The Penguin had still been thinking too simply.
He assumed his past identity as Fish Mooney’s subordinate would make Maroni value him highly since he knew many secrets.
However, he didn’t expect Maroni’s first reaction to be suspicion.
Subsequently, Maroni even brought Gordon over to confront him face-to-face.
Amidst his terror, a profound sense of boundless admiration for Rex surged from the bottom of the Penguin’s heart because Rex had briefed him and aligned their stories beforehand.
He had originally thought that as soon as he revealed his identity, Maroni would gladly accept him, and even felt that Rex’s preparations were unnecessary.
‘Thank goodness Mr Rex was prepared in advance, otherwise I really would have died here.’
The Penguin thought to himself.
The progress on Maroni’s side was moving forward smoothly.
Regardless of what the Penguin thought, Rex had done this on purpose.
Knowing the plot, how could he possibly miss such a crucial point?
Rex deliberately put the Penguin in danger and then ensured his escape through his own plan to deepen the Penguin’s loyalty.
He intended to constantly gaslight and manipulate the Penguin, even to the point of brainwashing him.
This way, when he eventually left this world, the Penguin wouldn’t harbor any ulterior motives.
Whenever Rex had free time, he would review the plot of the TV series Gotham in his memory library.
He had prepared a vast number of scenarios specifically designed to groom the Penguin.
But the Penguin wasn’t the only one; in Rex’s overarching plan, there were three key figures to focus on.
The Penguin, Falcone, and Fish Mooney.
Bruce wasn’t included; Rex didn’t view him as a tool.
Moreover, in the current Gotham, Bruce wasn’t the protagonist yet.
Based on these three key figures, Rex’s plan was also divided into three phases.
The first phase was for the Penguin to go undercover in the Maroni family and spark a conflict between Maroni and Falcone.
By inciting a bloody war between Gotham’s top two mob families and throwing the entire situation into chaos, Rex would be able to fish in troubled waters.
This was also the step currently in progress.
The second phase involved completing the transformation of the Penguin’s status and clearing the obstacles for his future takeover.
These two objectives were carried out simultaneously.
Since the Penguin was currently just a nobody, even if Falcone and Maroni were both finished, the Penguin wouldn’t have the seniority or qualifications to swallow their territories.
Instead, it would just benefit others.
Therefore, Rex needed to help the Penguin complete the transition in his social standing.
Under Maroni, using the excuse of helping Falcone eliminate traitors—in exchange for Falcone turning a blind eye—he could effortlessly borrow Maroni’s knife to eliminate key figures in the Falcone family.
Then, Rex would arrange for the Penguin to defect back to Falcone’s side, effectively replacing Fish Mooney.
Because no matter how high his position in Maroni’s organization, the Penguin would still just be an employee.
But if he jumped ship as a core member of the Maroni family, the Penguin could immediately become a capo in the Falcone family, possessing his own territory and forces.
At this point, the Penguin would have completed his transformation from a lowly underling to a mob boss, and Rex’s main quest would be declared complete.
However, Rex’s plan didn’t stop there.
He noticed that the main quest rating was determined by the size of the faction established.
After replacing Fish Mooney, Rex figured a C-rank rating was guaranteed, but getting a higher score would certainly be better.
Therefore, the third key figure, Fish Mooney, was crucial.
Fish Mooney was Falcone’s most capable capo, so even though Falcone knew she harbored treacherous intentions, he still gave her many chances.
That was until Fish touched Falcone’s absolute taboo.
Rex’s plan for the third phase was to use Fish to eliminate Maroni, letting her bear the brunt of the Maroni family’s counterattack.
Ultimately, this would force Falcone to abdicate and hand over his territory to the Penguin.
This way, the Penguin could unify Gotham’s underworld in the shortest amount of time, and Rex, acting behind the scenes, could secure the highest possible quest rating.
Of course, there was one problem: Rex had to accelerate the pace of the plot to complete the quest within six months.
Rex’s plan could adhere as closely as possible to the original plot because the Penguin was destined to be the ultimate beneficiary anyway.
But relying on his advantage of knowing the storyline, Rex preemptively passed off all the successful moves from the Penguin’s rise to power as his own plans and ordered the Penguin to execute them.
As for the Penguin’s failed actions, Rex mostly treated them as perfect opportunities to manipulate him.
He wouldn’t warn the Penguin in advance, only stepping in to save him when he was trapped in a deadly situation.
In short, all the credit belonged to Rex, and all the blame fell squarely on the Penguin.
Just imagine being an underling working for someone else.
Your boss firmly believes in your talent, frequently encourages you, and even delegates authority to you.
Furthermore, your boss’s plans are meticulous and mostly successful.
But the things you decide to do based on your own ideas often fail, plunging you into desperate situations.
And every time you’re about to be killed, your boss swoops in to save you.
This was exactly the state the Penguin was in.
Most importantly, Rex fully considered that as a native of Gotham, the Penguin might become restless if he held absolute power for too long.
Therefore, he meticulously prepared various minor scenarios to test, discipline, and control the Penguin.
It came back to the same principle: the Penguin controlled Gotham’s mob, and Rex controlled the Penguin.
In this era of Gotham, there weren’t that many supernatural events yet.
With his plot advantage, Rex could survive peacefully.
However, Rex had to prepare for his future journeys to other worlds, so continually enhancing his own strength was definitely the right choice.
Fortunately, Alfred was an excellent teacher, more than happy to teach Rex combat skills.
And Rex’s learning speed was practically divinely assisted.
Once Alfred taught him enough knowledge, he would suddenly absorb and comprehend it all in a flash of sudden insight.
While the Penguin was acting as a guide, leading the robbery of Falcone’s casino, Rex’s Combat skill upgraded to Lv.4.
As for other skills, like firearms, Rex didn’t have the opportunity to learn.
After all, Bruce was still young, and Alfred didn’t want him exposed to such dangerous items too early.
But Rex would occasionally go outside the manor to practice shooting, at least ensuring he wouldn’t fumble in a panic when he needed to use a gun.
As for his accuracy, well, that was up to fate.
But he figured it was still significantly better than those who relied solely on blind fire.
Two more days passed.
Bruce and Alfred were dressed in formal attire; there was an important banquet to attend tonight.
“Rex, why aren’t you changing clothes?” Bruce asked, puzzled.
He had heard that Rex would be going with them and was very happy, but with their departure imminent, Rex still hadn’t changed into suitable clothes.
“Have you forgotten my current identity?” Rex gently ruffled Bruce’s hair, making him giggle.
“Although Maroni is busy dealing with Falcone right now, it’s still better for me to show my face as little as possible.”
“I’ll protect you from outside the venue.”
“When will you be able to get rid of your pursuers?” Bruce asked.
“Very soon.
Within the next few days.”
“When exactly?” Bruce persisted.
He had been wanting to hang out with Rex for a long time.
“Uh, after Gordon is hunted down.”
“Huh?”
_____
T/N: