Officer

Miao Mu emerged from the sewer holding a box. The light outside made him uncomfortable, and he raised a hand to shield his eyes.

Although the clouds blanketing Gotham blocked out the sun, the glare was still unpleasant.

"Otis!"

Miao Mu turned and called out. Otis, standing in the shadows by the sewer entrance, looked up at him.

"If you want revenge, call me. A lot of those guys have retired, so it won't be easy for you to find them."

"I believe there is fairness and justice in this world, and I believe there are heroes who stand by justice. But I believe even more in using these two hands to get justice for myself!"

Miao Mu tossed the box to Jerry, then raised his hands and gestured. "We're both hopeless people drowning in this world, aren't we?"

Otis smiled at those words. His face, full of sorrow and wrinkles, made him look at least ten years older.

"Thank you!"

"Bye. Take care of yourself!"

Jerry smiled and waved. This guy who could summon rats had certainly left a deep impression on him, but Jerry did not dislike him.

"Oh, right."

Miao Mu remembered something and rummaged through his pocket, finding a business card that had been soaked in water and wrinkled.

"This is Feiso General Store's business card. It's near that garbage mountain in the Upper East Side. I think that old man is no simple character. If you need to sell anything, go to him—but be careful he doesn't cheat you."

Otis accepted the card solemnly and nodded. "I understand. Thank you." As he spoke, he gave another deep bow.

"No need to thank us. We're leaving. Take care!"

Miao Mu patted his shoulder, then smiled and waved as he left with Jerry. Otis stood in the shadows of the sewer entrance, watching them leave until they vanished from sight.

"Are we... friends?"

Otis wiped away his tears with his sleeve, tugged at his coat as he looked in the direction they had gone, and sniffed.

A large light-brown rat climbed onto his shoulder and touched him with its tiny paws, as though comforting him.

"Bastian, they're good people, right?"

"Squeak, squeak."

"Yeah. If they weren't good people, who would want to be friends with a homeless man from the sewers?"

"Squeak, squeak."

"Robin Hood... is someone like me worthy of being called that?"

Otis looked down at the business card in his hand, glanced up at the bright sky, then turned and walked back into the dark sewer.

Arkham Police Department Chief Wei Fei sat in his chair, looking at the gem box on his desk, battered and covered in scratches. The gems on it had already been pried off.

There was also a stack of account books inside, soaked through and giving off a pungent stench, as if they had been fished out of a sewer.

Covering his nose with one hand, Wei Fei looked up at the two young trainee officers standing before him. Their bruised, swollen faces and foul stench made him frown.

"Where did you find these?"

Miao Mu hurriedly stepped forward. Water dripped from his messy hair, and he wore a serious expression. "We found them by the wastewater ditch behind Arkham Asylum."

Wei Fei raised an eyebrow, looking at Miao Mu's Asian face before turning his gaze to Jerry, whose eye socket was blackened.

"What happened to your faces?"

"Uh... we were surrounded and attacked by a group of thugs. They were splitting up the loot over there. According to our investigation, they used the sewers to commit theft, then escaped through the sewers. This box..."

"I understand!"

Wei Fei asked nothing further. He merely pinched his nose hard, clearly disgusted by the smell coming off Miao Mu and Jerry.

"Fine, you can leave." Wei Fei waved them away.

Miao Mu and Jerry exchanged a glance but did not move an inch.

Wei Fei frowned. "Something else?"

"Well... what you said..." Jerry asked with a foolish grin.

"Ah, right. You're still trainee officers. Go to Logistics and have Jite register you. Now get out!"

Wei Fei waved them away with a look of disgust. The stench was nearly making him vomit.

"Um, our uniforms and guns were also..."

"Get them from Logistics too! Get the hell out!"

Wei Fei shouted irritably as he rose from his chair. Miao Mu and Jerry hurriedly ran out.

Wei Fei looked at the water-soaked account books and flipped through a few pages. That was right—they were records of protection payments from the gangs in the Arkham District. They just stank too badly.

He tossed the account books aside and ran to the restroom to wash his hands.

Outside, Miao Mu and Jerry were laughing themselves silly. They raised their hands and high-fived, their coordination perfect.

Back in the sewer,

Miao Mu had spotted the documents from the safe at first glance among that pile of stuff. Countless experiences had taught him that anything stored alongside money and gold was definitely valuable.

On the way back, the two had not been idle either. They pried off the gems, kicked the box around on the ground like a football until it was covered in scratches, and soaked the documents in sewage to give them a good wash.

They even got into a fight, making themselves look battered and miserable, as though they had just survived a brutal battle.

Arkham Police Department's logistics manager Jite pinched his nose and looked at Miao Mu and Jerry with disgust as they walked in.

"Shit! Did you two go digging through garbage? You stink! Don't come near me! Get out! Out!"

"We're here to collect new uniforms and guns! The chief sent us!" Jerry shouted hurriedly.

"I know. Get outside and wait!"

Jim waved a broom around and drove the two of them out of the warehouse as though chasing rats.

With a bang, he shut the iron door.

"Fuck you! That greedy fat pig Jim!"

Jerry stood outside the warehouse, glaring at the tightly shut iron door and cursing bitterly. The joy of becoming a full officer had vanished.

Miao Mu also leaned against the wall unhappily.

That bastard Jim relied on his control over the warehouse to torment them plenty when they had first become trainees. They had bought their uniforms and guns at twice the price.

Half an hour later.

Jim pulled open the iron door and tossed out two sets of half-worn uniforms like they were garbage, along with two police guns. They were still Colt Lawman revolvers, without holsters.

Miao Mu charged over and kicked the iron door open.

Jim, standing behind the door, had not expected this at all. He was sent flying, landing flat on his back with all four limbs sprawled out as he let out a pig-like scream.

"My god!"

Jerry's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. His brother was so fierce—he had just gone straight for him.

Miao Mu grabbed a Colt Lawman revolver and walked in. "Try looking down on me again! Fuck your mother!"

Jerry hurriedly grabbed a pistol from the ground and followed him inside, warily watching the hallway outside. There was no one in the station at this hour, and the logistics warehouse was on the first floor anyway.

With a bang, Jerry shut the door.