Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 362 Mutation
Betty San Susie

Ma Zhaodi repeated the name and casually tapped the front of the three-wheeled vehicle.

"Checking, checking." The three-wheeled vehicle reacted extremely quickly, accessing the military's database almost instantly.

Susie then added, "I'm a member of the military, a former soldier."

“Very good.” Ma Zhaodi smiled: “Now, at least we’re starting to have a proper conversation.”

Susie didn't continue speaking. She crossed her arms and looked at both ends of the alley, then asked, "Do we really have to talk here? I feel very unsafe in this alley."

"Then get back into the car, and I'll take you to the safe house."

"You still have safe houses?"

“I had a minor conflict with the local gangs in the city center.”

Susie frowned. Hearing Ma Zhaodi's answer, she vaguely sensed that this food truck owner was not a simple person.

There might be some stories about him, or there might be some accidents he's been through.

But at this point, she really didn't have the right to be picky, so she had to curl up again and crawl back into the food cart.

Ma Zhaodi got on the tricycle and rode it towards his cheap rented house.

He wasn't lying. The house had been abandoned for a long time, and he rarely went there. It was also in a remote location with no large commercial streets or shops nearby, so it was quite inconspicuous. With the remote monitoring from the three-wheeled vehicle, the safety level was very high.

"How's business going today?" the tricycle driver asked as he walked. "Not selling spicy strips anymore?"

"It's not a big problem. We can sell them all together tomorrow. There's no end to making money. Losing a day won't kill anyone."

That being said, on the way back, they still encountered people including, but not limited to, Snart, Cisco, Joe, Denton, Felicity, and others.

Over the past few months, they have developed a habit of buying something to eat whenever they encounter Ma Zhaodi's food truck on the road, and so far, there has never been any bad food in Ma Zhaodi's food truck.

Even something as completely contrary to their eating habits as spicy strips is transformed into something irresistible by masterful culinary skills.

Felicity also made a raucous statement about this.

"Every time you serve up a culinary disaster, my taste buds are challenged again. I'm almost able to eat anything now."

Felicity slurped up a spicy snack in her hand: "How about you try cooking British food?"

"Such a beautiful girl, how come she has such a mouth?" Ma Zhaodi sighed. "Where did you learn so many dirty jokes? Barry and the others have all complained about your speaking style; it doesn't sound like a normal, highly educated, top-tier expert at all."

“Unfortunately, I am a top expert.” Felicity chuckled. “There are very few hackers in the world stronger than me.”

Ma Zhaodi shrugged.

"Putting all that aside for now—Old Ma, I have to get back to Xingcheng; my train leaves tonight."

"Oh? You've finished things here?"

"Actually, it's nothing much. I came here mainly to see Barry because I heard that he gained something after the accident—oh, I can't tell you that yet, we'll have to wait until you regain your memory."

"Okay, have a safe trip."

"Thank you, Lao Ma. Come visit Xingcheng when you have time."

"I'll definitely do it next time." Ma Zhaodi rode his little cart, selling spicy strips along the way, stopping every now and then for a few minutes. Susie inside the cart was quite upset. She was already feeling helpless and very distressed, having been forced to shrink into this small, dark space.

Now, she has to listen to Ma Zhaodi chatting and laughing with customers under the cart, the smell of spicy snacks wafting down the edge of the food cart, making her subconsciously swallow.

Thinking back, it seems that ever since I escaped from the military base, I haven't dared to eat anything.

When will he finally get to the safe house?
After a long and agonizing ordeal, the three-wheeled vehicle finally came to a stop, swaying precariously. Ma Zhaodi went to the door, turned the doorknob, and then pasted the wallpaper onto the door of the rented house, making the two doors overlap. Only then did he return to the food cart.

With a creak, the small door next to the food cart opened.

"Come out, we're here." Ma Zhaodi's voice came from outside the food cart: "Hurry up and get inside."

Susie immediately crawled out of the food cart, letting out a long sigh of relief, thankful that she had finally ended this torment.

Ma Zhaodi casually opened the door, folded the food cart slightly, and pushed it directly inside through the doorway.

"Remember to close the door when you come in."

"Uh"

Seeing Susie's troubled expression as she entered, Ma Zhaodi asked, "What's wrong? Are you afraid I'm not a good person? You escaped from a search led by a general, would you be afraid of a food truck owner?"

“I’m not afraid. It’s just that I can’t close the door for you with my hands—in fact, I’m afraid to touch anything other than myself with my hands right now.”

Ma Zhaodi raised an eyebrow. He didn't say anything, turned around, walked to the door, and closed it behind him.

Outside the door, countless tiny nanobots began to operate again, covering up the wallpaper on the door, leaving only the original door of the rental apartment, and then the doorknob was put back in place.

If someone opens the door at this time, they can only enter the empty rented room.

Susie breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the room. She walked into the rather small and old rented room and glanced around at the room.

The room was not messy and was quite clean. Although the spots and stains on the walls were not very attractive, the furniture and floors seemed to be cleaned regularly.

The windows were tightly closed, the curtains were drawn, and the surrounding streets were deserted. There seemed to be no hidden storage compartments, security systems, or communication systems, nor any emergency supplies. The structure itself did not appear to offer any special protection.

"Is this considered a safe house?" She sighed inwardly. It was indeed unlikely that an ordinary food truck owner would have a professional safe house. She was asking for too much.

"So, shouldn't you tell me now?" Ma Zhaodi sat down opposite her: "What exactly is going on with you?"

"You probably don't believe what happened to me."

"You speak first."

"That was about nine months ago, no, ten months ago."

Susie recounted her experience: "At that time, I had just returned from the war in Afghanistan—there was a terrorist in the city center who had planted bombs by the roadside."

"I was sent to defuse a bomb, but the bomb exploded unexpectedly, and shrapnel injured me. Luckily, I didn't die and was sent back to the department for treatment and recuperation."

"I stayed at the base for several months and finally recovered from my injuries, only to be told that the bomb did not explode due to a faulty disarmament, and that it had not even been activated in the first place."

"What almost killed me was the mutation that occurred within my own body."

P.S.: Some readers pointed out an error in the translation of Susie's name, so I'm correcting it starting from this chapter. Thank you for your correction.

(End of this chapter)