"Oh, my friend, you've finally emerged from your little hideout. Is that your weapon? He's truly a magnificent fellow."
Penguin entered the factory and immediately spotted the tall, impressively metallic and technologically advanced Black Gold Puppet.
"Where's the stuff?"
Qingshui removed his welding mask and asked Penguin.
"Boss, everything's outside. There are over twenty guns, thousands of bullets! And riot shields and bulletproof vests!"
The accountant bowed and scraped to Qingshui.
"Heh heh, these guns are just small potatoes. If you could mass-produce and sell this thing, I guarantee you'd become Gotham's richest… well, second richest."
Penguin rubbed his hands, cigar in mouth, scrutinizing Black Gold.
It certainly looked like it packed a punch.
"Why second richest?"
Qingshui asked Penguin.
"Because Gotham's richest is Bruce Wayne. This alone won't get you more wealth than Wayne Enterprises."
Penguin adjusted his glasses.
"So, what do you say? Shall we cooperate? You provide the tech, I provide the resources and channels. Then who cares about Batman? No matter how strong he is, can he really take on an army of these robots?"
"Unfortunately, only I can use this thing once it's made. Even if I gave you the technology, you wouldn't be able to make it move."
Qingshui extended his left hand, manipulating Black Gold with Chakra Threads, invisible to the naked eye, to approach him, disassemble, and then re-cover his entire body within three seconds.
"Let's go."
The massive black Puppet strode with steady, swift steps towards the factory gate.
Buying ordinary items from Penguin only required money, but extraordinary items, such as Quinn Industries' small, cutting-edge sensors, required more than just money.
Fortunately, Penguin knew some of Qingshui's background, so he tentatively proposed a collaboration.
Qingshui would pay to acquire firearms through Penguin's channels to expand his gang, and purchase materials and high-tech products to enhance his Puppet. In return, Penguin needed an ally who wasn't overtly connected to him but was a capable fighter to help him deal with rivals.
This was a test, to gauge the true strength of Qingshui, a fellow villain who managed to escape Arkham Asylum despite Batman and Nightwing being present.
So far, Qingshui had far exceeded Penguin's expectations.
"Going like that would be too conspicuous. I'll sell you the truck that delivered the goods. I'll give you a buddy rate, only fifty thousand dollars."
Penguin stood at the door, smiling, and pointed to a large truck parked in the open space ahead.
"I want to ask you to help me deal with the Spaletta Family on Dirk Street. They robbed a shipment of mine last month. Even though they were very discreet and I have no proof, I'm certain they did it. Eliminate Simmons Spaletta and his son John Spaletta, and Dirk Street will be yours."
"We don't have a reason to act. You find us one."
Qingshui glanced at the large truck and said to Penguin.
"Isn't that simple? Just pick one. For example, you could pin the death of your former Kohl Gang leader, Chidi Kohl, on them. That would also help you avoid a conflict with the Two-Face Gang, wouldn't it?"
Penguin took a satisfying puff from his cigar and replied.
"Alright, but we're not called the Kohl Gang anymore; we're Hogg United.
And I don't have fifty thousand dollars. Plus, even though your truck is modified, it's secondhand. Thirty thousand at most. Also,"
"Deal."
Penguin said readily.
Qingshui: …
I miscalculated. I should have pressed for a lower price.
"I'll owe you the thirty thousand. I don't have the money."
"No problem, my interest here is very low, only three percent…"
"Oh, that's really low. How about I borrow a million first…"
"Three percent monthly interest. You just said you wanted to borrow a million, right?"
Penguin adjusted his glasses, his old face beaming.
"You call that low interest?"
"Of course. Among Gotham's loan sharks, I'm the most conscientious. Others give you interest rates that are impossible to meet, but I'm different. I'll push you to the limit, just enough to squeeze every last bit of value out of you, so you can better create more wealth for me to harvest."
Penguin said proudly, pulling a calculator from the pocket of his coat.
"You just said you wanted to borrow a million, plus the thirty thousand for the truck, so the interest for one month is…"
"I'm not borrowing. I'll pay you back the thirty thousand tomorrow."
"Alright, what a shame. But at three percent a month, the daily interest is still one-tenth of a percent. You'll have to pay that when you give me back the money tomorrow."
Qingshui was speechless.
This guy really knew how to make money, but he also truly exerted himself to squeeze every penny, just as he claimed.
"The driver is my man. He'll take you to Simmons Spaletta. Good luck. Also, try not to make too much of a fuss. Although someone at the Gotham PD will help us cover it up, the less commotion, the better, to avoid getting Batman's attention. Finally…"
Penguin took the cigar from his mouth and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
"My driver's paid $50 an hour, and you'll be covering that too."
That greedy bastard.
"Let's go!"
Qingshui stepped into the back of the truck and shouted to his subordinates.
"Woohoo!"
"Go, go, go!"
"Let's screw those motherf***ers up!"
...
The thugs cheered, grabbing their newly acquired weapons and hopping onto their motorcycles.
The truck's tailgate lowered, and the roar of motorcycle and truck engines filled the air as the large group surged down the street.
"Boss, will we win?"
A man in a suit stood behind Penguin, watching the Hogg United crew disappear down the street.
"It should be fine. The Puppeteer's strength might be far beyond our previous assessment—just look at that big contraption he's wearing. It's just his subordinates who aren't up to par. They don't look like they've done any real heavy lifting, probably only good for easy fights and cheering from the sidelines."
Penguin leaned on his umbrella, gazing at the sky.
Night quietly fell, and Gotham's sky was a gloomy black.
That was Gotham's true color, and the color of the bat.
But...
"Perhaps soon, Gotham's underworld will see some significant changes. It won't be a complete upheaval, but an investment now should yield a hefty profit. At the very least, I'm certain we won't lose money."
Penguin checked the time on his watch, opened the door to the nearby luxury car, and got in.
"Let's go, Bob. It's time to go talk business with Marconi. Can't waste valuable time we could be making money."
"Yes, Boss."
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