Maroni leaned forward over the table, towering over Hardy.
"So… am I right, Mr. Walter? To be precise, Mr. Clear Walter?"
Hardy's face instantly darkened.
Just how many people had Penguin sold his information to?
"Don't misunderstand, Puppet Master. I didn't go out of my way to dig up this information. It's just that… you know, a gang like Two-Face's, which seems to be growing fast but is actually unstable at its core, tends to leak information from time to time."
So there's a traitor in the Two-Face gang.
"Aren't you afraid I'll tell Harvey Dent you have someone on the inside?"
"Of course, but I think someone who can operate under Batman's nose, use the Joker to escape Arkham, and then build a sizable gang afterward is worth that risk," Maroni replied with a smile.
So it's not just the Titan serum they're after—they're interested in me as well.
Hardy also smiled.
Quite ambitious, aren't they?
"This can't be your offer, right? If you had an informant in the Two-Face gang capable of getting such crucial information, you wouldn't have been beaten so badly by Harvey Dent and his men last time."
Maroni stiffened.
Is he deliberately mocking me, or is he really just as blunt and tactless as I thought?
"It's Mr. Carmine Falcone's offer. We want to work with you, Mr. Walter. All you need to do is betray Harvey Dent at a critical moment and set him up. Once it's done, the territory of Two-Face will be divided among our three groups, and Mr. Falcone will also give you a bonus of 100 million dollars."
Hardy closed his eyes and tapped the table with his fingers.
A hundred million dollars!
He had never seen that much money in his entire life, even if he counted all his past lives together.
And a share of Two-Face's territory.
If a single deal could net Hogg Union a sizable chunk of territory, the scale of Two-Face's operation was obvious. Even if Falcone took the lion's share, the leftovers would be enough to more than double Hogg Union's turf.
Should he accept?
If Falcone really wiped out the Two-Face gang, half of Gotham's underworld would fall into his hands.
But that was something Hardy didn't want to see.
The more chaotic Gotham's underworld was, the easier it would be for Hogg Union to grow.
If he really joined forces with Falcone to destroy Two-Face, he might benefit in the short term, but after that, he'd have to worry about not being swallowed up by Falcone himself.
For long-term development, Two-Face's gang couldn't be destroyed.
Besides, Harvey Dent was no ordinary man. Even before becoming Two-Face, he was someone Batman himself recognized—a man who was meant to be Gotham's light, while Batman became the darkness, light and dark together protecting the city.
That showed Batman at least considered Harvey Dent to be his equal.
But reality proved Harvey Dent couldn't bear that responsibility—forced by circumstance, he turned from a good man into a villain.
And after turning villain, Harvey Dent became even more ruthless, building up the massive Two-Face gang with countless underlings.
A man like that would surely keep some territory for himself; taking him down in one blow wouldn't be easy.
Even Maroni, sitting across from him now, was the same. Even after being toppled from his throne by Harvey Dent, he was still doing pretty well, wasn't he?
If this failed, he'd have no choice but to follow Falcone down a dark path.
What's more, Hardy's goal was also to unify Gotham's underworld—or at the very least, become a top boss like Two-Face or Penguin. Only then could he expand beyond Gotham and gather more fortune.
Harvey Dent had actually offered him quite a bit as well. Most importantly, Hardy needed his connections to get in touch with Mr. Freeze.
Freeze guns and other high-damage, low-temperature tech—Hardy had his eye on those.
Sitting at the table, Hardy closed his eyes for a few minutes to sort out the pros and cons, then slowly opened them.
At some point, Maroni had lit a cigar. Seeing Hardy open his eyes, he exhaled a mouthful of thick smoke and asked:
"Have you made your decision?"
"Sorry, but your offer isn't enough. For me, working with Harvey Dent—"
"Cooperation is the way to maximize benefits."
Hardy crossed his legs and said to Maroni.
"So, are you going to tell Harvey Dent about this?"
Maroni's face remained calm as he took another puff of his cigar and said,
"That depends on how much hush money you're willing to pay."
"You really are shameless."
"For a mob boss, I suppose that's a compliment? Thank you."
Maroni took the cigar from his mouth and pulled a handgun from his pocket.
"Killing you right here would achieve the same effect."
"You'd kill someone on Penguin's turf? Aren't you afraid of offending him? If Cobblepot and Two-Face join forces, even Falcone might not be able to protect you."
Maroni chuckled softly, flicking off the gun's safety. "No, no, no. As long as the price is right, Cobblepot will understand."
That really was Penguin's money-grubbing nature.
"You came alone? Or, to be precise, do you really think you can take me out with just a handgun?"
Seeing Hardy's calm and confident demeanor, Maroni frowned slightly.
"Your high-tech battle suit isn't here, is it? Don't worry, I'll make sure to take it off your hands."
As he spoke, Maroni's finger tightened on the trigger.
At the same time, Hardy's finger twitched slightly.
"Whoosh!"
A small white object, hidden under the table, shot out and struck Maroni's gun hand.
Wisdom Tooth No. 1!
It was the first puppet Hardy had made after arriving in the DC universe. Back then, he was stuck in Arkham and had to improvise, using his own teeth, nails, and hair to craft a simple puppet.
Although he managed to escape Arkham before ever using Wisdom Tooth No. 1—thanks to the chaos caused by the Joker—he'd kept it ever since.
Since it was made entirely from his own body, the puppet was highly compatible with Hardy's chakra and could be manipulated with incredible dexterity.
He'd even modified it, adding a tungsten-alloy poisoned needle—perfect for surprise attacks and assassinations.
"Ahhh—!"
Maroni's gun clattered to the floor as he clutched his wounded hand in pain.
Hardy picked up the gun with his left hand, grabbed Maroni by the hair with his right, and slammed his head hard onto the table, splitting Maroni's forehead open and covering it in blood.
Maroni tried to fight back, but he was no match for Hardy, whose body was enhanced with chakra. Hardy slammed him into the wall a few more times for good measure.
Suddenly, the door burst open. Several of Maroni's men in black suits rushed in, guns raised as they took in the scene.