在哥谭庄园的韦恩庄园剧院内,席勒从服务员的托盘中拿起一杯香槟,与利托夫人的香槟碰杯.席勒叹了口气,"像这样活泼优雅的球已经不多了.现在派对太吵了,嘈杂的音乐让我头疼.
利托夫人抚摸着太阳穴旁的白发,表示同意,"我们这个时代也是一样.女孩和男孩往往很害羞,没有人敢在这样的聚会上牵手.但是你知道,现在的年轻人太狂野了.有一次我去了市中心的金杯大厦,我惊呆了.他们穿的衣服更像是窗帘,而不是真正的衣服..."
席勒笑着说:"现在事情发展得太快了,但这也是一件好事.最近经济似乎有了很大的改善.
利托夫人回答说:"这是真的.我在第四大道的两套公寓的租金上涨了一半以上.我不知道那些歹徒是怎么赚钱的.我什至在考虑在伊丽莎白街买另一套公寓..."
"夫人,您很聪明,"一个留着小胡子的男人从旁边传来一个低沉的声音.他用酒杯轻轻敲了敲席勒和利托夫人的眼镜,打招呼说:"你好,这是我的名片.
席勒看了一眼,读到:"金杯公司的经理?你是Falcone的房地产经纪人吗?
"是的,我为教父工作.然而,当然,我们的金杯公司是一家独立于法尔科内家族的独立合法企业.我们在东海岸都有房地产业务.
"如你所知,我们最近开始与芝加哥进行一些合作.那里的土地价格也在飙升.我来这里,是想向像你这样的富有的绅士和女士们介绍东方各个城市的房地产.
利托夫人对此很感兴趣,"我听说芝加哥的风景比哥谭市好.如果我在那里买别墅,你怎么看?
"你是Lieto夫人吗?你确实问对了人.芝加哥确实很棒.但如果你想要一个退休别墅,我推荐英皇城.那里的风景真的很美,不像整个东海岸的其他任何地方.而且,你知道,那里比哥谭或芝加哥安全得多.
"虽然我很喜欢英皇城的热带风情,但那里的赌场太多了,游客也来了.我总是觉得住在那里不会很平静,"Lieto夫人皱起眉头.
"既然如此,让我向你推荐迈阿密.这是一个非常好的城市.与帝王城相比,它有着更加狂野和野性不驯服的美.当然,当地的黑手党没有哥谭的对手.以你老公的财富,在那里买个房产也应该是个不错的选择.
利托夫人用她的扇子给自己扇风,"我其实打算和他讨论这个问题.虽然我们世世代代生活在哥谭,但这里的天气简直难以忍受.在那里度假一两个月就好了.毕竟我们不年轻了,哥谭的空气也不好长寿..."
席勒打断道:"我听说市长打算与韦恩企业合作开发一种城市空气净化系统,该系统可以调节特定地区的气候,并在全国范围内推广.但这可能需要一些时间.
The Golden Cup manager says, "It would be great if it happens. I really don't understand why Gotham, with its good geographical location, has so many gloomy and rainy days. If there are three or four months of sunny days in a year, the beaches here will surely drive tourists from all over the East Coast crazy."
The manager is right. Due to limited development, Gotham Beach has excellent quality. There aren't many daredevils who come here for vacation. Except for occasional visits by locals, it can be said it is the best-maintained city beach on the entire East Coast.
The waiter comes around again with a tray of snacks. The group takes some biscuits, drinks their wine, eats, and chats about the future development of Gotham. In the midst of the conversation, Schiller notices a black figure outside the theater door. It seems someone is watching him.
The theater is brightly lit due to the ball, but the manor area is pitch black. This old-fashioned estate community is not large, and there aren't many residents. Once a ball is held, almost everyone attends, leaving their houses empty.
Unlike Bruce, who is busy with his internship, Catwoman hasn't been having a great time lately.
She is a thief, and her main source of income comes from stealing. Of course, she is a high-end thief, not a street pickpocket. Catwoman mainly steals expensive jewelry from jewelry stores or stamp collections from collectors.
However, due to the reforms in Gotham, the city's nights become increasingly busy. The jewelry stores, gold and silver shops, and even watch repair stores on the main streets begin to open at night, with the staff and security work three shifts.
Catwoman relies on stealth and skills for her thefts, unlike assassins who kill everyone to remain undetected. Catwoman's physique and strength don't support that kind of approach.
The three-shift staff and security make her very headache. Even if she can find a way to distract one or two of them, the bustling streets and crowded alleys make her thefts easily caught.
In theory, with Catwoman's skills, she can do something else and not starve to death. But she has been raised as a thief since childhood. She doesn't know how to do, and never considers what to do anything else.
What if she can't steal? She just has to try harder. Although she occasionally succeeds, it's too easy to be caught, which makes her accumulate many enemies.
No one can avoid his wet shoes if he always waking along the riverside. One day, Catwoman's theft fails once again.
But this time, she gets herself into trouble with the wrong person. The place she is stealing from is called Golden Cup Jewelry Store, an industry under the control of the Falcone family.
The Falcone family is not like any other small gangs. The store's security is well-trained and well-staffed. There are no blind spots in the entire store. The moment Catwoman makes her move, she is caught.
Unlike other jewelry stores, the people under Falcone's control have the courage and ability to hunt down anyone in Gotham. The reputation of the Godfather cannot be tarnished. Catwoman not only almost gets caught but also ends up being wanted.
The twelve families send people to chase her. On this day, Catwoman is on the run, constantly dodging and evading. She has no choice but to flee to the outskirts of the city.
The trained assassins chasing her are relentless. In desperation, she steals a car and drives from the east to the west, thanks to Gotham's traffic control. There are no traffic jams or accidents. She manages to reach the vicinity of the mansion district.
Entering the mansion district, Catwoman feels a bit uneasy. The English-style mansions look eerie and terrifying in the dark. That's why, even though there are wealthy people living here, she rarely comes to this area.
But she has no choice. Her enemies are right on her tail, and Catwoman has to cautiously navigate. As she ventures deeper, she feels a deeper sense of unease. Somehow, it seems like everyone has vanished from here.
Catwoman proceeds with an ounce of courage, and she notices a faint light coming from one of the mansions.
Almost scared by the terrifying atmosphere, Catwoman doesn't think too much and heads straight toward the light.
Upon entering, she discovers signs of someone living there, which comforts her a bit.
Feeling like she has evaded the pursuers, Catwoman grows bolder. She silently approaches the base of the building using her grappling hook, effortlessly reaching the window with light.
She presses against the wall, peering inside and finding there is no one there. It seems like the owner has forgotten to turn off the lights before leaving.
Next to the balcony, there is a solid wooden desk filled with a messy stack of documents and some heavy books that give Catwoman a headache with just a glance. Apparently, the owner of the mansion is a scholar.
However, soon something else catches Catwoman's attention - a bottle placed in the corner of the desk.
The bottle isn't large, and it seems to be filled with some black mud. However, the material of the bottle itself makes Catwoman's heart race rapidly.
It is a diamond! An entire bottle made of diamonds!!!
Catwoman knows for certain that she isn't mistaken. As a thief for many years, she has seen thousands of different types of jewelry.
The radiant brilliance under the lights almost dazzles Catwoman's eyes, instantly captivating her.
Even though she has seen various beautiful jewels, she has never seen diamonds as pure as these.
Afterward, she starts to feel a bit frustrated. What is the owner of this mansion thinking? Why would they hollow out such a beautiful diamond to make a bottle? Wouldn't it be better if it were solid?
But whatever, Catwoman's thief instincts have been ignited.
The window is locked and seems to have an unfamiliar lock that Catwoman can't understand or pick. However, being the jewel thief who has dominated Gotham for many years, she doesn't have unearned reputation.
Seeing she can't open the window, she climbs down directly from the balcony, trying every window along the way. She soon discovers the mansion's owner is overly cautious. All the windows are locked with peculiar locks, even the small attic window.
But where there is a will, there is a way. Traditional English mansions have a special structure. In medieval English mansions, there would be a secret door near the toilet drain to allow the servants to clean the accumulated filth.
Although this mansion is built in a different era and uses modern plumbing systems, perhaps as an architectural homage, the medieval sewage passage is still preserved.
Catwoman's small figure allows her to crawl through this secret door into the bathroom. She thinks to herself ,it is lucky no one has used this passage; otherwise, she would never have entered through it.
With her exceptional acrobatic skills, Catwoman lands silently without making a sound. Then, to her dismay, she notes that the bathroom door is also locked!
How afraid is this guy about being stolen?
Fortunately, perhaps the mansion's owner finds the peculiar lock too troublesome. If they need to use it urgently, they might have trouble opening it. Therefore, the bathroom door has a typical iron lock.
Catwoman can easily pick this lock, and with just a few movements, she manages to unlock it. She silently approaches the desk.
With great excitement, she picks up the diamond-made bottle and admires it under the light. Now she is certain, it is definitely a diamond.
But what confuses her is ,she has never seen diamonds so pure. Whether it is the color or clarity, they are almost impeccable, appearing close to perfection.
What puzzles Catwoman even more is that inside such a beautiful bottle, there is a mound of black mud. No, perhaps it isn't accurate to call it mud. It resembles a sticky and viscous black slime.
Not knowing if it is her imagination, Catwoman feels the slime move a bit. But she is already mesmerized by the diamond bottle and can't wait to put such a beautiful diamond into her collection cabinet.
So, she doesn't care about what is inside the bottle and directly stuffs it into her small waist bag.
Since all the windows and doors are locked, Catwoman worries that the mansion owner will return and she won't be able to escape. Besides, getting such a beautiful diamond tonight is already enough.
Following the same route, Catwoman leaves. Before leaving, she doesn't forget to use a specific method to hang the lock outside the bathroom door, restoring it to its original state.
When she returns home, Catwoman takes out the bottle, examining it from all angles, liking it more and more. However, the black mud inside the bottle becomes more and more bothersome to her eyes. What kind of insanity would use such a beautiful bottle to contain a bunch of sticky black slime?
Catwoman wants to pour out whatever is inside. But the bottle has a unique sealing mechanism. The stopper is not a common wooden one; it has a series of intricate clasps and even a miniature lock.
Catwoman has never seen such advanced technology, and she can't understand it. But she knows one thing, that diamond is the hardest gemstone in the world. Therefore, she can use brute force to destroy the stopper without harming the beautiful bottle.
So, she grabs a crowbar, a file, and pliers, banging and smashing at the mechanism. After a while, apart from loosening one of the clasps slightly, the entire stopper remains intact.
Catwoman becomes exhausted, panting heavily. In frustration, she gives up and just throws the bottle onto the bedside table before going to sleep. She plans to wait a few days for the hunt to die down and then find a professional to help her open it.