Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 6 Story
"It was probably the summer when I was seven years old. I went hiking with my parents. I was very brave at the time and loved walking on those dangerous cliffs. I had a good sense of balance and could walk on those narrow mountain paths as if they were flat ground."

"This time, we climbed halfway up the mountain. It was drizzling, but I stepped onto a suspended natural stone bridge as usual. I still remember that stretch of undulating mountains. The rain flowed along the ridges, gathering into countless tiny streams. They jumped between the mountains like naughty elves, and finally merged into the river at the foot of the mountain, making a gurgling sound."

"Stop, stop." Drake frowned and held out his hand to stop Ma Zhaodi from continuing. "We're not Sherlock Holmes, and you don't need to use such descriptions to attract readers like Watson did. Can you get straight to the point?"

"That's pretty good, isn't it?" Lady Camilla smiled and patted Drake gently. "Mr. Ma Zhaodi is quite gifted at telling stories."

"Anyway, I was climbing a mountain and fell off a cliff and landed in a cave."

Ma Zhaodi immediately simplified his story: "There was a Santa Claus in the cave roasting reindeer. He told me that if I told someone the story of falling into the cave, all their diseases would be cured. Then he rode away on the remaining eight reindeer."

Ma Zhaodi only needed a few words to stop Camilla from laughing: "Ma Zhaodi, I am a Christian."

"Oh, sorry." Ma Zhaodi shrugged. "At least now we know that Santa Claus really exists in the world."

"Ok?"

Drake subconsciously looked at Camilla, and then his pupils contracted sharply.

Ma Zhaodi crossed his legs and hummed a song, feeling an inexplicable sense of relief.

"The old tree in front of the door has new buds, and the dead tree in the yard is blooming again~"

Strands of black hair grew out from her dry and bald head, like new buds on willow branches in early spring. In just a few seconds, her long golden hair fell to her waist like a waterfall; her shriveled body began to gradually fill out and turned into a well-proportioned female figure; her pale and loose skin quickly became rosy and firm, no longer sickly pale.

Seeing his wife, who had been suffering from illness for several years, turn back into the beautiful woman she was in just a few seconds, tears welled up in Drake's eyes.

She's so beautiful. Just like the first time I saw her.

Camilla looked at her hands that had become smooth and white again, subconsciously stroked her long golden hair hanging down from her shoulders, and leaned in Drake's arms, silently shedding tears.

"Half life has been full of words——"

Ma Zhaodi was still humming a song that neither of them could understand. Drake hugged his wife who was frozen in place, and for a moment he couldn't utter a word.

He stayed with her for a very long time, until her hair fell out, her body became thin, and her face became dull; until she became gradually weak, broken, and almost withered.

She stayed with him for a long, long time, until he lost his job, sold his house, and ran out of savings; until he gradually became miserable, desperate, and hysterical.

She almost couldn't hold on any longer, she thought, she almost gave up.

Fortunately, I managed to hold on, he thought, fortunately, I didn't give up.

My first life quick recovery is gone, Ma Zhaodi thought, Drake had better find me a reliable job.

******
The next day.

"Drake, how long have you and your wife been in Gotham?"

"Almost a year, why do you ask?"

"You waited a whole year for Victor?"

"Eight months, to be exact. Eight months later, Dr. Victor disappeared in that accident. I've been trying to get in touch with his former partner company, but they died so quickly. So I've been looking for clues about Mr. Freeze recently." "It's a good thing you didn't find any."

Ma Zhaodi shrugged. "Since you've been here for a year, you should have some connections and channels, right?"

Derek immediately understood what Ma Zhaodi meant. "I'll do my best to find you some less dangerous jobs suitable for outsiders, but you must remember that there are no truly honest jobs in Gotham. If we want to survive here, we'll have to abandon our moral bottom line and do everything for survival."

"That's a bit difficult," Ma Zhaodi sighed. "Given my physique, murder and arson aren't realistic. And given my intelligence and skills, theft and fraud are likely to be caught on the spot. I don't want to rely on this face to get close to a wealthy gangster who likes to chop people, and I can't make money here with my flopped articles—"

"Okay, okay, no more talking." Drake waved his hand. When Ma Zhaodi finished the first two sentences, there were only half of the jobs left in his mind. When Ma Zhaodi finished the last two sentences, there were only three jobs left in his mind.

"Let me confirm." He tried to make his words more tactful. "Do you have any other skills besides writing?"

"Drive and count." Ma Zhaodi tilted his head and thought for a moment: "No more."

"What about cleaning, cooking, and stuff like that?"

Ma Zhaodi gave an awkward but polite smile: "A little, but not much, enough to keep me alive."

"."

The two looked at each other, and in this strange atmosphere, Drake asked: "Do you have money?"

"Why would I work if I have money?"

".How about you consider going to the cave to look for Santa Claus again?"

Ma Zhaodi also realized that his request was a bit unreasonable, and coughed twice with a little embarrassment: "Ahem, as long as the work is relatively safe, it's fine."

Derek thought hard, then came up with something: "Serving the dishes?"

"no problem!"

Seeing Ma Zhaodi agree, Drake breathed a sigh of relief. "Gotham is different from other cities. All industries, big and small, are controlled and protected by the mafia. Some are even run by the mafia. I've made some connections this year, and I might be able to help you find a job in a restaurant to get you by. But you have to know that no matter what job you do, there will be some connection to the mafia."

"As long as they don't ask me to help carry a knife and chop people while I'm working, and no one carries a knife and chop me while I'm working, then the rest of the problem won't be a big deal."

Hearing this, Derek snapped his fingers lightly, took out his phone and started dialing: "Since you said so, there is no problem."

"Ring, ring, ring - ring, ring -"

"Hey?"

After ringing for a full two minutes, the phone was finally connected, and a rough male voice came from the other end: "Drake, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Snapped!"

Ma Zhaodi heard clearly a gunshot from the other end of the phone.

(End of this chapter)