Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 468 The Right Way to Communicate with a Thug

It was 8:30 p.m. The streets of New York were not particularly safe, but not particularly dangerous either. Ma Zhaodi rode his motorcycle without encountering any trouble and arrived at the entrance of an electronics store.

It was the electronics store where Hughie worked.

Jingle Bell--

The door opened, and the bell on the doorframe rang.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

Hughie, who had just looked up, was taken aback when he saw Ma Zhaodi enter the room, before a look of delight appeared on his face.

"Ma Zhaodi, what brings you here? Are you buying something?"

“No, I’m not buying anything,” Ma Zhaodi replied. “Just call me Old Ma—I came to see you and ask you something.”

"what's up?"

"How is your girlfriend Luo Bin doing now?"

"Oh, she's doing well. Although she was quite frightened last time, she's much better now and hasn't been traumatized." Hughie laughed. "You two are so lucky! I should have asked him for a photo and autograph."

"Let's talk about that later—the Water Company contacted you yesterday, didn't they?"

"Ah? Oh, right, a middle-aged man in a suit called out."

"Douglas."

"Yes, Douglas. He asked Robin and me about the situation, saying he was sent by Vought International to compensate us for our losses. He also asked a lot about you and Superman."

"So what did he give you as compensation?"

“He gave me and Robin ten thousand dollars each.”

"Oh? Luo Bin isn't even injured, yet he's willing to give so much?"

"this."

At this point, Hughie hesitated slightly, then lowered his voice to explain, "They also said they would make a public apology on television and hope we would cooperate and express our understanding."

“Walter who can admit his mistakes and correct them?” Ma Zhaodi shook his head. “That sounds unlikely.”

"Robin and I also found it a bit strange. Actually, we were still very angry about what the train did, but Robin thought about it and told me that it would be better to accept the money. We had recently been discussing living together and co-renting, and we probably wouldn't win the case against Walter anyway, and going to court would cost money."

"So you agreed?"

"agreed."

"Understandable."

Ma Zhaodi shrugged. This wasn't too surprising. Without a deep-seated grudge, what normal person would want to go up against a behemoth like Walter?

Aside from Superman and himself—because neither of them are exactly normal people.

However, if one proactively admits wrongdoing and bribes the plaintiff, the nature of the matter can be significantly downplayed.
Ma Zhaodi roughly guessed what Walter was up to, and he couldn't help but smile. This company was almost obsessive about maintaining its public image, and it had its own methods.

Compared to the potential losses from sacrificing the locomotive, bribing Hughie and Robin was far more worthwhile.

As he was talking about this, his ears twitched involuntarily. He heard heavy footsteps approaching the appliance store, but instead of going in directly, the footsteps lingered at the entrance before moving behind a large tree by the roadside.

He stopped there.

"It's so good to have physical enhancements," Ma Zhaodi thought. "After turning back into an ordinary person in the last dungeon, I had to rely on the three-wheeled vehicle's nanobots to gather intelligence. It's not as convenient as it is now. I can analyze and judge anything immediately."

"I'm glad you're all alright. I'll be going now, Hughie." Ma Zhaodi waved to Hughie. "I'll bring you autographed Superman photos next time I have time." "Okay, thanks."

Da, da, da.
Light footsteps echoed on the street.

He hummed a song as he walked, just like any other pedestrian wandering the commercial street at night.

He glanced at the street; there were few passersby around, only a man leaning against a roadside tree, watching the streetlights and slowly smoking a cigarette. The man's body and face were hidden in shadow, indistinct and unclear.

So he ignored it and walked straight ahead.

Da, da, da.
Hearing the footsteps gradually fade away, the smoker glanced back and saw the figure ahead of him walking away. He stubbed out his cigarette and slowly followed—his footsteps were very light, almost making no sound.

Finally, the man in front of them walked and came to a quiet alley.

"If there's anything you need to say, you can say it here. There aren't many people around."

After Ma Zhaodi's voice rang out, the man who had been quietly following him froze. His tracking and stealth were professionally trained, and it was unlikely that an ordinary person would notice him.

When and how was it discovered?

"What are you standing there for?" Ma Zhaodi asked. "Hurry up, it's getting late. Do you want me to find you a bar and treat you to a couple of drinks?"

So the person who had been following him came out from the street corner.

Ma Zhaodi turned around and saw a rough face with a sinister grin.

With a thick beard and a muscular build, this man wore a long trench coat, a floral shirt, and jeans. His every move exuded a self-centered casualness; he was straightforward, uncouth, and had a Texas redneck vibe.

Ma Zhaodi's keen sense of smell had already detected the gunpowder scent on the man's waist. He instantly judged that the man in front of him must be a first-rate bastard, and a well-trained thug at that.

"If you were really that smart, you wouldn't have deliberately walked into such a narrow alley."

The man smiled rather smugly: "But since you're so sensible, I can let you go after I've finished asking you questions—as long as you tell the truth."

With a click, the bullet was chambered, and he drew his gun, aiming it at Ma Zhaodi.

"Now, I ask and you answer."

"You seem to have no manners."

Ma Zhaodi looked at him with disdain: "I came directly to this place to talk to you, without using any underhanded tactics or trying to get rid of you, yet you pointed a gun at me and talked to me?"

"Or is it that without that thing in your hand, you can't even speak anymore?"

The man was stunned.

“You’ve got guts, and you make a valid point,” he said. “But I hate pretentious bastards like you the most. I just like talking to people with a gun, so what?”

"My name is Ma Zhaodi."

Ma Zhaodi suddenly stopped demanding that he put down his gun and instead asked, "And you?"

"You think I'm here to play house and make friends with you?"

The man still refused Ma Zhaodi's second question, walked over with a cold smile, raised his gun, and then stopped six meters away.

At that distance, with his marksmanship, he wouldn't be able to dodge the bullets, nor would he be able to disarm.

"I'll say it one last time: I'll ask, you answer."

"It seems I can only communicate with you in a way that you can understand."

(End of this chapter)