Chapter 4. Gotham - Part 1

I enjoyed the morning in New York City. Everywhere there was noise, buzzing and constant movement; it felt like the city was going somewhere. It reminded me of home. Ha-ha... "home." What can I call home now? Even after escaping that wretched snake pit, I can't relax for a second because there's some mysterious organization that Klaws and Shooter worked for. Was it right to let them go? Would it have been better to get rid of them to gain some advantage in time and reduce the chances of being discovered? No. In essence, I've changed almost nothing. People like them won't stop at anything. One day earlier? One day later? There's practically no difference, considering that I'm almost always on guard.

The streets of the city were filled with people, but among the crowd, I noticed one person who had been following me since the beginning of my journey. I stopped a few times, buying newspapers or giving change to a beggar in a dark alley. Useless. Someone was definitely watching me.

Entering an alley, I activated Stealth and began to wait calmly. As soon as our ordinary citizen with dark glasses rushed into the alley, he frustratingly muttered into a small earpiece on his ear:

"Beta Alpha, the target has disappeared. Last location - the alley on High Street."

Waiting for him to transmit the message, I grabbed the edge of his T-shirt and forcefully pulled him into the alley. Slowly removing my camouflage, I had a slight smile on my face, playfully twirling the dagger on my index finger.

"Hello, I'm Alex, nice to meet you," the tip of the dagger appeared right in front of his nose, and I, taking off my hat with my left hand, gave a slight bow. "Why are you so surprised? Haven't you ever met people with good manners? Then I pity you."

"What do you want from me?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that I want anything from 'you.' After all, it's you who arranged surveillance on me this time. Come on, confess, who's behind it this time? Mmm?"

"I can't..."

"I understand," I interrupted him and put on a sympathetic face. "I've also had attempts to instill a sense of pride and loyalty to the organization, but they failed miserably. I know what it's like to feel the significance and importance of your mission. If it weren't for me, you might be sipping beer with your friends right now or getting cozy with a nice lady. Here's the deal: I promise I won't harm you, and as you've informed your superiors, I'll just 'disappear.' In return, you tell me your boss's name. How about it?" To demonstrate my good intentions, I sheathed my dagger into Stealth and extended my left hand for a handshake. He took my palm, rising from the asphalt. My smile grew wider.

"Alright, it's Amanda Waller."

"Thanks, I knew we'd understand each other."

Removing the Stealth from the dagger, I made an instant swing at his neck. Initially, nothing happened, and I thought the dagger was "defective" as it passed right through his body. But after a couple of seconds, a red ring formed around his neck, and a second later, his head separated from his body. Wait, wasn't the damage spiritual, whereas...? After reviewing the kill statistics, it finally dawned on me what the Pure Damage parameter of my dagger meant. When landing a critical hit, this Pure Damage would activate. Considering that the probability of landing a critical hit was currently 56.8 percent, did this mean that every other strike I made was fatal to an ordinary person?

"Amanda Waller, huh? Damn, as far as I remember, she works for some influential organization, and now that organization has set its sights on me. Unpleasant..."

Hidden in Stealth, I headed towards the local subway. They would soon discover the body, and Waller's organization would begin acting openly. I couldn't ignore them, and I didn't want to keep running forever. I had one idea, but implementing it required me to play my role exceptionally well.

"I won't play cat and mouse with you for long, 'Waller.'"

Location: Gotham

Danger Level: ???

Reputation among Heroes - 0

Reputation among Villains - 0

World Reputation - 5

I made it to Gotham by lying on the roof of the last train car. Nothing out of the ordinary, really. The look on the kid's face who happened to notice me silently and inconspicuously diving down was priceless. Blend into the crowd, activate Stealth again, and emerge from the subway into the most criminal and dangerous city in the country. Gotham was a sizable city with great hopes for the future, but it was a city of criminals. It held the record for the highest number of crimes reported in a day. Adjusting my hat, I decided to take a stroll around the city and explore its landmarks.

"Hah, there's the 'Bat-Signal.' Looks amusing," I voiced my thoughts aloud, calmly waiting for someone to approach me from behind and press the muzzle against my head.

"Hand over all your money."

I raised my hands demonstratively and turned slowly to face the speaker with a slight smile. It turned out to be some middle-aged thug with a revolver. His face was too ordinary and unremarkable. He wore a dark jacket and old brown pants. Judging by his level, he didn't possess any special skills, just an ordinary member of the local riffraff.

"I've only been in the city for fifteen minutes, and I'm already greeted with open arms. I'm new here! Could you give me a little tour?"

"A 'tour'?! What are you talking about?"

"You see, I'm a Mage! And as luck would have it, you won't get a cent from me without my consent."

He cocked the gun.

"Then you're about to..."

"Hold on, hold on! I haven't finished yet! I have a whole bunch of money! Look!" I created a stack of green bills out of thin air to impress my not-so-bright "friend."

"Give me more!"

"But-but! I told you I need a guide, and judging by your appearance, you're an experienced and skilled guy, not someone like me who can be easily robbed!" I allowed myself to approach him from the side and pat his shoulder, just like a true admirer.

"Well... I'm not exactly skilled..."

Oh God, he even blushed. The main thing is not to burst into laughter; otherwise, my whole act would be in vain.

"Don't underestimate your achievements. So, shall we help each other? I'll help you, and you'll help me. Seems like a fair deal. What do you say?" And for extra motivation, I pulled another stack of green bills from my spatial pocket.

"Deal!" He holstered his gun. I barely had time to react before another wad of money was greedily snatched from my hands and stashed in his jacket's hidden pocket.

"You're a strange one, kid."

"I'm Alex T. Keeper. You can just call me Alex. And what's your name?"

"I... Bill. Just Bill."

Apparently, his name wasn't real. That would explain why he stumbled before introducing himself.

"Alright, 'Bill,'" I commented with a slight smirk. "Can you tell me what's going on here?"

"Well, since you're a mage and can conjure money out of thin air, listen up..."

As we strolled through the city at a leisurely pace, he explained the city's local structure to me. It turns out that the city's police force was just one sphere of influence in Gotham and not the most influential one, which was the most interesting part. The Penguin, Two-Face, Bane, Riddler, Black Mask, and, of course, the Joker were just the most famous representatives of the major criminal syndicates. There were also smaller factions and lesser-known psychopaths in the city. In general, there were those who had their own gangs and lone wolves. I asked him the question that had intrigued me from the beginning of our conversation.

"Why doesn't the law enforcement and the country's president send reinforcements to restore order in the city?" He chuckled slightly, as if hearing a joke, took a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket, and lit one with his lighter.

"Yeah, because it's not in their interest. Up top, there are corrupt politicians who only care about sitting on their golden toilets. Spending resources to cut off their own income? No, they won't go for that, as this system has already taken deep root in the country. Now, with the city's influence being so immense, not even the President of the United States can do anything about it. And no one wants to escalate things into an all-out gang war because that would have far worse consequences..."

"What about Batman?"

"Ah, Bat-Face. He does try to help people and thwart criminals, but he can't be everywhere at once. It could be that while he's dealing with one gang, another successfully smuggles contraband elsewhere. So, he might clean the city from one group, but in doing so, he strengthens another. People here either work for money or an ideology. I don't understand the latter, and I don't want to. It seems that those who've lost everything in life seek salvation in madness..."

"Do you know the Joker?"

"You're quite the researcher, I see."

"Just heard a few things. Where I come from, I heard a lot of different scary stories. Come on, spill the beans!" He smirked and then grew serious.

"No, I don't know him, and I haven't worked with... him. Nobody works with the Joker. To him, people are just toys, and if he gets bored with a toy, he simply discards it. When I worked for the Penguin, I only glimpsed his group of lunatics out of the corner of my eye."

"So, you were one of Penguin's guys?"

"I said 'worked.' I was his bodyguard about a month ago. Then I quit because the last assignment was too risky. Don't take it personally, kid, but I can't tell you about him."

"I understand. Everyone has their secrets."

We stopped by a fountain with a monument to a man and a woman, dedicated to deceased billionaires. The inscription read: 'In memory of Thomas and Martha Wayne.' Somewhere nearby, there must be that alley. Ah, there's a movie theater nearby.

"Of all the sights, I only know this place, but I guess that's not what interested you, right?" He grumbled darkly, tossing his half-smoked cigarette away. "You know, kid, I'm not stupid. I've always had some strange sixth sense. It always told me what to do and how. When it says to run, I run, and when it says to shoot, I shoot. And now, standing here in front of you, I realize that I've seriously messed up by meeting you. If you're a mage, you wouldn't let yourself get robbed for anything. It's like you're enjoying the show, just like that clown..."

"Well, there's a bit of that," I shrugged, spreading my arms with a mischievous smile.

"And now I'm sure you're thinking of finishing me off after all this."

"Well, I won't deny it. That was my original plan," I nodded affirmatively at his guess. I was curious to see how someone like him would get out of such a dire situation.

"I think returning your money would be a good start to negotiations," he said, pulling the money from his inner pocket and handing it to me. I didn't rush to put it back in my inventory.

"Tell me honestly, Alex, what do you want?"

"Hmm... I don't even know," I replied as I playfully walked along the edge of the fountain. "I suppose I'm looking for... trials, if you will. I want to see, and maybe even talk to, the legends of this city. And also test my powers. Yes, I think that's it."

"Another crazy one. Although that's just a characteristic of this city. Gotham constantly feels like a magnet, attracting psychos and never letting them go. There's something... mystical about all this."

"I didn't expect to find a philosopher in you, Bill," I said, slightly amused. But clearly, humor was not on his agenda right now, as we hadn't yet started our invisible negotiations for his life.

"I know the location of a bar where several prominent figures of this city are planning to meet, but..."

"But?"

"They won't let you in without a password."

"And you know it, I assume?"

"Y-yes, and I'm willing to tell you it to save my life."

"Hmm, you know, I'm taking quite a risk here. What guarantees do I have that everything you're telling me is the truth?"

"I'm not lying! I might be a pathetic thug, but when my life is on the line, lying doesn't make sense to me!"

The fire and determination in his eyes convinced me that he was indeed telling the truth.

"You do understand that in case of anything, I, with my unique magical abilities, will find you and ensure the most agonizing death, right?" I jumped right in front of him and approached almost closely, trying to find any hint of doubt, fear, or uncertainty. No, just pure determination. Impressive for a reject with no abilities.

"Fine, I agree."

"The bar is on the west side of the port. The password is Gray Fox."

"Well, I think it's time for us to part ways. Oh, and by the way!" I counted exactly a thousand dollars from the overall stack of money and forcibly stuffed them into his pocket. "This is for the tour. I did learn almost everything I wanted and even more. My advice to you: if next time you want to rob someone, take a good look at them first," I removed my hat in front of him and, smiling like a fox, gave a polite bow. "People with green hair and a smile like mine are the most dangerous."

As soon as he finished speaking, he... disappeared in an instant. There were no traces or hints of his existence. Only the money I put in his pocket spoke of his real existence.

"Phew... that was close. As if we didn't have enough clowns around, another one shows up. I need to go to the nearest bar and drink until I lose consciousness."

The main storyline has been launched!!!

More than a Hero, more than a Villain, or even above both...?

Defeat or kill one of the influential representatives of the city. Each of your actions will increase or decrease points for both sides. Leaving the Gotham location will automatically complete the task!

Reward: +1 Level, +20 World Reputation, Item: [???], Access to "Dungeons" unlocked.

Failure: You will become one of many who tried to make a name for themselves but failed. Access to "Dungeons" unlocked.

Interestingly, in both cases, access to the Dungeons is unlocked. Dungeons, or as they are also called, "Underground," in online RPGs are the main source of experience, money, and rare items. They are filled with various types of enemies and several Mini-Bosses. Completing a Dungeon could only be done after defeating its final boss. The problem was that to clear such Dungeons, you needed either one or several high-level players who would simply clear all the rooms and bosses for you, or, in most cases, just gather a team of suitable level and equipment for its clearance. The most famous strategy consisted of the eternal triangle: Tank-DD-Healer. The Tank absorbed damage and provoked enemies. The DD (Damage Dealer) dealt the main damage, and the Healer, as you can easily guess, healed, buffed, and brought them back to the battlefield. In my situation, it turns out that I alone will have to completely clear the Dungeon and, at the same time, kill the final boss, without having any idea who I will encounter, what abilities and equipment my opponents and the boss will have. It's very risky and dangerous to go there unprepared, so I'll just leave a note.

I did find the bar in the port area, near the city washed by the Atlantic Ocean. It looked like something out of those old Western movies. The only thing that was completely metallic was the door, with a rectangular insert around eye level. I knocked on the door a few times, after which the insert shifted to the side, and...

"Kid...? What the hell are you doing here?! Get lost!"

Argh, I feel like they're going to call me "kid" for a long time. I think everything will change if I somehow suddenly grow up. Or maybe I'll use Time for that...? No, I'm not too proficient in it yet, and I can't predict the consequences. What if I age myself by fifty years? Forget it!

In the meantime, I snapped back to reality.

"Hey, hey! That's rude, you know. I heard there was a little gathering here, so I decided to just take a look and maybe participate in all of this. I even know the password - 'Gray-Fox.' Isn't that

enough?"

"I don't know where you heard the password, but according to the rules, invited guests shouldn't have weapons, and if you have any, we'll just confiscate it. Do you understand?"

"Of course."

The door opened abruptly, and when I walked inside, another guy on the left quickly checked me.

"He's clean..."

"Are you sure you checked everything?"

"I'm not going to check his ass. I'm not one of those, Carlos."

I smirked at the scene and wondered if he was joking or not. Fortunately, his partner chose not to respond and just rolled his eyes tiredly. I think if he had insisted on a "full" check, I would have knocked both of their heads for such a joke.

Inside was more spacious than I had imagined. There was a bar counter, numerous wooden chairs and tables, with several celebrities of the city seated at them. Over there... The short stature Penguin, calmly observing etiquette, was eating raw fish with a silver knife and fork; his elongated nose and the monocle in his left eye immediately gave him away. Around him, there was some sort of mafia dressed in brown suits and fedoras similar to mine.

On the other side of the wooden table sat the Black Mask, and oddly enough, he did indeed wear a black skull mask that seemed to be his face. It looked remarkably realistic. He was dressed in an expensive white tuxedo with pants divided into two halves: black and white, with a red rose on his chest. His security was much more impressive, consisting mostly of identical men in black suits.

Sitting alone in the middle was the famous Two-Face or Harvey Dent, who, in his preferred manner, flipped a coin. He looked quite distinctive: a tuxedo and pants divided into two halves - black and white. His face appeared as if someone had poured acid on one side, looking horribly both boiled and charred. It was astonishing that one of his eyes had somehow remained in place.

"Mind if I join you...?" He tossed the coin and, looking at the result, calmly and hoarsely replied, "You can sit."

"Pleasure to meet you, Harvey, or are you not Harvey now? Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I just wanted to get acquainted with one of the most famous criminals in the city."

"Harvey... Yes, I remember who Harvey Dent is. The fool who believed that everything could be fixed with words and dreams, when, in the end, it's stupid... honest... and just chance that decides for us. To destroy Evil, you need Power, and to get power, you need weapons, and to get weapons, you need money. That's why I decided to become a criminal in order to later become an instrument of justice."

"I'm curious, does your system work on all decisions or specific ones? It's so inconvenient to keep flipping a coin."

"Only in complex ones, where Harvey and I struggle to make final decisions."

"Was it really a complex decision for me to sit next to you?"

"Yes, your smile reminded me of him. I wanted to wipe it off your face with a bullet."

"You're such a sweet and honest guy," I smirked. "Listen, what about your 'friend' Batman, and he...?"

"Batman...? Friend...? Yes, I remember. He doesn't understand, doesn't want to understand, hasn't looked as deep as I have, so he's always against me. I don't blame him. I never blamed... Bruce, forgive me," he whispered into the void, and a single tear escaped from his lone eye, which he quickly wiped away. I think it's best not to bring up this topic. For the sake of Bruce Wayne's safety. Why am I starting to feel sympathy for him like this? Well, probably because Harvey Dent in my vision doesn't look like a terrible maniac. He looks like a broken man with a split personality.

"I want to kill him so badly. I remember wanting to strangle him with my own hands!" And now, his alter ego is speaking. He raised his gaze to me, and his tone immediately shifted to calm and cold. "Strange. In your eyes, I see understanding. As if you know something I don't and have seen something others haven't. Enemy or friend...? Perhaps both at once. I don't understand, don't want to understand, want money. Yes, only with money can you achieve everything."

I didn't expect this version of Harvey Dent to have a code for "eradicating Evil." I thought his alter ego would simply always dominate him and lead him to ordinary bank robberies for profit. But here, he has created a great purpose for himself. Or perhaps this is just Two-Face's simple trick to manipulate Harvey? Well, let's forget about it. I have no desire to delve further into his personalities.

"Listen, Harvey, let's test your commitment. Have you ever played Russian roulette?"

"Heard of it. Well, let's check it out," he said, reaching into the inner pocket of his suit, removing all but one bullet from the revolver, and, spinning the cylinder, he brought the muzzle to his temple without a hint of doubt.

Click

Our game attracted local criminals, and now a small circle had formed around us. Everyone, like animals, was excitedly waiting to see which one of us would end up lying on the floor as a lifeless body with a shattered head from the .44 Magnum pistol.

I took the revolver in my hand and, with a cunning smile, said to the audience, "You know, let me make it easier for you," as I, with a sly grin, placed the gun against my temple and pulled the trigger three times.

Click, click, click!

The audience erupted in admiration. "There are your 50%," I handed him the revolver, and judging by his slightly sweaty and anxious face, he was clearly struggling with the decision. He turned to the coin again for help.

"Harvey... this time, there's no point in asking it. After all, it's an honest game. 50-50, or are you willing to break your word? The code, or whatever you call it?"

"No, I never break that rule," he said with absolute certainty, putting the coin back in his inner pocket, and he pressed the barrel to his temple.

Click

At the last moment, he turned the barrel toward me.

"I'm disappointed, Two-Face," I said sadly, looking at his shocked face and how he checked the bullet in the cylinder. It was in place and now occupied the last spot in the cylinder.

"You decided to make a move for me, and now you must face the consequences," I said darkly, crossing my arms in front of me like a house. "Or we can just forget about this game! What do you say?" I abruptly and cheerfully addressed the audience, causing the others to start dispersing disappointedly.

"Hey! Come on! It was fun!"

"I... I'm sorry, Alex. I broke the promise I made to myself."

"Don't worry about such trivial things, Harvey. People aren't machines, and not everything can be decided with a coin toss. After all, by fearing your own death, you broke it to continue living with your dream of a better world. So, if you ever have difficulties in making a choice, don't rush to decide with a simple coin toss. You're a human being, right? Whether you're Two-Face, Harvey Dent, or the Messiah of Justice. You're a human. Remember that."

"Breaking a promise to be human...? Yes, that sounds interesting. Thank you, Alex. We... appreciate it."

Relationship with Harvey Dent/Two-Face

+100 (Someone I can trust) / +50 (Perfect fit for the role of my subordinate)

He even has a divided relationship rating. And why am I not surprised?

Reputation among villains +10

The secret of our game was that when the gun was handed to me, I simply stopped time and placed the bullet in the last chamber of the cylinder. In the first scenario, I would either confirm his faith and thus become living proof of his being the Agent of his Faith. In the second, I would slightly alter his concept of his favorite rule of 50-50 and still become his friend or someone he could trust. Thus, there was no loser in this game from the start. True, his first move was slightly unexpected, and if it had been lethal, it would have been quite a disaster. Well, that would have been entirely his fault.

The silence in the bar didn't last long because a new guest persistently knocked on the door.

"Who's that?"

"I heard there's a party going on here! Open up already!"

This voice was too recognizable, even considering that I had never seen this person before. I didn't expect him to have Mark Hamill's voice here as well. Judging by the expressions on the faces of everyone present, they recognized the voice too. As soon as they opened the door, he walked in... the Joker. Purple suit, white gloves, pale skin, his unmistakably terrifying smile, and those insane green eyes. His beloved partner Harley was nowhere to be seen, either because she hadn't joined him yet or for some other reason.

Out of curiosity, I decided to use my Observation skill to assess the situation.

Name: Joker

Real Name: John Doe

Age: 32 years

Titles: Serial Killer, Cannibal, The Man with Nothing to Lose, Agent of Chaos

Race: Human

Class: Assassin

Level: 56

Professions: Madman, Executor of Chaos

Strength: 45

Dexterity: 58

Luck: ??? - impossible to calculate

Intuition: ??? - impossible to calculate

Willpower: 160

Wisdom: 120

Constitution: 70

Endurance: 50

Charisma: 99

Intelligence: 200

Special Traits: Indomitable Will, Mad Genius, Master of Escapes, Tactical Analysis, Master of Disguise, Black Luck, Immunity to Poisons, Pain Resistance, Infected Blood, Uncontrollable and Unpredictable, Pawn in the Great Plan

Skills: Master of Hand-to-Hand Combat, Master of Cold Weapons, Master of Torture

Is this even a human being? Although, according to some data, not quite an ordinary human. Well, I'll go introduce myself. You don't get to meet people like this every day.