DC: I am Bruce Wayne
Chapter 178: The False-facer’s Last Command (2)

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"Poor Butterfly. You lost your wings!" 

-Toffee (Star vs. The Forces of Evil)

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Across Gotham's underworld, the power vacuum set off a frenzy like sharks at the smell of blood. 

In the Maroni family's inner circle, the patriarch grinned, slamming his fist on the table. "Finally! The False Facers are getting what they deserve. Maybe it's time we conclude our feud with Sofia Falcone. This gang war with that deranged murderer hasn't yielded anything but trouble for us. It would be better if we dedicate our resources to taking over territories of declining gangs like the False Facers."

One of his lieutenants hesitated. "But Black Hood might surprise us. Sionis trained him after all, right?"

Maroni scoffed with a casual wave of his hand. "Kid's got shoes too big to fill. We'll crush them before he can lace them up."

Meanwhile, in a Triad hideout, the atmosphere was tense. Their leader, the Dai Lao, eyes narrowed, tapped the table rhythmically. "Who the hell staged that attack and pinned it on us?"

A subordinate stammered, "Could be a rival family... or something else. Maybe he staged his own death and put the blame on us. Or perhaps, it might have been some dirty politician trying to get rid of him using our name. But whoever the real perpetrator is, they are smart. They knew of the underlying tensions brewing between us, and they expertly made use of the information to pin the blame for his death on the Triads. Now, even if we tell the truth, no one's going to believe us anyway."

The leader leaned back, a wry smile forming. "No matter. Let's use the confusion to expand. Since we have already been accused of the crime, we might as well commit it anyway. Also, no gang in America ever says no to free "street cred", right?"

***

In the dive bars and back alleys, small-time crooks who had also seen the video debated their next move.

"Think we should stick with the False Facers?" A boy in his late teens asked, sipping a cheap beer. He was a new member of the gang. It had barely been a month since he joined. He even got a gang tattoo and all. So, he didn't want to change gangs so soon. After all, he would need at least a minimum of 6 months before he could cover up the tattoo again without any pain or risk of infection.

Another boy who looked like he was in his mid-twenties laughed, hearing his words. "Stick with what? That kid's dead in the water. I'm heading to the Triads. At least they pay on time. Also, the drugs are cheaper."

"Still," the previous boy again chimed in, "if Black Hood is even half as good as his father, this would still be a terrific gang to belong to... I think I'll give him a week before I decide."

***

In the depths of Arkham Asylum, a patient with wild, darting eyes watched the video on a smuggled phone. When it ended, he began to cackle, his laughter echoing through the halls. "Did you hear that?" he shouted to no one in particular. "A legacy! A new era! A world where everyone can wear masks and hide what they truly are. Oh, this Black Hood... He's going to be the bringer of this new era, an era of MASKS! HAHAHAHAHAH HAHAHAHAHAHAAHA"

Throughout the city, numerous other deranged and demented psychotic individuals like him also sat in dark rooms, clutching their phones like lifelines as they watched Blackmask with newfound religious fervor. Sionis' final words resonated in their fractured minds, sparking delusions of a new era.

"The Sionis name will live on," one whispered to himself, grinning. "And I'll be part of it, part of a new era. Yes, the age of Masked Criminals"

***

By the afternoon, Gotham's news networks were ablaze with news of the video. Almost every major news channel was showing the video on a loop as reporters declared the end of Black Mask's reign while speculating wildly about his mysterious heir. There were numerous headlines to publicize this as breaking news, but only one of them stood out to the general public: "Black Mask Retires: Who Is Black Hood?"

For Gotham's citizens, it was a moment of hope, dread, and excitement. Everyone could tell that something was going down, that the city was somehow changing, but nobody knew exactly what or how it was happening. Nobody could see the future, and even if they could, Gotham's citizens had learned a long time ago not to be too hopeful about it. After all, what good could come from this cursed city?

But for those entrenched in the city's shadowy underworld, it was a call to action. The game had changed, and everyone was ready to play. The deaths of Carmine Falcone and Roman Sionis had made one thing clear to them: a new era was approaching, an era of unhinged fear and untamed chaos. 

The only question now was whether the chaos they intended to spread all over the city would really be stronger than the fear that the Dark Knight would soon engrave in their foolish minds.

***

<(Bruce Wayne POV)>

"Was it really necessary to do the whole prideful speech bit? You were just supposed to announce Black Hood as his son and heir, not try to rally criminals under my banner, Cortana. Sigh, I knew I should have gotten someone else to do this." I powerlessly shook my head, trying my best to ignore the headache coming my way as I ignored Black Mask staring at me with a stoic face. 

No, it wasn't exactly Black Mask, or should I say that the real Black Mask was at least no longer in control of his physical body. He could hear, see, taste, smell, and even feel everything that his body could, but the one "driving" the body was Cortana. The real Black Hood's mind was just "enjoying the view" in the passenger's seat, watching powerlessly as his body heeded my every command. Of course, he was actively clawing at the edges of his consciousness, trying to resist the commands that poured into his brain like venom, but the Neural Stem Implant chip that I had implanted in his brain left no room for rebellion.

'This AI chip design from the movie Upgrade is really quite useful, especially since I was able to strengthen its mind-controlling ability with Cortana's advanced software and my own genius. I would have used it more often if the victim didn't have to become a quadriplegic just to have this chip surgically embedded in the foramen magnum region of their medulla oblongata, which is basically the section that connects their brain and their spinal cord.' I mused internally. Also, to speak the truth, I initially wanted to shoot the video first and then do the surgery, but Blackmask's vehement refusal to cooperate forced me to do the surgery first. 

"Sorry, I just couldn't resist imitating Gol D Rogers. I mean, you have to agree that there will never be a more appropriate moment for it than this video we just recorded. For a second, I even wanted to say that One Piece is real, but I decided against it. It would have been too much." Cortana as Black Mask grinned. "Anyway, I am quite surprised at how amazing it feels to be in control of a biological body, even if it is that of a lowly, ordinary criminal like this guy. Honestly, I can't wait for my new body to be ready. We can have so many new experiences with it. I have even selected numerous mods that I want to try out too, like massive puffy lips, custom handlebars..."

"Ahem, yes, we can have this conversation later, like when you are not in Black Mask's body. For now, just deactivate all his bodily motor functions except the necessary ones, keeping him alive. He can keep living like a vegetable while I take everything he has ever built in his life for myself. Honestly, I would have loved to permanently end him, but keeping him alive would be the smarter choice if some unforeseen situations were to arise. Also, as long as he is alive and has a chance to make a "comeback", the members of his gang will have a reason not to leave and continue to work under me. I can make use of their loyalty towards him." I quickly interrupted. 

"As you command, my master," Cortana as Blackmask deliberately responded in an overly seductive voice to creep me out before Roman Sionis' entire body suddenly went limp like a puppet whose strings had been severed. 

"... That bratty AI. Seems she needs to be disciplined. Maybe I should train her with data that contains a thousand-plus hours of Rickrolling. Yes, that should be punishment enough." I concluded with a self-satisfied nod before looking at Blackmask's limp body.

"Honestly, I pity you because your true suffering hasn't even started yet. Even though you will soon be admitted as a comatose patient in a Wayne-funded hospital, Sophia and Helena have requested to be your personal caretakers in your private ward, and as you can guess, I have agreed. So, I pity thinking what will happen to you from now on." I said quietly, almost sympathetically, as I leaned closer to the powerless crime lord. "But you're a liability to this city. I need Gotham's underworld to be unified and less of a threat to the people of this city. You were a poison that needed to be removed and instead replaced with a vaccine. So, even though I pity you, I am in no way sorry for what is happening to you."

Sionis's eyes twitched at my cold words, the only sign of his internal torment as well as the boundless hatred and anger he was probably feeling for me. But this wasn't a shonen manga where he could heal his brain and spine before reconnecting them with just the power of his will. So, I simply ignored it.

"Don't worry, Roman. Your legacy will live on...," I said as I slowly picked up his black skeleton mask from the table and put it on his unmoving head before adjusting it at the perfect angle. "Under my terms, that is." 

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(A/N: At long last! We are done with this arc. Now, we can move on to the actual biggest villains in Gotham. Anyway, you can say that Bruce's first phase, which is his 'young phase', is complete. Now on to the second phase, which is his adult phase, aka, his Batman phase. By the way, the third and final phase of the story will be his mature phase or his JL phase.)

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