Audisburg District

The rickety bus rattled along the road, cutting through the traffic and the condensed mist over Gotham's East End as it traveled from the eastern side of Uptown to the west.

"Thank God. At least there wasn't a second shootout, and Old Jack wasn't hurt."

Drake and Ma Zhaodi sat on the drafty bus as it made its way through the streets of Audisburg. Hearing him mutter to himself, Ma Zhaodi couldn't help turning to look at him.

"There was a second one?"

"Depends on the situation. Generally, there won't be, but this is the East End, after all—you know how it is. Sometimes a second group of people will get on halfway there. This place gets too tense sometimes, so it's only normal for one busload not to be enough."

Nothing about this is normal, Ma Zhaodi silently complained.

"What happens to the bodies and blood left in the streets?"

"They'll disappear after fifteen minutes. Gotham's mob corpse collectors are professionals."

"What about the bus if the driver dies?"

"The driver usually won't die. They're part of the atmosphere, you know? It's like playing badminton or tennis—someone has to serve the first ball. As for why... there are plenty of people who know how to shoot, but not many willing to drive a bus like this. So the drivers only pretend to take part in shootouts nowadays. They only get hit by stray or ricocheting bullets when they're really unlucky."

Ma Zhaodi's eyes lit up, and he suddenly felt tempted. "How's the pay for bus drivers? Are they hiring?"

Drake gave him a sly grin. "Old Jack's Ride went through three drivers last year. One had his neck pierced by grenade shrapnel, one was blinded by a ricochet, and the last tried to raise the price while selling guns and got his balls blown off with one shot. They replace people in that position all the time. If you want the job, you've got a chance."

Ma Zhaodi's gaze instantly became crystal clear, utterly free of distracting thoughts.

"So Old Jack is actually the name of the bus? The driver really is just a disposable tool. Wait, wait—someone brought a grenade?"

"Generally speaking, no one brings one, and they wouldn't use it in a place like this because it's too expensive and not worth it. But you know how the East End is. There are more crazies here than normal people."

After saying this, Drake unconsciously sighed, as if he had thought of something from his own past living in the East End.

While they were talking, the bus had already entered the Audisburg District. Seeing this, Drake hurriedly pulled Ma Zhaodi off the bus.

"Come on. Our workplace isn't far from the bus stop." Drake glanced at the watch on his wrist. "We're really lucky. It's only eight twenty. At least you won't be late on your first day."

"You're right." Ma Zhaodi silently browsed the system shop, looking for something to eat. "But I almost got my head blown off on my first day commuting to work, so my head may have a minor disagreement with the word 'lucky.'"

Compared with the chaotic, lawless East End, where filth covered the streets and the buildings were old and squat, the Audisburg District looked much better.

A cluster of towering buildings stood before them, including gleaming corporate offices. Farther away, some areas were occupied by massive factories, thick black smoke billowing from their long chimneys. Even the residential neighborhoods that looked somewhat old were at least clean and bright. They seemed a little disorderly rather than dirty and impoverished.

"Don't look. There's nothing good over there." Drake's tone was somewhat mocking. "It used to be one of the top pharmaceutical companies, but after an accident, it became a second-rate business that was strong on the outside but hollow within. I wonder how long that building can remain standing in Gotham."

Ma Zhaodi immediately caught his implication. "That company is Wayne Pharmaceuticals?"

"Wayne? No, of course not. Why would you ask that?" Drake looked at him in confusion. "Although young Wayne is a playboy and a spoiled heir, he at least has a bit of a conscience."

"This is the pharmaceutical company that worked with Dr. Victor. We're friends now, so I don't mind telling you."

"I found out a few things during this period. Mr. Victor's disappearance wasn't simply a laboratory accident. It happened because this company deliberately cut off his experimental project—his wife's life-support system—which caused the accident."

Ma Zhaodi nodded to show that he understood. He didn't know much about the origins of Victor, also known as Mr. Freeze. As he remembered it, Wayne Pharmaceuticals was supposed to be the one that helped Mr. Freeze. Still, he might have remembered wrong, or perhaps this world existed in some multiverse he didn't know about.

In any case, the DC multiverse and rebooted-universe settings changed back and forth so often that even the editors had no idea what existed in the universes they hadn't drawn. It wasn't impossible for Mr. Freeze to have a somewhat strange origin.

"When you're a person, you should only do as much as you're capable of." He consoled himself. "What's the use of worrying about any of this? You can't even use a gun right now. A street thug could stab you to death."

He followed Drake down the main street of the Audisburg District. The sky was already bright, but the sunlight couldn't penetrate the heavy clouds over Gotham. The sky was gray, and there wasn't much warmth on his body. Living in Gotham City always made him feel as if it might start raining the next moment.

Ma Zhaodi took in the buildings around him at a glance: Stagg Industries, the Ace Chemical Plant in the distance, Monarch Playing Card Venue, and several colorful clubs.

If he hadn't forgotten how significant these locations were, he would definitely have exclaimed on the spot, There are immortals everywhere!

Of course, when he saw a towering Ferris wheel rising behind one of the buildings, some of his memories were awakened.

"Oh. The Killing Joke."

"What?"

"Nothing. Is there an amusement park over there?"

Drake, who had been hurrying along, followed his gaze and saw the Ferris wheel as well. He couldn't help sighing.

"Yeah. But it's been abandoned. According to them, the Waynes' murder led to the theater here being abandoned too. After that, public safety kept getting worse, and no one dared bring their children here anymore. The amusement park fell into disuse as well."

It's probably better that it's abandoned, Ma Zhaodi thought. Once that amusement park is reopened in the future, someone will most likely be in for a bad time.

Poor Commissioner Gordon had poured his heart and soul into Gotham, only for his son to become a villain and his daughter to be abducted by a psychopath and turned into a leather-clad freak. Then a madman shot through her spine and took nude photographs of her.

If he could, Ma Zhaodi really didn't want Gordon to be tied to the Ferris wheel and forced to look at pictures of Barbara.

Just as Ma Zhaodi was still thinking, Drake stopped walking.

"Stop looking. We're here."