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Chapter 69 Gotham City
October 19, 2022 Author: Great Demon Spirit
It was the rainy season, and fine drizzle drifted down from the sky, hitting pedestrians' faces, making the air oppressively damp. The sky was always gloomy, thick with dark clouds that layered around Gotham City. Looking up, the boundless dark clouds seemed to carry a breathtaking sense of oppression.
Gotham City residents, going about their daily lives, unfurled umbrellas, their grumbling complaints punctuated by curses directed at the hateful weather. Under the rainy season, Gotham City residents felt even more agitated, as this kind of weather was precisely when the crime rate surged.
"This damned weather. Going out every day means being fully armed, what a pain." The citizen speaking quietly rested his hand on the pistol at his waist, a gesture that brought him peace of mind. Rainy Gotham City truly made the weak uneasy; they deeply worried about the safety of their lives and property.
"Hasn't it always been like this year after year? What's there to complain about?" A homeless man shivered from the cold. He had to exert great effort to light the scraps inside a broken oil drum, and now he was comfortably warming himself by the fire. Listening to the pedestrians' curses, he bared his yellowed teeth and let out an unpleasant laugh.
This was an aged homeless man, whose life journey mirrored the history of Gotham City's development and changes over the past few decades. He had lived through the terrifying era of Falcone, witnessed the rise of the Shadow Knight, and personally seen the Dark Knight engage in fierce battles with a formidable enemy called the League of Shadows. Gotham City, with its millions of inhabitants, had been shrouded in the Dark Knight's shadow.
This old homeless man was a living history of Gotham City.
The pedestrian checked the time, thought for a moment, then approached to warm himself by the fire. This wretched weather had truly left him freezing, his hands and feet so cold they were almost numb. The homeless man gestured to him, smiling. The pedestrian cursed again, handing over ten dollars. The homeless man delightedly took it, then made room for the pedestrian.
"Nice coat!"
The pedestrian pushed up his rain-blurred glasses and only then noticed that this ragged homeless man was wearing an expensive mink coat. Although many parts of the coat were damaged, likely due to the homeless man having worn it for a long time. The pedestrian worked for Wayne Enterprises and knew his fashion. His Boss, Bruce Wayne, liked to wear these kinds of thousands-of-dollars coats, which were very stylish. A struggling guy like him couldn't afford such a coat at all.
The homeless man added another handful of trash as fuel to the broken oil drum. Hearing the pedestrian mention the coat, he became a little smug; this was one of the few glorious moments in his life.
"I told you Bruce Wayne gave this to me, do you believe it? That day was very similar to now, also raining. Bruce Wayne came out of a fancy restaurant, bruised and battered. I was generous for once and let him warm himself for free—back then, I didn't recognize any fancy young master Bruce. He and us are from two different worlds, right? But Bruce warmed himself, and then gave me this coat as payment, along with a stack of tips."
The homeless man gestured, his face filled with happiness as he recalled the scene from that day. He continued: "Then one day, that man appeared—the Dark Knight named Batman. He moved like a ghost in the night. That day, he took down a criminal and gave my coat a thumbs-up! He praised me, saying, 'Nice coat!' See? Hard to believe, right? Batman praised me too!"
The homeless man clutched his coat protectively. When a drop of rain landed on it, he quickly wiped it away with his grimy finger, his face showing a pained expression.
The pedestrian was somewhat suspicious. He could barely believe that his Boss had given him the coat; Bruce was always so uninhibited and had done all sorts of absurd things, exactly like Tony Stark in New York City. But Batman praising his coat?! Heh heh heh… do you take me for a fool! That mysterious Dark Knight only ever appeared where there were criminals. Where would he find the time to talk to a homeless man?
Gotham City residents were proud to have Batman; on nights when Batman was active, citizens could always sleep soundly. However, various Official agencies and dark Factions gnashed their teeth in hatred. This unknown scoundrel repeatedly ruined their deals; he disrupted the Gangs' drug and weapon trades, exposed public officials' bribery, and destroyed many people's sources of income. The grudge was too deep.
Yet, no one had ever managed to catch this guy, never.
"What? You don't believe me? It's true! I really did talk to the Dark Knight, old Jack never lies, everyone knows that!" The homeless man grew agitated, angrily slapping the oil drum, his face red and neck bulging as he spoke. This was his most glorious moment, and someone actually didn't believe it?!
The homeless man grabbed the pedestrian, chattering incessantly. His grimy hand, mixed with rain and mud, reached out and left a prominent handprint on the pedestrian's suit, like a child's scribble.
"Alright, I believe you, I believe you!" The pedestrian raised his hands in surrender, his face full of distaste. "Is it enough if I believe you now? Compared to this, I'm more concerned about Bruce; he's my breadwinner. Batman or whatever, it has nothing to do with me."
"Ah, Master Bruce… he's a great benefactor! We poor folk all depend on Master Bruce to live! I heard people from Stark Industries are coming over; the two sides are going to have a technology exchange…" The homeless man drew out his words, gazing meaningfully at the pedestrian, one hand already outstretched, his index finger and thumb rubbing together, making a gesture of counting money.
The pedestrian glared irritably at the slightly greedy homeless man, then walked away without looking back. What a joke, he was an employee of Wayne Enterprises! How could he not know if people from Stark Industries were coming? Absolutely ridiculous! Anyway, he was warm now and needed to hurry to work...
Behind him, the homeless man's regretful sigh could be heard. The pedestrian quickened his pace, walking even faster, unwilling to stay in that place for another second.
As two world-renowned giants, collaboration between them was not uncommon. Moreover, the two were not in competition. Stark Industries had focused on military industries for fifty years, while for Wayne Enterprises, high-technology was just one part of its many industries; its reach extended into various sectors.
Gotham City's commerce officials and the CEO of Wayne Enterprises were already waiting at the port. This level of elaborate reception wouldn't be out of place for Stark Industries; they were a giant no less significant than themselves, the multi-trillion dollar Stark Industries!
When two giants collaborated, the interests involved were immense, so much so that the people of Gotham City couldn't afford not to take it seriously. This could potentially create tens, even hundreds of thousands of jobs.
(end of chapter)
October 19, 2022 Author: Great Demon Spirit
It was the rainy season, and fine drizzle drifted down from the sky, hitting pedestrians' faces, making the air oppressively damp. The sky was always gloomy, thick with dark clouds that layered around Gotham City. Looking up, the boundless dark clouds seemed to carry a breathtaking sense of oppression.
Gotham City residents, going about their daily lives, unfurled umbrellas, their grumbling complaints punctuated by curses directed at the hateful weather. Under the rainy season, Gotham City residents felt even more agitated, as this kind of weather was precisely when the crime rate surged.
"This damned weather. Going out every day means being fully armed, what a pain." The citizen speaking quietly rested his hand on the pistol at his waist, a gesture that brought him peace of mind. Rainy Gotham City truly made the weak uneasy; they deeply worried about the safety of their lives and property.
"Hasn't it always been like this year after year? What's there to complain about?" A homeless man shivered from the cold. He had to exert great effort to light the scraps inside a broken oil drum, and now he was comfortably warming himself by the fire. Listening to the pedestrians' curses, he bared his yellowed teeth and let out an unpleasant laugh.
This was an aged homeless man, whose life journey mirrored the history of Gotham City's development and changes over the past few decades. He had lived through the terrifying era of Falcone, witnessed the rise of the Shadow Knight, and personally seen the Dark Knight engage in fierce battles with a formidable enemy called the League of Shadows. Gotham City, with its millions of inhabitants, had been shrouded in the Dark Knight's shadow.
This old homeless man was a living history of Gotham City.
The pedestrian checked the time, thought for a moment, then approached to warm himself by the fire. This wretched weather had truly left him freezing, his hands and feet so cold they were almost numb. The homeless man gestured to him, smiling. The pedestrian cursed again, handing over ten dollars. The homeless man delightedly took it, then made room for the pedestrian.
"Nice coat!"
The pedestrian pushed up his rain-blurred glasses and only then noticed that this ragged homeless man was wearing an expensive mink coat. Although many parts of the coat were damaged, likely due to the homeless man having worn it for a long time. The pedestrian worked for Wayne Enterprises and knew his fashion. His Boss, Bruce Wayne, liked to wear these kinds of thousands-of-dollars coats, which were very stylish. A struggling guy like him couldn't afford such a coat at all.
The homeless man added another handful of trash as fuel to the broken oil drum. Hearing the pedestrian mention the coat, he became a little smug; this was one of the few glorious moments in his life.
"I told you Bruce Wayne gave this to me, do you believe it? That day was very similar to now, also raining. Bruce Wayne came out of a fancy restaurant, bruised and battered. I was generous for once and let him warm himself for free—back then, I didn't recognize any fancy young master Bruce. He and us are from two different worlds, right? But Bruce warmed himself, and then gave me this coat as payment, along with a stack of tips."
The homeless man gestured, his face filled with happiness as he recalled the scene from that day. He continued: "Then one day, that man appeared—the Dark Knight named Batman. He moved like a ghost in the night. That day, he took down a criminal and gave my coat a thumbs-up! He praised me, saying, 'Nice coat!' See? Hard to believe, right? Batman praised me too!"
The homeless man clutched his coat protectively. When a drop of rain landed on it, he quickly wiped it away with his grimy finger, his face showing a pained expression.
The pedestrian was somewhat suspicious. He could barely believe that his Boss had given him the coat; Bruce was always so uninhibited and had done all sorts of absurd things, exactly like Tony Stark in New York City. But Batman praising his coat?! Heh heh heh… do you take me for a fool! That mysterious Dark Knight only ever appeared where there were criminals. Where would he find the time to talk to a homeless man?
Gotham City residents were proud to have Batman; on nights when Batman was active, citizens could always sleep soundly. However, various Official agencies and dark Factions gnashed their teeth in hatred. This unknown scoundrel repeatedly ruined their deals; he disrupted the Gangs' drug and weapon trades, exposed public officials' bribery, and destroyed many people's sources of income. The grudge was too deep.
Yet, no one had ever managed to catch this guy, never.
"What? You don't believe me? It's true! I really did talk to the Dark Knight, old Jack never lies, everyone knows that!" The homeless man grew agitated, angrily slapping the oil drum, his face red and neck bulging as he spoke. This was his most glorious moment, and someone actually didn't believe it?!
The homeless man grabbed the pedestrian, chattering incessantly. His grimy hand, mixed with rain and mud, reached out and left a prominent handprint on the pedestrian's suit, like a child's scribble.
"Alright, I believe you, I believe you!" The pedestrian raised his hands in surrender, his face full of distaste. "Is it enough if I believe you now? Compared to this, I'm more concerned about Bruce; he's my breadwinner. Batman or whatever, it has nothing to do with me."
"Ah, Master Bruce… he's a great benefactor! We poor folk all depend on Master Bruce to live! I heard people from Stark Industries are coming over; the two sides are going to have a technology exchange…" The homeless man drew out his words, gazing meaningfully at the pedestrian, one hand already outstretched, his index finger and thumb rubbing together, making a gesture of counting money.
The pedestrian glared irritably at the slightly greedy homeless man, then walked away without looking back. What a joke, he was an employee of Wayne Enterprises! How could he not know if people from Stark Industries were coming? Absolutely ridiculous! Anyway, he was warm now and needed to hurry to work...
Behind him, the homeless man's regretful sigh could be heard. The pedestrian quickened his pace, walking even faster, unwilling to stay in that place for another second.
As two world-renowned giants, collaboration between them was not uncommon. Moreover, the two were not in competition. Stark Industries had focused on military industries for fifty years, while for Wayne Enterprises, high-technology was just one part of its many industries; its reach extended into various sectors.
Gotham City's commerce officials and the CEO of Wayne Enterprises were already waiting at the port. This level of elaborate reception wouldn't be out of place for Stark Industries; they were a giant no less significant than themselves, the multi-trillion dollar Stark Industries!
When two giants collaborated, the interests involved were immense, so much so that the people of Gotham City couldn't afford not to take it seriously. This could potentially create tens, even hundreds of thousands of jobs.
(end of chapter)
