Chapter 6253: Chicago Stories (22)

Bruce had to admit that Brainiac did have a bit of a good heart, letting them start off as students at the University of Chicago and urging them to report as soon as possible. If they were thrown directly into the slums or simply into the sewers, the subsequent developments would be more like a horror movie.

Bruce heard slight sounds coming from within the passageway. He passed under the swaying branches, where it grew darker and darker, with not a trace of light. Bruce had no choice but to take out his flashlight, but fearing he might alert the unknown, he did not directly turn on the flashlight and instead felt his way along the wall, until he touched cold metal.

Ahead was a metal fence, seemingly welded to the wall. The bars were thick but very rusty, indicating it wasn’t constructed recently. Bruce cautiously refrained from tapping the bars to make a noise, but he heard some sounds from inside, as if someone was moving.

Bruce aimed his flashlight in the direction of the sounds, pressing the switch at that moment, a pair of frightened pupils appeared in his field of vision. Unable to adapt to the bright light, the person cried out. Bruce shifted the flashlight and saw over a dozen identical eyes.

Over an hour later, Arkham Batman stood at the edge of the passageway, looking at Bruce, and said, “I won’t ask why you’re here, but what about those bodies outside?”

“You don’t think I killed them, do you?” Bruce felt a bit helpless, “I don’t have such ability.”

“I know it wasn’t you, but you’ve definitely had contact with the killer; you even know who he is, otherwise you wouldn’t have reported this incident instead of trying to save people yourself.”

Bruce sighed inwardly, Arkham Batman was so perceptive that it was hard to hide anything from him. Truth be told, if it were a completely unfamiliar killer, Bruce might secretly let these people escape, but would never contact the police department.

The situation at Chicago Police Department is probably not much different from Gotham Police Department, with only one beating heart of conscience. In Gotham PD, it’s Gordon, and in Chicago PD, it’s Arkham Batman.

These kidnappers dare to openly capture people and imprison them, impossible without some relationship with the police for protection. Reporting might catch some of the lower-level operatives but would alert more evil forces, who might either hide or intensify their efforts to silence.

Any other killer who did such a thing would certainly face wild retribution from the mob and protection consists, likely captured or killed; at best, they’d find no trace of the kidnappers.

But if this person is Shiller, Bruce wouldn’t need to have scruples. No matter how many corrupt cops there are within the police department, no matter how strong the protection is, they can’t do anything to him. Nearly the entire Brotherhood was almost wiped out, with pressure from the police department, families, and school authorities, Chicago is becoming a pressure cooker, and yet he leaves no trace and can still continue committing crimes. To let the masterminds know about this case is only to make them more terrified and anxious.

Bruce’s intention is to use the corrupt cops in the police department to intimidate those behind the scenes, to make them aware, to stop troubling the students at school, and to pay more attention to their life safety.

This tactic was quite effective. When Bruce returned to the University of Chicago, the community police had basically left, surely due to manpower shortages claimed elsewhere, transferring all forces to patrol there. This proved that those living in the wealthy district began to panic.

But it wasn’t enough. Bruce knew it wasn’t enough, although Gotham’s crime environment is relatively simple, he hadn’t deeply engaged in the intrigues of the upper class circles. Just from logical deduction, he could understand that those people were still defending Brian, indicating they didn’t want to give up Brotherhood’s filthy deeds. Unless Brian went to court and confessed everything, it meant these people hadn’t reached a desperate stage.

“I’d like you to help me with something,” Bruce told Stark, “I need someone tonight up north to assist me with something.”

Bruce wanted to explain his plan in detail, but saw Stark nodding vigorously. Bruce curiously asked, “Aren’t you going to ask what I’m doing?”

Stark waved his hand, “North is the wealthy district, right? I need to go there too, we’re on the same route, not really helping.”

“What are you going for?”

“Jennifer’s father invited me for dinner,” Stark said, “You know, I find this kind of business dinner tiresome, just going through the motions, then halfway claiming to get some fresh air under the guise of being drunk, and slipping out.”

“How do you slip out?” Bruce was curious.

“It’s not just me invited,” Stark continued, “he arranged a backyard barbecue with some business friends, wants me to make an appearance, primarily because there’s a boss who supplies equipment to the University of Chicago’s mechanical engineering lab, I need him to access the lab.”

“That sounds important; you probably shouldn’t…”

“It’s not me who’s asking him, now he’s the one asking me,” Stark grinned, “Jennifer’s father has seen my work, he can’t wait for me to enter the lab, even if just for helping him create the phones Jennifer uses, he wouldn’t have to worry for the rest of his life.”

Bruce pondered for a moment, it seemed to indeed be the case. Any businessman with some acumen could see Stark’s value. Now that Stark claimed he lacked experimental conditions, others would certainly go out of their way to usher him into a lab. If they could develop anything new, they’d surely have the right of first refusal to purchase it. Stark becoming a world giant meant they’d be the original shareholders. For some local bigwigs, this was a huge class leap. Their enthusiasm couldn’t just be called keen; it was more like fanaticism.

Stark didn’t need to lower his voice to ask for favors at the banquet. Jennifer’s father would handle everything for him. However, Bruce still asked, “What about the government?”

“It’s not like after the Millennium,” Stark shook his head. “The East Coast isn’t so weak yet, still having decent industrial strength, thanks in part to the government’s policies. They wouldn’t excessively obstruct new projects that aren’t too outrageous. They might even welcome them.”

It dawned on Bruce that this era still belonged to America’s ascendance and could be said to be the golden age of American industry. At this time, the various policies of the Federal Government and State Government were inclined towards development; the era of self-destructiveness and chaos hadn’t arrived yet.

At such a time, should a new technology or industry emerge, the government wouldn’t oppose but rather support it. As long as Stark didn’t show overly advanced and dangerous abilities, but remained a technically skilled businessman, he wouldn’t be restricted.

No one understood better than Stark how to maintain such an image. He accepted beauties, welcomed wealth, was clear on the channels of interest exchange, and could be said to be cunningly shrewd, unlikely to capsize in little Chicago.

But this gave Bruce another concern. He said, “We indeed need stable financial sources, but I advise you not to climb too high, and it’s best to have less interaction with those wealthy people.”

“Are you worried about Shiller?” Stark could tell, too. Bruce had been wrestling with thin air lately, seemingly guarding against Shiller. Stark also knew Shiller had enemies, likely more certain than Bruce, that Shiller’s foes were those high society folks. Bruce understood Shiller, but Stark understood high society.

Bruce nodded. Stark said, “You’re underestimating me. I’m not joining them; on the contrary, I’m going to disrupt them.”

“If you only remain an ordinary person shuffling between hamburger joints and car repair shops, you’d work your whole life without touching their sphere. But joining them is different. At critical junctures, just exert a bit of force, and they’ll mess themselves up, busy with foolish competition, without energy left to commit wrongdoing.”

Bruce nodded, understanding the logic. A strong fortress often crumbles from within. Just like Stark’s maneuver at the fishing competition, if he were just an ordinary University of Chicago student, he could never push the smuggler into the water. But repairing boat engines and participating in the fishing competition, opportunities abound.

Thinking of this, Bruce had a sudden revelation.

Previously, he wondered if Shiller might be too arrogant. Even in Chicago’s poor security environment, such high-intensity major cases would surely draw attention from higher government authorities, increasing personnel for the investigation and raising exposure risks. Regardless, concern for one’s safety is wise. But Shiller seemed completely unafraid.

Even post-Millennium, the organizational capacity of the American government wasn’t bad, especially its enforcement agencies. Though “FBI open the door” often became a playful meme, few countries could execute such breach tactics competently. Especially against extremely dangerous individuals or upper-class figures, no matter for whom they worked, American police forces aren’t lacking.

If they truly decided to capture someone, it was indeed inescapable. Without power, influence, or information channels, escape was impossible. Conversely, not fearing capture, confident of evading law enforcement, certainly meant they weren’t ordinary people socio-politically.

To evade search, intelligence is crucial, knowing what is being investigated, what’s been discovered, and the boundaries to avoid. Knowing this required having infiltrators among them.

Considering Shiller acted alone, organizing a group wasn’t necessary; the likely scenario was him infiltrating personally.

This meant, perhaps like Stark, Shiller had already penetrated high society. However, Bruce had doubts. He hadn’t chosen infiltration and internal destruction due to its significant drawbacks.

Upper-class society wasn’t a charity, not welcoming just anyone. The most vital rule in elite social interactions was having value. Even those elite people objectified themselves, labeling each other with value tags. One had connections, another funds, someone else land; then they exchanged among themselves.

Displaying one’s value, especially one that high society admired, typically meant revealing part of one’s capabilities. Wealthy people were astute; fabricated false value hardly fooled them. Some donned high-end apparel, bought fake bags, trying to integrate into elite circles to mooch resources. Those deceived were essentially of the same class as them, for true top-tier tycoons aren’t fooled.

Demonstrating value incurs costs, such as Stark gifting Jennifer that phone, or appearing at the banquet. He might not want to do it, but to showcase his worth for a footing, he had no choice. Bruce was unwilling to do so, not wanting to show even a hint of favor to those people.

Bruce thought Shiller would be the same; he didn’t believe Shiller would showcase value to enemies for rewards. How then did Shiller infiltrate high society?

Considering Brian’s reaction, a bold hypothesis emerged in Bruce’s mind.