lerbook Chapter 126, Section 23: The Gathering Place
Chapter 126, Section 23: The Gathering Place
Chapter 126, Section 23: The Gathering Place
As dawn broke, snow began to fall from the overcast sky.
Qin Wei hid the blood-stained "cloth bat costume" in the cracks between the bricks at the tunnel entrance and handed a ten-dollar bill to an elderly homeless man who was warming himself by a burning gasoline drum.
"Same as always, keep an eye on these things for me."
"If you give me this outfit, I could rob more than this amount of money in one night."
"A hero doesn't dwell on past glories."
Qin Wei rubbed his hands against the flames, took out a long loaf of bread from his bag and started eating it. Seeing the old man swallowing his saliva, he handed him the other half.
After having breakfast together, Qin Wei walked deeper into the tunnel.
The old steam train tunnel is located on the westernmost edge of Nexus, connecting to the outskirts of Gotham. The railway originally led to Metropolis, but as steam trains were gradually phased out, the railway line was abandoned, and the tunnel lost its purpose for maintenance.
An abandoned tunnel, several interconnected parking spaces, became Gotham's largest gathering place for homeless people.
The gang that guards this place is called the "Crocodile Gang".
That's right, you heard me correctly. It's not about ruling, it's about protecting. The Crocodile Gang protects the peace and stability here.
However, there's not much to be gained from these homeless people. Most of them have a basic-paying job, but due to bankruptcy, divorce, or other reasons, they've lost their homes. So you can see this strange sight: well-dressed office workers sitting on the ground while praying for the festival.
Police officers and gangsters chatted and laughed. Once they entered this tunnel, social status became less important, and a tacit understanding formed among them. A sense of inexplicable identity would always arise among the homeless.
Qin Wei stopped at the end of the tunnel and knocked on the rusty iron door hidden in the corner.
"Who?"
A low, questioning voice echoed from inside the shelter.
"Uh, I'm Bruce." Qin Wei scratched his head awkwardly.
No one expected that registering a name would be required to stay here. Although no ID card or anything like that was needed, he couldn't just use the character "威" (Wei) to get by as usual. Thus, the strange name "Bruce Wei" was born.
It has been a full six months since he adopted this name, but even now, Qin Wei still feels extremely embarrassed whenever he says it.
What was I thinking at the time?!
He often asked himself this question.
The iron gate opened, and a muscular man, shirtless, waved for Qin Wei to come in.
"Looks like you've come away empty-handed again today!" Hans chuckled and patted Qin Wei on the shoulder. This young gatekeeper of the Crocodile Gang knew everyone in the gathering place. He enthusiastically grabbed a hardened piece of dark bread from the plate beside him and handed it to Qin Wei.
"Thank you, I've already eaten out." Qin Wei turned his head away, not wanting to look at that face.
He had met Hans before, about six months ago, when Hans infiltrated the gang as Matchstick Malone. Because Hans had killed Killer Croc, this young man had cursed him to his face as a murderer more than once.
Qin Wei was puzzled by the extreme loyalty. He wanted to know what kind of charisma a hideous monster covered in scales could possess, and how Wei Lun had come to rule this land. So he inquired in various ways and infiltrated the gathering place of wanderers.
Besides legitimate workers, this place also harbors many vicious criminals. Through casual conversations with them, Qin Wei learned one by one why they went down the wrong path.
But knowing them is one thing, but that doesn't stop Qin Wei from secretly following certain extremely wicked people and snapping their necks in secluded corners.
Sympathy is one thing, trial is another.
Yes, Qin Wei finally understood a principle.
The fact that he could calmly drive and drag the Joker to his death shows that he's no longer mentally sound. Before he's driven mad, he'd better accept his mission as soon as possible.
But unlike the light path "saving the people" given by Mr. Bruce, the dark path "reforming Gotham" is more suitable for Batman, who comes from a gang.
The evidence stolen by the clown is no longer important, since he has a backup. Although these secondary photos are insufficient as evidence to convict the wealthy and powerful men lying on the soft velvet mattresses, they can help Qin Wei lock onto his targets and break their necks one by one in the dead of night.
In fact, he had already done this three months ago.
That night, he sneaked into Mayor Locke's house, only to run into Jason Todd, who had just finished committing a crime.
This guy's gear is being upgraded rather quickly. He's wearing a long trench coat, with two menacing revolvers at his waist, and especially that red-painted carbon fiber mask—he's incredibly cool.
To Qin Wei's surprise, his opponent's fists and feet were quite strong. After not seeing him for nearly half a year, he found it difficult to suppress him. If the security guards who came after hearing the noise hadn't spoiled the fun, the two of them could probably have fought for another ten minutes.
This made Qin Wei feel a sense of crisis, and he started a daily training plan. He eventually spent three months losing the fat that he and Oswald had accumulated.
Of course, just working out isn't enough, so he also found a job boxing at an underground gym, where he not only got some lubricant for his joints but also saved up a little money.
All of this money was sent to the Crocodile Gang in the name of the killer Crocodile Wei Lun.
After saying goodbye to Hans, he shrank into a tent in the corner.
Incidentally, he found this tent on the banks of the Gotham River, next to the body of a fisherman whose head had been smashed by a rock.
"What era are we living in? There are still people fishing without helmets." He sighed and shamelessly took the tent for his own use.
Lying in the drafty tent, Qin Wei tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Before coming here, he had set himself a six-month deadline, and today was his last day here. During this time, he had gained a thorough understanding of the lives of the underprivileged in Gotham and had formed many lukewarm friendships. The thought of leaving made him feel rather reluctant.
He stayed awake for nearly another hour before finally closing his eyes in a daze.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached, and the tent flap was lifted.
The newcomer was an elderly man guarding the tunnel entrance, carrying his bat suit in his arms.
"Take this, quick! I just saw a large group coming this way. You've caused so much trouble outside wearing these clothes lately, don't let it implicate our settlement."
You think this guy came to deliver equipment? No, he just wanted to get rid of a hot potato so he wouldn't get involved.
However, the result was the same for Qin Wei.
Perhaps because of the 15-pound weight loss, the Batsuit was easier to put on than before, but it was still not an easy task to do in the cramped tent.
Many people were awakened by the noise of Qin Wei getting dressed and watched in disbelief as a tent moved and danced in front of the campfire.
Boom!!!
The entrance to the shelter was blown up by a rocket, and the homeless people sleeping there screamed and fled in the spreading blast wave.
Lifting a corner of the tent, Qin Wei caught a glimpse of a man wearing a black skull mask, surrounded by thugs, illuminated by the campfire at the camp.