Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 415 You are quite a nice person

What's the most agonizing thing for supervillains like Hartley?

The answer is a mediocre life, mundane daily routines, and the petty squabbles of high society—perhaps with the contempt of the world added on.

For a genius as exceptionally gifted and extraordinary as him, the most unacceptable thing was that his carefully planned counterattack and revenge scheme suddenly turned into ordinary daily life, and even more unacceptable was that his mortal enemy easily apologized and admitted his mistakes without putting up any resistance. It felt like he had punched cotton or thin air with his powerfully prepared fist, and all his ambition and hard work seemed meaningless.

When Wells confessed to his crimes outright, and when Ma Zhaodi calmly offered to take Hartley home, it was an unbearable torment for him.

“You need to get this straight,” Hartley said coldly, staring at Ma Zhaodi. “It was the weapon I developed myself that destroyed more than a dozen buildings.”

“The glass,” Ma Zhaodi added calmly, “We are very grateful that you prevented objects from falling from the building and hitting anyone. Don’t worry, those pieces of glass have been replaced and cleaned.”

"Damn it, I went easy on you! Can't you tell?"

Hartley threatened, “I could easily hold my own against Snart and his gang, but I could also have destroyed those buildings or that airport. You think I couldn’t? Fool, everything has a frequency, and my sound waves can destroy anything with a frequency!”

"Ah, thank you again for not directly destroying the airport."

Ma Zhaodi sighed and replied helplessly, "But as you know, this is the situation. We have no other choice. You have no criminal record, so detaining you directly would be illegal detention, and your parents would cause trouble."

Hartley's face began to turn red at a visible speed—he wasn't Old Ma's first victim, but he certainly wouldn't be the last.

He didn't understand why even ordinary people like Ma Zhaodi didn't take him seriously. Shouldn't the laboratory treat a super crazy and evil genius like him as a major threat, do everything possible to control him, and do everything possible to ensure that he would never run away again?

He had shaken the entire city center, but he couldn't shake an ordinary person. Old Ma treated him like an ordinary person and sent him home, using the most common reason—because your powerful parents might cause trouble.

How could my opponent be so mercenary and vulgar? How could I waste my life on such trivial matters?
"Are you out of your mind?" he roared. "You just let a dangerous individual who could cause major damage in Central City out like that? Aren't you afraid I'll retaliate against Wells? Aren't you worried I'll take on the Flash? Or that I'll have to destroy the entire Star Labs before you realize how terrifying my abilities are?"

Only then did Ma Zhaodi turn his head and look at Hartley in surprise. With such a clever mind, it was only now that he realized he wasn't a normal person.

What an idiot! Who in their right mind would want to stay in Gotham for that long?

Your genius is a bit of a stretch, buddy.

“Are you asking me?” he replied. “To be honest, I’m not too worried, because as long as you stay here, you’re just a nuisance for the lab. But once you’re sent home—you’ll become a nuisance for your parents again.”

Hartley's face immediately darkened.

“If you want to deal with Dr. Wells, you’ll at least need to be able to leave your house. I have a feeling your parents will take care of you much more closely than the lab does,” Ma Zhaodi continued. “As for the Flash—sorry, you can’t deal with him right now because he’s lost his powers.”

"?"

“Yes, that’s exactly what you think.” Ma Zhaodi nodded. “Finally, if you really want to destroy Star Labs—then there’s nothing I can do.” This time it was Dr. Wells’ turn to turn and look at Ma Zhaodi.

“Anyway, I don’t work here.” Ma Zhaodi shrugged. “You know, Dr. Wells, Caitlin, and Cisco are all my friends. We’ve had a lot of fun together. I’ve known Cisco for a long time. He can eat an incredible amount. I think providing takeout to Star Labs could earn me a stable side income.”

“Sometimes decisions are hard to make, but if you really have to blow up the lab, all I can do is try to sell you a food truck delivery service. I can’t wait to meet your parents and get the money back from them. As for Wells, Cisco, and Caitlin, I wish them all the best in the years of rebuilding the lab.”

"you--"

"Hey, watch your manners."

Ma Zhaodi raised his hand to stop Hartley from blurting out the words he was about to blurt out, and also blocked Wells' murderous gaze: "You're a high-IQ genius, so you definitely need to keep up with the tone."

"If I were you, I would take advantage of my recovery to go home obediently, reluctantly inherit my trillions of dollars, and live a life of debauchery and extravagance—being a playboy is much happier than being a super criminal."

After saying this, Ma Zhaodi looked at Hartley's resentful expression, clearly indicating that he did not yearn for that simple, unpretentious, and boring life of a rich man.

Sigh, Ma Zhaodi sighed. Most supervillains are like this: ambitious, with clear goals, unwavering will, and self-disciplined.

He doesn't have that strong competitive spirit. If he had Hartley's resources, he would never go back to working unless the universe is destroyed.

After sending Hartley back to his home, Ma Zhaodi unsurprisingly received Mrs. Rutherwell's thanks and Mr. Rutherwell's cold shoulder—unfortunately, the money they gave him would be directly transferred to the laboratory as an investment, and Ma Zhaodi would not receive any of it.

As mentioned before, he is not an employee of Star Labs.

"I should have gotten the head chef's title there."

Ma Zhaodi muttered as she walked down the road. Although she saw a look of despair on Hartley's face as she left, it didn't matter. He was just receiving double care from his parents.

It won't kill you.

But instead of going straight home, he drove his food truck and headed straight to the bar—where Snart was eating fries when he got to his usual spot.

"Isn't this food delicious?" Ma Zhaodi said with a smile as he sat opposite him. "I don't think the food at this restaurant is that bad."

“When I’m in a bad mood, everything tastes the same.” Snart’s voice was not happy. “I promised to pay you back 300,000, and I won’t renege on my promise. You don’t need to come here directly.”

"You're a really nice person."

(End of this chapter)