Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 326 A Relatively Lucky Half of My Life

After Denton left the gun shop, he felt frustrated and uneasy.

"Damn it, they actually messed up on something like this! They actually messed up on something like this!"

He slammed his fist on the steering wheel twice, cursing himself inwardly: "How stupid of me. How can I avenge Elizabeth now that I'm this stupid?"

At that moment, he really wanted to slap himself twice more, but he had to go back to the hospital to see Elizabeth soon, so he had to keep his composure.

Denton rubbed his face, trying to erase the marks from the two shots he'd taken at the gun shop, and then drove out of the alley.

"Fortunately, I managed to get a lot of pistols and bullets in the end." He thought to himself, "These things are enough for me to carry out the plan, or rather, even without these things, I would still do this."

The black van drove around the city center, circling the streets. After fifteen minutes, Denton confirmed that no one was following him, so he drove to the city center hospital.

He carried the bag of snacks upstairs—just yesterday, Elizabeth had been transferred from the ICU to a regular ward due to his long-term unemployment, and his savings had run out.

Denton was conflicted; he didn't know how to feel. He felt guilty for not being able to protect his wife, but Elizabeth had a different perspective.

“I don’t have much time left, Denton,” she said. “I don’t want to die in the ICU.”

"It's too quiet in there, no one talks or sings, and I can't see you. It would be better if we changed to a regular ward, so you could stay by my bedside, sing for me, and bring me snacks."

He didn't say anything, but he felt ashamed that he had failed to keep either his lifelong research or his lifelong partner.

"He was just an ordinary bookworm when he was young, but he grew up to like biological sciences, so he successfully completed his doctorate and became a researcher."

Sunlight streamed into the ward through the window, falling on the hospital bed and warming the patient.

The person in the hospital bed told Ma Zhaodi his story.

"That's when I met him. Thinking about it, it seems like I haven't been with him for very long, maybe only a dozen years or so until now?"

The black-haired woman lay on the bed, reminiscing and recounting her memories, seemingly lost in thought as she spoke.

"Isn't more than ten years a long time?"

Ma Zhaodi casually handed over a chocolate: "Special one, want to try it?"

"Thanks, Lao Ma."

Elizabeth smiled as she unwrapped the chocolate: "A dozen years is such a short time. I actually wanted to spend a few more decades with him. It's just a pity I wasn't so lucky."

After saying that, she peeked around the room and the hallway before putting the chocolate in her mouth.

"I haven't had this in a long time." She explained softly while chewing on a liqueur-filled chocolate, "When I was in the ICU, the doctors wouldn't let me eat anything, but now that I'm out, I can sneak some."

“When you get home, just ask Denton to buy it for you.” Ma Zhaodi shrugged, stood up and said goodbye: “See you next time, remember to buy my snacks.”

“If we meet again, I’ll definitely come back to buy it.” Elizabeth smiled. “Old Ma, could you turn on the TV? I want to watch the news.”

"Row."

When Denton went upstairs, Ma Zhaodi was in his hospital room flipping through news channels.

“Oh, great, it’s Denton.” He said excitedly, “Come quick, come quick, I can’t figure out your channels, your wife wants to watch the news.”

He wasn't lying. In fact, for some time now, Ma Zhaodi had barely watched any television. His most frequent sources of information were computers and mobile phones—he hadn't paid any attention to remote controls or TV channels at all.

"Old Ma? What are you doing here—"

Before Denton could even ask his question, a strong sense of vigilance had already set in his eyes. It was already quite a coincidence to run into Old Ma once at the gun shop, but to run into him again at the hospital, especially since the other man had even gone directly to Elizabeth's ward, made him extremely nervous.

If he harbored ill intentions towards her, Elizabeth would become her best bargaining chip. "He followed me? Or rather, he actually knew what I did today? He investigated me? Was he sent by someone?"

Fortunately, Elizabeth spoke up at this moment.

"Danton, you're back? Old Ma came to the hospital today to deliver some snacks, and I happened to see him. I pulled him aside and chatted with him for a while, extorting a few snacks from him."

“It’s not really about coercion or extortion,” Ma Zhaodi shrugged. “Business can be done anytime, I’m not in a rush.”

Denton took the remote control, switched to the Central City News, and said to Elizabeth, "Elizabeth, wait a moment, I'll pay him for the snacks."

"oh oh."

"Danton, those are just a few pastries, no need for them—"

"Don't speak yet, I have something to ask you."

In the hospital corridor, Denton spoke quietly to Ma Zhaodi: "Are you really here to deliver some snacks?"

"Gun shops can deliver, but hospitals can't? It's normal for my skills to get orders everywhere, right?"

"Did you tell Elizabeth about my job at the gun shop?"

"No, what? Did you go there without her knowing?"

"I'm afraid she'll worry. In short, just don't mention it."

"That's easy."

After a brief discussion, Ma Zhaodi returned to the ward to say goodbye to Denton and Elizabeth, and then went downstairs to leave.

Meanwhile, Denton was peeling an apple for Elizabeth by the bedside.

"Denton, aren't you going to the lab this afternoon?"

"I secretly ran away to come see you in a little while."

“You’ve been running away too many times lately.” Elizabeth frowned slightly. “I’m right here. I’m not going to grow legs and run away.”

“It’s alright.” Denton forced a smile at her. “Your situation is more important.”

Elizabeth reached out and touched Denton's face, as if to say something, but her attention was drawn to the news on television.

"A fire broke out in a residential building this morning and quickly spread throughout the entire building. The fire has been extinguished by firefighters, and the police are investigating the cause of the fire. Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire."

"It is worth mentioning that a girl in the fire and several men and women repeatedly emphasized that they were instantly rescued from the fire by a red lightning bolt. However, no one else outside the fire seemed to have seen this strange red lightning bolt. At present, we can only conclude that this was because the lack of oxygen in the fire caused some people to experience hallucinations."

"Red Lightning."

Denton, peeling an apple, glanced at the news and silently pondered, "Could it be someone else just like me? Only our abilities are a little different?"

As it turns out, Denton was indeed much smarter than Clyde.

Meanwhile, the news broadcast on television continued.

"Let's look at the next news item—this one is about a gun shop."

Denton suddenly felt nervous.

(End of this chapter)