Chapter 792: Chapter 749: Infiltration
The wheels sped along, and the worn-out road surface and the poor shock absorbers caused the vehicle to bump up and down, like grains of rice on a winnowing basket.
Su Ming felt a little carsick, so he rolled down the car window to look outside, but the scenery outside the window was almost unchanged.
On one side was a heavily polluted sea, shimmering with colorful oil slicks under the sun; on the other side were abandoned, haunted-looking old buildings.
Both stretched out to the end of the line of sight.
The Old Harbor District had quite a few factories and was a central sewage discharge area. It was also where the city’s smokestacks were most concentrated, with colorful smoke turning the sky another color.
Even in a normal cosmos, this was the state of affairs, which is why, despite being wealthy, Batman never used his yacht, because Gotham simply had no environmental protection laws.
After all, if people can’t even protect themselves, who’s got the free time to worry about the environment...
Cindy had one hand on the steering wheel, with a cigarette between the fingers of her other hand resting outside the window, tapping the car door rhythmically, as if in a good mood.
"How long do you think before that person calls the police?"
She asked Su Ming, looking at the gray and broken road ahead.
Su Ming rolled up the window; the dust outside was too much: "Is that a rhetorical question? We both know that in this world, people have strong faith in the police, so they’ll call the police even faster. As soon as we enter the city, we’ll be locked down by road surveillance."
Cindy smiled. This was the reassuring feeling she liked, and partnering with another version of herself was clearly better.
She took a drag on her cigarette, squinting her eyes.
"But now you’ve become a VIP needing protection, hehe..."
"If it weren’t for the outer cosmos still bleeding, leaving everyone only half a year to live, I could actually cope with this ordinary life."
Su Ming replied blandly. After all, even though he had lost most of his combat power, he was still much stronger than he was in his previous life.
He was more familiar with the life of ordinary people, having been one for more than twenty years, and now having a smart brain, he’d surely be able to make money, and a moderate amount of wealth in an ordinary social system could afford a good life.
Cindy gave him a look that clearly showed disbelief. Who would willingly lose power after gaining it? To relinquish power was to retreat, and that only led closer to death.
Besides, he still had X Metal, how could he ever be ordinary? That thing was like bait, meant to catch sharks.
"Turning Earth 0 into what it is now, I guess they want everyone to die in their sleep, although that sounds quite warm and fuzzy."
Cindy said with a sweet smile, appearing exceptionally genial.
Su Ming shook his head. What Cindy was saying was still about making money, using language to hint that heroes of the Main World were unreliable, thus making him consider foreign aid from the Otherworld.
And she was certainly the first to be considered in such scenarios, at least ranking above Briss.
"Euthanasia is unlikely; neither Luthor nor Mad Laugh are fools. I previously risked staying on Earth to investigate, and now I’m racing against time precisely to compete with them."
"Indeed, the current Earth 0 is completely defenseless. If they detect something amiss, and hit Earth with a massive meteor shower, it really will be destruction."
Cindy said lightly, as if she had countless ways to destroy Earth herself if there were no superheroes.
While the item to modify the world was powerful, as long as it was used by someone, there were weaknesses to exploit in the user.
Su Ming exhaled, took out a cigarette and lit it, glancing at the tattoo-like pattern on his fingers, "Luckily, we’re ahead for now. Luthor should be off in space, Mad Laugh back in the Dark Multiverse, and Eclipse Star can’t interfere with Earth at the moment, I’m slightly ahead."
"Honestly, sometimes I struggle to understand their motive, what benefits can these actions possibly bring?" Cindy flicked her cigarette ash out the window, rubbed her nose, "From the events I underwent and the things you’ve told me, their goals seem far too void."
"Actually, the answer is simple, Luthor doesn’t want to lose, and Mad Laugh merely wants to win."
"....."
"About this spot, give me the gun, bullets, and some change," Su Ming said as he noticed the road up ahead turning, leading along by the river into the city.
Cindy pulled a handgun from the holster on her thigh, retrieved a few magazines from her belt, and took out some cash notes, "Honestly, I think a knife would be more convenient."
Su Ming tucked the gun into his back waistband, "This is a harmonious society. Apart from state agencies, civilians don’t have guns; we’re the only bad guys with guns. How can a knife’s intimidation match that of firearms?"
Cindy shrugged, pulling the car over to the side of the road, "Suit yourself. I’ll execute three bomb attacks in the city to draw off police force, you’d best get there before that."
Su Ming opened the car door, gave a thumbs up, and quickly departed.
...........
"No need to look for it."
Su Ming got out of the taxi and darted towards the Gotham Police Station, tossing behind a note marked ’100 US Dollars’.
At this moment, the building in front of the police station was in chaos, with countless officers hastily donning bulletproof vests while quickly boarding their vehicles to leave.
The driver confusedly picked up the US Dollars thrown on the passenger seat and spread them out for a look. The color was right, the numbers were right, the layout was just like a big US Dollar bill.
Yet, where there should have been Franklin’s portrait, there was a woman he had never seen before.
"....Who the hell is that? Faker!"
The taxi, which had just started moving, jammed to a stop as the driver jumped out and chased Su Ming into the police station.
However, he hadn’t run far before he was swallowed up by the chaotic mob of officers in the yard. By the time he struggled out of the crowd, Su Ming had already vanished.
How could Su Ming possibly ride a taxi without paying? He just paid with ’Beautiful Amazon Yuan’ from Earth -11.
Cindy had planted timed bombs in three directions of the city, detonating one every five minutes, so most of the police inside the station had been dispatched to three different corners of the city.
As for the victims in the bombing incidents, well, there was nothing to be done—it was all for Earth’s sake.
Su Ming didn’t hurriedly go to speak with the police station’s receptionist; instead, he first checked the police station’s bulletin board inside the main door. Sure enough, among the many signed documents, he saw that familiar name.
He silently curled his lips in a smile.
Inside the police station was a cacophony of ringing phones, officers rushing around, and faint sounds of cursing and shouting, resembling a bustling marketplace.
Unlike Gotham Police Station, which lacked a Bat Lamp on its roof, the building’s internal structure hadn’t changed much. Su Ming took twists and turns through the corridors, sneaking into the restroom when no one was paying attention.
He first bent down to see which stalls had feet, then patiently waited for his chance.
It’s undeniable that in such old police buildings, the bathroom facilities were quite outdated; no wonder Batman could often infiltrate the station. Even Sea King could slip in through the ventilation shaft as big as a fight.
After remarking on security and decor that weren’t up to standard, Su Ming’s opportunity finally came.
Excess individuals left the restroom, and outside, no new footsteps approached. Now, it was only Su Ming and one unfortunate unknown person in the bathroom.
Su Ming approached the sink, turned on the faucet, and the sound of rushing water covered his steps as he quietly crept toward the person’s stall.
The person had been squatting in the bathroom for over five minutes, presumably skipping work to play on his phone—Su Ming needed to borrow some tools from him.
Gripping the handgun he had hidden behind him, Su Ming held his breath before kicking open the stall door aggressively!
A scrawny police officer sat on the toilet, with a phone in hand, seemingly typing, was dumbfounded when Su Ming slammed the door open, sending the latch flying to hit the officer’s head.
Su Ming gave no chance for the officer to react; with his current physical condition lacking, he relied on surprise and strategy when dealing with police.
He first stepped down hard on the officer’s pants, leaving a black footprint on the slightly yellowed underpants...
"You..."
In this situation, whether police or ordinary person, the first thing they’d do is try to pull their pants up.
Sitting lacks the leverage to exert force, making it impossible to overpower a standing person. The police trousers were sturdy, and being stepped on prevents movement.
Sitting while the pants are pinned to the ground means attempting to pull them up requires bending low.
All part of the plan.
As the officer bent to grab his waistband, Su Ming deftly sidestepped and used the firearm’s handle to deliver a sharp blow to the incoming back of the head, following up with a knee jab to the chin.
The officer staggered, slumping back onto the toilet, head drooping motionless.
Su Ming flexed his wrist, realizing that before, he could have driven Superman into the ground like a nail with a full blow, whereas now, even at full power, he could only knock out an ordinary person, leaving his wrist throbbing slightly.
Nonetheless, the goal was achieved; the other party was unconscious, and the clothes weren’t soiled.
Seconds later, the stall door swung open again, revealing a young, handsome police officer emerging, although the police gun at his waist seemed noticeably oversized.
Behind the slowly closing stall door, a glance could see a naked man seeming asleep on the toilet, with a look of fear etched on his face.
Probably having a nightmare.
The officer exiting the stall energetically slammed the door shut and jammed a mop against it to hold it.
Then he lowered the brim of his hat, shadowing his eyes, and went to the sink to wash his hands, turned off the faucet, and leisurely dried his hands—a rare quiet moment in the public restroom.
He made several funny faces at himself in the mirror, adjusting his facial muscles and expressions. The pure white daylight lamp elongated and darkened his reflected silhouette.
Subsequently, the officer whispered to himself as he left the restroom: "Good grief, having the pastime of playing Tetris on the toilet is quite addicting; might as well play some Mahjong instead..."
The officer nodded to those passing by, vanishing into the crowd before the other person could get a clear look at his face.
