In the early hours three days later, Qin Wei returned to the Senate with dark circles under his eyes.
The tape was still on the door, and the strand of hair had not fallen. He turned the handle and stepped inside.
"Hm?"
The liquor bottles had been gathered into a corner; black garbage bags were filled with snack wrappers. Even the floor, worn to a patina underfoot, had been mopped until it looked brand-new. Seeing the once-chaotic room neatly tidied, he blinked in surprise, then smiled knowingly.
Only one person could have slipped past his little tricks and into the room.
"Promise me you won't do this again. Hiring a cleaner isn't expensive."
"I wasn't going to bother, but this place was just too filthy." A pair of hands dropped from overhead. Bracing herself on Qin Wei's shoulders, Selina flipped down from the ceiling. "I hope I didn't ruin your plans."
"You would have, originally, but it doesn't matter anymore." Qin Wei smiled. "So thank you anyway, Amazing Catwoman."
"You're welcome. Out with it! What do you need me for this time?"
Qin Wei handed her a photograph.
"Help me with some makeup. Make me look like this man."
In the photograph, a middle-aged man with a small mustache and bronze skin walked past a street corner with a cigarette in his mouth. He wore a reddish-brown suit.
A plaid tie fluttered in the wind, and his sunglasses reflected the clouds that lingered endlessly over Gotham City.
His name was Matches Malone. He had once been a debt collector for the Roman Empire and was acquainted with their target, Johnny.
Three years earlier, after failing to collect a debt, he had set fire to the debtor's mansion, killing thirteen people and taking a firefighter down with them. Wanted by Maroni