The days of being a spiritual mentor in Meiman

Silence echoed in the empty room, and finally, Batman said, "From that day on, everything I've done, everything I've been through, has been about vengeance."

"The law and the trial told me that it was Joe Chell who killed my parents, but I knew that wasn't the case and it took me years to empower myself to challenge that outcome."

"...and now, it's time for the bat's revenge."

With the dull evening bell of Gotham Cathedral clock tower, Batman's figure disappeared.

The recent changes in the Edward family made Batman, who was monitoring the entire Gotham City all the time, discover that the Edward brothers were once the leader of the alley where his parents died when they first came to Gotham before they made a fortune.

But now, the Edward brothers are dead, only their nephew is left, and little Edward offended the godfather, if Falcone is unwilling to let him go, then the Edward family will cease to exist.

Batman found little Edward first, he didn't need to send someone to invite someone like the godfather, he could directly appear in the shadow behind anyone.

On the second day, Gotham was filled with groggy mist again. Later, dusk made the hazy fog over Gotham dyed with more colors.

Schiller was chatting with the priest at the door of the church. Like an authentic Westerner, he entered and left the church on time without any disobedience.

The priest here is very knowledgeable, and he 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 learn about information by the way.

The old priest has lived in Gotham all his life, has experienced all the eras of Gotham, and knows all the stories here.

The priest said: "Recently, the laborers at the docks have not come here often. Maybe their business has improved. I hope so. God told people that they need to use such hard work to atone for their sins."

"Recently, the number of merchant ships at the terminal has increased, and the business of cargo ship owners has also improved." Schiller said.

"I remember many years ago, for a while, many laborers liked to come here to pray, and the church has never been so lively."

The voice of the old priest carried the unique imprint of the times, like a railroad track laid from history, old and 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 were very angry, and some had quarrels. I tried my best to dissuade them."

"You're a good man," said Schiller.

The old priest squinted his eyes and recalled, he said: "In those days, there was chaos everywhere. I remember that at that time, a man named Leif dominated the pier. He was not easy to mess with. People called him Big Beard, some call him Vikings."

"He is tall and strong, with a beard and a dozen of his men who are also strong. They run rampant at the pier, and no one dares to provoke them. They specialize in collecting labor protection fees and blackmailing others."

"And then, who sanctioned them later?"

"It was Falcone, His Excellency the Godfather gave him a hard time."

The priest stroked his fingers that were a little dry due to aging, and he said, "It was supposed to be the godfather who took over those piers, but for some reason, it 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 managed it badly, but maybe, if the Falcone family took over the pier back then, and the entire East District was connected into one line, the Falcone family would be even stronger than it is now. many."

"I've often heard people say..." Schiller said, "that the Godfather's grip on the East Side was a bit weak, because he only controlled some areas in the northeast and southeast, and he left the most important part of the docks alone."

The priest shook his head and said, "Maybe he has his own plans."

Schiller thought about it. The things the priest told him were not secrets. The reason why they were not widely spread was because there were not many people who survived in that era.

Of course, Schiller guessed that there may be more complicated disputes about why the godfather did not control the dock in one go.

After the sky darkened, Schiller said goodbye to the priest, and he walked out of the church alone.

When the last rays of the setting sun sank below the horizon, he heard seven heavy rings from the church bell tower above him, and the bells carried an indescribably decayed air.

In front of the church door, the priest drew the sign of the cross on his chest and said in a low voice, "This is the death knell...God bless, your soul will be set free..."

Schiller stood outside the door, he turned his head, and in the dark gray haze, he saw a black and yellow figure standing on the high clock tower.

On the other side, little Edward collapsed on the ground, facing the shadow with two pointed ears in front of him, he said tremblingly: "I only know... I only know that at the beginning... the Godfather ended the chaos on the eastern wharf In the current situation, my father and uncle want to get a share of it, even if they can only get a pier..."

"But, but the 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 the godfather Well, I really don't know anything..."

After the shadow of the bat left, little Edward got up from the ground trembling all over. 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 dark eye was staring at him. Just as Edward was about to yell out in fear, his vocal cords were severed along with his throat.

After a slight sound, the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground accompanied by the extinguished lights in Edward's old house, everything became quiet.

In the end, Batman came to Falcone's mansion, which was dark and quiet as if no one existed.

Unlike Edward's old mansion, which is brightly lit and guarded all night, the mansion where the godfather of Gotham lives seems to have no defenses, and Batman knows this is not normal.

Finally, Batman meets him in Falcone's office, and there is still no one there, and Falcone seems to be waiting for him, sitting alone in the early morning office.

"I knew you'd come," Falcone said. "You weren't careful enough investigating old Edward's history."

"That means there must be something special about his resume that deserves your attention," Batman said.

"Indeed, are you interested in hearing stories from many years ago?"

Then, from the mouth of the godfather who has ruled Gotham for forty years, Batman learned about the turbulent era that he had never seen or heard.

"...they are ruthless and ruthless. Among them, the Viking pirate Leif is the most powerful."

"I know very well that if I want the Falcone family to really gain a foothold here, I have to take him down."

"The bearded man has earned a lot of money by extorting or being the owner of the ship for many years. He is not convinced and wants to resist me."

"So, in front of many people, I killed all his family members and stuffed him in a powder keg."

"Of course, that freaked out a lot of people, and made my plan go well."

"What I want to know is about Park Street," said Batman.

"Don't worry, it's almost there."

Falcone turned his chair around. He looked sideways at Batman and said, "You kind of look like your father." He nodded and said, "... a lot like that."

Before Batman could say anything, Falcone said: "I cleaned up the major forces in the dock at that time, but I didn't take over the dock, but threw them to the Edward family. This matter has nothing to do with your parents. related."

"Your mother is a good person, a kind wife. She sympathizes with the laborers on the pier and thinks that they work too hard 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 gangsters to oppress those laborers, and set up a more relaxed working system for them. You know, you only have to work for a few hours before 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 Wharf, but I know...I know."

"I know they can't do this, but I don't want to confront the Wayne family, so I retreat and let them do whatever they want."

"I let the Edward family control all the piers. Brother Edward is pretty smart."

Falcone lit a cigar, and the faint light of the fire shone on his face. Under the sharp eyebrows, a dark shadow was cast, covering his eyes, and he could vaguely see some of the young man who was powerful in that era. Godfather look.

"So, Edward hired that bastard named Joe to kill my parents?"

The smoke from the cigar slowly floated up, and Falcone's speech speed began to slow down, as if the things he recalled were becoming more and more distant and unclear.

"You mean the ones who actually did it? No, not them, not Edward."

"The person who actually did it was a dock laborer named Louis."

"Labor?" Batman felt very ridiculous. He asked, "Why? How could it be a dock laborer?"

"I know you can't understand. The Wayne couple helped them. Yes, laborers don't have to work so long every day. They are oppressed by gangsters and cargo ship owners. They have found their own savior..."

Falcone shook his head and said, "But you don't understand. The laborers are also divided into ranks and ranks. The work of carrying sandbags and heavy objects is the most tiring. In the past, it was the lowest-level workers who did it. , the big workers only do some light work of allocating manpower and counting materials."

"Your parents want everyone to not have to work hard. No one does the dirty work. The cargo ship owners have been delayed for too long and lost a lot of goods. They would rather take a long way than come to the Gotham dock again."

"I remember... that Louis was... the third or fourth chief worker of the dock. He was closely watched by the Wayne family and had to be assigned the same job to everyone. He could only work for nine hours a day, and there was still Have to rest for two hours and let them eat."

"The cargo ship was parked there. No one moved the cargo. The fresh and fruits on it were damaged. The cargo ship was mainly paid by Louis, but Louis couldn't afford it. He was beaten up by the cargo ship owner and the sailors and broke his leg. "

"So, he hired that bastard to kill the Waynes?" Batman's voice was hoarse.

"He turned to old Edward, and together they did the murder on Park Street."

"You must think it's ridiculous that Judas betrayed his Lord and made his benefactor suffer," Falcone said.

"...But this is Gotham, a place where devils always take a detour."

Batman closed his eyes, the truth was completely different from what he imagined.

This is not a story of entanglement and confrontation between the perpetrator 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 faded gray video tape with thick dust from that era.

"Both the gangster and Brother Edward who did it are dead, but Louis is still alive. If you still want revenge, go to No. 7, Lane of God's Grace on the east side of the church, where he lives."

After speaking, Falcone exhaled the last puff of smoke, and he also closed his eyes.

His fingers are well-maintained, with almost no wrinkles. The cigar between his fingers has been burnt out, and the fire is gradually extinguished, as if for that boiling age, for all the waves of that turbulent age, silently painted a full stop.