Qingshui in the Naruto World was busy laying the groundwork, while Qingshui in the Naruto World was building his foundation with Fukami Senran. Meanwhile, Qingshui in the DC Universe was collecting protection money with his subordinates.
After Carmine's death, and with Harvey Dent fleeing from Qingshui, Qingshui leveraged these two events to become Gotham's newest top crime boss.
Hogg United's prestige soared, and Qingshui seized the opportunity to recruit many new members.
Gotham City, meanwhile, was preoccupied with electing a new mayor.
From the politicians' perspective, gangs were ultimately a minor nuisance; electing a new mayor was the real priority. For a time, the government paid little mind to the chaos in Gotham's underworld following this dramatic shift.
The Falcone Family lost significant territory. Although Carmine's son, Alberto Falcone, stepped up during this time, brutally clearing out some individuals and temporarily stabilizing the situation, it couldn't prevent the Falcone Family's decline.
The Two-Face Gang was better off than the Falcone Family, but still not as strong as before.
Harvey Dent initially tried to appease Qingshui by offering territory and money.
In the eyes of career criminals in Gotham, betrayal and exploitation were commonplace.
Harvey Dent had indeed schemed against Qingshui, using him as a pawn, but he hadn't directly attacked Qingshui. By Gotham underworld standards, this wasn't considered betrayal at all.
However, the displeased Qingshui still pursued Harvey Dent relentlessly. The latter, knowing he was no match for Qingshui, decisively abandoned most of the Two-Face Gang's overt assets, taking his subordinates into hiding in the shadows.
Hogg United was naturally the biggest winner, but the Iceberg Lounge was not far behind.
Hogg United's foundation was still relatively shallow, so it couldn't become a powerhouse overnight. But the Iceberg Lounge, as the only major force not significantly impacted by the events, benefited even more.
From then on, Gotham's criminal underworld was reshuffled, with only two powers standing at the very top:
The Iceberg Lounge and Hogg United.
...
...
The chaos in Gotham didn't affect Central City.
This place could almost be considered one of the best livable cities in the DC Universe.
It was perpetually sunny, not only boasting towering skyscrapers but also abundant greenery, located near the sea, and brimming with art and culture.
The cities with the lowest crime rates in America were Metropolis and Central City, because Superman and The Flash dealt with crime the fastest.
Only now, it seemed a small unexpected incident had occurred.
"So, guys, what do we do now?"
Barry Allen sat on the steps of S.T.A.R. Labs, scratching his head in frustration, and asked his teammates.
There was Vibe, Cisco Ramon, a physicist and engineering genius with the ability to control vibrations and shockwaves.
And Killer Frost, Caitlin Snow, who held dual doctorates in biomedicine and physics, possessing cryokinetic abilities.
Originally, they also had Dr. Harrison Wells as their mentor, but he was actually the Reverse-Flash, Eobard Thawne, who had died last year.
"I don't know. Without a speedster's help, how are we supposed to defeat another speedster, especially one who has absorbed the Speed Force from multiple other speedsters?"
Cisco shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Then why can't we just create another speedster?"
Caitlin tilted her head.
Barry Allen, whose Speed Force had been absorbed by his opponent, looked up, his eyes lighting up.
"Yes, we can rebuild a Particle Accelerator, and then recreate the scene from the night I got my Speed Force — blow up the Particle Accelerator and let me get struck by lightning! Maybe then I can get my powers back!"
"Alright, setting aside whether you'll actually regain your speed or just get fried by lightning, how are we supposed to rebuild the Particle Accelerator now?"
Cisco asked, spreading his hands.
"Didn't you guys help Harrison Wells build it back then?"
Barry Allen said.
"No, Barry, building a Particle Accelerator costs money. And the Particle Accelerator Harrison Wells built was different from a conventional one; it was technology he brought from the future. I think you know very well how different a Particle Accelerator that can generate dark matter is from other Particle Accelerators. We only know parts of it; Wells never taught anyone the real core technology!"
Now it was Cisco's turn to scratch his head.
"It's okay, Cisco. I once saw a prototype of a Particle Accelerator at a physics lab exhibition at Central City University. While it wasn't perfect and its power was low, I personally saw Wells' live simulation demonstration at the exhibition. That's how he secured funding from many corporations. If we can get it and modify it, we can connect it directly to the arc-shaped magnetic field tunnel below!"
"But how do we get that Particle Accelerator? And even if we can modify it, just starting the Particle Accelerator once would probably cost tens of millions of dollars. Even if we sold everything we own, we wouldn't have enough money."
Cisco once again poured cold water on the idea.
"Hmm, boys, why don't you ask me what I found before you say that?"
Caitlin smiled gently, flipped her laptop around, and pushed it towards the two of them.
Displayed on the screen was a collection of Central City University's 2008 master's graduate archives. On the very last page was a photo of Qingshui, transformed into Keanu Reeves.
Flash Water, Physics Engineering Department, advisor Harrison Wells.
"You mean this student of Wells can help us rebuild the Particle Accelerator? But we still don't have money to start the Particle Accelerator! Vacuum tubes, rare elements, enough electricity, particle aligners, and we'd need to rent a supercomputer for real-time calculations..."
Caitlin clicked on another webpage beside it.
It was a company search page, investigating Hogg's Auto Shop.
"What? Registered capital... $20 million registered last month? Estimated net worth $160 million? We never heard Wells mention he had such a rich student!"
This was Qingshui's accountant handling things.
Simply operating in the underworld had its limitations and restricted development.
Having a legitimate business identity, like Penguin, to hold companies and assets made things much more convenient in many areas.
"But even if he's Wells' student, why would he help us? And can he really be trusted? What if he's a villain? Can he get the core components of the Particle Accelerator?"
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