Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 496 The Butcher's Conscience

"The Lamplighter, Storm Woman"

Ma Zhaodi thought to himself that if there was a breakthrough, it would most likely be with these two people. They were the powerful high-ranking officials in this mental hospital and must be the people who directly liaised with Walter.

However, the investigation here has come to a temporary halt. If they want to expose Walter, they need to find at least a few reliable high-ranking officials from American institutions, preferably people who specialize in such cases. Ma Zhaodi is not sure if the Butcher has any connections in this area, but he does not intend to stay here any longer.

"Meow (Hey, aren't we going to help the people here escape?)~"

"We can't help at all. The superpowered individuals locked up here are basically congenital mental patients, and now they have become mentally unstable patients after long-term imprisonment. They are extremely aggressive and have a very low willingness to communicate. In other words, they are basically superpowered lunatics."

"If we let them out, it won't just be Walter who suffers."

"Meow (Where are the rest of the normal people?)~"

“A normal person would ask to leave the mental hospital, then be executed on the spot, and then issued an accidental death certificate.”

Ma Zhaodi sighed: "At least based on the cells we've passed, there aren't any normal people alive here right now."

So the silly cat stopped talking and hid back under its clothes.

Although there are no normal people here now, sooner or later another batch of mental patients, that is, test subjects, will be introduced. Ma Zhaodi has put this matter as a high priority. When he gets back, he must find a way to contact relevant media and other high-ranking figures to expose it. He wants to destroy as many test sites as possible.

"I wonder if the butcher has any connections in this area."

As he walked toward the door, he encountered Storm and the Lamplighter along the way. He greeted them like the other caregivers there, but they didn't even glance at him.

"The stealth effect is still effective against superpowered individuals who only enhance their physique but not their brains and haven't undergone professional mental training. Even in broad daylight, they can slip past each other right in front of them."

Ma Zhaodi made it out smoothly, but didn't go too far from the center of the sage forest. Instead, he put away his tricycle and hid it in an abandoned parking lot five kilometers away using wallpaper.

"There's not much stuff in the hospital. Next, we should search the homes of the Lightbringer and Storm Girl. Maybe we can find some extra information?"

That's what Ma Zhaodi thought.

However, five hours later, he realized that while the idea was good, his ability to execute it was not up to par.

Rumbling--

With a spark and a flash of lightning, Storm's figure disappeared from the sky. Ma Zhaodi watched her fly at high speed, turning into a small dot in the sky in just a few seconds, realizing that the speed of the three-wheeled vehicle running on the ground was unlikely to catch up with her.

"I miscalculated. This guy doesn't even live in Pennsylvania—superhumans can buy houses across continents without affecting their commute to work. Who can I complain to?"

After waiting another five hours, Ma Zhaodi decisively put away the wallpaper, because the lamplighter had not come out of the center of the sage forest at all, which meant that he was most likely living in the staff dormitory—at least for today and tomorrow.

"There's no hope for the unfinished Compound No. 5. I've also finished reviewing all the intelligence in the mental hospital, so I can't wait any longer. I was supposed to return within two days, so I need to go back and see how Butcher and his men are preparing."

Although he didn't get the chance to follow the two people home, Ma Zhaodi wasn't too discouraged. He had already gathered a lot of intelligence on this trip, including the significance of Compound V to Vought Corporation and its role. Now all that was left was to figure out its transportation chain and get samples.

Where would these people inject babies with compounds? Are their parents aware of this?

He had many ideas, but no clues for the time being, so he stopped thinking about it and checked the time while the three-wheeled vehicle was on its way—more than twenty hours had passed since he left New York. The whole trip didn't take very long; the round trip would only take two days.

"Hopefully, those two people had finished their preparations by the time I left home. At least they should have found a manufacturer that can replicate the glass tubes."

As it turns out, while the butcher can be unreliable in many things, he rarely misjudges when it comes to making friends.

"Look, look, at the color, at the transparency."

Ding, ding— Franky flicked the glass tube with his finger, making a crisp sound, and handed a test tube filled with a deep blue liquid to the Butcher: "Considering that those superhuman bastards are not easy to kill, I added hallucinogens and stimulants directly into it. If you're unlucky enough to be picked by this one, you might be able to fool them."

"When did you start using such flowery language?" The butcher sneered. "It's just adding ice to water with artificial coloring."

"You don't know anything about chemistry."

click-

Ma Zhaodi pushed open the door and entered, just in time to see the test tube in the Butcher's hand. He couldn't help but let out a long sigh: "The progress is so fast. Franky's chemistry level is quite high."

"Breaking Bad, kid—but how come you're back so quickly?"

"We need to prepare for a more in-depth investigation, so we're coming back now. Have you found a IVF manufacturer yet?"

"We found a Chinese OEM manufacturer, and the goods will arrive tomorrow."

"As long as it works."

"And you? Did you find anything?"

"Yes, we've found the lamplighter."

When the name was uttered, both Butcher and Franky were stunned.

"Is Franky also involved in this?"

This thought flashed through Ma Zhaodi's mind.

Where is that bastard now?

Franky strode forward, his voice hoarse, filled with hatred and regret, his emotions running high.

“Working as a caregiver in a mental hospital, doing dirty work for Vought Corporation, it’s like being put on hold,” Ma Zhaodi replied. “I’ve found out some things, but we’re all teammates now, so we have to be honest. I’ll tell you my intelligence, and you guys have to tell me what you know.”

This time, the butcher did not directly reject Ma Zhaodi's suggestion, but thought about it carefully: "Since the matter involves the lamplighter, I need to find another person."

"Who?"

“An old friend of ours, who also had some connection with the Lamplighters, was a bastard with a bit more conscience than me.”

"Any human being would have more of a conscience than you."

"Cut the nonsense."

Half an hour later, at a juvenile detention center in New York.

The butcher sat across from a burly, middle-aged Black man at the table. This man was even a size larger than the imposing butcher, with bulging muscles that made him look like a gangster.

"Trust me, old friend, this team is reliable. The Mallory incident won't happen again."

Faced with the butcher's confident assurances, the black man asked, "Is Franky in the team? I can't work with that son of a bitch."

"Of course not, what are you talking about? You're the only guy I can trust."

(End of this chapter)