American comics farmer: start by adopting the villain savior.

Chapter 108 Dior: Foolish as always! The Penguin Lady in the Revolving Door!
The heavy, gilded doors of the Iceberg Club slowly closed behind them, becoming a barrier that completely isolated the decadent, glitz-and-glam world inside.

The security guard at the entrance, dressed in a crisp uniform and with a solemn expression, thoughtfully sized up the three young people whose attire clashed with the club's style.

I feel like I've seen him somewhere before, especially that tall, dark-haired boy.
But his exceptional professionalism made him suppress his doubts, and he simply bowed slightly, speaking in a formulaic tone:

"see you next time."

"hiss--"

The night wind along Gotham City's waterfront promenade immediately brought a biting chill, a stark contrast to the sweet and cloying fragrance inside the club.

"Why is it colder at night in this godforsaken place than in Smallville in winter?"

Chloe wrapped her thin coat tighter around herself and couldn't help but shiver.

Goosebumps instantly rose on my bare arms.

The old Ford, parked alone on the roadside not far away, looked like an abandoned metal behemoth.

"Alright, let's hurry home." Pete muttered as he took out his keys, "Also, can we apply for compensation for emotional distress from this business trip?"

Before he could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly squeezed his legs together.

"Wait! There seems to be something wrong with that orange juice! Emergency! Extremely urgent!"

His face was contorted in pain, clearly trying to suppress his discomfort.

“There are so many things to do.”

Chloe rolled her eyes in annoyance, unfolded the crumpled Gotham tourist map in her hand under the dim light of the streetlamp, and pointed to a corner near the seaside promenade. "Around the corner up ahead, there seems to be a public restroom marked on the map..."

"Good luck, Mr. Pete. I hope you don't get charged protection money in Gotham's public restrooms."

"Gulp." Pete swallowed hard. "Clark."

Passerby A sent a team invitation.

“Pete.” Clark smiled helplessly and kindly reminded her, “It’s not good for Chloe to be out there alone.”

The protagonist, C, declined the invitation to join a team.

"Tsk..."

Pete gave a disgruntled snort, crossed his legs, and strode quickly along the dimly lit, deserted seaside promenade.

Clark and Chloe followed a few steps behind him.

It has to be said that the streets of Gotham at night are still too terrifying.

After leaving the bustling Iceberg Club, the three of them felt that this was the real Gotham.

The streetlights flickered like fireflies with low power, casting their shadows on the cold concrete ground in a distorted and ever-changing pattern.

All around were the dull sounds of waves crashing against the embankment and the distant, indistinct noise of the city.

Just as the blue and white public restroom sign came into view, Chloe, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and gasped.

Under a peeling bench on the street, a small figure was curled up, almost blending into the shadows.

It was a boy of about eight or nine years old, wearing a obviously oversized, worn-out gray hoodie.

Her little face was dirty, and there was an empty food can in front of her.

Under the dim light, the thin body shivered slightly in the cold wind, looking extremely pitiful.

"Oh my god."

Chloe's sympathy was instantly stirred, and she subconsciously reached for her small purse:
"Why is this child here all alone...?"

".Clark?"

Her hands were pressed down again, and the girl was startled, looking up in confusion.

But Clark shook his head slightly, gesturing for her to look at the shadows to his side—

In the heavy shadows cast by the buildings, several blurry figures stood or squatted, the red glow of cigarette butts between their fingers flickering in the darkness.

Those people's undisguised gazes were fixed greedily on them.

More accurately, it was targeting the rather thick-looking wallet she was about to pull out.

Come to think of it...

At this time of day, in such a chaotic place, how could there possibly be a child begging alone here?
"No way..." Her voice began to tremble, a chill rising from the soles of her feet, "Do these people intend to..."

"elder sister."

As if receiving some kind of signal, the little boy suddenly raised his head timidly, his voice trembling with tears:

"Sister, could you give me a dollar to buy bread?"

His eyes were astonishingly large, practically two black holes on his thin face.

Clark's arm muscles tensed slightly.

He clearly noticed that, along with the begging words, the figures that had been still in the shadows began to move extremely slowly, silently forming a loose yet powerful encirclement that cut off their escape route.

Needless to say.

This is a carefully laid trap!
"Why isn't Pete ready yet..."

Chloe glanced uneasily toward the silent public restroom, then instinctively shrank behind Clark, trying to use his tall frame to block the boy's uncomfortable gaze.

But the other party's patience had clearly run out.

Suddenly, the boy gave a very quick wink to the shadows.

soon
A man in a leather jacket stubbed out his cigarette and strolled over slowly, his knuckles cracking.

Their three accomplices surrounded them in a semi-circle, completely blocking their escape route.

"Both of you."

The man grinned, revealing his white front teeth.

"You scared my child. Give us some compensation for emotional distress, and we'll pretend this never happened, okay?"

Clark was about to start arguing.

Chloe, however, suddenly stepped forward and stood in front of him.

The girl took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady: "How much do you want?"

The man spread his hands dramatically: "It has to be at least this number."

He raised a finger, as if making a generous concession.

"A thousand swords?"

Chloe secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although it hurt, she could accept that she had to spend money to avoid further trouble.

"Ten thousand cuts."

The man chuckled as he corrected him, which elicited laughter from his accomplices behind him.

"Take the young master?!"

Clark and Chloe gasped almost simultaneously, stunned by the astronomical figure.

Are all Gotham people this rude?!
The man seemed pleased with their reaction and grinned.

"Since you seem to know what's good for you, how about this: ten thousand dollars. Cash or credit card, it's fine. We're easy to talk to."

"Boss, actually the brothers want some more."

A red-haired thug interrupted with a laugh.

“Be a gentleman, we are Gotham people.”

"How can we leave a good impression on our out-of-town friends and let them call the police as soon as they arrive?"

He pretended to be a gentleman and stopped his subordinate.

The man had noticed Chloe secretly dialing her phone long ago.

"Don't waste your time, you outsider," he scoffed. "Our Gotham police station gets hundreds of calls a night. Logically, the operators are probably cuddling coffee while on the phone right now."

Is this something to be proud of?

Clark remained silent.

"The point is that you two have nowhere to retreat now."

The man shrugged indifferently. "Generally speaking, no one would be foolish enough to travel to and from places like this in Gotham at night without a private car. It's really hard to find 'iceberg' cuties like you who stroll the streets of Gotham late at night."

"They're obviously tourists from out of town."

"The last time I heard of wealthy people with this kind of romantic sentiment was Thomas Wayne and his wife."

He seemed to recall something amusing and burst into laughter, which was followed by a chorus of vulgar jeers from the thugs behind him.

"They also went for a stroll into the alley, and what happened? Six legs went in, two legs came out."

"Hahahaha... So this is a lesson from history."

"."

Upon hearing this, Clark instinctively gripped his phone tighter.

all in all.
What the man said was cruel yet true...

Her eyes stung by the string of English text on the small screen. She swallowed hard, her last glimmer of hope shattered.

Is it
and many more!

It's not far from the club!
A faint glimmer of light flashed in Chloe's eyes. She was about to turn and shout for help in the direction of the club, trying to attract the attention of the security guards...

"Don't expect the security guards at the club entrance to come and help you." The man seemed to see through her thoughts and cut off her last hope. "The club's 'rule' is that the area within a 300-meter radius is their 'pure land,' and no one may violate the 'rule.'"

"And through my numerous, very precise measurements—"

He announced with a touch of absurd pride:
"The location of this public toilet is exactly 304 meters away! Perfectly outside the 'rules'! By the way, the reason why there is a public toilet marked at this location on that beautiful tourist map you have is because I spent a lot of money to have them add it a few years ago."

Upon hearing this, Chloe was even more speechless.

Is this Gotham? Even street thugs are so scheming.
"Clark."

Her tone held a desperate resolve as she lowered her voice and said urgently, "Listen, there are too many of them. I'll count to three, and we'll split up and run in different directions! Surely one of them will escape!" "You..."

Clark sighed softly.

He knew this friend he had grown up with all too well.

The so-called split-up was actually a plan to use himself as bait to attract most of the firepower, giving him a chance to escape.

Given a strong man and a thin girl, even a fool would know who to pursue.

"Chloe, trust me, close your eyes."

The young man's voice was surprisingly calm.

"Close your eyes? Now?!"

Chloe was startled; she thought she was hallucinating from excessive fear.

What kind of response strategy is this?
"Yes. Right now."

But Clark's tone was unusually assertive.

Before she could speak, the boy's hands gently covered her eyelids, his warm palms blocking out all light. "Trust me. When you open your eyes again, it will all be over."

"Clark!"

The girl gasped in the darkness, but could feel the warmth of Clark's hand, and...

A very subtle, almost imperceptible vibration?
The previously noisy and threatening sounds around us suddenly disappeared?
All that remained was the howling sea wind and...

A very brief, very rapid dull thud and a suppressed groan, so fast it seemed like her hallucination.

It felt like only a second had passed, yet also like an eternity.

"Open your eyes, Chloe, it's Clark."

Darkness fades away.

Chloe blinked a few times, adjusting to the sudden return of light, and then...

She was completely stunned.

The arrogant thugs who were just moments ago had vanished without a trace, and even the little beggar was nowhere to be seen.

Only the night wind carried a few scraps of newspaper across the empty streets.

Where are they?

Chloe's voice was trembling.

"Uh……"

“They said they suddenly remembered something urgent at home.” Blinking his slightly sore eyes, Clark’s gaze drifted away. “It was probably something very, very urgent, so they left.”

"...?"

Chloe's heart skipped a beat as she glanced at the public restroom making the strange noise, and at Clark's obviously bluffing grin and incapable-of-lying expression.

She wasn't a fool; the unspoken truth between the two of them, which had always been tacitly understood but never explicitly stated, was now blatantly obvious in front of her.

Chloe opened her mouth, and felt a tightness in her throat.

Tonight, I will have to face the truth that she has been deliberately ignoring.

My best friend is...
"Clark, I know you..."

"boom!"

Accompanied by the familiar, broken-down engine roar of the old Ford!
A blinding beam of headlights ripped through the thick darkness like a sword of judgment, interrupting Chloe's words.

"Clark! Chloe!"

Pete, who had somehow emerged from the restroom, miraculously drove his car over at that moment!
He leaned half his body out of the car window, his face a mixture of terror and a desperate bravery, and roared, "Don't be afraid! I'm here to save you! Let me run over these bastards!!"

He slammed on the gas, and the beat-up Ford roared as it sped toward the spot where Clark and Chloe had just been standing...

They charged forward with incredible bravery!
It naturally rolled over the air and a few fallen leaves.

"Squeak-"

A screeching sound of brakes.

Pitt leaned out of the car window and looked around:

"?!"

"..."

Clark and Chloe exchanged a glance, remained silent for a moment, and then could no longer hold back.

He then burst out laughing.

The contrast after the initial tension is truly comical.

However, before their smiles could fully unfold, another deep and oppressive roar of an engine suddenly tore through the night from the other end of the street.

The all-black Harley came to a precise stop in front of the three with an extremely beautiful and arrogant drift.

"Crack~"

With the elastic band tightened, the rider deftly removed his helmet.

Her golden hair shone brightly even in the night.

And
Those scarlet eyes looked exceptionally deep in the dim light.

After seeing those three troublesome guys slip away from the club, Dior completely lost his motivation to work.

After receiving the 13,000 dollars he was owed that night from Rocman, he immediately chased after him.

Just then, in the shadows not far away, I saw Clark, with movements so fast they were almost invisible, pick up the thugs and the kid one by one and stuff them into the public toilet, as if he were collecting trash.

This guy……

They were pretty ruthless.

Dior glanced at the public restroom from which a dull thud and whimpering sound was emanating, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.

but
"Clark."

His cold gaze swept across the scene. "You came all the way to Gotham in the middle of the night just to punish evil and uphold justice?"

"Cleaning up street litter, acting as a volunteer police officer?"

"Dio, how could you do this? Clark was worried about what you did at the club."

Chloe instinctively wanted to defend Clark.

"Miss Sullivan, shut up!"

Dior abruptly interrupted her, his gaze piercing her face like nails, rebuking her mercilessly:

"Stupid as always."

"I don't even need to think to know that you must have been trying to satisfy your ridiculous curiosity by urging your foolish brother to take this risk."

“The Penguin Lady in the revolving door.” He stepped forward and scoffed, “Do you think Gotham nights are perfect for a stroll?”

Startled by Dio's words, Chloe instinctively wanted to retort, but as she moved her lips, she realized that every word Dio said had precisely struck a chord with her.

Everything tonight truly stemmed from her suggestion and curiosity.

A wave of intense guilt washed over her. She lowered her head, not daring to look at Dio or Clark, her voice barely audible:

“I…I’m sorry, Clark…”

Seeing the girl's remorseful expression, Dior lost interest in continuing to scold her.

He snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping over Clark one last time, before he bluntly uttered a sentence:

"Mind yourself."

"Also, don't let your family know about tonight's events, unless you want Aunt Martha to worry herself sick."

After saying that, he didn't wait for a response and quickly put his helmet back on.

With a roar from its engine, the black Harley tore through the silence of the street.

They disappeared into the deep night.

As they watched Dio leave, Clark and Chloe breathed a sigh of relief.

It felt like a huge weight had finally been lifted from my chest.

"go home?"

Having just minimized his presence and been the only one not harshly reprimanded, Pete cautiously poked his head out of the car and asked.

"go home."

Clark smiled gently.

He opened the car door and let the still-shaken Chloe get in first.

The old Ford started up and drove away from this troublesome place.

The car was silent. Chloe gazed at the fleeting night view outside the window, but her eyes involuntarily fell on Clark's calm profile beside her.

She opened her mouth, but ultimately asked nothing.

He buried that almost certain, astonishing secret even deeper in his heart.

All that remained was the public toilet beside the seaside promenade, its entrance sealed shut.
Faintly, one could hear the chilling, continuous, dull thuds emanating from within, along with the persistent sounds of desperate struggle and indistinct sobs.

It scared countless passersby so much that they ran away.

Therefore.
A new urban legend has been added to Gotham:
The public toilets on the seaside promenade will devour evildoers.

When a criminal approaches, the doorknob will instantly melt into molten iron, sealing the person inside.

The victim will face eternal imprisonment in the toilet until they have truly repented for all the sins of their life.

(End of this chapter)