"Hee-hee~"
At the sight of Zuo Ci's malicious yet slightly obnoxious grin, Catwoman could no longer pretend to be calm. She sucked in a sharp breath and hastily shrank back against the other side of the iron cage.
It was too terrifying, too twisted, too disgusting.
Just how deranged did this guy's brain have to be to come up with such an outrageous, bizarre form of torture?
And it was so fucking perfectly tailored to her!
Honestly, as a top-tier thief, Catwoman wasn't actually short on money. She stole purely because she enjoyed it. She loved the feeling of secretly making off with precious treasures; that thrill brought her unparalleled joy.
If a certain taciturn idiot happened to show up and righteously try to stop her, she would be even happier.
But now, the man before her, who seemed like a demon crawled out of hell, intended to destroy her little hobby with such a vicious method. What an absolute bastard.
The thought that her once-beloved jewelry would turn into unbearably stinking lumps, while the filthiest excrement would sparkle and tempt her, filled Catwoman with despair.
Especially when another thought suddenly struck her: what if, someday, she simply couldn't resist? Wouldn't that mean...
In an instant, Catwoman's already fair skin grew even paler. Even her usually seductive red lips looked as lifeless as a wilted rose.
"Aww, don't be scared. It's just a tiny punishment. It won't kill you."
You might as well kill me!!!
Watching Zuo Ci creep closer with that strange grin, Catwoman felt this was the most agonizing moment of her entire life.
"I'll pay! I'll pay you back! Stay away from me! Stay away!!!"
Finally, just as Zuo Ci was about to press the spray nozzle, Catwoman's mental defenses collapsed completely.
She shouted at the top of her lungs for Zuo Ci to stay away, her words carrying an almost pleading note. She looked utterly pitiful.
"See? You could've just done that from the start. Here, sign the contract~"
He casually produced a contract. Catwoman didn't even dare read it closely before pressing her hand straight onto it.
Seeing the handprint appear on the contract, Zuo Ci nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good, very good."
"C-can you let me go now..."
Only after signing the contract did Catwoman speak, still badly shaken. She could still feel her heart pounding.
"Ah, no rush. There's one more thing."
The instant Catwoman let her guard down, Zuo Ci aimed the spray straight at her face and pressed the nozzle.
Hiss!!!
"Ah!!! What are you doing?! Didn't I already sign?!"
The irritating spray left Catwoman unable to open her eyes. She felt she was genuinely going to lose her mind.
"Yep, but I never said signing the contract meant you wouldn't be punished~"
Putting away the spray, Zuo Ci flashed a satisfied smile at his successful scheme.
You think you can offend a crooked merchant like me and just walk away? Not that easy.
"Well, what's done is done. Might as well use you to test whether this spray actually works~"
With that, under Catwoman's terrified gaze, Zuo Ci pulled a decidedly unrounded and unrefined "necklace" from his trouser pocket.
The necklace consisted of eighteen little... uh, anyway, it was made of that stuff. Each piece looked different in shape and size, and even their shades varied.
Some were yellowish, looking like the result of diarrhea; some were brown, clearly a case of constipation; others were red all over, presumably from intimate contact with something that shouldn't have been there.
Though they looked different, they were linked together, embracing one another tightly to form something with one shared name-shit.
"Well? This gemstone necklace is a luxury piece worth a hundred thousand dollars. It would've been your absolute favorite before. What does it look like to you now~?"
As he spoke, Zuo Ci deliberately held the necklace closer to Catwoman's face.
The instant it approached, a truly indescribable odor hit her.
I don't know whether any of you have ever visited a septic tank, but the smell at that moment was like a septic tank with every ventilation and exhaust system shut off, sealed completely airtight, and left to ferment for an entire month.
Crack~
An expression of despair appeared on Catwoman's face. Deep inside her, something very important seemed to shatter.
"Ha↗ha↘ha↗ha↘"
At that moment, Zuo Ci laughed with utter abandon. Judging by the sound alone, no one would have believed a human could make it.
"Boss, you..."
Watching Zuo Ci act so outrageously depraved, Jack really couldn't stand it anymore. He was about to remind him to rein it in a little and stop being so shameless.
But just after opening his mouth, he suddenly seemed to sense something and instantly kicked behind him.
Boom!!!
A tremendous metallic crash rang out, and a pitch-black figure staggered several steps backward under Jack's powerful kick.
"The mood was just getting good. Can you stop interrupting me at the crucial moment every time, Batman?"
Hearing the commotion, Zuo Ci turned and saw Batman, whom Jack had struck. He wasn't remotely surprised that the guy had come.
He had been planning to record that scene so he could blackmail... no, sell it to Catwoman at a reasonable price later. Now, that probably wasn't going to happen.
Batman stared fixedly at Zuo Ci while also discreetly observing Jack.
Batman had to admit that this big guy who had suddenly appeared in Gotham was unquestionably stronger than him in terms of raw power. He might even surpass Bane.
His armor had been specifically adjusted to deal with Killer Croc, yet even so, his arms still felt slightly numb after taking that kick.
"I'll pay for her. There's a hundred thousand dollars on this card. Let her go."
As usual, he tossed out a bank card that required no PIN. But this time, it didn't hit Zuo Ci. Instead, Jack caught it the instant it left his hand.
His agility is higher than I expected, too.
Batman remained silent, but he had already added Jack to his mental danger list.
"Only a hundred thousand? Isn't that a little low..."
"Don't push it."
Batman interrupted Zuo Ci without much courtesy. He had already more or less gotten to the bottom of what had happened. Although Catwoman was indeed in the wrong, she had been punished, and he had offered sufficient compensation. That was enough.
If Zuo Ci kept pushing his luck...
"Fine, fine. A hundred thousand it is.
Sigh, looks like Catwoman really does hold a more important place in your heart. She's barely been captured, and you're already here. Poison Ivy didn't get that treatment." As he spoke, Zuo Ci stepped aside, signaling that Batman could come rescue her.
Ignoring Zuo Ci's teasing, Batman walked straight over and took out the Bat Saw, dismantling the iron cage in no time.
"Little bat..."
Much as she hated to admit it, after being bullied like this, Catwoman wanted to throw herself into his arms and cry.
"Undo the effects for her. I'll pay."
Catwoman's exceedingly rare, pitiful expression made Batman's heart flutter a few times. Then he looked helplessly at Zuo Ci.
He knew about meme pollution, but Batman had never encountered it in practice. He was confident he could solve the problem given enough time, but Catwoman clearly didn't want to wait even another minute.
There was no helping it. He would have to spend some money.
"Well, actually, you don't need to pay, because I never used meme pollution in the first place."
"What?!"
Before you continue