I Think the East End Is Safer

After a brief and bizarre five-minute interview, Ma Zhaodi officially became a member of the "Red Dragon Restaurant."

"You'll come to the restaurant at ten every morning to change into your uniform and start work on time. You can come earlier if you want. Breakfast and lunch are available in the staff cafeteria. You get a two-hour break starting at 2 PM. Your duties will be to greet guests, take orders, serve food, and clean tables. You'll finish work at 10 PM. Your hourly wage is $25, and you'll work five days a week."

"Sometimes, unexpected situations might arise at the restaurant. You don't need to do anything specific. Just stay calm and try to appease the guests, don't let things escalate. Someone will come to handle the problem soon enough."

A supervisor led Ma Zhaodi around the restaurant at a leisurely pace, familiarizing him with the rooms inside and out. "Be sharp. There's a lot you need to get familiar with here. You need to be able to answer any questions guests have about the menu. And for any requests outside of the menu, you should try your best to accommodate them."

"Any request?"

"That depends on who the guest is. If someone like 'Roman' or another big shot comes here, even if they ask you to lick their shoes, you'd best do it. But if some cocky nouveau riche wants to cause trouble, you can shoot him after he leaves – but remember, don't let the blood stain the side of the shop."

"That won't be necessary."

Hearing this, the supervisor glanced at the new employee, who was sporting a sheepish grin. "The boss asked me to give you a few extra pointers, so here they are. Make sure you practice your shooting. In Gotham, people without a beastly nature don't survive."

With that, he pulled out a card and handed it to Ma Zhaodi. "Call this number. Our restaurant staff gets a 50% discount on shooting practice here. Of course, if you have the guts or the connections, you can find cheaper ways to practice your shooting in the East End."

Excellent, a shooting practice discount is a basic employee benefit at a high-end Gotham restaurant, Ma Zhaodi mused inwardly as he took the card.

"Also, once you receive your first paycheck, find yourself some transportation as soon as possible," he continued. "The boss wants me to tell you that if you weren't joining the restaurant, riding that bus every day wouldn't be particularly dangerous. But now that you're a restaurant employee, you should switch to a different mode of transport sooner rather than later."

Great, the second basic employee benefit is a 'taunt aura.' People who want to attack the restaurant might attack themselves first.

"Can I get an advance on a month's salary?"

The supervisor frowned. "Haven't you lived here before? We get paid bi-weekly here. The boss allows you to take an advance on your first two basic paychecks, which is four weeks' worth. That's $5,000 before tax. Do you have your own account?"

"Yes."

"After we finish the onboarding registration in a bit, the money will be wired to you, but it'll be after tax. Or, if you prefer cash, that's up to you."

Hooray! he thought. My stereotype of Gotham was accurate after all. It's dangerous, but definitely not poor.

In reality, due to the monopoly of chaebols and the exploitation by gangs, Gotham has an extreme wealth gap. The depravity of the East End is real, but so is the splendor of the Diamond District. If you consider Gotham's overall economy, it ranks among the top in the entire United States.

And the over $4,000 remaining after taxes from that $5,000 isn't his entire income. As a restaurant server, his salary consists of a base wage plus tips from customers. Tips usually make up the bulk of a server's income, and since they're in cash, tips are not taxed.

Aside from the twelve hours he needs to be at the restaurant daily, working ten hours, and the safety concerns of walking home with tips at 10 PM, this job can be considered perfect.

At least, that's how it seems for now.

Ma Zhaodi also considered that after Drake left, he would have nowhere to live, so he asked the supervisor if he could stay at the restaurant at night.

The supervisor's expression was quite intriguing. He looked at Ma Zhaodi with a half-smile and replied, "The restaurant does have a late-night service, but you don't have the qualifications to be here for the late-night service yet."

It was clear that the late-night service catered to the kind of clientele Ma Zhaodi wouldn't want to deal with, so he didn't ask any further questions.

Since he wouldn't start working until tomorrow, Drake decided to leave the Red Dragon Restaurant with Ma Zhaodi. The immediate priority was to get a vehicle or find a place to rent nearby, as he could no longer take the bus from the East End to the Red Dragon.

Drake actually knew quite a bit about the rental situation near Audisburg. After all, it was originally a collaboration site between Mr. Freeze and the pharmaceutical company. It was also where he first settled when he arrived in Gotham.

However, because he had to juggle taking care of his wife, searching for Dr. Victor, and making a living, the salaries he could find weren't ideal. With Dr. Victor being hard to find for extended periods, the rental prices in Audisburg quickly became a strain for him.

Although he thought that given Ma Zhaodi's current situation, he could easily find a small place to rent near the Red Dragon, ensuring both safety and a convenient commute, Ma Zhaodi wasn't too keen on it.

He and Drake discussed living costs. Americans were generally accustomed to living on credit cards and loans, but he had no such habit. Renting here would consume most of that $4,000, and he'd likely need to borrow money for daily living expenses.

If the money aspect could be overlooked for the sake of safety, then the abandoned Ferris wheel and the pharmaceutical company that had wronged Mr. Freeze made him a little apprehensive. He specifically inquired about the chemical plant and confirmed that there had been an accident there where someone fell into a chemical barrel.

Furthermore, knowing there was a botanical garden nearby, he immediately exclaimed, "Awesome!" Joker, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, plus the local gangsters who were suspected to dine at the Red Dragon, and who knew if Penguin or Falcone were also around. In short, this place was not suitable for a long stay. Usually, nothing happens, but when something does, it's bound to be an explosion, and an unsolvable one at that.

He had already seen that the System Mall had options to purchase marksmanship skills and one-time save points. These items might be instantly effective against mentally unstable individuals in spandex and those who commit murder and arson, but they should be sufficient against ordinary people in the East End, right?

"In conclusion, after careful consideration, the addicts, thugs, prostitutes, gangsters, and thieves of the East End are more in line with my ideal living environment," Ma Zhaodi declared resolutely, waving goodbye to Drake. "I'd rather die than live in Audisburg. Let's go."

Drake had no choice. Since Ma Zhaodi had made up his mind, he couldn't say anything else. Seeing that there was still plenty of time, the two didn't wait for the bus and decided to go pick out a ride for Ma Zhaodi.