Police Car

On the rooftop of an apartment building in Arkham District.

Miao Mu and Jerry each held a bottle of beer, sitting on the roof and laughing heartily. The sky was pitch-black, yet a faint soft glow spilled down.

Below them lay every facet of life. Anyone able to settle in Arkham District was far from wealthy; some were simply illegal immigrants.

This place was the most chaotic and filthy. Even people from the Lower East Side slums shook their heads when they heard about it.

Arkham District stood on a triangular isolated island surrounded by water on three sides, connected by several Steel Bridges.

But whenever something went wrong, those Steel Bridges would rise and turn the place into a true island, which was why it was also called Narrow Island.

"Mumu, this is incredible!"

Jerry held his beer bottle, dressed in a brand-new police uniform with an excited look on his face. Miao Mu merely sat beside him and smiled.

From little thugs in the slums to where they were now, they had truly made something of themselves. Though they were only regular officers, they had already shattered that damned class barrier and become ordinary people.

An ordinary officer's annual salary started at forty thousand, and with the police department's dividends and the like, they could support an entire family at current prices.

They had stepped directly into the lower-middle class, and the perks that came with being a cop were far from few.

Miao Mu raised his beer bottle and took a swig, sitting at the edge of the rooftop and looking down at the countless lights below.

Arkham District might have been terrible, but plenty of people still lived here. House after house, building after building—no matter how awful the environment was, it could not stop people from surviving.

The mischievous children downstairs had gotten into trouble again and were being chased and beaten by their parents, bawling at the top of their lungs.

"Mumu, thank you. Without you, I wouldn't have made it this far."

Jerry walked over with his beer bottle and clinked it against Miao Mu's. His eyes were a little wet. Back in the slums, the best outcome they could have hoped for was probably ending up like Oswald.

Maybe even worse than him. At least he was a Button Men enforcer for the Roman Empire, even a minor leader.

They might have ended up as corpses tossed onto a garbage heap, eaten by wild dogs and coyotes before rotting on the ground.

They had nothing in the slums except their strength and sturdy bodies. Coming here to become probationary officers had absolutely been the biggest gamble of their lives.

Those memories of hardship, obstacles, and suffering made it hard to believe they had truly pulled it off.

"Things will get better from here. Cheers!"

Miao Mu smiled and clinked bottles with him, taking a hearty gulp before lowering the bottle.

Miao Mu stood up and shouted at the sky, "Fuck you, Gotham! I'm here! Just wait for the day my name shakes the world!"

"Ah! Cheers!!!"

Jerry also howled at the top of his lungs.

The people downstairs heard the noise and merely shook their heads. Another drunk was making a scene.

[ Ding! Adventure Treasure has refreshed—please explore on your own. ]

The cheat ability spoke again, but Miao Mu only smiled. If he kept looking whenever he came across one, he would eventually find it.

The next day, Arkham Police Department.

Wearing their new police uniforms, Miao Mu and Jerry swaggered into the police department with their heads held high, looking as cocky as could be.

Arkham Police Department was a two-story office building. Several officers looked surprised when they saw the two of them.

They knew these two very well. They had been the lowest-ranking people in the department, the sort anyone with a badge could order around.

And now, in the blink of an eye, they were on the same level as everyone else?

That change had come way too fast.

"Miao Mu! Jerry! Your desks are here. You'll temporarily work under Captain Floyd. Anything else?"

Deputy Chief Leto Granger pointed to the two desks at the very back of the office, while Captain Maide, who was in charge there, had already begun to frown.

"Yes!"

Miao Mu and Jerry saluted and accepted immediately.

Their former workstation had been the hallway outside the office. They had basically been errand boys who had to do every odd job.

Having desks to sit at now was already great.

The two of them were happy enough about it, even eagerly hurrying over to their desks, sitting down and fiddling with the things on top.

Someone was unhappy. Captain Maide, who was in charge of this office, was very unhappy. Arkham Police Department had only thirty-four people, and the protection money collected from the gangs in Arkham District...

...was divided among the offices every month. With two more people in the department, he had to share dividends with two more people.

And he did not think much of either of them.

"Mumu, look at this. What should I put here? Should I keep a cactus?"

Jerry stroked the desk and spoke softly. Sitting across from him, Miao Mu smiled and said, "Put two cups there for drinking water."

"Enough. I don't care how you became officers, but here, I call the shots. Do you understand?"

Maide spoke as he walked over, holding a set of car keys that he tossed onto the desk.

"Now! Get out of my sight and go patrol!"

Miao Mu reached out and picked up the keys. The keychain had the license plate number on it. He nodded and said, "Sure. It's the captain's order, so we'll listen!"

With that, he stood and headed outside. They had barely warmed their seats before getting driven out, so of course they were not pleased.

But getting a car to drive was a different matter entirely.

"Yahoo!"

Jerry shouted excitedly. The police car's lights flashed, its siren wailed, and rock music blasted inside.

Miao Mu bobbed his head as he gripped the steering wheel, speeding down the road in the police car. There were no traffic cops here anyway. It felt damn good.

The police car drove all the way from Arkham Police Department to Arkham Asylum, circling Arkham District four full times.

Along the way, Miao Mu saw Arkham Asylum. Its classical pointed-roof architecture made it look like a castle standing alone beside a cliff. It was also the highest point in Arkham District.

It was surrounded by high walls, iron railings, and electrified barbed wire. It really was the perfect place to make escape impossible.

"Mumu, where are we going next?"

Jerry sat in the passenger seat. After circling Arkham District four times, his excitement had finally calmed down.

"We're going to Fesso Grocery Store to sell this!"

Miao Mu reached into his pants and took out a small bag containing the gems he had pried off that box.

The largest was as big as a fingernail, big enough to serve as the face of a ring. While they were at the grocery store, they could also retrieve the police uniforms they had left there, along with that umbrella.

They had to return it to Oswald.

"Great! I can't wait to tell Oswald the good news that we've become regular officers."

Jerry unzipped his police uniform and took out the leather wallet with his badge, along with his officer identification photo. The picture showed him smiling rather foolishly.

"Forward, forward!"

Miao Mu spun the steering wheel, turning the police car toward the bridge. Once they crossed the Steel Bridge, they would reach the Lower East Side.