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Chapter 13 - Chapter 13: Kingpin's Money Laundering Method

Batman had barely found the file on the genetically altered spider when Black Cat let out a delighted little gasp.

"I found one too!"

It was Oscorp's "Shareholder Agreement," and in black and white it stated that Wilson Fisk—Kingpin—owned ten percent of the company. The ink still smelled fresh. Judging by the date, he'd bought in only a few days ago.

"What are you going to do?" Batman asked quietly.

Black Cat's face froze; excitement flipped to confusion. "I… don't know. Go home and Google it?"

"No." Batman wasn't just Batman—he'd also once run Wayne Enterprises. "Answer me first: how did Kingpin get the cash to invest in Oscorp?"

"By swallowing smaller crews, drug trafficking, arms deals…" She wasn't stupid; her eyes lit up.

"Exactly. It's dirty money. What he's doing now—using investment to launder it clean," Batman said. "Hire a lawyer and sue Fisk. You could void his investment and maybe even put him behind bars."

"Just like that…?"

She could hardly believe it. In her mind, toppling Kingpin's rule and avenging her father would take ages, but with a single nudge from Batman, the path suddenly looked simple. A sweet smile returned to her face; she turned, ready to hug him.

But Norman Osborn's office held no one else—Batman had slipped away without her noticing.

Down in the sewers, Batman was already racing along on web-lines, tracing the Squid-Man's trail. The creature's rank, fishy stink was obvious even here. It didn't take long to find his hideout.

Seven or eight suitcases of various sizes sat there, all stuffed with cash paid by New York gangs for the Squid-Man's services. One case alone held five million dollars. Total: a little over $7.6 million.

"The Batsuit requires ordering large quantities of parts so nothing looks suspicious. This isn't enough."

Deep in the shipyard, Batman frowned at the piles of bills he'd gathered in one place. Building a suit to match his old model would take at least ten million—not because a single suit was so expensive, but because in theory it's a consumable. Order in dribs and drabs and suppliers get curious—and someone with an agenda could trace it back to him. Given those constraints, he had to place a large one-off order.

Nor did he intend to keep all $7.6 million. Strictly speaking, that money had been paid for lives—the people the Squid-Man killed. If every victim had been a blood-soaked gangster, he wouldn't mind using the money to arm himself. But he couldn't be sure there were no innocents among them.

"I need to watch what Chief George Stacy compiles on the Squid-Man's crimes. The victim identities will be in there. I'll decide what to do with the money afterward."

The sun inched up—another new day.

Batman grabbed less than an hour of rest, shed his disguise for a plaid shirt, slipped back into Peter Parker, bought a copy of the Daily Bugle, and returned to Peter's apartment.

There was no report about Oscorp's human experiments—just a photo of "Spider-Man" swinging through New York, headline: "On the Run or Redeemed? Spider-Man Missing Four Days!"

He ignored it.

Aside from the Spider-Man piece, the front page focused on one thing: today, the military would tour Oscorp. The company would be closed to the public for the day.

The military…

Batman suspected the videos he'd emailed the Daily Bugle last night hadn't run—and the military might be why.

Knock, knock! A young woman's voice followed: "Peter, phone for you."

"My phone?" Batman opened the door. A young stranger stood there—not exactly pretty, slim, with two braided pigtails.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm the landlord's daughter. You forgot? I'm Ursula." She gave a shy smile and handed him the receiver.

Watching Ursula duck back into her place across the hall, Batman lifted the handset. "Peter speaking."

"Peter? It's May." The voice on the line was a kindly older woman. "It's Saturday. You need to come home today."

He said nothing. He knew exactly who she was—that was precisely why, since arriving in this world, he hadn't reached out.

Aunt May. After her husband, Ben Parker, was killed, it had been just her and Peter.

"Peter? Are you there?" She sounded anxious. "I know college keeps you busy, but today matters. You have to come home."

"…Okay," Batman said at last.

Hearing the boy she loved like a son agree, Aunt May brightened and chattered away. All Batman could do was answer mechanically: "Okay." "No problem."

He could feel her care through the line. In Gotham, only Alfred had ever cared like that—but Alfred didn't talk this much. Her kindness almost overwhelmed him. Thankfully, she finally hung up.

"Peter, want to try my fresh-baked pizza?" Ursula poked her head out again the moment he set down the phone.

"Thanks," Batman said, declining. He couldn't get used to unsolicited kindness.

Ursula seemed to take his refusal as a yes. Beaming, she swung her door wide and stood there expectantly with a tray of pizza.

"…"

Three hours later, 10 a.m.

"Pull the security footage! Find out who tripped my lab alarms last night!"

"Tell Finance to pay Sable International more. Not one word of our experimental work leaks."

In Oscorp Tower, Norman Osborn barked orders as he strode into his top-floor office on sixty. The rummaging was blatant; papers were scattered everywhere. Rage surged—but before he could let it out, an employee burst in.

"Mr. Osborn, the military delegation is downstairs."

Norman took a deep breath, didn't even glance at the man, forced his temper down, and hurried to the elevator.

He was suddenly grateful that the intruder hadn't smashed any equipment; otherwise today's tour would be dead on arrival. Without military funding—and with Dr. Octavius's fusion work still stalled—the board would be one vote away from kicking him out.

"Good thing I brought Kingpin in as a shareholder ahead of time—it lowered my risk. My seat's still secure…" He breathed, steadying himself.

Behind him, Batman swept his gaze over the paper-strewn office and followed, wearing a researcher's clothes he'd just lifted from someone in Oscorp's labs.

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