Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 602 Is Gotham back?

The moment the system notification appeared and began loading the two rewards, a massive amount of information and a sense of physical abnormality began to assault Ma Zhaodi's brain and internal organs.

Every muscle is strengthening and tightening, twisting the bones along with the tendons in the body, and even the internal organs are convulsing violently. Every inch of the body, from the scalp to the toes, from the hair to the nails, is beginning to undergo strengthening and transformation.

A terrifying amount of information surged into my mind, all of it about the preparation process and chemical knowledge of Compound V. Even though this knowledge completely stripped away the emotions, personality and thought processes of the inhuman experiments conducted by Vogbaum, Walter, Storm, and others, the vast majority of the experimental subjects were still human.

This is the "original sin" that came with this knowledge when it was created; one cannot avoid this part of the memory in order to learn it.

Different proportions of the drug have different effects on people of different stages and genders, causing madness, death, amnesia, or creating superpowers. These aspects cause Ma Zhaodi's thoughts and emotions to fluctuate dramatically, but they are also crucial knowledge related to Compound No. 5.

It's not only successful formulations that are meaningful; a large amount of failed experimental data is also a valuable asset. This conclusion applies to chemical experiments, materials science, agricultural science, and any industrial research.

But for Ma Zhaodi, this was nothing short of a double torment, both physically and mentally.

Fortunately, the torment didn't last long. Under such intense stimulation, he couldn't endure it for long and soon his vision went black, and he fainted.

"No wonder he told me to lie down or sit properly earlier. Why didn't he explain this clearly earlier? He was just trying to trick me."

[Protest! This assessment is entirely based on prejudice and malicious speculation; you have a huge misunderstanding of the system.]

However, Ma Zhaodi no longer had the ability to debate with the system.

Before losing consciousness, he subconsciously glanced out the window of the cabin, at the "Friends Passage" that Batman often used when he came uninvited.

"I hope Bruce can be quick and get me from home to the Batcave—or at least send someone to watch over my room."

He felt really insecure right now, not because he was lying at home completely unprepared, but because of the system notification: "Changes in the architecture of this universe."

He still hasn't figured out what that hint meant or what changes it would bring.

Resurrection of spiritual energy?

After a moment's thought, Ma Zhaodi lay peacefully on the bed and lost consciousness.

"what!!!"

A woman's scream pierced the night sky, followed by a variety of other noises.

The Gotham nights, which had been calm for almost a year, suddenly came alive again tonight, just like countless other nights the city had experienced.

In fact, tranquility was never the true undertone of Gotham's nightlife. Just over a year ago, the city was a synonym for chaos, darkness, and filth, a veritable city of sin. Back then, every night, several people would lose their lives in the alleys, and several cold corpses would be thrown into the Gotham Harbor to sleep, then quietly rest among the piles of bones.

In just one year, almost all the citizens of Gotham City had completely forgotten the "bad times" of the past. The peaceful but not normal days slowly eroded the hideous scars left by the dark past on the city. On the streets, citizens in prison uniforms gradually got used to commuting between the prison and their various workplaces in the city. More and more people were released from prison, and those who returned to society still participated in Wayne's Gotham reconstruction plan. The bizarre plan designed by the Gotham trio was indeed healing this bizarre city in its own way.

The reconstruction plan is not only about rebuilding the city and its systems, but more importantly, about reshaping people's hearts and minds. In this respect, the plan can be called a genius, or rather, only such a plan can perfectly fit a city like Gotham and its group of lunatics.

Unfortunately, Gotham always manages to overcome one hardship, but it always faces new ones.

Screams—the most frequent sound tonight, the main theme of Gotham, filled with fear and pain; then came explosions, the shouts of thugs and gangsters, gunshots, and the sounds of vehicles colliding.

The piercing sirens blared incessantly through the city's streets and alleys, but compared to the main theme of the evening, this symbolic sound of order seemed so insignificant that no one paid any attention.

"Ugh, why is it so noisy?"

Ma Zhaodi propped himself up, rubbing his forehead. The noise outside the window was like thunder, disturbing his peace.

He instinctively opened his eyes and looked out the window, where he saw the dancing fire.

Flames, a raging inferno, filled his nostrils with the acrid smell of burning. Firelight blazed across the city, spreading an atmosphere of chaos and disorder.

This left him stunned for a moment.

No, where's Gotham?
I worked hard for a year to build a civilized city where everyone left their doors unlocked at night, no one picked up lost items, and everyone was a model criminal. The city was well-governed, harmonious, and prosperous. What about Gotham City?
What have you been up to this time?

The sounds, images, and smells outside the window were as if they were being watched in a 3D movie theater with ultra-high-definition 3D glasses, directly entering Ma Zhaodi's ears, eyes, and nasal cavity. He was slightly unable to adapt for a moment, and the overly realistic and acute perception made him feel a little nauseous.

"Ugh."

After gagging twice, he finally began to adjust to his current state.

This is not surprising. The advanced physical enhancement has once again boosted his five senses and physical abilities. Ma Zhaodi also experienced similar discomfort when he obtained the intermediate physical enhancement before. Fortunately, the reaction this time was less severe and he was able to control it quickly.

He looked out the window, where bright moonlight streamed through the windowsill into the room, but the cityscape outside startled him.

It's not that the Gotham Clock Tower, which used to be visible every night, is gone. In fact, the clock tower hasn't changed much, and the gargoyles on it don't seem to have changed much either.

The changes are in other parts of the city.

The neat and sturdy residential buildings that had been erected in the past year have disappeared, replaced by dilapidated and filthy slums; the walls surrounding the dormitories and teaching areas built for children have become the perimeter of an industrial zone overflowing with sewage; and the old, illegal buildings that were demolished and rebuilt have replaced the newly built Wayne Private Prison Factory.
The torrential rain poured down, and the cold, dark, and bloody atmosphere spread through the city once again, along with the eerie Gothic architecture, the hazy and empty neon lights, and the conspicuous bat-shaped light in the clouds.

As if overnight, Gotham City had returned.

(End of this chapter)