A New Comic

A week passed peacefully. It rained twice, and the remaining days were overcast. No matter how long the laundry hung out, it never dried, leaving the whole apartment smelling sour and musty.

Qin Wei couldn't help wondering whether catching a little sun in Gotham violated some heavenly law.

During those days, Maroni proved even more patient than Qin Wei had imagined. The fake Harvey had vanished, yet he showed no reaction whatsoever. Assignments went out as usual, and the allowance hadn't dropped by a single cent.

Meanwhile, a hurricane named Harvey Dent was sweeping through every street and alley in Gotham.

Gordon called Qin Wei and told him that Harvey had barely slept since taking office a week ago. Between gathering information and making visits in person, he had worn out both Gordon and Bullock, who were serving as his bodyguards.

The workaholic's results were equally impressive. In just one week, he had brought charges against fifty-six people across Gotham's police force, government, and business circles. Even Police Commissioner Rob was on the list.

"Congratulations, then, Commissioner Gordon. Looks like you'll be getting the top job soon."

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not the commissioner... wait, do you have some kind of gift for seeing the future?" Gordon instinctively started to correct him, only to realize, after thinking it through, that he was right.

He was the department's detective inspector and its most senior officer. Once Rob stepped down, he really was the most likely candidate to become police commissioner.

Qin Wei hung up with a smile, but his face fell a moment later.

Harvey had caused such a stir, yet Maroni hadn't made a move. His casinos and drug business carried on as usual, seemingly unaffected.

Qin Wei realized he couldn't read this old fox.

Oswald poured a carton of nearly expired milk over his oatmeal and stirred it, then dug in with a spoon, smacking his lips.

"Do you think Maroni's scared? The fake Harvey's been dead for ages, and there's still no word."

"I wouldn't say scared. I think he's more likely waiting for the right moment." Wearing a bathrobe, Qin Wei kept his left hand in his pocket while shaking a frying pan with his right.

A round, golden fried egg tumbled in the pan as the butter sizzled beneath it.

"The right moment? For what?" Oswald asked.

"I'm not a Gypsy fortune-teller. You can't ask me everything."

Qin Wei left the rest unsaid. Although he didn't know what Maroni was planning, one thing was certain: the comic was still blank, and the danger hadn't passed.

"Fortune-tellers? What do they know? As far as I'm concerned, you're a hundred times better than those old frauds rubbing their crystal balls! With you here, I believe it's only a matter of time before I unite Gotham's underworld. When that happens, whatever you want, money or women, I'll give it to you, no strings attached."

"Already dreaming this early in the morning?"

Qin Wei flicked his wrist. The fragrant fried egg spun through the air like a gymnast vaulting over a horse, then landed on Oswald's plate with a plop.

"Eat the egg. What the hell kind of nutrition are you getting out of all that oatmeal and milk?"

"Hey! You bastard, your attitude keeps getting worse. Don't forget, when you first got here, I was the one looking out for-Yowwwww!"

Laughing, Oswald had reached out with two fingers to pick up the fried egg. The result was predictable.

He let out a scream straight out of Tom's repertoire.

"All right, enough messing around. Anything we need to do this week?" Qin Wei asked.

"Now that you mention it, I just remembered. A circus with a trapeze act moved in near the West End. I need to go collect rent." Oswald sucked on his scalded, reddened fingers.

A circus? With a trapeze act!

Those two details reminded Qin Wei of someone: the first Robin, Dick Grayson.

If not for Dick's imagination-stirring rear end, Qin Wei might not even have remembered him. Compared with the distinctive second Robin, who loved and hated without reservation, the first was practically just an accessory to Batman.

But that didn't mean Qin Wei didn't value Dick. On the contrary, as far as he was concerned, important figures around Batman, such as Robin and Catwoman, should be recruited whenever possible. Even if they couldn't be brought over to his side, he should avoid making enemies of them.

With that in mind, Qin Wei decided to go take a look with Oswald.

He returned to his room to change and unexpectedly found a new comic in his inner pocket. He glanced back several times to confirm that the blank one was still lying safely on the bedside table.

"They've given me a side quest before the main storyline's even started?"

A glance at the man in green tights and an eye mask on the cover reinforced his guess. He would definitely meet Dick on this outing.

The comic was very thin and gave only a rough account of Robin's origin story.

After failing to collect money, gangsters sabotaged the act and killed Dick's parents. Dick tried to take revenge, but Batman stopped him and later took him under his wing. The two stormed the gang's hideout and sent all the villains to prison.

What a clichéd story. But everything changed when it played out in reality. There was no Batman here, no one to stop Dick from taking revenge. Worse still, the gangsters collecting rent in the story seemed to be him and Oswald.

Qin Wei felt rather wronged. Why was he always some disposable extra whenever he appeared, either a henchman killed in a casino or an XP mob for a superhero's growth? When would he get a story of his own?

On second thought, Qin Wei realized he'd gotten a little sidetracked.

Wasn't I looking to recruit people? Someone like Dick, who's been tested by the plot, has to be better than some nobody.

Pulling on his jacket, Qin Wei decided to go meet him.

The two got into the car and headed for the old church in the East End.

Florentia Cathedral had once been an iconic building in the old Gotham of the previous century, until a fire reduced a hundred years of history to ashes.

Afterward, Gotham's economic center steadily shifted north. As its residents moved away, the East End continued to decline, and the cathedral ruins gradually faded from memory.

The collapsed Gothic spires, the broken cross, and the Virgin Mary Statue kept cracking beneath the dust of history. The ferns sprouting in those cracks were like the poor children playing in the clearing outside the cathedral: they never saw sunlight, and they would never grow into towering trees.

A huge, faded red tent stood in the clearing.

"Shoo, shoo! Go play somewhere else!"

Oswald impatiently chased away the children crowding around the car and walked into the tent.

The circus had only moved in yesterday. A man and a woman in tights stood on ladders, fastening ropes at opposite ends of the tent, while two boys held the ladders steady below.

Judging by their hair colors and facial features, they were probably a family.

"Sir, the trapeze show doesn't start until tonight..."

John Grayson stopped halfway through his sentence and frowned when he got a clear look at the visitors' clothes.

In the Lower District, there was no need to guess which sort of people wore black suits.

"Heh heh heh! So it's the Flying Graysons! Finally found you! The site fee's fifty dollars a week, plus ten dollars a head. Are you paying now, or do I have to beat you until you pay?"

Oswald had already slipped on his brass knuckles.

Neither boy had any experience dealing with gangsters. Faced with Oswald's threats, they kept backing away.

Old John leaped down from above and shielded the children behind him.

"Hey, sir! Please calm down. This is our first day here in the East End. We don't have any money for the site fee. You'll have to give us a week."

"A week? And then you'll pack up and run on the sixth day!" Oswald sneered as he exposed their scheme, cracking his knuckles.

This wasn't his first encounter with this circus. He had collected rent from them three years ago, when he had just entered the business, and Old John had used the same excuse then. And how had that ended? The circus fled the night before rent was due. Poor Oswald was strung up with ropes and turned into a human punching bag for Richie Panton, who beat him for an entire day.

"But we really don't have any money..."

"Then you can be my punching bags while I get some practice!"

Seeing that the two sides were about to come to blows, Qin Wei reached out and stopped Oswald.

"Let me give it a try."