Chapter 746 Shadows Everywhere (Part 2) _2

In the middle of the conversation, a waiter suddenly walked in, he leaned in and whispered a few words to Cobblepot, his face filled with a look of lingering fear. Cobblepot glanced at him and then smilingly said to the others:

"A newly opened restaurant always faces various troubles, doesn't it? An untrained newbie shattered a sculpture in my office and now he's crying about it. I need to go sort this out, please continue chatting…"

After speaking, he turned to leave and as the room's door closed, Mr. Whit shook his head and said, "The boss is humorous and witty, but unfortunately, he lacks foresight in business..."

The others all nodded in agreement, but Cobblepot who had already gone upstairs didn't hear any of it.

Arriving at his top-floor office, a dark figure stood by the window. The waiter, stationed at the door, pointed a trembling finger at the figure and said to Cobblepot, "Boss, should we call for help? That looks like Batman…"

"No need, you leave first, I'd like a word with him alone." said Cobblepot.

"But, didn't the newspaper say Batman is a bloodthirsty child killer? Boss, we should really call for help." The waiter peeked into through the door, his voice shaky.

Cobblepot stared at him, the waiter's voice grew softer until he fell silent. Once he'd turned and walked away, he motioned to Cobblepot that he was "on call" should he need him.

Cobblepot walked into the room and knocked on his desk, then looked at Batman and asked, "What brings you here?"

"What did you do?" Batman asked in return.

Cobblepot silently stared at him. Batman then spoke again: "You are fabricating news to defame me. The editor of the newspaper told me, you requested the publication of that article."

Batman, didn't you think you could lose to me and not pay the price?" Cobblepot said with a cold laugh, "We both know, you've lost, this is the price you have to pay; defeat and disgrace, condemned by the public."

"You're fabricating the truth and framing me intentionally," Batman said.

Cobblepot lowered his head and then raised it again to look at Batman, "Am I not speaking the truth? You caused the death of that child. Her body should now be buried in a grave in the suburbs of Gotham City."

"Furthermore, the conditions of those children you sent to hospital haven't improved. One of them has fallen into shock. He's in critical care and if unexpected, he might not be able to be saved."

"Please don't tell me that the righteous and great Batman doesn't consider this as a failure," Cobblepot said as he knocked on the table lightly with his hands, "Before you came here, you should have investigated my restaurant. The children I've taken are thriving."

"Sure, they are still undernourished, work every day, and receive no salary, but you can go and try to take them away. If you succeed, you win." Cobblepot challenged Batman with a provoking look.

Batman wouldn't easily fall into such a trap. Cobblepot was encouraging him to abduct people publicly, which would confirm his negative reputation. Batman walked over, stared into Cobblepot's eyes, and said, "Regardless, fabricating facts and distorting reports is a crime."

"Are you planning to arrest me?" Cobblepot bared his teeth at Batman then suddenly turned around and ran out of the room.

Batman's anger reached boiling point. He directly chased after him. Cobblepot was more accustomed to the layout of the building. He ran down the staircase swiftly while Batman collided with a waiter on the way and didn't see him scrambling to reach for a phone.

Upon reaching the fifth floor, Cobblepot stumbled and fell in the corridor. His cry of pain drew the attention of several guests whose doors flew open.

At this moment, Batman rushed down. He grabbed Cobblepot's collar, ready to hit him.

As his fist swung toward Cobblepot's face, Cobblepot began to scream before any contact was made. The guests joined in the commotion. Batman heard the all too familiar voice of lady Gothic, his neighbor, screaming:

"Good Lord! It's Mr. Oswald! He's being held hostage by Batman, quick, call someone! This is the Spense Family's domain, call their people over!!!'

"Batman! What are you doing?! Dare you murder the owner of this restaurant in public? Are you out of your mind?!!"

"Hurry up, call the police! The Gotham Police Department is not as useless as before! They have heavy firepower! Dial the number! Tell them Batman is murdering someone!!!"

Batman hasn't even touched Cobblepot, yet Cobblepot rolled on the floor screaming. The guests further away had no clear view of what was happening, but they began yelling nonetheless.

Batman glanced at them, let go of Cobblepot, and after a cold look, he jumped out of the window.

Ten minutes later, Gordon opened the door to the rooftop and walked towards Batman, who was standing on the edge of the building. He sighed and asked, "Batman, what was reported and what just happened, what's the truth?"

Batman stood silently at the edge of the rooftop. Gordon walked over and said, "You have crossed a line today. A lot of high-profile individuals witnessed your actions; they feel threatened by you and have put hefty pressure on the Gotham Police Department demanding an investigation into your actions."