I Am Born Free

In the shopping street, Heino excitedly led Downton by the hand and pushed open the doors of the Dior boutique.

Seeing the shop was already devoid of people, Heino instantly transformed into a sales clerk, ushering Downton into the coat section.

In just a few minutes, she had selected an outfit and grabbed Downton by the arm.

"This set is absolutely perfect. Come on, let's go change!"

"Us?"

Downton grinned, already thinking about how to send Heino away.

Considering how much effort the girl had put in, he no longer felt like continuing to hold her hostage.

Although he hadn't managed to squeeze more money out of her, three thousand in cash was enough to find a decent hotel.

As for tomorrow, he would just go find tomorrow's lucky soul; with so many rich people in Gotham, was there really any fear of not finding one?

However, even as Downton surreptitiously let go of her, Heino showed no awareness that she had regained her freedom.

"Of course we're going into the fitting room together, otherwise the police will turn a room with just you in it into a sieve!

You're a kidnapper, Downton, can you please be a little more cautious!

Quick, follow me, put on the set I picked out for you first, and then you can accompany me to LV to take a look. I want to change into a new style too, something that matches yours!"

As she spoke, Downton found himself being dragged into the fitting room by Heino, who then crouched down right in front of him.

In the distance, outside the Dior boutique, Mayor Don Mitchell arrived in a rush, pointing at the shop with a bewildered expression.

"They just walked in there as bold as you please to change clothes?"

At this, Mayor Mitchell looked at Gordon with a bitter smile.

"Gordon, letting a kidnapper hold Councilwoman Lawrence's daughter for an entire hour is already a massive disgrace to the GCPD and City Hall!

Look at them now, they're actually chatting and laughing—what are the citizens of Gotham watching on their TVs going to think of us!

Believe me, tomorrow's papers will say the GCPD and City Hall were so slow that the kidnapper and the hostage even developed feelings for each other before they could resolve this damn kidnapping case!

Do you know, Gordon, I'm not even angry at your inaction right now, because Councilwoman Lawrence's partner is the Deputy Secretary of Defense.

If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't dare let a sniper take a shot either; no one wants to bear the cost of accidentally killing the daughter of a councilwoman and a Deputy Secretary of Defense!

I just want to know why you let this situation spiral out of control. Who reported this in the first place? Why wasn't this handled in secret, to the point that even reporters have followed them here!

I even saw reporters from Metropolis—did they come here by boat?"

As he finished speaking, Mitchell crossed his arms helplessly.

Before he could even let out a frustrated sigh, he saw a camera turn toward him, so he had to force a look of deep, righteous indignation.

Listening to the Mayor, Gordon gripped his gun tightly.

"Mr. Mayor, this kidnapper named Downton is acting very high-profile. Not only did he kidnap Ms. Lawrence in broad daylight, but he also caused a traffic jam on the way here, firing several shots in the process.

Ms. Lawrence is quite famous in Gotham; a fair number of paparazzi recognize her car and license plate, so the reporters knew about this even before we did."

Having said that, Gordon gave the Mayor a helpless look.

Seeing Gordon's frustration, Mayor Mitchell felt the pressure too. After a brief, bitter smile, he shouted loudly in front of the cameras closing in on him.

"No matter what it takes, I must see Ms. Lawrence safely returned to her parents' arms!

Gotham should not be such a chaotic city, and a kidnapping like this should never happen to a poor, nineteen-year-old girl!"

Hearing Mayor Mitchell's righteous voice coming from the television, the bald owner of the Gunfire Feast couldn't help but spit on the ground.

"Mitchell won't be mayor for much longer. Ever since he took office, he's lost all the silver-tongued charm he had during his campaign; I suppose he can't afford his old campaign team anymore?

Just repeating the same boring, empty slogans over and over—if he doesn't step down, who will? I'm certainly not voting for him again.

But this Downton..."

The bald owner recalled the bullet-riddled black suit Downton had been wearing.

When that suit first appeared in his shop, it had been perfectly clean.

Combined with the gunshots and explosions heard near the Iceberg Lounge not long ago...

Could this kid have actually gone to the Iceberg Lounge and caused a scene?

If that were true, and he was still alive enough to go on and kidnap the councilwoman's daughter, then...

The bald owner suddenly felt a chill; had he really helped his "son" transition from a boss to a mere laborer?

Meanwhile, inside the Iceberg Lounge that had just been mentioned, Selina watched the farce on TV and let out a snort of laughter.

"He killed Sabatino right in front of Falcone, and then immediately ran off to kidnap the daughter of a Gotham councilwoman and the Deputy Secretary of Defense.

Liv, are you sure this kind of person is a good client for you? I have a feeling he's going to lead you straight to hell."

As she spoke, Selina turned toward Liv, only to see a deep sense of admiration in Liv's eyes.

Seeing the hungry look in Liv's eyes as she watched Downton, Selina felt a pang of jealousy, so she leaned in close to Liv and wrapped her arms tightly around her waist.

"What, you've finally been captivated by a man?"

"What a beautiful talent. That is the ability to ignore death itself—why wouldn't I be captivated?"

So what if he killed Sabatino? So what if he kidnapped a councilman's daughter?

Once he, this restless soul, had returned from the jaws of death time and time again, was there anything left in this world he couldn't accomplish?

"Selina, believe me, I've found the most worthy super-client to cultivate! In my eyes, he practically radiates light!"

"Bullshit!"

Hearing the tone Liv used to praise Downton, Selina felt incredibly sour. Since when had her little Liv ever praised a man like this?

"Since you like him so much, you can keep watching your light. I'm going home to feed my cats."

Selina dusted off her backside and turned to leave, but Liv hurriedly grabbed her hand.

"Don't be so moody like a cat, Selina. Stay with me a little longer; I still want to hear you talk about how Downton killed Sabatino! Please, my dear."

"Why beg me? Go beg your light; he can tell it in more detail than I can."

Selina chuckled, swatted Liv's hand away, and walked out.

Watching Selina's retreating figure, Liv couldn't help but reach out, only to grasp at a wisp of shadow.

"Selina!"

Anxious, Liv hurriedly called out.

"I just received news that Falcone has arranged for Victor to bring Sofia back to Gotham. She and you are like oil and water; that bitch will kill you. Don't go back to your shared apartment for a while—just stay here with me, I'm begging you!"

"Why beg me? Go beg your light; after all, Sofia rushed over just to marry him. Sofia, you, all of you are just poor women being twisted into grotesque shapes. But I'm different, Liv. No one can catch me, and certainly no one can control me. Sofia Falcone, is it? Let her come for me then. I am Selina Kyle, and I was born free~"

Competition is fierce during a new book's launch; if the performance is even slightly lacking, it can easily spiral downward and flop.

If you have even the slightest interest in this book, even if you intend to stockpile chapters, I implore you to quickly flip to the very last page to help boost the follow-read count.

Half-Dead has previously written completed, high-quality works of two million and three million words. As long as this book's performance is decent, I will write millions of words to entertain you all.

I hope you will lend a helping hand. Half-Dead is eternally grateful.