There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 46 The Batmobile

"This wasn't a secret in the Roman Empire, but hearing it from someone else still makes me a little uncomfortable."

"If you're feeling uncomfortable, go and solve the problem. Running away won't help. I'm going to take a look around the port; you can investigate those people's background."

"Huh? I haven't told him yet..."

"You will agree."

Qin Wei opened the car door, turned around and winked at Royce.

Royce took a deep drag on his cigarette, rubbing his right elbow. His face, like a movie screen, constantly shifted expressions under the projection of memories.

The smoke had burned to its end.

He kicked the car door open, and threw the cigarette butt hard onto the ground, the sparks flying out and disappearing in an instant.

……

Beside the van, six or seven masked men were laboriously loading goods onto the truck. Their clothes were faded and stained with large clumps of dirt, and some of their shoes even had their toes sticking out. These men all had one thing in common: they reeked of a foul odor. Getting close to them was like digging up a rotting rat from the sludge of a sewer.

As expected of a veteran of the lower districts, Royce recognized the group's identities at a glance.

The Beggars' Gang, a force at the bottom of the Lower City, is also Gotham's cheapest labor force. You can hire them for free, a few slices of bread will suffice. However, these beggars aren't exactly clean, and they can't get decent work.

Therefore, the work they undertake is often shady, and once it's done, they disappear. Even if they leave behind a trail of clues, the police can't possibly sift through tens of thousands of beggars in Gotham to find the suspects.

Royce smoothed his hair, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and walked toward two beggars who were lounging lazily in the shadows of the shipping container.

"The weather is really nice today, it's not raining at all, is it?"

He offered the cigarette before even greeting the people in the lower district; Reus knew all too well how to build rapport with them.

But the two beggars weren't fools. Who would greet them for no reason? They exchanged a glance, took the cigarette, and then remained silent.

Reus had anticipated this situation and shook the lighter in his hand.

"My name is Harvey Dent, and I'm the newly appointed prosecutor. A few days ago, we found two bodies on the riverbank, both beggars, wearing masks just like you. Do you have any leads?"

It's not uncommon for beggars to be murdered after being used to cover their tracks. The beggars are well aware that most of the jobs they're offered are shady and dangerous. But they also need to eat, and the hunger is unbearable.

Instead of revealing the dangers of their mission directly, Royce cleverly used Harvey Dent's identity to reveal some details.

It was late at night, and he was shrouded in the blinding light from the tower crane. Apart from his striking blond hair, his appearance was completely obscured. He was more than capable of impersonating Harvey Dent.

Besides, did the beggar really see Harvey?

"I have no idea!"

The beggar snatched the lighter from Royce's hand, his hand trembling as he lit a cigarette.

Another beggar's reaction was even more exaggerated; he lifted his hood and bent over, seemingly trying to escape by going around the back of the container.

"I suspect that this shipment you're transporting is related to the person who died a few days ago, so I want to infiltrate and investigate... How about this, you leave the clothes and everything else behind." Royce pulled out a few banknotes from his wallet.

The two beggars had long intended to give up, and now that they could get money, what reason did they have to refuse? After finishing their cigarettes, they thanked him profusely and took off their clothes.

In this way, Royce easily obtained the pass to infiltrate the moving crew group.

On the other side, Qin Wei was wandering aimlessly when he happened to see a tower crane pulling a large, dusty container about to load it onto a forklift.

The container was too heavy. Even with the largest forklift available, it was still pried up the moment the tower crane released its hook, and a corner of the container slammed heavily to the ground.

Qin Wei, who was standing to the side, felt the ground tremble.

But the unexpected events didn't end there.

The forklift, with its rear wheels off the ground, reversed at full speed, attempting to pull out the two deformed forks from under the box. The huge box wobbled and overturned with a loud crash, and the heavy contents inside tore open the metal container and rushed towards Qin Wei.

That was a car.

The most striking feature is its wheels, four huge wheels like those of a heavy truck, probably half a meter wide; the front shock absorbers, as thick as anchor chains, are exposed, exuding a strong, rugged industrial vibe.

Its chassis is low, but it would be too hasty to define it as a sports car, after all, the whole car is covered with thick gray-black metal plates, which is a treatment that even military armored vehicles do not have.

If you had to use something as a comparison, its exaggerated, rugged design is closer to the four-wheel drive cars Qin Wei played with as a child, but this suit of steel armor looks more like a tank.

Three words popped into Qin Wei's mind—the Batmobile!

Every teenager harbors a Batmobile in their heart. Its design might be the sleek Rolls-Royce from early detective comics, or the bullet-shaped one from Keaton's movies, or even the heavily armored Bouncer like Bell's bat beetle.

But Qin Wei only glanced at it and immediately knew that the car in front of him was the Batmobile of his dreams. The reason was simple: admiring it through a screen or on paper could never compare to the awe-inspiring experience of being up close.

His breathing became rapid, and he impatiently reached out to touch it.

When the forklift operator saw someone trying to touch the goods, he hurriedly jumped off the truck and shoved Qin Wei away.

"Get out of my way! Can you even afford this stuff? Don't just touch it like that!" The man spread his arms, blocking the way between the people and the car, frowning as he sized up Qin Wei, who was dressed in tattered clothes. "Where did this garbage collector come from? If you don't get out of here, I'm going to..."

Sigh, this cliché plot has finally come to pass.

Qin Wei scratched his head, looking troubled.

He was struggling with how to slap someone in the face in a creative way that seemed fresh and unpretentious. Should he slap them in the face with a wad of cash, or drive his Ferrari and send the other person flying?

Fortunately, Victor's appearance solved his problem.

He seemed to have been spying on Qin Wei for a long time. As soon as he saw that the other party was in trouble, he immediately emerged from the corner, stepped forward with his splayed legs, and delivered a flying kick that sent the blind guy flying.

"They've never seen you dressed so...uniquely before, please don't be angry. If you are, please take it out on me!"

Victor bowed deeply, his face filled with sorrow, but the next second his eyebrows shot up, and his fawning expression seamlessly switched as he began to enthusiastically introduce the car to Qin Wei.

"A masterpiece from Wayne Group's R&D department, a multi-functional terrain-protected armored vehicle with a two-seat configuration. Look at these thick steel plates; most armor-piercing rounds can't even leave a mark on it..."

"With 1200 horsepower and a remote control system, this is an absolute head-turner! Since you and Mr. Falcone are old acquaintances, I'll sell it to you for a bargain price of 5000 million US dollars!"

Qin Wei was determined to get this car, but the price was really outrageous; he wouldn't have enough money for the subsequent activities after buying it.

"Is this really the latest model?"

Qin Wei glanced at the dusty container and then rubbed a layer of dust off the truck body with his finger.

"Um... the latest models from the last five years, in short."

Victor gave an awkward smile, realizing that Qin Wei wasn't so easily fooled.

Wayne Group’s high-tech R&D department was dismantled five years ago, and many of its novel gadgets ended up in his hands, including this car.

The vehicle was so expensive that Victor preferred to leave it in the warehouse to gather dust for five years rather than sell it cheaply, but the truth is that this thing had a very narrow range of uses.

The vehicle's weight of over ten tons causes significant damage to the road surface, preventing it from being driven around freely like a regular sports car. Furthermore, its design is largely ignored in the current Gotham retro trend, where its rugged and exaggerated styling finds little appeal.

Victor had already prepared himself for the possibility that the car wouldn't sell, and planned to transport it to a dismantling plant to see if the parts could be sold separately.

Even if it means recouping some losses to stop the bleeding, it's better than letting it gather dust in the warehouse.

Having finally found someone who appreciates its value, Victor knew that if he didn't seize this only opportunity, the car would be completely wasted.

"How much are you willing to pay?" he asked.

This is almost the most humble thing a businessman can say. The message behind it is very straightforward: as long as I don't lose too much money, I will sell to you.