Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 242 No, where did this come from?
The war in Gotham City is finally over.

Residents who had previously fled from the Diamond District and Park District to other areas of Gotham, and even to other cities, are finally starting to return. Buildings damaged by the war are being rebuilt, patients in Gotham Hospital are gradually recovering and being discharged, order is being restored, and criminals who took advantage of the chaos are being investigated. Everything seems to be getting better.

In the early hours of the morning, amidst the ruins of a small bar, the owner of Riels stood behind the newly cleaned bar counter, hanging a neon sign on the broken wall above his head. The sign prominently displayed the words "Frontline of the Battlefield."

This uniquely designed bar seemed to have just opened; it was completely empty except for two people sitting on two dilapidated wooden chairs by the counter, one drinking a drink and the other a juice.

“Good name, Frontline of the Battlefield.” Ma Zhaodi smiled and took a sip of orange juice. “I didn’t realize before that Riels was such a good businessman.”

“Yeah, they’ve even got part of the liquor cabinet set up. That’s pretty fast.” Chuck took a swig of tequila and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Although I don’t like this war, this idea is really cool.”

"Yes, he even prepared orange juice, so I had no choice but to come."

The two laughed and clinked glasses.

"Getting back to the main point, what are you planning to do? Go back to your ex-wife?"

"Yes, she said she wanted to get back together with me. And I do still like her."

“Okay.” Ma Zhaodi shrugged. “Whatever she likes about you—whether it’s that you became a hero, or that you stopped drinking and got back on your feet, or that you’re just good to your son—it’s a good thing that you’re back together.”

"Isn't scrutinizing this in such detail a bit utilitarian?"

"I didn't say anything, but anyway, I wish you two a long and happy life together after you get back together."

"Thank you. What about you? What are your plans? Why did you resign?"

"My true identity has been discovered by the Riddler and the Joker, as well as a dozen other supervillains. You know, being a cop is too conspicuous, especially when you're being targeted by supervillains—I'm really afraid I'll die wherever I go from now on."

"So you're just leaving Gotham?"

"Yeah, Batman did give me some money, which is enough for me to continue living."

"Now that you mention it, I just remembered, what about the five hundred million?"

“You don’t really think Sheriff Gordon would agree, do you?” Ma Zhaodi sighed. “The money I made while I was undercover could be covered up, since it was a special case. But five hundred million is too much, especially since it’s from the Riddler’s accounts. If it gets out, it’ll be big news—so I’m out of luck.”

Actually, the 500 million in cash wasn't so bad. What made Ma Zhaodi sigh was that the 500 million in asset points didn't increase either—he had originally hoped to become rich overnight.

[Based on system assessment, this mission is considered a special case. Any income earned during the undercover operation, unless otherwise punished by law, will be considered legitimate.]

"What about the five hundred million?"

[Under investigation—Sorry, the Riddler never commissioned a task with a clearly stated price, and subsequently changed the reward standard for the 500 million yuan task. This task is a fake commission.]

"what?"

Only then did Ma Zhaodi recall the scene at that time.

"Bruce Wayne's billion is still half left, but at this point, it's useless to me."

"Tell me who you are, or say goodbye to those five hundred million dollars!"

"Who will kill him! I'll give him five hundred million!"

"Damn, how could the riddle teller be so mean?"

Ma Zhaodi covered his face, feeling a numbness in it. The riddle teller truly lived up to his reputation as the best riddle teller; he had never explicitly stated that he would give the money to him—because he never intended to give it to him in the first place.

Damn it, I'm so angry.

"Um, if I commit suicide now, will I still be able to receive the money?"

[This task is a fake task, it is repeated, this task is a fake task] "Alas, when he dies, I will run to his grave and frantically steal his offerings."

Ma Zhaodi cursed as he looked at his account. Including the one million dollars Batman gave him at the end, he only had a meager one million and ninety thousand dollars in assets left.

Is it too much? No, it is not.

[This business trip has ended. You will be returning to your original universe in ten minutes. Please prepare accordingly.]

When the system notification sounded, Ma Zhaodi finished his drink in one gulp and placed the empty cup on the front desk.

"Hmm?" Chuck seemed to sense something and put down his bottle as well. "Leaving already?"

"I'm leaving now, I'm not drinking anymore." Ma Zhaodi stood up: "See you again someday."

"Good luck, Ma Zhaodi."

"Lend your blessings."

He waved his hand, turned the corner of the street around the bar, and climbed up the exterior wall of a tall building, reaching the rooftop in just over ten seconds.

He didn't move again, but stood quietly on the rooftop, looking down at the city under reconstruction. By this time, the long night had passed and dawn was breaking in the east.

Finally, Ma Zhaodi's figure disappeared into the first rays of dawn.

【Ding】

[You have completed your business trip in Gotham City and have now received your employee privileges upgrade. Work and business trip privileges in other areas outside Gotham City are now available, and you can now acquire asset points in other cities.]

[Performance rating for this phase of work: Excellent]

[Skills awarded at the end of this phase: Advanced Mechanical Mastery, Master-level Aerodynamics Mastery, Master-level Kite Mastery]

[Special Reward Received: The Friendship of the Kite Flyers]

The Friendship of Kite Flyers

Note: If the kite flyer were to answer what changed his destiny and made him a hero, the answer would probably be nothing more than two people and two gusts of wind. But for him, that was enough.

Advanced Mechanical Proficiency

Note: Want to be the next Tony Stark? Want to fly through the air in an Iron Man suit, creating sonic booms? Want to single-handedly sweep away everything with a mechanical army?

Note 2: Forget it, you'll have to pay extra.

Ma Zhaodi didn't continue watching the master-level skills in aerodynamics and kites, as he had already witnessed the specific effects of these skills on the kite flyer.

"But speaking of which," he scratched his head, "why do you always manage to pull off some fancy tricks every time you travel through time?"

Ma Zhaodi looked up and surveyed the bustling streets and the dazzling lights. It was still a prosperous scene, but something felt off.
A light drizzle was falling from the sky, and a thin layer of water had formed on the city streets. Cars were not moving, and it was clear that the traffic situation on the streets was not very good.

Overall, it was still quite lively.

But this is not Gotham.

"Fuck the airplane food, fuck the rain, fuck England!"

The curses of passersby reached his ears, revealing his current location to Ma Zhaodi.

London, England.

(End of this chapter)