A Hundred Free Pulls Right off the Bat

The room was full of young Black men. When they saw Roland storm in, they froze for a moment, then began hurling every filthy insult they could think of at his entire family. Two burly men even took off their pants and walked toward Jason in their underwear.

"Motherfucker!" Roland started dishing it out too. He struck with his palm, sending the two burly men in front of him flying like straw through the air before they slammed into the wall.

"Couldn't you just stick to picking cotton? You actually dared to steal my money!" The more Roland thought about it, the angrier he got. He charged straight into the crowd.

Lion Opens Its Jaws! Heaven-Piercing Cannon! Tiger Climbs the Mountain!

Getting carried away, Roland simply ripped off one man's belt. Forgetting all about techniques, he lashed the crowd with wild abandon.

Screams instantly filled the room.

Ten minutes later.

"Please let us go! We'll never play music at night again!"

Roland had beaten their ancestors' memories into the group of Black men. They no longer dared to resist.

"Who said anything about music? Hand over all your money!" Roland flicked the belt, making it whistle through the air.

"O-okay... We'll go get it for you."

Thoroughly cowed by Roland's beating, two of the men got up and went upstairs.

"Boss, are we really giving him the money?"

"Money? I'll give him a bullet! You distract him with the cash, and I'll shoot him when I get the chance. I'll show him First Street isn't somewhere people like him can run wild."

"Will that really work?"

"Why wouldn't it? He was too close earlier. We didn't have a chance to use our guns. This time I'll catch him by surprise. What good will his fighting skills do him then?"

The two Black men came downstairs. Before they even caught sight of Roland, a barrage of belt lashes rained down on their heads and faces.

"Still trying to pull something on me? Think that'll work?" Roland cursed as he whipped them.

"Please spare us! We won't try anything again..." The two men howled under the beating.

"Bring me all the money."

"Yes..."

This time, they didn't dare play any tricks. They obediently handed all the money over to Roland.

"That's more like it." Cash in hand, Roland walked out, thoroughly satisfied.

"That bastard's finally gone!"

"Who the hell was he? How did we end up getting robbed?"

"Good thing we planned ahead and didn't keep all the money in one place."

"He actually thought he'd taken everything..."

Just then, Roland burst through the window and picked up the belt with a vicious grin. "I heard every word of that."

Once again, relentless screams filled the room.

Jason had been waiting at the street corner for over ten minutes. When he saw Roland approach, he hurriedly asked, "I heard fighting over there. You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine. I've got everything. Let's go." Roland waved a wad of bills for Jason to see.

"...They took less than two thousand dollars from us. You've got at least ten thousand there, haven't you?" Jason's eyelid twitched.

"Really?" Roland thought for a moment. "Whatever. It's all dirty money anyway. Might as well give it to me so I can do some good with it."

"Fair enough." Jason nodded.

"Let's go. I'll get you guys something good to eat tomorrow. Bring some more kids over, and some homeless people too."

After the two left, a dark, bat-shaped figure descended behind them. He hesitated for a while, but instead of catching up with them, he headed somewhere else.

"Harvey. Harvey."

At midnight, Harvey Dent suddenly heard tapping at his window. Still half asleep, he pulled back the curtains, revealing a towering bat-shaped figure.

"Are you trying to scare me to death?"

"I just came to check on you. Gordon said you'd been out of contact all day. He's worried." Batman opened the window and climbed inside.

"I'm fine. Just feeling a little under the weather," Harvey said coldly.

"Well, the Roman made some big moves today. I was worried they might be targeting you," Batman said. Suddenly, he sniffed. "What's that smell on you?"

"Nothing..." Harvey's expression twitched. What he'd been through today really wasn't something he could tell people about.

Batman noticed the tiny change in Harvey's expression. His eyes shifted. "By the way, could I use your bathroom?"

"Help yourself." Harvey pointed toward the bathroom, lay down on the couch, and dug out two cold tablets, which he swallowed.

Batman entered the bathroom. The smell he'd noticed on Harvey was even stronger in here.

Picking up Harvey's unwashed clothes soaking in a bucket, Batman discovered what seemed to be some sort of sticky fluid on them.

After collecting a few samples, Batman left the bathroom.

"I'm relieved you're all right. I'll let Gordon know."

"Tell him to stop being so paranoid." Harvey lazily raised a hand. "I need some rest."

"All right. Goodbye." Batman climbed out the window and glided down on his cape.

Harvey closed his eyes and fell asleep on the couch.

The next morning.

The Batcave.

"Master, why are you still in the laboratory?" Batman's butler, Alfred, entered and asked with some concern, "You've been here for three hours."

"I've discovered a friend's secret." Batman fiddled with the equipment, his expression conflicted.

"What happened?" Alfred asked. "It doesn't involve a crime, does it?"

"I wouldn't quite put it that way..." Batman hesitated. "Strictly speaking, I suppose it would count as animal abuse?"

"Your friend abuses animals?" Alfred asked, puzzled. "Are you planning to find him a therapist?"

"He's already seeing one. But that's not what concerns me. It's this particular fetish... I've never encountered it before." Batman rubbed his temples. "Never mind. Perhaps I've made a mistake. I'll investigate first."

Just then, Batman's phone rang.

"Gordon, I went to see Harvey last night."

"You saw him? How was he?" Commissioner Gordon asked urgently.

"Nothing happened to him. He's just a little ill. It looks like he caught a chill after taking a sauna."

"Why would Harvey go to a sauna?" Commissioner Gordon was baffled. "Besides, going to a sauna doesn't mean he can't answer my calls. I thought he'd gotten into trouble."

"Maybe he didn't want anyone bothering him while he was sick?" Batman said. "Some people are like that. They don't want to see anyone when they're feeling vulnerable. Maybe Harvey's one of them."

"Oh, I see. That's a relief. Thanks for—" Before Gordon could finish, Batman hung up.

"Gordon... Harvey's troubles may be more complicated than you think..." Batman set his phone aside and began giving Harvey's problem some serious thought.