Gotham, Garbage Disposal Site.

Large machinery was at work. All the sewage and waste from Gotham’s underground were collected through the sewers and brought here. As a result, the area was perpetually engulfed in an unbearable stench.

The sewage underwent a treatment process before being discharged into the sea. Besides sewage, a large amount of small trash was also carried here by the water flow. Generally, this trash would be sorted, with recyclable materials being compressed by machines and then sent to processing plants.

In the square of the treatment plant, a newcomer, who had just joined the job, was simultaneously watching the machines and a live broadcast on his phone.

The broadcast was covering the trial of the Penguin.

As the camera panned over the audience, the newcomer spotted a familiar face among the attendees – the affluent Bruce Wayne.

At first glance, he almost mistook the blonde woman next to Wayne for his latest fancy, but an older employee passing by glanced at the screen and commented, “That’s Mayor Anna Alek.”

“The Mayor?” the newcomer was puzzled.

“You can tell you don’t keep up with Gotham’s political scene,” the older employee said in a big-brotherly tone, “The previous mayor died unexpectedly mid-term. So, after a council discussion, we got a new mayor – Anna Alek, not elected and hardly known to anyone…”

He paused for a moment, “But after today, that might change.”

The newcomer spread his hands, “Because she attended this trial?”

The older employee glanced at him, “Because she spoke in an interview before the trial, didn’t you watch it?”

The newcomer, taken aback, immediately searched “Gotham interview mayor” and found the video trending, its views skyrocketing by the tens of thousands with each refresh.

The video’s thumbnail was a close-up of the female mayor. Her silver-grey eyes, unusual behind her glasses, shimmered brilliantly under the light, and her light golden hair glowed. The newcomer remarked, “She’s beautiful, but she looks so much like a robot.”

And she seemed so young.

As the video played, the animated figures came to life.

“I believe this is my first public appearance on a program. Hello, I am Anna Alek, the Mayor of Gotham City.”

—“We are honored to have you, Madam Mayor. What is your view on the Penguin’s surrender?”

“It’s just a beginning. I think Gotham will get better.”

—“You seem very confident, Madam. Even on his way to the court, the Penguin didn’t change his confession. Do you believe he truly regrets his crimes?”

“How would I know? I’ve never been a criminal,” she pondered on the screen, “The outcome is, that he will go to prison and won’t be coming out again.”

—“Do you think today’s trial will proceed smoothly and successfully send the Penguin to prison?”

The woman on the screen smiled, “It’s rather odd. Why would we release someone who everyone knows is guilty and who admits his guilt? If things ever get that bad…”

The newcomer thought the Mayor might say something like “Then Gotham is beyond saving” or “I would be very disappointed.” However, what she actually said was –

“Then those who free him should join him in prison for some handicraft,” the Mayor quipped, raising an eyebrow at the stunned reporter, “Just kidding, did you actually believe that?”

The interview was brief and ended there, but the comments below were heated.

Some praised the Mayor’s beauty, saying, “Finally, the Mayor of Gotham isn’t a bald old man,” clearly just admiring her looks.

Others were fans of the Penguin, as well as fans of other criminals. It’s not surprising; there are such people. Every year, a huge number of letters are sent to Blackgate Prison. Many want to have children with the Joker, and this includes men – perhaps a fascination with power or evil itself. These crazed fans were now insulting the Mayor, GCPD, Batman, and so on.

Others were more objective—

[“This lady lucked out with a political achievement. Of course, she should seize it. She resolved one of the supervillains, something the last mayor couldn’t. Batman could send Penguin to prison but never made him voluntarily appear in court. I’m not being sarcastic, but such luck might not come again. Let’s hope he doesn’t escape from prison, that would be quite a scene.”]

[“So… what kind of dirt did someone have on the Penguin to make him confess? If someone threatened to expose my browser history, I’d confess to a crime too.”]

The newcomer was also curious, but what could threaten the Penguin was surely not some browser history.

He switched apps. The trial broadcast was already halfway through, with the chat filled with a barrage of question marks.

[“What happened?”] he asked urgently.

[“Unbelievable…”]

Unbelievable, Vivi thought. The Penguin had confessed to his crimes, everyone believed he was guilty, and the evidence was irrefutable. But…

The judge presiding over the trial was unwilling to convict.

Who could have imagined? Everyone in the courtroom, including the defendant, wanted him in prison, yet the judge refused.

Vivi tapped her fingers lightly on the table, fixating her gaze on the man above her, Judge Meg Scott.

After deciding to send the Penguin to prison, she, as “C”, had been manipulating him, even using his connections to scrutinize the trial’s attendees, ensuring nothing would go wrong.

Why didn’t Vivi just check the Judge’s attributes herself?

—Because the government and judiciary are two parallel systems. Currently, she might be the Mayor, but judges and such weren’t her subordinates. Of course, she didn’t pay their salaries either; they weren’t part of the same system.

Nearly everyone in the courtroom could sense the judge’s ambiguous attitude. At the beginning of the trial, he just seemed stern, but as it progressed and the evidence became indisputable, his attitude became more apparent.

Even Vivi noticed that many in the audience, including the defendant’s attorney, were looking towards the judge.

— Since the Penguin was entitled to a lawyer, “C” had him hire one to advocate for the death penalty for himself.

The lawyer himself seemed quite baffled.

“What’s the worst outcome?” Vivi asked in a low voice.

Bruce Wayne, sitting beside her, turned his head, “Due to insufficient evidence, a second trial in three months.”

The audience consisted of ordinary people, government officials, and upper-class celebrities. The atmosphere, initially calm, was now beginning to stir with murmurs.

Three months was too long a delay. Vivi was considering what tools she had at her disposal when suddenly, someone behind her stood up and threw something—

A set of car keys hit the chief judge on the forehead, fast and accurate.

Everyone was shocked.

The judge was stunned for a moment, blood slowly trickling down his forehead, then his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

The agitated citizen was restrained, and the court was temporarily adjourned, obviously to take the judge to the hospital.

“Damn it!” The newcomer, watching the screen, slammed the railing and complained, “It was just a set of keys, did he really faint? Or is he faking it?”

The camera panned to the restrained citizen, and the newcomer was speechless, “Man, I know you’re angry, so am I, but look what you’ve done. You probably just caused a real delay!”

This newcomer at the garbage site might not have a strong sense of justice, but in such an atmosphere, just as the story was reaching a climax with the “villain being punished,” it was frustrating to see it abruptly interrupted.

The live broadcast casually panned over the audience before focusing on the judge’s face, as if trying to capture any slight movement of his eyes or fingers to prove he really had fainted.

The newcomer noticed the mayor checking on the judge’s condition. She asked the people hurrying to send him to the hospital to wait, pressed on his philtrum, and the camera zoomed in closer to catch their conversation—

“Let me try some emergency spray, I carry it with me. Spraying it on his face… might help?” she said, “Let me find it…”

She pulled out a can, and the stretcher had already arrived. The mayor pressed the can’s nozzle towards the judge’s face.

His face turned completely red, as if many twisted red smiling faces were painted on it.

“Ah!” The lady was surprised as she looked at the can’s label, “Sorry, I grabbed the wrong one, let me find the right one.”

While she was rummaging through her belongings, the unconscious judge suddenly sat up, pushed away the stretcher, and returned to his seat.

“No need to worry about my injury, the adjournment is over, let’s continue!”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” the mayor asked with a smile.

“Absolutely, no problem at all.”

Judge Meg Scott, with a comically red face, nodded solemnly.

Due to his attitude, no one even dared to offer him some water to wipe the paint off his face.

The trial resumed.

The progress afterward shocked the newcomer. The previously ambiguous judge seemed like a different person, proceeding with the trial rapidly and convicting the Penguin.

— Even the audience inside and outside the court didn’t react in time.

They were sharing newly created memes of “Judge Meg Scott with a painted face,” using cryptic language like “Drugs?” “Money!”

[“Did this old man take drugs?”]

[“Maybe someone behind him didn’t pay enough, and he’s done playing along!”]

Nobody believed the judge was delaying the process in the first half for fairness or secretly playing favourites. But who cares!

The Penguin was going to prison! He would serve a life sentence at Blackgate!

This was the first time all citizens were fully involved in the incarceration process. A well-known villain was sent to prison after being legally tried for his crimes—how surreal that sounded in Gotham!

The camera panned over everyone before focusing on the audience, where the blonde woman and others were lightly applauding. Surely all the viewers would remember this lady’s face… and the meme of Judge Meg Scott with a painted face.

To be honest, that meme was quite funny, especially with the judge’s face solemn and fair, as if unaware of the paint on his face.

[What? I’m the one judging the criminal?.jpg]

The newcomer, satisfied with the screen, felt as if he had been part of the event. He was excited, waving his fist, then got a knock on the head from the older employee.

“Be careful, the boss is checking things out!”

The newcomer shrank his neck, “What’s going on, he rarely comes, right?”

“An accident happened here a week ago, we broke a machine. The person responsible for your current job was fired for it—due to his negligence, something jammed the machine and infuriated the boss.”

They were referring to a machine that could separate large and small trash based on weight. However, some items couldn’t be recognized and had to be sorted manually.

It seemed like some large trash had floated and jammed the working axis of the machine.

The newcomer asked, “Was it a rock? But rocks don’t float in water, right?”

“Who knows,” the older employee shrugged, “Maybe something light enough to float in water but hard enough that the machine couldn’t compress it?”

*

【You have completed the follow-up mission “The Penguin’s Surrender”】

【You have received a reward: 100,000 gold coins, 60 diamonds】

[City Reputation] has undergone certain changes, [City Security] has seen significant changes】

【Please continue your efforts】

【Congratulations on significantly improving [City Security] for the first time】

【You have completed a hidden requirement and activated the [Security-Achievement] module】

【You can now view game achievements related to [City Security]】

After unlocking the achievement module, four achievements appeared. Vivi glanced at them, which were “Negative Security Level,” “Positive Security Level,” “Level Five,” and “Level Ten.” She had completed one—

【Achievement: City Security in the Negative】【Completed】

【Reward: Police Windproof Goggles】

Vivi’s inventory now included a bound item.

【Police Windproof Goggles】

【Description: Wear these, and you become a new officer of the GCPD. Your attributes will align with those of a “Police Officer”】

【Note: You can summon your police motorcycle at any time and place, and it will appear in a way that won’t raise eyebrows】

【Bound item, indestructible】

【The officer’s name is __】

Following her usual naming style, Vivi entered “BB.”

【Name generated】

【Welcome Officer Bella Bettywen】

Whether it was items or the rewards of gold coins and diamonds, these were just part of Vivi’s rewards. The public trial also granted her something else—

【Current Public Awareness 57% (Rising)】

【At least three million Gothamites are now aware of your existence, have seen you, and know part of you. Their perception of you generates an intangible power…】

【You have activated the [Prestige] module】

【Current Prestige Level: Well-Known (Rising)】

【Current Influence: No matter where you are, your influence encompasses your subordinates, increasing their obedience level by 1】

【Current Tendency: Most people have a superficial understanding of you, but in some eyes, you are unfathomable, always on the brink of slipping into evil】

【Attribute: Neutral-Evil】

Vivi: ?

She slowly typed out a question mark.

As a player who worked hard to improve Gotham’s city level, enhance employee motivation, uncover their potential, send criminals to prison, release innocent people and provide them jobs, and clear Gotham’s politics, how did she become aligned with evil?

Where did these rumours come from!

Vivi had been playing this game with utmost conscience. Many long-term employees over a month received salary increases, and she didn’t fire them even when trying to save money—mainly because this game was different from others she had played. Firing employees didn’t automatically replace them—Vivi was worried this would lead to riots and the pitiful, hard-working mayor getting killed in the chaos.

She sighed, locked the door to her restroom, and started calling Penguin as “C”—

[Blackgate Prison]

The Penguin, just brought into his new “room,” was called out by the guards.

He guessed who was calling—his mother? No, he had already sent her away. His subordinates? Impossible, due to C, he couldn’t arrange them like before, and his confession of crimes had irreparably tarnished his underworld reputation.

Anyway, a gang boss detailing his crimes in court… was really low.

When the familiar voice sounded on the phone, Penguin couldn’t help but think—“Why is it you again?”

“Aren’t you going to take over my assets? I’m in prison now, what more do you want?” he paused, his voice mocking, “Oh, I forgot… all my assets have been seized by the government. How does it feel to be beaten to the punch?”

How did this C turn him into this, and what did she gain?

“Very good, actually,” Vivi honestly replied, “I received nice game rewards.”

Penguin fell into an inexplicable silence. Vivi continued, “But you’re still useful to me. Keep an eye on the other criminals for me. Who is innocent? Who deserves their punishment? Who wants to escape? And the behaviour of the guards, especially anything related to the warden, send it all to me.”

The Penguin gritted his teeth, “I’m in prison, remember?”

“But you have a way to get messages out, right? Hmm… send it to the mayor’s email,” Vivi joked, “Work hard, Agent Penguin. If you do well, maybe in the future you could negotiate for a painless death penalty.”

DU—DU—DU—DU—DU—

The phone call ended with a series of beeps.

Frowning, the Penguin muttered, “Stop joking, Gotham doesn’t have the death penalty.”

He was bound by the contract to follow Mr. C’s demands, but as long as he was alive, he would eventually gain his freedom.

Vivi didn’t care about his response.

She “owled” and took out the windproof goggles, thought for a moment, and then entered a series of commands on her computer—

When she was away, she could remotely command the AI through the system to make decisions on behalf of the mayor. Although Shelk’s “efforts” meant she hardly had any real work, a reliable AI meant she wouldn’t miss any tasks.

[Are you planning a long journey?]

“No, just going out to play. If I don’t have a place to stay, I’ll come back.”

[Then I wish you a pleasant game]

After sorting that out, she switched to “VV” mode and used the underground passage to head to the East District.

In the main quest, the East District was a significant problem. The progress reported by the secretary showed they couldn’t successfully relocate the residents or fix the sewer issues. Even with blueprints, the renovation would take at least half a month.

But Vivi wasn’t in a hurry: “Buying materials and preparing housing for relocation will take time. Their opposition can be dealt with slowly.”

In the meantime, she sneaked into the East District at night to scout and found this empty building as a temporary relocation spot.

Vivi put on the 【Police Windproof Goggles】. She initially covered her eyes, then finding it inconvenient, moved them to her forehead, holding her hair back. In the blink of an eye, she noticed a change—

Just like every time she switched identities.

In the mirror, she was taller than before. Vivi was 162cm, Anna 168cm, and Bella, by estimation, was at least 181cm barefoot, let alone in boots.

The woman in the mirror had short black hair, deep purple pupils, which were hard to see in dim light, and honey-coloured skin, appearing to be around 20 years old.

Her outfit was somewhat revealing; she wore a dark green short jacket without buttons, a sleeveless black vest underneath, black athletic shorts, and black boots. Her legs looked like they could kick Penguin eighteen meters away.

Simply put, a powerful and cool woman.

Vivi touched her stomach—

Okay, she even had six-pack abs!

The abs felt so good; she touched them for a while, then hopped on the spot and clicked on [Summon Police Motorcycle] in her panel.

Nothing appeared in front of her.

Vivi turned around—

The motorcycle was behind the sofa.

Vivi: “So-called ‘unobtrusive appearance’…”

Was it instantaneously appearing in everyone’s blind spot?

But that wasn’t important!

She mounted the motorcycle, and the screen in front of her changed, reappearing with a more human-friendly guide to riding a motorcycle. The destination was set to [Gotham Police Department].

【You have received the guide mission: Reporting for Duty】

【As a new officer, you have yet to report to your workplace】

【Mission Requirements: Go to the GCPD to collect your firearm, badge, superior officer, and any possible tasks】

【Note: The officer’s salary is also your personal income】

Huh?

“Does this count as working two jobs?”

Vivi started the motorcycle, smashing through the second-floor door, and leaped down with the bike.

The scenery changed around her. Following the system’s guide, Vivi weaved through the cars, the wind lifting her short hair. She pulled down the windproof goggles and sped up.

Games are so fun; she was glad to enjoy the thrill they offered!

Following the system’s guidance, Vivi learned how to lift the motorcycle’s front or rear wheel, how to jump over a car from above, how to slide close to the ground, and how to throw the motorcycle and detonate it—although she felt these weren’t things normal motorcyclists would learn, but it’s just a game!

After a simple guided process, Vivi could drive without guidance. She didn’t slow down, blending into the traffic on a highway—

Suddenly, the motorcycle slowed down.

Vivi was startled and twisted the throttle.

For some reason, she couldn’t speed up anymore. Was this another bug?

The needle wobbled, but no matter how much she accelerated, it stayed at a certain speed. Vivi glanced at the surrounding vehicles; none seemed to be speeding, as if everyone had tacitly chosen to follow traffic rules.

Huh…

This road used to be a high-accident area.

Vivi opened the map.

At the end of the road, she saw a small sign.

——[Speed Limit 60]