Wayne Manor.

The sky was a dim, foggy blue, with sparse stars hanging in the corners. Occasionally, a flickering light streaked across the sky – the tail light of an airplane, yet someone jokingly pointed and asked, “Could it be Superman flying over Gotham?”

Bruce replied with a teasing remark, “Superman doesn’t glow.”

Superman rarely visited Gotham, and even if he did, in his guise as a reporter, he wouldn’t brazenly fly around.

Wayne Manor, located on the outskirts of Gotham, spanned a vast area. Guests’ luxury cars lined up in rows. Those arriving late had to park along the road. The well-informed guests knew that Mayor Anna would attend, commenting, “Only Bruce Wayne could invite such a lady.”

As time drew closer, almost all the guests had arrived, but Mayor Anna Alek still hadn’t shown up.

“You’ve been stood up,” Tim hinted with his eyes to his adoptive father.

It seemed likely.

But it wasn’t a big deal. Bruce had been stood up more than once, by adversaries like the Joker and other criminals who took pleasure in defeating, mocking, and joking with Batman. They might suddenly announce at three in the morning that they had planted three bombs in the city, only to find a kidnapped little girl, a dead cat, or expired Halloween candy inside the supposed bomb.

…But Batman couldn’t ignore these threats.

As Bruce, he had also been stood up, often by women who wanted to make the “Gotham Sweetheart” remember them. Appearing special increased their chances of marrying into a wealthy family. Sometimes Bruce played along, other times he provided a settlement in exchange for a gentle, caring “love interest.” They were not irreplaceable.

The music blended perfectly with the sound of fountains. The night was hazy, and in a few minutes, the banquet would officially start. Amongst the fragrant flowers, some guests were already engaging in intimate conversations. No car lights could be seen at the end of the road, and no one expected the mayor to arrive anymore.

Bruce shook his head, put down his wine glass, and walked to the center of the garden—

Suddenly, he heard a growing roar.

The grass yielded to the wind’s tearing, and the fragrance of flowers dispersed. A powerful light swept down from directly above. Bruce squinted, his right hand hidden behind his back, ready to react. But he stopped, recognizing the sound.

It was a helicopter propeller. A helicopter bearing the city hall’s insignia descended from the sky, hovering a few meters above the ground. The guests stopped their conversations, panicking and scattering amidst the chaos—Bruce even heard a few curses.

The lawn was cluttered with long tables and grills, no place for a helicopter to land.

Everyone moved away, except for Bruce Wayne, who stood under the helicopter, appearing minuscule, as if frozen in fear.

The hovering helicopter, seemingly impatient, first ascended, then suddenly dove down. At that moment, the aircraft’s door opened.

A woman in a fishtail gown, seemingly fearless and without a moment’s hesitation, leaped from the open door.

Her blue dress spread out like a real fishtail, caught in the wind. Everyone thought she would fall into Bruce’s arms, except Bruce himself.

She landed with precision half a meter in front of Wayne Manor’s master. Miraculously, she stood straight, even in high heels studded with diamonds.

The helicopter made a perfect “hit-and-run,” leaving the Wayne Manor airspace and turning into a bright spot in the sky. The woman lifted her hand, gathering her disheveled hair behind her head, and looked at Bruce: “The spot you’re standing isn’t very safe.”

That was a close call, Vivi thought.

“If even my own home isn’t safe, then there’s probably nowhere in Gotham that is,” the man in front of her had a particularly handsome face, with eyes blue like the deep night sea or ocean. As an NPC, he could easily be a billboard girl (or boy?)—but this wasn’t a romance game. He raised his other hand, “Ms. Alek? Nice to meet you, I’m Bruce Wayne. What a surprising entrance.”

Vivi tilted her head, “Ah, the original plan was to come by car, but then I thought, a helicopter is safer, at least no one is bold enough to use a rocket launcher in Gotham.”

Bruce was silent for a moment, then smiled lightly, “Are you joking?”

“Isn’t it funny?” Vivi shrugged, taking his hand, “Has it started? Am I late?”

Of course not. Vivi was right on time.

As a gracious host, Bruce Wayne introduced Vivi, who was attending a Gotham elite party for the “first time,” to the other guests.

Conversations didn’t trigger any missions, but Vivi wasn’t discouraged. She earnestly remembered these people, though, under the game’s art style, everyone looked quite similar, except for well-modeled NPCs like Bruce Wayne and his adopted son. Other guests were merely marked as “wealthy” on the map.

—But their wealth might not be less than that of the Penguin.

Since the banquet couldn’t just be a brief appearance, she decided to seek some investments.

With so many people present, how could Vivi focus only on Bruce Wayne? Wearing a suit with special effects, it’d be a waste not to charm a few more.

“How about a card game?” She looked around and spread her hands, “But, we’re all friends here, no need to bet money. Let’s wager something else, shall we?”

Priceless items are often more valuable than those with clear price tags.

Wayne, as the host, had no objections. In fact, this handsome tycoon was quite skilled at lightening the mood of a party.

They set up a poker game. Perhaps because there was a mayor at the table, and the banquet had many young attendees, everyone seemed excited—except Wayne, who was observing.

Vivi wasn’t worried about winning. She didn’t have cheating tools, but she could see everyone’s emotions on the map. After a few rounds, understanding their thoughts during betting wasn’t too hard.

During the first two rounds, Vivi focused on observing others’ reactions, effectively card counting, while Bruce observed this Mayor.

From the moment “Anna Alek” jumped from the plane, Bruce had begun his detective mode of observation—

She landed from over two meters high without discomfort, indicating strong lower body strength. Yet, her body showed no signs of training, which was illogical.

During conversations, she acted like she was meeting some people for the first time. Bruce intentionally mispronounced a few names and introduced two people incorrectly, but to his surprise, the mayor didn’t seem to notice.

—Did Anna not investigate Gotham’s high society?

This was illogical, but Anna seemed to have a certain understanding of the guests, yet it was limited to certain aspects, preventing her from identifying some subtle errors. What kind of understanding was it?

If Vivi knew what he was thinking, she’d tell him the map only showed occupations, not names. She was actually quite troubled by this.

But at the moment, Vivi wasn’t troubled. Since they weren’t betting money, the game naturally leaned towards entertainment. As they relaxed and chatted at the table, they naturally started discussing the Penguin—

“From my grandfather’s generation to my father’s, Gotham’s gang leaders have changed several times. It used to be the Roman? Now it’s Black Mask, Penguin, Two-Face, and…” The speaking man paused, naturally avoiding a certain name, with an [Disgust] emotion symbol flashing above his head, “Anyway, even if Penguin falls, other lunatics will appear. That’s Gotham.”

Vivi, focusing on her cards, casually said, “So, will you go to the spectacle? I’ll probably attend the trial. Seeing the Penguin go to jail is not common.”

The girl opposite her smiled, “Ah… but isn’t he always thrown into jail by Batman? He just always gets out.”

“It’s different in a public trial,” Vivi emphasized, “But it’s fine if you don’t go. The ‘Gotham Daily’ has already agreed to report it. The trial will be broadcasted citywide.”

“That’s a big deal,” her card partner on the left winked, “If Penguin stays in jail, that would be a great achievement during your tenure.”

Everyone was more or less drunk, and the atmosphere was relaxed.

“There’s always a way,” the man across mumbled, “Dead men can’t leave jail, can they?”

Bruce frowned.

Vivi smiled, tossing out her Joker card, “Wouldn’t that be a waste?”

“Speaking of which, gentlemen, I have an interesting idea. Are you curious about what prison is like?”

The wealthy and noble guests had varied reactions; some frowned in silence, while others engaged with her, “Of course we’re curious. It’s probably a place people like us would never enter in our lifetimes, right?”

Not necessarily, Vivi thought.

“Actually, the prisoners’ life isn’t too bad. I’m thinking of doing a TV show, live broadcasting their prison life,” she shrugged, “It might not be profitable, but there will always be people interested in watching it. And it could serve a positive purpose—like warning children not to commit crimes, or they’ll end up like Penguin?”

Her words elicited laughter, and someone echoed, “When will this happen?”

“Not anytime soon,” they started a new round, and Vivi began to deal cards, “The city hall has many other tasks, like providing relief and heating for the poor, renovating houses in the East District, and they might not survive the winter with the aging underground pipelines…”

This wasn’t a topic of interest to everyone, but some were still curious about the concept of ‘Prison Live Broadcast.’ Vivi switched between the two topics while maintaining her unbeaten record at the card table. After leaving the table, she secured sponsorships from three or four parties, totalling over three hundred thousand gold coins.

“The people of Gotham will surely thank you,” Vivi sincerely said to the sponsors while holding a wine glass during a break.

As long as there was a surplus after completing the main mission, she would definitely initiate something like ‘Prison Live Broadcast.’ She planned to have Penguin read out the list of sponsors, not missing a single word!

However, her main task for the day was yet unresolved—

【Side Mission: Obtain Funding from Wayne】

【Mission Reward: 0 to 500,000 gold coins (to be directly injected into public funds)】

Vivi put down her glass of wine without a hurry and casually swept her hair behind her ear, looking for Bruce Wayne’s location.

Suddenly, her movement halted.

Vivi’s evening gown ensemble actually consisted of underwear, a fishtail skirt, silk stockings, crystal high heels, a necklace, a ring, earrings, makeup, and hairstyle, truly deserving of being called a ‘set.’ It could be disassembled with a single click, but at this moment, the sapphire earring on her right ear was missing.

Upon realizing she had lost an earring, she activated a side mission.

【Side Mission: Catwoman’s Hostility】

【Gotham’s notorious thief lady seems to harbour inexplicable hostility towards you. This might be just a warning. How will you respond to this?】

【Hint: Catwoman considers the Eastern District of Gotham her territory. She protects it and maintains its stability.】

【(Catwoman has entered a disguised state, and you cannot find her on the map)】

The Eastern District of Gotham… the slums of Gotham, the area most severely affected by subsidence?

Just before attending the dinner, Vivi had a meeting chaired by Shelk, discussing how to relocate the citizens of the Eastern District of Gotham and complete the underground transformation.

“It seems that this hostility didn’t come without reason.

What should I do now?

Vivi suddenly stood up, a bit panicked, touching her ear, then began searching around the sofa and checking under the coffee table. Soon, a maid came over to ask—

“Sorry, I might have lost my earring somewhere,” she tried to show a mix of panic and sadness, “My earring… It’s very important to me. Sorry, could you help me look for it?”

“Please wait a moment, ma’am, we’ll start searching right away.”

Vivi handed over the earring from her left ear, looking expectant.

Then, it was time for her performance—

She spent a full ten minutes conveying her anxiety and sadness. When she was facing Bruce Wayne, she was almost on the verge of tears.

“It was… from someone important to me… I didn’t expect to lose it, sorry for troubling you. Actually, it’s not very expensive…”

Wayne, the magnate, comforted her by patting her arm. Most guests had already left, and they were still searching for the “earring.”

In reality, the earring had already been taken by Catwoman.

Bruce appeared quite guilty. Her real intention was to use this guilt to “extract investment,” which made Vivi’s non-existent conscience stir slightly.

“It was stolen from Wayne Manor. I’m willing to compensate, although the meaning of the earring is far more important than its actual value. I hope to offer some compensation…” He seemed to have checked the surveillance. Can we get another dozen of these rich and kind-hearted billionaires?

When this man mentioned “compensation,” in Vivi’s eyes, he was practically glowing. But her real aim was not that.

“No, it’s not your fault.”

Vivi fell silent for a while: “Let’s not talk about this. I’m getting a bit emotional… How about we talk about something else…”

Half an hour later.

【Side Mission “Obtain Funding from Wayne” Completed】

【You have received an investment of 500,000 gold coins】

【You have additionally received 200,000 gold coins as personal compensation】

*

9:50 PM.

Today’s meeting ran later than usual, a rare instance of overtime. Millie’s current roommate was Sheila, and they lived in the allocated housing at the Old Town Hall. Employees living there didn’t have to pay rent, which made Millie’s life a bit easier—after all, she hadn’t graduated long ago and hadn’t saved much money.

However, at this time, Millie didn’t head towards the employee dormitory. She bought a bunch of convenience food, loaded it onto her second-hand Jeep, and drove towards Crime Alley.

“Damn it,” she muttered, not knowing what had happened recently, something like a gang shootout. The living conditions in Crime Alley were already cramped, with narrow roads for vehicles, and now with the ground having collapsed in places, she had to carry the food on foot.

Millie parked her car a distance away at a bank—she’d lose it if she left it at the entrance of the alley—touched the anti-wolf electric baton at her waist, and got out of the car.

“Don’t worry…” she whispered to herself, “You’re used to it, aren’t you?”

Passing through this dark path, her destination was just ahead. No need to be afraid, just need to be quiet and patient, and she would arrive.

The layout of Crime Alley hadn’t changed much, even as the nearby Gotham City evolved rapidly. It remained as it had always been, seemingly unchanged for decades. However, Millie vaguely noticed some differences since her last visit.

There were a few more trees along the road, garbage bins added, and signs hung beside the under-construction sewer well, although they seemed to have been kicked several times. Under the cheap lights of an adult store on the roadside, the shoe prints were quite conspicuous.

“Thud”

Suddenly, Millie was pushed to the ground. She was stunned for a moment, immediately trying to struggle, but before she could pull out the electric baton at her waist, it was yanked away by a hand.

Her purchased snacks rolled onto the ground as she was grabbed by the neck and lifted up, the electric baton now pressed against her back. A rough voice said, “Hand over all your money.”

Millie slowly raised her hands: “I used my cash to buy these snacks… I really didn’t bring any money…”

She was jabbed hard in the back, thankfully the assailant didn’t turn on the electricity.

Millie trembled slightly: “I really don’t have it with me, but I can withdraw some…”

“Boring,” the person behind her said, “You just want to run away.”

“No…” realizing what the assailant intended to do, Millie said, “No, please… I have savings.”

“But you didn’t bring it,” the person behind her laughed again.

It seemed this would be the last sentence Millie would ever hear in her life. She would die for such a dull reason. If she had carried at least twenty dollars, or more self-defense tools, maybe her fate would have been different.

Breathing rapidly, she thought: What should I say… How can I survive… I…

She felt immense fear and despair.

She thought she was hallucinating at this moment.

—It was suddenly bright.

The whole sky lit up like daylight, as if the sun had appeared. Behind her, the cries of the thug being dazzled by the light rang out. Millie couldn’t afford to care; she closed her eyes, covered her head, and rushed forward, as if diving into the sunlight.

Millie knew this place all too well; it was where she grew up.

She easily dashed into her old house, stumbled upstairs, and threw herself onto the bed, wrapping herself in the blanket before starting to tremble.

The golden light didn’t fade, shining in through the window, brightly illuminating the room.

No danger, no thugs, only the soft blanket in her hands. At that moment, Millie finally turned her head.

Outside the window, a tree was glowing.

An ordinary street tree, tall and lush, stubbornly standing in the middle of the road, was glowing… it was golden!

Millie heard other “neighbors” cursing loudly, obviously disturbed by the glaring light.

But she suddenly burst into laughter, even choking on it.

“Ah… the Vivid Street Tree…” Madam Mayor had asked, leaning on the table, “Where in Gotham City are the streetlights always broken? Where is it always dark? Hmm… what use could this tree have?”

In modern times, what place would be so poor as to lack even streetlights?

Back then, Millie, holding a coffee pot, had said without thinking: “…Park Street?”

“Oh, that sounds nice, like a street lined with many flowers.”

Park Street, now known as “Crime Alley,” a place of danger and rampant crime, where notable figures like Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne, the parents of Gotham’s tycoon Bruce, died.

“I wonder what different emotions would look like… Only strong emotions should cause the leaves to change color, right? Otherwise, Park Street would be multicolored, hmm… sounds fun!”

Fun… right?

She stared out the window, tears in her eyes.

She saw the golden light slowly fading.

But she knew it had shone once.

Is fear and despair… golden?

Someone pushed open her room door, turned on the light, and quickly walked over to her, cradling her face: “Millie? What happened?”

The person had a beautiful and seductive face, moving silently and softly like a cat.

“Nothing… where were you before,” Millie asked softly, “Selina?”

*

With the secured investment, Vivi boarded the helicopter. She insisted on waiting for the City Hall’s helicopter, rather than letting Wayne’s butler take her back.

Black Mask’s hatred for her wasn’t low, and Vivi didn’t want to trouble the old butler with disposing of a body. What if innocent people got involved?

As they rose higher, after fastening her seatbelt, Vivi operated something on the panel—

Her right ear earring returned.

A set is a set; how could it be stolen? Just re-equip it on the interface, and the accidentally lost accessory naturally reappears.

I wonder if that thief known as Catwoman, upon discovering her stolen item vanishing, would become paranoid?

—Who can steal from a thief?

Two days later.

Gotham Courthouse.

The trial for “Oswald Cobblepot,” known as Penguin, was about to begin.