An abandoned town was witnessing a miracle.

Just minutes ago, it had been an empty, desolate place. But in broad daylight, building after building began to emerge, transforming the town from barren to “bustling”—as long as you didn’t inspect the functionality of the structures too closely.

“A town with residents is a living town,” Vivi declared, clenching her fists. “Let’s start by bringing in the students.”

She wasn’t referring to the yet-to-be-built school or ordinary students, but Professor D.D. Daisy Diamond’s existing students, along with the doctor and young assassin who had followed the professor to Gotham.

Since South Hinckley was now “conveniently accessible,” and as long as the utilities were paid for, day-to-day life could proceed smoothly. Based on Vivi’s understanding of these “students,” they likely didn’t care whether they lived in a luxurious downtown penthouse or a secluded town on an island. In fact, they might even prefer the latter—it was quieter, perfect for reading and research.

—At least one of the professor’s companions, Cain, would certainly prefer it.

Vivi knew the doctor and Daisy were under long-term contracts, essentially following her until her “death.” As the heiress of the Diamond family, Vivi wasn’t short on money. If the doctor wasn’t busy, they could always staff the yet-to-be-installed South Hinckley Town Hospital.

But first, she had to go through the proper channels.

Using Daisy’s identity, Vivi contacted her lawyer and, under their guidance, obtained the land rights and lease for South Hinckley from City Hall. During this process, young Damian tagged along, still visibly upset about having temporarily “lost” Professor Daisy earlier.

After sorting out the legalities, Vivi multitasked by having her “Daisy” persona pay a visit to her “other self,” Mayor Anna.

In the mayor’s office, the two women sat across from one another, with only Damian present. Since it was just the boy, Vivi didn’t bother maintaining appearances. Her professor persona napped in the office for half an hour while Vivi herself played a casual match-three game on her other device. When Daisy woke up, she left without further ado.

Damian followed with a bewildered expression, clearly baffled by the seemingly pointless visit. If he’d known she only came to the mayor’s office for a quick nap, he definitely wouldn’t have tagged along.

—But who would ever suspect someone of visiting the mayor’s office just to catch up on sleep?

At least Lex “The Philanthropist” Luthor didn’t think that way.

When asking for funding from Bruce Wayne, Vivi had been cautious not to overreach, knowing that Wayne Enterprises was one of Gotham’s key economic pillars. But Luthor Enterprises? Based in Metropolis? Completely unrelated to Gotham? That was fair game.

While Damian trained, Daisy sent Luthor an email:

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Subject: Promising Developments in Gotham
Dear Mr. Luthor,

My conversation with Anna went splendidly. She’s thrilled about my plans to establish a school and has offered resources and manpower to expedite construction.

Naturally, this is also due to certain mystical forces at play. I will observe the process closely and keep you informed. Should you have qualified personnel, feel free to send them to Gotham. My students are highly skilled professionals, but I’ve decided to start with an elementary school as a pilot.

I will need a batch of teachers and administrators unafraid of the unusual. To avoid arousing Anna’s suspicions, they should present themselves as volunteers, with salaries covered by your foundation. I can only provide accommodations, but I trust these individuals have hearts of gold.

Yours faithfully,
D.D.

P.S. If your company has any surplus lab equipment lying around, feel free to send it over for elementary chemistry lessons (wink).

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Hopefully, Luthor would act quickly.

With the formalities settled, Vivi could fully commit to South Hinckley’s transformation.

By 5:30 PM on the first day of the event, the activity surged, resulting in a spike in tokens—equivalent to the rewards from the entire morning. By now, almost everyone on the streets clutched at least one balloon.

With a token balance of 400,000, Vivi decided it was time to make some big moves.

She spent 280,000 tokens to purchase Level 1 Hospital and Level 1 School.

And so—

Surrounded by public toilets, the hospital and school materialized.

Staring at the two functional but basic buildings, Vivi paused for a long moment before muttering, “…These are so basic.”

The school, for example, was just a two-story building with a modest playground. It covered about 4,000 square meters, featuring exercise equipment and a track. However, it lacked a library, labs, offices, a cafeteria, or even a campus store—let alone luxuries like a gym or art studio.

The hospital was essentially a small clinic, comparable to South Hinckley’s previous facility. It had basic supplies like flu medications and glucose drips and could handle simple procedures like blood transfusions.

It would suffice—for now.

Both facilities required names, and considering Daisy Diamond’s sponsorship, Vivi dubbed them “Diamond Elementary School” and “Diamond Hospital.”

At that moment, the long-awaited bus driver arrived in South Hinckley.

Accompanying the driver was his brother, Tal White.

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When Tal picked up his amnesiac brother from City Hall, his feelings were complicated. Tal wasn’t foolish, and even someone intelligent but amnesiac would know to search for their past. However, the deeper Tal delved, the clearer it became—he had no past at all.

He was merely a blade, forged without the need for an identity, existing solely to cut—sharper and sharper, ever more lethal. But Tal had no desire to return to that existence.

So, when he realized his memories might resurface, he sought every method possible to ensure his amnesia endured. As an immortal, Tal’s attempts to understand his body allowed him to experiment far beyond what others might dare. After his second memory wipe, Tal relied on pre-recorded notes and videos to gradually rebuild the life he wanted while working as a police officer.

As long as he avoided the assassin’s world, he could lock away that part of himself forever.

On the way to South Hinckley, Tal got into a fight with his brother, ultimately overpowering him with his superior strength after thawing him from a mysterious “deep freeze.” He confiscated his brother’s weapons before presenting him to Vivi.

Tal said, “Don’t let him get back into the assassination game. He’s not in a stable state right now.”

“What’s his name?” Vivi asked.

“Let’s call him William,” Tal said. “William White.”

William, now “renamed,” cast them a cold glance. Unlike Tal’s golden locks, William’s hair was black and unkempt, his pale, almost ghostly complexion giving him a zombie-like appearance under dim lighting.

Thankfully, William refrained from starting a fight with Vivi. Over his head floated the title:

[Wanderer]

As a “green-named” hireling, William’s information was accessible. Vivi clicked on his profile and found it eerily similar to Tal’s, filled with assassin achievements: Killed XX, Eliminated YY, Targeted by the Court of Owls.

But now, William’s résumé included a new line:

Once drove a bus in South Hinckley.

Surely this was a more employable skill than assassination?

Vivi led William to the bus terminal and pointed to a yellow bus. “You’ll be driving this route. From South Hinckley to Gotham’s East End—six trips daily, morning and evening. But that’s just the plan for now. We’re short on staff.”

She hopped onto the bus, gesturing for William to start driving. As soon as he did, the bus collided with a public toilet in front of it.

Vivi didn’t bat an eye.

“Looks like the roads aren’t wide enough,” she said. “Let’s circle the island, follow the current route, and plan the town’s roads as we go.”

Crashing wasn’t a concern—public toilets were free.

After his initial bump, William seemed to get the hang of driving. These assassins, with their sharp instincts, picked up skills quickly.

By the time they began their loop, Vivi’s Daisy persona had arrived in South Hinckley with a group of followers.

On the way, Daisy’s attending doctor expressed his concerns:
“Miss Diamond, I don’t know much about South Hinckley, but this place is clearly unsuitable for your recovery. And considering its past incidents…” He wrinkled his nose. “You’ll be living alongside unsavory individuals in a backward town with severely inadequate medical facilities. It’s very dangerous.”

Before Daisy could respond, Damian interjected sharply: “Shut up.”

Damian was not in a good mood.

Three blows had struck him that day:

1. He lost to a flying dog in the pet training contest. Unlike others who cried foul, Damian never blamed cheating or unfair rules. From birth, Damian had known life wasn’t fair. Failure meant only one thing—he needed to grow stronger.
2. He’d let himself get distracted during combat, losing sight of his objective. A group of mercenaries had successfully led him away, which infuriated him even more.
3. The third—and most frustrating—blow:
   On his tablet, Damian was locked in a heated online debate. A growing forum thread claimed that Batman was actually a cat and could make “meow-ow” sounds.

At first, Damian dismissed the absurd rumor, but as it gained traction, he couldn’t resist joining the fray.

Batman, a cat? Ridiculous! If Batman were some shape-shifting feline, wouldn’t Talia have known? As Batman’s biological son, wouldn’t Damian be part-cat himself?

But he couldn’t exactly argue online, “Batman’s my father, and I’m not a cat, so he can’t be either.” Meanwhile, the forum presented increasingly “credible” evidence, leaving Damian fuming.

^[1]T/N: hahaha

The professor’s group arrived at South Hinckley, parking at the entrance to the residential district.

Nearby was a yellow bus, marked with a bold 01.