Kapitel 246: Chapter 160 Gotham Avenger (Part 3)_1

Soon, the temporary Avengers alliance formed by Evans, Cobblepot, and Batman began their infiltration and investigation of every corner of Gotham.

Batman's approach was right. An investigation, more than being detailed, needed to be comprehensive.

Especially when dealing with a mysterious organization like the Court of Owls, the results of investigations from the upper echelons weren't clear. But investigations from the bottom rungs could provide some additional information. The earliest breakthrough came from Cobblepot, or more precisely, the team he formed in the vocational school of the Living Hell.

There's no need to elaborate on the background of the students in the vocational school. Without a doubt, the majority of them were born and raised in slums, and from there, they would most likely spend their entire lives.

They were intimately familiar with the day-to-day life in Gotham, and they obeyed Cobblepot's orders because everything happening there was closely tied to them.

In the classroom of the vocational school, a fat kid named Tire, hugging his arms, said: "....do you think we liked living as we did before? The whole corridor smelled like a garbage dump, my nose was about to fail, you know? My home's bathroom, I couldn't even turn around!"

"Isn't that because you're too fat?" said Rocket, the girl with the tattooed arms. She rolled her eyes and continued: "But yeah, this place was way too dangerous for kids like us. When I was eight, my right arm got shot, leaving an ugly scar. I had to cover it with tattoos...."

Red Truck, lighting up a cigarette, spoke while puffing: "Things did improve recently. I've been working with that Dale guy in the towing business, made quite a bit. My dad thought I'd finally smartened up and learned how to rob."

At this, everyone burst out into laughter.

Glancing at Cobblepot, Rocket asked, "Is what you said true? The chaos we lived in could be due to toxins in the rainwater? That sounds absurd."

"It actually is a bit strange," Tire said with a furrowed brow. "You all know, my grandfather was the oldest person in Living Hell, he only died the year before last."

"He used to tell me about Gotham's big transformation. The other main streets in the East District got tap water, though there were problems occasionally, none of them were like Living Hell, using wells for hundreds of years."

"Come on, it's the modern era and we're still using buckets to draw water. Don't you find that strange?" Tire asked, spreading his hands.

Red Truck chimed in: "Actually, the weirdest thing is the placement of those wells. My dad's leg doesn't work well, so I always went to draw water, ever since I was a child."

"I noticed before that the North District has five wells, but the South District has only one. But there are actually more people living in the South District, they always have to run to the North District to draw water. Wasn't this considered when they were placed here?"

Perhaps because these students were young, their ability to accept and understand new things was stronger. When Cobblepot said that Gotham's rainwater might have a problem, they didn't think this was absurd like the adults. Instead, they recalled details that didn't quite add up.

Rocket, her leg on a stool, complained: "Anyway, we have tap water now, so we don't need to drink well water anymore."

"But don't forget," Cobblepot spoke in a somewhat gloomy voice: "Tap water doesn't appear out of thin air. If this rain continues, Gotham's groundwater will also be contaminated, and then, nobody can escape."

"So what do we do? I don't want to go back to the way things were."

Red Truck and Rocket looked at each other. Red Truck ran a hand through his hair and said: "Alright, we're all bad kids, just like they said, born bad. But we all have to admit, things are a lot better now than before. If only it could stay like this forever."

"We can't just sit around and wait to die," Cobblepot looked at them all: "That's not the Gotham style. We have to take the initiative. The first step is to investigate."

Everyone looked at him, and Tire said: "The professors all said you're the best student among us, and probably the smartest, too. Tell us, what do we do?"

Cobblepot pulled out a plan. Everyone's eyes fell onto the table.

As it turns out, when it comes to people's vested interests, everyone is motivated.

The people of Living Hell were the first to experience the transformation, the first to enjoy the benefits of reform.

If they had continued to live in such chaos, they wouldn't have thought of changing. But now they have tasted the sweetness of reform, so they'll never allow themselves to return to that chaotic and dangerous life.

While Red Truck, Tire, and Rocket might not seem important, their parents and families play crucial roles in Living Hell.

Most notably is Red Truck, who at such a young age knew how to drive and ride a motorcycle, and was familiar with the delivery routes. That's because his parents did this for a living.

His father and uncles were garbage truck drivers, while his mother cleaned the streets in the neighboring district, so none are more familiar with the area.

Rocket's name would make it clear that her father was an arms dealer. She didn't live in Living Hell because of poverty, but rather because it was convenient for business.

As for Tire, his family's business may not have been large, but it was crucial. His mother operated a small gas station, which was the fastest place for exchanging information. Most of the drivers coming and going there would chat and boast during fueling up.

When these three delivered the message, their level of education was limited, and their expressions were unclear. Their parents' comprehension abilities were also limited, hence the story was passed on with heavy distortions.

Soon, a rumor started to spread through Living Hell - someone was continuously poisoning Gotham's water supply, and this toxin would drive people mad. If they didn't want Living Hell to turn back to its previous state, they had to find the poisoner.

This situation greatly stirred up the ardor of Gotham citizens.

As everyone knows, Gothamites have a bad temper. If you shoot at them, they will risk their lives to shoot back at you twice. Upon hearing that someone had poisoned them in the past, they were naturally furious.

The whole incident became more and more mysterious as it spread, reaching an increasingly larger audience. Many people took it as the truth.

Concerned about their own safety, they would start spreading any slight rumor until it reached Cobblepot's ears.

This way, Cobblepot's intelligence sources became largely diversified. Amidst a myriad of true and false information, he quickly sifted out useful messages.

The first was that when the water well of Living Hell was built, there were disputes. The South District only had one well, but the residents there could not stand by and watch their interests being damaged, so of course, they resisted.

But in the end, this issue was never resolved. The information Cobblepot obtained showed that there had been a brief epidemic in Living Hell, killing many. After gathering the death records provided by the residents, Cobblepot found that most of those who died were from the South District and were people who had strongly resisted.

This would verify that indeed, someone was controlling the water source in the Living Hell area.

Next, Cobblepot obtained the old map of the Living Hell area, which came from an old drug dealer. This dealer had traveled throughout all of Living Hell to smuggle contraband when he was young, and he made a map.

From this map, it was clear that there was a reason for the numerous wells in the North District.

The buildings in the North District were more scattered, with more open spaces, whereas the South District was dense due to the high population, with buildings closely built and hardly any open spaces.

This further confirmed the trio's hypothesis: it's possible the Court of Owls utilized the rain to contaminate the drinking water of the Living Hell residents, causing this area to become the most chaotic and insane district in the East.

After gathering enough evidence, Cobblepot started to investigate another issue: why was Living Hell so important to the Court of Owls that they would go to such lengths to manipulate it?

Cobblepot couldn't figure that out, but at that point, the league of the trio came into play—with Batman's more scientific reasoning.

In one of their small meetings, Batman speculated, "Firstly, Living Hell doesn't hold a critical strategic position. Although it is the most densely populated area in the East District, it is not a transport hub and its geography is rather secluded; nowhere near as strategic as Elizabeth Street."

"Secondly, Living Hell is the worst slum amongst the slums. Even if all its people disappeared, it would not significantly impact Gotham's economy. If the aim was economic, it would make more sense to target Green Street."

"If there is one defining characteristic of Living Hell, it's the density of its population," Batman concluded, "Nowhere in Gotham has such population density."

"It could very well be their testing ground," Cobblepot added, staring at the map, "There are many people here, most of whom can't escape even if conditions are harsh, and due to poor sanitation, an outbreak of disease wouldn't raise eyebrows."

"More importantly, it has a closed ecosystem," Evans circled the Living Hell area with his finger, "It has an established commercial system, catering to all aspects of life, so the movement of people is limited."

"It's certain that the Court of Owls has some set up in Living Hell."

Then, Batman spoke, "The only question is, if there's monitoring alongside the set up, how are they keeping an eye on Living Hell?"

The three of them paused for a moment before exchanging glances and saying in unison, "The wells!"

"Everyone needs to drink water, everyone needs to fetch water. Even if some cannot fetch water, their household members will take the job. When fetching water, they'll look into the well..."

Batman's deep voice sent chills down the spine of the other two, "At the moment, there is someone at the bottom of the well, watching you..."

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