Marvel : Master of Role-Playing

The Joker's current level of influence was barely enough.

As long as the goal of setting an example and intimidating others succeeded, causing the Wayne Enterprises executives to no longer dare to pursue their plans in the city, that would be enough. They wouldn't have the courage to take on the Joker's threats or retaliate against him or the Wayne family in Gotham.

But there was one problem.

Money.

It may seem simple and mundane, but it was incredibly important.

Reid didn't intend for the Joker Gang to be a one-time affair. He wanted to build it up, expand it.

Considering he didn't know when he'd get his hands on Batman's card, Reid needed the Joker Gang to help him establish control over Gotham City.

So money became a critical issue.

Currently, the funds used to attract followers to the Joker Gang came from Alfred's identity, built up over decades of wages paid by the Wayne family.

Although Alfred had long been as close to the Wayne's as if they were his own family, on the surface, he was still employed as a butler, and his salary was still being paid—and generously at that.

But even so, the funds available were still insufficient to support a criminal organization capable of subtly influencing Gotham City.

So Reid needed to take it a step further—trample on the Maroni family's head and rise to a higher position, all while openly allowing the Joker Gang to take control of part of the Gotham underworld's businesses.

'But making the Maroni family bow down won't be easy...'

Staring at the map and the documents on hand, Reid furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

Rather than getting them to bow, it was more about forcing the Maroni family to acknowledge the Joker Gang's position.

And to push the Maroni family, who would soon clash with the Joker Gang, into negotiations, Reid needed leverage.

"Starting a direct war... not an option. As a criminal family, aside from the Maroni family's key fighters, their underlings are basically worthless. A full-on war would drain Alfred's little savings. Even if we win, the cost would be too high and the time wasted too long."

Rejecting the simplest and most violent approach, Reid shifted his gaze to the warehouse at the port on the map.

This was a Maroni family warehouse. But Reid knew all too well.

Because the Wayne family was in a state of flux, the Gotham Bank's money-laundering operations had been impacted. After all, Gotham Bank was also owned by the Wayne family.

Naturally, the Maroni family's illicit money, earned through illegal enterprises, couldn't be laundered through the bank anymore.

And since the Maroni family had been overly reliant on Gotham Bank for money laundering, they hadn't developed many other methods. As a result, this warehouse held a large amount of cash.

'If these things are lost, even the Maroni family will be in a tough spot. After all, it's not 1992 yet, and wages in America aren't that high.'

With that thought, Reid already had a plan in mind. If things went smoothly, not only would the Joker Gang gain recognition and expand its operations in Gotham, but the Joker's infamous reputation would also be further established.

...

At the Maroni family building, in Sal Maroni's office.

Maroni frowned as he reviewed the documents in his hand, instinctively sensing something was wrong.

Looking at his subordinate, Maroni asked, "Has the information been confirmed? That bastard Joker is planning to make a move on our money-laundering warehouse?"

"Yes, the information is solid!"

The Maroni family underling was visibly excited, quickly responding.

"Joker may indeed be a tough guy, and the two monsters he has with him are formidable, but the people he recruits for the Joker Gang are just ordinary. Our Maroni family's men only had to make a small disguise to successfully infiltrate the Joker Gang. From their advancement, we got this information. Joker plans to lead the Joker Gang to raid our warehouse and seize the dirty money we've got stored there."

However, Maroni clearly wasn't convinced by this information and continued to question.

"Does stealing our dirty money even make sense? The situation in Gotham is unstable right now, and the dirty money can't be laundered. As long as I keep holding firm, they'll be stuck with that money, unable to launder it and will end up starving. Unless they have some other money-laundering method?"

"Well, we're not sure about that, boss." his subordinate replied.

Maroni didn't expect his underling to have all the answers; after all, that's why he was still an underling.

"How trustworthy is the member who infiltrated the Joker Gang? Could he have been recruited by the Joker and be feeding us false information?"

Maroni couldn't help but worry. After all, the warehouse where he kept his dirty money wasn't the only one he had. If this was a feint, he'd be in for a major loss.

"You can rest assured about that, boss." the underling said, patting his chest confidently.

"When that guy told me the news, he was grinning ear to ear, and there were other brothers around to witness it. I reckon he's just waiting for the Joker Gang to fall apart so he can collect his reward from the boss."

"Good, that's reassuring."

Hearing that confirmation, Maroni's expression softened. Upon further thought, he realized he had been too worried. After all, the Joker was just a madman. How could such a person possibly manage a proper organization? What an organization needed was order, not chaos.

It was completely normal for mistakes to happen and information to leak. Maroni believed that in a short time, he would hear news of the Joker's gang being wiped out.

"Since that's the case, I'll assign you the task of ambushing the Joker's gang. I expect you to bring me good news when we meet next. Wells, right? I'll remember you."

"Understood, boss!!"

The henchman named Wells eagerly accepted the mission. This was his chance, an opportunity to rise to the top.

If he succeeded, money would be just the beginning. He could even marry one of the Maroni family's women and become a core member of the family. With that, power and wealth would be within easy reach.

In fact, Maroni thought the same way. Watching his henchman leave, he knew that if the man was capable, he wouldn't mind using one of the Maroni family's womens to secure his loyalty.

Though he was still young and didn't have a suitable daughter, the Maroni family had many, and even some from outside the family could be brought in, as long as he was willing.

"Now, all that's left is to wait. Joker, you will definitely pay the price."

He would never forget that night, drenched in sweat, that hideous image.

...

Meanwhile, at the Joker Gang's base, a brutal underground fighting arena.

With severed limbs scattered around, Killer Croc held up the lifeless body of a Joker Gang member, using both hands to tear the body in half at the waist.

In front of him, the spy who had passed the information to Maroni was tightly bound to a chair, watching in horror as Killer Croc devoured the body piece by piece.

And Reid, holding a bottle of newly created laughing gas, slowly and eerily approached.

The same dazzling smile was still on his face.

"My friend, thank you for delivering the message. So, I've decided to reward you."

With that, Reid sprayed the laughing gas directly at the man.

The moment the gas hit, Killer Croc felt the meat in his hands lose its appeal and hurriedly stepped back.

He didn't know what the Joker had done to create this gas, but he knew he needed to stay far away from such a disgusting substance.

"I've prepared some... mental substances just for you. I'm sure someone like you, who enjoys drugs, will love them." Reid said with a grin.

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Hey folks, I've done some more editing. Regarding some minor issues that I found and main problem of MC's and other people's inner thoughts and dialogues, hope you guys have a better reading experience.

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