"Boom!"
Solomon Grundy slammed into the concrete floor, leaving a large crater.
Qingshui, controlling the White Knight, drew its sword and retreated, watching the deep, bone-revealing wound on Solomon Grundy's neck heal in a matter of seconds.
Mr. Freeze knew that the large creature he was controlling was no match for the White Knight, controlled by Qingshui, in terms of speed. So, he didn't pursue, instead waiting for Qingshui to attack.
As long as the White Knight engaged in close combat, even if Solomon Grundy was slow, he would still have a chance to attack the White Knight.
After all, he was a villain who had been in the game for many years. Even if he couldn't make it into Gotham's Villain Hall of Fame, he had certainly been part of Gotham's Villain All-Star lineup a few times. With Mr. Freeze's intelligence, his combat experience couldn't be low.
Qingshui dodged Solomon Grundy's attack, clicking his tongue.
This zombie with an immortal body was always like this. Unless he was directly defeated with overwhelmingly powerful attacks, or his weaknesses were exploited, Solomon Grundy, even against a stronger opponent, could wear them down with his formidable defense and self-healing abilities.
Of course, Qingshui had ways to defeat Solomon Grundy without using his trump cards, but that would be a bit wasteful.
After all, too powerful an attack might require subsequent repairs to the internal components of this Human Puppet.
However, there were other methods.
The White Knight aimed at Solomon Grundy, raised its right arm, and fired a thick freezing ray.
The icy cold instantly dropped the ambient temperature. Before Solomon Grundy could react much, more than half of his body was encased in ice.
"Oh, controlling this big guy makes me feel like I'm playing an arcade fighting game from when I was a kid, but this is much more complex than a game."
Seeing that the outcome was decided, Mr. Freeze put down his tablet and quickly pressed a button on the right arm of his freeze suit with his left hand.
A colorless spray with a peculiar scent was sprayed onto the ice, causing it to melt rapidly.
This was an alcohol-like substance Mr. Freeze discovered, chemically similar to isopropyl alcohol, possessing extremely strong thermal reactivity and low-temperature efficiency. It lowered the melting point of ice, rapidly released heat, and destroyed the crystal structure.
Qingshui was quite satisfied with the combat power of the Human Puppet, Solomon Grundy.
Hogg United's foundation was too weak. While the mid-tier combat power was fine with the existing stock of Titan Formula, he was the only high-tier combatant before.
After Nora's condition was alleviated and her lifespan extended, Mr. Freeze returned to their cause, which barely added another high-tier combatant.
However, his abilities were a bit specialized, and his weaknesses were too obvious. He was also more of a scholar than a high-level enforcer.
Now, with the Human Puppet made from Solomon Grundy, which could exert considerable power without needing to be controlled, this gap was finally filled.
Don't let Hogg United's recent actions, stomping on the Two-Face Gang and punching the Iceberg Lounge, fool you; their foundation was still too shallow.
Although the Two-Face Gang was now subservient to Hogg United, paying a large sum of money as tribute every month, Harvey Dent didn't dare show his face easily in front of him. He was also playing a double act with Penguin, seemingly settling scores with the Iceberg Lounge from last time, but in reality, it was all sound and fury, signifying little.
There was nothing he could do; the situation demanded it.
Hogg United's overwhelming strength had created a situation in Gotham's underworld where there was one superpower and two strong factions.
And Qingshui had achieved this in less than two years.
Who knew if the continuously developing Hogg United would eventually swallow them up?
Unless they were fools, Two-Face and Penguin would surely secretly ally to protect themselves.
With this powerful Human Puppet, even if Qingshui was occasionally tied up, he wouldn't have to worry about any major trouble.
However, at this point, Hogg United was already approaching its peak.
It wasn't that they couldn't continue to develop, but rather that their strategy needed to change.
How big could a gang get, no matter how large?
While it was true that a gang taken to its extreme could become a local warlord, and a local warlord taken to its extreme could lead to a change in dynasty, at this point in time, the government of this land was still the most powerful in the world. Its fortune had not run out, and it was impossible for it to allow local warlords to emerge in its territory.
Not to mention, this world had many capable individuals and countless superheroes; overthrowing the government was not that easy.
"But thankfully, I've now accumulated a certain amount of capital, which is vastly different from before. Coupled with the League of Assassins, I now have enough leverage to begin the next phase of operations."
In the top-floor office of the building, Qingshui tapped a pencil, looking at the various documents in front of him.
After Mr. Freeze completed the test with Qingshui, he returned to the mansion Qingshui bought him to spend time with his wife.
As an employee, he only needed to do his job, but as the boss, Qingshui had much more to consider.
Hogg United's scale was already nearing the top for a conventional gang. To continue progressing, they had to go through official channels.
And now was the best opportunity—that idiot Sharp, who had been mayor for less than a year, almost destroyed all of Gotham during the Arkham City incident and was subsequently imprisoned under Batman's influence.
If Dr. Hugo could push someone like Sharp into the mayoral position with the power of the League of Assassins, then he could too.
It was just that the candidate needed to be carefully screened for a suitable one.
Not like Sharp, too stupid, but also not too smart, which would make them difficult to control.
Ideally, they should have some leverage against them, making them easier to control.
Qingshui flipped through the intelligence gathered by the League of Assassins, page by page.
This person is too upright, no good.
This one keeps a mistress and is corrupt, put him on the reserve list.
This person is also quite corrupt and colludes with gangs, but has no wife or children as weaknesses, so not suitable.
As for this one... Commissioner Gordon, you want to advance too?
"Even less so!"
After several rounds of vetting, Qingshui finally settled on a suitable candidate.
Hamilton Hill, a member of the Donkey Party, had a clean record. Early on, he was a typical middle-class white man who worked at a law firm. He entered politics at forty, served on the previous mayor's administration, and had some government experience, inheriting a portion of that mayor's political assets. Last year, he served as a Gotham City Hall council member and ran for mayor.
Last year, he came in fourth in the mayoral race, indicating a solid voter base.
Based on his campaign strategy, he likely aimed to present himself as a politician who would reform Gotham through more moderate means and create more jobs.
He believed that Gotham's high crime rate stemmed from its high unemployment rate, and that resolving this issue would naturally lead to a decrease in crime.
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