Chapter 215: Chapter 215: Alive
Tap, tap, tap...
A short and chubby man in a tuxedo appeared in front of Mr. Combustible.
He had a sharp nose that resembled a penguin's beak.
Mr. Combustible called him "boss," so it was definitely the Penguin. He is thought to have died during the Man-Bat Virus rampage that night.
Jim's guess was correct; the Penguin survived.
"Tell me, what's that shameless traitor Ignatius up to lately?"
The Penguin asked with a shadowed face.
"Him? He's been making quite a few big moves lately, but..."
Mr. Combustible hesitated.
"But?"
The Penguin's expression darkened when he noticed Mr. Combustible's hesitation.
"But I can't figure out what he's really trying to do."
Mr. Combustible immediately replied while sensing the Penguin's displeasure.
The Penguin remained silent to let him continue.
"After Ignatius declared himself Emperor Penguin, he started deploying people to commit various bizarre crimes."
Mr. Combustible explained.
"He first sent a bunch of hired thugs to attack the Starlabs. They only took a batch of experimental health supplements. Then he hired Victor Zsasz to kill people everywhere, indiscriminately. However, the next day, Batman angrily broke Zsasz's limbs. But Zsasz didn't reveal he was hired; after all, he's a psycho who enjoys killing, whether hired or not."
"Finally, just two days ago, Emperor Penguin had a few of us with some superpowers rob a bank within 35 minutes. Yes, you heard it right—from giving the order to bringing back the money, it took only 35 minutes. Even if we all combined, that time was barely enough to get around 30 million in cash. Who knows what he needs that money for?"
Mr. Combustible complained while confused by Ignatius's actions.
"And also..."
Before he could finish, the Penguin rudely interrupted him.
"Shut up!"
The Penguin stared intensely at Mr. Combustible while revealing his murderous behavior.
"What did you just say, Emperor Penguin? Who allowed you to use that title? Ignatius is nothing more than a traitor lower than a dog!"
"Yes, yes, boss,"
Mr. Combustible stammered and was startled by the sudden anger of the Penguin.
"Remember this, lightbulb head, Ignatius is just Ignatius, not Emperor Penguin! Gotham can only have one penguin, and that's me! Oswald Cobblepot!"
The Penguin declared it with a sinister expression.
The gaze seemed fixed on Mr. Combustible but also as if directed at someone else.
Mr. Combustible was intimidated by the Penguin's aura and nervously swallowed.
"Continue, anything else?"
Suddenly, the Penguin spoke and urged Mr. Combustible to continue the unfinished topic.
"Actions like waging wars against other rebellious factions, suppressing dissent, Emperor... Ignatius did a lot of that. Our Penguin Gang's large influence temporarily quieted all the other groups that were fighting, but it's clear that this will only lead to fierce retaliation."
Mr. Combustible quickly added while speaking faster than before.
"Attacking Star Labs, hiring killers, robbing banks, gang wars... Ignatius has swiftly executed numerous significant moves despite recently rising to power. Although none of the tasks took long, they all came with huge risks."
"Don't let Ignatius' current success fool you. If he keeps this up, he won't be able to sustain his rule for long."
After hearing Mr. Combustible's account, the Penguin deeply furrowed his brow.
In his view, Ignatiu's recent actions might seem fine, but doing so many things at once without proper handling was a terrible move.
The Penguin couldn't think of any other result besides Ignatius planning his own death.
Penguin didn't believe Ignatius, who betrayed him, could be a fool; these seemingly suicidal actions must hide some secret.
After pondering for a moment, the Penguin asked, "During these days, what has Ignatius done personally?"
"Sorry, boss, I don't know. Ignatius is very cautious about his whereabouts. It's likely that he stays at the Iceberg Lounge. However, nobody is aware of his whereabouts once he leaves."
Mr. Combustible replied apologetically.
The Penguin stroked his chin while squinting slightly. His intuition told him that Ignatius was definitely scheming something.
"What about Batman? Where is he in all of this? It seems like Ignatius has provoked Batman because he is causing so much trouble.
The Penguin suddenly asked.
"Not long ago, Batman did come to see him, but he left quickly. It's said that Ignatius's face was swollen for a long time that day. It's unclear what they discussed, but Batman began relentlessly hunting down Mosaic, and it's been ongoing until now."
Mr. Combustible answered.
"Mosaic?"
The Penguin's eyes flickered. He knew that Ignatius was behind the scenes of the Man-Bat Virus.
When Ignatius used the umbrella to shoot lasers during the relentless pursuit by the Man-Bats, the Penguin became convinced that Ignatius was involved with the Man-Bats Virus.
However, this was his own knowledge; others were unaware of this matter.
There was only one person who could temporarily make Batman stop fighting crime, and that person was the mastermind behind the Man-Bat Virus.
Anyone could figure out that Ignatius was definitely putting the blame on Mosaic with just a little thought.
Batman wouldn't kindly ask Mosaic if he did it because that's not kind of him. However, Mosaic wasn't completely innocent either.
He wouldn't happily inquire why Batman was after him.
Before Mosaic was caught and beaten by Batman, there were few things that could distract Batman.
This is why Batman's wrath was directed at only Victor Zsasz, the most serious of Ignatius's schemes.
Everything else went according to his plan.
But here's the issue: Mosaic knows how to escape.
He couldn't avoid Batman's pursuit for long. At that point, Ignatius would have to face a determined Batman.
Gotham City didn't want to see Batman in that state. Ignatius couldn't be clueless about this fact, yet he still proceeded.
"It feels like Ignatius urgently needs time. He'd rather face a more significant backlash in the future. He must squeeze out this time..."
Suddenly, a gleam flashed in the Penguin's eyes.
"I'm afraid Ignatiu's unknown plan has entered its final stage. Regardless, he needs a secure time and place, even if it's just a few days."
...
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