Chapter 283: The First Encounter of the Youth Pi (2)

Chapter 283: The First Encounter of the Youth Pi (2)

At the end of a back alley on East District's Scroll Tail Street, there was a sound of a cellar door being opened. A boy with black hair, wearing a red jacket, jumped out first, followed by a boy with brown hair wearing glasses.

The boy with glasses grabbed his companion's arm, seemingly trying to stop him from going out. He said, "Hey, Jason, don't do this. Batman has been hanging around here lately. If you go out tonight to steal something, he's bound to catch you!"

The boy called Jason turned around and said to him, "It was you who told me that we couldn't sell the big tire we pried off earlier. I have to go out, otherwise the younger kids in Scroll Tail will go hungry!"

The boy with brown hair continued to persuade him, but Jason impatiently shrugged off his hand and said, "Kid, I know you're talented. The bosses of those famous gangs on Elizabeth Street want to recruit you."

"But we're different. Our position on Scroll Tail Street is already bad. We have to expand southward to claim territory so that our members can earn money. But if we can't feed ourselves, how will we have the strength to fight?"

The kid pushed glasses a little and said, "That's exactly why I'm trying to stop you, Jason. You're the leader of Scroll Tail Gang. If Batman catches you, the rest of the members will have no way out."

Jason grabbed his hair in frustration, but the kid pulled him toward the cellar. Jason seemed lost and was pulled inside.

Inside the cellar was a small workshop with two old, rotten workbenches. Various tools were placed on them, and the only relatively new item was a toolbox placed on a slightly cleaner table.

What stood out was a very large and uniquely shaped tire on one of the workbenches, with a bat symbol in the center.

The kid pulled Jason to sit on a chair next to him and said, "If it weren't for you helping me last time, I would have had my throat slit by those street racers. You saved my life, so of course I'm willing to help you."

Jason looked young, but he was dressed maturely, and his demeanor and speech were just like those gang members. He spat and said, "The market has been really bad lately. The younger kids in our gang can't earn a single penny."

"To prevent them from getting beaten up, me and a few older kids have to support them. But this can't go on forever."

As he spoke, he turned his head toward the tire on the workbench, angrily pounding the wall and saying, "If only we could sell this thing. Is there really no way?"

The kid remained calm and said, "Don't worry, yesterday during vocational school, I called a few classmates to come and take a look. Maybe they have some ideas."

Just then, they heard rhythmic stomping sounds coming from the ceiling. Jason stopped Slidetop from getting up and said, "I'll go up and check. I hope it's not trouble."

Jason opened the cellar door slightly, and Slidetop also leaned over. They saw a slightly older chubby boy stomping his feet. Slidetop opened the cellar door and shouted to him, "Hey! Tire! Over here..."

"Oh, here! So you guys live in the basement. I was wondering why you asked me to stomp yesterday..."

The tire walked into the cellar, and at first glance, it saw the bat tire on the workbench. It walked up and widened its eyes, saying, "Cool."

"Wait, is that the bat symbol? Oh my God! Did you guys really pull off something big?!"

The tire

walked up and tapped the rubber of the bat tire. Just then, there were urgent stomping sounds from above. Slidetop went to open the door, and his voice came from the door, "Hey, why are you two here together? Rocket and Red Truck..."

As soon as the two entered, they saw the tire standing next to the bat tire. The tire waved at them and pointed at the bat tire, saying, "Look! The coolest tire I've ever seen. Only it deserves my name!"

Jason walked up to them and greeted, "Hello, I'm Jason, Jason Todd, the leader of Scroll Tail Gang. You can call me Jason."

The tire, Rocket, and Red Truck were much bigger than Jason and Slidetop, but they were also just over ten years old. The room was full of children, but their way of communicating was mature.

Red Truck was the first to approach. He was black, and he bumped fists with Jason like a member of a black gang, lifting his chin and saying, "I've heard about you. Last time, you gave that annoying yellow-eyed guy a good beating with a spiked baseball bat. I heard he fell into the hands of someone three years younger than him, and I could hardly believe it. But now, it seems you're truly a tough guy..."

Jason wiped his nose and said, "You can't survive here without any skills."

"Yes, copy the answers!" Rocket chimed in. The wild-looking girl wrinkled her nose and complained, "I don't want to do homework! But my dad insists that I do it. He says he can't afford to offend the teachers there. What nonsense!"

"That's the plan, but we need to plan further. I think there's someone who can help us..."

Little Scoundrel looked at the people next to him, and they all exchanged glances. Clearly, they were thinking of the same name.

"Copperpot!"

"Where is he now?" Rocket asked.

"Oh, I know. It seems like he's been frequenting between the East District and the mental hospital lately. He should pass by the street nearby. Let's wait for him there."

After saying that, they all pushed open the door of the cellar and ran out one by one. They rushed towards the street, jostling each other.

Just then, they heard a scream and saw a little girl with black hair and blue eyes standing at the entrance of the alley. The group stopped in their tracks, and Jason exclaimed, "How come there's a little girl here?"

Little Scoundrel squinted his eyes and said, "Judging by her clothes and appearance, she doesn't seem like a child from the East District. She looks more like one of those rich kids from the South District."

Rocket, however, ran over first, and the others followed. Rocket held the little girl's shoulder and said, "Who are you? What are you doing here? Where are your mom and dad?"

"Wow!"

The little girl screamed, and everyone noticed the sharp teeth in her mouth. They took a few steps back in fright. Jason said, "...Could it be that her parents abandoned her here?"

"Unlikely. Look at the necklace around her neck. It seems to be made of a gemstone. If they really wanted to abandon her, there would be no need to give her such a valuable necklace..."

Jason hesitantly approached the girl. Although she had sharp teeth and her eyes were a bit strange, she didn't seem to have any intention of biting. He patted her head, looked around, and said, "We need to get her out of here. If the gang members patrol and find her, she'll be in danger."

"Really? What if her parents come looking for her? You might get into trouble. Those rich folks are experts at turning the tables!"

Jason didn't argue. He simply took off the necklace from the girl's neck and put it in his pocket. He said, "If they come looking for me, I'll leave the child behind and let them take her away. This necklace can be my reward. I won't lose out anyway."

Saying that, he struggled to pick up the little girl. Rocket took the girl from him and said, "Let me do it. We'll go back to your base first, and then while we're looking for Copperpot, we'll see if there are any people nearby who might be her parents."

As they were walking back, almost reaching the underground base, a crisp whip sound echoed, and everyone dodged backward. A slender black figure appeared at the end of the street.

Jason, hiding behind a building, widened his eyes and said, "Black Cat! It's Black Cat! What's she doing here? Doesn't she only come out at night?"

"Who's Black Cat?" Little Scoundrel asked him.

"The leader of the four great thieves of the East District. She's a very formidable thief who has stolen from almost every jewelry store in Gotham."

"To the little ones, thank you for the praise, but I must say, put down the little girl you're holding."

Catwoman cracked her whip again, causing the group to retreat in fear.

"She's your daughter? No! Wait! I heard you're also from the East District. How could you have such a well-dressed daughter? You wouldn't..."

Jason waved his hand backward and said to Rocket, "Don't let her go. Black Cat might be a human trafficker!"

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