"Boss, are you sure we're safe here?"
In a small, badly run-down scrapyard in the East End of Gotham, several thugs dressed in inconspicuous clothes were huddled inside a scrapped bus.
Anyone showing up at this place at this hour was bound to be up to no good, and they certainly were. They had slipped back in the middle of the night to trade enhancement drugs.
Unlike their usual relaxed, cheerful transactions, though, both buyers and sellers seemed nervous this time.
"Don't worry. The cops are busy arguing with the big shots lately. They don't have time for us. There's nothing to worry about."
Seeing his underling looking so frightened, the lead thug slapped him on the head in exasperation.
"No, boss, I don't mean the cops. I mean... what if we attract Batman?"
At the mention of Batman, the lead thug visibly shuddered too. That name had become infamous in the underworld lately. Absolutely everyone knew it.
Still, notorious as he was, apparently not many people had actually seen Batman. Most of what people said was just hearsay, so despite being a little scared, the lead thug put on a calm front and said:
"Don't be scared. What's so scary about Batman? He's not a vampire.
Even if he were, so what? See this? It's a gun. What vampire could take a whole magazine from me?
All right, quit talking nonsense. The boss will be here any minute. Don't make us look like..."
BOOM!
Before he could finish, a huge dent suddenly caved into their bus as though it had been struck by a cannonball. Then a pair of pitch-black wings tore through its shell.
"B-Batman!!!"
Ratatat! Bang, bang, bang!
Ten seconds later, the fight was over.
Although the thugs had reacted quite well, Batman had still cleared them out without breaking a sweat.
"Master Bruce, that was the four hundred and ninety-sixth crime you've dealt with tonight. You've broken your previous record. Congratulations."
Hearing Alfred's voice in his earpiece, Batman smiled for the first time in a long while, but the smile quickly disappeared.
He knew perfectly well that his efficiency tonight was entirely thanks to the coffee beans he had bought from Zuo Ci.
Although Zuo Ci had already explained their specific effects, after trying them himself, Batman found they were far more powerful than he had imagined.
Take eliminating fatigue alone. Batman had assumed it meant clearing away his existing fatigue. He hadn't expected the coffee to do not only that, but also seemingly prevent him from getting tired at all for as long as it remained active.
No, more precisely, any fatigue that appeared was instantly wiped away. The effect was truly frightening.
"Master Bruce, I know you're very happy right now, but I must remind you that you have a morning meeting at eight. It's almost six already."
"Is it almost dawn already?"
"Good morning, fucking Gotham."
At seven in the morning, inside a cheap motel, a poorly rested Zuo Ci pushed open his room's battered window with bleary eyes. While he was at it, he gathered the spent casings scattered across the windowsill and tossed them to the system for recycling.
As it turned out, finding a place to stay in Gotham was easy enough as long as you had money.
Unfortunately, it had been too late. After looking around, he had found that only this cheap motel frequented by thugs and gangsters was still open. Still, at least he hadn't needed to clash with the Beggar Gang.
Having to listen to gunfights in the streets all night had been pretty torturous, though.
"Whatever. I'll pack up and head to the bank to withdraw the money first. Seriously, system, you charge a ten-percent fee just to exchange some money? Keep gouging people like that and you'll end up hanging from a lamppost, you know."
[This system has no neck, thank you.]
Zuo Ci couldn't be bothered arguing with this money-grubbing thing. After quickly changing his clothes, he left the motel without a backward glance, then turned a corner and slipped into an alley.
"I'm short on time, so let's get straight to it. You're looking to rob me, right, buddy?"
Reaching the end of the alley, Zuo Ci turned around with a yawn and looked at the thug tailing him, utterly unsurprised.
Gotham was a capital of sin, a city of darkness, but even here, there were different tiers of neighborhoods. The East End, where Zuo Ci currently found himself, was the worst of the lot.
The residents here, whether ordinary people, gang members, or anyone else, mostly used cash in their daily lives. Very few went around swiping a card.
Naturally, Zuo Ci had drawn attention when he paid by card last night.
That was also a major reason he wanted to withdraw the money from his card. Cash wouldn't make him stand out so much.
Wait. There's no way Batman doesn't know using a credit card here makes you a target. So why did he give me a card? Was he trying to use these people to investigate my abilities?
Zuo Ci had no proof, but he thought that was probably the case.
Meanwhile, the thug, completely unaware of where Zuo Ci's thoughts had wandered, realized his target had noticed him long ago. He simply dropped the act, pulled out a gun, and aimed it at him.
"Since you know, you'd better cooperate..."
"Sure, I'll give you everything. Just stay calm."
After another yawn, Zuo Ci began voluntarily digging through his pockets.
Looking at this far-too-casual fellow who didn't seem nervous in the slightest, the thug felt something was seriously wrong. Nothing about this looked normal.
For a moment, he actually started wondering whether he should just give up and run, but his desire for money ultimately overcame his reason.
Besides, how dangerous could a harmless-looking Asian guy possibly...
"Aieeeee!!!!"
"Ta-da! Lipstick Taser!"
Watching his new break-dancing light show, Zuo Ci couldn't help chuckling.
[Product name: Lucy's Lipstick Taser Price: $500 each Effect: A powerful electric shock device disguised as lipstick. Even a world-class villain like Gru cannot withstand it. Note: Although a grown man carrying lipstick around looks strange, all that matters is that it works.]
A little gadget from Despicable Me, it was something Zuo Ci had spotted while browsing the shop's discount section when he couldn't sleep last night. Cheap yet highly effective, with a long-lasting battery to boot, it was the perfect tool for screwing people over, whether at home or on the road.
"Thanks for the breakfast money. Have a wonderful day."
After stripping the thug of absolutely everything, Zuo Ci happily bought a burrito from a street vendor and headed toward Gotham Bank, eating as he walked.
Inside Gotham Bank, Zuo Ci stood in line waiting to be served, gritting his teeth in fury at the system's listed price.
[Product name: Gotham City Legal Citizen Identity Price: $2,500 Effect: With this, you can defeat any Sun Monster... no, with this, you can live legally in Gotham City. Note: An undocumented person without a legal identity starts out below the survival threshold.]
"That's robbery. Fucking daylight robbery. You're darker than the Dark Knight."
[Thank you for the compliment. Please shop with us again.]
Seeing how shameless the system was, Zuo Ci really wanted to reach through the screen and slap it twice.
But there was nothing he could do. A legal identity really was essential. Without one, he couldn't even rent a proper place, so he could only swallow it.
Of course, the system's fee was definitely much lower than the cost of obtaining an identity through official channels, but Zuo Ci was still annoyed. After all, the thing practically had "I'm going to fleece you" written across its face. It wasn't even pretending.
After purchasing the identity and factoring in the other things he'd bought, only seven thousand dollars remained of the ten thousand Batman had given him yesterday.
"Money really doesn't last. Looks like I'll have to find a way to squeeze some more out of Batman. What should I sell him next? Some Red Potions to restore his health? He spends all day fighting crime. He must have plenty of bumps and bruises..."
Just as he was considering the future direction of his career, a loud roar interrupted Zuo Ci's thoughts.
He looked toward the sound and saw a yellow school bus swing around sharply, then accelerate straight through the bank's glass doors.
Immediately afterward, a group of robbers wearing clown masks and carrying submachine guns streamed inside, raising their weapons and firing two shots into the ceiling.
"Everyone here, hands on your heads and get down!"
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