There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 66 Night Talk

When a lure is too obvious, victims often try to justify it in their minds. Moreover, in pivotal events like Jason stealing tires, even if the parties involved are unwilling, they will be drawn into the trap by the unseen hand of the storyline.

Qin Wei grabbed a French fry from a paper bag and watched with great interest as Jason removed the first screw.

"What am I doing? I must be crazy!"

Jason removed the first tire, then unscrewed the stabilizer bar from the subframe, wiping the sweat from his brow.

His overheated mind was slowly cooling down, and he gradually realized how absurd he was doing. But the tire was already half removed; he couldn't very well help put it back together.

Jason, in a fit of desperation, continued fiddling with the car, completely unaware that the jack was quietly pressing down. By the time he realized what was happening, the bottom of the car was almost touching his nose. Sensing something was wrong, he frantically crawled out, but the jack's downward pressure suddenly accelerated.

He could only prop himself up on his arms, trying to use his mortal body to resist the car body weighing more than ten tons.

But surprisingly, the downward pressure from the edge actually stopped, but his arms were stuck in the gap under the car.

Jason tried several times to pull his arm away without success, then licked the corner of his mouth that was stained black with engine oil.

"Hello... Is anyone there?"

"Yes, do you drink beer?"

He didn't have high hopes, but to his surprise, someone actually answered.

The sound was mixed with the crackling of an electric microphone, indicating that someone was communicating with him remotely via a loudspeaker.

But what does drinking beer mean? Is it a code or slang?

"Let me ask you a different question: Are you of legal drinking age?"

"not yet……"

"That's a bit of a problem. How can a heart-to-heart talk between men be complete without the embellishment of alcohol!" The voice sounded somewhat frustrated.

"A little bit isn't a problem... uh... why did we get onto the topic of drinking?"

Jason muttered something with suspicion, but there was no sound from the other end.

Not long after, Qin Wei arrived carrying two cans of beer. He pressed a button, and the jack slowly rose.

Jason crawled out from under the car, rubbing his aching elbows. He finally realized it was a trap, just waiting for him to fall into it.

Qin Wei shoved a can of beer into his hand.

A layer of water droplets condensed on the surface of the beer, and Jason felt a cold sting from his burning palm.

To better enjoy life, Qin Wei moved Oswald's small refrigerator to the garage, just so he could have a couple of drinks in his spare time.

"Come on, would you like to drink here or go somewhere else?"

"Why did you...?"

"Let's drink here then!" Qin Wei snapped his fingers, and the lights outside the warehouse came on.

He interrupted Jason's questions time and time again in order to drag the other man into his own rhythm.

Jason shrugged, giving up on thinking, and tore open the tab, releasing the golden foam of craft wheat beer from the can.

He didn't suspect anything; if this man really wanted to harm him, he would have been dead long ago.

……

After graduating from university, Qin Wei rented a small room of ten square meters.

With a salary of 3200, after deducting 2500 for rent, he only has 700 yuan left for personal use each month. Oh, I almost forgot, that includes utilities. This means he can only survive on instant noodles and bread for three meals a day.

But capital shows no mercy. With life already so impoverished, unpaid overtime has become the norm. Being a minute late results in a ten-yuan deduction, toilet breaks are strictly timed, and the slightest mistake will result in a severe scolding from the supervisor.

At first, Qin Wei chose to accept his fate in order to keep his hard-won job. He really didn't want to spend another penny of that damned drunkard's money, nor did he want to see his mother enduring things for the sake of so-called family harmony.

But pent-up emotions are like a torrential downpour into a reservoir; they need an outlet, either by opening the floodgates or by causing the dam to collapse and people to die.

With nowhere to vent his pent-up stress, he could only curl up on his single bed in his rented room and hum a song in the dead of night.

The soundproofing in the single-person room was poor, and soon the neighbors started to protest by smashing down the wall.

"That idiot is singing in the middle of the night! Why doesn't he go to a karaoke bar?"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Qin Wei obediently shut up, but the other party's insults made him realize something.

A life of despair is a sharp pair of scissors; forbearance and compromise will only slow down the time it takes for it to cut you apart.

Make yourself tough, tough enough to fight it, even if you're shattered to pieces, you must chip a nick into the blade.

……

"Xiao Qin, please revise this document, convert it to an electronic version, and send it to me via email tonight."

"I'm going home now!"

"Everyone else is still here and you want to leave? Don't you have any professionalism?! If everyone acted like you, how would the company operate?"

"Working overtime to buy the boss a Mercedes? That's ridiculous! He changed cars twice in a year, but his salary didn't increase by a single penny!"

"How dare you talk to me like that? Do you even want to keep your job?!"

"Ada~!!!!!"

Just like the kick he gave his drunken father when he was seventeen, Qin Wei's big foot finally landed on the face of the supervisor who had slammed overtime documents on the table.

After scraping together 6000 yuan, Qin Wei walked out of the police station laughing that day.

Even if he has nothing.

……

"And then?"

Jason took another big gulp of wine.

"Later, I taught myself graphic design. Once I became more skilled, I had more options. I worked for several companies before settling down. I wouldn't say I've made a name for myself, but at least I'm financially secure."

Qin Wei crushed the soda can and tossed it aside; that was the limit of his abilities. He couldn't climb any higher without financial support. That's why he chose to give up. Rather than desperately trying to climb the ladder, he preferred to slow down and appreciate the scenery along the way.

Qin Wei then posed a pointed question:

"What truly makes a person valuable is their irreplaceability. You just mentioned that you studied finance in college, so let me ask you, how many finance majors like you are there in Gotham?"

Jason didn't answer, but his serious expression with his lips pursed said it all.

Qin Wei's words touched him deeply. He suddenly realized that he had desperately climbed out of the mire just to prove himself. The upper world was not as wonderful as he had imagined. He had never and could never completely sever ties with the East District from his heart.

"What should I do?"

"If you still love this land, I can give you a chance to change it." Qin Wei injected a powerful dose of confidence into Jason's wavering heart. "Join me, and I can guarantee that all the Romans will withdraw from the Eastern District after Maroni's downfall. As for whether you can govern this land well, that will depend on you."

Jason wavered, but he was still not completely off guard.

"What is your purpose?"

Qin Wei certainly couldn't say nonsense like "You are the second Robin" or "You are the chosen one of the comics," and he had already prepared his words.

"Because you are the leader of the Red Hood, my plan is to spread from the Lower Districts to the whole of Gotham, so I need a stable rear."

After saying that, Qin Wei took out a large car key.

"You just said that Dave, that little bastard, is throwing a party, right?!"

He patted the Batmobile, the solid metallic sound echoing in the lamplight.

"Get it on! Give him a little surprise from the lower district. But before that, you'll have to put my wheels back on."