Of course, Weiwei didn't need to go in person to see Sheila. She just needed to stay in the safe room, slowly flipping through the files marked "Top Secret", and wait for others to bring Sheila over.
This was a girl in her teens, too thin to support the prison uniform, with messy black hair and eyes staring straight ahead at the ground without looking up.
There was a table between them, and two prison guards stood behind the girl with their hands behind their backs. Sheila was not allowed to sit down.
According to the files, she has been detained for four and a half years.
Weiwei stared at her. "She doesn't have a criminal record, and even if she did, she should be in a juvenile detention center, not Blackgate."
"She has supernatural powers, ma'am." Joseph slipped away early in the name of "treatment" and was even turned into a red name before slipping away. However, Vivi didn't bother to pay attention to him. There were countless people who hated her in Gotan, and the warden, who had only met her once, had no chance to get a number.
The one who stayed behind was the second in command of Blackgate Prison, a muscular man who was too serious. Naturally, it was he who answered her.
"So... the law of our city is that people with special abilities are second-class citizens in Gotan? Even if they haven't committed any crime, we can just catch them and lock them up?" Weiwei asked with genuine curiosity, because she didn't open the judicial-related modules, and now she couldn't find a place to change the law even after searching the system panel.
——If there really is such a law, she hopes that it can directly screen all the evil criminals with special abilities in Gotan. After all, people with special abilities have no human rights, so they can be sent to be shot one by one.
But others seemed to have misunderstood something.
"She's dangerous," the second-in-command paused, leaned down and whispered to Weiwei, "...but be obedient."
So they can't release her even if she's innocent, can they?
The second-in-command believes that Weiwei can understand his unfinished words. People with special abilities that can be controlled by the government are extremely rare. The mayor can let the "ratcatcher" do anything except release them.
"You can go out." Weiwei nodded at the second-in-command.
A few minutes later, only Vivi and the "ratcatcher" girl were left in the empty room.
"How did you get this superpower?"
--"I have no idea."
"Why don't you escape from prison?"
——“I can’t do it.”
"Do you know you are innocent?"
The girl was silent for a moment, shook her head, and nodded.
Weiwei turned to the last page of the file: "Blackgate Prison seems to have had more than one large-scale prison breakout. At that time, it was easy for anyone to leave. Why didn't you escape?"
The girl was silent.
——Weiwei believes that the mouse catcher’s ability to control mice can help her complete the main mission, and since he is an expert in the sewers, she may be used in subsequent missions.
"She is very obedient." Obviously this person can be given away for free, but Weiwei wants to release her - the identity of [criminal] cannot be directly converted into [employee]. She cannot see Sheila's attributes, and the game planner may set a trap at this stage.
After all, it is an important main mission. Even if the price is to pay the other party a salary, Weiwei wants to ensure that the main mission goes smoothly.
...This is a remarkable concession.
But now Sheila is not cooperating, Weiwei thinks for a moment: "Go and commit a crime."
Sheila: “?”
In fact, the current detention process for Sheila is not standardized, so her detention period is also vague. She is innocent and cannot be convicted, so her detention period is unlimited - but if there is a clear crime, such as lifting a manhole cover or stealing a hot dog, then she can be legally released after being detained.
Even though Weiwei is the mayor, she cannot release criminals at will. On the one hand, she is the mayor, not the warden of the prison. On the other hand, there is no such option on the panel (= =)
But when she explained this to Sheila, the girl looked frightened.
The girl nicknamed the Ratcatcher stood up suddenly.
Then, the whole room was filled with rustling sounds. It seemed that a number of small, gnawing animals were crawling around under their feet. Some of them had entered the vents and were grinding their teeth. The quiet Sheila's eyes were burning with tangible anger: "You deceived me!"
"You're trying to trick me!"
Weiwei raised the corners of her lips instead.
——Found a breakthrough.
"You don't want to commit a crime, not even a little bit, why?"
A pair of scarlet eyes of the gnawing animals lit up in the dirty darkness, but the blonde woman remained calm and even clapped her hands leisurely, as if to cheer herself up. She guessed, "This is also the reason why you don't want to escape from prison. Because even if you are not a criminal, you will become a criminal if you escape from prison while in custody, right?"
"Do you think it's funny--" Sheila looked directly at the woman in front of her, but the other party was nearly 1.8 meters tall in high heels, so she had to raise her head, "Do you think it's funny?"
"I am innocent!"
[You get the side quest: Ratcatcher's Persistence]
[“I have not committed any crime,” Sheila firmly believed this. She did not know her sentence, but she could get a reduction in sentence if she completed the tasks assigned by the officials. As a result, she became the most obedient “criminal” in Blackgate Prison.]
[Mission Description: The Rat Catcher will only accept to leave Blackgate Prison as a non-criminal]
[Mission Reward: Insignificant Gratitude or Nothing?]
This task does not need to be completed.
The mission description explained why Sheila was "obedient", which dispelled Vivi's doubts, and it seemed that she could be used directly like a tool... But that's strange!
Gamers are the kind of people who will do meaningless things for "insignificant gratitude". Putting an obvious puzzle in front of Weiwei but not letting her solve it is no different from letting a kitten keep tickling your palm.
Who can resist a kitten?
Weiwei smiled at her: "No, you have committed a crime."
"You directed rats to steal information, steal keys, help some officials get the clues they wanted, and eliminate dissidents in Gotham... and all of this is written in your file."
"Go to prison and reflect on your actions."
Weiwei waved her hand and asked the prison guard to take the stunned Sheila away. Then she looked at the map, her eyes fell on the "second in command" and the "warden". After a while, she chose one of them.
——Sheila was dragged back to her own prison.
A double-decker cell design was chosen here, ensuring that no rat could crawl in, and she would not be able to do anything with the help of a rat.
Why...
She knew who Anna Ellech was, the new mayor; the mice had told her on the way.
Why...
She has been obedient enough and worked hard enough.
Sheila had a not-so-bad father, a rat catcher who worked in the Gotam sewers. His job was to catch rats. But that day, just because he faced a homicide, his father was wrongly imprisoned as the murderer - that was the darkest time in Sheila's life.
Then, after serving his sentence, my father was released and committed real crime. He captured officials, tortured them, and attempted to spread plague in Gotham... and was imprisoned again. This time, my father was not wrongly accused.
“He’s changed,” my mother said before she left. “Don’t be like your father, Sheila.”
I can't commit a crime no matter what, Sheila thought. I can't commit a crime no matter what. As long as I'm innocent, I'll be released one day. No matter what... No matter what...
"You have committed a crime."
Four and a half years in prison did not destroy her, but this sentence truly destroyed the meaning of her existence.
Have I committed a crime?
"Click"
The cell door was opened again, but this time, the mayor stood in front of her.
Next to her was the prison warden Joseph, who was sweating profusely. This big shot, who was rarely seen, stared at Sheila, then raised the tablet in his hand and began to read:
"Sheila Flannigan, you have committed a total of 17 illegal crimes... all of which are accomplices. Taking all factors into consideration... you are a minor and do not have the ability to think independently... and you have already served four years and seven months in prison, which will be deducted from the sentence—"
The man nodded at her with a complicated look in his eyes: "You are acquitted."
Damn the illegitimate daughter Anna Alec. Just when Joseph and his men were discussing how to take revenge on this illegitimate daughter with no backing, he received a letter of dismissal from the parliament without any reason. Damn, they didn't follow the procedures. Logically, they couldn't dismiss him so easily.
However, terminating a job is just a matter of moving your fingers on the system panel. Weiwei simply fired the guy first, then re-hired him, and then fired him again. After several ups and downs, his name changed from red to green. In short, he became a temporarily obedient dog.
After seeing the word "ambition" in the second-in-command, Weiwei felt that she couldn't just let Joseph step down. It would be better to let them fight each other - she would be the beneficiary anyway.
Otherwise, why would the second-in-command just stay when the warden left?
"Sheila," the woman held out her hand, her golden hair looking like satin in the sunlight, "Will you work for me?"
Sheila murmured, "Am I innocent?"
"Just because you're not guilty doesn't mean you're free," Weiwei thought for a moment, "I will monitor you and make sure you don't commit a crime again."
Sheila stared at her and confirmed: "You will do that, right? Supervise me and ask me to complete the tasks you assign..."
This seemed to be an important choice that would affect the other party's decision, but Weiwei nodded without hesitation.
"That's great," the girl whispered, "I agree."
[Side quest "The Ratcatcher's Persistence" completed]
[[Rat Catcher] became an employee of the City Hall Logistics Department, with a current salary of 2,000 gold coins per month]
[You get the side quest: Penguin Man's Fury]
[The Penguin Man has learned what happened in the City Hall. He is very angry. Part of this anger is directed at Black Mask, and the other part is directed at you. When a certain amount of anger is accumulated, he might do something. Maybe you can do something to divert his anger?]
[Mission Reward: 0~10000 Gold, 20 Diamonds]
【You have activated a new investment channel】
[You currently have seven investment channels activated. Do you want to view all investment channels? ]
This is the "Business Investment" module. Weiwei activated this module after visiting the City Hall. However, she thought that she didn't know much about Gotan at the time and that she could not be sure of making money no matter what she invested in, so she might as well put it aside for now.
Later, Weiwei discovered that not everything can be invested in. It must be something she has been exposed to. The larger the map she opens, the more directions she can choose.
This newly added investment channel is roughly:
【Become one of the shareholders of Iceberg Restaurant】
[Recommended investment amount: 500,000 gold coins]
Weiwei: “.”
really.
Wayne Group Building.
Tim Drake sits in the office on the top floor. Since he grew up, his adoptive father has rarely appeared in the Wayne Group. There are even rumors that Bruce Wayne is most satisfied with Tim as his heir and has decided to train him to become the real little master of the Wayne family.
Tim often laughed off these rumors, but he was indeed the one with the heaviest and busiest tasks in the family, after all, his eldest brother had gone to the next city to become a policeman.
After dealing with the pile of documents in front of him, Tim walked to the window and wanted to move around, but he noticed a group of people moving not far away - opposite the Wayne Building.
a team of workers.
What is this doing?
The headquarters of Wayne Enterprises is located in the Diamond District, where every inch of land is valuable. The building opposite them is the headquarters of the Gotham Gazette, the largest newspaper in Gotham that keeps pace with the times. They even bought an airship at the beginning of the year for news publicity. The profit conversion rate is very good, and they will soon make back their investment.
Now, the airship was parked on the top floor, and a group of workers were busy around it. Tim was at a height that allowed him to see clearly what was happening.
But that didn't stop him from being surprised. He saw one of the thin workers take off his hat to get some fresh air, revealing the face of his good friend Peter Parker.
Tim: “…”
Then, everyone dispersed and cheered loudly towards the airship.
There was a new line of words painted on the airship, like a row of slogans -
【Protect the environment, cherish public property, build a simple and honest city of Kota Kinabalu, and strive to be a hardworking and kind citizen. 】
The airship took off.
The workers once again cheered loudly, as if they had accomplished something that made them proud.
Tim: “…”
He stared at Peter in the crowd. Although he had just separated from Peter, he felt that he needed to talk to his good friend again.
immediately.