Winning her over

Qin Wei was like a Batman in reverse: Batman deduced the outcome from clues, while he worked backward from the outcome to piece the clues together.

Dr. Hugo would not be foolish enough to wait for the police to investigate after committing such a major crime. He had long since cleared out his laboratory and fled. Finding his hideout had become Qin Wei's biggest challenge.

Back at the Senate, he collapsed onto his wooden bed, the bedside lamp illuminating the moldy ceiling.

The mold formed a mottled pattern, like his tangled thoughts.

Aside from Oswald, Qin Wei barely knew the others. In fact, he rather disliked them.

Take the guy across the hall. Even at midnight, he never thought to turn down his radio. Those faint, intermittent noises were like a dull knife sawing away at Qin Wei's fragile nerves in the dead of night, keeping him company through one sleepless night after another.

But now everything was fine. All those annoying people were dead. The entire Senate stood empty, and the dripping faucet at the end of the hall echoed through the deep, dark corridor, each drop burrowing into his ears.

A suffocating emptiness enveloped Qin Wei.

Calm down. Think about what Batman would do. You can do this!

He murmured encouragement to himself, but the harder he tried, the harder it became to settle his fractured state of mind.

Exceptional martial skills, an ironclad will, high-tech equipment, vast wealth, and beggars and orphans scattered throughout Gotham's streets as informants-he had none of what Bruce possessed. How was he supposed to become Batman?

He had solemnly promised Maroni he would recover the stolen money within three days, but ultimately, he was only human.

Overwhelmed by fear and self-doubt, Qin Wei buried his head beneath his pillow.

Tap... tap, tap...

Half asleep, he seemed to hear someone tapping on the window. But this was the fifth floor.

Qin Wei assumed he had misheard and ignored it, but before long, someone yanked the pillow off his head.

"Hi, I'm back! Did you miss me?"

Selina arched her brows, her bright blue eyes reflecting the lamplight and sparkling like a galaxy.

"Why... are you here?"

"To make you answer my question." Selina sat at the foot of the bed and tucked the hair hanging over her forehead behind her ear.

Since Qin Wei already knew her identity anyway, she could not be bothered to wear her mask. Leather masks breathed poorly, and wearing one for too long was bad for her skin and hair.

Normally, Qin Wei would have found a way to get rid of this annoying cat. But these were extraordinary circumstances. He needed to sneak into Hugo's laboratory and steal the money. Who could be better suited to helping him than a cat burglar?

Qin Wei rubbed his temples, trying hard to dredge up his memories of Catwoman.

He vaguely remembered a version of Catwoman who was Falcone's illegitimate daughter. Falcone had cruelly abandoned Maria while she was pregnant, leaving Selina with boundless hatred for him from the moment she was born.

That version of the story could explain why Catwoman had robbed Maroni's casino, and it might well apply to this world's Selina.

"So you're doing this to get back at your father. You want to destroy Falcone's criminal empire to avenge your late mother."

Qin Wei voiced his guess, quietly watching Selina's expression.

In fact, there was no need to watch so closely. She gave him the answer a second later.

"Damn it, I haven't even told Holly about that!"

Selina clutched her head and took several deep breaths to calm her turbulent emotions. She had come here to get an answer from Qin Wei, but now the mystery was only growing deeper.

"How did you know... never mind. Tell me what you want."

She could no longer be bothered to ask why. She only wanted to know what this mysterious man was really after.

"You and I have the same goal: taking down Falcone."

He lied to draw Selina into his scheme.

Qin Wei's remarkable composure truly made him a natural-born liar. Whether facing Maroni or Catwoman, every lie came with steady breathing, sincere eyes, and an unhurried tone.

As expected, Catwoman failed to see through him.

"So... you want to work with me?!"

Selina's shock was mixed with hesitation. In her eyes, Qin Wei had become mysterious in that instant. Not only had he accurately predicted the casino massacre, he had even uncovered the entire life story of a nobody like her.

Whatever his actual abilities, his intelligence-gathering skills alone made him worth working with.

But that brought her back to the original problem. She would never work with someone whose background was unknown. Even if he had troubles he could not discuss, he still needed to be honest with his partner.

Selina stretched, placed her hands on the bed, and crawled toward Qin Wei like an agile cat.

"What are you doing?" Qin Wei asked warily, only for Catwoman to shove him down.

Catwoman had already crawled right up to him. She was too close! He could even see the few faint freckles scattered across her cheeks.

His breathing quickened, and his hands gripped the bed frame.

"I look forward to working with you, but first, I need to know exactly who you are!" She extended a finger, tracing the sharp claw of her leather glove from Qin Wei's forehead down to his throat.

"Honesty or death. You have to choose!"

Selina's face was full of suspicion.

Revealing information too early had cost Qin Wei Catwoman's trust.

Fortunately, he was quick-witted. While his intelligence had her reeling, he had already concocted a false backstory to deal with her.

In this story, Qin Wei was the son of a businessman whose family had been destroyed by the mob. He had infiltrated the Roman Empire, lying low and concealing his abilities while secretly working with other small gangs and the police. More importantly, he had secretly investigated Falcone's personal connections, so naturally, he knew what Selina looked like.

"No wonder you recognized me right away."

Catwoman's expression softened considerably. Apparently, she believed his nonsense for now.

"So, what do you think of my offer to work together?"

"Of course..."

Selina answered with a fleeting kiss on his forehead, then pulled away and leaped back onto the windowsill.

She pushed the window open. Gotham's night breeze teased her silver hair into a gentle dance. The clouds overhead parted, revealing a blade-like half-moon.

"Goodbye, mysterious man. If you need me, I'll be back."

"Don't go! I need your help with something right now!"

Poor Selina had been about to leap out the window when Qin Wei's words dragged her back. Her foot slipped, and she nearly fell five floors.

"You're trying to kill me!"

Selina spoke furiously through gritted teeth.

Qin Wei took two bottles of beer from Oswald's mini fridge and climbed the fire escape to the roof.

Selina had already been waiting for some time.

"Do you have a bottle opener?" she asked, pointing at the beer in his hands.

"Don't need one!"

Qin Wei put his beer-drinking skills from barbecue stalls to use, biting down and levering upward with his teeth.

Pop!

The beer cap flew off under the pressure of the fizz, spun over the edge, and vanished into the night.

Selina took the beer. Bubbles clung to the glass inside, and fresh foam welled up, mingling with the aroma of fermented wheat and stirring the hormone-charged night.

She tilted her head, studying Qin Wei out of the corner of her eye. His high nose bridge, deep-set eyes, and finely sculpted features were a perfect match for her exacting standards in a partner.

He had even gone out of his way to bring beer. Apparently, he did have some sense of romance.

Selina took a small sip and waited for him to say something.

"Maroni gave me three days to find the missing dirty money. I need your help."

Is that all? Selina felt a little disappointed, but perked up when she heard that the sum was five million.

"Any leads?"

"I'm going to start with the sewers."

Qin Wei had finally sorted out his thoughts. The Biomans had attacked the casino through the sewers, so that should be where they usually hid. Dr. Hugo must have moved somewhere near them, too. Only then would his personal safety be adequately guaranteed.

Of course, he also told Catwoman about the dangers they might encounter. He had expected her to have reservations, but Selina merely tipped her head back and drained the entire bottle.

"No time to waste. Let's move."