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Chapter 310: New Umbrella (2)

It was another rainy day in Gotham. The sky had just lit up, but the rain came pouring down heavily. The streets of Gotham, still not fully repaired, were filled with puddles. Besides the rain, there was also strong wind. Pedestrians on the road held umbrellas in front of them, fighting against the usual harsh weather.

A cloud of mist slowly formed in the room. Inside the counseling office of Gotham University, Schiller shook his head as he looked at the umbrella in his hand.

This umbrella was really in bad shape. Initially, it was just missing a part, which resulted in a broken rib. One side of the umbrella was dented, but it could still be used, albeit barely.

However, the more he forced it, the more it broke. The second and third ribs also fractured, and most of the canopy was now concave. It could barely be opened anymore.

Although the umbrella ribs that supported the canopy were broken, the central metal pole of the umbrella was still intact. It could be folded and used as a cane. But earlier, Schiller had teleported underground and used the umbrella to strike that demon.

The demon's chin was not made of cotton, and the handle of the umbrella was damaged, almost impossible to grip. Later, he struck Constantine with it, completely shattering the handle. Now, only the internal metal pipe remained. In summary, it had transformed from an umbrella into a club...

When Alberto walked in, he saw the professor standing behind his desk, holding an umbrella that could no longer be called an umbrella, with a look of regret on his face.

His entrance caught Schiller's attention. Schiller looked up at him and said, "Good morning, Alberto. Please have a seat."

"Professor, if you need a new umbrella, I can have one custom made for you..."

After saying that, he adjusted his coat, straightened his posture, and looked at Alberto, saying, "Has Hawk's funeral already taken place?"

"Yes, at the funeral, I had a conversation with his elder brother, and he expressed his willingness to pledge loyalty to me." Although Alberto remained his usual solemn self, his tone revealed his current satisfaction.

"I told you before, when there are two power centers in a group, they can never be as close as brothers, even if they are blood-related."

"To be honest, they hid it well." Alberto sighed and said, "I've never seen any discord between the Hawk brothers in Evans' memories. Everyone in the Twelve Families praised their close brotherhood and unmatched compatibility."

"Perhaps that was true in the past. But don't forget, Gotham has undergone many changes recently."

"As you said, the elder brother among the Hawk brothers is the one who holds real power in the family, while the younger brother handles internal affairs and deals with details."

"If you have studied the part in Evans' memories where I taught him psychology, you should understand that not only does a person's thoughts guide their actions to change the environment, but the environment and behavior also shape a person's thoughts..."

"As the leader of the family, the elder brother must appear strong enough. It's the style of all gang leaders. They must show ambition, always be energetic, and never hesitate or be indecisive, otherwise no one will follow them..."

"But as the Chief Steward of Internal Affairs, the younger brother must consider everything thoroughly, weighing pros and cons, considering costs and benefits. They must not act recklessly, or it could lead to a break in the financial chain or problems with connections."

"With two brothers like this, they are bound to have different

opinions when facing the pains of Gotham's reform."

Alberto took the coffee handed to him by Schiller and said, "Indeed, the elder brother among the Hawk brothers told me that they had already been at odds with each other several years ago. The younger brother always used various detailed factors as reasons to hinder the development of the gang, at least from his perspective."

"And after Gotham's reform began, their conflicts escalated to an irreconcilable level. The elder brother wanted to be ambitious, seizing a larger share in the reform, and rising to a higher position..."

"However, the younger brother is more cautious. He cannot be certain if this reform will change the existing situation. He is worried that the Hawk family will suffer a great setback. Therefore, he always uses various methods to obstruct his elder brother."

Alberto leaned his elbow on the table, holding a cup of coffee in his other hand. He said with some emotion, "Professor, I discovered in Evans's memories that he has great respect for you. I didn't understand why before, but now I have some understanding."

"By using the conflict between the Hawk brothers as an entry point, helping the elder brother among the Hawk brothers to get rid of the younger brother who has been holding him back, not only can we win over the leader of the Hawk family, but we can also accelerate the pace of reform and make the Twelve Families more united."

"More importantly, you can use the serial killer as a cover-up. If you blatantly attack the subordinates of the old Godfather, no matter what, it would still be a blow to your father's reputation. But if a mysterious serial killer does all these things, Hawk can only blame himself for being unlucky," Schiller summarized.

Alberto moved his finger holding the coffee cup and asked tentatively, "I heard that yesterday..."

"What do you want to ask?" Schiller looked at him.

After thinking for a moment, Alberto said, "Was Richie killed by the orders of the Godfather?"

"You have chosen the right question, so I will answer you, yes."

"And I can also tell you that it was because Richie intentionally arranged for his youngest daughter to encounter you and then seduced you. The Godfather was very displeased with this, so he chose a very brutal death for him."

Alberto smirked and said, "Miss Richie is beautiful, but she's just beautiful, nothing more. Her father didn't teach her well. She wears her intentions on her face, so even if she is 80% beautiful, it can only evoke 10% of interest in people..."

When Schiller heard his tone, he asked, "Did you sleep with her?"

Alberto shook his head and said, "She practically had her intentions written all over her face. How could I be fooled? Besides, I couldn't be sure of the Godfather's attitude. I didn't know if he would approve of me getting too close to Richie..."

"You made the right choice because the Godfather only sees Richie as a dog."

"But he doesn't actually care if you slept with Miss Richie. After all, she can't be the future wife of the Godfather. Your caution made you miss out on an affair. Do you regret it?" Schiller laughed and said.

Alberto took another sip of coffee, shook his head, and said, "An affair can only be called an affair when it happens unexpectedly. If it's planned by someone, it's not a wonderful encounter."

"So, does that mean the Godfather..." Alberto slid his fingertip on the surface of the coffee cup, hesitatingly said, "If he is willing to deal with treacherous Richie for me, does it mean..."

"You don't need to hesitate. It's the answer you're thinking of."

Schiller placed both hands on the table and said, "You and the Godfather have a grudge... or maybe you can't even call it a grudge because it's the Court of Owls that has a grudge against the Godfather, and you can only be considered a sacrifice."

"Now, the Godfather has only two choices, either you or someone else. If you have a grudge against the Godfather, does that mean others are exempt? Do you really expect the nephews and nieces of the Twelve Families to spare

those with the Falcone surname after taking over?"

Alberto shook his head and said, "Of course not, unless we are willing to exile ourselves, like retiring to Italy or something."

"Of course, after you take over, it's possible that you will let the old Godfather retire in Italy. But at least you're a Falcone, and more importantly, you have the ability to continue ruling Gotham. As for the others, besides being bad, they're also quite foolish."

"As long as the old Godfather is unwilling to hand over his life's work, as long as he wants to continue being Gotham's underground umbrella, he only has one choice..."

Alberto sighed deeply, staring at the foam on the surface of his coffee for a long time. Finally, he said, "He won't acknowledge me as his son, so I don't want to acknowledge him as my father either. But in the endless whirlpool of power, the only remaining father-son sentiment is what can preserve a little dignity for us, the Falcone brothers, in this war."

After Alberto left, Schiller finished his coffee. As soon as he took the last sip, there was a knock on the door of the consultation room. Schiller said, "Come in."

Copperpot walked in, wearing a large black raincoat and looking rushed. Rainwater dripped from his hair and eyebrows.

He walked in, took off his raincoat, and Schiller pointed to the coffee machine. Copperpot walked over and made himself a cup of coffee, then sat across from Schiller.

Schiller took out the medical record and said to him, "Before we get down to business, I still need to ask about your and your mother's mental state."

"It's not bad. She has improved a lot. Yesterday, I took her to the new apartment for a visit, and she seemed satisfied with the environment after she regained consciousness..."

Copperpot's tone finally showed some fluctuation, as if he had emerged from the gloom.

Schiller made a few notes in the medical record and then said, "Alright, are things going smoothly with the gang recently? Lawrence, Hawk, and Richie are all dead. The Lawrence family is leaderless, and the Hawk family has changed their attitude. Alberto's path to take over is smooth. What about you?"

"Bruce recommended me to Evans. Of course, it's just a formality. Alberto and I have already reached an understanding. He is in urgent need of capable people under him to establish his own faction, and I happen to meet his requirements."

"Originally, Lawrence was the most dissatisfied with me, and Richie was also unhappy that Alberto didn't use his people. But now, they're all dead. So I will be Alberto's right-hand man after the takeover."

"It's not surprising that the leaders of these uncle-level families will interfere with Alberto's organization of the prince's party. They are just unhappy with you. As long as there is one decisive person among them, you have already been replaced by their people. The bodies have already been thrown into the sea..."

"The deal you mentioned before...," Copperpot looked at Schiller and said, "You want me to get rid of these obstacles to my takeover, and in return, I promise you something... Do you want me to kill someone?"

Schiller shook his head and said, "I won't let a child help me kill someone, and I don't have any enemies that I must kill."

"I have always been sincere to people, with many friends. I have no opponents in Gotham, and my request is very simple, well within your capabilities."

"...What is it?"

In the evening, the rain gradually subsided. At the entrance of Gotham University's cafeteria, Victor folded his umbrella and used the tip to push aside the curtains as he walked in. Schiller followed behind him, also folding his umbrella.

Victor turned around and looked at

Schiller's Umbrella. He said, "Did you fix it? This umbrella was so broken, yet you managed to fix it?"

After they both sat down, Victor leaned in and observed closely. He noticed a Vogen Umbrella Maker logo at the top of the umbrella tip and said, "Isn't this the umbrella from Copperpot's house? The one his father left behind? How did it end up with you?"

"Because I made a deal with him. I helped him with something, and in return, he gave me this umbrella."

"Neither of you understands me. In this place called Gotham, I don't even have an umbrella. I have to figure things out myself. But now, thank God, a new umbrella..."

Schiller squinted his eyes, repeatedly examining the umbrella in his hand, as if admiring the fruits of his labor. He said with great satisfaction, "Look, a beautiful new umbrella."

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