Chương 422: Chapter 280 Playing House in Gotham (Part 2)_1

Soon, the circus performance began. The first few acts were all animal tamers. Neither Bruce or Selina showed any interest in such performances, so they chatted amongst themselves while the performances carried on the stage.

"You said you used to work as a peddler before. Why didn't you continue that instead of resorting to theft?"

Selina rolled her eyes and said: "My dear Master, you can't possibly think that being a peddler is a better job than a thief, can you?"

Bruce turned to look at Selina. He had initially thought of saying at least the legal business of a peddler was better than stealing, but after spending so much time with Selina, he realized that life in Gotham's underbelly might not be as he imagined.

Having been with Selina for so long, he came to understand a harsh reality: in the dark city of Gotham, the mere act of survival was a struggle for some. Talking about law and order to these people seemed like a joke.

"Actually, those peddlers, the smoking boy, and the flower boy are the ones who have it the worst." Selina sighed, a touch of sympathy in her voice. "When I told you about my past, you might have thought that Lucky Mama, who taught me to steal, was a wicked woman. She taught me skills, made me steal, and even beat me on several occasions. But the reality is that I don't harbor any hatred towards her. In fact, I still call her from time to time ..."

Bruce gave a puzzled look and asked: "You still keep in touch with that head thief?"

"We don't discuss business. I only inquire about her health or other small, polite topics. Even though I was a little angry at her for trying to take the diamond necklace I stole, I still gave her a call after my anger subsided ..."

Seeing Bruce's surprised expression, Selina suddenly smiled. She said, "You, Master Wayne, are treated like royalty everywhere you go. People flatter you in hopes of getting money from you. But I am different. The most praise I have received in my life was when I was learning skills under Lucky Mama."

"She always said that I was the most talented child she had ever seen, that I pick up things very quickly. You know, when she was young, she used to work as a barmaid in an East District pub. She could sing praises so enchantingly, it would have one's head in clouds. When she was in a good mood, she would even sing for me and make me dance in the dresses she wore in her younger days ..."

Selina laid her hands upon her knees before taking a deep breath. "I know you may think little of me, but she really was kind to me."

"You might think it's an unforgivable crime for her to use children to steal for her, but in reality, Lucky Mama is one of the better ones among those who exploit these children."

"She has a keen eye for talent. The children she picks are gifted and can make a lot of money for her. Therefore, she is a bit liberal with the money she hands out. She even occasionally lets a few coins drop for casual expenses ..."

"The villain next door is a completely different story, though. He only employs street vendors and smoking boys, etc. These children have to hand over their entire day's income to him, and every penny is checked thoroughly. He does not tolerate anyone holding back a single penny. If they fail to meet the target he sets, they will surely suffer a severe beating."

"He only gives these kids leftover food. When he is not in a good mood, he lets them starve. I've even seen a kid, who tried to escape, had his legs cut off by him and bled to death."

Selina shrugged her shoulders and said to Bruce: "Actually, I'm never too hungry, nor do I particularly like pancakes with cheese. But when I encounter a peddler, as long as I have some change, I'll buy something. Maybe it'll help them have a good meal for the night."

"You know what?" Bruce looked into Selina's eyes and said, "Every time you tell me a story like this, it instantly weighs down my mood."

Selina gave him a smile. She reached out her hand and gently touched his cheek, "That's precisely the problem. For you, it's a sad story, but for us, it's just everyday life."

Selina took another deep breath and said: "Actually, you've taught me a lot too, like the 'chain of command' thing you were talking about last time…"

"I thought back and remembered that Lucky Mama once told me that she has to give up a part of her money. The person she gives it to also has to give up a part of his money. This chain goes on, but eventually, all the money ends up in the hands of a single person ..."

Bruce squinted his eyes and asked: "Who is this person?"

Selina shook her head and said: "I don't even know who Lucky Mama's boss is, how am I supposed to know who the person at the top is?"

"So, there is someone who is taking control of the children in Gotham, isn't there?"

Selina nodded and said: "Actually, it's very easy to control Gotham's children. Most of these kids are orphans. Either their parents have died, or they've been abandoned. All they need is a little food, and you can make them do anything."

"And also ... " Bruce continued: "Almost no one harasses these children. Even the high-end night clubs let the smoking boys in to sell their cigarettes ..."

Obviously, he was recalling the venues he had been to. In the past, he didn't care because it was a common sight. But now thinking about it, dances, dinner gatherings, banquets, there were always a few children waiting on the sidelines waiting for some wealthy person to buy cigarettes from them.

"That's right. If these children mess up a job or make a mistake, they just have to put on a pitiful face, apologize, and beg a few times. Anyone who cares about their reputation wouldn't give them a hard time."

Bruce hadn't expected that his casual chat with Selina would lead to this revelation. There had always been someone in Gotham, using a network of hierarchies, to control these children who were seen everywhere.

"There's more." Selina continued. "There's factionalism even among these children. It's been like that since my days. The competition between counterparts is particularly intense."

"As you know, business is good in some areas and not so good in others. Everyone wants to take over the prosperous areas. Aside from the adults fighting for territory, even the children form their own factions. We call these factions 'Youth Gangs'."

"So which gang were you in at that time?"

Selina shook her head and said, "I didn't join any gang, all that stuff happened on the ground, and I was flying thief."

"I don't have to insinuate myself into any territory to steal. Rest assured, I don't have to inform anyone, if I want to go to their area. Even if they knew, they couldn't catch me."

"Everybody in the East District has heard of me. Even now, they all know that when the black cat appears on the roof, don't even think about aiming your gun. You won't hit her; you'll just waste bullets."

"Among the Four Great Thieves in the East District, only I can move freely throughout Gotham. The others wouldn't even dare set foot on the commercial street, because once they're caught by any prominent mob boss, they're finished. I don't fear, because I know they can't catch me."

Whenever Bruce heard Selina talking about her career path, he felt a strange sensation. Selina was the epitome of success by strength, to be exact, if she wasn't a little more talented, she would not have reached where she was today.

This kind of experience, where she strove to achieve a good life, should be inspiring. But ironically, her profession was that of a thief. The harder she worked, the more she was sentenced.

The two continued discussing the children of Gotham. With Selina's information from the underbelly and Bruce's top intelligence, they brainstormed who was controlling this network.

During this, Aisha's attention was completely drawn by various performances on the stage, a welcome moment of quiet.

Suddenly, the stage lights brighten, the host with a strong voice said: "Ladies and gentlemen! Next, we will bring the most exciting —- Aerial Acrobat Performance!!!"

A pair of male and female performers came on the stage, as they climbed the ladder, the host enthusiastically introduced, "Perhaps some of you have heard of the famous Grayson family from the East Coast, who were known for being America's greatest Aerial Acrobat Performance Family…"

"Maybe some of you also heard that the previous generation of the Grayson family, due to a mistake during an Aerial Acrobat Performance, fell from a height and died…"

The host blew a whistle and said, "But let me tell you, this is the thrill of the performance. If there wasn't a risk of falling, who would bother watching, right?"

These playful words from the host were meant to stoke audience excitement. However, the hulking performer called Grayson who had just gone up to the stage, clenched his fist tightly.

Just as he was about to begin his performance, he shouted to the audience, "The Graysons are the greatest acrobat performing family. We…"

At this point, he saw the boss of the circus making a threatening gesture from below the stage. He glanced at his wife beside him, and then shut his mouth.

The boss of the circus cursed loudly from below, "What is this idiot talking about?! That's Wayne! I told you guys he would ruin my plans, that son of a bitch!"

By this time, the Grayson couple had begun their performance. Being an Aerial Acrobat was about swinging back and forth, holding onto a horizontal bar in thin air, and making all sorts of flipping movements.

It is undeniable that the Graysons were indeed skillful. The couple was in sync, whether it was the same movement or the opposite, they were pleasing to the eye; receiving cheers from the audience.

Aisha was loving it, after all, even though Selina's skills were impressive, the manor had its limitations. Bruce wouldn't condone Selina swinging that high, but now, such a performance fulfilled Aisha's fondness of watching people in action.

She screamed her loudest, continuously waving towards the stage. Bruce held her, in case she hopped onto the front seat. Selina gently tapped on Bruce's arm and said, "Give her some water. I can hear her voice getting hoarse."

Bruce took out a water bottle and was about to let Aisha drink when the two Aerial Acrobats reached a pause in their performance. Both falling back onto the high platform, and at that moment, Mrs. Grayson happened to see Aisha waving at them.

Mrs. Grayson seemed a little haggard, yet she still returned a smile and waved back at Aisha. Obviously, this overly excited young spectator won the lady's favor.

Upon seeing that she had been noticed, Aisha got more excited and lunged forward wanting to leap out from Bruce's embrace.

But at the same time, Bruce was opening the water bottle, Aisha's movement bumped against his arm, causing him to spill water all over himself.

Bruce gave a helpless look, handed Aisha to Selina and said, "I'm going to the restroom to deal with my clothes."

As Bruce left the seat towards the restroom, everything was watched by the boss of the circus.

First Grayson defied him, even punched him, and then said crazy stuff before the performance. Grayson's wife intentionally attracted the attention of the little princess of the Wayne family, causing Wayne to spill water on himself. If he's annoyed, then his sponsorship is jeopardized...

The face of the circus boss became increasingly sullen, obviously very angry to the extreme. The behavior of the Graysons almost made him go mad.

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