Selina took two steps forward, cupping Bruce's face with hands, and said, "Sorry, my dear, Maggie mentioned earlier that there were some issues with your mental state. I didn't quite believe her, but now I do."
"I understand, I understand..." Selina leaned in closer to Bruce, "You're a big shot billionaire, and a meal can cost you thousands of dollars. Even if you don't know what five dollars represent in a slum, you could at least tell that this boot is a fake, right???"
Selina flung Bruce's head away, pointing at his boots and said, "Even if you may not pick out the details, can't you see that the upper and sole are not the same color? Are you colorblind?!!!"
By the end of her speech, Selina had begun yelling. Bruce had no response to her question, because he truly didn't know what rain boots in a slum should look like.
Bruce didn't usually wear rain boots. When he operated as Batman, he wore the Bat suit's combat boots. Those things, aside from resembling shoes, didn't have much to do with shoes at all. When he was just Bruce, he usually wore only dress shoes.
What? You're asking about rainy days?
On rainy days, wherever Bruce would like to go, he would simply call in advance for preparations. The car would be parked right at the entrance, and before he stepped out, the butler would be there, covering the path from the car door to the entrance with a big stack of waterproof blankets and holding an umbrella. If his shoes even got a drop of rain on them, the butler would get scolded.
The rain boots Bruce was wearing now had a faint color difference between the uppers and the soles. The uppers were ordinary green, while the soles were military green. Recalling the dimly lit location where he bought the shoes, and the moment the shopkeeper handed the boots over, Bruce had carefully inspected them but didn't think there was any issue with the color.
Selina sighed and said, "My dear sir, these boots are made of scrapped shoe soles and then patched together with poor-quality rubber uppers. They're fine when they're newly worn, but once they've soaked in water for a while, they'll immediately let the water in. Even if you offered me five dollars to wear them, I wouldn't!"
Selina wrapped her arms around Bruce's neck and said, "It seems that you've made quite a few foolish decisions over the past month or so. We'll find a quiet place, and you can tell me all about it and we can go and retrieve your money..."
Bruce really wanted to say there was no need, but looking at Selina's determined eyes, he chose not to speak up.
Selina led him through a series of twists and turns to a very dark alley. She knocked on the window of a ground floor apartment, and a heavily made-up old lady poked her head out and said, "Oh, isn't this Selina? What brings you here?"
"Ma'am, we're looking for a room." Facing the old lady, Selina was quite polite. The old lady looked puzzled and asked, "What's wrong with the room you used to live in? Why did you leave?"
Selina rolled her eyes and said, "Don't even mention it. I've had enough of that wimp Hoff. I want to find a place in Living Hell. I don't mind if it's a bit pricier, but it has to be secure."
The old lady withdrew her head, then took out a newspaper. She had written a series of words and house numbers in its blank space. She put on her glasses and examined the paper carefully. "Living Hell's North District has two vacant rooms available. The conditions are quite good, but the rent is a bit steep – eight dollars a week..."
"Can it be a little cheaper?" Selina asked. "I'll pay the protection fee on time. And, I'll subscribe to the newspaper and milk."
The old lady waved her finger and said, "Then I know just where you should go. There's a newly vacant house in the South District. The newspaper and milk subscriptions are already taken care of. You just move in – six dollars a week, no price hikes. How about it?"
Selina nodded and said, "Can you please give the mob over there a heads up? I'll occasionally head out at night. Oh, and sometimes I'll bring men back. Tell them not panic about it..."
"They don't worry about that kind of stuff in Living Hell anymore." The old lady said while flipping through the newspaper, "You get what you pay for. Just move in and you'll understand."
Selina took her wallet out, sifted through it and took out twenty cents to give to the old lady. She said her goodbyes with a smile, waved, and left.
On the way, Selina explained to Bruce: "The East District has a lot of old ladies like her. They are usually social butterflies from the previous generation, and many even used to be mob bosses' mistresses."
"When they reach a certain age, men no longer fancy them, but these women usually live comfortable lives. They are familiar with all the mob bosses, can navigate their way around the mansions with ease, understand social etiquette, and can meet the high-profile figures. In the East district, their word carries weight. Renting from them is a guaranteed success."
Bruce nodded in a slightly baffled way. However, he wasn't annoyed about not knowing about this because he genuinely didn't. And any newcomer over here wouldn't be expected to know either.
Selina stood with Bruce on the side of the road and said, "We'll catch a ride."
"Catch a ride? On what?" asked Bruce.
"Just hitchhiking. Living Hell is a long way from here. Don't tell me you were planning on walking there – you'd be dead tired… Oh, here comes a car!"
Bruce turned and saw a large truck coming their way. It was the same type of truck he drove when he was working.
Selina reached out to flag it down, but after giving it a look, she pulled her hand back. The truck whizzed by in front of them. Bruce turned to Selina.
"That one won't work, they wouldn't give us a ride," shrugged Selina. "There's cargo in that truck. That must be a night truck driver. Those drivers are usually too busy to bother giving anyone a ride."
Another truck passed but Selina didn't flag it down. She continued explaining, "This one won't work either. It's a female driver, and they don't let male passengers in."
"Oh, not this one... not this one either. The driver's too skinny, not as strong as you. He'd definitely suspect something if he saw you."
"Ah, this one!" Selina finally stretched out her hand and waved vigorously, and the truck stopped. Two burly men sat in the cab, with tattoos all over their bodies, their faces grimacing.
But Selina wasn't afraid at all. She approached them, clutching two banknotes in her hand, and said, "Hey, guys. I need a ride to Living Hell. You up for it?"
One of the men had a lecherous smile, but before he could say anything, Selina continued, "I do have plenty of time tonight, and I can hang out with you guys. But..."
Selina smiled sweetly, and the other driver gave his buddy a look, who then coughed and replied, "You two can only stay in the crate. Get off as soon as we arrive. Hand over the money."
Selina tossed the money into the cab and entered the cargo area with Bruce. The truck was transporting frozen beef, and there was a strange smell in the compartment. Bruce and Selina found a box to sit on, and after a bumpy ride, they finally arrived at their destination.
After they got out of the truck, Bruce asked Selina, "Were they trying to..."
Selina shook her head and said, "They're all talk. They wouldn't dare let me into the cab."
"There are no easy women in the East District. They would rather pay for a prostitute than approach a woman hailing cabs in the middle of the night. As a client, they only need to pay money. But letting me in the car could cost them their lives."
Upon reaching Living Hell, Selina didn't take anything with her and went straight into a room. After a while, there was a "knock, knock, knock" on her door. Selina didn't open the door. Instead, she slid the rent under the door, and the knocking immediately stopped.
Bruce looked around the room. It was far better than where he'd lived previously. Not only was it an entire apartment, but it also had a south-facing balcony, a bathroom with a kitchen, and even a shower room. It had obviously outlived the East District, even qualifying as an apartment between the South and North District.
Selina sat on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and said to Bruce, "Now, you can tell me what happened these past few days, right?"
And Bruce was finally ready to talk about his journey.
During his narrative, he emphasized the possible traps he had encountered, his experiences of being deceived, and a variety of incidents that had plunged him back into the life of hardship. However, Selina didn't show any surprise; she just listened quietly.
Once Bruce had finished sharing his story, he said, "That's why I feel it's absurd. There's no margin for error for the people here. Just one false step could..."
"Who told you that?" Selina squinted her eyes and said, "Bruce, I never realized before, are you always so rigid in your thinking?"
"Have you ever considered that because you weren't born here, you don't have any relatives or friends, that not being part of a gang means you don't have any brothers? Here, you are an orphan. Of course, life's going to be tough."
Selina put her hand to her forehead and sighed, "I've never thought you were a stupid person, but I have to say it today, can't your brain be a bit more flexible?"
Looking at Bruce's slightly puzzled face, Selina started speaking, "Take me for instance; my dad died early and my mom doesn't care about me, so I joined a gang of thieves early on. Doesn't sound like such a good thing, right?"
"But the sisters I met when I was younger, we are still in touch. The house I rented before was introduced to me by one of my sisters, and I even got a discount."
"The thief-mother who taught me skills did make me steal for her, but through her, I've met a lot of people who launder stolen goods. These people all have connections with the mob. They can sell the things I've stolen. Next to where I lived before, there's a market. I buy whatever I need from them. We're familiar with each other, they wouldn't rip me off."
"Then I started to become a Flying Thief. I'm familiar with several of the well-known thieves in the East District. We even hang out and swap information and experiences."
"Also, I can do gymnastics, right? I teach the girls from the Children's Gang some thieving skills, and the gang pays me money and helps me with some tasks. I get a discount when I order newspapers and milk."
"Then there's buying groceries and cooking. You initially got food poisoning, not because your stomach was acting up, but because the place you went to was specially designated to rip off out-of-towners."
"Do you know what I usually eat?" Selina asked, looking into Bruce's eyes. Bruce shook his head, and Selina glanced at her watch and said, "Well, it's not a bad time for a late-night snack. Follow me."
Selina took Bruce away from Living Hell again, and they hitched a ride to a more bustling area of the East District. There were numerous restaurants, and truck drivers waiting in lines for their meals were everywhere.
But Selina didn't join the queue. Instead, she found a shadowy small shop at the end of a lane and pulled Bruce inside. Looking at the environment in the shop, Bruce said,
"You'd better make sure you can lead me to a place where they can treat gastroenteritis, or else, I fear that after eating this time..."
The next second, a steaming hot meal was served. To his surprise, what was presented before him was beef with marbling that resembled marble. Yes, it was the kind that costs several hundred dollars a meal.