Chapter 925: Schiller's Garden (Part 2) (Patreon)

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After the completion of the first phase of Gotham's transformation project, the second phase began without delay. By the time the temperature dropped, most of the houses in the second phase were already built.

However, originally, the handover of these houses was not supposed to happen so quickly. Due to the less than ideal condition of the buildings in the second phase, all residents were notified to relocate before the arrival of the typhoon.

Sitting next to Jason, Tire let out a sigh and said, "You and the younger children don't fully understand the situation in the Gotham East District. The area where my mom and I lived was one of the first places settled by the fishermen when Gotham was still a barren land."

"That was a very long time ago. Many of the fishermen lived on their boats and only came ashore to sell fish. They just needed a makeshift shelter from the wind and rain. That's why our street was called 'Old Fish Basket.' It was like a rundown fish basket, full of leaks everywhere."

"Later, Gotham's population exploded, and the original residents started adding more stories to their houses to rent them out to outsiders. But since the houses were not originally well-built, adding more stories made them structurally unstable, causing the entire buildings to become precarious."

"The building where my mom and I lived was one of the better ones. Several families joined together to improve the structural integrity, making it barely habitable. But houses in the western part, like ours, were on the verge of collapsing."

Jason looked puzzled and asked, "Your mom is quite resourceful; she can run a gas station by herself. Why did she choose to live in such a place?"

Tire smiled and said, "Because it was close to her workplace."

"Also, my mom intentionally moved to the area where the original residents gathered. You see, in Gotham, gangs and neighbors are connections. Our family's situation got better because, in addition to running the gas station, my mom also did part-time laundry, sewing, and shoe repair."

"When I grew up a bit, one of my neighbors became a chef in a rich person's house in the South District. Since I was a child, I helped him as his assistant, and I could earn quite a bit of money. Everyone here knows each other well. Growing up here ensures you'll thrive in Gotham."

Jason suddenly realized and said, "No wonder Copperpot holds you in high regard and consults you for everything."

Tire blushed slightly, scratched his head, and said, "Well, I'm far from being a clever person, but in a way, I represent the native inhabitants of Gotham. I understand what the locals born and raised here are thinking. These original residents are spread throughout every corner of the city and hold many important positions."

"It's a bit like a spider weaving its web. We are the web itself. No matter who wants to enter the spider's lair, they can read from the vibrations of this large web what's happening inside."

"I've noticed that you've really changed a lot," Jason said as he pulled out a blanket from a nearby cabinet. Tire took it and wrapped it around himself as they both sat by the window, watching the rain. Jason remarked, "You wouldn't have said such things before."

"Indeed, it may sound a bit... melodramatic in our terms, but now I think being a bit melodramatic is okay. After all, I just had a hot milk before coming here, and now I'm starting to sweat a bit."

Tire looked at the howling wind and pouring rain outside the window. He said, "If it were in the past, I'd probably be busy nailing the windows shut right now, and my mom would be collecting rainwater leaking into buckets."

"Maybe our neighbors would ask us for help because their backyard walls collapsed, and water flooded their homes."

Jason also chuckled and said, "And we, the children of the Red Hood Gang, would probably be busy passing buckets to drain the water seeping into the basement. We'd be so busy we wouldn't have a place to sleep, and we'd just have to sleep on the damp ground, hoping not to catch a cold by morning."

Tire opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but then he remembered something. He furrowed his brow and said, "But the typhoon is coming earlier than expected. Since our gas station is our own, and my mom's work is relatively flexible, she could start packing up a week in advance."

"But even so, it's because of you and the children of the Red Hood Gang that we managed to finish moving today. Our neighbors..." Tire shook his head and said, "They were already busy with their jobs, and even the children had to work to earn money. Many of them only started packing their things this morning, and then the typhoon hit in the evening."

"They couldn't finish moving, so they have to stay there for the night. My mom tried to persuade them to come to our new home for shelter, but they were worried about guarding their belongings, fearing they might get soaked."

Jason furrowed his brow and expressed his disagreement, "I wanted to say something when we were moving today. Many things didn't need to be brought with you; everything is available here. Didn't you all see that when you came to visit?"

"Some items are understandable to bring along if they are still usable, especially since you paid for them. But why bring things that are completely unusable, like pots with leaks, bowls with broken handles, or clothes that are no different from rags? Why bring those?"

"In fact, if you didn't bring those things, there would be no need for us to help. The two of you could have finished moving in half a day."

Tire sighed and said, "You're simplifying things too much. I didn't want to bring those things either. But you know, my mom had a hard time for a long time back then."

"After she and my dad separated, she had to raise me alone. At that time, my grandmother hadn't returned from out of town yet, and the gas station land wasn't even owned by my mom. Forget about pots, pans, and clothes; she wouldn't even throw away a piece of wood she picked up from outside."

"Many people on Broken Basket Street were like that, very frugal. They wanted to bring everything with them. Even if you told them that everything was available here, they would never give up those old, rotten things."

Jason sighed and nodded, understanding this mentality. Back when many of the Red Hood Gang's children couldn't afford to eat, he was the same. He wanted to bring back anything he thought could be useful to save money.

As they chatted and watched the rain, it began to intensify, with the wind picking up. Tire's expression grew serious, and he said, "Why is this typhoon so severe? I've never seen one this big since I was born."

He stood up and said, "This doesn't feel right. I need to go see Copperpot."

Just as he was about to turn and leave, a series of knocks echoed from the door. Jason quickly opened it, and Red Truck stood outside, looking grave. He said, "The boss has summoned all the children for a meeting. Something's happened!"

Jason put down the still-warm milk kettle, wrapped the blanket around it to keep it warm, and Tire tossed the blanket onto Jason's bed. Then they both rushed out.

In the hallway, many children groggily made their way outside. Jason asked Red Truck, "Who is the boss looking for? Is it all the children or just the Child King?"

"I don't know; he only told me..."

Jason pushed past Red Truck and called out in the hallway, "Everyone, go back! Go back to sleep! The Child King... uh, no, what's his name? The building leader! Building leader, come with me!"

Many children stood in confusion, not quite understanding what was happening, but some taller children had already rushed out. One of them said, "Hurry, I bet the adults are having a meeting too. We need to grab the elevator!"

With that, they rushed into the elevator without even wearing shoes, some even barefoot. Fortunately, the hallway was carpeted, so it didn't hurt their feet. Jason and Tire followed suit and ran to catch the elevator.

As expected, there were already some adults in the elevator. Jason spotted a familiar gang member and asked, "Dape, what's going on?"

"I don't know. Our boss suddenly called us over. I heard... it seems like a building collapsed? It might be one of those dangerous buildings from our old territory, and someone got hurt."

Tire's heart immediately clenched, and he asked, "Where is it? Is it Broken Basket Street? Who got hurt? Is it serious?"

The gang member called Dape shook his head and said, "We haven't gone to the meeting yet, so I don't know. But the most infamous dangerous buildings are in that area, right? From what they're saying, it seems like no one died, but there are injuries..."

When the elevator doors opened, Tire rushed out instantly, with Jason right behind him. The Child Kings entered the office, where Copperpot was drawing a map on the whiteboard. Upon seeing them, he said, "You came pretty quickly. Have a seat and have some water. Let me explain the plan for what comes next."

"Boss, I heard that a building collapsed, possibly on our old street. What should we do?" Tire asked anxiously, then stomped his foot and added in frustration, "We should've let them move in today! What's the point of guarding those rotten things? Now look..."

"Don't worry," Copperpot said calmly after taking a sip of water. "The situation isn't very severe. Three buildings collapsed, but they were not high-rises, so no one was killed. We're still assessing the extent of injuries."

"Right now, the relief efforts are being handled by the adult gang members because the typhoon hasn't passed yet. Wayne Enterprises sent rescue vehicles and doctors, so it's not a major crisis."

"But tomorrow morning, it'll be our turn on the battlefield." Copperpot tapped the blackboard and continued, "As you've probably noticed, several major gangs that have moved into this area are organizing manpower for disaster relief. After daybreak, relief work should be almost done."

"At that time, they'll be hungry and cold, and our job is to buy food, boil water, and wait for the typhoon to stop before delivering it to them."

"Don't worry about compensation. Wayne Enterprises and the remaining gangs are contributing jointly. I've already secured some funds to support the backup work."

At this point, Jason raised his hand and asked, "Are we buying ready-made food and heating it up?"

Copperpot glanced at him and nodded, unsure of where Jason was going with this. But Jason continued, "I think we can cook it ourselves."

"On one hand, the supermarkets selling raw ingredients have a wider variety and lower prices, which can save us money and leave room for profit. On the other hand, the downstairs restaurants are closed, but I can contact their owners and use their kitchens, just giving them a bit of money."

"Many of the children in our gang have experience working in kitchens. This is an opportunity to put those skills to use. Homemade meals will taste better, at least better than the semi-prepared food from the supermarket. Some children's parents are chefs, and we can pay them a portion to get them involved too."

As soon as Jason finished speaking, the other children chimed in enthusiastically:

"Correct! I can chop vegetables. I worked as a sous-chef in the most famous Italian restaurant in the East District, and I can chop tomatoes really well..."

"I can do it too! I can even roll out pizza dough!"

"I can boil water. I used to do this job in the kitchen..."

Copperpot raised an eyebrow, cleared his throat, and said, "Alright, let's do it this way then. Jason, contact the restaurant owners. Tire, take a group to the market downstairs and remember to haggle..."

"You two, find boxes for packing and get some foam that can keep the food warm. You'll be in charge of boiling water, and you, count how many people can go out and run errands. Make sure not to count wrong..."

Soon, Jason left the office. While passing through the corridor, he noticed that the rain outside was still heavy, but he felt a warmth in his chest, a kind of fire that made him feel warm, even breaking a light sweat.

He wiped his forehead and then headed quickly towards the elevator. All the children were like him this time. What was urging them on wasn't a whip but something else entirely.

It was the strength born from being well-fed, sheltered from the typhoon, and living in warm houses with some room to spare.

It left them feeling puzzled but also filled with a sense of power, their steps light and energetic.

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 926: Amidst the Misty Rain (Part One)