Wait! There's a Thief!

After seeing Penguin off, Zuo Ci found that his instant noodles had turned into complete mush.

"Ugh, when am I ever going to get to enjoy a proper bowl of instant noodles?"

Determined not to waste food, Zuo Ci still drank down the whole cup of mush.

He had to admit, it tasted awful.

"Come to think of it, have they eaten yet?"

With his stomach full, Zuo Ci lay back down on the bed, intending to get a little more sleep. But he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep no matter what he tried. His mind kept returning to the people he had rescued last night.

He had left them food, but it was all ready-to-eat stuff like canned goods and bread. It would keep them alive, but that was about it.

In weather like this, a freshly cooked, piping-hot meal would definitely be better.

Maybe Zuo Ci was being a little sentimental. Simply staying alive was already a huge improvement for them, but he still wanted to make their lives a little more comfortable within his means. At the very least, they deserved to live like human beings.

With that thought, Zuo Ci could no longer stay in bed. He simply got up, put on his mage robe, locked up the shop, and headed out.

I've got plenty of time today. I'll go check on them again.

The snow had fallen all night yesterday and had finally stopped, but it had completely blanketed the ground. With a single step, Zuo Ci sank into snow past his ankles.

"This is a ridiculous amount of snow. Gotham really does live up to its name."

Zuo Ci had been born in the north-central part of his home country. In his twenty-odd years, he could only remember snow this heavy once, during a cold snap. Yet Gotham got this much without even trying. It really did deserve to be called a cursed city.

Snow this deep might have been a problem for other people, but it was nothing to Zuo Ci. It did not hinder his movements at all.

Leaving his neighborhood, Zuo Ci headed straight for the East End without delay.

The East End was Gotham's worst and most chaotic district. As a result, it also had the largest population of homeless people, including those at the very bottom. There were also plenty of factories abandoned for all sorts of inexplicable reasons, so after rescuing those people last night, Zuo Ci had settled them here.

He had originally planned to go straight to the factory, but after reaching the East End, he stopped and looked toward an intersection.

There was no particular reason. He had simply spotted a charitable organization bearing the Wayne Enterprises logo distributing food and supplies to homeless people and residents affected by the disaster.

Many of those supplies were things he had handed over to Batman in the early hours of the morning, but an even larger portion consisted of other locally produced goods.

"Batman really works fast. He's almost keeping pace with my home country.

"Good. Looks like I'd better hurry up and get the rest of the supplies ready when I get back."

The thought left Zuo Ci feeling a little wistful. As the man at the helm of Gotham's largest financial empire, Batman should have been the worst villain of them all.

Yet here he was, working hard to help and protect others without asking for a penny in return.

"Man, if only Wayne Enterprises really ruled Gotham like the rumors say. Gotham would definitely be better off than it is now."

Many rumors painted Wayne Enterprises as Gotham's ruler, claiming that the economy had become a closed loop and that every dollar anyone spent eventually flowed into its pockets. They made Wayne Enterprises sound like the ultimate owner of everything.

Reality fell far short of those rumors.

Wayne Enterprises was certainly a massive corporation, but there were at least three other local powers that could rival it... oh, perhaps only two now.

Then there was The Roman. His mob was a formidable enemy too, constantly obstructing and sabotaging many of Wayne's efforts.

Not to mention Gotham's idiotic government. It still held real power. Even Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Dent were hamstrung at every turn, while Wayne was regularly forced to cooperate or subjected to extortion.

Beyond that, there were those freaks in the Court of Owls. Pick any one of them, and the forces under their command would be no less powerful than Wayne's. They were Gotham's true rulers behind the scenes.

Most importantly, even Wayne Enterprises itself was far from united. Batman might have been incredible in combat and intelligence, but when it came to finance, he still had some way to go.

"Forget it. No point thinking so much. I'd better get going."

After watching for a little while, Zuo Ci stopped lingering and quickly made his way to a dilapidated factory at the far edge of the East End.

The factory looked as though it had been abandoned for many years. It might even have been abandoned longer than Zuo Ci had been alive, and damage was everywhere.

Still, Zuo Ci had made some basic repairs when he came last night. How should he put it? It certainly looked ugly, but at least it no longer let in drafts. With the stove burning red-hot, it was quite warm inside.

"Still asleep, huh..."

After carefully stepping inside, Zuo Ci found that everyone was still sleeping.

Looking at the empty cans and plastic wrappers scattered across the floor, then at the people sleeping curled up in their sleeping bags, Zuo Ci could not help feeling sad.

One tragic truth was that every group had its own hierarchy, and homeless people were no exception.

Everyone staying here was at the very bottom of that hierarchy. They were either old and frail or had physical or intellectual disabilities. Everywhere he looked, he saw people whose bodies or minds had failed them.

The one in the best condition was the child he had rescued first. In second place was the boy's dog, Bruce.

"Never mind. Get some good sleep. I won't disturb you."

Seeing that they could finally enjoy a decent night's sleep, Zuo Ci could not bear to interrupt them. After setting down all the supplies he had brought, he quietly left.

"All right, since I'm already out, I might as well find somewhere around here for lunch. I've been here so long, and the only local food I've tried is a burrito.

"Huh? Wait a second. Isn't that Jack?"

After changing out of his mage robe, Zuo Ci felt a little more relaxed. He had intended to stroll around and find somewhere to eat, but as soon as he returned to the built-up part of the district, he spotted Jack carrying bags of all sizes and searching the street for something.

"Jack, what are you doing? Did you lose something?"

"Nothing much. My wallet just disappeared at some point."

Seeing that it was his boss, Jack briefly explained what had happened.

He had the day off today, so after training all night, Jack had gone out to buy medicinal ingredients.

Since he lived in the East End, and this damned place was a mixed bag where people sold just about anything, he had managed to buy most of the raw ingredients without much trouble. He had been planning to head back and make some medicine.

But after coming out, he discovered that his wallet had somehow vanished without a trace.

Fortunately, there had not been much money left in it after he bought the ingredients, so it was hardly worth worrying about.

"So that's what happened. I think I've got a pretty good idea of what's going on."

Rubbing his chin, Zuo Ci's eyes suddenly regained their usual crafty, devious glint, along with a hint of mischievous amusement.

As one of the top-tier fighters in the world of Baki, Jack would hardly make a mistake like losing his wallet. An ordinary thief would have no chance of stealing from him, either.

And in all of Gotham, there was probably only one person who could lift his wallet without him noticing a thing.

"Come on, Jack. We're in for a good show in a bit~"