Marvel: The Sole Player

Almost every supervillain has their own exclusive codename.

As the saying goes, names can be wrong, but nicknames never are.

The codenames of supervillains basically fit their characteristics perfectly, such as Joker, Two-Face, The Riddler, and so on.

Most supervillains don’t really care about this.

To some extent, a codename is a symbol of being a big shot.

Usually, only criminals with solid strength and enough fame are worthy of having their own exclusive nickname.

If a supervillain doesn’t even have a codename, how are they any different from those street thugs?

Bane:"....."

However, there are exceptions to everything.

The Penguin is extremely repulsed by his nickname.

To him, this codename is like pointing at a fat person and calling them a ’fat pig’, pointing at a short person and calling them a ’short winter melon’, or pointing at a mute person and saying ’aba aba’. It’s like dancing in a minefield.

Someone once called him by this codename to his face, and that very night, he directly encased the person in cement and threw them into the Gotham sea to feed the fish.

Of course, for some people, it’s fine to say it.

For instance, Batman has called him that to his face countless times, but The Penguin is very tolerant every time and doesn’t hold a grudge.

Mainly because he can’t beat the guy.

Besides him, there are fellow criminals like Joker, Two-Face, The Riddler, and Scarecrow.

Those guys are all lunatics. The Penguin’s rage can only flare up for a second before he’s forced to endure it.

But what kind of thing is Darian?

A mere Gotham police officer actually dared to call him by his codename to his face?

That’s just BIG balls!

"If you can’t hear me, then I’ll say it again."

Darian ignored The Penguin’s fire-spitting eyes and shouted word by word: "Lit-tle, Pen-guin!"

He deliberately raised his volume, and an echo even rippled through the empty hall.

The air in the entire Iceberg Lounge seemed to be sucked away.

Everyone present froze in place, their breathing skipping a beat.

Who among those present didn’t know that this codename was The Penguin’s sore spot?

Darian’s move was undoubtedly an ultimate provocation.

The Penguin paused for two seconds, his face turning red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Warning! Warning!

"Ha—Hahahahaha!"

The Penguin laughed out of extreme anger, his eyes narrowing into two sinister slits, fixed firmly on Darian: "It’s been a long time since anyone dared to provoke me to my face like this. Do you think that just because you’re wearing a police skin, I won’t dare to touch you?"

Darian also smiled: "Then try touching me."

The Penguin’s smile froze on his face instantly.

His expression darkened bit by bit.

"Good!"

"Good!"

"Good... fast gun!"

Originally, The Penguin intended to build up his aura first, say a few pretty words, and establish his status as a Gotham underground boss.

Then, he would order his subordinates to chop Darian, this cop who didn’t know the height of the sky, into mincemeat and throw him to the fish. It would be the perfect way to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys, letting other small-timers see clearly what the consequences of offending The Penguin were.

As a result, before he could finish speaking, a Golden Desert Eagle was pressed against his forehead, and the rest of his lines were choked back into his throat.

Darian held the Golden Desert Eagle with one hand, a smiling expression on his face: "I told you to try it, and you really dared to move?"

The Penguin’s face froze on the spot.

Before Darian entered the door, his subordinates had searched him carefully and confirmed that Darian was not carrying any weapons.

Where on earth did this gun come from?

Moreover, the speed of that draw just now was so fast that he couldn’t even see the movement. It was definitely not the skill of an ordinary person.

Seeing their boss being held at gunpoint, the surrounding subordinates were startled and immediately pulled out their pistols, aiming them all at Darian, but no one dared to pull the trigger.

The Penguin was, after all, a king of Gotham. Despite the gun barrel against his forehead, he still maintained a calm look on the surface.

He said coldly: "Darian, you’d better think clearly. If you dare to shoot today, as long as you dare to fire this shot, it will be equivalent to declaring war on the entire Penguin Gang. Even if something happens to me, the Penguin Gang will not let you go."

"At that time, not only you, but everyone related to you will be implicated and face the full retaliation of the Penguin Gang."

Darian chuckled: "I’m an orphan, no father or mother, and no friends. I’ve been in Gotham for half a year, and all the people I know are in the Penguin Gang."

The Penguin: "....."

Good heavens, he’s an invincible person who can’t be targeted.

The Penguin’s momentum suddenly weakened by more than half.

Even so, he still didn’t believe in his heart that Darian would really dare to shoot.

He was the head of the Penguin Gang, a prominent figure in Gotham’s underground World. How could Darian, a mere police officer, easily lay a hand on him?

Besides, this was the Iceberg Lounge, his territory, with at least nearly a hundred subordinates.

If Darian fired, wasn’t he afraid that he wouldn’t be able to walk out of this door?

Just then, a subordinate rushed into the Iceberg Lounge in a panic, shouting: "Mr. Cobblepot, something has happened. Just today, our partner Baso was taken out."

"It’s said the killer is a Gotham City Police Department officer named Darian. He shot Baso dead right in front of Baso’s men!"

The Penguin: "....."

The hall was silent for a full three seconds.

The ruthlessness on The Penguin’s face vanished instantly, replaced by an incredibly bright smile.

"Darian, look at what you’re doing. I was just joking with you just now. We’re old friends, how could I possibly do anything to you?"

As he spoke, he suddenly turned his head and shouted sternly at the surrounding subordinates: "What are you all standing there for? Darian is one of us. Put your guns away!"

The subordinates looked at each other and hesitantly lowered their guns.

The Penguin turned back again and said to Darian cautiously: "Darian, let’s talk things over nicely. Put the gun down first. Violence cannot solve problems."

In the past, these words were usually said by police officers to criminals.

The Penguin never dreamed that one day he would say such words to a police officer.

But he was truly afraid.

That subordinate said that Baso was killed by Darian today, and right in front of his men.

Baso was Black Mask’s right-hand man and the second-in-command of the False Face Society. The Penguin had dealt with him more than once and knew he was a genuine tough guy.

And the result?

Just like that, he was blown away by Darian, dying without any dignity.

The ruthless fear the reckless.

A police officer who doesn’t dare to shoot and one who does are completely different species.

No matter how much wealth and power The Penguin had, his body was still made of flesh, and he still couldn’t escape the universal law that everyone is equal before the truth.

After learning that Darian really dared to pull the trigger, he immediately softened.

He had worked hard to build up such a large family business, and he didn’t want to die ignominiously like Baso.

Darian did not put down the gun and smiled: "I’m a shy and introverted person, and I’m afraid of crowded places. Tell all your men to get out."

The corner of The Penguin’s mouth twitched.

You broke into the Iceberg Lounge alone, held a gun to my head, and called me ’Little Penguin’ to my face, and you’re fucking shy and introverted?

If you’re shy, then there are few brave people left in Gotham!

But with the gun barrel against his head, The Penguin didn’t dare to say a single ’no’ and could only wave his hand to let all his subordinates retreat.

The door closed, leaving only Darian and The Penguin in the hall.

The Penguin squeezed out a friendly smile and lowered his posture very low: "Is this okay now? Could you please move this gun barrel away first? I’m naturally allergic to bullets."

Indeed allergic; once they enter the body, at best it’s a serious injury, at worst it’s instant death.

Darian said with a smile: "Little QQ, I still like your arrogant and unyielding look from the beginning. Why don’t you restore it?"

The Penguin already knew that QQ meant penguin, but this time he didn’t have any temper at all.

Now that both the reason and the gun barrel were in Darian’s hands, let alone calling him QQ, even if he flicked his QQ, he would have to meet it with a smile.

When one is under another’s roof, one must bow one’s head.

The Penguin said with a forced smile: "Darian, oh no, Officer Darian, you’re joking. My emotions were a bit excessive just now, and my attitude was indeed not good. I apologize to you."

Darian looked straight at him: "Then how do you plan to compensate me?"

"Ah?" The Penguin was stunned.

Darian’s eyes widened: "What are you looking at? Does an apology not require compensation?"

The Penguin came to his senses and nodded repeatedly: "Compensate, of course I’ll compensate. What do you want?"

He now only wanted to send this plague god away as quickly as possible. Spending some money to avert disaster didn’t matter.

Darian said casually: "My request isn’t high. Just give me a few billion U.S. dollars."

The smile on The Penguin’s face froze instantly, and he blurted out: "Why don’t you just go and rob someone?"

Darian said as a matter of course: "Aren’t I robbing someone right now?"

The Penguin: "...."

He said with a bitter face: "Where would I get so much money? I’m not Bruce Wayne. How about this, I’ll give you five hundred thousand U.S. dollars, and we’ll act as if today’s incident never happened, okay?"

Darian scoffed: "Only five hundred thousand U.S. dollars? Are you treating me like a beggar? I could find any rich guy and extort more than that."

The Penguin: "...."

Brother, have you forgotten that you’re a police officer?

Is it appropriate for those words to come out of your mouth?

The Penguin gritted his teeth and held up two fingers: "Two million U.S. dollars, Officer Darian. This is already my sincere price."

Darian looked at him with disdain: "And you call yourself the King of Gotham? Stingy to this extent. This bit of money probably couldn’t even buy a few of Batman’s batarangs. No wonder you get beaten up by Batman every day. Do you know why?"

The Penguin subconsciously followed up: "Why?"

Darian said bluntly: "Because you’re not willing to spend money. Any piece of Batman’s equipment is a piece of priceless high-tech. The cheapest accessory starts at seven figures."

"As a noble pay-to-win player, isn’t it normal for him to crush a free-to-play player like you?"

The Penguin’s eyes lit up: "You mean the biggest gap between me and Batman is in the equipment?

As long as I’m willing to spend money to get a batch of sophisticated equipment, I can defeat Batman?"

He dreamed of defeating Batman, stepping on him, and then taking a photo to post to Batman’s fan club. In the future, whenever he met any supervillain, he could say, ’How did you know I defeated Batman?’

That scene, just thinking about it made him feel excited.

"Oh no, you’re thinking too much."

Darian shook his head decisively: "Your biggest gap should be height. You can’t even reach Batman’s knees even if you jump. How could you possibly beat him?"

"..."

The Penguin’s face turned green.

Although he weighed nearly 80 kilograms, his height was only 158.32 centimeters, which is approximately 160 centimeters. He usually felt inferior to everyone he looked at.

For this reason, The Penguin had specifically invested a large sum of money in secret to build a laboratory dedicated to researching height enhancement.

As a result, after several years of effort and burning an unknown amount of money, there were still zero results.

The matter of his height was a thorn in The Penguin’s heart that couldn’t be pulled out.

Hearing Darian bring this up to his face, The Penguin could no longer suppress the anger in his heart.

His eyes suddenly became fierce, and his voice squeezed out from between his teeth: "You dead cop, you’re simply pushing me too..."

Darian suddenly added: "However, I have a way to make you grow taller."

"Officer! Officer Darian! You must help me!"

The Penguin grabbed Darian’s arm and cried out with tears and snot.

Anyway, he had already driven all his subordinates out just now, and only the two of them were left in the hall. He didn’t need to worry about being seen and affecting his image.

As for the dignity of the King of Gotham, that thing was worth nothing compared to growing taller.

He chuckled, flipped his right hand, and a bottle of green potion appeared out of thin air in his palm.

[Item: shorty’s joy (After drinking, one can grow 10 centimeters taller. A divine item dreamed of by many short villains.)]

Darian introduced: "This is shorty’s joy. After drinking it, you can grow 10 centimeters taller, and there are no side effects."

The Penguin couldn’t help but be stunned when he saw Darian’s ability to take things out of thin air.

But after he finished listening to Darian’s words, his breathing became rapid, and he hurriedly asked: "Are you sure? This bottle of stuff can really make me grow 10 centimeters?"

"Of course. Drink shorty’s joy, and you’ll no longer be tiny."

Darian grinned, having even thought of the advertising slogan.

The Penguin looked at shorty’s joy with burning eyes, his gaze full of longing.

If it was really as Darian said, and he could grow 10 centimeters taller after drinking it, then he would be 168.32 centimeters, which is about 170 centimeters, infinitely close to 180 centimeters.

Becoming a 1.8-meter tall guy was the biggest dream of The Penguin’s life.

Now hope was right in front of him.

The Penguin subconsciously reached out to grab it, but Darian held it above his head with one hand. He jumped a few times but couldn’t reach it.

"What’s the rush? When did I ever say I was going to give this to you?"

The Penguin quickly said: "Then how can you give it to me? As long as the item is real, you can set any conditions. Within a reasonable range, no matter what the condition is, I’m willing to agree."

Seeing The Penguin’s longing look, Darian nodded with satisfaction and was about to speak.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

Suddenly, a series of shattering sounds rang out, and the lights overhead all shattered.

The light in the room suddenly dimmed.

Boom!

The Iceberg Lounge door was smashed open by a figure, and The Penguin’s subordinate fell heavily to the ground, losing consciousness on the spot.

Then, a black figure walked in from outside, and a uniquely low voice came over.

"The Penguin, hand over the person you captured..."

Seeing The Penguin grabbing Darian’s arm with a tearful expression, the newcomer was instantly stunned.

This was not quite how he had imagined it.

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