The Comprehensive Evolution of American Comics.

Chapter 1336 Grand Theft Auto

Barbara's statement about the distance being close is not actually accurate, because their destination is Gotham City's Lower City, a place known as a breeding ground for crime, where many shady activities are typically conducted.

This includes many underhanded but effective or lucrative methods used by Gotham mob bosses.

Barbara and her family were located some distance from downtown Gotham City. The house that Green Arrow had arranged for them was in the heart of Gotham's middle-class neighborhood.

After all, the downtown area is unsafe, and the mother and daughter can't fit into the uptown area, so the middle class is the best choice.

After a brief discussion, Barbara and Artemis decided to leave Dick in the safe house and then the two of them would go out to steal... to fight crime.

After all, Dick is of no help at the moment, so bringing him along is like carrying a burden.

While the idea of ​​stealing the car and driving straight out of Gotham City was tempting, they had to consider the failure rate of taking this burden with them.

Ultimately, the two girls decided to leave Dick behind for the time being and come back for him after they finished fighting crime.

To increase the success rate of the operation, Artemis even took out her spare equipment and lent it to Barbara.

After receiving the equipment, she made some simple modifications, which was basically removing some things that she didn't need. After all, time was tight and she didn't have time to show off her skills.

In the end, Barbara removed all her equipment, including bows and arrows, and instead took some gadgets, such as grappling hooks and batarangs, from Dick's all-purpose belt.

Barbara explained that she had never received archery training, and carrying those tools would be a burden. On the contrary, the grappling hook gun, which does not require training to use, was more suitable for her.

As for bat darts, she once competed with Dick in throwing darts. In order to beat him, she trained a lot in private, but she has never won a single time. However, she can still easily hit the target.

Barbara used to think that Dick was exceptionally talented, but now she realizes that she was just asking for trouble. How could she possibly compare to Robin, who was trained by Batman and made a living by throwing darts?

However, Barbara had already made up her mind that after this incident, she would make the old man hand over the Burning Technique, and she was determined to have Dick tell her the secret of throwing darts.

Before long, the two arrived at the black market car dealership that Barbara had mentioned. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary car repair shop.

"Gotham's Car Modifier King?" Artemis read out the name of the repair shop. "That's quite a ridiculous name."

"Think about it from another angle. The name is so outrageous, but not a single person has come to cause trouble. That's enough to reveal a problem."

Barbara tightened her gloves. After all, this outfit belonged to Artemis. Although the two were not much different in size, the clothes that were specially designed for the latter still didn't fit her well.

For example, Artemis is an archer, and her arms are a bit thicker than Barbara's. If you take off her clothes, you can see very obvious muscle lines.

To avoid exposing herself, Artemis rarely wears sleeveless clothing.

"So, this auto repair shop has a lot of power behind it, right?"

“That’s right.” Barbara nodded. “Based on the clues gathered by the Gotham Police Department, there’s a high probability that the owner behind this Gotham Car Modification King is Two-Face. I don’t need to explain Two-Face, do I?”

Artemis nodded. Having been a member of the Young Justice League for so long, while she couldn't possibly know everyone, she was familiar with the notorious supervillains. For example, Two-Face, Harvey Dent, was originally Gotham City's most famous prosecutor, even known at the height of his fame as Gotham's Light Knight, on par with the Dark Knight, Batman.

According to Robin, Harvey was actually Batman's ally during that period, and if nothing had happened afterward, the two of them would probably have become good friends.

"When Two-Face was a prosecutor, he already wielded considerable power. After falling into corruption, he used the resources at his disposal to become a local tyrant in Gotham City. Furthermore, his previous experience as a prosecutor allowed him to have connections in both the legal and illegal worlds."

Barbara spoke in a cryptic manner, but Artemis was no fool; she could understand what she was trying to say.

"I understand, he has a lot of dirt on high-ranking government officials, doesn't he?"

"...Yes, you're right. That's why very few people in either the legitimate or criminal world dare to touch him."

Barbara didn't really want to talk about these things, after all, her father and Batman had teamed up to arrest Two-Face multiple times, but the latter always managed to get himself out of trouble using his own power.

It's a very frustrating thing that the good people do their best, but the bad people don't get the punishment they deserve.

"It's precisely because no one dares to touch Two-Face that our plan is easier to implement."

Barbara perked up and pointed to the auto repair shop not far away, saying, "According to the police investigation, apart from the people responsible for selling stolen goods, the rest of the people inside the repair shop are just some ordinary gang thugs."

"Two-Face and his men are very arrogant. They believe that no one will dare to rob them, so those thugs are just a bunch of good-for-nothings, and it's not difficult to deal with them."

"I might say that, but you, a well-behaved girl, dare to spout such nonsense?"

Artemis made a joke, but Barbara puffed out her chest, looking like she had a brilliant plan.

"I dare say that because I have a way to easily deal with them."

"Oh?" Artemis asked curiously. "Tell me about it?"

“Of course it’s just a case of borrowing someone else’s power.” Barbara winked. “Which criminal in Gotham City isn’t afraid of Batman? We know he might be in trouble, but these low-level thugs wouldn’t know. We just need to scare them a little, and we can easily achieve our goal.”

As she spoke, Barbara pulled out a few bat-shaped darts from her belt and showed them to Artemis, who could only give them a thumbs up.

"You're quite the clever one. No wonder you've been able to outmaneuver our captain for so many years."

"Dick? Please, when it comes to strategy, he can only lag behind and suffer from my exhaust fumes!"

Barbara tilted her head back haughtily, but quickly returned to normal. A joke is fine as it is; they are still in a time-sensitive situation.

“Okay, so this is the plan. We’ll cut off the power to the repair shop first, then deal with the patrolling guys outside, finally intimidate the thugs inside, and then drive the car away.”

"Let's begin!"

(End of this chapter)