"Now find someone to clean this place up. I'll give you one more minute, and I want to see the menu in front of me."
Su Ming casually tossed the Penguin Man onto the floor. The high-end marble tiles offered no cushioning, and the Penguin Man's body made a dull thud.
But feeling the pain in his body, Kobert no longer doubted that the person in front of him was Batman.
He always knew Batman was a lunatic, just like the Joker, only he controlled himself and adhered strictly to certain boundaries.
But today, it seemed some boundary had been broken.
The Kobert family had lived in Gotham for over a hundred years, and he himself had been around for decades. He knew it was best not to provoke a lunatic in this city.
Since Batman wanted to eat, let him eat. Could he alone possibly eat the Iceberg Restaurant out of business? But he'd better speed up his plan to build the Iceberg Casino at sea; surely, Batman wouldn't gamble, right?
As long as he served Batman until he finished eating and acted obediently, he'd be able to coax him away.
Penguin got up from the floor, dusted off his clothes, and forced a smile. He hobbled over to the bar, picked up a menu, and placed it in front of Batman.
He waited, like a waiter, for Batman to order.
"Vegetable salad, tomato bisque, cream-baked snails..." Batman quickly flipped through the menu and called out three dishes.
"Ah, Batman, there's no need for us to be hostile. Today's fine as it is." Kobert jotted down the names of the three dishes on a napkin, bowing slightly with a fawning expression. "I'm just a businessman doing small deals. You've got many more crazies to deal with."
Su Ming didn't listen to what he was saying at all; he was just an impersonator there to scam some food and drink.
"Not those three dishes. Bring one of everything else."
"Urgh..."
The smile on Kobert's face froze. There were hundreds of dishes—could Batman eat them all?
His breathing became a bit rapid, as if he was about to flip out, but then he smiled again, forcing himself to hold back.
Right now, Batman's fists were the biggest. In the underworld, it's the big fists that rule. Forget about hundreds of dishes; even if Batman directly asked him for money, he'd have no choice but to pay.
But Su Ming wouldn't do that; masquerading as Batman to grab a free meal was more for mischief, for fun.
And robbing? That's too low-class; he despised doing that.
"Is the lobster fresh? It can't be less than 1.2 meters."
"... Fresh, my restaurant is the best." The smile returned to the Penguin Man's face; he animatedly described his food to Su Ming, making a gesture of bringing a bite to his mouth, even mimicking the explosion of flavors on the taste buds.
"Then hurry up and serve the food. First, get these trash out of here; the environment's ruined."
Su Ming tossed the menu aside and leaned back in his chair, waiting to eat.
This was the Penguin Man's base; naturally, he had other subordinates. Soon, someone dragged away the disabled henchmen for medical treatment.
After arranging everything, the Penguin Man sat across from Su Ming, sizing up Batman and feeling only fear.
This unpredictable Batman was even scarier than the one who came in swinging immediately.
Had the Joker recently provoked him again?
"A band, dancers, and singers." Su Ming knocked on the table again, speaking with a blank expression, "You can't host guests like this."
The Penguin Man was about to break down; you're just an uninvited guest! And at four in the morning, what restaurant is still open? Bands and singers need to sleep too!
But Batman's fists were too heavy, so he still pulled out his phone to make arrangements. It's just a band; spend a bit more to send this Bat Villain packing quickly.
A few minutes later, the chefs who were dragged out of bed arrived at the restaurant, barely able to believe their eyes.
The Penguin and the Bat sitting together, seemingly about to dine?
But since the Penguin Man was the boss, working for him was practically a constant ordeal, so it was best not to ask what shouldn't be asked, nor look at what shouldn't be looked at.
Very soon, the appetizers started arriving in an endless stream, and the band that Pengun Man hired at a high price also began to play.
Because it was so late, the only band Penguin could find was one from a nightclub gig. The rock music didn't seem to fit the lavish atmosphere of the Iceberg Restaurant.
But Su Ming didn't care; his goal was to eat and, incidentally, mess with the Penguin for fun.
He couldn't kill Gotham's villains; they were Batman's weakness, a subject he was intimately familiar with in terms of behavior, geography, and psychology.
Eating for free at the Penguin Man's, beating up his men, even tarnishing Batman's reputation—all these were within Batman's tolerance.
But if he were to break Batman's toys, Batman would turn hostile, and Su Ming would be up against the Justice League—that would be no good.
Su Ming wouldn't do that.
But right now, peeling large lobsters to the sound of rock music was quite exhilarating.
"Batman, if you can't finish, I can pack it for you."
The Penguin Man watched as Batman ate very slowly, seemingly intending to stay, making time feel like years.
"The seafood sauce is nice," Su Ming said, just focusing on eating, tasting only a bite of each dish; the rest appeared to be eaten but were actually consumed by Strangulation: "Cheers."
The fine wine the Penguin Man brought was consumed by him like soda, a big gulp down his throat.
The corners of Kobert's mouth twitched, but he still smiled and sipped his wine lightly.
"Drinking between two guys is no fun; call some pretty ladies over." Su Ming made another demand.
The Penguin Man took a deep breath; had this Batman caught some kind of virus? Calling escort girls while dining?
But under the Bat's stern gaze, he almost immediately gave in.
Soon, a few flamboyantly dressed ladies walked in from outside, swaying over to the Penguin Man.
When they saw Batman, they became flustered.
You could say they were grateful to Batman, sure. Occasionally, a sister would be robbed or harassed in a dark alley, and Batman would appear to save them.
But they were ladies of the night; most of their clients were either corrupt officials or gangsters. Batman going after those guys meant they had no money, which affected their income.
And they never expected Batman would call for company; that was shocking.
Su Ming glanced around—they were just ordinary, run-of-the-mill women. Let alone comparing them to a peerless beauty like Albella, they couldn't even hold a candle to Hawk Woman.
But he was here to annoy Batman anyway, so this was just right.
"Pour the wine."
He pulled two ladies to his side, having them sit on either side and waited on him as he dined.
The Iceberg Restaurant's seafood was indeed excellent; the lobster and crab were not only fresh but also well-prepared.
Even better, he didn't have to peel it himself; there were women to do it, and he even pinned it on Batman, which made him feel joyful.
Relaxation meant doing what made oneself happy. Whether Batman was happy or not, what did that have to do with Deathstroke?