DC Universe.
Gotham, Dirk Street.
The new headquarters of Hog United was established here, flanked by the Aylesbury neighborhood on the left and Hog Street on the right.
As a cover, to the outside world, this place appeared to be a small used car dealership.
Calling it "small" isn't entirely accurate—since the auto industry is quite developed in Western countries, even a small used car dealership covers more than half an acre—just over 2,000 square meters.
If it were a large used car dealership, it would usually be a chain brand, sometimes occupying over ten acres and holding hundreds or even thousands of cars—far more than just a simple shop.
It's only because Hog United has risen to become the largest gang in the area that they can afford to open such a place.
And only a space this large is suitable for a big gang whose manpower has expanded to over a hundred people.
Currently, there are only a dozen or so used cars in the showroom, just to keep up appearances. The accountant is looking for channels to make the shop look more legitimate.
After all, if a used car dealership operates normally, it can bring in a decent profit and also serves as a good money-laundering front.
Beyond the customer lounge, sales office, and vehicle maintenance area at the back of the dealership lies Hardy's private laboratory.
Out of the dealership's 2,000-plus square meters, over 300 are occupied by Hardy's private lab.
"Okay, I know, I'm not lying to you. That's all the samples I have. One of the materials can't be found? Which one? An unknown organic compound? How would I know? If you can't find it, ask Mr. Victor if he can find a substitute. That's it."
Hardy was holding the phone between his ear and shoulder, talking to Two-Face, while placing the remaining nearly ten milliliters of Titan serum into the freezer.
How could he possibly hand over all the Titan venom to Two-Face and Mr. Freeze? Even if he might not need what's left in the future, it could serve as a memento—a reminder of his days in Arkham!
After finishing the call with Two-Face, Hardy resumed his work.
And for now, his work was...
Tailoring.
There was still some high-strength flexible rubber fiber—Wayne Enterprises' specialty—left over from making the artificial muscle lining for Black Gold last time. Hardy got the idea to use these scraps to make new puppet accessories.
Coincidentally, there had been a riot at Blackgate Prison that night, and the image of Batman in his super sexy black bodysuit and cape protecting Gotham once again made the newspaper headlines.
So Hardy came up with the idea of making a cape like Batman's—fireproof, waterproof.
But just wearing a cape felt a bit off. After all, Hardy didn't have some superhero cross-dressing fetish. Wearing a cape in public would only attract attention from the Joker and his macho crew. At this point in his life, Hardy would much rather catch the eyes of women—with a classic, old-school trench coat.
So the cape was redesigned into a trench coat.
It just so happened that one of his gang members used to be a tailor. After learning a few tricks from him, Hardy bought new materials and started making it.
He wove Wayne Enterprises' high-strength flexible rubber fiber with Kevlar fiber to create the inner lining of the trench coat, ensuring both elasticity and protection.
In Hardy's design, this semi-puppet device—named "Swallow"—could be worn as a trench coat in daily life, offering bulletproof, waterproof, and fireproof protection.
When Hardy combined with Black Gold, Swallow could also connect internally with Black Gold.
In actual combat, it might not play a major role—at most, it would serve as a buffer or isolation layer.
But when escaping, it would become extremely useful.
Suppose he encountered a danger that Black Gold couldn't handle. All of Black Gold's cylinder linings would simultaneously use the modified reverse lever to redirect the pump's power to Swallow.
With the added force from the built-in springs, Hardy could be launched away.
There were two launch settings: if only Hardy and Swallow were ejected, factoring in mechanical energy loss, he could easily be propelled over a hundred meters into the air.
At that point, he could use chakra threads to spread Swallow open and glide away like a parachute.
Therefore, Swallow didn't need a memory metal framework inside like Batman's cape.
If he chose the second setting—launching Hardy, Swallow, and Black Gold together—because of Black Gold's heavy weight, it would only be a powered leap, and with a long cooldown, serving as a way to enhance mobility.
He worked until nightfall.
"Perfect."
Hardy clapped his hands in satisfaction, admiring the trench coat in front of him.
Mainly black, accented with a bit of white, the design was slim-fitting, with a split tail resembling a swallow's tail.
"As expected of me, designing something so functional and stylish. If I get the chance, I should have my main body make one too. If I combine it with the Wind Dash Technique, the gliding height and speed should be amazing."
In fact, Hardy had just copied the design from a random brand he found online that looked decent.
Although his skills weren't quite up to par and there were many differences from the original, at least it looked presentable.
"Boss, it'll be seven o'clock in twenty minutes. Mr. Cobblepot sent you an invitation this morning, asking you to come to the Iceberg Lounge to discuss a business deal."
At 6:40, the accountant found Hardy, who was adjusting the rough edges of the trench coat's tail with a needle and thread, holding a schedule in his hand.
He was now basically Hardy's chief secretary in managing Hog United.
"Let's go, then. Remember to load Black Gold into the car."
Hardy pointed to the black steel giant standing by the wall.
His men would automatically disassemble Black Gold into several parts and load them into the car's trunk.
...
...
Fifteen minutes later.
Several sedans slowly pulled up in front of the Iceberg Lounge.
Aman, Hardy's driver, was the first to get out...
The car door was opened for Hardy.
"Oh, my dear friend, you have such taste in clothing today."
The portly Penguin, leaning on his umbrella, stepped forward enthusiastically to shake hands with Hardy as he got out of the car.
He was dressed in a black tailcoat suit with a white shirt underneath.
Although all the clothes were custom-made designer brands, with the Penguin's physique, no matter what he wore, he looked a bit comical.
Just like his nickname, "Penguin," he had a round body, a pale belly, and a black coat.
Wearing a similar black-and-white ensemble, Hardy, who was tall and well-built in a tailored trench coat, looked especially handsome in contrast to the Penguin.
"You're not bad yourself, my friend."
With a fake smile on his face, Hardy responded to the Penguin's enthusiasm with equally insincere words.