Chapter 165: Cat Getan Avenger (Part 2)

Soon, the temporary Avengers Alliance, composed of Yin Wensi, Kebote, and Batman, began their investigation, infiltrating every corner of Cat Getan.

Batman's line of reasoning was correct; when it came to investigations like this, comprehensiveness was more important than precision.

Especially when dealing with a mysterious organization like the Court of Owls, investigations from the upper echelons yielded unclear results, but investigations from the lower levels could obtain some extra information. The earliest breakthrough came from Kebote—or to be precise, from the team Kebote organized at the vocational school in Living Hell.

There was no need to elaborate on the backgrounds of the vocational school students; without a doubt, the vast majority of them were born in the slums, grew up in the slums, and would continue to live there for the rest of their lives.

They knew the street life of Cat Getan like the back of their hands; they were simply too familiar with it. The reason they listened to Kebote's orders was also because everything happening here was closely related to them.

In the vocational school classroom, the little fatty, Lun Tai, crossed his arms and said, "…You think we want to live the way we did before? The whole hallway smelled like a landfill; my nose is almost failing me, you know? I can't even turn around in my own bathroom!"

"Isn't that just because you're too fat?" said the tattooed girl, Huo Jian Dan. She curled her lip and continued, "But seriously, it used to be too dangerous for kids like us here. When I was 8, my right arm was hit by a bullet, leaving a really ugly scar. I had to use a tattoo to cover it up…"

Hong Ka Che lit a cigarette and said while smoking, "Things have been getting better lately. I've been doing towing business with that guy named Dao Er, and I've earned quite a bit. My dad even thought I'd finally gotten smart and learned how to rob people."

After saying this, the group burst into laughter.

Huo Jian Dan turned her head to look at Kebote and asked, "Is what you said true? That our chaotic life before was because the rainwater was poisoned? That sounds too ridiculous."

"Actually, it is a bit strange." Lun Tai frowned and said, "You all know my grandfather was the oldest man in Living Hell; he only died the year before last."

156n.

"He told me before that Cat Getan City had a major renovation back then. Other streets in the East District got tap water. Although there were often various problems, no place was like Living Hell, where the water wells had been used for over a hundred years."

"Come on, what era is this? We still have to use buckets to get water to drink. Don't you think that's a bit strange?" Lun Tai spread his hands and asked.

Hong Ka Che also chimed in, "Actually, the strangest thing is the location of those few wells. My dad's legs aren't good, so I've been the one going to get water every time since I was little."

"I noticed before that there are five wells in the North District, but only one in the South District. Yet, clearly, more people live in the South District. Every time, they have to run to the North District to get water. When they built it here, didn't they consider this problem?"

Perhaps because these students were young, their ability to accept and understand new things was stronger. When Kebote said that Cat Getan's rainwater might be problematic, they didn't think it was nonsense like adults would; instead, they recalled things that felt wrong from some details.

Huo Jian Dan stepped on a stool with one leg and complained, "Regardless, we have tap water now, so we don't need to drink water from the wells anymore."

"But don't forget," Kebote said gloomily, "tap water doesn't appear out of thin air. If this kind of rain continues, Cat Getan's groundwater will also be polluted. When that happens, no one will be able to escape."

"Then what should we do? I don't want to go back to the life we had before."

Hong Ka Che and Huo Jian Dan looked at each other. Hong Ka Che tugged at his hair and said, "Fine, we're all bad kids, just like they say—born bad seeds. But we all have to admit that life is indeed much better now than before. If only it could stay like this forever."

"We can't just sit and wait for death." Kebote looked at them and said, "That's not the Gothamite style. We must take the initiative. The first step is to investigate."

Several people looked at him. Lun Tai said, "Before, all the professors said you were the best learner among us, and you should have the best brain too. Tell us, what should we do?"

Kebote took out a plan, and the gazes of the others fell onto the tabletop.

Facts proved that when it came to people's own vital interests, everyone's ability to act was very strong.

The people of Living Hell were the first to accept the renovation and the first to experience the benefits of the reform.

If they had always lived in that kind of chaotic environment, they certainly wouldn't have thought about changing. But now that they had tasted the sweetness of reform, they certainly wouldn't allow themselves to return to that chaotic and dangerous state of life.

Don't look at Hong Ka Che, Lun Tai, and Huo Jian Dan as three inconspicuous children; their parents and guardians were all engaged in vital work in Living Hell.

The most obvious one was Hong Ka Che. He was so young yet could drive cars and ride motorcycles, and he was familiar with cargo routes because his parents did exactly that.

His father and two uncles originally drove garbage trucks, and his mother was a street sweeper on the next street over; they were more than familiar with the terrain here.

Just by hearing her name, one knew Huo Jian Dan's father was an arms dealer. In fact, they didn't live in Living Hell because they were poor, but because it was convenient to do business there.

As for Lun Tai's family, although their business wasn't big, it was vital. His mother operated a small gas station, which was the fastest place for information exchange. Most drivers passing through here would brag and chat while refueling.

When these three went back to pass the message, their cultural level was very limited, and they didn't express it very clearly. Their parents' comprehension was also limited, and the whole story was passed on in a distorted way.

Soon, a rumor began to spread in Living Hell—someone was continuously poisoning Cat Getan's water source. This toxin would make people go crazy, and if they didn't want Living Hell to turn back into what it was before, they had to find the poisoner.

With this, the enthusiasm of these Cat Getan citizens was very high.

As everyone knew, Gothamites had bad tempers. If you shot them once, they would fight to the death to shoot you back twice. Once they heard they had been poisoned, they were naturally furious.

Moreover, the whole thing spread faster and wider, and many people believed it to be true.

When it came to their own life safety, they would pay some attention. So, whenever there was any disturbance, they would start passing the message layer by layer until it reached Kebote's ears.

In this way, Kebote's intelligence sources became very broad. Among many true and false pieces of information, he quickly filtered out useful information.

First, when the Living Hell wells were built, it wasn't that there hadn't been disputes. There was only one well in the South District, but the residents of the South District couldn't sit by and watch their interests be damaged, so they naturally resisted.

But in the end, the matter was left unsettled. The information Kebote obtained was that there had been a brief epidemic outbreak in Living Hell, and many people died. In the list of deceased elders or relatives provided by the residents, Kebote summarized it and found that most of the dead were from the South District, and they were all the ones who resisted the most fiercely.

This corroborated that someone was indeed controlling the water source in the Living Hell area.

Next, Kebote got an old map of the Living Hell area. This was obtained from an old drug dealer who had walked all over Living Hell when he was young to smuggle contraband and had drawn the map.

Looking at this map, it wasn't without reason that there were many wells in the North District.

The buildings in the North District were looser with more open spaces, while the South District was too densely populated with buildings built too closely together, leaving almost no open space.

This further corroborated their guess: the Court of Owls might be using this method to let rainwater pollute the drinking water of Living Hell residents. Rain exposure plus drinking water pollution made this place the craziest and most chaotic part of the East District.

After obtaining sufficient evidence, Kebote began to investigate another problem: why was Living Hell so important to the Court of Owls? Was it worth them spending so much effort to set it up?

Kebote really couldn't guess this point, but at this time, the alliance of the three played a role. Batman's line of thinking was more scientific.

At a small meeting of the three, Batman speculated: "First, the strategic position of Living Hell is not important. Although it is the most densely populated place in the East District, it is actually not a transportation hub, and its location is relatively remote, far less strategic than Elizabeth Street."

"Second, Living Hell is the slum of slums. Even if everyone here disappeared, it would have no impact on Cat Getan's economic ecology. If considering it from an economic perspective, it would be better to target Green Street."

"If I have to name one characteristic of Living Hell, I think it's that there are many people." Batman concluded: "There is no place in Cat Getan with such population density."

"This is likely their testing ground." Kebote also stared at the map and said: "There are many people here, and most of them can't escape even if living conditions are harsh. And because the sanitary environment is poor, even if some epidemic diseases break out, people won't find it strange."

"More importantly, the ecology here is closed." Yin Wensi drew a circle on the Living Hell area with his finger and said: "There is a formed commercial system here, and people's clothing, food, housing, and transportation can all be solved, so the scope of population movement is very small."

"The Court of Owls must have arrangements in Living Hell; this is certain."

Next, Batman said: "The only problem is, since there are arrangements, there must be monitoring. Through what method are they monitoring Living Hell?"

All three paused for a moment, then looked at each other and said simultaneously: "The wells!"

"Everyone has to drink water, and everyone has to get water. Even if some people are not convenient to come out to get water, their family members will inevitably do it for them. When getting water, one has to throw the bucket down, so one will inevitably look at the well surface…"

Batman's low voice made the other two feel a chill down their spines: "At this time, there is also someone at the bottom of the well, looking at you…"

－－－－－－Author's Note－－－－－－

10,000 words delivered today! Please vote and tip! ===== CHAPTER 166 =====