Chapter Summaries

Zuo Ci sold Batman healing bandages and an upgraded coffee bean, then returned to his ruined shop and decided he needed to hire an assistant. After a frustrating day of interviews, he postponed hiring and prepared to eat, only to be interrupted by another visitor.

• Zuo Ci sold Batman two rolls of healing bandages and gave him an upgraded coffee bean as a bonus.
• Zuo Ci returned to his shop and decided to hire an assistant so it could stay open when he was away.
• Zuo Ci interviewed applicants, but most could not read or handle basic arithmetic, while one woman tried to persuade him to hire her.
• Zuo Ci asked the system about a discount on a robot, but it told him to wait for an unknown sale season.
• Zuo Ci decided to run the shop himself for a few days and started preparing instant noodles when the doorbell rang.

Deathstroke visited Zuo Ci’s shop to buy a powerful, portable firearm, and Zuo Ci sold him two custom pistols with standard and special ammunition. After Deathstroke tested one by firing into the street, a black truck skidded toward them, its driver shouting about a shot tire.

• Deathstroke entered Zuo Ci’s shop, and Zuo Ci realized he had come to trade rather than seek revenge.
• Deathstroke asked what Zuo Ci had for sale and chose a powerful, easy-to-carry gun.
• Zuo Ci offered Deathstroke two of Zombieman’s custom pistols, along with standard rounds and two especially powerful special rounds.
• Deathstroke tested a pistol by firing into the deserted street and felt its tremendous recoil.
• A black truck skidded toward the shop, and its driver shouted that someone had shot its tire.

Zuo Ci accepted five million dollars and a Jade Guanyin from the Falcone Family, which apologized and invited him to a Maroni Family banquet. He agreed to settle things with Falcone and considered the invitation a chance to deal with the Maronis.

• Deathstroke accidentally shot the tires of the Falcone Family’s truck, causing it to crash into a utility pole.
• Old Mark led the Falcone men in apologizing to Zuo Ci and bringing five million dollars into his shop.
• Zuo Ci accepted the money and a Jade Guanyin gift from Falcone.
• Mark told Zuo Ci that the Maroni Family would hold a banquet aboard a ship on Sunday, and Zuo Ci realized Falcone wanted him to target them.
• Zuo Ci told Mark to assure Falcone that the matter was settled, then warned him not to keep so many dogs.

Zuo Ci traded guns and ammunition to Deathstroke for a promise of future help, then spent most of his new fortune upgrading the system. After the upgrade, he considered approaching Gotham’s Maroni Family to earn more money.

• After the underworld gang left, Zuo Ci revealed Deathstroke had been hiding in the shop and offered him free guns and extra ammunition in exchange for a future favor.
• Deathstroke accepted the deal, then realized Zuo Ci’s incense had been subtly reducing his aggression and hurried out of the shop.
• The system announced that reaching three million in assets unlocked an upgrade with a larger shop, more sections, missions, rewards, and sale seasons.
• Zuo Ci agreed to upgrade the system and watched his money disappear, then thought about visiting the Maroni Family.

Batman investigated the growing number of homeless people disappearing in Gotham’s sewers and suspected someone was concealing evidence. He caught Jack, a disgraced Falcone Family thug who had come searching for the Crocodile King’s kingdom, and demanded to know what he knew.

• Batman examined the sewer and concluded that someone had deliberately covered up traces of blood.
• Batman considered the disappearances and ruled out Solomon Grundy, while keeping several criminals and Zuo Ci among his suspects.
• Jack explained that a Rat-Man had directed him to the Crocodile King’s kingdom after he became homeless and was driven away by other homeless people.
• Jack stumbled into a puddle and dropped his flashlight beside Batman, who had been hiding nearby.
• Jack panicked at the sight of Batman, and Batman lifted him up and demanded that he tell everything he knew.

Waylon, the Crocodile King, questioned his role as leader of a sewer settlement before Batman confronted him over the homeless people he had gathered. Batman knocked Waylon unconscious with a powerful stun device, but the settlement’s armed residents appeared and confronted him.

• Waylon sent an elderly follower back to the settlement and worried about whether he could lead his Sewer Kingdom.
• Batman appeared in Waylon’s palace and demanded to know why he was gathering homeless people.
• Waylon refused to answer, and Batman’s Batarangs failed to harm him before Waylon punched Batman into a wall.
• Batman dodged Waylon’s attacks and used a modified electric-shock device to knock him unconscious.
• An armed crowd from Waylon’s settlement emerged and confronted Batman after he dodged a gunshot.

Batman questioned Waylon about the missing homeless people and learned that Waylon had sheltered fewer than ten, while a group resembling soldiers had entered the sewers. After recovering with Bandage, Bruce prepared to resume the investigation and said he might ask their magician friend for divination if the situation became urgent.

• Waylon stopped the Rat-Men from attacking Batman and explained that he had brought homeless people into the sewers to help them survive the winter.
• Waylon told Batman that fewer than ten homeless people had joined him and reported that a group resembling soldiers had recently come down into the sewers.
• Batman concluded that Waylon was unlikely to be behind the disappearances and left to return to the Batcave.
• Alfred used Bandage to heal Bruce's injuries, and Bruce recovered quickly before changing into a spare Batsuit.
• Bruce declined to rely on their magician friend for divination for now, but said he would consider it if the situation became urgent.

Zuo Ci’s quiet morning at his shop was interrupted by road repairs and a job applicant named Emily, whom he discovered had been sent to work there by powerful interests. After Emily pulled a gun, Zuo Ci seized it and challenged her to a bet about whether it was loaded.

• Zuo Ci woke to the noise of a Wayne Enterprises crew repairing the road and decided to close his shop for the day.
• Emily arrived to apply for a job, solved Zuo Ci’s math test, and said she could start that afternoon.
• Zuo Ci jokingly asked how much powerful people had offered Emily to work there, and she accidentally revealed he had guessed correctly.
• Emily dropped her shy act and drew a handgun, but Zuo Ci immediately clamped it in his hand.
• Zuo Ci proposed betting a thousand dollars that Emily’s gun had no bullets.

Zuo Ci caught Emily trying to infiltrate his shop, forced her to reveal Maroni’s plan, and then demanded an outrageous bill before letting her go. The chapter left Emily trapped with a ten-thousand-dollar charge and Zuo Ci ready to collect.

• Emily hesitated when Zuo Ci claimed her gun was unloaded, allowing him to punch her down and take it.
• Emily tried to flee but crashed into the shop’s newly armored door, and Zuo Ci captured her and demanded to know who sent her.
• Zuo Ci accidentally dropped his modified Electric Rat, terrifying Emily into confessing that Maroni had sent her to recruit him or sabotage his merchandise.
• Zuo Ci learned Maroni planned to drive him into bankruptcy through staged accidents and lawsuits, and he decided the gang would pay for targeting him.
• Zuo Ci listed fabricated charges totaling ten thousand dollars, added a throat-moistening fee, and demanded payment from Emily.

Zuo Ci interrupted a Maroni Family meeting and demanded protection money, forcing the family’s top brass to obey him with live grenades. He left them locked inside with a box of grenades and three days to deliver the money.

• Maroni urged the Maroni Family’s leaders to exploit Falcone’s silence, despite an older member’s warnings that it might be a trap.
• Zuo Ci entered the banquet hall, introduced himself as a general-store owner, and demanded five million dollars within three days and five million each month afterward.
• When Maroni’s men prepared to attack, Zuo Ci revealed grenades and made them repeatedly pick up live ones.
• Zuo Ci ate several steaks, warned that the grenades would explode after three minutes, pushed a large box into the room, and locked the doors behind him.

Zuo Ci’s fake grenades trapped Maroni and his men in a banquet hall, where the pink smoke permanently changed their sexual orientation and stirred their urges. After Gordon watched the prank’s aftermath, he learned Zuo Ci had used a modified Gay Bomb and wanted to call the cops too.

• Maroni ordered his men to throw Zuo Ci’s grenades outside, but they could not open the doors or break the bulletproof windows.
• The grenades released pink smoke instead of exploding, and the coughing men realized they had been tricked.
• Woody helped Maroni up, then began reacting to him and the other men as the smoke took effect.
• Zuo Ci’s box broke open and spilled out toys coated with chili powder and mustard oil, while most of the men began using them.
• Gordon begged Zuo Ci to stop the recording, and Zuo Ci explained that the grenades were modified Gay Bombs from Brickleberry.

Zuo Ci explained that the Maroni Family’s effects would wear off after twenty-four hours, then left Gordon and Batman with the tapes. After his system finished upgrading, Zuo Ci discovered new discount, quest, and recruitment features and prepared to look for employees from other worlds.

• Batman arrived late to Zuo Ci’s screening, while Harvey stayed away and Gordon asked whether the effects would last forever.
• Zuo Ci told Gordon the effects would end after twenty-four hours and explained that he resented Maroni more than Falcone for insulting his intelligence.
• Zuo Ci’s system finished upgrading, and he handed the tapes to Gordon and Batman before leaving the evidence room.
• Gordon asked Batman to knock him out and remove the tapes, but Batman gave no answer.
• Zuo Ci reviewed the system’s new discount shop, expanded quests, and recruitment feature at Old Dad’s General Store.
• Zuo Ci decided to see whom he could recruit from other worlds to help with his staffing problems.

Zuo Ci searched through potential recruits and chose Jack Hanma, whose wish was to become stronger. Jack arrived in Gotham, tested Zuo Ci’s strength with a crushing handshake, and received pills that could temporarily increase his power.

• Zuo Ci rejected Yellow Pelt, Belial, and Nyarlathotep as recruits after seeing their wishes and identities.
• Zuo Ci found Jack Hanma’s wish to become stronger and decided to recruit him.
• Jack Hanma accepted the offer and appeared before Zuo Ci, who welcomed him to Gotham.
• Jack Hanma tested Zuo Ci with a handshake that nearly crushed his armor.
• Zuo Ci gave Jack Hanma Super Strongman Supplement RED pills and warned him about their risks.

Zuo Ci hired Jack Hanma to work at his store in Gotham after Jack tested an unknown pill and gained a dramatic burst of strength. Zuo Ci paid him in advance and warned him about Gotham’s criminals and Batman.

• Jack Hanma swallowed one of Zuo Ci’s pills and felt his body and strength surge.
• Jack crushed Zuo Ci’s five-hundred-kilogram grip tester with barely any effort.
• Zuo Ci offered Jack an eight-hour daily job handling the register, taking out trash, and dealing with troublemakers, with extra work as his bodyguard and muscle.
• Zuo Ci offered Jack free store goods, a weekly wage, a monthly bonus, and ten thousand dollars in advance.
• Zuo Ci told Jack to start work the next day and warned him to watch out for Joker, Riddler, Bane, Deathstroke, and Batman.

Jack Hanma rented a cheap basement in Gotham and set out to find money for the drugs he needed. Poison Ivy confronted him on behalf of the Maroni Family, but Jack easily broke free of her vines and left her regretting the job.

• Jack rented a spacious, bloodstained basement in Gotham's East End for three hundred dollars a month.
• Jack decided to seek an underground fighting ring or rob a small gang to earn money for his drug supplies.
• Poison Ivy approached Jack in the street, and Jack recognized her and demanded to know what she wanted.
• Jack punched Poison Ivy, and vines caught her before she hit a wall.
• Poison Ivy bound Jack in vines, but Jack snapped them apart and dismissed them as disappointing.
• Poison Ivy realized the Maroni Family had hired her to target Zuo Ci, and she regretted choosing Jack as an easy source of information.

Jack defeated Poison Ivy after she ambushed him, then brought her to Zuo Ci, who used fertilizer to heal her. Zuo Ci planned to question her about why she targeted Jack before taking her to the police.

• Jack ignored Poison Ivy’s surrender and punched through a wall, forcing her to attack him with vines and a poisoned thorn.
• Jack struck Poison Ivy unconscious despite her poison, then decided to take her to Zuo Ci’s shop.
• Jack asked Zuo Ci what he would do with Poison Ivy, and Zuo Ci said he would question her before sending her to the police.
• Zuo Ci poured Dave’s fertilizer onto Poison Ivy and into her mouth, rapidly healing her and turning her skin greener.

Zuo Ci interrogated Poison Ivy after reviving and restraining her, learning that the Maroni Family had hired her to attack Jack in exchange for planting greenery. He refused to release her until she paid an exorbitant bill, then decided she would work off the debt as a potted plant outside the shop.

• Zuo Ci woke Poison Ivy and restrained her with green-painted steel rebars.
• Poison Ivy attacked Zuo Ci with vines, and he weakened them and sprayed her with weed killer.
• Zuo Ci demanded to know why Poison Ivy had targeted Jack, and she revealed the Maroni Family had hired her.
• Poison Ivy said the Maroni Family had promised to plant greenery and donate to environmental organizations.
• Zuo Ci presented Poison Ivy with a bill of 120,000 dollars, and she said she had no money.
• Zuo Ci ordered Jack to help plant Poison Ivy in a flowerpot so she could work off her debt by welcoming customers.

Zuo Ci forced Poison Ivy to sign a debt contract and let her go, then told Jack that Gotham's villains were entangled with Batman. Catwoman encountered the sobbing Poison Ivy afterward, while Zuo Ci set out to punish the Maroni Family.

• Zuo Ci threatened Poison Ivy with a flowerpot and pig intestines until she agreed to pay him back, then painted her face and made her sign a contract.
• Zuo Ci released Poison Ivy and explained to Jack that many Gotham villains had romantic or sexual ties to Batman.
• Zuo Ci told Jack he planned to strip the Maroni Family members, write “Welcome” on them, and leave them at a gay hookup club.
• Catwoman, bored from not seeing Batman, found Poison Ivy crying in the street and asked whether she had bloomed after seeing her red-painted face.

After dealing with Maroni, Zuo Ci skated through snowy Gotham and found a feverish homeless boy curled up beside a dumpster with his dog, Bruce. He cured the boy and carried him toward safety, promising that neither of them would die.

• Zuo Ci left the club after arranging for Maroni to be humiliated, then set off on roller skates to explore Gotham.
• As snow began to fall, Zuo Ci decided to return to his shop and prepare Christmas decorations.
• Zuo Ci heard coughing in an alley and found a sick boy huddled beside a dumpster with an old dog named Bruce.
• Zuo Ci gave the boy fast-acting fever medicine, which quickly eased his fever and steadied his breathing.
• Zuo Ci carried the boy away with Bruce following, and promised the boy that neither he nor Bruce would die.

During a deadly snowstorm, Zuo Ci spent the night rescuing Gotham’s homeless and asked Batman to help distribute supplies. Batman accepted a Universal Capsule, then asked Zuo Ci why he helped people who could give him nothing in return.

• Zuo Ci described how he had given safer homeless people tents, food, and hot water, and treated the gravely ill and injured before bringing them to an abandoned factory shelter.
• Zuo Ci asked Batman to get food, clean water, and medicine to the homeless through Wayne Enterprises, and Batman agreed to help.
• Zuo Ci gave Batman a Universal Capsule containing supplies and explained that he would prepare more donations.
• Batman stayed behind and asked Zuo Ci why he wanted to help people when he would gain nothing from it.