Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 512 I Must Win

"what?"

"What? Why not just threaten him with two photos of him in the Nest Bar? Even tabloid reporters know that trick."

Ma Zhaodi: "Anyway, the other party is helping Vought International conduct experiments on children. There's no need to talk about chivalry with people like that. Don't tell me your moral standards are too high and you've never done this level of interrogation before."

"No, it's just that we feel this method is a bit...we've always thought you were a good person."

"I'm just a good person."

Ma Zhaodi corrected, "It's just that the bottom line is a bit flexible."

After this meal, the relationships between the members of the Black Robe Squad visibly improved.

It wasn't entirely because of the conversation at the dinner table; the main reason was that Ma Zhaodi's cooking was really strange. Even the butcher, who had kept a straight face at the beginning, couldn't help but eat more. Now, the four people and the cat in the room were all sprawled on the sofa, rubbing their round bellies and staring blankly.

"Hiccup——"

"Hiccup——"

"Hiccup——"

"Hiccup——"

"Meow~"

The scene was very orderly.

"Old horse?"

"What are you doing?" Ma Zhaodi put on his clothes and prepared to go out.

"Did you put something in the food?"

"You've been smoking for so many years, and you're even a chemistry expert. Can't you tell if I added anything or not?"

"I just can't taste it, which is why I suspect you've developed some new ice. I've lived in France for so many years, and this is the first time I've ever had such delicious French food."

"me too."

This was a voice message Kimiko sent using her phone.

"Meow~"

This sentence needs no explanation.

“After you finish eating, let’s get back to work. Let’s skip the scene at Samaria and switch to intelligence gathering. Let’s see who we can get to take some dirty photos of Izekiel, just one or two will do, plus a video—I don’t really want to go into that Silverpaw bar anyway.”

How do you plan to contact him?

“Just send an email. Anyway, Vought's IT methods are pretty bad. They can't eavesdrop on me or locate me.”

"Alright, I won't say any more to you guys." Ma Zhaodi pushed open the door: "I'm going to go find those people from the Shining Glory Organization. If I'm lucky, they're at least still alive, and they might be searching all over the place for Kimiko."

Upon hearing this, Kimiko couldn't contain herself any longer. She stood up and began typing on her phone screen.

“I know you want to go, but you can’t. Your infiltration skills aren’t good enough, and you might go berserk if you see those organization members.”

Kimiko lowered her head dejectedly.

After Ma Zhaodi left, the group had some free time again. Franky turned on the TV to kill some time. "Friends, today is the showdown between two speed demons, A-Train and Shockwave. Superman, the popular newcomer to the Vought Eight, has arrived to support him. The match will begin in an hour. Let's take a look."

On the television screen, Clark approached the locomotive, and the two leaned in to talk, appearing to have a good relationship.

"Stop using those stimulants, Locomotive."

Clark said seriously, "Stay as far away from it as possible; it's no good."

It was clearly well-intentioned advice, but it made the train engine feel as if it had fallen into an ice cave. He forced a smile and replied, "Superman, I don't understand what you're talking about, but I advise you to watch your words. We may be teammates, but that's not enough for me to tolerate you telling such unfunny jokes."

“I’m saying what I mean literally, and you can understand me.”

Clark didn't let the train simply brush the topic off: "I have super vision. I can see inside your blood vessels and your heart. I know you've been using that strange drug regularly for the past few weeks. Maybe you think it's a good thing, but that's a misconception."

“I’m warning you again, Superman.” A-Train was now gritting his teeth: “This is my operation, and what I do is none of your business. Don’t think that just because you’re more capable you can boss me around—don’t forget, Homelander and I are teammates, and he’s no less capable than you.”

“This has nothing to do with the people of the motherland; I just want to offer you some advice.”

Clark said, "I can understand how you feel—as part of a Black community and a Black family, you were born with some pretty good superpowers, you were a child star from a young age, you worked for Vought International, and your brother helped you train every day, running and sprinting day after day, becoming faster."

"You no longer have to associate with those other gangsters and black people. You've broken away from them and become one of the most successful superheroes, earning hundreds of millions every year and living a life of unparalleled glory."

The locomotive turned its head and walked backstage with a stiff smile, trying to get rid of Superman.

"But even without superpowers, you'd still be a runner, right?"

The smile on the locomotive's face disappeared.

"If you really just want to be a successful star, you don't need to work this hard. You have to practice long-distance and short-distance running day after day since you were a child, work out, lose fat, build muscle, and strictly control your diet. Even some professional track and field athletes can't work as hard as you."

“Only you know best how you got to where you are today, don’t you?” Clark said. “You’ve always considered yourself a professional track and field athlete and put in so much effort to become faster and stronger, so when you saw your speed starting to decline, you did everything you could to cover it up.”

"do not talk"

"But, Locomotive, you know what the principles of a track and field athlete are, right?"

"do not talk."

"It's not about using hormones to turn your body into a drug addict, it's not about using any means to outrun everyone, it's not about taking performance-enhancing drugs during a race, then achieving a cheating result and receiving everyone's cheers."

"I told you to stop talking."

The locomotive glared angrily at Clark, its fists clenched tightly.

“You’re already a very good track and field athlete, Locomotive,” Clark said earnestly. “Don’t let your life’s work be ruined by an unimportant competition.”

"Even if you lose, you are still a great track and field athlete, but if you use drugs, you become a cheater."

"But I can win!"

"Who did you defeat? Did you defeat yourself? Or did you defeat the shockwave?"

Clark sighed: "You may not be able to see it, but I can see it clearly. Your heart has started to swell."

"If you continue to inject, you will end up like those athletes who are unwilling to accept defeat and ruin their reputation by using performance-enhancing drugs, dying from a sudden heart attack or being unable to exercise again."

"That thing is erasing your life, locomotive, and you are using it to erase your own soul."

(End of this chapter)