studiobondurri Chapter 24 The Knight of Light
Chapter 24 The Knight of Light
Harvey Dent sat in the driver's seat, turned on the radio to select a song that sounded good, and gently pressed the accelerator to the rhythm of the melody.
He rarely listens to music while driving, so it's clear he's in a good mood right now.
On his first day on the job, he made some good progress, devising a detailed plan to deal with the gang and successfully recruiting an informant. Well, it's more accurate to say they collaborated rather than recruited.
He knew that the man named Wei was not helping him for any "justice".
Harvey didn't care. He was a prosecutor; upholding justice was the responsibility of the courts, and stopping crime was the responsibility of the police. All he had to do was gather enough evidence to put the villains on trial.
As for the process, it's not important.
Yes, Harvey was different from those old-fashioned guys; he pursued justice and honor, not dogmatic procedures.
To achieve his goals, he often skirted the edge of the law, and would even secretly cross the line when no one was watching.
Coercion, intimidation, perjury, monetary bribery, and even collusion with other thugs are all common tactics he employs.
Otherwise, how could a greenhorn prosecutor have turned New York upside down?
Many people believe that Harvey was demoted to Gotham because he offended some bigwig in New York, but the truth is that Harvey applied for the job voluntarily.
He rarely talks about one thing: Gotham is his hometown.
It was also his nightmare.
A musty, claustrophobic basement, a drunken, gambling father, a coin tossed high in the air, and punches and kicks landing on his body—these fragmented moments weave together Harvey's dreams, creating one sleepless night after another.
He came back this time to end all of this.
Nirvana's "Something in the Way" was playing on the radio, and he hummed along softly.
Underneath the bridge
In the shadow of the bridge arch
Tarp has sprung a leak
Cracks were growing in the shelter from the rain.
And the animals l've trapped
The animals I captured
Have all become my pets
I took good care of
And I'm living off of grass
I, however, survive by gnawing on withered grass.
And the drippin's from the ceiling
Live by sucking up rainwater
It's okay to eat fish
How about we eat fish?
『Cause they don't have any felings
After all, they are just as numb as I am.
Something in the way~
That's just how some things are.
Something in the way~
That's just how some things are.
……
When Harvey entered the Senate through the back door, Qin Wei was putting a naked corpse into a black plastic bag, while a short young man was washing away the bloodstains on the ground.
"Do you believe he fell down the stairs?" Qin Wei tied the bag tightly.
"I believe that misfortune and death are breeding in this city every day. It's a pathetic place."
Harvey glanced at the blood-stained baseball bat lying in the corner.
"Then we should be able to discuss the follow-up to the cooperation."
Qin Wei described everything that had happened in the most concise way, while Harvey's expression changed several times, from astonishment to shock, and finally he smiled meaningfully.
"I think I understand what you mean. This plan is truly insane."
Despite his crazed words, Harvey took off his coat and put the deceased's clothes on himself.
The long, thin trench coat was the kind of coat he usually wore, and it even fit him better than he had imagined. He nodded with a strange expression, pursed his lips, and took the deceased's phone out of his inner pocket.
My phone is full of explosive messages. Apart from the obscene text messages sent to my lover, the rest of the recipients are Maroney.
Charlie has visited more than a dozen leaders, and reports back to Maronny via text message after each visit.
He glanced at the previous text messages. Three people were deemed to be potential threats, two were charged with disloyalty, four were suspected, and the rest were loyal.
"What kind of evaluation do you want, or what does Maroney think of you?" Harvey asked.
"There might be hidden dangers or suspicions. I've been in contact with Falcone through Oswald, and Maroni should already be wary of us. Perhaps we should choose an evaluation that suits his taste."
"You're trying to cover up the truth with flaws, but that will put you in danger. The fact that Maroney would do something like this shows he's very suspicious right now. Do you think he'll let suspects go?"
"This is not something you should worry about."
Qin Wei bit his thumbnail; it was his way of releasing stress.
Oswald was right. Navigating between two mob bosses could easily make one a victim of their struggle, and he never wanted to live in such fear again.
If he could, he would love to shoot Maroni and Falcone one each and end it all.
Harvey sent out the text message and soon received a reply from Maroney.
—What did the little penguin say?
He told me that Mr. Falcone had recruited them, but he was now very hesitant about whose side to take.
According to Qin Wei's account, Harvey replied to the message using the wording style of a counterfeiter.
This was a risky move, essentially exposing the two men's identities as traitors to Maroney.
Qin Wei has only one chance of winning: betting that the arrogant and conceited Maroni won't play his cards openly.
Oswald listened in stunned silence, completely unable to understand what the two riddle-makers were saying, only knowing that Qin Wei had deliberately revealed his identity.
In the past, he would have yelled at the other person for being crazy, but along the way, Qin Wei has repeatedly proven that his judgment was accurate.
This time, Oswald decided to trust his friends. He knew he couldn't keep up with the two of them, so he didn't interrupt. He just kept spraying detergent on the ground.
After assigning tasks, the three of them went out together.
Harvey, wearing the dead man's coat, went to meet the next leader, while Oswald stuffed the body into the trunk.
Next, they just had to wait for Harvey to return the clothes after completing his mission, so they could finally solve the big problem in the trunk.
"Can we really survive?" Oswald asked with some concern.
"It's hard to say!"
Qin Wei picked up the now-cold hot dog next to his seat and started munching on it, then took a big gulp of beer. Each move in these few chess games was fraught with danger; the slightest mistake could lead to utter ruin.
With Harvey's arrival, Gotham's situation has become increasingly unpredictable. Qin Wei understands that scheming alone is not enough to survive; he urgently needs to build a force to counter the ever-present threat.
"Once we get through this safely, I'll go with you to recruit people."
……
After leaving the Senate, Harvey gradually frowned, and his once clear eyes became fierce and ruthless.
He knew that Maroni had someone impersonate him partly to test his men's loyalty, and partly because it meant that Maroni didn't take him seriously at all. Compared to the corpse hanging upside down from the eaves, this was the real insult to him.
"You son of a bitch, I'll make you pay for your contempt!"
According to Qin Wei's script, Harvey was supposed to visit a guy named Royce.
He was similar to Oswald, a minor figure who ran brothels and was on the fringes of Maroni's faction. No one would suspect that he was the one who framed the fake Harvey for death.
But Harvey wanted to visit someone else.
Dodge Bourbon, a close confidant of Maroney, was responsible for making contact with Mexican drug traffickers and dumping drugs throughout New Jersey. He was arguably the core of the criminal empire and Maroney's absolute confidant.
However, this visit also comes with great risk – this loyal dog may suddenly attack and hurt someone.
Maroni knew this, of course, but he didn't care. The fake Harvey was just a tool; even if he died, his mission would be accomplished.
Harvey knew this, but he couldn't help but care.
"Let God decide. If it's a human figure, we'll take the risk."
He pulled an ancient Roman silver coin from his pocket, with Octavian's portrait on the obverse and the Pantheon of Olympia on the reverse.
The silver coin spun around, flew straight up, and was pressed onto the back of his hand.
"Is that so? That's a brilliant choice."