes, the truth was completely different from what he imagined.
This is not a story about the entanglement and confrontation between the perpetrators and the innocent. There is no justice that can be done at a glance.
Everything is not white walls and black shadows, but an old and faded gray video tape, carrying the thick dust of that era.
"The gangster who did it and Brother Edward are both dead, but Louis is still alive. If you still want to take revenge, go to No. 7, Shen'en Street, east of the church, where he lives."
After saying that, Falcone exhaled the last puff of smoke and closed his eyes.
His fingers are well maintained, with almost no wrinkles. The cigar between his fingers has been burned out, and the fire is gradually extinguished, just like painting the boiling era and all the waves of that turbulent era quietly.
