books44 Chapter 850: The Conclusion (Part 1)
Chapter 850: The Conclusion (Part 1)
Objectively speaking, there were indeed numerous unusual occurrences recently: extravagant spending, Shootout's consecutive defeats, the mysterious disappearance of an antique dealer, and many more. However, Savage had grown accustomed to these incidents.
What truly perplexed him was the sense that someone had taken an interest in him, and these individuals were highly skilled.
As someone who had served as a ruler on many occasions, Savage understood the immense significance of intelligence work. He knew that every nation had its intelligence agencies, but he couldn't fathom why they would be monitoring him.
Had his grand plan been exposed?
With this thought in mind, Savage couldn't help but heighten his vigilance. He reduced his outings, rarely venturing beyond the confines of his dominion known as Living Hell. Paradoxically, this only seemed to raise the suspicions of those watching him.
In a Brooklyn hotel room, Kayla, wearing a serious expression, furrowed her brows as she held a telephone. She said, "Are you certain? He hasn't been leaving much in the past week? It seems your activities have drawn his attention..."
"You mean he's had contact with three Mexicans within a week? A chef from a restaurant, a bartender from a bar, and a newsboy?"
"We must obtain more concrete evidence to confirm if he is indeed one of those sent to support the South American movement. Without evidence, we won't be able to deal a fatal blow. Understood."
Kayla hung up the phone, her expression growing even more serious. She knew that the Soviet Union hadn't dispatched anyone to support the South American movement.
At present, the Soviet Union was preoccupied with internal matters, adjusting to the changes in power, and most people could only offer verbal support, adopting a wait-and-see attitude.
So, the sudden appearance of a so-called Soviet Union agent in Gotham at this time was highly suspicious.
Kayla was aware that a petty thief had previously reported the possibility of the Goth family collaborating with external forces, a matter of great concern to the CIA given the current circumstances.
With a nearly desperate resolve, the CIA had dispatched several agents to infiltrate Gotham. Surprisingly, their investigation had proceeded relatively smoothly, leading them to a trove of items bestowed upon Mrs. Goth by Savage.
Among these items, apart from irrelevant artworks, there were two crucial categories: Nazi medals and Soviet Union medals.
The CIA had concluded that the medals were fake, not due to bias but because the level of the Nazi medal Savage possessed was exceptionally high. Historically, only a few well-known Nazi generals had received such medals, and their life stories were well-documented, with their medals eventually finding their way into museums.
Conversely, the Soviet Union had distributed numerous patriotic medals over a short span of ten years, with no clear records of who had received them. This made it highly likely that the Soviet Union medals were genuine.
So, the CIA deduced that the Nazi medals were merely a smokescreen, as those involved in infiltrating the organization were willing to do anything to gain access.
With this understanding, they began their pursuit. Although Mrs. Goth and Leon were deceased, they were not professional agents, and their previous activities had left clear traces.
Furthermore, Leon had made contact with many individuals in the name of Great King, and in their investigation, they had stumbled upon Vandel Savage's activities.
Great King's modus operandi was peculiar. It neither involved bold, public actions nor covert operations but seemed intermittent, with periods of enthusiastic recruitment, propaganda about Great King's world-ruling plan, and extended periods of apparent inactivity.
However, this behavior reinforced the CIA's belief that the so-called world-ruling plan was a smokescreen, and their true objective likely lay in South America.
The CIA immediately heightened its attention to the situation in South America, which had become critical, and they couldn't afford more interference.
As a result, agents began shadowing Savage's movements and witnessed everything he did in Living Hell.
Although Savage didn't immediately head to Mexico, his activities in Living Hell convinced the CIA agents that his ultimate target was undoubtedly South America.
...
A knock at the door, accompanied by the appearance of a newsboy with a round face. Copperpot glanced at him and asked, "Has young Antonni delivered the papers yet?"
"Yes, boss. He's been responsible for newspaper deliveries lately. Also, that Gonzalez we transferred to the restaurant earlier, he's officially on duty there now. And the bartender who was originally of Mexican descent, he should have made contact with that Savage..."
"Arrange for two more people. Even if I haven't read any books, I know that Spain and Mexico are quite far apart."
"But they all speak Spanish," Copperpot remarked after setting down his pen. "Tell the kids in your class to keep an eye out for anyone speaking Spanish. If they encounter such a person, give them a newspaper and tell them there's a good job opportunity here. If they agree, have them assigned to work around this Savage."
The newsboy was a bit puzzled and asked, "Why do we need to place people who speak Spanish around Savage? What's so special about them?"
"Nothing special, it's all part of a plan. By the way, how is our contact with the children in our group going? Do they have any thoughts on our plan?"
Bringing up this topic, the newsboy's face immediately brightened, and he said, "Boss, you have a knack for things. I've already made contact with the leader of the East District Majority children. They're willing to collaborate."
"They not only want to share rent and protection fees but also want to establish a community alliance. That means all the children from a specific building will unite. Some will take orders, some will be in charge of communication, and others will handle finding people for jobs."
Copperpot furrowed his brow and asked, "Who came up with this idea? He must be quite the children leader."
"Exactly, I heard his name is... Jason Todd! When I visited, he had almost unified all the children in that construction project. They say he's the most resourceful children leader around here and can make them earn money."
Copperpot pondered for a moment and said, "Here's the plan: let's go and see how they're managing that particular building in the construction project."
The two of them got into a car and arrived near the construction project. Surprisingly, before they even entered, they encountered two children. Copperpot halted them and asked, "Where are you two headed?"
The two children sized him up and realized he wasn't much older than them, so they relaxed a bit. Then, they glanced at the newsboy who was with Copperpot, and one of them clearly recognized him. The child walked up and patted the newsboy on the shoulder, saying, "Little Nio, what are you doing here? Aren't you from Living Hell? My mom mentioned you last time."
"We came to visit and heard there's a particularly skilled children leader here. We wanted to meet him."
"Wait a minute, your boss?" The child furrowed his brow and said, "Didn't you say you were working for the Iceberg Lounge's boss? My goodness, don't tell me this gentleman is the Iceberg Lounge's boss!"
"Hello, I'm Oswald," Copperpot shook hands with the child and said, "Can you take us inside? We'd like to meet Jason."
"Sure, it's possible," the child replied, looking a bit hesitant. "But the process might be a bit complicated. There are several steps to follow. If you're okay with that, then follow me."
With that, the two children led Copperpot to the entrance where there was a security guard. The child knocked on the window, and the guard woke up, assessing them briefly before saying, "Oh, it's you little rascals. What can I do for you?"
"We'd like to bring someone in. These two are here to see Jason, the boss."
"Alright, follow me." The guard glanced at Copperpot, noticing his small stature and lack of visible weapons, so he didn't ask further questions. He led them from the entrance booth to another room on the side.
"Stick your arm in," the guard instructed. Copperpot furrowed his brow but had heard about this verification process before. So, he extended his arm.
He didn't feel anything, and the verification was complete. Copperpot withdrew his arm and then went to the sales office where he underwent the verification process once more, filled out some forms, and the reception desk made a telephone call to confirm their visit with Jason. After a few minutes, they were allowed access to the building.
Jason heard that someone was looking for him and immediately came to greet them. When he saw Copperpot, he approached with a smile, and the two exchanged a hug. Jason said, "Why didn't you give me a call before coming? I thought it was someone else."
"I heard you've been quite busy lately. I just dropped by to see how things are going. No need to disrupt your work."
Just as Copperpot finished speaking, he noticed two children hurrying past carrying a stack of materials. He furrowed his brow and asked, "Where are they going, and what's with the materials they're holding? Don't tell me they're the ones writing these..."
Jason shook his head and said, "Of course not. We got lucky. There's a college professor in Phase One of the building, and we hired him to write some materials related to our orders."
Jason led Copperpot to an office on the third floor. Copperpot noticed that the office was bustling with children, and the room was filled with the constant chatter of kids.
"Hey, Scarlet Witch! Do you have classes this afternoon? Give me those two order sheets you're holding; I'll find someone to handle them..."
"Oh no, I won't be able to finish my homework! Quick, quick, who can help me complete this task? I still have two errands to run this afternoon, and if I don't submit my homework, I'm done for!"
"Where are those two little ones? Why haven't they gone to daycare on time? Their teacher called here, and it gave me a shock..."
"That bearded guy from Phase Two, what kind of price list does he want? Food or household items? I've recorded it, but where did I put it?"
"Hey, keep an eye on your documents folder; we can't afford to go back to that teacher and have it rewritten. Can someone help me figure out what this word means? Anchor, right? What are they buying anchors for?"
Jason led Copperpot to a nearby break area, which was quieter. He poured a glass of water and then smiled at Copperpot, saying, "Welcome to Gotham's Everything Agency."