The next morning, Charlie, dressed like a flamboyant gentleman, boarded a plane for Coast City, beginning his mission to "woo a girl under orders."
With him gone, Luke's workload immediately spiked. He had to handle matters both large and small, as he didn't trust anyone else with them.
The previous night, multiple shootings had occurred in Gotham City, but that was just the preamble. Around midnight, using a distraction caused by police dispatches, a group of criminals armed with modern weapons stormed the Gotham East District Police Station and engaged in a fierce battle with the on-duty officers.
The gunfight lasted for nearly an hour.
The casualties were heavy: three officers were killed and nine were injured. If Batman hadn't intervened in time, the East Precinct might have fallen to the mob.
"Falcone has lost his mind."
Luke merely sneered after reading the reports.
Sending subordinates to attack a police station?
What kind of idiotic move is that? He must be in a hurry to die.
Discussions about the incident were raging online. Everyone was cursing the Falcone family, and even traditional media had changed their tune. A sweeping article, thousands of words long, listed fifty crimes committed by the Falcone family, seemingly intent on nailing him to the pillar of historical shame.
"With Falcone's downfall, Gotham City is about to enter an era of chaos and pandemonium."
Luke shook his head helplessly, then pushed these minor concerns aside.
The Gotham incident provided a massive publicity boost for ShowMe. User numbers hit new highs, breaking through nine million and rapidly approaching the ten million milestone. Breaking ten million would propel the company to a new level.
The aftermath of the "Hacking Challenge" was mixed. Second-day registration plummeted to only one-third of the first day's numbers, but the quality of the participants significantly improved.
Many top hackers from around the world joined in. Their technical skill, reaction time, and speed were all world-class.
If it weren't for Barry Allen taking charge in an emergency, they might have successfully broken in.
Barry's learning speed was an absolute cheat code. The advanced hacking essentials Luke wrote were over a hundred thousand words long and included many computing technologies that did not yet exist in this era.
Yet, Barry completely absorbed and integrated the knowledge in just one day.
That is true talent. It can't be taught.
With Barry holding the fort, Luke finally had the time to deal with other matters, such as Barbara Gordon.
The future Batgirl had acted without permission, invading the ShowMe database while Luke was sleeping and stealing all data related to Batman.
She thought she had done it without a trace, but the next day, the owner came knocking.
A file documenting her theft was placed on the table, and Barbara's face instantly dropped. She stammered out,
"M-Mr. Shaw, please don't misunderstand, I'm not... I'm not..."
"Not what? Not a criminal!"
Luke scoffed and demanded, "Where is the data?"
"I-it's on my computer."
"How many copies?"
"Just one."
Luke walked into her room, unplugged the hard drive, and turned to leave.
"Wait!"
Barbara panicked and blocked Luke's path. She said with an overly-sweet smile,
"Boss Shaw, I didn't mean to intrude. I just wanted to test ShowMe's security system. You've been running the 'Hacking Challenge,' right? I was just helping you find loopholes. That's a good thing, isn't it?"
As she spoke, she pulled her collar open, exposing a glimpse of her full chest.
Seventeen-year-old Barbara Gordon was in her prime. Beneath her reddish-brown hair was a delicate, oval face. Her figure was graceful, neither too fat nor too thin, exuding the unique vibrancy of youth.
Her demeanor was different from other women Luke had encountered. Her pale blue eyes occasionally showed a flash of cunning, and her expression was calm and composed. Even when she smiled flirtatiously, the depths of her eyes remained clear.
A cunning woman!
Luke shook his head internally. He reached into the pocket of her jeans, pulled out a voice recorder, and casually pinched her buttock.
"Don't record me when you talk to me in the future."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Barbara's face paled. Ignoring the sting on her butt, she chased after him.
"Luke Shaw, wait! We need to talk."
Luke didn't slow down, his pace increasing. "Talk about what? About you invading ShowMe and getting caught? I don't see anything to talk about."
Barbara quickly ran ahead, spread her arms wide, and blocked his way.
"We must talk. If you don't, I'll leak all those emails you sent to Batman!"
Luke's mind raced, but his expression remained unchanged. He shoved the girl aside.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't try to deny it! I saw it! That file documenting the Central Bank's bribery was sent by you to Batman. You're the one behind all of this trouble."
Luke sneered dismissively. "Miss Gordon, your imagination is very rich. Perhaps you should be a painter."
Seeing that talking didn't work, Barbara became angry. She grabbed Luke's arm to stop him.
"You can't leave! You have to explain yourself!"
Luke tried to shake her off a few times but couldn't. Instead, she tightly wrapped her arms around him. His forearm brushed against her prominent chest, sending a surprising sensation through him. He was completely exasperated.
He hadn't touched a woman in three months!
"Miss Gordon, no, Barbara. May I call you that?"
"Of course."
"Alright, Barbara, please let go! This is a hospital. People are watching. I don't want to end up in the media for wrestling with a minor."
Barbara pouted. "Says the guy who acts like he's an adult!"
Luke: "..."
"You let go first, and then we'll talk."
"We can talk without me letting go."
"You asked for this."
Luke wrapped his arm around her waist, swiftly flipped her, and hoisted her over his shoulder.
Even hoisted over his shoulder, Barbara showed no sign of letting go. She kept screaming "Assault!" while clinging fiercely to his arm.
The two struggled, drawing a large crowd of onlookers.
Luke knew that Barbara Gordon was trying to provoke him. If he conceded now, she would immediately take advantage, make unreasonable demands, and use his responses to confirm her suspicions.
Women with an IQ over 150 were always this troublesome: quick-witted, clever, and skilled at grasping the core of an issue from minor details.
Luke had been burned by this kind of woman in his previous life, and he absolutely wouldn't let it happen this time.
Since things had escalated this far, he didn't care about his reputation anymore. He shrugged his shoulder and strode toward the exit.
After leaving the hospital, he headed straight for a small motel next door. Under the knowing gaze of the desk clerk, he rented a room by the hour.
He kicked the door open, put her down, and immediately began to take off his clothes without a word.
Seeing this stance, Barbara instantly panicked.
"What are you doing?! Stop taking your clothes off! I'll call the police!"
Luke placed his phone in front of her. "Here's my phone. Call 911 right now. Better yet, call your father and tell him how his daughter is coercing a minor male into renting a hotel room."
"You're... despicable!"
Luke sneered internally. After undoing the buttons on his shirt, he started to unbuckle his pants.
So you want to play dirty?
As a man, I'm certainly not afraid of you.
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