Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics

Bruce chuckled and clicked open an encrypted email: "But what if the board secretly transferred funds from the Africa medical project charity fund? There's also the Gotham Natural Disaster Fund, the East Coast Children's Protection Fund, the Canada Forestry Conservation Fund..."

Baville's gaze fell on the email's content, her eyebrows slightly furrowed: "Do you think we haven't tried tracking it? I don't know how much money you've offered them, but they indeed did it almost perfectly."

"That's exactly why they need to be put behind bars." Bruce's voice carried a hint of chill. "The times are advancing, and I need a clean Wayne Enterprises to control Gotham that is collapsing from the top."

"Are you preparing to clear a spot and swallow up the Carter Group?" Baville narrowed her eyes and said, "Kidnapping, gambling, tax inspection, are all these your conspiracies to dominate Gotham by yourself?"

"If you must think so poorly of me, I won't bother explaining," Bruce shrugged and said, "But the truth is, having that group of idiots unite to govern Gotham isn't as good as me doing it alone."

Looking into Bruce's eyes, Baville didn't know how much ambition she saw there. But she knew Bruce was right; this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

No matter what they could dig up, as long as she dared to strike at Wayne Enterprises, no more fools would dare to challenge the IRS, and she would become the most accomplished commissioner in the history of America's National Revenue Bureau.

"What do you plan to do?" Baville looked into his eyes and said, "You have to show me a vulnerability first, or I won't easily make a move."

"No problem." Bruce smiled and said, "You'll see my sincerity."

In the temporary office, Baville looked at the structure diagram provided by Bruce; a day had already passed, yet Baville still hadn't figured out which angle to attack Wayne Enterprises from.

Absolutely impregnable, she thought. If they act rashly and fail to deliver a fatal blow, the retaliation they would face would be terrifying.

The phone's ringtone rang again. She answered the call and heard her subordinate's anxious voice: "Boss, the Federal Reserve System has been hacked, someone breached the backend!"

Baville's heart sank: "Who did it?"

"It's not clear yet, but the system shows that the invader used Wayne Enterprises' encryption protocol."

Baville hung up the phone swiftly dialed Bruce's number: "Did you hack into the Federal Reserve System?!!"

Bruce's calm voice came over the phone: "Yes, how's that for a vulnerability?"

"How is it? I asked for a slip-up, not to have you punch a hole through the sky!" Baville clenched her phone tightly, her knuckles turning white, "Do you realize if this allegation holds, you'll be in jail until the next cosmic explosion?!"

"Risk and return are directly proportional, aren't they?" Bruce's voice had a hint of laughter, "To pin this crime on me, not only you, but the Federal Bureau of Investigation will go all out too. They are the best allies; with both of your law enforcement powers combined, you could scour all over Gotham."

Baville took a deep breath and finally calmed down: "Alright, you better be well-prepared. Before we catch you, we'll be knocking on the doors of every high-level executive at Wayne Enterprises."

"God bless them, Amen."

In a bar in the Gotham Lower District, the old bartender was wiping whiskey glasses with the "Iceberg Club" logo. Circulating on the TV was footage of Senator Carter being pushed into a police car, and the patrons in the bar were all talking.

"That jerk Carter underpaid our injury compensations last year! He really had it coming!" A construction worker slammed his glass down, angrily.

"I saw his wife transporting luxury goods in an ambulance, while his factory had a safety accident two days ago that killed a single mother. This is his retribution!" A female nurse scoffed disdainfully.

Everyone was gleefully reveling in Carter's imprisonment, the atmosphere was buzzing.

At that moment, the door to the bar swung open, and Chief Gordon walked in, saying, "So this is where you all are."

"Chief, you've come at the right time. I heard that Carter was caught by Old Hede and his crew, is that true?"

"That's right, he almost got away, but in the end, he was caught. You should have seen how pathetic he looked lying in the rain..."

Gordon gestured as he spoke, and the bar patrons listened eagerly. The nurse just clucked her tongue and said, "I thought they were really something, but they turned out to be chased down like stray dogs, no better than the thieves on Welsh Street."

"Don't even mention it, he's not as nimble as those Three Hands. If it had been Catwoman who went there, that agent would need a couple more legs to catch her."

"Hahaha, isn't that the truth."

Everyone kept passionately discussing Carter's matter. Gordon had a few too many drinks, slumped on the bar counter mumbling, "You guys don't know yet, X15 district chemical plant has been dumping carcinogenic waste into the slums' foundation, causing a lot of people to get cancer..."

"I think I heard about it, is it next to the San Marino Church? A friend of mine's mom got diagnosed..."

"Yes, yes, a nurse friend of mine told me about it too..."

The bar patrons whispered among themselves about the chemical plant's misdeeds. Gordon seized the opportunity to steer the conversation towards the pharmaceutical giant Penglage.

"That chemical plant is owned by the pharmaceutical conglomerate Penglage, he's one of the wealthiest in Gotham, even richer in cash flow than Wayne Enterprises..."

"Penglage? The pharmaceutical tycoon? Wasn't he kidnapped too?" someone asked.

"That's right, that's his karma. Do you think he'll end up like Carter..."

"Definitely. Oh, I have to go to Fels Casino, place a heavy bet on him, he's definitely getting 20 years!"

"That's too little, I say, probably over 35 years..."

"I think we should get in touch with our friends living near San Marino Church, find some cancer patients, and have them come forward against Penglage, that would definitely lock him up for good!"

"Yeah, let him rot in jail like Carter!"

At the printing factory, the machines roared, the Gotham Daily was reprinted three times, exposing the Carter Group's scandals thoroughly.

At the walls of the now-sealed Carter Group Building, clusters of street kids gathered, spray-painting a huge caricature of Carter's face on the wall. The face was comical and ugly, complete with a pair of handcuffs next to it, constantly reminding people of the end fate of this damned vampire.

Rose stood on the top floor of a nearby building, her lips curling into a cold smile. The ideological shackles that the elite used oppression and class segregation to impose on the lower classes had begun to crack with Carter's comically disgraceful imprisonment.

It wouldn't be long before the most terrifying Beast in the world would be released from its cage, and the seemingly solid high walls constructed by the glamorous upper class would collapse like a sandcastle at the slightest touch.