Night patrol after school

The moment the thought settled, Chen Mo casually stuffed the card into his pocket, as offhandedly as if he were tossing away a flyer.

The crowd poured out through the school gates. He followed the flow at an unhurried pace, blending in among the students, as ordinary as could be.

Only when he reached the corner outside the gates did Chen Mo turn his head and wave to the side, as though he had suddenly remembered something. His tone was utterly lazy, as if he were meeting some bare minimum of social interaction.

"I'm heading off."

Barbara looked up at him. "Going home this early? You really aren't planning to go smoke weed with those guys?"

Chen Mo shrugged and slung his backpack over his shoulder, his tone as serious as if he were being interviewed.

"I have a proper job, okay? Don't lump me in with those stupid two-headed ogres."

Barbara visibly froze for a moment. "You? A job?"

Chen Mo nodded, sounding absolutely certain. "Legal income, steady output, no late payments, no exploitation. In theory, it can even support me."

She fell silent for two seconds before offering her assessment. "Sounds like you just made that up."

Chen Mo sighed, looking wounded. "That's structural distrust of the working class."

Barbara glanced at him. "You don't look working-class."

"That's a matter of bearing," Chen Mo said solemnly. "I'm the sort who's poor with dignity."

With that, he took two steps back and waved, wrapping things up airily. "Don't worry, I don't live off other people. But if you'd like to volunteer as a sponsor, I could consider accepting."

By the time the words landed, he had already turned and walked away, moving decisively and giving her no chance to keep snarking at him.

Barbara stood there, opened her mouth, then closed it, trapped in the frustration of having something to say but not getting it out.

It was maddening.

Once he left the school grounds, the atmosphere on the streets changed immediately.

There were still plenty of people, but the sounds were more jumbled, the rhythm more chaotic. An indefinable tension hung in the air, as though something might happen at any moment.

Chen Mo walked along the edge of the sidewalk, hands in his pockets, his thumb unconsciously rubbing those few pitiful coins. His face was expressionless, but his mind had already begun doing the math automatically.

Breakfast had been whatever he could scrape together, lunch had been a complete failure, and dinner...

The Wayne system functioned normally when it came to "keeping him alive," but clearly had loopholes when it came to "keeping him fed."

What happened to the promised breakfast and lunch? Where was the food?

Which department along the way had embezzled it?

Batman! Do something, hey!

Why couldn't he light the Bat-Signal for something like this?

"Excellent," Chen Mo concluded under his breath. "System running smoothly, poverty continuing steadily."

He even nodded, as though rating this way of life.

"Three out of ten for the experience. Negative marks for value."

He was just about to turn into a familiar side street when a little stall on the corner caught his eye. The stall was as ordinary as could be, but the problem lay in its merchandise.

A row of comics.

The covers looked very familiar.

His steps slowed for a beat. He backed up two paces, took another look, and then stopped completely.

Chen Mo crouched, picked up a copy, opened it to the first page, then the second, closed it, and looked at the cover again. Then he repeated the process.

His expression began to change.

"...I drew this, didn't I?"

His voice was quiet, but a dangerous edge had begun creeping into his tone.

The vendor glanced at him. "You buying or not?"

Chen Mo ignored him.

He scanned the whole row of comics again. It wasn't just one copy; they were everywhere, neatly arranged and clearly thumbed through many times, their corners already fraying.

They were selling very well.

Chen Mo stood and looked around again.

The newsstand across the street had them.

The convenience store entrance by the road had them.

A stall farther away had them too.

Even distribution, comprehensive channels.

Like a mature sales chain.

Chen Mo fell silent for three seconds.

Then he smiled.

It was a very polite smile, even carrying a little of the gentleness of someone who understood the world.

"So-"

He spoke slowly.

"My comics have achieved full coverage across Gotham."

Chen Mo paused.

"I got two thousand for the manuscript."

Another second's pause.

"And that was a one-time payment."

The air was silent.

Chen Mo nodded, as though confirming a conclusion.

He slid his hand into his pocket, his fingers tightening slightly.

"Very nice."

"A clear division of labor."

"They handle making money. I handle being informed."

He drew a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

"Gotham's economic system really is advanced."

He put the comic back and turned to leave, walking a little faster than before, though his expression had actually grown more relaxed.

As it turned out, once people had been driven to laughter by anger enough times, they gradually developed a peaceful mindset.

It looked like emotional stability, but in reality, even being Spider-Man left you with no options.

Back at the old building, Chen Mo expertly climbed the wall, slipped through the window, landed, and gave the dog a pat in passing.

"Hello, Bruce. Miss me?"

Bruce's tail was practically spinning like a propeller.

"I love you too. Come here, give me a hug."

Chen Mo lay down on the bed, holding Bruce and staring at the ceiling, letting his mind go blank.

Ten seconds.

Then he suddenly sat up.

Bruce narrowly avoided being flung away.

"Almost forgot."

"I still have a lesson left today."

The "lesson" Chen Mo meant clearly wasn't the school kind.

He stood and briefly rolled his shoulders.

"Change first."

A few minutes later, the window was pushed open, and a red-and-blue figure flipped out, landing on the edge of the roof. He bent his knees slightly to absorb the impact, then straightened.

The night air was a little cooler than during the day. The city hadn't quieted down; its clamor had merely continued in another form.

Chen Mo stood there, scanning the distance, his mind naturally returning to the day's events.

Those kids who had cornered him.

Their way of speaking, their positioning, and that confidence that clearly came from having someone backing them.

"It wasn't spur-of-the-moment."

He spoke under his breath.

"It was organized."

He began reviewing the details in his mind: who had spoken up front, who had watched people from behind, who had kept an eye on the intersection, and a name mentioned in passing.

Put together, it was very clear.

"All right."

He nodded once.

"Then I won't go looking for the students."

"I'll find their guardian."

Chen Mo jumped from the rooftop and landed in the back alley, his movements clean and crisp.

He knew places like this well.

Few lights, a mixed crowd, chaotic sounds, but there was a pattern.

Nothing to it but practice.

Patrol a place a dozen or several dozen times a day, and you'd know it too.

Following that pattern, he spotted his targets in less than ten minutes.

Those kids were there.

There was an adult beside them now.

Standing in the middle, talking, collecting money.

His role was very clear.

Chen Mo watched from the shadows for two seconds. Once he had confirmed it, he didn't wait any longer and walked straight out.

His steps were unhurried.

"Bad evening."

Chen Mo spoke.

He paused.

"Never mind. Good evening, for the sake of the Juvenile Asshole Protection Act."

Several people turned at once.

The kids' expressions changed instantly.

"Spider-Man!"

Chen Mo didn't look at them. He looked straight at the adult.

"Your people?"

The man frowned. "Who are you?"

Chen Mo tilted his head. "Seriously? You don't know me?"

He even sounded a little hurt.

Beside them, an unlucky fellow who had tried to run upon seeing Chen Mo, only to end up stuck in webbing instead, quietly added, "He just got out of the hospital. His brain... hasn't recovered all that well..."

Chen Mo nodded. "All right, then I'll keep this simple."

The next second, he reached out, grabbed the man's shoulder, and pressed down.

Crack.

The sound was crisp.

Not a break. Spider-Man had always been peaceful; it was merely dislocated.

The man dropped straight to his knees, his reaction half a beat late.

Everything around them instantly fell silent.

Chen Mo didn't stop. He smoothly twisted in the opposite direction.

Crack.

The second sound was even crisper.

This time, the man cried out immediately.

Only then did Chen Mo let go, allowing him to collapse to the ground.

He straightened and dusted off his hands.

"Don't worry, they can still be popped back in. I know exactly how much force to use."

Only after saying that did Chen Mo turn toward the kids.

His tone grew a little lighter.

"Hello, children. I hear you've been having a tiny little problem with your moral values."

Chen Mo pointed at the man on the ground.

"Is this your guardian? I need to discuss your education with him. I hope I've got the right person."

No one spoke.

They didn't even dare move.

Chen Mo nodded. "Good. This should be the one."

After a pause, he added one last thing. "He won't be assigning you any work for a while, and I hope you won't go finding yourselves any 'part-time jobs,' like bullying classmates. That's not good. Really."

His tone was like someone approving a leave request.

Then he looked down at the man on the ground.

"That goes for you too."

"If you can't manage people properly, manage fewer of them."

A police siren sounded in the distance.

It was approaching.

Chen Mo tilted his head and listened.

"Wow, that was fast today!"

After saying that, Chen Mo took two steps back, reached out, and hoisted the person straight onto the iron railing, leaving them hanging in a very uncomfortable but secure position.

"Someone will be here to pick you up right away. You won't be uncomfortable for long."

His tone sounded like customer service.

None of the kids dared say a word.

Chen Mo turned and headed out.

The flashing lights of a police car had already rounded the corner into the street.

Chen Mo raised a hand and waved behind him.

"Kids, hope tonight goes smoothly for you."

After stepping out of the alley, he added one more thing.

"Listen to your friendly neighbor and give yourselves a few days off, okay?"