There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 2 Oswald

That night, Qin Wei, who was in the police station's detention cell, tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

The crazy woman in the next cage kept babbling, the big man across from him snored like he was sawing wood, and only his roommate seemed normal.

Well... to say it's normal, it's not really that normal.

His gaze, like a smooth, large hand, lingered on Qin Wei repeatedly.

This is a handsome young man with slicked-back hair and a striking hooked nose beneath his deep blue eyes.

He was wearing a slightly oversized suit and sat upright on the bed with his legs crossed.

Their eyes met, and the young man took the initiative to start the conversation.

"My name is Oswald, and I work for Mr. Maronny. What is your name?"

"I don't know." The thought of being sent to Arkham the next morning made Qin Wei feel terrible. But if he could talk to Gordon a little more, he would find out that he wouldn't be directly imprisoned in Arkham, but would just undergo a simple psychiatric evaluation.

Unaware of what was going on, he angrily rolled over, presenting his round, large buttocks to Oswald.

But the other party didn't seem to intend to end the conversation.

"You have a great figure!"

"What do you want to do!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Wei shuddered, clutched his buttocks, and rolled back over.

"It was just a joke, don't worry about it!"

Oswald grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth.

"But you do have a great physique, you'd be perfect as a thug. I happen to be hiring right now, how about joining 'The Romans,' taking up a seat in the Senate, and starting a bright future?"

"Romans?"

Qin Wei felt that the name was familiar.

"Wow! A Gothamite doesn't know the Romans? You haven't even heard of Mr. Cameron Falcone, have you?!"

Qin Wei recognized the name; it was the name of Gotham's biggest mafia boss, whose gang was called "The Romans."

So, it turns out Oswald was actually inviting Qin Wei to join the Mafia.

Batman wasn't found, and he was inexplicably invited to join a gang. Reality and ideals are always at odds. But the problem on the table now isn't whether to join or not, but that if he doesn't, he'll be sent to Arkham.

"If I agree, can you get me out of here?"

"Of course, my friend. We're running errands for Mr. Maroney. Can't we even get out of a mere police station?"

As soon as Oswald finished speaking, footsteps echoed down the corridor, followed by the rustling of keys, and a portly prison guard helped open the door.

"I want to take him with me," Oswald said, straightening his collar and pointing at Qin Wei.

"He has a different price."

The corridors were filled with surveillance cameras, yet the prison guards made no attempt to hide their demands for money.

"We Romans pay our taxes on time every month. You should ask your damned chief for that money, not me!"

"But he's not a gang member, and besides, Gordon interrogated this man himself."

"Is that so? Okay..."

Having said that much, Oswald knew the conversation was over and shook his head in disappointment.

He took off his watch.

This watch is shiny and gold, and it feels quite heavy in your hand.

Qin Wei was puzzled, thinking that he had only met Oswald by chance, so why would the other party be willing to use such a valuable item to redeem him?

But it wasn't until he saw Oswald put his watch on his right fist and punch the guard so hard he vomited yellow fluid that he realized he had been presumptuous.

Amid the prisoners' commotion, Oswald kicked the fallen guard again, then turned and waved to Qin Wei.

"You're getting it for free."

After that day, Qin Wei joined the Romans and became a henchman of Maroni, the gang's second-in-command.

For short, "little brother".

His future was "bright" after moving into the "Senate".

Incidentally, the name "Senate" was given by Oswald, derived from the ancient Roman Chamber of Deputies. Oswald also confidently told Qin Wei that the gang would unify Gotham, and that those living in this building would become true Roman senators.

But in reality, the Senate was just the most common slum in the Lower East Side, a two-story wooden building soaked in dampness, with cockroaches and woodlice hiding under every floorboard. When you stepped on it, you could hear the crisp cracking sound of insect shells breaking—crunch!

Qin Wei found it hard to believe the promises Oswald was making, given his current dire situation.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye, and Qin Wei gradually adapted to life in the Senate.

Collecting rent, guarding the premises, and engaging in exhilarating brawls with rival gangs causing trouble, he gradually realized that being a gangster wasn't as glamorous as portrayed in movies. Most of the time, it was just a facade; while they looked impressive when they went out patrolling the streets surrounded by followers, the real reality was the hardship of sitting on a cement platform eating black bread.

Fortunately, there was Oswald.

He was a very caring leader to his subordinates; without his patient guidance, Qin Wei might not have made it through the adjustment period.

……

Back to the present, after washing his face, Qin Wei felt much more refreshed and ran into Oswald on his way back to his room.

"Hey bro, another job! This time it's Mr. Maroney's casino. We just need to be on security until 3 a.m., and we'll each get two hundred dollars."

Qin Wei nodded mechanically.

"What's wrong? Cheer up! This should be your first time venturing out of the lower districts for a mission. You might even get a chance to catch a glimpse of Mr. Maroni!"

"Oh... okay!"

To avoid embarrassing Oswald, he forced a smile, but to be honest, it looked rather awkward; it would have been better if he hadn't forced one at all.

How could Qin Wei possibly laugh? Since his transmigration, the system had never appeared, there was no shop that could be unlocked by completing tasks, no superpowers, and even the way back was unknown.

According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, once the two basic needs of physiology and safety are met, people will naturally want to find something to do.

What can we do?

Qin Wei loves open-world games; he's played Skyrim countless nights straight. But right now, all he wants to do is clear his mind and pray for an auto-pathfinding system.

I can tolerate you dumping me in this godforsaken place, but what's the reason? You have to tell me what to do!

Back in the room, I opened the wardrobe, which smelled of mothballs, and found a pure black suit hanging inside.

The necessary condition for joining the Romans is to have a smart suit, and it would be even better if you could use hair gel to slick your hair back.

They live in ground-floor apartments, yet they dress like respectable people.

As Qin Wei took off his clothes, a superhero comic book fell out of his inner pocket.

He didn't remember ever reading comics, and it was even questionable whether superhero comics even existed in the world. He picked it up and flipped through it, quickly realizing things weren't so simple.

This is actually a comic book about Batman.

After three whole months, Qin Wei finally saw that name in Gotham.

Even though it only exists in comics, it's exciting enough.

The villain in the comics is a biology PhD named Hugo Strange.

Dr. Hugo, who needed money for his experiments, borrowed money from Maroni at exorbitant interest rates. Unable to repay, he was humiliated by his creditors. Harboring resentment, the doctor, along with three cyborgs representing his research findings, raided Maroni's casino, killing everyone and looting all the money on the gambling tables.

The comic's storyline abruptly ends here, and although there are still many pages left, they are all blank.

"So this is the system notification? It really is an open-world game!"

Qin Wei rubbed his messy long hair and swore.

He wasn't stupid; he extracted the keyword "casino" and figured it out after a little thought.

The reason there is no follow-up plot is because he and Oswald will go to the casino as bodyguards, and then be torn into strips by the cyborgs like those cannon fodder characters in the comics whose faces are too lazy to be drawn.

It seems these two hundred dollars are money to buy my life!

Without the warning, Qin Wei would have certainly died tonight, but with this prophetic comic book, he felt he could still be saved.

The most urgent task is to find a way to survive.

Should we tell Oswald the truth directly?

"Hey bro, I've got a comic book here that says we're all going to die tonight!"

There's no way they'd believe that!

Besides, two hundred dollars is no small sum, and Oswald is the kind of person who would take risks to make money.

And he certainly had the means to do so.

Last week, the two encountered a group of lunatics wearing red hoods outside their apartment. Oswald single-handedly beat more than a dozen of them so badly that they couldn't get up. The only price he paid was a tear in the seam of his trousers.

Or should I just pretend to be sick and not go?

It was a good idea, but he didn't want Oswald to take the risk alone.

He got him out of prison, introduced him to a job, and even lent him money to buy a suit. In Gotham, this godforsaken place, Oswald was a breath of fresh air and the only person Qin Wei could call a friend.

"Forget it! Why think so much? Just deal with whatever comes our way."

After putting on his suit, Qin Wei tucked the comic book into his lower back.