Baia counted the banknotes one by one, placing them together with the beautiful pink diamond Selena had given her.
At the time, Selena had just finished eating and casually tossed her a shiny little trinket, saying, "Here, play with this."
The system gasped on the spot: "Wow, it's the real deal."
"Even if I did heal Holly's injury," Baia said, "she didn't need to give me something so precious, did she? This is too much."
The system interjected: "Just take it; she's not short on money anyway. Besides, you still owe me nine thousand dollars."
Baia's hand paused as she counted the money. "You didn't forget about that?"
The system quickly adjusted: "Alright, how about four thousand five?"
In reality, Baia was calculating how much money she needed for rent. With Christmas only two months away, being prepared was a good quality, and she didn't want to spend the holiday under a lamppost with hobos. She was pleased to find that her assets were more than enough.
"I have to praise you," Baia said joyfully, even finding the system more pleasing to the eye, "although you didn't really help with anything, I appreciate you nagging in my ear every day."
The system retorted: "Whimper whimper, I rented the house, and I activated your skills, but in the end, you still hold a grudge against me for that incident in Chinatown."
Baia said, "Alright, that's enough. Is there really no hint for that task?"
The system replied, "Joking with you is one thing, but the system mechanism is another. You could say even I don't know."
Baia sighed, "So your only function is to nag in my ear."
Life had been quite peaceful these days, not because there hadn't been any bloody incidents on Baia's street or sudden reformations among Arkham patients, but because danger hadn't been as close as before. The system diligently reminded Baia to do tasks from nine to five, but it couldn't provide any clues, which was the most troubling thing for Baia.
Baia maintained a close yet distant relationship with her upstairs neighbors—two ladies and their cats. Sometimes they would talk about everything, but it was clear they were hiding something. From the perspective of tasks, Baia guessed the so-called "curiosity" was related to them.
But prying into someone else's privacy was a very dangerous thing.
Once discovered, the consequences might be unbearable for Baia—the lightest consequence being the rupture of a relationship she had worked hard to build, losing her main source of income. From this perspective, Baia understood a bit about what "control your curiosity" meant.
Every year, there were many tourists from the metropolis who came to Gotham to "see the Bat," but ended up being robbed instead.
Therefore, the best strategy was to go with the flow.
Unexpectedly, things took a turn in the evening.
In Gotham's late autumn, thunderstorms were common weather. The lightning outside was intense, enough to have previously startled Baia awake, but now she didn't feel much.
Selena hadn't returned yet. A pot of hot chicken soup simmered on the stove, waiting for her to come back in the rain and have a sip of warmth.
Baia was quite disciplined in this regard. She didn't ask about anything, but silently prepared everything. Most people actually wouldn't realize they were being taken care of without being self-aware. At least Selena had given her quite a generous reward for it.
Most of the books Baia was interested in about Gotham had been read thoroughly, leaving mostly novels. The system suggested that a thunderstormy night like this was perfect for reading Agatha Christie's detective novels, which was why she was nestled in a chair, thoroughly enjoying "And Then There Were None."
"I bet Gotham has had more terrifying things happen than this," Baia commented.
The system said, "Please stop making factual bets, okay?"
At that moment, there was an urgent knock on the door, and Holly's slightly trembling voice came from outside, "Baia, are you there?"
Baia frowned and stood up suddenly, hurrying to open the door. "What's wrong?"
Holly grabbed her arm. "You can treat wounds, right? Help Selena, please."
"Yes, I can." Baia thought about the description of the nightingale's skill and said, forcing herself, "What happened to Selena? Is she okay?"
Holly's lips were a bit pale, and Baia now noticed faint blood marks on her arm where Holly had grabbed her. "She's been shot."
"Oh my God," Baia whispered, "I'll do everything I can."
Holly looked at her, hesitated, wanting to ask why she didn't have any medical supplies, but then busied herself bringing her upstairs. In the end, she didn't ask, and the two girls hurried upstairs.
The faint smell of blood permeated the air.
If it were anyone else, not her, Selina Kyle, Catwoman mused drowsily, they probably would have died a long time ago. Damn, arrogant Poison Ivy, making her venture alone into Penguin's lair for a measly pot of junk plant—of course, it's not like she's afraid of the Penguin! But that was clearly a trap targeting Poison Ivy, not to mention being controlled by pollen made her far less agile!
Of course, because she's Selina Kyle, the infamous Catwoman, she still managed to steal the plant amidst the gunfire and rain. Drenched by the downpour, in a moment of clarity, she smashed the pot to pieces.
I'll make her pay, Selina thought fiercely. It's just a gunshot wound; it won't be long before I make her pay.
"Are you dreaming, little kitty?" she seemed to see the dark green lips of Poison Ivy in her dizziness, and hear her affected yet charming voice, but then, the voice turned into two more childish tones.
"Selina—Selina? Are you okay? You have to stay awake."
Holly placed a cold towel on her feverish forehead. Selina had already taken off her hood, and her Catwoman costume undoubtedly exposed her identity.
"Oh, Baia," Selina said dreamily and weakly, "I'm starting to doubt if I'm still hallucinating."
Beginner Task: Get to Know Your City (2) [Task Completed]
The golden mist in Baia's hands seemed to pause for a moment.
After getting used to it, the system got a bit carried away. The cheerful ringtone for completing tasks turned into a noisy drumbeat.
System: Fantastic! It's been a week! I'm so touched I could cry!
But after a few jumps, the system received a discreet warning from Baia. It knew Selina's injury had put Baia in a bad mood, so it immediately quieted down.
System: Don't worry, her bleeding has stopped, and the toxins from Poison Ivy have been neutralized.
Baia communicated with the system in her mind: "Don't beat around the bush; give me the Angel's Song."
Moon Dew costs 10 skill points. Angel's Song costs 15 skill points. If she exchanges for the latter, it should use up all her skill points.
System: I advise you to think carefully, young lady. Shouldn't you keep a few skill points for life-saving skills?
Baia also calmed down a bit, wiping Selina's sweat while asking, "Can I check Selina's physical condition? Like a percentage."
The system said: "No problem, as long as there is physical contact."
The girl immediately placed her hand on Selina's wrist in a rather amateurish pulse-taking gesture, feeling her slightly weak pulse. At the same time, a small panel appeared in front of Baia.
[Selina Kyle] 69.9%
30%, it would take a little over two hours for Moon Dew to fully recover. Baia's initial plan to choose Moon Dew wasn't unreasonable. Angel's Song had a long casting time, and its applicability approached zero in situations where she couldn't expose her abilities, unlike Moon Dew.
Having activated Moon Dew, Baia immediately started continuous healing on Selina, diligently increasing the percentage.
Selina had already regained consciousness, but she was still very weak. Being as sharp as she was, she naturally wouldn't miss Baia's actions. "Is that magic?"
Someone like her was very sensitive to even the slightest changes in her body.
Baia hesitated and nodded slightly, "I suppose so."
"Oh my God," Holly suddenly threw herself at her, her voice bordering on a scream, "I knew you could do it! But you're actually a magician! Oh my God!"
If Holly wanted to hug her, Baia would basically be helpless. She looked up at the ceiling in despair, letting Holly shake her.
When the girl calmed down, Baia belatedly asked, "Is the bullet still inside?"
After all, she didn't have any real experience in treating injuries. It was already good enough that she remembered to ask.
Selina asked, "Can you remove the bullet?"
Baia shook her head, and the weak woman smiled, "Then I'll do it myself."
Holly immediately ran to fetch Selina's medical kit. After all, Catwoman was constantly exposed to danger, so it was inevitable to get injured sometimes, but injuries as severe as this one were rare. With a grim face, Selina gritted her teeth and used tweezers to extract the bullet embedded in her body. Despite the sweat dripping from her forehead, the hand of Gotham's big cat remained steady. With a muffled grunt, the bloody bullet was quickly discarded on the nearby table.
The battle-scarred Cat with sweaty black hair had a captivating beauty, leaving Baia a little stunned.
"Won't it get infected?" Baia said worriedly.
Selina raised an eyebrow, "With magical healing, do you think it will get infected?"
Baia felt like Selina was expressing trust in her, just like when a big cat exposes its belly.
But her medical skills might not live up to Selina's trust.
Sensing the girl's complex emotions, the system comforted her: The skill is very reliable, so you can rest assured.
As Baia applied Moon Dew to Selina again, both the woman and the little girl, along with a bunch of cats who had just disappeared somewhere, popped their heads out to watch her.
System: ...I feel so much pressure with so many eyes on me.
Baia scolded: If you feel pressured, then don't talk!
"Okay, Baia," Selina spoke up, "as you can see, my name is Selina Kyle, and in Gotham, people call me Catwoman."
She stared at Baia like a hunter.
"This part I'm not familiar with," Baia said, "my name is Baia, and in Gotham, people call me Baia."
Selina laughed.
Holly suddenly lifted her head and sniffed the air, "Does anyone smell something burning?"
Out of nowhere, the system said: Uh-oh, your chicken soup. It's burning.
Baia's face turned ashen, "Oh no, my chicken soup."
"It's on fire!"
The two girls rushed downstairs like the wind.
By the time Selina's injury was completely healed and the chaos in the second-floor kitchen was cleaned up, the sun had risen for a long time.