"Alright, we'll leave now!!"

  Hearing Edward's words, Earle snapped out of his panid followed Edward, intending to sneak out through the back door.

  However, as soon as they opehe door to their room, they were greeted by a horrifying sight. Solomon Grundy had just stormed inside, clutg a bodyguard in his massive hand. With terrifying force, he smmed the man's head onto the floor, leaving the entire living room spttered with blood.

  "Damn it!"

  Edward immediately smmed the door shut, his mind rag to e up with a pn.

  "The window! We'll use the curtains to climb down. While the bodyguards are keeping the Jang busy, we escape unnoticed!"

  Edward quickly got to work, yanking down all the curtains and tying them together to make a makeshift rope. After seg it, he moved toward a window overlooking the babsp;of the vil, ready to execute his pn.

  But as soon as he approached the window, he froze in pce, his face draining of all color.

  Outside the window, a massive figure was sg the wall. A grotesque creature had already reached the sed floor and was now staring directly at him through the gss.

  "Hey there, you little sissy boy!"

  While Solomon Grundy led the assault at the front, Killer Croc, wary of the ughing gas harming him, had circled around to the baow, he blocked their only escape route.

  "Help... h-help..."

  Edward barely mao utter the words before Killer Croc's massive hand cmped over his mouth, lifting him effortlessly into the air.

  "Shh... don't make any noise."

  It seemed that spending so much time with the Joker—pyed by Reid—had rubbed off on Killer Croc. He had developed a pent for instilling terror in his victims before finishing them off, sav the fear like it art of the kill itself.

  Edward's wide eyes locked onto the monstrous figure before him, his body trembling untrolbly as he nodded in submissioe his brilliahere was nothing he could do in this situation.

  His intellect couldn't save him now, not when his mouth was gagged, his voice silenced, and his body immobilized. What could he possibly do? Stare his way out of this against a beast like Killer Croc?

  Satisfied with Edward's pliance, Killer Croc casually tossed him aside like a piece of trash.

  Meanwhile, the sounds of gunfire and shouting from downstairs began to fade. The fierce resistance from Earle's bodyguards was being snuffed out, repced by the unmistakable chaos of shattering furniture and falling bodies.

  Solomon Grundy's entry into the fray had sealed their fate. Even armed with the best equipment Wayerprises had to offer, the bodyguards stood no ce.

  "Who sent you to kill me?"

  Perhaps realizing that his fate was sealed, Earle surprisingly calmed down. He looked directly at Killer Crod asked the question, his voice steady.

  "Don't be in such a hurry. I know you 't wait to die." Croc replied with a sinister grin, pletely ign Earle's inquiry.

  Instead of answering, Killer Croc casually wandered around the room. He seemed to take his time, pig up items from the shelves and bookcases—anything that looked valuable—and iing them as though he were on a leisurely shopping spree.

  The Jang operated with a simple principle: as long as the mission was aplished, anything you picked up along the way was yours to keep.

  "Bastard!"

  Watg even a mere subordinate of the Jang treat him with such btant disregard, an overwhelming rage boiled within Earle. Yet, despite the fury surging through him, he owerless to do anything. Resistance was not an option; fear and helplessness had ed him in pce.

  Apart from making grandiose speeches at the high-level meetings of Wayerprises, he had no other real abilities. He wasn't even truly an ior—his wealth came solely from his position at the pany.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  As Killer Croc had almost turhe entire room upside down, a soft knock sou the door.

  The bodyguards' resistance had long been crushed, but what surprised Earle was that none of the members of the Jang showed any signs of causing trouble. They stood obediently outside the vil, quietly taking the pce of the bodyguards.

  "Is it your boss?" Earle asked directly, gng at Killer Croc, who was still rummaging through his bookshelf.

  "Yeah, go open the door yourself." Killer Croc replied indifferently.

  "Hmph!"

  Earle snorted coldly. Knowing he wouldn't make it out alive, he was filled with defiance. Even if it was the Joker standing at the door, he was ready to curse and fight back.

  Since he was going to die anyway, why not vent his frustrations a bit?

  But when he opehe door, the person standing outside left Earle speechless in shock.

  "How is this possible! It really is you!!"

  Standing outside was indeed Reid, but instead of the Joker's appearance, he had taken on Alfred's, standing there openly in front of Earle.

  "Mr. Earle, I'm here to collect the Wayne family's shareholding dots." Reid said with a faint smile, then smoothly sidestepped and slipped through the gap between Earle and the doorframe into the room.

  "No, no, no... could it really be...?"

  Earle still looked utterly incredulous. He turned around, only to realize that the person who had looked like Alfred just moments ago had now undergone a plete transformation in such a short time.

  "Haha! Were you looking for me?"

  At this time, Reid had ged bato the Joker's appearance, his spine-chilling smile now inches away from Earle's face, causing the tter to jump in fright and colpse onto the floor.

  "Isn't this what you wanted, Mr. Earle?"

  This time, Earle saw clearly. With an almost imperceptible wave of energy passing over Reid's body, the Joker once again morphed into the familiar figure of Alfred.

  Reid picked up the shareholding dots from the flently pced them into his briefcase, closed it, and then pulled out a handgun, handing it to a nearby member of the Jang.

  "Point it at him."

  The gang member immediately obeyed, aiming the gun at Earle's forehead, ready to pull the trigger and take his life at any moment.

  "Well, yes, this is what I wanted, but it's too te. I've already lost..."

  Earle's face grew despo as he realized he wasn't going to make it out alive. But then, his eyes hardened, burning with malice as he fixed his gaze on Reid.

  "But! Alfred, you o uand—only by going publi Wayerprises be saved from its iable dee. Even if you kill me, it won't ge anything. As long as your young master doesn't reappear, Wayerprises is destio go public. Killing me won't solve anything."

  Hearing this, Reid crouched down slightly and looked at Earle as he spoke.

  "Then tell me... why would I gh the trouble of f the Jang, instead of just barging into your house and killing you directly?"

  "What!"

  In an instant, Earle uood. He realized that the person in front of him nning to use fear to threateire Wayerprises, making sure that no one would dare to push for the pany to go public.

  "But..."

  Earle tried to say something more, but Reid didn't give him the ce. He swiftly grabbed the handgun from his men and pulled the trigger.

  The bullet pierced through Earle's forehead aed through the back of his skull, taking his life in an instant.

  "You don't o worry about unnecessary things." Reid said coldly.

  **

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