Chapter 761: The Catwoman

Selina carried a large box through a narrow corridor; her good friend Maggie waited at the door, and as Selina approached, Maggie hurried forward to help her carry the box inside.

After setting down the box, Selina let out a long breath, brushed the dust off her hands, and looked up to survey the room.

This was a single-room apartment in Hell's Kitchen; after Phase One of Hell's Kitchen's renovation was completed, many residents converted their extra space into small apartments to rent out to other residents of the East District.

Once the worst neighborhood in the East District, Hell's Kitchen was now entirely different: though the rooms remained cramped and poorly lit, hygiene had improved by more than one degree—while the decor wasn't luxurious, it was certainly far better than shanties.

Due to wealth inequality, many East District residents still lived in dilapidated homes; for example, Selina's friend Maggie had previously lived on the outskirts of the slums—better than the rusted tin and shipping container hovels, but whenever it rained, water would trickle down the corners of the walls, soaking and mildewing large patches of the floor.

Maggie's old apartment had tiny windows facing the wrong direction, freezing in winter and sweltering in summer; in winter, Selina couldn't stay inside for more than two hours without her limbs turning stiff with cold.

Maggie walked over from the doorway, gazing at the small room, and sighed, "I never thought I'd live in a place like this."

The room was tiny—only four or five square meters—just enough for a bed—but on one side stood a window and a bay window, expanding the space considerably; two potted plants sat on the bay window, thriving now.

Maggie flopped onto the bed with a blissful expression; Selina sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her, and smiled, "You got a new job at a restaurant in the East District, now you have a salary—you can rent a better place. If you save a bit more, maybe you can even buy your own apartment."

"Get real," Maggie shook her head. "Even buying a place in the East District requires a fortune. At my current salary, I'd need to work another ten years just to have a chance."

"Don't say that. Haven't you heard? Gotham University's Technical College has already opened. Though the first batch of students was small, maybe the second will take in more."

Selina shook her head. "I'm not cut out for studying, but you are—you've got patience, you knit sweaters beautifully, you sing well. If you learn some technical skills, your salary will keep rising; buying a home won't be hard."

Maggie leaned close, studying Selina's beautiful face. "Then what about you? What are you planning? Hanging around with Wayne all day?"

"I'm not hanging around with him."

"You are," Maggie said firmly. "Will he marry you? Will you become his wife? Will you have children together? I don't mean adopted kids—I mean your own biological children…"

"He won't take you to church, won't swear vows with you, won't grow old beside you. Selina, I'm saying these harsh things because I don't want you to get hurt…" Maggie looked at Selina with sorrowful eyes.

"Your beauty is an unmatched fortune—but also a deadly trap. It will make you believe in the dreams others give you during your youth, but when you lose it, you may suffer worse than anyone else…" Maggie stared intently at her friend.

Selina placed her hand over Maggie's. "I never expected him to give me any promises. It doesn't matter if he doesn't take responsibility—I don't want to take responsibility for him either. I don't want to live my life so seriously."

"Maggie, I know you dream of walking into a church with your true love, making solemn vows, then walking hand-in-hand into the grave. But I'm different—I think that's boring."

"I know I have no right to enjoy love—I'm just a poor girl from the slums, and my advantages won't last forever. But I don't care. If I'm destined to return to the slums, that's fine. I love this freedom."

Selina walked to the window, brushing her fingers over the leaves of the potted plant. "Maggie, you're like this plant—you should wake up on an ordinary morning in a warm bedroom, your wildest act the night before being a kiss to your lover."

"But at this same moment, I might just be falling asleep under morning light, because I spent the whole night riding the rooftops—or sitting on the roof, watching the glow from the jewelry store across the street. I love this life on the run, and I love this kind of lover."

Maggie sighed deeply. "Only Wayne could put up with you."

"By the way," Maggie suddenly remembered something. "Why are you suddenly free to help me move? Weren't you always glued to Wayne's side?"

Selina's expression turned complicated. "He's been busy lately—no time."

Maggie instantly perked up, narrowed her eyes. "Busy? When a man says he's busy, don't you get suspicious?"

Maggie pulled Selina back to the bed, turned her face toward her, and cupped her cheeks with both hands. "Look at you—this stunning beauty. What man would look at this face and say he's busy?"

Selina puffed out her cheeks and pushed Maggie's hands away. "Bruce Wayne can. He doesn't just tell me he's busy—he made me stay up all night helping him research and write a paper the very first night we reunited after splitting up!"

"Good heavens!" Maggie gasped. "And you still think he hasn't cheated?! Bruce Wayne writes papers? If you printed that in the newspaper, it'd be the biggest joke in Gotham for the next ten years!"

！」

"I don't know what's wrong with him—he seems different, but I can't say exactly how." Selina rested her head on Maggie's shoulder; Maggie's alarm bells rang louder. "Trust your gut. When you feel a man has changed, it's probably exactly as you fear."

"You mean he really cheated? That can't be—I told him before, if he got tired of me, he should just say so and we'd break up. He promised me he wouldn't see anyone else before breaking up with me." Selina widened her eyes, confused.

"Do you believe a playboy's promises?!" Maggie shot her a look. "You'd better keep a closer eye. Even if you don't need his wealth or status, he's still your boyfriend—if he cheats, it means you're not attractive enough."

Selina shot upright from the bed, gritting her teeth. "If he dares cheat, I'll kill him."

But after a moment, she slumped back down, defeated. "Lately, Bruce's been hiding at Gotham University—I can't get in there."

"Can't get in? Is there anywhere in Gotham you can't enter?" Maggie stared at her, puzzled.

"No—I could climb over the walls anytime, the guards couldn't stop me. But there's a terrifying professor there—I dare not provoke him, or he'll cook me alive." Selina shivered.

"A professor? But aren't university professors usually gentle—bookish, refined types?" Maggie cupped her face. "I like that kind—at least they don't have gang fights on the brain."

"No, not like that," Selina waved her hand. "Remember that adventure I told you about in Metropolis?"

Maggie nodded. "Of course—I heard you got trapped in a mansion by a snowstorm, met a bunch of agents, and saw helicopter engines flying in the sky. Honestly, Selina, I think you had a fever. How could you hallucinate that?"

"I didn't have a fever," Selina insisted. "I didn't tell you before, but while trapped in the mansion, I had a dream—actually, Professor Shiler pulled me into his dream."

"Everything was fine at first—I wandered through a gigantic amusement park where every ride was free, even the balloon-dart and fishing games. I was ecstatic—I wanted to try every single one!"

"But just as I was having the time of my life, the ground shook—not an earthquake, more like an explosion. In an instant, the whole park changed."

"Everything cracked open. All kinds of fragments fused together into grotesque monsters. Every ride exploded. I had to flee wildly, dodging flying debris…"

Selina pressed her hand to her chest. "I was on the Ferris wheel when it happened—I nearly died falling from midair!"

"I ran a full kilometer to escape, then ran straight into some monster that must've crawled out of another dream…"

"In short, Professor Shiler's mind holds terrifying things…" Selina shuddered. "If I dare enter Gotham University, he'll kill me!"

Maggie sighed. "Even if all this isn't your imagination, Gotham University is huge—you'd just be skirting the edge. How could he possibly spot you?"

"And you're active at night, right? By then, all the professors are asleep. Even if you got caught, you're just looking for your boyfriend—not doing anything wrong. That's normal. Why would he kill you?"

Selina hesitated. Maggie had a point. Gotham University was enormous—she couldn't possibly be that unlucky to run into Shiler the moment she stepped in.

Besides, she wasn't stealing anything—just looking for Bruce. If caught, she'd get scolded, nothing worse.

Thinking this, Selina stood up, brushed the dust off her clothes, and said to Maggie, "It's almost dark. I'm going to circle around Gotham University and see if I can find a way in."

After stretching in the room, Selina leapt out through Maggie's window.

Soon, she arrived near Gotham University. Though she felt she wouldn't be noticed, she still chose the quietest spot and scaled the fence with ease.

Selina landed behind a shrub in a landscaped flowerbed. As she peeked over the bushes, she felt a shadow fall over her head.

Instinctively, she dodged and leapt, scaling the lamppost beside her with swift, silent movements until she reached the top. Shiler pointed his umbrella at her. "Come down."

Selina shook her head vigorously. "I'm not coming down."

"Come down."

"I'm not coming down."

"Why won't you come down?"

"Then why won't you come up?"