Keep it!

Miaomiao brushed the cake crumbs off her hands, carefully cupped the little creature in her palms, and lifted it to eye level.

Perhaps it smelled the lingering sweetness of cake on the girl's palms, or perhaps it sensed that she meant no harm. The little penguin finally looked less terrified. Its body still trembled slightly, but at least it had recovered its wits.

Miaomiao gazed into those round, shiny black eyes and felt the soft gray fluff in her palms. She almost wanted to squeal herself.

"Damian, Damian!" Miaomiao called as quietly as she could. "Can I keep it?"

The all-too-familiar question left Damian momentarily speechless.

Usually, Damian was the one firmly telling everyone, "I'm keeping it," and "I'm keeping it." Today, for once, he found himself on the receiving end.

Suddenly, I understand Father so much better~ →_→

Damian really wanted to say no, but two pairs of eyes, one big and one small, gazed at him with such innocent trust. An animal lover himself, he simply couldn't bring himself to refuse. He could only turn his head aside-

"Keep it!"

Wasn't it just a Penguin Chick?

Wasn't it just a Penguin Chick raised by Penguin?

Wasn't it just a Penguin Chick raised by Penguin that they'd casually snatched while Red Hood was making trouble at the Iceberg Lounge?

What was wrong with that?

He was the best Robin, after all!

On this side, Miaomiao and Damian cradled the little penguin in a warm, loving scene. On the other, Red Hood had already taken out every guard and stood alone amid a floor full of groaning mercenaries.

Before leaving, Red Hood didn't forget to taunt them. "That's it?"

The squad leader lying on the floor clutching his leg visibly paused, then went back to howling with renewed enthusiasm-

I'm just a mercenary, not some diehard soldier raised by Penguin. I'm paid to do a job. Why risk my life?

Red Hood didn't care whether the howling was real or fake. They had already made it clear they were admitting defeat, and he had no interest in beating up weaklings. He tossed aside the guns he'd taken from the guards during the fight and stripped of their magazines, cast a barely perceptible glance toward one corner of the lounge, and strode upstairs.

This meal had taken one turn after another. Even the place where they were eating had been trashed, and by someone they knew, no less. Still, Miaomiao had gotten her food. Even with the sounds of fighting around her, she hadn't forgotten to stuff little cakes into her mouth, and now she had a fluffy little baby cradled in her hands, too.

It was hard to say whether that counted as very good luck or very bad luck.

If Miaomiao hadn't been there, Damian would certainly have gone upstairs to join the fun. But now he had an extra burden beside him-no, make that two. He could only suppress his eagerness and pull Miaomiao toward the exit.

"Damian, don't we need to say hello to the red guy?"

Miaomiao still remembered Damian saying he knew him. Weren't people supposed to greet each other when they met someone they knew?

"Tch." Damian impatiently prodded the little penguin, then watched with satisfaction as it lay dazed in the girl's palms. His mood instantly improved.

"We'll wait outside."

By waiting outside, Damian meant casually heading into a slightly more secluded alley nearby, where he played with the little penguin while reminding Miaomiao not to wander off.

Miaomiao murmured her agreement, curiously looking here and touching there, and asking Damian whether any of it was edible.

Then this "weak" pair, a teenage girl and a boy, caught certain people's attention.

Chaos had just erupted at the Iceberg Lounge. The wealthy and influential guests had all left at the first opportunity, leaving the streets much quieter.

But there were others, like rats in a gutter. They had no particular skills and refused to work for the necessities of life, preferring to take risks and do the things rats did.

For instance, they would take advantage of the confusion after chaos broke out to do some "scavenging."

Fortune favored the bold, while the timid starved. With enough nerve, sharp eyes, quick feet, and a little cunning, they could always come away with something. If their luck was extraordinary and they picked up a watch or a piece of jewelry dropped by a rich person, a handgun, or some expensive contraband, they could get rich overnight and become the envy of everyone in their line of work.

Of course, if they were unlucky enough to take something they shouldn't and get caught red-handed by its owner, or if someone spotted their valuables and robbed them in turn, they had no one else to blame.

And now, two of these "chaos scavengers" boldly approached.

The chaos this time had broken out at the Iceberg Lounge! A truly high-end establishment! Its patrons were either rich or powerful. Even a few scraps would be enough to keep them living comfortably for days.

Unfortunately, when they rushed over, they discovered to their surprise that the person who'd started the fight was remarkably reasonable. He had actually let the rich people leave first. Apart from the wreckage inside the Iceberg Lounge, there was practically nothing to be gained.

Unwilling to leave empty-handed, the two searched the surrounding area again. They found nothing good, but they did spot a teenage girl and a boy around ten years old.

Both children were astonishingly good-looking. The boy wore a complete little black suit and an expression that tried to look mature. Although the girl wore only casual clothes, the fabric was clearly excellent.

One glance told them these were rich people's children.

The two exchanged a look and saw the same thing in each other's eyes: greed.

Let's do it!

They were just two pampered rich kids. How could they possibly stand a chance against adults who'd spent so many years clawing their way through Gotham's underbelly? All it would take was a little scare, and they'd obediently hand over every valuable they had.

Even those two outfits would fetch a decent price at a secondhand shop!

The two felt for the daggers hidden at their waists, put on vicious expressions, and walked toward those two "innocent," "weak," "helpless," "pitiful" children...

Soon, they would discover that having spent so long struggling through the criminal mire of Gotham City's infamous "No Man's Land" while remaining mere bottom-rung "chaos scavengers" was already indirect proof that they weren't nearly as capable as they thought-

It did, however, prove that their luck was genuinely good. They had somehow survived safely until now, without even losing an arm or a leg.

And so, as the two marched menacingly toward the children, fully confident they were about to make a fortune, their agonized howls rang out through the alley a minute later.

They sounded far more miserable than the mercenary squad leader in the Iceberg Lounge.

Damian looked with disgust at the two pieces of trash he'd beaten to the ground. A year ago, he would have sent these two straight to meet God. They contributed nothing to society and only wasted food by staying alive. Now, considering that they'd only dared to attempt extortion, he couldn't even muster the interest to drag them to the police station.

Especially with a curious little girl right beside him.