Want to read ahead? Join in my Patreon for only $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
> > Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations < <
───────────────────────────
Chapter 37: The Fourth Notice Letter!
"What information do you want?"
The Penguin stared at Lupin III for a long time before asking.
"Two-Face."
Lupin III answered crisply.
"I want to know where to find him."
"You're looking for Harvey Dent? Why?"
The Penguin narrowed his eyes slightly.
Lupin III smiled. "That doesn't seem to be any of your concern, does it, Mr. Cobblepot?"
"Of course it is. Harvey is an old friend of mine. How could I give his whereabouts to a stranger of unknown origin?" The Penguin said with feigned righteousness.
"Then, what will it take for you to tell me?"
"Very simple." The Penguin cracked a grin. "We just need to become friends too."
Lupin III understood the implication: as long as he agreed to work for the Penguin, he would get the information.
"How about this? I can solve a small problem for Mr. Cobblepot right now to prove my sincerity."
"What problem could I possibly have?" Penguin asked back.
"Not long ago, while I was playing cards in the casino, the dealer secretly activated a cheating mechanism. However, it had no effect on me. Mr. Cobblepot, aren't you curious about the flaw I discovered in your mechanism?" Lupin III reminded him confidently.
"You mean to say the design of the Iceberg Casino's mechanism has a defect, and you can help me fix it?"
In the past, the Penguin would never have believed that the hidden mechanisms he spent a fortune building—which had gone unnoticed for over a decade—had a loophole. But facts spoke louder than words; Lupin III's winning streak forced him to believe it.
"No problem. If you can truly point out the casino's defect and perfect it, I can tell you Harvey's news. But the condition is that you must finish the job first."
"Naturally."
Lupin III expressed no objection.
Some time later, in the underground main control room of the Iceberg Casino.
"So that's how it is. Indeed, a very difficult-to-detect microscopic vulnerability. No wonder you could see through all our methods."
After Lupin III's guidance, the manager in charge of the control room looked enlightened.
"A small defect we didn't notice after using this system for over ten years, yet you saw it your first time here, Mr. Lupin. Truly impressive."
Of course it's impressive. I was the one who secretly put that little defect there yesterday. I'm just restoring the tampering I did back to its original state, Lupin III thought to himself.
Soon, the staff of the Iceberg Casino tested the recalibrated mechanism system. The results were perfect; the defect Lupin III had pointed out no longer existed.
"Now can you tell me the information I want, Mr. Cobblepot?"
Lupin III turned to look at the Penguin behind him.
The latter extended his hand with a face full of smiles.
"A pleasure doing business."
...
After leaving the Iceberg Casino, Lupin III constantly felt a mysterious gaze watching his back.
"Sure enough, he sent someone to follow me. That insidious old penguin."
After walking a distance, he suddenly accelerated, ducking into an alleyway not far ahead.
Seconds later, two figures emerged from nowhere and chased in after him.
"Huh!?"
However, when they rushed into the alley, they froze on the spot.
"Where is he?"
The narrow alley was empty; not a soul was in sight!
The Penguin's henchmen, refusing to believe it, ran through the entire alley to the street on the other side.
Still no sign of Lupin III.
"Weird. I clearly saw him walk in here. How could he disappear? Can he fly?"
Looking up, the buildings on both sides of the alley were tall with smooth walls. It was impossible for anyone to climb them in those few short seconds.
Unless Lupin III could fly, there was no way to explain his disappearance.
"We lost him! The boss definitely won't spare us. What do we do?" one of them asked.
"What else can we do? Go back and tell the boss honestly. Don't even think about running. In Gotham, you can't escape the Penguin's eyes no matter where you hide. Go back and accept the punishment, and you might keep your life. Running now will only make the boss angrier."
"...You're right. Let's go back."
Helpless, the two had no choice but to slink back to the Iceberg Casino.
Meanwhile, in another alley separated from that one by a row of buildings, Lupin III landed steadily on the ground.
He scanned the surroundings vigilantly. After confirming there were no other eyes, he reached for his neck, pinched the skin, and tore upwards.
The distinctive monkey face was peeled off in an instant.
Hidden beneath that mask was the true face of a black-haired, blue-eyed teenager.
That's right. The Lupin III who appeared in the Iceberg Casino not long ago was none other than Darren!
And his purpose for this disguise was, of course, to get the location of Two-Face from the Penguin.
A few days ago, Darren saw the news of Two-Face's resurgence in the newspaper and immediately set him as the next target.
But since the mall attack, Two-Face hadn't appeared again.
Darren had tried investigating Two-Face personally, but firstly, Two-Face didn't have a compulsion like the Riddler to leave clues at the scene, and secondly, Darren didn't have a teammate like Oracle—a super hacker who could provide intelligence anytime, anywhere.
He couldn't predict the future to know when and where Two-Face would appear, nor did he have the means to monitor Gotham 24/7. He could only wait for Two-Face to show himself.
But even that wasn't secure. By the time news of Two-Face causing trouble reached Darren, the time lag meant Two-Face would likely have left the scene. By the time Darren arrived, the trail would be cold.
Under these circumstances, he couldn't even write a proper notice letter.
Therefore, Darren clearly realized he had to find Two-Face's base.
What to do if he couldn't find it himself?
Ask someone else, of course.
It just so happened that Darren knew of an underworld kingpin in Gotham with a very developed intelligence network who was willing to trade with anyone, provided the price was right.
So, he approached the Penguin.
But Darren didn't intend to actually spend a fortune to buy intelligence from the Penguin, leading to the scene of Lupin III entering the casino.
Of course, many people's money was won by Darren, and some might have even lost their life savings, but Darren felt not a shred of sympathy or guilt for them.
As for tampering with the Iceberg Casino's mechanisms, Darren initially did it purely to ensure he wouldn't lose money. He hadn't intended to use it as a bargaining chip; if the Penguin had taken the money without making other demands, that defect would have remained in the casino.
But the insatiable Penguin demanded more, so Darren had to play that card.
All in all, the intelligence on Two-Face's hideout was secured, and he hadn't paid any substantial price.
"I just didn't expect Two-Face's base to be in that place."
Darren walked out of the alley. By now, he had already changed into another face, heading toward the location provided by the Penguin.
Otisburg is the oldest and largest industrial district established in Gotham.
Once, it held the economic lifeline of the entire city. In the era before the planning of the ultra-prosperous Diamond District was completed, a quarter of Gotham's residents worked and lived here.
But today, this heavy industrial zone has become almost a ghost town, with vast swathes of factories reduced to abandoned ruins.
Gotham's economic center had long since shifted from heavy industry to the Diamond District, which focused on finance, commerce, and entertainment.
In just half a century, earth-shattering changes had occurred here.
If you asked a Gotham government official, they would give you the most official answer:
"The industrial park in Otisburg was abandoned because it caused severe pollution to Gotham's environment, to the point that Gotham's sky was shrouded in dark clouds all day long ten years ago. Only after our active environmental restoration efforts has Gotham gradually regained sunny days."
"And Gotham has not completely stopped industrial production; part of the industrial park has been relocated to other addresses."
At first glance, this reason sounds perfect.
Shutting down most heavy factories to protect the environment so Gothamites can live under the sun.
The Gotham City Government is simply too great, isn't it?
But if you found an old Gothamite on the street and asked the same question, their face would likely fill with horror as if recalling something terrible, and they would ask you to stop asking.
Only if you persisted until they were annoyed to death would they tell you the real reason for Otisburg's abandonment.
Because of one person.
A person who lost his name in a chemical plant in Otisburg and was born with a new one.
A person who cannot be called human.
He calls himself—The Joker.
You might be curious how one person could cause a massive industrial district to be completely abandoned. That means you don't understand Gotham.
And you certainly don't understand the Joker.
At this moment, the ACE Chemical Plant—the place that birthed the Joker, repeatedly served as his base, and was akin to the operating room of a C-section—welcomed a new guest.
"Thinking back, I've been transmigrated into Gotham for so many years, but this seems to be my first time at the famous ACE Chemicals. Does this count as a pilgrimage?"
Dressed in night clothes, Darren looked at the rusted, abandoned factory building in front of him.
According to the information provided by the Penguin, Two-Face had chosen this as his hiding place.
"I thought ACE Chemicals was bound to the Joker. I didn't know other villains would set up base here too."
Darren looked around and found no one else present.
"If that old penguin didn't lie to me, it seems Two-Face is confident no one can guess he's hiding here. There aren't even lookouts outside."
"But it's also possible he just returned to Gotham and hasn't gathered his manpower yet. Rumor has it that only Two-Face himself attacked the mall."
"Let's sneak in and take a look."
Darren observed ACE Chemicals carefully. The front door wasn't even closed; one door hung ajar, but it was pitch black inside. From Darren's perspective, nothing was visible.
Walking in through the front door with swagger was, of course, impossible.
He needed to find a more covert entrance.
"This looks like a decent entry point, just not very pretty."
Darren circled to the back of the chemical plant and found a waste discharge pipe connected directly to the interior.
This pipe was much larger than those of ordinary factories, almost large enough for Darren to duck-walk inside.
ACE Chemicals had been abandoned for years, and the chemical waste residue in this pipe had long since dried up, but it was still filled with a pungent smell of various unknown chemicals mixed together. Superimposed with the thick scent of rust inside the pipe, it brought a whole new experience to Darren's nose.
Just as Darren was inching his way through the pipe, inside ACE Chemicals, in the office that originally belonged to the plant manager.
This dilapidated room, which should have been covered in dust and debris, was now unusually tidy, as if someone had just cleaned it not long ago.
And indeed, that was the case.
Several candles were lit on the desk, indicating someone was here.
The electric lights were not on; the power system in the chemical plant had been completely destroyed years ago. Even with specialists repairing it, restoring power would take a long time.
Behind the desk, a swivel chair faced away from the table. Someone seemed to be sitting in it, though they were indistinct in the dim candlelight.
"Boss, we've contacted everyone. They will return to your command very soon."
Just then, two burly twin brothers who looked exactly alike walked over. One wore red clothes, the other blue.
The speaker was the older brother in red.
"Good. They still remember their master."
The chair behind the desk swiveled around.
Revealing a face half-scarred by terrifying burns. It was Two-Face.
"Boss, once the brothers are gathered, what do you plan to lead us to do this time?"
The younger brother in blue asked, his eyes filled with fanatical worship as he looked at Two-Face.
"In the two years you left Gotham, we waited every day for your return."
"Do what? Revenge, of course!"
Two-Face said coldly.
"Two years ago, I was careless and got ambushed from behind by that brat in the Robin suit. Otherwise, Batman would have died by my hand long ago!"
"Because of that humiliating defeat, I was ridiculed by the Joker..."
The Joker!?
The twin brothers looked shocked.
Above the ceiling, Darren, who had moved from the waste pipe to the ventilation duct, was equally startled.
He actually heard about the Joker inside ACE Chemicals!
"Boss, could it be that the person who hijacked the prison van and saved you back then was..."
"It was the Joker's people who saved me."
Two-Face said through gritted teeth.
Being rescued by the Joker seemed to be a source of extreme shame for him.
"Is the task I ordered you to do finished?" Two-Face suddenly asked.
"Rest assured, Boss. The court is set up. You can open session for judgment anytime."
The twins replied.
"Very good. Then next, it is time to capture the sinners."
Swish!
In that instant, a card flew from nowhere and embedded itself into the desk.
"Who goes there!"
Two-Face and his two subordinates instantly turned their gazes toward the direction the card came from.
"It's the vent!"
The two subordinates immediately chased up the duct.
Two-Face was drawn to the card on the table. He pulled it out and looked; several lines of text were written on it.
"The lost Gemini fallen into darkness,
Unfolding a hypocritical judgment upon the world.
When the gavel of fate strikes for the seventh time,
Silver wings shall descend with the moonlight,
Bringing redemption to that tainted soul.
—Phantom Thief Kid"
───────────────────────────
Support this Fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones. For Advance Chapters:
Visit > Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations