Baia heard a scream.
She stood frozen in place, realizing belatedly that it was the system screaming.
System: He's coming!! Quick, get out of the way!!
She found herself blocking the man's escape route, watching as the gun was raised slightly. Time seemed to slow down, and Baia told herself to do something quickly. But the unexpectedness of the situation left her unable to react in time.
In the nick of time, a long and powerful hand grabbed her by the collar and pulled her aside.
The man was solely focused on escaping, and since the girl had moved out of his escape route, he didn't want to stir up more trouble.
"Be careful, little bird," the owner of the hand said lazily and alluringly.
Slowly turning her head, Baia saw a pair of beautiful hands, perfectly proportioned with long fingers painted in black nail polish.
Her gaze moved upward.
It was a stunning beauty.
With black hair and an unbelievable figure, the woman looked at her with a smile that was not quite a smile. Baia was momentarily stunned, locking eyes with her.
Seeing Baia looking a bit stunned, the woman chuckled mischievously and released her grip on Baia's hand. Before Baia could even regain her balance, she sat down with an "ah" sound.
Seeing this, the woman couldn't help but laugh even more.
"Thank you for your help," Baia said with a hint of annoyance in her tone, but it seemed to only amuse the other woman further. However, the cushioning from her sudden pull made the fall less painful, so Baia wasn't inclined to be angry with her.
"You're welcome, it was quite entertaining," the beautiful woman said, seemingly not inclined to offer further help or engage in conversation. It seemed like she only pulled her for fun.
Before Baia could say anything else, the woman ruffled the girl's beautiful black hair, mounted her motorcycle, and with a toss of her hair, she left.
Well, they say all sorts of people can be found in the big city.
After going through such an amusing encounter, Baia didn't feel as scared anymore. She used her fingers to comb through her messy hair, took a deep breath, and picked up the things on the ground one by one, stacking them together again.
After the sudden robbery incident had ended, the police arrived late. Baia couldn't control her racing heartbeat as she passed by the scene with a stack of items. She couldn't control herself from taking a look.
There was no ambulance. The police lifted a bag containing something shaped like a person into the car, and the dark red color on the ground seeped into the cracks. Two detectives lit cigarettes within the recently set up police cordon, chatting away.
The police sirens droned monotonously, the crowd had long dispersed, and the entire street fell into a silent atmosphere, as if a wolf had passed through a flock of sheep.
Baia couldn't describe her feelings.
This was far more impactful than reading a few monotonous words in the newspaper. Moreover, newspapers wouldn't publish such uninteresting news.
Ding.
The system's voice suddenly sounded again, the cheerful ringtone indicating the completion of a task.
Newbie Task: Get to Know Your City (1) [Task Completed]
System: Welcome to Gotham.
Baia ignored the system's sarcastic tone and didn't want to mention its screaming during the crisis earlier. Instead, she looked at the police car.
"I understand now."
Since Baia called it a phishing software yesterday, the system had been a little unhappy: What do you understand?
Baia said, "I know what you mean by not getting stronger means dying. Is this kind of thing common in Gotham?"
This time, instead of diverting the topic, the system spoke seriously: I advise you not to dwell on it.
System: In this world, even gods can't save everyone.
By the time Baia dragged herself back home with great effort, it was already four o'clock in the afternoon.
She categorically placed the items into the refrigerator and kitchen, most of which were groceries and thus quite heavy. There were also some condiments scattered across the empty cabinet, adding a bit of life to the place.
She hung the map on the empty wall, barely replacing a painting.
Although Baia's method of completing the task was unexpected, the shopkeeper who sold her the map was somewhat correct in a sense.
She didn't learn about Gotham from the map.
Nor from the newspaper.
She saw Gotham with her own eyes.
Of course, it's not that Gotham equals a string of robbery cases. In fact, the goodwill she has encountered in this city far outweighs the malice, to the extent that she cannot accurately perceive what kind of place she is in.
A complex, city of light and shadow, a dangerous city.
Speaking of which, when she returned, she noticed a somewhat familiar motorcycle parked in the garden. However, she seriously doubted that Gotham was full of motorcycles like this, so she didn't pay it much attention.
After resting for a while, she started to handle the ingredients she had deliberately placed outside.
The nimble tip of the knife separated the chicken meat from the bones, and when placed in the frying pan with just a little oil, it made a pleasant sizzle. The fish rolled in the pan, and the clear water gradually turned into a beautiful milky white. Only a small amount of spices were added, and the original fragrance of the ingredients was brought out.
A light footstep came from upstairs.
"Wow, is someone cooking? It smells amazing!" A girl poked her head out from upstairs, sniffing around with her large eyes gleaming cunningly.
Even though the door was closed, Bia still heard, so she opened the door, coming face to face with the girl from upstairs.
The girl upstairs was not shy at all. She bounced down the stairs, saying, "So, you're the tenant on the second floor? Just you?"
The latter question made Bia instinctively feel a sense of danger, but this girl was at most the same age as her, and her outgoing demeanor made it impossible for her not to answer, so she nodded.
"Hello, I'm Bia."
"Holly." The girl reached out her hand and shook hers, then looked behind Bia, "It smells so good, can I taste it?"
Bia felt a bit helpless. From the beginning, this girl named Holly didn't leave her any room for refusal, but she didn't mind this feeling.
She seemed not very good at actively interacting with others, and in her current situation of having no acquaintances, Holly seemed to dispel some of her loneliness.
She stepped aside to let Holly in, but when the girl poked her head in, she noticed the boning knife hanging from Bia's left hand and couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh!"
"Don't worry," Bia said, putting the knife behind her, though it made her look even more dangerous, "I'm just handling the chicken."
Holly seemed completely unconcerned.
Compared to Bia, the girl upstairs was much stronger. It's not that her figure wasn't attractive, on the contrary, it was filled with the beauty of a healthy teenage girl, making Bia seem a bit thin.
Holly felt the same way. Bia, like her, could handle ten others. That's the confidence of a Gotham native.
As Bia was about to close the door, Holly suddenly asked, "Do you dislike cats?"
"Cats are one of the best creatures in the world, okay? Who could dislike cats?"
"Then don't close the door, in case we have more guests coming later."
She didn't make anything too elaborate. It's as if she could naturally figure out how to handle the ingredients just by holding a knife in front of them, so dinner was ready soon.
Holly widened her eyes. "Selina has brought me Chinese takeout a few times, but it seems completely different. These look quite fancy."
Bia smiled. "Try them, they're delicious. But not expensive."
A creamy white fish soup, a small portion of chicken, seared in butter with a sprinkle of rosemary and black pepper to avoid Holly not being used to it, and the other half made into traditional Kung Pao chicken.
The Kung Pao chicken was spicy, and Holly puckered her lips, saying it tasted like Mexican food.
Bia ate quietly, listening quietly. She felt good, as if there was suddenly more warmth at the dinner table with one more person.
And whether or not Bia responded didn't seem to affect Holly's chatter. After a while, she heard the sound of high heels coming from upstairs.
Tap, tap, tap.
Reserved yet elegant, she must be a very beautiful woman.
Today, for the second time, she made a judgment and then saw the same person at the door.
"Selina!" Holly exclaimed happily.
"Hello, little one, we meet again," said the tall, beautiful woman leaning against the door.
"Hello, Miss Selina," Bia stood up and greeted her, "If you don't mind, join us for dinner? As a token of my gratitude."
Selina didn't hesitate either, pulling out a chair and sitting down, "You know, since we're on the same path, I really should have given you a ride back, darling."
"It's okay, exercising is good for health."
This statement choked Selina a bit. She looked at the obedient Bia, seeming unsure if she was being deliberate.
Selina wasn't the last guest; several cats wandered around on the stairs for a while before entering Bia's home.
Apart from a fat orange tabby that stood out, the remaining three were all black cats. One had cute white gloves and a white chin, resembling nimble spirits wandering in the dark, slender in form.
As soon as these cats came in, they sniffed around and explored everywhere. Besides the big orange one circling between the legs of the three seeking some fish or chicken to eat, the other three cats wandered around like three little spies inspecting her home. One of them quite impolitely sat on her bookshelf and started licking its paw.
You can't expect cats to understand guest etiquette.
Bia didn't mind being in the middle of her meal. She bent down and stroked the glossy fur of the big orange cat, immediately receiving a purr. She picked up a piece of chicken and gave it to the orange cat, which made the little beast even more enthusiastic, rubbing against her legs and rolling around.
"Why isn't it coming in?" Bia pointed to the big black cat squatting outside watching everything.
It was really big and fluffy, possibly of a Maine Coon or similar large breed, with a messy coat of long fur. Its pair of blue eyes, quite rare on a black cat, stared straight at Bia, as if trying to discern something from her.
Selina shrugged, "He's not very sociable."
Bia took a step towards the big black cat.
The big black cat immediately took a step back.
Bia felt a bit helpless, giving up on this attempt and returning to the table to eat obediently.
"Don't act like a jerk, Detective Big." Selina said.
"Detective Big is its name?"
"Yeah," Holly said quickly, "Because Selina says its personality is very similar to someone she knows."
"Holly." Selina emphasized, seeming a bit unhappy.
The girl immediately closed her mouth unwillingly. The big black cat turned around and decisively went upstairs. Bia noticed that this cat was limping a bit.
The two tenants on the third floor highly praised her cooking skills, but they left soon after finishing their meal. Bia wasn't surprised; Holly seemed to be there just for a free meal, while Selina seemed to take everything for granted.
Just like two cats, one big and one small.
Their cats, however, lingered a bit longer at her home, which made Bia even less resentful; she enjoyed stroking each one of them.