"Daring to investigate and seek information about them, and spy on their power dynamics.
Aren't you afraid that your boldness will cause ripples in the dark waters, attracting some sharks?"
After Selina warned, she paused and then showed an angry expression.
"Moreover, aren't you overestimating the abilities of a little thief?"
She only wanted to steal things quietly, but this person wanted her to touch the tiger's ass. It was no different from giving her a gun and asking her to assassinate the president. The consequences of assassinating the president might even be better.
Looking down at the rainy street below, David, who had changed into a neatly tailored black suit, smiled at the young Catwoman sitting on the couch inside the house.
"I believe in you. You are not an ordinary thief."
There were too many infamous Gotham gang leaders, and it would be much faster to get some concrete information rather than going after each of them one by one.
"No way!"
Regarding matters involving danger to her life, Selina firmly refused.
"Attracting their attention would mean getting disappeared without a trace, it' s better to be caught by the police and spend a few years in jail."
"A few years in jail?"
David raised an eyebrow, his tone cold.
"Don't secretly reduce your sentence.
I guess the things you've stolen could add up to a hundred years in prison."
In addition to valuable jewelry, Catwoman's targets also included various precious artifacts.
"In any case, it's better than being dead."
After listening to David's purpose, Selina was no longer concerned about his threat and walked out of the room, thinking that with just a single photograph, she might not receive a severe sentence. She just didn't want to draw attention from the police, but even if she ended up in prison, there was still a possibility of escape.
Prison guards might not be more vigilant than the security at private museums.
For her, breaking into museums was like going home, and prison wouldn't hold her for long.
"How about negotiating a price?"
"I'm not interested in money."
Catwoman directly rejected David's monetary temptation and reached for the doorknob to leave.
Whoosh!
A dime coin flew like a shotgun pellet and shattered the brass doorknob.
"What... What do you want to do?"
She turned around like an agitated cat, assuming a defensive stance as if facing a formidable enemy.
"How did you do that? With your hand?"
Seeing David retracting his hand after flicking the coin, Selina looked shocked.
"You don't care about money, and you might already have plenty of jewels.
But there are things you've never encountered before."
David smiled mysteriously.
"In the countryside where I come from, there's a cave where runaway slaves hid in the last century. They secretly cultivated a unique herb from Africa there, called the Heart-Shaped Herb."
"Heart-Shaped Herb?"
Selina looked puzzled.
"Eating the Heart-Shaped Herb allows a person's physical abilities, strength, and speed to reach their human limits."
"Is it for real?"
This fantastical tale made her look skeptical.
As a thief, it was essential to read people's emotions and know who was best to target and who was not worth provoking.
She had also studied some psychology, but when she saw David talk about Heart-Shaped Herb allowing people to reach their physical limits, he didn't seem to be lying.
Moreover, if there was no Heart-Shaped Herb, how could he explain his own strength?
"So, I give you the information you want, and you give me a Heart-Shaped Herb?"
Selina was skeptical.
...
"Are you going off-roading on a motorcycle again this time?"
On the thirteenth floor underground of Wayne Tower, when seeing the son of a deceased friend arriving, Lucius Fox, who was in charge of Wayne Enterprises' technology research and application department, smiled.
"By the way, I just saw your headline news,
Bruce Wayne, who had been missing for years, appeared at a high-level meeting of Wayne Enterprises."
Bruce smiled.
This morning, during William Earle's board meeting to discuss the company's public offering, he officially reappeared in front of everyone, doing nothing but interrupting the meeting. Some board members who had agreed to the proposal said they needed to reconsider.
"It seems that Gotham hasn't forgotten about me." He sighed.
After attempting to kill the paroled Joe Chill and almost falling into darkness, he left Gotham and had been traveling and learned various knowledge outside. It had been six years since he disappeared from the public eye.
"Your family has contributed to Gotham's prosperity, and they will never forget you." Looking at the young man in front of him, Lucius remembered his deceased friend with emotion.
"Mr. Fox, I'd like to know if there's any special clothing that can resist laser weapons?"
After chatting for a while, Bruce Wayne got to the point.
"What's the reason this time? Mountain climbing, cave exploring, or skydiving?"
Suppressing his sad emotions, Lucius teased.
Under the guise of these excuses, this guy had come to him to get several high-tech tools.
"Well..."
Bruce hesitated.
To be honest, even with his intelligence, he couldn't come up with a reason why a playboy like him would need to face laser weapons.
"If you don't want to tell me exactly what you're doing, it's okay. At least, when I'm asked, I don't have to lie."
The old man humorously changed the subject and let him off the hook.
Bruce fell silent. His entire set of high-tech equipment might be hidden from others, but it couldn't be hidden from the old man who had personally handed over several pieces of equipment to him.
The two understood each other without speaking and decided not to pursue the topic further.
"There's one prototype."
Leading Bruce to a box covered with a curtain, Lucius uncovered the dusty curtain and took out a pair of black wrist guards from inside.
"Energy-absorbing wrist guards, made of superconductive composite material, as light as carbon fiber, yet capable of withstanding blades. The most important thing is..."
Taking the wrist guard to a nearby workbench, Lucius used an electrical device to activate it.
Electric currents flashed across the wrist guard, and then the light vanished.
"Absorbed it?"
Seeing this, Bruce's eyes lit up, and he couldn't wait to ask.
"Laser weapons as well?"
"As long as it's energy, it can be absorbed. However, there's one thing..." Lucius raised a finger seriously. "Once it reaches the absorption limit, even a little more energy will cause an explosion!"
"The power is enough to blow open a tank's armor. If a person wears it..."
He didn't need to explain further. The person would turn into a pile of minced meat.
"So, it's still a prototype."
Bruce frowned at such an obvious and deadly flaw.
"Why don't you continue the research?"
"Firstly, ordinary people don't need to face stormtroopers from Star Wars.
Secondly..."
Making a slight joke, Lucius opened his arms, a touch of loneliness crossing his face, indicating the empty floor around them.
"Wayne Enterprises' technology research department is virtually nonexistent now. Mr. Earle believes that with the foundation left behind from before the death of your parents, Wayne Enterprises is enough to sustain them for more than a decade, so there's no need to invest a large sum of money in technology research for now."
"Like the AK47, it's been selling well worldwide for decades."
He hinted that some businesses were simple to invest in but highly profitable.
"AK47?"
Bruce noticed his tone and wondered why he mentioned that.
"Researching weapons used to be only a part of Wayne Enterprises, but a few years ago, the focus shifted. Now, the company's main revenue comes from arms trading."
"What?"
Bruce Wayne's expression changed. Having been to war-torn areas himself, he had witnessed the harm caused by wars. He gritted his teeth with anger.
"How dare he do such a thing in the name of Wayne!"
"Speaking of arms trading, there's something more important I need to tell you."
Recalling something, Lucius furrowed his brow, looking solemn.
"What is it?"
"Recently, Wayne Enterprises lost a large-scale technological weapon designed for warfare."
...
Yo! How is the style of translation compared to the previous one? Also, have any of you got something good to read? Been bored these days lol 🥱
Don't forget to send your power stones and review the fic!!