Chapter 813: Red Hood (Part Seven) (Patreon)

In DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

"What surprises me about the new generation in this City is that they are far from the chaos and cruelty they appear to be on the surface. Beneath their feigned fierceness lies a calm and visionary heart. This will be the future of Gotham," Bruce mused.

"Their actions have left me deeply astonished, and all of it began on that stormy night..."

Pen's tip lifted from the paper, and Bruce gently ran his finger along the side of the pen. He gazed out of the wooden-curtained window at the pouring rain, the raindrops beating against the glass, leaving behind a trail of droplets.

The droplets slid downward, disappearing at the window sill. On the table, illuminated by the dim desk lamp's glow, a calendar displayed clear teeth marks from a torn page. The date circled with a few words, "Two days until submission."

Glancing at this date, Bruce assessed the progress of his own article. He knew he needed to pick up the pace.

The rain outside reminded him of the stormy day he had experienced among the children when the exams had just begun.

Gotham's heavy rain not only brought a night of good dreams to the residents of the wealthy areas but also unleashed a calamity upon the struggling children in the streets and alleys.

A leaking roof was no laughing matter, especially for the children, as everyone knew that catching a cold was the deadliest ailment, and a fever was an invitation to disaster.

So, when they discovered that their once-secure base was leaking, panic was the first emotion to assail them.

"Don't! Stop yelling!" Bruce shouted. "Everyone, calm down. As long as we fix the leaks during the daytime, we won't get wet at night!"

"You don't understand, outsiders. We need to clear the rainwater outside first. Let's go find the water pipes..."

"No, we have to go upstairs first. Let them check their drainage systems. The problem must be there!"

"But if we don't clear the water from the streets, it will still leak when it rains tonight. We should go find the adults..."

"But Gang won't listen to us. They'll prioritize clearing the water from their doorsteps and won't come to help us. We have to figure it out ourselves!"

"I promised someone I'd deliver something today. I have to go quickly!"

"You can't leave. Don't you care about our home?"

"But if we don't make money, are we all going to starve?"

A chaotic exchange of words filled the room. Some children were suggesting solutions, while others were refuting them. Some wanted to leave, while others tried to stop them. The younger children felt scared, and the older ones comforted them. The entire scene was a mess, and Bruce didn't know where to start.

He wanted to talk to these children, to reason with them, but no one seemed to listen to his proposed solutions. Many thought he didn't know anything. He wanted to calm their emotions, but Batman was not good at comforting people.

Bruce knew that if they didn't remove the water from the house and fix the leaks while the temperature was still high, things would get even harder once night fell and the temperature dropped.

These healthy children might catch colds and fevers, and for Jason, who was already injured, getting sick again could be fatal.

Bruce took a deep breath, looked around, and then found a metal bucket nearby. He also picked up a wooden stick and banged it against the bucket with force.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Several deafening thuds filled the room, and all the children turned to look at him. Bruce let out a breath and said, "I'm an adult, and you're children. Listen to me!"

Whispers erupted below, and Bruce had to point the wooden stick at the child who had spoken up and say, "If you have any objections, come over and say them..."

Seeing the wooden stick in his hand, the child hesitated for a moment, muttered a curse under his breath, but remained silent.

Bruce's impatience urged him to deal with the situation quickly, so he didn't pay much attention to his choice of words. He spoke plainly, "Now, everyone, divide into three groups: the ground team, the indoor team, and the normal life team..."

"The ground team consists of the older children. They will go to the ground to check the drainage pipes and communicate with Gang. You, you... and you, you all look stronger, so you're in the ground team..."

"The indoor team will take buckets and scoop out the water that's leaking inside the house, then patch up the leaks..."

"All those with work to do today will be in the normal life team to earn money for food..."

"All right, now, let's get to work!"

Bruce banged the bucket again twice, and the children exchanged glances.

They knew that Jason was injured and needed rest. If Bruce, as a stranger, was temporarily leading the gang, it meant he was worth trusting. So, they decided to get to work.

Finally, everyone started to move, and Bruce breathed a sigh of relief. However, within just a couple of minutes, problems began to arise.

The children from the indoor team reported that there were no water buckets available. Bruce noticed plastic gasoline containers in a nearby storage room and instructed them to use those instead.

However, the plastic gasoline containers had small openings, making it inconvenient to fill them with water. Bruce contemplated cutting them open to create larger openings, but they lacked the necessary tools for the job. Despite their efforts, they couldn't cut the containers open.

In the end, Bruce found a rusty axe and managed to split the gasoline containers open, resolving the container issue.

Not long after, the ground team returned with a report that confirmed Gang was focused solely on clearing the water from their doorstep, neglecting the streets. The drainage system was overloaded, and clearing it seemed impossible.

Given the circumstances, their only option was to seal every potential leak in the basement and turn it into a makeshift shelter to keep the rainwater out.

However, finding suitable sealing materials became another challenge. Cardboard boxes and wooden boards wouldn't provide a proper seal, and water kept seeping through the door gaps and steps.

Bruce didn't dare to leave to gather materials as he knew that, despite their outward toughness, the children were undoubtedly worried. With Jason injured and Bruce gone, chaos would likely ensue.

Bruce approached the basement door and realized that there were no sealing materials available, and two corners of the basement were leaking. Without proper waterproofing materials, the water that seeped in tonight could potentially rise above ankle level.

Bruce thought for a moment and made a prudent decision. He said, "We need to leave here and find a safer place."

"No!" Six-Fingered Sister objected first, saying, "This is our home; we can't abandon it."

"We're not abandoning it," Bruce calmly replied. "We've encountered an unexpected disaster, and we need to find higher ground for safety. We'll come back after one night."

"But..." Six-Fingered Sister furrowed her brow. "There's nowhere higher here. Even if there is, it's probably already claimed by other gangs. We can't compete with the big gangs."

She looked around and realized that after the children who could help had left to work, those remaining here were mostly thin and young. They wouldn't stand a chance even in a verbal confrontation, let alone claiming territory.

"When I came here earlier, I saw a vacant lot in the back alley. It's elevated, has a slope for water runoff, and should serve as a safe spot," Bruce pondered. "The soil in Gotham's underground is suitable for drainage. If we can set up a temporary camp there, we should be able to get through the night."

"Oh!" Six-Fingered Sister suddenly exclaimed. "Correct! We can go there, and we even have a natural campsite!"

People turned to look at her, and Six-Fingered Sister explained, "Remember the truck we brought back earlier? It's parked nearby. If we set up a roof over its cargo area, we can stay there for the night and come back tomorrow during the daytime."

Bruce's eyes lit up, and he asked, "You got a truck? Does it have an engine?"

"Yes, but it's broken, and we haven't fixed it yet. Besides, that truck is in really bad shape. We had Sliphead take a look at it earlier, and he worked on it for a while, but it's still not fully repaired. It's going to be tough to get it running."

Bruce nodded and said, "Alright, our immediate priority is finding a place to stay. I'll go check on the truck now. If it's possible, you can have a few people carry Jason, and we'll move to that location."

Several of the older children nodded in agreement. Bruce was the first to walk out of the basement door. Although he didn't have much equipment with him, he was dressed practically. His boots were waterproof, warm, and durable, and his coat could double as rain gear.

Outside, light rain was still falling, and as the children had mentioned, the streets were completely flooded. Bruce wore his waterproof boots and waded through various water pits, feeling a slight chill in his feet.

Bruce looked into the distance and could see some gang members working at clearing the intersection. They had no time to spare for this area, given that their own street was filled with more puddles and the water problem was more severe. Furthermore, their building was quite old and had multiple leaks that needed to be sealed.

Bruce didn't spot any members from other children's gangs, but he did notice a basement skylight with a small hand reaching out, holding half a water bottle and scooping water outside.

It seemed that most children's gangs were facing similar challenges. After all, their bases were underground, and in this old residential area, leaks were hard to avoid.

Bruce circled around to the rear of the building and saw the vacant lot, along with the truck. It suddenly seemed familiar. Wasn't this the same truck he had abandoned before?

"When I saw that truck, I was genuinely surprised. In the past, I never believed in fate or coincidence, but sometimes, things just happen to align perfectly. That failed truck driver's legacy had become my most precious possession, my Noah's Ark to navigate the deluge of the apocalypse..."

In the book room at the Manor, Bruce stretched his stiff neck and continued to write:

"During this period of my life, I was astonished to find that my positive emotions were growing, and I even felt elation at finding a broken-down truck."

"At first, I didn't know if this was a good thing, but when I heard the cheers of the children, I realized they were genuinely happy..."

"And thus began our rainy night adventure..."

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, without ads and support the work.]

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

Next Chapter>>Chapter 814: Red Hood (Part Eight)