Winston looked at her with a grin and agreed.

The short-haired policewoman displayed efficient movements, resting one hand on the car window, her head slightly tilted as she watched the traffic on the street.

The midday sun in Gotham was still obscured, the sky pressed down by heavy clouds, while tall buildings had long crammed the skyline.

“Most people live at the bottom of these buildings,” Winston said, “The sky they see is only this big, hence the human instinct to climb upwards with all their might.”

The woman in the passenger seat responded indifferently, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Winston chuckled lightly, “I was once like you, wanting to change Gotham.”

Her gaze fell on him.

“I was full of ambition… Gotham is my home. I returned here wanting to make a difference,” he suddenly felt a desire to confide, “But back then, I didn’t have the support of the current Mayor.”

The passenger frowned slightly, “In your eyes, am I the Mayor’s person?”

Winston shook his head smilingly, “That’s not important. Mayor Alek wants to achieve something, but she’s touching the Court’s interests, and is doomed to fail. Instead of being the Mayor’s person, why not try to be the Court’s? The Mayor can give you something, but the Court can give you more.”

The woman seemed to fall silent; from this angle, her violet eyes appeared almost black.

“The Court of Owls? Am I to take this as a recruitment?” As the car entered the highway and the surrounding traffic thinned, the newly appointed warden said, “Why should I trust a shadowy force instead of the current Mayor?”

Winston didn’t get angry, “If you insist on standing against the Court, you’ll lose your life.”

My life isn’t worth much, Vivi thought.

【Court of Owls】

【A dark force hidden in the shadows of Gotham, capable of manipulating officials, with armed forces and huge amounts of money】

Vivi’s expression gradually turned skeptical. She opened the system panel, lingering on “Winston’s” character, and selected 【Dismiss】.

A few seconds later, Winston’s phone rang.

“What? Dismissed, wait, I’m sure this is a mistake… It’s definitely a mix-up! Who signed this… No, wait, I need to contact—”

He paused, and glanced at the woman sitting cross-armed beside him, “Excuse me, I need to take this call.”

Vivi pulled him back from the 【Newly Dismissed Employee】 area, restoring his original position.

Winston’s expression froze as he returned to the car after half a minute and quickly started it.

Vivi asked, “What happened?”

“Just a small accident,” the man said with a cold laugh, “An accident, that’s all.”

Just like before in Blackgate Prison… The fat warden back then was the same. Anyone on Vivi’s employee list, even those bought by the Court of Owls, could be dismissed.

So, it’s obvious that the Mayor can offer more than the Court.

Facing Vivi’s half-smiling face, Winston wiped the sweat from his forehead, “Back to our original topic, Ms. Bettywen, would you consider my suggestion? Whether you genuinely want to save Gotham,” he chuckled, “or just want a promotion and a raise, following the Mayor won’t do you any good.”

“But you’ve transferred me to Blackgate Prison,” Vivi said discontentedly, “So can you transfer me to another department? I don’t want to spend my retirement in a prison; SWAT sounds nice.”

The current head of SWAT’s expression stiffened, “I think you’re joking?”

Vivi reverted to a blank expression, suddenly asking, “Are the criminals I caught going to Blackgate Prison?”

The car had entered Diamond Avenue, with the Iceberg Lounge close by.

Winston said coldly, “That’s GCPD’s job, isn’t it? Blackgate Prison just needs to receive the criminals.”

The two got out of the car, the lounge’s waiter taking care of the parking while they were led inside by another waiter.

Upon entering, soft violin music greeted them, which Vivi couldn’t discern much of, but Winston adjusted his tie and said with a low chuckle, “Looks like the Iceberg Lounge’s business isn’t doing well. The violinist just missed a note.”

Vivi silently gave him a look, not responding.

They sat at a table for two in the center of the restaurant, and the man tapped the table, frowning, “Aren’t they turning on the lights?”

The waiter replied, “The lounge’s business isn’t great, sir, so we only turn on a few lights.”

Winston, dissatisfied, said, “Forget it, bring the food.”

Dim lighting created a hazy atmosphere. Suddenly, Winston said, “You think the Iceberg Lounge is currently owned by the Mayor? We don’t have many people we can use.”

Vivi silently looked at him: Of course, the Iceberg Lounge is no longer in the Mayor’s hands.

—Before Penguin’s imprisonment, he had transferred the property to “C,” who advised them not to act rashly.

This news must have been leaked, as the Court of Owls clearly knew that the lounge had nothing to do with the Mayor now.

Winston looked at Vivi as if observing a struggling insect on a web. Coincidentally, Vivi viewed him the same way.

He suddenly said, “Is the one serving the meal your head chef?”

“Yes,” the waiter glanced at the muscular man pushing the serving cart, “We fired many people, so the head chef has to take on more duties. Luckily, we don’t have many customers.”

Winston frowned: Does that logic make sense?

Just then, the violinist’s bow slipped, producing a long, harsh sound. Winston’s face showed unbearable irritation. His background was obviously well-off, judging by his actions. The violinist’s mistake didn’t provoke a harsh outburst solely due to his upbringing.

“Violin…”

But how could a truly well-bred person become an accomplice of the Court of Owls?

In the next moment, the sound of bullets being loaded echoed around.

The violin bow’s sound was like a bugle call, and the entire moribund Iceberg Lounge instantly came alive. Vivi raised her hands in surrender, while Winston reacted swiftly, drawing a gun and attempting to kick a nearby waiter to take as a hostage. Instead, he got punched twice, and the “chef” pinned him to the table.

“What does C want to do?” Winston asked urgently, his face pale.

Vivi, who surrendered quickly, was unharmed except for a gun pressed against her head. As soon as Winston asked the question, he received another punch in the abdomen.

“Sorry,” said Vivi, who knew everything but still had to ask, “May I know what is happening?”

The staff from inside the Iceberg Lounge surrounded the two. The violinist, with his flamboyant red hair, came hopping over, gesturing for the others to stop beating Winston.

“Congratulations to both of you. Since the business is failing, the boss decided to transition us, and you two happen to be the last customers before the transformation. So, you get our special transitional gift package—”

While Winston was making his call, Vivi, as “C,” messaged the current person in charge of the Iceberg Lounge.

Penguin was arrested, but even if Vivi used the system to control Penguin, she couldn’t make him command all his followers to go to prison – not everyone has taken the ‘intelligence-lowering gift package’.

So, she had Penguin reassure them and transfer power to C.

However, C was currently controlling these people through fear: Mr. C, never seen before, showed his strange power but lacked sufficient prestige. At least a third of Penguin’s men joined other gangs in Gotham, but some remained.

Vivi now knew that NPCs need to eat and sleep, they have their own thoughts, can be lazy at work, and even if they are ‘green-named’, they can still cause trouble—

Those who stayed didn’t do so out of loyalty, but because they thought Mr. C could bring them benefits.

Continuously suppressing them would inevitably lead this force to join others.

So, in the message Vivi sent to the leader, she said:

【Gotham’s underworld has been chaotic for too long. I know why you stayed because you all have desires… But are you satisfied with how things were under Penguin? If so, you might as well join Black Mask.】

【I have desires too—I think we shouldn’t just be a part of the underworld, but become the law of the entire underworld.】

【That’s when the game becomes interesting.】

Just half a minute ago, the violinist replied to the message, trembling:

【Mr. C, please instruct us, what should we do?】

On the other side, the reply came: “Do you have any special skills?”

【I… I was the one who answered your call before. I can play the violin a little.】

“Then I’ll call you Violin,” Vivi typed into the panel, “Our goal is to first take over the East End, but don’t use excessive methods. Subtle influence is the best solution.”

【Yes, Mr. C. I’ve thought about… the recent ordinance issued by the Mayor. Maybe we can start from there.】

“Good, start an installation company. The Mayor isn’t our enemy. As long as her goals are met, she’ll be content. And… two people will come to dine here later. You need to extract interesting information from the man.”

“I’ll contact you later, Violin.”

If the right way can’t fulfill Vivi’s ideas, then another way is fine.

Isn’t that how players operate? As long as the task is completed, any method will do. After all, Vivi just wants to complete the main quest. Whether the East End underground is repaired by city hall or the gangs, what’s the difference?

It’s just that the Iceberg Lounge will be renamed Iceberg Construction Installation Company.

【Financial Management – Business Investment】—

【Establishing a new construction company】【Completed】

Winston, bruised and battered, knelt on the ground: “You’re… making enemies with the Court. You’ll regret this!”

Vivi, still with her hands up, looked innocent; she was being held at gunpoint.

Upon hearing the word “Court,” there was a small commotion among the people around, and the newly nicknamed red-haired man “Violin” suddenly pulled out a gun, pointing it at his companions. The air turned tense.

“Are you scared?” he switched his target, “Or are you? Or you?”

He shot the overhead chandelier, and the scattering fragments cut his face: “Ridiculous. If you choose to be part of the underworld, why cling to useless fear? None of us have that right.”

If they wanted to become the law of the underworld, if they wanted to rule all gangs, then they must defeat the Court of Owls—currently, the Court extorts offerings from the underworld, but Mr. C aims to replace them.

—Even surpass them.

This fired up “Violin.”

Winston, in shock, was dragged away. Vivi gave him a helpless look, but at the same time—

【Take the rose from the table. Doesn’t it suit him well? Violin, I want you to watch him eat the rose.】

The red-haired man shook his head and noticed the bright red rose on the table.

He chuckled, holding the rose, and looked at Vivi: “You can leave now, lady. Be smart.”

Vivi nodded slightly at her lips, gesturing.

“Gotham is a dangerous city,” she sighed at the entrance of the Iceberg Lounge, “and very expensive too.”

【“Mad Gotham” Rose, priced at 40,000 gold coins】

【A rose with a crazy and intense aroma. Just smelling this rose will induce passionate loyalty, but loyalty fades with the scent, though the passion won’t cool down, unless you can think of another use?】

【You are C, Bella, Anna, and also yourself.】

【There’s only one such rose in the entire rose garden, hence the high price.】

The dim Iceberg Lounge was enveloped in the lingering scent of the rose.

“Violin” smelled the rose and approached Winston.