[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-built-from-scratch-batman-shattered-my-dream-of-":3,"chapter-built-from-scratch-batman-shattered-my-dream-of--built-from-scratch-batman-shattered-my-dream-of--chapter-5":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from Scratch: Batman Shatters My Get-Rich Dreams",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2215953,3926,"Chapter 5: Save","built-from-scratch-batman-shattered-my-dream-of--chapter-5",5,"\u003Cp>Generally, Ma Zhaodi believes that no one is born evil. Perhaps this principle does encounter exceptions in this world, but Victor Fries is not one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was originally a genius cryogenics expert and a soulmate to his wife. Yet, as Drake mentioned earlier, his wife also suffered from a terminal illness with no effective treatment available worldwide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was an unyielding genius and a husband who deeply loved his wife. Rather than being crushed into despair by his circumstances, he began researching her condition, hoping to find a cure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, his wife was already critically ill with little time left. Using his knowledge and expertise, he built a high-tech cryogenic device for her. This freezing technology could suspend her life state, buying him time for his research.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just like the dark tone of Gotham itself, no matter how beautiful a story, it would slide toward ruin here. One day, the company funding Victor's research wanted to terminate the experiment due to profit concerns, sparking a violent conflict with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This conflict caused a gas leak from the freezing equipment inside the house, leading to a major accident. Victor miraculously survived, but the accident altered his cellular structure. His entire body became cold-blooded; he must maintain a body temperature below zero at all times to survive, or he would die upon contact with normal room temperature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He specially crafted a cryogenic suit and various freezing weapons for himself, beginning a campaign of murder to retaliate against everyone involved in the accident. From then on, Gotham gained another tragic supervillain and lost a learned genius cryogenics expert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kept his wife frozen, continuing his research on a cure for her. He obtained funds to sustain the treatment through robbery or other means. He still lives in Gotham, and despite everything, he is considered a relatively low-threat villain in the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene shifts back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Zhaodi sighed: \"Do you have any grudge against the doctor who gave you that advice?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No. Why do you ask?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Zhaodi was certain that Drake had genuinely thought carefully about his relationship with that doctor just now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then do you know Victor Fries's current situation?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I heard that after a laboratory accident, he and his wife went missing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, he had not yet encountered Mr. Freeze; otherwise, Ma Zhaodi would truly have to start preparing to run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So what do you plan to do?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't know. I finally settled down here with my wife, but now I have lost all hope.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drake covered his head, mumbling in near collapse: \"I don't know, I don't know. I just wanted to rob some money today to pay next month's medical bills...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat dejectedly on the rooftop, suddenly bursting into tears and shouting: \"And then I ran into you! I actually believed your nonsense, thinking you could help me, and even brought you home! I'm an idiot. I can't save her. I'm a useless idiot... sob sob sob...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Zhaodi did not stop him. Drake had been suppressed by despair and immense pressure for too long. Letting out his emotions through crying would benefit his mental recovery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled over another iron chair, casually wiping off the water stains, and sat down imitating Drake. The bone-chilling cold penetrated his skin straight to his core, bringing a slight stinging sensation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing at the blurred city glow in the distance, Ma Zhaodi sighed softly in the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ropes always break at the thinnest point; misfortune always finds the suffering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Click.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of a key turning in the lock rang out. The rusted iron door was pushed open, emitting a dry, creaking friction sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Drake?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slow footsteps sounded. The person walking seemed to have little strength and moved slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Camila, I'm back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Zhaodi and Drake entered the house together. They saw a thin, hairless woman walking out of a room. She appeared very weak, needing to lean on the walls as she walked, and her spirit seemed listless. Seeing Ma Zhaodi, she looked extremely surprised until Drake finished the introduction, after which she offered him a kind smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her smile was gentle. Even though her body was so emaciated it was nearly skin and bones, and her face was pale with little color, one could still discern from her expression that she had once been a sunny woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at her condition, Ma Zhaodi estimated she had no more than three months left, perhaps even less. Of course, he had never studied medicine, but anyone seeing her appearance could judge that she would not live long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The interior was not as dirty and messy as Ma Zhaodi had imagined; Drake had kept it very clean. Although the furniture and decorations left by the previous tenant were old, they were still usable. The Drake couple seemed accustomed to living in this room and showed no verbal or physical aversion to the rental.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Ma Zhaodi was looking around, he saw Mrs. Camila slowly pull a pistol from behind her back and place it back into the drawer of her room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, if the person who had just opened the door and entered had not been Drake, they would most likely have had a gun barrel pressed against their head first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds after seeing the gun, Ma Zhaodi felt relieved. After all, this was Gotham, and this was a rental in the slums. Not carrying a gun when going out or staying home would be the greatest anomaly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come to think of it, was the gun in Drake's hand real or fake?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thought suddenly occurred to Ma Zhaodi. He then saw Drake walk into his bedroom, pull out the pistol used during the robbery, combine it with a pistol magazine from his pocket, and put them both into the drawer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not bad. Although it was a real gun, at least when the muzzle was pressed against his forehead, the pistol had no magazine inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, thinking about it carefully, it was still infuriating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Zhaodi looked at his Shangcheng. The newly purchased save point was still in an unused state. If he were shot while in this state, his legend of starting from scratch in another world would come to a complete end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He considered it slightly more, then immediately used the save point at this small house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Save point used successfully. This save point allows twenty reloads. Duration is unlimited. When you are about to enter a near-death state, you may choose to reload this save point or abandon reloading it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please note: a maximum of five save points can exist simultaneously. They can be cancelled at any time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please note: you may use funds to shift the spacetime coordinates of a save point or recall it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1127,"2026-06-17T10:06:51.530Z",1,"Qwen3.5 122B","ba204989ec5877faa1b8b462504359b2bafed86443521a6054ac81993911f2bc","built-from-scratch-batman-shattered-my-dream-of--chapter-6","built-from-scratch-batman-shattered-my-dream-of--chapter-4",10,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-scratch-batman-shatters-my-get-ric-cover.jpg"]