There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 27 Node Events

Oswald didn't understand. Although Qin Wei was intelligent, his professional skills were really lacking.

Qin Wei knew this better than anyone else. He had taken on the job of collecting rent a few days ago, but he hadn't collected any from any of the households after working all day.

To put it bluntly, people's mindset can't be changed overnight.

Qin Wei could only refrain from meddling in other people's business; to prey on the elderly, weak, women, and children? He wasn't that kind of beast.

But it's okay this time, he never intended to use violence to collect rent.

Qin Wei pulled Old John outside the tent and paid for a cigarette from a pack. He had bought a pack a few days ago after disposing of the body with Harvey, and it came in handy today.

Old John glanced at Qin Wei, then at the cigarette, unsure whether he should accept it.

"Go ahead and smoke. I'm here to collect rent, not to kill you! Are you afraid I'll hurt you?" Glancing at John's yellowed index finger, Qin Wei simply shoved the cigarette into his mouth and lit it for him.

"Thanks……"

A cigarette brought the two men closer, and old John started talking.

The circus had been based in Barron's West End for many years, but recently the rent suddenly increased, and he could no longer afford it, so he had to move with his family to the East End.

Old John felt a little embarrassed at this point. The reason he came to the Lower East Side was because he heard that many gang members had died overnight, and he figured that he wouldn't be able to collect rent from them for the time being.

"Running away is useless...cough cough cough!"

Qin Wei took a drag of his cigarette and was immediately choked and coughed violently, a strong sense of dizziness rushing to his head. His lungs simply couldn't withstand the burning sensation of the smoke, as if the original owner of this body had never had such a bad habit as smoking.

Are you alright?

"My blood sugar is a little low because I didn't eat breakfast," Qin Wei said, rubbing his temples to gloss over the embarrassment.

"Here's what we'll do. We're all struggling financially, and it'll be hard for me to explain to Maroni if ​​I can't collect the money. You can give a token amount, and we can talk about the rest later."

Qin Wei's sincere words moved old John, who searched through all his pockets and managed to scrape together a dozen dollars.

Actually, he didn't necessarily need the money; he mainly wanted to see if the critical event could be avoided. If he took the money, the feud between the two sides would be temporarily resolved, the gang wouldn't retaliate, and Dick wouldn't lose his family.

Regardless of whether he could recruit them or not, Qin Wei did not want to antagonize the main characters on the righteous side.

Just as he was about to take the money, a sudden stop was heard at the end of the street.

Following the sound, Qin Wei saw a brown, old-fashioned Ford covered in mud come into view with a clumsy drift, crashing into a trash can on the street corner before swerving to the ground in front of the old church.

With a loud cough, thick yellow phlegm shot out of the car window like a cannonball and landed on the windshield of the Oswald sports car.

"Damn! Little penguin's got some skills, driving such a nice car after just a few days!"

Before they could be seen, their voices preceded them. After a sharp laugh, a tall, slick-haired white man emerged from the driver's seat, followed by three henchmen. One of them spat at Oswald's prized ride.

The white man in the lead was thin, with dark circles under his eyes and sunken cheeks, looking like a mantis that hadn't eaten for three days.

He left his suit jacket open, unbuttoned two buttons on his shirt to reveal the dark tattoos on his chest, took the baseball bat handed to him by his subordinate, and smashed the edge of the sports car's hood with a single blow.

Oswald rolled up his sleeves and rushed out of the tent, but when he saw the ghostly face of the newcomer, he couldn't help but frown in embarrassment.

Like him, Barron started as a thug and climbed his way up to his current position. But unlike him, Barron's mental state is extremely unstable due to years of drug use; he is a complete madman.

"He's Barron, he's mentally ill, and we're all alone. Let's not get into a fight with him later."

Having released his excess energy, Baron shook himself up and raised his arms to the sky, then smoothed his hair and slowly moved toward the group, taking tango steps.

"Oh my! Look at all this people gathered here, the Flying Graysons! John, John, tell me quickly, is your beautiful wife Mary home?" Barron craned his neck to peer into the tent.

He was somewhat disappointed with his fruitless search, but fortunately he soon found a new target for his teasing.

"Little penguin? Long time no see! Do you like the gift I gave you?"

"Who the hell are you calling a penguin?!"

He told Qin Wei not to be impulsive, but it was Oswald who couldn't control his temper first and threw a punch at Baron.

With his head only reaching Baron's chest, he posed no real threat. The other man easily dodged and, in the blink of an eye, pressed the gun to his forehead.

"You want to fight me? On what grounds! Are you one of those pathetic henchmen who get squeezed dry at the casino with those short, thin arms?"

Baron laughed so hard he almost fell over, and his men laughed along with him.

Caught between the laughter, Oswald's face turned ashen. He dared not retaliate, for Baron might actually shoot.

Finally, Baron's gaze fell on Qin Wei's face.

"I've heard of you. You helped Mr. Maroney recover five million in gambling debts. You've got some skills. Want to come and do me a favor?"

"No need. Not only me, but John's rent will also be with you from now on." Qin Wei smiled and refused, indirectly telling them that the Grayson family was now on his territory and they shouldn't try to take advantage of them.

Just when the crisis seemed about to be resolved, Barron suddenly appeared, making Qin Wei even more convinced that the pivotal event was inevitable.

The Graysons can't really die here, can they?

Barron, still feeling dizzy from taking drugs, didn't understand Qin Wei's meaning at all. He turned his eyes to Old John.

"You son of a bitch, you owe me money and you've come all the way to the East District?"

Barron turned his gun on John.

The latter, with his head bowed, tremblingly handed the money to Barron.

"That's all I have..."

As expected, he received a resounding slap. The butt of the gun struck his face, leaving a long gash, and coins clattered to the ground.

Not every Roman is as easy to talk to as Qin Wei.

"Who the hell are you trying to fool with this little bit of money!" Barron's pupils gradually became unfocused and bloodshot. He had lost control of his reason due to the effects of the drugs, and thick saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth to the ground.

At that moment, he was like a mad dog.

Old John trembled and looked at Qin Wei with pleading eyes, only to be met with a helpless shake of his head.

They are also being told by Barron's underlings that they are in dire straits.

Qin Wei had already pulled Oswald aside, and he secretly glanced at Dick's anxious face behind the tent curtain.

Unless the main party involved intervenes, he will remain a bystander and allow the situation to escalate.

Fortunately, Barron just kept hitting the other man's head with the butt of his gun.

Old John was covered in blood from the impact, but his life was not in immediate danger. While curling up to protect his head, he gestured for Mary to pull the hot-blooded teenagers away.

"You better remember this: next time I come, make sure you pay me back the money, not a penny less!"

Barron shook his head and cursed, preparing to tuck the gun back into his waistband.

But then, an accident happened!

boom!

A gunshot rang out, and old John clutched the back of his neck, collapsing into a pool of blood.

Did it... go off the gas? When did I get insurance?

Barron was also stunned, but he quickly found something to do.

Enraged, the two brothers rushed out to fight Barron to the death, but what would be the consequences of their flesh and blood running into the muzzle of a gun?

Boom!

The older brother was shot in the head and slid down at Barron's feet, while the younger brother was shot in the abdomen and rolled around in a pool of blood, clutching his wound.

Baron was an extremely wicked man, and after accidentally killing someone, he chose to continue down the wrong path.

Despite being severely wounded, old John somehow mustered the strength to lunge forward and try to snatch Barron's gun, but was shot dead by his henchmen behind him.

Bang bang bang!

The dense gunfire echoed endlessly in the empty square outside the church, and the statue of the Virgin Mary, blackened by the fire, bore witness to the massacre.

Qin Wei was so excited that he almost forgot to breathe. Although he knew that the Grayson family was doomed, he was still deeply shocked when the event happened so close to him.

"Oss, fire!"

Before Qin Wei could remind him, Oswald had already drawn his pistol when Baron's underling turned his gun around.

But unlike Qin Wei, who was eager to save lives, what urged him to act was a burning anger.

"You dare kill someone on my turf! Barron, you son of a bitch!!"

The henchman in the distance was shot down with two shots, and Barron was also frightened by Oswald's sudden outburst, shrinking his neck and crawling into the tent.

As Oswald pursued them with his gun, a hole was torn open in the empty tent, and Mary lay on the ground, barely alive, struck by a stray bullet.

"Save...the child..."

The woman pointed to Dick, who was still struggling in a pool of blood outside the tent, and breathed her last.