Chapter 372: It's All Business!
The Grand Plan
The United States is a federal republic, and each state has independent autonomy, meaning there is no distinct superior-subordinate relationship between local governments and the White House.
While the FBI is the nation's highest judicial body, its authority doesn't apply to Jim Gordon, the Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department. For various reasons, Gordon even held a deep prejudice against the FBI.
Given Jim Gordon's intransigence, the conversation with the FBI was destined to end badly.
The FBI was already grappling with issues in the Atlantic. For unknown reasons, fishing boats had been frequently attacked by marine life over the last two months. Many victims claimed to have seen humans riding sharks among the attackers, who proclaimed themselves soldiers of Atlantis. The rising number of similar incidents vexed the President, who ordered the FBI to investigate the truth fully.
All available personnel were deployed to the Atlantic; there was no manpower to spare for Gotham's case. Jacob and Moussa were hoping Jim Gordon would salvage the situation by recovering the lost power armor, allowing them to report back successfully. There was no way they would actively assist him.
Without help from the FBI, Jim Gordon had no choice but to head to the Mayor's office to discuss the matter of police armor.
Tesla's Expansion
Perhaps because the Court of Owls was pressing too hard, or for other reasons, the new Gotham City Mayor showed immense interest in the police armor proposition.
That very afternoon, a call was placed to Tesla's headquarters.
Under Luke's direction, the sales department quickly assembled a team to commence negotiations with the Gotham City Government.
This negotiation was significant for Tesla's future. Just as Moussa warned, if the police in Gotham City adopted power armor, it wouldn't be long before police in other cities—and certain gangs—would demand similar equipment.
The reason the arms trade is so profitable is primarily its political nature. When two sides are at war, if one possesses a weapon that can decide the outcome and the other doesn't, the latter's fate will be grim. To reverse the loss, they must find a way to acquire the same, or even stronger, weapon, making the weapon the deciding variable.
Tesla was the only company in the world that could produce power armor. Clearly, that variable was held in Luke's hands.
To establish this foothold, Luke sent a text message to his sales manager, instructing him to offer an additional discount beyond the maximum allowed.
This deal was crucial for Tesla's future planning; failure was not an option.
The Hidden Backdoor
Inside the Court of Owls headquarters, Cohen Delk, wearing his mask, sat in front of a computer, working diligently to crack the MAX K-I power armor's core program. He had been sitting there for half an hour without success.
Sir Black Hawk and other Court members stood nearby. As time slipped away, they grew restless. If not for their high expectations for the power armor, they would have already stopped him.
Five minutes later, with a ding, the screen filled with various data suddenly went black, then displayed the Tesla logo.
Delk raised his fists, shouting excitedly,
"I did it! I succeeded! The encryption program has been breached!"
The others exchanged surprised glances. He had actually cracked it! That was a defense system that even the Red Sequoia Group could not penetrate.
Sir Black Hawk's eyes flickered, constantly observing Delk. Initially, he harbored deep suspicion, believing Delk was a traitor who might have colluded with William Cobb.
Now that William Cobb was dead, that suspicion had faded.
And now, Delk had cracked the power armor's core program. This meant that the remaining eighty-plus suits of power armor would completely become the Court of Owls' weapons, free from Luke Shaw's control. This was an enormous achievement, too significant to ignore.
Having vented his excitement, Delk approached Sir Black Hawk and said a bit reservedly,
"I didn't fail you, Your Grace. I managed to succeed by a stroke of luck."
Sir Black Hawk raised his hand and patted his shoulder.
"Well done." He paused, then added, "I will fulfill my promise. I will support you in the next election for the Grandmaster's position."
At his words, the others looked on in astonishment.
Grandmaster! They couldn't be mistaken! Sir Black Hawk had actually chosen him to become a Grandmaster?
Expressions of envy and jealousy appeared among the members; the Grandmaster of the Court of Owls was second to none.
Delk humbly waved his hand, becoming even more reserved under their scrutiny.
"I am a member of the Court of Owls. I only wish to contribute more to the Court and restore our former glory. These efforts are only what is expected of me."
Sir Black Hawk said nothing more, assigning men to crack the remaining power armor suits.
Luke's Date
Meanwhile, in the basement of the cliffside villa, a new signal source appeared on the main computer.
Upon receiving the notification, Luke immediately contacted AVA.
"Where are they?"
His view changed. On the 3D virtual map, ten light dots clearly appeared about eighty meters beneath the headquarters of the Aris Company in Gotham City. Before long, more light sources began to appear in other locations.
Sir Black Hawk had divided the stolen power armor into batches across different locations. Unfortunately, this seemingly clever move was exactly the loophole Luke had anticipated.
The hard drive given to Cohen Delk contained not just cracking software, but also a command code. Once the defense system was breached, an emergency system would reboot.
Luke could easily pinpoint the armor's location and even gain control through certain means. Of course, he wouldn't expose these methods too early. The show had just begun; it couldn't end hastily.
AVA added, "Based on the information transmitted by the armor, I have roughly determined the underground network's distribution. Should I proceed with the next step of reconnaissance?"
"Not yet. By the way, where's Barbara?"
"Miss Gordon is currently showering in the bathroom. Would you like me to pull up the video feed?"
"No need!" Luke loosened his collar. "I'll go personally."
To show sincerity, Luke abandoned his flashy silver Ferrari and chose a black Porsche that exuded a more steady temperament.
At 7:30 PM, on the outskirts of Gotham City, Luke appeared at the front door of the Gordon home, holding a bouquet of roses.
A knock sounded on the door. Moments later, Barbara, wearing a sleep shirt, opened the door. Seeing Luke, she cried out in surprise,
"Why are you here? You... shh!"
The girl put a finger to her lips, signaling silence.
"My dad just got back; he's upstairs. He'll be furious if he knows you're here."
Luke offered the flowers. "For you, my princess."
Barbara blushed, quickly took the flowers, and shoved them behind the shoe cabinet.
"Wait here! I'm going upstairs to change. I'll be quick."
Luke spread his hands in mock disappointment. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"
"No!" The girl shook her head repeatedly, looking very nervous. Just as she was about to speak, Aunt Sarah's voice came from behind her.
"Barbara, who is it? You didn't say a word."
"No one! Just a classmate dropping something off."
She then looked at Luke pleadingly. He wrapped his arm around her waist, kissed her forcefully, and said,
"Hurry up. I'll wait for you in the car."
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