To see Sheila, Vivi didn’t need to go personally; she only needed to stay in a safe room, leisurely flipping through the files marked “Top Secret,” waiting for others to bring Sheila over.

This was a girl in her early teens, thin, and unable to fill out her prison uniform. Her black hair was dishevelled, hanging loosely, and her eyes stared blankly ahead at the ground, not lifting her head.

They were separated by a table, with two prison guards standing behind the girl, hands behind their backs. Sheila was not allowed to sit.

According to the file, she had been imprisoned for four and a half years.

Vivi gazed at her: “She has no criminal record. Even if she did, she should be in a juvenile detention center, not Blackgate Prison.”

“She possesses supernatural abilities, ma’am.” Joseph, the warden, had slipped away early under the guise of “treatment,” transforming into a red-named character before leaving. But Vivi hardly paid him any mind; there were many in Gotham who hated her, and a warden she had only met once hardly registered.

The one who stayed was Blackgate’s second-in-command, an overly serious, burly man, who naturally responded to her.

“So… our city’s law is that people with supernatural abilities are second-class citizens of Gotham? Even without committing a crime, they can be captured and imprisoned?” Vivi was genuinely curious as she asked, since she hadn’t activated the judicial module and couldn’t find a way to change the law in the system panel.

—If such a law truly existed, she’d like to filter out all evil supernatural criminals in Gotham. After all, if supernatural beings had no rights, they could be executed one by one.

But the others seemed to misunderstand.

“She’s dangerous,” the second-in-command paused, whispering to Vivi, “…but obedient.”

So they couldn’t release her, even if she was innocent?

The second-in-command believed Vivi would understand his implication; supernatural beings in government hands were exceedingly rare, and the Mayor could make the “Rat Catcher” do anything, except release her.

“You can leave now.” Vivi nodded at the second-in-command.

A few minutes later, only Vivi and the “Rat Catcher” girl remained in the empty room.

“How did you acquire these powers?”

—“I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you escape?”

—“I can’t.”

“Do you know you’re innocent?”

The girl hesitated, then shook her head, followed by a nod.

Vivi flipped to the last page of the file: “Blackgate Prison has had more than one major escape incident. It would have been easy for anyone to leave during those times. Why didn’t you escape?”

The girl remained silent.

—Vivi thought the Rat Catcher’s ability to control rats could help her complete the main mission, and since she was familiar with the sewers, she’d likely be useful in future tasks.

“She’s very obedient,” apparently the girl was available for free, but Vivi wanted to release her—[Criminal] status couldn’t be directly converted to [Employee], and she couldn’t see Sheila’s attributes. The game designer might have set a trap at this stage.

After all, it was an important main mission, and even if it meant paying a salary, Vivi wanted to ensure no issues arose with the main mission.

…What a significant concession.

But now, Sheila wasn’t cooperating. Vivi thought for a moment: “Go commit a crime.”

Sheila: “?”

In reality, Sheila’s incarceration process was irregular; thus, her imprisonment term was vague. She was innocent, so she couldn’t be sentenced, meaning her term was unlimited. But if she committed a clear crime, like stealing a manhole cover or a hot dog, she could be legally released after being captured.

Even as Mayor, Vivi couldn’t just release criminals. On one hand, she wasn’t the warden, and on the other, there wasn’t an option for that on the panel (==).

But after explaining this to Sheila, the girl looked frightened.

The girl, nicknamed the Rat Catcher, suddenly stood up.

Then, rustling sounds filled the room, as if multiple rodents were crawling around their feet, some entering the vents, and gnawing sounds were heard. The quiet Sheila’s eyes burned with tangible anger: “You’re deceiving me!”

“You are trying to deceive me!”

Vivi, however, curled her lips into a smile.

—She found a breakthrough.

“You don’t want to commit even a minor crime, why?”

Pairs of red eyes from the rodents shone in the darkness, but the blonde woman remained calm, even casually clapping as if applauding herself. She guessed: “You’re not willing to escape because of this, right? Even though you’re not a criminal, escaping during detention would make you one, correct?”

“Do you find it amusing?”—Sheila stared at the woman before her, who in heels, was nearly 1.8 meters tall, forcing her to look up, “You think it’s funny?”

“I am innocent!”

【You have received a side mission: The Rat Catcher’s Determination】

【“I haven’t committed a crime,” Sheila firmly believes this. She doesn’t know her sentence, but completing tasks set by officials could reduce it, making her Blackgate’s most obedient “criminal”】

【Mission Description: The Rat Catcher only accepts leaving Blackgate as a non-criminal】

【Mission Reward: Insignificant gratitude or nothing?】

This mission could be ignored.

But the mission description explained why Sheila was “obedient,” dispelling Vivi’s doubts. It seemed she could use her as a tool… as if!

Gamers are the kind of people who do meaningless things for “insignificant gratitude,” a clear puzzle before Vivi, yet she wasn’t allowed to solve it. How is this different from a kitten constantly scratching your palm?

Who could refuse a kitten?

Vivi smiled at her: “No, you have committed a crime.”

“You commanded rats to steal information, take keys, helping some officials get the clues they wanted, eliminating dissenters in Gotham… and all this is written in your file.”

“Reflect in prison.”

Vivi waved, signaling the guards to take the bewildered Sheila away, then looked at the map, her gaze landing on the “second-in-command” and “warden,” selecting one after a long moment.

—Sheila was pulled back to her cell.

Choosing a double-layered cell design, assured that no rat could enter, she couldn’t use their power for anything.

Why…

She knew who Anna Alek was, the new mayor. The rats on the street had told her.

Why…

She had been obedient enough, diligent enough.

Sheila had a not-so-bad father, a rat catcher who worked in the sewers of Gotham, catching rats for a living. Then, one day, just because he found a murder scene, he was wrongfully imprisoned as the murderer—those were the darkest times in Sheila’s life.

Later, after her father was released upon completing his sentence, he committed real crimes. He captured those officials, tortured them, and even tried to spread a plague in Gotham… and then, he was imprisoned again. This time, he was not wronged.

“He changed,” her mother said before leaving, “Sheila, don’t become like your father.”

No matter what, I must not commit a crime, Sheila thought, I must never commit a crime. As long as I am innocent, there will come a day when I am released, no matter what… no matter what…

“You have committed a crime.”

Four and a half years of prison life hadn’t destroyed her, but this statement truly shattered the meaning of her existence.

Did I commit a crime?

“Click.”

The door to the cell opened again, but this time, the female mayor stood before her.

Beside her was a sweating Joseph, the prison warden, a rarely seen big shot staring at Sheila. Then he raised a tablet in his hand and started reading:

“Sheila Flanigan, you have committed the following seventeen criminal offenses… all as an accessory, considering comprehensively… you are a minor, lacking independent judgment… and you have served four years and seven months, offsetting your sentence—”

The man gave her a complex nod: “You have been acquitted.”

That damned illegitimate daughter Anna Alek, as Joseph and his subordinates were plotting how to retaliate against this unsupported illegitimate daughter, he received a dismissal letter from the council, without any reason. Damn them, they didn’t follow procedures, they couldn’t just dismiss him like that—

But in the system panel, dismissing someone was just a matter of a few clicks. Vivi first fired the guy, then rehired him, and fired him again. After several ups and downs, he turned from a red name to a green name, in short, a temporarily obedient dog.

After seeing the word [Ambition] on the second-in-command, Vivi felt it was better not to let Joseph step down too easily. Let them fight each other—after all, she would be the beneficiary.

Otherwise, why did the second-in-command stay when the warden left?

“Sheila,” the woman extended her hand, her golden hair shining like satin under the sunlight, “Would you like to work for me?”

Sheila murmured, “I’m innocent now?”

“Just innocent, but that doesn’t mean you’re free,” Vivi thought for a moment, “I’ll supervise you, to make sure you don’t commit a crime again.”

Sheila stared at her, confirming, “You’ll really do that, right? Supervise me, make me complete the tasks you set…”

It seemed like a crucial decision that might influence the other’s choice, but Vivi nodded without hesitation.

“That’s great,” the girl said softly, “I agree.”

【Side mission “The Rat Catcher’s Determination” completed】

【[Rat Catcher] has become an employee of the City Hall’s logistics department, current salary 2000 gold coins/month】

【You have received a side mission: The Penguin’s Rage】

【The Penguin has learned what happened in City Hall, and he is furious. Part of this rage is directed at Black Mask, and the rest at you. Once he accumulates enough anger, he might do something. Perhaps you can do something to divert his rage?】

【Mission Reward: 0~10,000 gold coins, 20 diamonds】

【You have activated a new investment channel】

【You have now activated seven investment channels in total. Would you like to view all investment channels?】

This was the “Business Investment” module, which Vivi activated soon after visiting City Hall, but at the time, she felt she didn’t know Gotham well enough to be sure of profiting from any investment, so she set it aside.

Later, Vivi realized not everything could be invested in, only things she had contact with. The more she opened up on the map, the more options she would have.

The newly added investment channel was probably—

【Become one of the shareholders of the Iceberg Lounge】

【Recommended investment amount: 500,000 gold coins】

Vivi: “.”

As expected.

*

Wayne Enterprises Building.

Sitting in the office on the top floor was Tim Drake. Since he grew up, his foster father rarely appeared in Wayne Enterprises. There were even rumors that Bruce Wayne was most satisfied with Tim as his heir and planned to train him to be the true master of the Wayne family.

Tim usually just smiled at these rumors, but indeed, he was the busiest and most burdened in the family. After all, his big brother had gone to the neighboring city to become a policeman.

After finishing the pile of documents in front of him, Tim walked to the window to stretch, only to spot, not far away—across from Wayne Tower—a group of people moving about.

A team of workers.

What were they doing?

Wayne Enterprises’ headquarters was in the Diamond District, where every inch of land was precious. The building across from them was the headquarters of the “Gotham Gazette,” the largest and most progressive newspaper in Gotham. They even bought an airship for news promotion at the beginning of the year, and it was paying off well, soon to recoup the investment.

And now, that airship was parked on the rooftop, surrounded by busy workers. From Tim’s height, he could clearly see what was happening.

But what surprised him wasn’t just that. He saw one of the slim workers take off his hat to catch a breath, revealing the face of his friend Peter Parker.

Tim: “…”

Then, everyone dispersed, facing the airship and cheering loudly.

The airship had a new line of words painted on it, like a slogan—

【Protect the environment, take care of public property, build a simple and honest Gotham City, and strive to be a hardworking and kind citizen.】

The airship took off.

The workers cheered again, as if they had completed a proud task.

Tim: “…”

He stared at Peter in the crowd. Although he had just parted ways with Peter, he felt he needed to talk to his friend.

Immediately.