Chapter 186: Rebel

"Learn as if you will live forever and live like you will die tomorrow."

- Mahatma Gandhi

...

[Name: Roman Sionis (Black Mask)

Occupation: Founder of the False Face Society

Personality: mentally unstable.

Abilities: proficiency in hand-to-hand combat, proficiency in marksmanship; proficiency in interrogation, mind control.

Evaluation: Black Mask's madness has granted him peak human physical abilities and extraordinary criminal skills. He will become one of the most formidable figures in the criminal underworld.]

[Note: Black Mask's mind-control ability comes from his mask, which invisibly influences human thoughts. Except for those with exceptionally strong willpower.]

After activating Mystic Eyes, Dean quickly gained a rough understanding of Black Mask's information.

To his surprise, Black Mask had superpowers!

Moreover, it was a mental ability that couldn't be seen or touched, which made it extremely troublesome to deal with.

It's no wonder that many ruthless criminals in Blackgate Prison are willing to follow Black Mask, not only because of shared interests but also due to his powerful ability.

"Black Mask's mask seems to be made from his father's coffin wood, right? What kind of wood is that, and how can it affect the human mind?"

For a moment, Dean considered asking Black Mask where he bought his father's coffin. He wanted to buy one, too.

Oh, it's not necessary. Just tell him what kind of wood the coffin is made of, and Dean will go through the trouble of cutting it himself.

'It feels a bit tricky...'

Dean pondered.

Black Mask's other abilities weren't that important, but it was the mind control that Dean wasn't confident in dealing with.

Although the information from Mystic Eyes indicated that as long as the willpower was strong enough, they could ignore Black Mask's mind control, the term "strong willpower" was a bit ambiguous.

Does it require a level of willpower like Batman's, or is a strong will within the range of an average person?

There wasn't much reason, but Dean instinctively felt that in this world, the fist was more likely to be the case.

"Hmm... just to be safe, I'll change to a disposable mental protection charm."

After some thought, Dean decided to increase his room for mistakes and give Black Mask a little surprise from the system.

Mental protection items were not cheap; even a one-time-use mental charm required one thousand five hundred amazement points.

This charm would instantly activate when it sensed outside mental control in the person wearing it.

It would then surround them with an invisible shield of protection, which made them immune to all mental control for thirty seconds.

Once the aura was formed, the charm would be completely damaged and could not be repaired.

It's not that Dean necessarily needed the charm to deal with Black Mask, but it was a protective measure for worst-case scenarios.

After all, no one could predict the future, and if Dean got mentally controlled, there might not even be a chance to get help from the system.

Facing the currently insane Black Mask, Dean couldn't afford to show any flaws; otherwise, he would be walking into a death trap.

Dean puts on a mental protection charm and hides it under his clothes before disappearing into the darkness.

...

Meanwhile, while the rest of Gotham is caught up in the chaos of the riot, the Diamond District remains relatively calm, especially inside the Iceberg Lounge.

A few of the Penguins' top leaders gather in the meeting room, the atmosphere carrying a quiet tension.

Ignatius Ogilvy stood beside the position of the Penguin's chair while holding a umbrella similar to the one Penguin often used. The clothes today were different from usual.

He wore a clean, high-end suit with a fur coat on top, and his hair was styled into a slicked-back look, and he even wore a black monocle.

He looks like... a skinnier version of the Penguin.

Ignatius' new look raises some eyebrows among the other Penguin's top leaders, which mad them wary and suspicious.

"What do you mean by this, Ignatius?"

One of the leaders couldn't contain his irritation and questioned Ignatius harshly.

"We came to the meeting room to discuss our next move in the boss's absence, and yet you made us wait for so long just to change your clothes. What's your intention?"

"What do I want?"

Ignatius raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly.

"Like I said, I want to discuss our next plan with all of you."

"Why did you specifically change into clothes that make you look like... the boss?"

The leader continued to probe.

Ignatius pondered for a moment and then said, "That's a good question."

He then put on a serious expression and continued, "Gentlemen, Roman Sionis has gone mad. The insane actions of Black Mask have caused riots throughout Gotham."

"You've all lived in this city for so many years; surely you understand how dangerous Gotham becomes during riots?"

"Now, our boss has personally gone to fight against Black Mask with his men. If something were to happen... like getting shot in the head by a stray bullet..."

At this point, Ignatius heaved a sigh.

"Then, who should inherit this huge Penguin's Empire, this luxurious Iceberg Lounge?"

At this moment, Ignatius revealed a smile that seemed to suggest he was the only one fit for the role.

He opened his arms and said, "Of course, it would be me, the personal secretary, who has planned everything behind the scenes for him!"

"I will inherit the boss's title and become the new Penguin of this city... No, to show my gratitude for the boss's mentorship and promotion, I will go even further and truly take control of this city!"

"I won't be an uncrowned underground king; I will be the true King of Gotham!"

Bang!

As soon as Ignatius finished speaking, several of the leaders at the meeting table angrily slammed their hands on the table and stood up.

The one who initially confronted Ignatius even pulled out his gun.

"Ignaitus, are you trying to betray the boss?"

"Don't make it sound so harsh,"

Ignatius replied and waved his hand dismissively.

"I've been working hard for the boss all these years, doing all the dirty work without complaint. Now, I'm just worried about the future of the Penguin's Empire. How can you call that betrayal?"

Clearly, no one would believe his words.

"Hmph! Ignatius, I guess you want us to betray the boss together, but unfortunately, you've miscalculated."

The leader with the gun coldly snorted, "You shouldn't have spoken those words while in the same meeting room with us, because the next second you'll be dead by my gun."

He began to pull the trigger.

Bang!

A gunshot echoed in the room.

However, it wasn't Ignatius who took the bullet; it was the leader.

In his final moments, he thought he had the opportunity to shoot Ignatius, but he didn't realize that Ignatius must have had help if he was brave enough to tell these Penguin's gang leaders about his plans.

Ignatius clapped his hands, and footsteps echoed in response.

Immediately, a dozen gunmen appeared in the meeting room and aimed their guns at the remaining leaders.

"Forget to tell you, at this moment, the Iceberg Lounge is full of my people."

Ignatius said calmly.

"You think seizing power is that easy? The boss won't spare you!"

After seeing how badly the other leader had died, the other leaders were afraid to act quickly and didn't immediately surrender to Ignatius.

The other leaders warned him and brought up the Penguin.

"Hmph."

To their surprise, when they brought up the Penguin, Ignatius not only showed no fear but even laughed coldly.

"I already said it; tonight Gotham is dangerous. Even if it's the Penguin, it's not strange for him to die in some intense firefight."

Ignatius no longer hid his ambitions and didn't even call the Penguin the boss anymore.

"The Penguin is getting old, and he's lost the ruthlessness that brought him from the bottom to the top. He's too scared to even make a sound when he sees Batman. Is this the boss you honor like a leader?"

Ignatius sneered.

"I'm telling you all this because I see potential in your abilities. It's such a waste for you to continue working with that old Penguin."

"Follow me, and I'll make you unimaginable wealth and grant you powers beyond your dreams."

Ignatius extended an invitation to the remaining gang leaders.

Only two relatively younger leaders nodded and joined Ignatius's recruitment.

The remaining three or four leaders looked at Ignatius expressionlessly and spoke at the same time with emotionless expressions.

"Ignatius, you'll regret betraying the boss's trust."

As several gunshots echoed, those who refused to cooperate with Ignatius were all killed by his hands.

"First time using the umbrella laser gun; not bad."

Ignatius said something satisfied as he blew the heat off the tip of his umbrella.

"Now, what should we do? Mr. Ignatius?"

The two surrendering leaders asked nervously.

"Mr. Ogilvy?"

"Oh no, it's the boss, the boss!"

Ignatius nodded and then smiled mysteriously, "Next, let's spread terror throughout the entire city."

"What do you mean?"

The two new subordinates exchanged puzzled glances.

"I've been planning this day for a long time, but I didn't expect someone like Black Mask to suddenly appear."

Ignatius didn't answer their questions but continued with even more puzzling words, "Black Mask has started a major riot in Gotham, which created a unique opportunity for my plan."

At that moment, Ignatius changed the subject, saying, "The two of you, I have a task for you now."

It surprised both of them to get a task so soon after joining.

Did Ignatius really trust them? Or did he value their abilities that much?

They worked hard for years under the Penguin but were only given small jobs as bosses. They had a hard time getting a job when they first joined because no one paid any attention to them.

Now, Ignatius was personally assigning them a task. The shame of betraying the Penguin and joining Ignatius' side seemed to vanish.

But in the next moment, Ignatius's words left them feeling like they wanted to die on the spot.

"I need the two of you to deliver a message to that old Penguin. Let him know everything that just happened, and tell him that I will soon replace his position. Gotham doesn't need two Penguins!"

...

Meanwhile, Black Mask led hundreds of his False Face Society along the banks of the Finger River, searching for any traces left behind by Bruce Wayne earlier.

To find a person, they couldn't have too many people gathered in one place. They split up, staying about ten meters apart as they looked for Bruce over a large area.

"Hey! Come over here; I found Bruce Wayne's live streaming location!"

Suddenly, a shout came from nearby.

A dozen of Black Mask's men followed him as he rushed to the source of the sound with joy in his eyes.

The rest of the henchmen also heard the sound and started heading in that direction, but their positions were too spread out, and it would take time to regroup.

It didn't take long for Black Mask to arrive at the source of the sound. The environment of the trees faintly resembled the background of Bruce Wayne's live stream.

Of course, a forest pretty much looked the same no matter where you were, and it wasn't enough to prove that this was where Bruce had broadcast.

What really confirmed it was the dozens of cameras placed in the middle of the forest, along with many other pieces of equipment that one couldn't understand at first glance but somehow knew they were broadcasting equipment piled next to them.

It was hard to believe how many of these things there were—almost as many as in a small studio.

The convergence point of the upper and lower streams of the Finger River was less than thirty meters away. This was a place with fast-moving water, and the sound of it was very clear.

This perfectly matched the situation of Bruce's recent live broadcast.

At this moment, a man wearing a white skull mask stood in front of the broadcasting equipment and excitedly said to Black Mask.

"Boss, this is definitely where Bruce Wayne did his live streaming. He couldn't have gone far. If we search outward from here, we should be able to find him soon."

"Your observation skills are good. What's your name?"

"I'm Lucas Walker, boss."

The man in the white skull mask replied respectfully.

"I'm not asking for your name; I'm asking for your true self."

Black Mask made an expression that showed he wasn't happy with his subordinate's answer.

"Listen carefully. The masks grant us power. They awaken the soul hidden deep within us. Your mask is your true self."

Black Mask looked around at his henchmen and then turned back to Lucas.

"Understood, boss. My true self is the White Skull."

...

patreon.com/Sothisq

You can find up to 20 advance chapters on my patreon.

DROP MORE POWER STONES