Dawn was breaking, and snow began drifting from the overcast sky.
Qin Wei hid his bloodstained "compact Batsuit" in a gap between the bricks at the tunnel entrance, then handed a ten-dollar bill to the homeless old man warming himself beside a burning oil drum.
"Same deal as always. Watch my stuff."
"If you gave me that outfit, I could rob people of a lot more than that in one night."
"A hero doesn't dwell on his past glory."
Qin Wei rubbed his hands beside the flames, pulled a long loaf of bread from his bag, and started chewing. Seeing the old man swallowing hungrily, he broke off half and handed it over.
After the two had breakfast together, Qin Wei headed deeper into the tunnel.
The old steam train tunnel lay at the westernmost edge of Naihe Island, connecting it to Gotham's outskirts. The railway had originally led to Metropolis, but as steam trains gradually became obsolete and the tracks were abandoned, there was no longer any point in maintaining the tunnel.
A disaster had left the tunnel abandoned, and several interconnected Refuge Tunnels inside had become Gotham's largest Drifters Encampment.
The gang protecting this place was called the Croc Boss Gang.
Yes, you heard that right. They protected it, rather than ruled it. The Croc Boss Gang safeguarded the peace and stability here.
Then again, there wasn't much to squeeze out of these homeless people. Most had low-paying jobs, but had lost their homes through bankruptcy, divorce, or various other circumstances. And so you could witness this strange sight: smartly dressed office workers sitting on the ground alongside beggars,
Police officers chatting and laughing with gangsters. Once someone entered this tunnel, their social status no longer mattered so much. Everyone had come to a tacit understanding; a strange