There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 123, Section 20: The Mysterious Hacker

Chapter 123, Section 20: The Mysterious Hacker

Qin Wei cautiously tapped the screen. He guessed that he had encountered a hacker, but he couldn't bring up the keyboard and the computer was vibrating, so he couldn't communicate with the other party at all.

"I have no hostility; I'm just here to say hello. I'm very interested in you."

As if guessing what he was thinking, the bright red text on the screen began to jump around.

"You weren't careful enough during that robbery. I've already deleted some of the CCTV footage that could have left evidence, including the one from tonight's street corner."

"In the clash between darkness and paleness, who will emerge victorious? I'm eagerly awaiting the outcome."

As the last period fell, the screen went dark after a flash of crosshairs.

Qin Wei patted the phone, and a burnt smell wafted from the speaker hole, indicating that the thing was unusable.

He decided to believe that the other party meant no harm. Almost a month had passed since the bank robbery, and if the other party really wanted to expose them, they would have done so long ago. Why would they need to jump in front of him so brazenly to raise their guard? After all, not everyone is as mysterious as the Riddler.

But just in case, he decided to contact Mickey, who was also skilled in hacking and had previously hacked into a bank's security system, the next morning.

Before that, he needs to get some sleep.

The next few days passed peacefully. Qin Wei, as usual, went to Johnny's place to clock in for work under the identity of Matchstick Marlon.

During this period, the villainous gang committed numerous crimes in the Upper East Side. On the surface, they robbed three armored trucks and attacked a stock exchange. On the other hand, they continued to expand their power, swallowing up dozens of smaller gangs and almost taking control of the entire Upper East Side.

This arrogant behavior eventually alerted the GCPD, but with Qin Wei's almost superhuman fighting skills, they were always able to back down before the police sirens arrived.

Qin Wei has now almost usurped the Joker's position and become the de facto leader, while Matchstick Malone's name has quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys, making him another rising star in the gang after Oswald.

Of course, besides forcing the Joker to show himself, Qin Wei was also intentionally strengthening Penguin's own power, since now, apart from Royce's faction,

Oswald's entire crew was inherited from Falcone, and no one knew how many spies were mixed in with them, which is why he recruited a large number of extras when "making the movie".

People's hearts are truly untrustworthy!

As for the unexpected beneficiary of this event, it would be Matchstick Ma Long.

The rat from the gutter scurried back to Gotham with its tail between its legs, only to be met not with sticky traps and sticks, but with a delicious piece of cheese. Thus began his life of drinking by day and gambling by night, and late at night, dragging Royce (for the mission, though the older man was happy to oblige) to strip clubs for a night of revelry.

After a week, the man looked visibly haggard, with sunken cheeks, dark circles under his eyes, and unsteady gait. Even worse, he couldn't get up at all in the morning.

But the smile on his face was genuine.

It was another morning when Matchstick Malone and Reus, two guys with lipstick stains all over their faces, strolled out of the club, their arms around each other's shoulders. The former was leaning against a doorpost, vomiting violently, while the latter, taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, zipped up his pants.

The security guards at the entrance were talking about recent events.

"Have you heard? That man named Matchstick Marlon?"

"Of course, that's amazing! He single-handedly brought the Upper East Side under his thumb, and even the police couldn't do anything to him! I wish I could be like that. No! I can't be, but just being able to work for him would be great—"

As the two were chatting happily, Matchstick Ma Long, drunk, walked up and put his arm around their shoulders.

"Feed—vomit!"

He hiccuped from drinking, rolled his eyes, and struggled to lift his eyelids.

"I know I'm great, but when did I ever go to the Upper East Side? Are you guys going to bang me up?!"

Before he could finish speaking, he was knocked unconscious with a karate chop.

"Damn it, after drinking some cheap liquor, he doesn't even know his own name!"

Under the shocked gaze of the security guards, Royce dragged a dead dog and threw it into the back seat of the Uber.

The name "Matchstick Horse" became the totem of the villain gang. Every day, new forces would voluntarily join them, just to catch a glimpse of Matchstick Horse's charm, kneeling on one knee and kissing the back of his hand as a sign of loyalty.

Of course, there were also internal discordant factors, such as the "Crocodile Gang" after the disappearance of its leader, the assassin Crocodile Wei-Lun.

Johnny intended for Qin Wei to take over the Crocodile Gang, but the burly, rough men in the gang possessed an unusual level of loyalty. No one believed the so-called "truth." They wouldn't directly cause trouble for Qin Wei in terms of force, and even if they did meet him, they wouldn't give him a friendly look. Behind his back, they even called Qin Wei a "cold-blooded killer."

Qin Wei didn't tolerate this. He spent a sum of money to disband the Crocodile Gang. He wouldn't allow a small group within his team that could betray him at any time.

But privately he was quite curious about it.

Killer Croc Weilen—what kind of charisma does this guy possess that makes his underlings so devoted to him?

Just as Qin Wei was racking his brains trying to figure it out, Johnny burst in through the door in a flurry of activity.

He seemed a little nervous; his lips were trembling. He grabbed a half-full glass of water on the table and drank it all in one gulp.

"He called," Johnny said.

"I can see that, so you should adjust your heart rate and try taking deep breaths, how about that?" Qin Wei rested his chin on his hand, seemingly nonchalant, but the repetitive tapping of his knuckles on the table betrayed his inner excitement.

"Sorry, he asked me to pick him up tomorrow morning—I don't know the time or place yet. Would you like to come with me?"

"Being with you would make us vulnerable. Anything can happen on his turf. I'd much rather you bring him here, to my territory. By the way, did he say why he came this time?"

"Judging from his tone, he seems quite dissatisfied with your sidelining of the villains' gang." Johnny stared into Qin Wei's eyes, his gaze revealing worry.

"Don't worry, I'll kill him the moment I see him. Afterwards, Oswald will send everyone to search the entire city for your daughter. I can't guarantee we'll find her."

"Damn it! I shouldn't have said these discouraging things, but I didn't want to lie to you."

Did Qin Wei really not want to lie? No, in fact, he wished he could keep Johnny in the dark forever. But Johnny wasn't stupid; after the initial surge of passion, he had probably calmed down.

Once a person calms down, he will re-evaluate the pros and cons, and what Qin Wei needs to do is show the other party his sincerity.

Johnny's eyes glistened with tears; he had clearly sensed it.

"Thank you, thank you"

He kept muttering to himself, repeating the same muttering over and over.

Qin Wei's honesty shattered the last shred of hesitation in his heart.

Now that everything is ready, the main event should begin in theaters.