Chapter 26: Headache of Black Mask

Roman Sionis, the man known as the Black Mask, now felt extremely irritable and frustrated.

It wasn't just because of the wound on his left leg from being bitten by that rabid dog, which had become infected multiple times and still hadn't healed; nor was it just because of the missing left eye, which caused him a dull ache whenever he got emotionally agitated.

The main reason was the two bodies lying unconscious in the open van in front of him—specifically, the female one was indeed his target, but the other male was the source of his annoyance.

"I remember my orders being very clear. Ambush Harley Quinn leaving the fast-food restaurant after work, electrocute her, and bring her back—"

The Black Mask's voice was calm, seemingly devoid of any emotional fluctuations. If it were his loyal subordinates from before he went to prison three years ago, they would surely recognize this as a precursor to his extreme anger, the calm before the storm.

However, these thugs, who had only recently been recruited by the Black Mask, didn't seem to be that sharp.

"Yes, I remember you saying that if Harley Quinn had a man with her, we should take him too. Looks like we got lucky this time, capturing both targets at once—"

Click, bang!

Gun out, loaded, safety off, fired.

Even with the unhealed knife wound on his right shoulder, the Black Mask, as a firearms expert, still moved smoothly and seamlessly.

After a loud bang, the thug who had just been grinning was now lying in a pool of blood, a bullet hole in his forehead.

The other thugs, who had thought they had completed the task and were about to receive their rewards, now looked pale, their faces filled with fear, as they gazed at the Black Mask.

Tsk, couldn't hold back.

The Black Mask sighed lightly, holstered his gun, then cast a stern and sharp glance through the lone eye in his mask at the other lackeys.

"I heard you came here because you committed crimes in Metropolis and wanted to escape here to join me, but I thought before you came to Gotham, you would at least do some basic preparation—however, it seems I overestimated you, to be precise, I overestimated the intelligence of criminals outside Gotham."

The Black Mask pointed his finger at the unconscious middle-aged man with graying temples.

"Do you know who you've captured?"

The other lackeys looked at each other, all looking puzzled and none daring to speak up.

"Then let me tell you—who you've captured is James Gordon, the Commissioner of the GCPD!"

The Black Mask really wanted to pull out his gun and execute all these idiots in front of him, even though these were the only lackeys he could recruit at the moment.

This is not just any ordinary police officer! This is Gordon, the beacon of justice in Gotham City! Apart from Batman, he's the second most feared man by criminals in all of Gotham!

Even three years ago, during Gotham's chaos and lawlessness, not a single fool dared to lay a hand on him. The Joker was the only exception, but it's well known that he's a lunatic, and he paid the price for it.

Even during the heyday of the Black Mask's empire, when he almost ruled the underground forces of Gotham, he never considered the foolish idea of kidnapping Gordon. It wasn't necessary, and he knew very well what would happen if Gordon were harmed.

The entire Gotham police force would hunt him down at any cost, not to mention the retaliation from Batman that would leave him with nowhere to hide, not to mention the relentless attacks from other followers of Batman and superheroes.

Therefore, the moment the Black Mask saw Gordon in the van, only one thought remained in his mind.

His carefully laid plans to rise again in the current vacuum of Gotham's underworld were completely ruined.

"I was still wondering if Mr. Sionis was raging here because the mission failed? But it seems that the beautiful princess waiting to be saved by the prince that we wanted is already in our hands."

Suddenly, a lazy voice sounded from behind the Black Mask. As he turned his head, the towering rage on him vanished instantly without a trace.

It was a woman wearing tight leather clothing, with a graceful and curvaceous figure, and her long, slightly curled hair cascading down to her waist.

Her delicate and exquisite facial features were incredibly alluring, even the lackeys who had just been trembling with fear at the threat of the Black Mask's death couldn't help but swallow hard when they saw her.

But the disappearance of the Black Mask's anger was not because he was captivated by her beauty. On the contrary, at this moment, he felt a sense of fear, knowing full well how terrifyingly dangerous this woman was—especially when he thought about the organization behind her, and that man who was like a devil.

"Miss Talia, capturing Harley Quinn is one thing, but they've brought along a trouble—no, I should say it's a time bomb!"

The voice of the Black Mask carried a hint of respect, even though he was rebellious by nature, he knew he absolutely couldn't offend the woman in front of him.

"Don't worry, Mr. Sionis. There's an ancient saying, 'Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise'—just like how, although you were imprisoned in Blackgate, you now have the opportunity to contact us. Perhaps what you thought was an unfortunate accident can be transformed into a powerful leverage."

The woman referred to as Talia by the Black Mask swayed her body gracefully as she walked towards the van. Passing by the body of the subordinate just executed by the Black Mask, she stepped on it as if it were nothing—her black high-heeled boots remained untainted by even a drop of blood.

She reached Harley Quinn's side and gently bent down, extending her hand towards Harley's face, which looked as if she were peacefully asleep, as if she were caressing a fine piece of artwork.

"The focus now is how to use this pitiful Sleeping Beauty to lure the counterfeit prince we crafted ourselves—"

Talia's slender fingers gently slid from Harley's cheek to her fair neck, then to her ample chest, slim waist, and finally to her firm buttocks, delicately removing a small black object.

"A bug? When was this—"

Unlike the panicked tone of the Black Mask, Talia, with curiosity, observed the miniature bug in her hand before continuing to speak.

"You all can hear me, right? Then listen carefully. Before midnight tonight, as long as that counterfeit Mr. Joker comes here for the exchange, these two will be able to return home unharmed, I can guarantee that."

"But if anyone else wants to join in on the fun, I won't mind, but I can only offer one friendly reminder—consequences will be yours to bear."

As she finished speaking, with a crisp sound, the small bug in Talia's delicate fingers was crushed into powder.

Meanwhile, in an abandoned warehouse that once served as the Joker's base, about ten kilometers away, Jekyll, Dinah, and Walker faced their phones, which were only emitting noisy static, with grave expressions.

Jekyll glanced at the time displayed on his phone. It was now 7:50 PM.

"All right, everyone, time is of the essence, so let's not waste any time—"

"Now, we officially begin the operation to rescue Harley and Commissioner Gordon within the next 4 hours!"

°°°

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