...

Chapter 31: The Weakness

...

"Now be a dear and tell me what these words mean."

"Trigon?"

"Say what now?"

Her face was that of horror and fear, one that soon turned into anger. Her rage blinded her as she screamed and hissed, "You're one of his Dogs! I will kill you!"

However, try as she might, she couldn't lift her hand for they were destroyed. She was struck, unable to move despite her overwhelming desire to.

Someone once worshiped as a god was in such a state. The answer is quite simple, "You're no God huh... A demon? A devil? Or perhaps a human cursed by Trigon? However..."

A smile surfaced on Ian's face, one that soon turned to laugher, loud laugher of elation, happiness, and excitement.

'I might not be giving myself enough credit, I was smart enough to detect the peculiarity of the scroll... Nah, it was probably just luck.'

He didn't let happiness blind him, and got his usual self back. He then looked at the demon before him and whispered, "You see, I have an interest in the scroll and would appreciate it if you tell me what these words mean,"

Her fury however only got stronger as she trashed around to the best of her ability.

Ian frowned before adding, "By the way, I don't work for Trigon, else I wouldn't be asking you about this, so speak."

However, she got even more worked up as she bellowed, "Lair! You demons are all liars! Why don't you just die! I Thoth Khepera am the master of life and death, yet again! This is happening again!"

And then she started trashing even more, in a crazed state as if she has lost her mind.

'So her power or whatever doesn't work on me, understandable. However, just what has Trigon done to her to make just the mere presence of his name drive her mind into insanity? Sounds like a dangerous entity... Yeah, sounds like fun.'

Her power failing to affect him didn't surprise him much, he was counting on that. Her mastery of life and death allowed her to live for thousands of years and harvest the lives of many, just as she sucked the life force of all of those who had entered the tomb before.

He saw no hope of her getting her sanity back. He could see it in her eyes, she was too far gone, so he just gave up, 'I've got enough information to work with.'

Just as he was about to stand up, he noticed something else that became more apparent with her trashing around, an exquisite gold collar necklace. At its midst was a black scarab beetle jewelry that seems to be made of some kind of dark gorgeous mineral.

Like the gentleman he is, he crouched near her again while saying, "Don't mind if I do." Then he took the necklace for himself, driving her even crazier.

Her throat was almost entirely dry as she screeched, "Just Kill Me!"

Ian froze in his place for a second, seemingly in contemplation of something, "That's actually a good idea, wouldn't want you coming after me later now, would we? That sounds like fun though... Nah,"

Ian pulled out his dagger and swung at her neck without hesitation. The dagger was Kryptonian, so it wasn't surprising for it to slice her neck like a knife through butter.

It was surprising even to him, it was as if her bones were as frail as flesh. Perhaps her extremely old age had something to do with it.

Ian had to make sure, so he picked up the head after seeing her body has stopped thrashing around. It's after all the Lazarus pit, and perhaps it can heal her.

Just as he was about to throw the head as far as possible, its eyes flared open while letting out a menacing screech.

"Ahhhh, fucking hell!" Ian instantly let go of the head in fright and kicked it away, "Holy Christ! Just die... I almost died in panic!"

He took a few deep breaths to get his cool back. That truly frightened him, so he went ahead and kicked the head a few more times away, ignoring its even madder screams.

"For Trigon's sake, I was only doing what you asked. Can you be any less grateful?"

Ian then ignored her and started looking for an exit. He heard a bunch of steps a while ago running in a certain way, and he knows who they belong to.

He had taken a glance while the confrontation was ongoing, and he saw the Thoth sucking the life out of a middle-aged man. He also saw Batman and Talia trying to save him.

Ian climbed through the rubbles and used a few pieces of equipment he brought with him to no avail for he was faced with a dead end.

Every way was one way or another closed due to the debris of the fallen tomb, leaving Ian in silence, a long silence before he murmured, "I really didn't think this through, did I?"

He brought out his phone only to notice no signal, thus he can't call anyone, specifically Batman since he gave him a number to contact him by.

Whenever a situation such as this or similar happened, Ian always does the same thing. He just sat down, closed his eyes, and started thinking.

He never let panic overwhelm him as it will only hinder his reason. He just thinks and thinks until a solution spurt in his mind.

He stood up, pulled out his gun, and started shooting around randomly. He had a silencer on it, so he made sure to take it away before doing that.

He hoped the sound would be loud enough to alert the Bat. He didn't just fire there, he did it all over the place. His goal was making the sound upward.

He then just started touring the area while contemplating his life decisions.

'I remember my legs getting stuck while climbing Everest, and I had to fend for myself for two days in freezing cold weather.

It was hell and I only survived because of the preparations I did beforehand and the climbers that came my way... At least, it's not cold in here, but it does stink. The stench of the dead.'

He did bring a few handgun magazines with him, so he continued to fire throughout the day. He rested his head on his backpack when he got tired and slept for the night though it was always dark down there.

And that went on for another day, all he had is a small bottle of water he slowly drank across the day.

He wasn't too worried. He believed in his power, surely it won't let him starve or die of thirst down there. Well, it did let him wait another day before he started hearing a loud sound above him.

And it wasn't long before some of the rubbles were pulled by something, clearing an exit for him, "Thank fucking God."

"Are you okay?" The Bat asked, his expression was as usual hidden beneath his mask.

"Nah, I am starving and tired. I just wanna go home." His manner of speech was a bit sloppy, but he was nowhere near as affected as Batman thought he would be.

Ian just ignored all the wreckage and the massive truck or machine outside responsible for saving him and just headed for the car.

"Here," Talia handed him a water bottle, already waiting in the car.

Ian took it and almost emptied clean with how thirsty he was, "Thanks, and I assume you were responsible for clearing the way. You have connections in Egypt to get that thing in such a short span of time?"

Talia smiled and responded, "Something like that. I thought you died when you fell, but you seem to have nine lives, almost like a cat."

"Yeah whatever, I need some sleep." His words made her eyes twitch. She wasn't even sure if he heard or even paid attention to what she said.

...

Chapter 32: Home Sweet Home

...

"My payment before I go?" Ian asked. However, he received no response as Batman just stared at him for a few seconds, "What? I don't swing that way, and I thought you two were together?"

Batman shook his head in exasperation and handed Ian a bunch of documents, "Here is your new ID with the same name, fully legal, and your friend's ID. Now that I gave you this, I'm to a certain extent responsible for your actions, so know that I'll be keeping an eye on you."

Ian nodded knowing it's not time for jokes. Getting an actual identity approved by the government is extremely hard.

The Id he had only worked as a symbol. If anyone really looked into his information, they easily figure out it's fake.

That was one of the reasons none of the Rose family properties are in his name. Everything is in Ralf's name.

Perhaps Ian just trusted him with that, or he just didn't care, but what option did he really have? The only thing that really mattered to him was his babies, the collection in the underground chamber.

"Alright, just contact me if you see value in our collaboration." After which Ian went back home, and he really missed that word after being stuck in a tomb for days.

And that says a lot considering the place he calls home is in Gotham, but it was a breath of fresh air for him... That only continued until a few minutes later when he took a bit more of its scent and remembered just how much of a shithole it's.

"Why? I still don't get what's special about him. Are you actually considering a collaboration with him? You think he's valuable for whatever you're planning?"

Talia couldn't help but question, because he had done nothing to help so far, and there must be something more to him than his charisma and success.

The Bat hesitated for a second before saying, "I've yet to confirm anything, I just deduced something... I am still unsure."

'Oh? He's hiding it eve from me? Then he must be quite special.' Talia kept her thoughts to herself and didn't question him any further.

Batman's mask however was hiding a big frown because only a few minutes ago, he received an interesting piece of news... The Sicilian family has fallen.

Batman had a few percussions about what was going to happen while he was away, so he left Nightwing and Batgirl to look after the city in the meantime.

However, what happened was too sudden. He even predicted Ian might be planning something, but he did surpass his expectations and did something he can turn a blind eye to.

Ian walked through Olster street, noticing just how clean it is. There is almost no crime within. It's simply peaceful but prosperous.

However, Ian can sense the tension in the area and he can see the many Rose family workers patrolling around, and he was sure some of them have guns, all due to the charity of the other crime families.

The moment he entered his coffee, he was met with the welcoming head nods of his boss, "Boss."

All as a show of respect, and the customers in the coffee weren't weirded out by that, it was a common thing as pretty much everyone in the street and its surroundings know of the two bosses, Ian and Ralf.

Ian walked directly upstairs to the office where he found the boys already waiting as per his instructions.

He gave each of them a hug before lazily resting on the office couch, "I am really glad to be back. The trip almost gave me PTSD."

"What happened?!" Barney was kind of waiting for that, Ian traveling somewhere means something cool is about to be added to the collection.

"I was stuck in a tomb for like three days... Now that I refresh my memory about it, it was really hellish and boring." Ian responded before letting out a laugh, "But it was worth it."

Barney couldn't help but gulp, "I am sure it was... So what did you get? Please show me!" His thirst seemed to be getting bigger and bigger by the day.

Ian smiled at his never-changing friend and pulled out something from his backpack that made the group almost too stunned... an exquisite golden necklace.

"This is my find, the necklace of a crazy queen that lived thousands of years ago. According to my estimate, it should be worth at least a million due to its age and significance, possibly tens of millions."

He explained as he observed the dark beetle stone on it, something he wasn't able to do on the way due to the watching eyes.

Barney was speechless, but that didn't stop his hands from extending in plead of the necklace, his eyes almost mimicking those of a puppy.

Ian laughed in amusement before handing it to him, "Now, let's get to business. I know nothing of what happened due to my circumstances, so tell me everything."

"You said things may happen differently than you expected, and they did," Ralf muttered before glancing at the silent Mike. He seemed to be absent-minded, something Ian noticed.

"Go on."

"The criminal known as the Penguin followed the script but took the liberty to cause more chaos.

He believed the information we leaked... that the Sicilians were the ones to hire someone to steal the diamond, but that someone kept it for himself.

And as predicted, the Sicilians denied the whole thing, and he didn't believe them thus war started... I don't think he had a lot of henchmen, but he had a lot of bombs that he set off in the Sicilian territory, specifically, the Sicilian properties."

"So what went wrong?" Ian frowned, unsure as everything was predictable so far.

"He started targeting us, as in the Rose family. He started with the surrounding streets we took over and destroyed a few properties and... and Mike used the weapon."

Ralf's lips were almost trembling remembering what's happened, the absolute and terrifying power of the weapon.

"On what?"

"We got word of a scheduled meeting between the Penguin and the Sicilians. I came to the conclusion that perhaps he figured out something, so Mike improvised and used the weapon there and then."

Ian eyed his facial expression, noticing he is not done yet, "However?"

"However, the Penguin survived somehow and sought revenge only to be caught. I don't know how or who caught him but I presume it's Batman?" Ralf made the only logical assumption he could make considering he doesn't know of what Ian was actually doing and his collaboration with the Bat, he didn't know of the Bat's absence.

"The Sicilians?" Ian asked.

"I Have yet to hear of any survivors, from the main family at least."

Ian turned his attention to Mike and asked, "Are you okay?"

He understood that killing tens of people would be a shock and a traumatizing experience for most people, and Mike is still not that used to this lifestyle.

Perhaps greed had driven him to some hasty decisions before, but Ian's words brought him back a bit.

"Yeah, I am okay." Mike instantly responded, seemingly calm but Ian can see more, his words were almost as if they were rehearsed.

"This is a bit hypocritical but it may make you feel better, so hear me out. The crime families have been ruling the underworld for years if not tens of years.

They have very little care for human life and only God knows how many people had died by their hands, but I can assume it's in the thousands if not tens of thousands. Even more lives were ruined because of what they do.

We're nowhere as extreme as them but we might do worst at times for our sake.

At the end of the day, I targeted them not for the people but for myself. Just know that they're not people worth weeping for, I guess we're also like that aren't we?"

Ian really tried to make him feel better, but some words couldn't help but slip out of his mouth, leading to an opposite result of what he desired.

Ian let out a sigh, "I am so bad at this... Just know one thing, you did it for what? For the family and yourself, so we'll bear the guilt with you, the same as you'll bear ours someday, or how you were there for Barney when he had to go through something similar, alright?"

Mike lifted his head and glanced at all of his friends, and seeing their encouraging glances... It was all he needed as he nodded at Ian. The latter of course knew he should still give him some more time to calm down, so he changed the subject.

He stood up and walked towards the object placed on the table, the Kryptonian sword.

"Where did you get that thing?" Ralf couldn't help but ask because that's definitely not something even the military is capable of creating.

"Charity." Ian instantly answered, not willing to delve into the subject in front of Mike. The sword wasn't merely a sword but also a straight-up cannon.

He didn't test it before but the news of the explosion should tell him of its capabilities now, "Ralf, we'll speak more about the matter in a little bit."

Ian then went back to his room after taking back the necklace, he still needs to empty his duffel bags and backpack.

He then put all the new things in the collection room before receiving a message that brought a smile to his face.

He made his way to the roof where he was caught off guard by a tight hug from the cat herself, she spoke with a soft tone, "I am glad you're back."

...

Chapter 33: About Time Or Is It?

...

He made his way to the roof where he was caught off guard by a tight hug from the cat herself, she spoke with a soft tone, "I am glad you're back."

Ian hugged her back, "So am I. This was a welcomed welcome I guess?"

"Why did the job so long?" She asked, getting a bit too comfortable in his embrace.

"It's complicated, but I was basically stuck in a tomb for a few days," Ian responded casually responded as if it wasn't a big deal for him anymore.

"A-are you okay? It didn't go well?" Selina asked with concern before realizing he was before her, healthy and well.

"No, it went well. I got what I want, so I am satisfied with how it went," Ian gently caressed her cheek before adding, "Y...you're acting differently. Did something happen?"

His bluntness and boldness made her quite shy, and Ian could almost see a red hue on the clear part of her face.

"Nothing in particular," She softly answered, basically avoiding the subject, yet the hug has yet to come to an end.

"Also... I'd like you to be my boss." She added.

Ian raised his brow in surprise, "Gladly, I'm into that kind of play."

"What? What does that me...T-that's not what I mean, can your mind be anymore corrupted?" Selina couldn't help but complain though she noticed him barely holding a laugh back and realized he was just messing with her.

"Hahaha, I know what you mean. I guess it's about time you stop losing all your money through some kind of magical means? I honestly still don't understand how you do it, almost like an expert in the field."

Ian let out a small laugh of amusement after that. In return for his offense, he received a few gentle hits to his chest, "I want to say that hurts my feelings, but it is true, but surely you will solve that for me."

Her mischievous self has returned, as she hugged him tighter and whispered in his ears, "I don't have to worry about that anymore, you'll surely take care of me and provide for me, won't you?"

Ian let out a breath, her seductive self is almost too much for him to bear, "You know, you sounded like a housewife right now... Even I have limits, and they're actually quite low, so what do you expect would happen now?"

"I don't know? How about you improvise?" She playfully responded, barely able to hide her shyness. She felt like she was a bit too bold, but she made up her mind and decided to go through with this.

"Hmm, my improvising ability is a bit limited right now, but I will make it quick despite the consequences," Ian muttered seemingly to himself before diving in for a kiss.

Selina seemed to be desperately waiting for that as she instantly entangled herself in an even tighter hug as if she sought to melt in his embrace.

Her arms were already around his neck with one of her hands on his hair, trying to pull him even deeper for the kiss, and a dirty kiss it was as their tongues danced for domination.

Ian's hands were certainly not still. One was holding her waist while the other roamed Selina's body.

The battle for domination only lasted a short while before Selina almost fell weakly in his arms, allowing him to take control, but that he did not.

He stopped and carefully held Selina in his arms. He noticed her eyes glazed, seemingly unfocused, and the displayed part of her face crimson to an almost dangerous degree. It was almost as if she was intoxicated.

"Are you okay?" Ian gently asked with a frown. Her seduction might've been way too effective for him to ignore what could possibly be a dangerous part of his power.

However, looking at her current state, it didn't seem to him as if he sucked her life force.

"I-I'm fine," Selina barely answered while taking a few deep breaths to get her wits back, "It just was... too much."

"Strange isn't it? It seems like it feels nice to you, however, I know that my power might have something to do with this.

I know of some mythical creatures that such people's life force by pleasure or something similar. Do I have something to do with them? That doesn't make much sense to me... But."

Selina shut his wandering thoughts with a simple peek to the lips, "It's okay. We'll figure it out, so don't worry about it."

Ian frowned but nodded nonetheless, 'I will... This world will surely give me the answers I want. However, the last thing I thought would cockblock me was my power, yet here we are.'

"You don't seem to fear death anymore?" He wondered, still surprised by Selina's change of mind.

She hugged him again, burying her face on his chest, "I was never afraid of dying... What frightens me is the people I love dying."

'Did she just? But it's not time for this.' Ian understood the implications of what she said, but instead, he asked, "Who did you lose?"

He held her tighter, feeling her trembling as she murmured, "My sister... I lost her a long time ago."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. We can talk about it later when you calm down." Ian interrupted her, noticing it was getting into her.

She shook her head against his chest, "No, I want to tell you... I wanted to tell you for a long time. My sister sought her own death, she was like me, a criminal. But she got herself into a dangerous place, all due to her greed.

She didn't want to stop, and I couldn't stop her. She just followed her addiction without any regard for her life until she got shot.

I... It was the doing of a small-time gang, she stole something from, and I failed to protect her no matter how much I tried. I saved her many times, but I couldn't look after her all the time... I failed."

"Your younger sister?"

Selina shook her head, "No, my older sister, but I had to mature before her to take care of her. We had to fend for ourselves since we opened our eyes to the world.

And I can't really blame her. I did things just as dangerous, so how can I expect from her otherwise? I-I just didn't know what to do except for revenge... But it just wasn't enough."

Ian just hugged her tighter and remained silent for a bit. He... didn't really know what to do? He never had to deal with a situation like this, and he was never the emotional type.

He didn't have to say anything as she added, "I used to wish to just live in a farm, peaceful without any surprises. The area would be beautiful, vibrant with nature, but you know how my financial situation was."

"Used to?" Ian questioned, to which she nodded and murmured, "Yes, used to... I like how my life is going right now."

"I am glad then." He decided to be as natural as possible, something he would do, and he just continued to hug her tighter until she calms down.

...

Chapter 34: Who Might You Be?

...

Ian waited until she calmed down, then held her hand and started leading her to the collection chamber, but not before sending a message for Ralf to meet him there.

"As your new boss, we have a few things to talk about, a lot of things actually, and what better place to do so than in the luxury of my collection." He tried to lighten the mood, and he succeeded to a certain extent in taking her mind off that at least.

"What're those?" Selina asked with curiosity, noticing new things in the collection.

"It's the new harvest from the tomb."

"It's... beautiful," Selina remarked as she touched the golden collar necklace, something that would steal the limelight at any place.

"Hmm, let's see," Ian murmured as he picked it up and walked behind Selina before putting the gorgeous thing on her.

"It fits perfectly, especially with the black catsuit." Ian admired how she looked, and it indeed fit her nicely.

He brought out his phone and showed her how she looks with the front camera, "Looking at you, I am reminded of an exquisite Egyptian statue, one of a black royal cat with a similarly golden collar necklace.

If I remember correctly, it was a symbol of the goddess Bastet. She was the goddess of protection, pleasure, and the bringer of good health, I think?"

Ian strangely eyed Selina from top to bottom, "Now that I think about it, it fits you almost too perfectly. Are you blessed by Goddess Bastet or something?"

"Pfft Hahahaha," Selina simply couldn't hold it in as she let out a long laugh. She then took a deep breath as she started getting her usual naughty self back, "Oh stop it, you might just make me blush."

"Says the one who almost collapsed just by a kiss, so much for the Goddess of pleasure." Ian struck right back at her making her flinch.

"Well, it's too bad, isn't it? It could've gone so much further, and you would've experienced a magical night... It's really too bad I'm such a weak woman that I can't handle you."

And did she not strike a nerve with that, she even went as far as to hug him from behind, teasing him of what he had missed... All because of his power.

"I... My power is a fucking bitch, isn't she?" Ian simply had no way to counter-attack, she just spoke plain facts. His power did cockblock him, and Selina just had to open the wounds.

"But naughty cats don't get any rewards, do they?" As he said that, Ian took the collar necklace from her neck, just when she was starting to get comfortable with it.

Selina let out a pout before retorting, "Oh, but what if I act a bit too naughty despite the consequences."

"Unfortunately, you're so much of a weak woman that you simply can't handle me, as you said."

"Hm? Is that supposed to be a good thing? A retort?"

"For God's sake Selina, just let me heal my wounds. Talk about being the bringer of good health." Ian complained. The wounds were simply too deep, and he still doesn't know how long it will take to heal.

"Hahahahaha," The mood has indeed lightened and he could at least see happiness in her eyes, "I guess I'll have to help you heal though I don't mind just ignoring the consequences and..."

"I do, I mind the consequences. My power can be a bitch sometimes, so it could be quite bad... I will solve it soon, so don't worry about it." Ian interrupted her and explained.

"Just don't do anything too dangerous, alright? That might sound stupid considering your ability, but you should understand what I mean."

Ian nodded in understanding. She was just worried about him, "Now let's get into the good news... Penguin was apprehended, and he should be locked out for a long time, so you can do whatever you want with the diamond."

"Yeah, I heard." Selina murmured as she walked up to the diamond, "But I am not really interested in selling it... I want to keep it with me for the rest You know, my sister worked at the Gotham Museum of antiques for a while, and all she talked about is the diamond. Having it was her dream."

What she didn't say however was the important reason. It was after all his first gift for her and an unimaginably valuable gift at that, not just in price but also in symbolism.

She just felt like she's gonna overload with sweetness and happiness if she spoke any further. She never felt as relaxed as she was at the moment as if a huge weight was taken off her shoulders.

It was at that point that Ralf arrived, the perfect moment to arrive. He then closed the chamber door after entering.

"Have a seat," Ian stated as he took a seat himself in one of the already prepared seats.

"I have some plans, and some guesses to verify." Ian directly got into the main topic and the main thing on his mind.

That instantly got the duo tensed, knowing of what was to come, and indeed, danger followed.

"I have yet to think it through, but our goal is to contact the Penguin in secret. No one but us can know about this... He should be held in prison now until his trial is scheduled, and he knows something I don't."

"I-I don't understand. We just did what we did, leading to his current state, so why go through the trouble? There is no other source to get the information you desire?" Ralf was confused, so he voiced his thoughts.

"I just don't understand his actions at all... Why did he target us? What was his purpose in meeting the Sicilians?

He figured something out, but how? I was very careful and thoughtful about my plan, so I am sure there weren't any loopholes large enough to drive his actions to that extent."

It was apparent that Ian wasn't joking, in fact, he was never more serious, so they just waited for his next words.

"Someone knows a lot about us, and I don't know how. That some is also keeping an eye on us, and he was setting up some kind of plan or play for us. However, he didn't expect us to have something like that kind of weapon."

Ian started stroking his chin in thoughtfulness. Somehow just that made the air several times tenser and it went on for a while.

He really thought and thought about it for a while, more than ten minutes, "All the plans have to change, and we have to take more risks. We have to be more aggressive to be accepted because despite us calling ourselves the Rose family, the other crime families don't consider us as such."

Ian closed his eyes for a second, thinking further before muttering, "We also need connections in the Gotham police. Selina, we'll talk about all of your connections to see if they can benefit us in any way."

Ian crossed his legs as he got to the most dangerous subject, "We'll be spending most of our funds for the next month in the expansion process.

We'll be 'Negotiating' with a lot of people to acquire as many properties as possible in the east end of the city.

I and Selina will be responsible for acquiring information and evidence on certain people so we can have more control in the east end.

And yeah... we'll be spending so much money, so don't shy out from inviting all the homeless of Gotham. We'll still go with the same expansion plan, just a bit more aggressive.

We'll be as unpredictable as possible, or perhaps as predictable as possible. It all depends on what the Penguin tells us, the source of his information."

Ian smiled, thinking of something funny, "Someone is eyeing us, and I don't like it, so let's get to work... Starting with bringing half of our explosives stock here. I have a use for them..."

Well, to the absolute shock of nobody, he's starting big, way too big...

...

Chapter 35: The Crime Lords

...

"There is definitely something supernatural about him. It's almost as if he's too lucky, and I fear sending him to jail would be a bit mistake.

I just have this feeling that jail or even Arkham Asylum would be heaven for him, and just somehow, he would able to make it out of there and cause chaos like never before."

Those were the murmurs of the Bat. He was speaking to himself in darkness with a frown.

"I was only able to trace him once amidst a job of his, so it's safe to say that his plans are effective, mostly consisting of distractions... They work."

"I think it's a good idea. You already know you can't do this alone, so why the hesitation? You already have a few sidekicks, so more controlled help would be nice, as long as you can trust his actions of course." Alfred, Bruce Wayne's butler spoke.

"That's the problem... He isn't trustworthy. I am certain that if we work together, his distract tactic will only work better just like it did in our job in Egypt.

I came back to an even more chaotic Gotham, possibly all due to his actions. Neither Barbara nor Grayson could do anything about it because of the other distractions.

He's a headache to deal with especially since Seline works with him... I can only hope they aren't too close. He is however the most trustworthy of criminals." Batman however was still uncertain.

Alfred let out a sigh, he knew changing Bruce's mind was and will always be impossible, but he at least wanted to take some of the burdens off his shoulders.

"This is not the first time you've done something similar, it just was never on this large of a scale. Just do what you do best and keep an eye on him. There is bound to be ways to do that."

"Y-you're right," Bruce murmured, his voice reeking of defeat, all because of the never-ending darkness in the city, "I just have to control him one way or another."

The person they were speaking about on the other hand was having a professional meeting with respected professional people.

The event seemed to be important because Ian actually wore something professional. He was attire in a perfectly fitted black suit though he couldn't take the last step and put on a tie, too professional for him he said.

Perhaps it was a good decision because it gave him a bit of a wild look. The black suit just suited his dark hair too much and gave a certain brilliance to his pale brown eyes.

He entered the meeting venue. A butcher shop though he entered from the backdoor. There were no guards to be seen, just the workers that paid little to no attention to him.

It certainly didn't look like a fitting place for a meeting of such important individuals.

He only faced guards when he was close to the meeting room. They thoroughly searched him only finding a phone and a gun on him.

Ian then was allowed to pass. He entered the room, a very large room with a rectangle table in its midst. A lot of chairs were surrounding it and many of them were filled.

Different people, different faces, most with cold expressions, some amused, "Our guest even has the balls to be late, I told you all he's got balls."

"That I do," Ian casually responded as he took a seat, "And well, nice to finally meet you all as brothers in crime."

"Getting ahead of yourself now, are you?" It appears that there was someone who came a bit more later than him, a middle-aged man spoke as he took the leading seat of the table.

"Hmm, you're right. I can only say that after the meeting." Ian just shrugged his shoulders.

"That confident huh? Well, matters not. We finally have a breather, so let's start the meeting,"

Ian knows pretty much everyone in the room. How could he not? They all are the leaders of their respective crime families, and the one who spoke just now is the head of the Falcone family, Carmine Falcone.

"Well, let's started by deciding his fate then. You thought you can just show up and become the big bad boy of the east huh?"

In contrast to the calmness of Carmine, the short old man who spoke was quite worked up, one can say that he was even fuming.

He is the leader of the Ibanescu crime family. A small Romanian crime family that operates in the east end, mainly in human trafficking, prostitution, and animal fights.

Ian's involvement in the east end and recent actions for the past month is the reason for his outrage.

Ian let out a chuckle at that, seemingly amused as he responded, "Well, I did just show up and become the big bad boy, did I not? So thank you for the compliment."

He just had to add that last comment, adding salt to the wound, "You son of bitch! Do you think you're invincible? Do you think I can't just shoot you right now!?"

Ian just glanced at him before shrugging his shoulders and responding, "I guess you can, all it takes is a bullet, and voila! I am dead... It's that easy."

His words certainly sounded strange to the hearing ears, but sarcastic to his, leading Carmine to signal for the Ibanescu head to calm down.

"Doing so will only complicate things further considering he isn't the only leader, and he's unlikely to be the main head which is why he was sent here.

Even if things go south, the Rose family will not suffer any losses, we'll just start a war."

"When have we ever been afraid of war, for the hell of it! We have to show people that it isn't so easy to rise to our ranks!" One of the Russian mafia leaders spoke.

"Since we had the Bat and his sidekicks on our back. Since we had the group that calls themselves the league of shadows on our back.

They might have disappeared for a while now, but only God knows when they'll come back knocking at our door, and you all know how much of a headache they are.

How many of us have Batman brought down so far? Many, too many. He is just waiting for us to act, and he's counting on that. So war is a lost cause, a self-destructive move to the benefit of everyone but us... Our friend here is counting on that, are you not?"

Carmine Falcone or as they call the Roman didn't acquire his current position by doing nothing. He has the mind for such a field, and he uses it wisely.

The other crime lords seemed to hold him in high regard as most nodded though mostly because of his logic. They're all competitors one way or another despite the Falcones holding the most control over Gotham.

"Hmm, maybe. Anyway, this is a professional business meeting between professional people, so I assume I was invited here for a deal of sorts, isn't that right?"

Ian said while observing the people in the room, only a few were a bit worked up about his recent rise, likely because they operate in the east end.

"You're still asking after all you've been doing? All we want is for you to stop all the aggression and crawl back to your hole. Then and only then can we accept you as a crime..." One of the crime lords stated though he was soon interrupted.

"Yeah, not a chance," Ian then put up an extremely professional smile and posture before adding, "I have a better deal for you all. How about we keep all the territory we already possess. It might as well stay in our hands, you know, for the greater good and such.

The homeless people of the east already see us as their benefactor, so it'll really pain me to fail them, so as the decent people we are, let's just stop all the aggression and keep what we already own."

Ian could swear he saw every muscle of every face in the room flinch...