Chapter 11 The Owl's First Victim ( ) From Gotham's...
“I think there might be some misunderstanding between us, Mr. Wayne,” Lucius tried to explain, but Thomas gestured for him to shut up.
This young Mr. Wayne is not as arrogant as some of the big shots in Gotham, but he is far more dangerous than them.
“There is no misunderstanding, Mr. Fox.”
Thomas approached him and shoved the papers into Lucius's hand: "This is the evidence I dug up this month. Without the board's permission, you secretly served as the technical director outside the company, setting up a production line to produce our company's patented products. You also took away the latest samples that my company sent to Wayne Group without my permission."
"This is yours..."
"My brother Bruce commissioned you to do it, didn't he?"
“Yes.” Lucius breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had grasped a lifeline.
“But he’s not the chairman, I am. Besides, you used a patent that my company exclusively licensed to Wayne Enterprises, directly harming my personal interests.” Thomas smiled. “You really believe that there’s any ‘genuine’ family affection in Gotham, and you’re willing to ruin your own future for it? Don’t you think that if my relationship with Bruce is as close as you imagine, why doesn’t he just hand these things over to me instead of you?”
Lucius was speechless.
“What’s mine is mine, and I will not allow anyone else to touch it. But Lucius, given your talent, I’m willing to give you a chance.”
Thomas found a disposable paper cup from somewhere, walked over to Lucius's automatic coffee machine, and whispered, "Look, I didn't bring a lawyer or bodyguards, and I turned off all the surveillance cameras on this floor because I don't want to make a big deal out of this. Making a big deal out of this won't do any good for the stock price, for Wayne Enterprises, for you and me, or for Bruce."
"If we resolve this privately, you won't have to think about how to explain your side jobs at today's shareholders' meeting. Isn't that great?"
Lucius gave up struggling and asked simply, "What do you want me to do?"
“I only need you to answer one question,” Thomas said, his back to Lucius. “What does Bruce want you to do for him?”
The aroma of coffee filled the air, and Thomas seemed relaxed, as if he didn't care much about Lucius. To him, this seemed like a trivial matter that could be easily resolved during a break before starting work.
“Mr. Bruce Wayne seems to need some high-tech equipment,” Lucius replied seriously. “I don’t know the specifics.”
"Is that so? That's not what I want to hear. I can tell you're lying. You know far more than this. If you don't satisfy me, you'll be going to Blackgate Prison."
I'm just kidding. They might actually send you straight to meet God.
Thomas had just put a slow-acting poison in his coffee.
Otherwise, why wouldn't I bring anyone, come when no one is around, change the surveillance on this floor, and even wear gloves and a pair of ridiculous new sneakers?
Thomas had even found a scapegoat. A guy who had also embezzled company funds was arranged by Thomas to deliver documents to Lucius later. The same slow-acting poison had also been placed in the guy's house. He believed that the GCPD's incompetent officials would definitely not be able to find out the truth.
Thomas planned that if Lucius said nothing, it would be considered disloyalty to the Wayne Group, and he could be sent directly to prison.
Who told him he couldn't even handle such a small matter? He was tricked by Thomas in less than a month. Wayne Corporation doesn't need such an incompetent and disobedient person.
If Lucius were to reveal everything at the slightest threat and easily side with Thomas, he would be betraying Bruce. To prevent Lucius from easily exposing Bruce's plans, Thomas would secretly eliminate him.
Generally speaking, someone who has just decided to submit will not refuse a cup of coffee offered by their new boss. Those who haven't done much dirty work will at most see it as a kind of obedience test.
If Lucius is the exception, that's fine too; at worst, the Night Owl will personally escort him away that night.
If Lucius can prove his intellect and skillfully balance the demands of the two brothers… then Thomas can spare his life, spare the life of a wise man.
Thomas gently swirled the paper cup in his hand, the rising steam blurring his aggressive features: "Seriously, why do you all like coffee so much?"
It would be incredibly easy for someone to tamper with the coffee machine and coffee beans.
Coca-Cola can indeed be a pick-me-up. As an excellent representative of modern food industry, you can tell at a glance whether there are pinholes on the bottle or whether the cap has been opened... Safe, convenient, and standardized, it is an excellent beverage.
Thomas was very relaxed; he even had the leisure to consider whether to remove the bar in his office and add a freezer specifically for storing Coke.
He was happy, but poor Lucius was scared half to death by the uninvited sub-adult owl, his brain working overtime. If you were standing next to him, you might even be able to hear him thinking.
Finally, Lucius seemed to have found a way to persuade Thomas.
“I don’t think Mr. Bruce Wayne wants to be your enemy; there’s no conflict between you two,” Lucius said tentatively, deliberately avoiding Thomas’s question.
Hearing his words, Thomas finally turned his attention from the placement of the Coca-Cola freezer back to the office. He said casually, "Don't change the subject, Mr. Fox."
“I believe your brother has no intention of seizing power from you,” Lucius said, forcing a smile. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have handed over all his shares to you.”
“I know Bruce doesn’t want to compete with me for Wayne Enterprises,” Thomas laughed. “So why don’t you tell me Bruce’s plans?”
"I can only say this much without Mr. Bruce Wayne's approval, but I can call to ask for his opinion."
“I knew you were very smart, Mr. Fox, although you do things a little…not very discreetly.”
The word twirled lightly on his tongue, as if it were truly Lucius's carelessness that had given him away, rather than Thomas having deliberately set a trap for him.
“I have no intention of controlling Bruce’s life, but I can tell he’s planning something big. You’ve taken the latest high-performance materials; if it weren’t for the fact that the products aren’t too powerful or numerous, I’d even suspect Bruce is trying to raise a private army.” He walked over to Lucius. “Although he’s unwilling to tell me the truth, I still want to do something for my family…”
So what? Are you two brothers kidding me?
Lucius wanted to say something, but being more refined than the evil owl, he simply asked politely, "Is there anything you wish to do?"
“I will send you detailed data on my patents and research findings, which are far more advanced than what Wayne Enterprises is currently researching,” Thomas said meaningfully. “I will no longer investigate Bruce’s plans in private, but I hope you know how to deal with other people who are asking questions.”
Well, he actually conceded a little.
Thomas felt his temper had improved considerably, and he didn't even forcefully take over the production lines.
"Let's leave it at that for today. I'll tell Alfred that I've caught you falsifying accounts, and as for Bruce... I don't think there's any need to worry him."
Thomas's beautiful sky-blue eyes swept over Lucius's office one last time, then he smiled, nodded to Lucius, and turned to leave, still holding the cup of coffee in his hand.
A few days later, Thomas released the new intelligence about Lucius with satisfaction.
Bruce has a good eye; he managed to pick such a smart but somewhat dim-witted person so accurately.
Lucius dared to use those patents, even though it was only a verbal authorization and Thomas hadn't signed a contract with him. Why was he so sure he wouldn't be sent to prison?
However, Thomas himself has no intention of suing Lucius. Suing him now would be a foolish move; American court trials take so long, what if Lucius seeks Bruce's help? Thomas's own affair would then be exposed.
So if Thomas were to discover that Lucius had any ulterior motives, he would kill him (Thomas did not consider himself to be disloyal, and at this point he still firmly believed that he and Bruce were actually in cahoots).
Bruce's secrets, along with a host of research findings that Thomas had painstakingly uncovered using Earth-3 technology, were all in Lucius's hands (of course, this did not include the crucial quantum starter; premature access to such a thing would be detrimental to anyone). Given Thomas's paranoia, the fact that he didn't implant listening devices, trackers, or bombs into Lucius was a sign of respecting Bruce's judgment.
My temper has really improved a lot.
Thomas turned his gaze to the Gotham City map.
Now that he's pretty much taken care of Wayne Enterprises internally... who's next to deal with?
Compared to the Court of Owls, Gotham's gangs are obviously easy targets, but their strength lies in their deep-rooted and inexhaustible influence. It would be quite tiring for one person to deal with them, but building one's own power is time-consuming and troublesome.
Thomas dislikes trouble and prefers to directly seize other people's territory, much like an owl prefers to occupy the nests of other creatures.
So why not take over the Court of Owls first? The members of the Court of Owls are all respectable upper-class people, and upper-class people are generally weak-willed, cowardly, and easily manipulated.
Once the Court of Owls is taken back, Thomas will naturally have a useful private army at his disposal, making everything much easier.
He picked up a pen and drew a simple owl somewhere on the Gotham City map.
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While Thomas himself wasn't exactly merciful enough to let the Gotham Mafia off the hook for now, that doesn't mean the Gotham Mafia won't court disaster.
In some people's eyes, the Wayne family's second son is somewhat arrogant and has broken Gotham's rules. His construction and transportation companies have been too active lately, and he hasn't paid protection money or sought protection from any gang, which is considered a provocation in Gotham.
If it were just these things, it wouldn't be a big deal. After all, over the years, there have always been some hotheads who refuse to submit to the darkness of Gotham, and most of them will be swallowed up by the darkness of Gotham.
But Thomas was incredibly audacious; he actually refused the banquet hosted by the Falcone family. This invitation was sent to him by the Romans specifically to give him a heads-up.
To outsiders, Thomas was already a dead man, and countless losers who had suffered at his hands were just waiting for his downfall.
The whole of Gotham knew about it, and even Alfred, who had lived at Wayne Manor for a long time, had heard a little about it.
Thomas was unaware that he had also offended the Gotham mob, and he remained focused on planning how to mess with the Court of Owls.
A note from the author:
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To reiterate, Night Owl's moral values are clearly different from those of normal people, and the author himself does not necessarily agree with Night Owl's values.
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The sub-adult owls' dominance of Gotham probably won't last more than a few chapters. Gotham currently has no rivals who can rival the Night Owls. Power armor, stealth aircraft, quantum starters... attacking Gotham in the early stages is like a game-changer.
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