American comics: Only I know the plot

Chapter 90 The Children in the Warehouse

The child was wearing a somewhat oversized coat, and his nose was red from the cold.

The child walked hurriedly with his head down, as if he hadn't seen Li Wei, and bumped into him as he passed by.

"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to."

After bumping into Li Wei, the boy immediately bowed his head and apologized, his face showing a look of fear.

"It's alright, just be careful when you walk, buddy."

Looking at the cautious boy, Li Wei waved his hand.

Looking at the child, he couldn't help but think of William, who had been adopted by Catwoman.

I wonder how they will get through this cold winter.

However, with Catwoman's help, there shouldn't be any problems.

The number of people who die each year in Gotham due to heinous crimes is probably just over a thousand, while the number of people disabled as a result of crime is likely several times that number.

As for how many people join gangs to survive, probably no one will ever count that number.

For these reasons, Gotham has many homeless children.

These children became homeless because of gangs, and then, in order to survive, became prospective members of gangs.

Conversely, if these homeless children cannot take care of themselves during the winter, their lives may very well end there.

As for how many people will freeze to death in winter, no one will ever keep track of that data.

After all, these lawmakers have a sense of pride, and compiling these statistics isn't meant to upset them.

As far as Levi knows, Wayne Enterprises spends a significant amount of money every year on helping homeless children.

However, Wayne Enterprises' funding is ultimately limited. Despite being Gotham's largest conglomerate, they cannot completely replace the functions of the government.

The money spent on shelters and temporary housing is countless. Even though the number of shelters increases every year, a large number of children still become homeless every year due to crime.

Their situation is actually very similar to that of young Bruce Wayne. Or rather, if it weren't for Alfred, but a vicious guy instead, Gotham might not have had a Batman.

In the eyes of many people, especially in the information channels that the public can access, such as television media, every prefabricated house in these relief centers is packed to the brim in winter.

The winter food and clothing distributed to each relief center were gone in the blink of an eye. This project is undoubtedly the most effective and least shady charity activity in Gotham City's relief efforts.

But Li Wei knew that this was actually full of procedures that seemed reasonable but were in fact very problematic.

For example, he once saw a case file in the police station archives where the protagonist, having no money for food, chose to steal materials from prefabricated houses to sell.

This behavior was certainly wrong, but the bizarre development of what followed took Li Wei by surprise.

The money this guy got was only enough to buy two hamburgers, but the company that filed the report claimed that the missing materials were worth $3.

Such a large sum could easily put this guy in jail for twenty years.

What's truly disheartening is that this company, backed by a congressman, has produced a series of pieces of evidence.

In the relevant materials they presented, a simple prefabricated house was priced at $500,000. Only because of the senator's influence did the supplier agree to a 20% discount—$400,000.

And that's how this poor guy got arrested. The important thing is that he was eating a hamburger at home with his son when he was arrested.

This poor guy was sentenced to 20 years in prison for stealing a huge amount of money, and nobody cares what happens to his son.

In this situation, Li Wei felt that even if Bruce donated all his wealth, it wouldn't solve the children's problem of getting through the winter.

The ultimate result of his actions will probably be to further increase the wealth of Gotham's senators.

Given this level of corruption, the idea that homeless children in Gotham could receive effective assistance seems like a pipe dream to Levi.

Shaking his head, Li Wei wondered if there was anything he could do, and continued walking forward.

He had only taken two steps when he suddenly froze as he instinctively reached into his pockets.

He remembered clearly that he had brought his wallet with him before leaving the house.

But right now, his pockets are empty, and even if he turns them inside out, it won't change that fact.

"My wallet?!"

He was only slightly taken aback before he realized that it must be that child from before!

Thinking of this, Li Wei turned around and ran after the direction where the child had just disappeared.

...

Jamie gripped the wallet in his hand, feeling his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.

He spent the whole day outside, but didn't get anything out of it.

He didn't want to do anything shady, but in Gotham, there was nowhere he could support himself.

For homeless children like him, there are only two paths in front of them.

You either have to join a gang or do shady things.

But God helped him, and he met Li Wei when he was in despair.

It's often said that Asians like to carry their money with them, and it seems that this is indeed true.

Jamie felt the thickness of the wallet and estimated there were at least several thousand dollars inside, so he couldn't help but exclaim, "God!"

Thinking that he wouldn't go hungry today, he ran even faster.

Jamie quickly ran to the outside of an old warehouse. From the outside, the warehouse looked dilapidated and old, and it didn't look like a habitable place at all.

He glanced back to make sure no one was following him before pushing open the rusty iron gate and going inside.

The warehouse was pitch black and filled with clutter.

It was a mess of broken cabinets, discarded appliances, and all sorts of random things piled up together, making it look like a small garbage dump.

If you don't look closely, you would never guess that people live in this place.

As Jamie stepped into the old warehouse, a wary voice rang out from inside.

"Who's there?"

Faced with this cautious voice, Jamie smiled and spoke gently like an older brother.

"It's me, I'm back. Come out, all of you."

Jamie had barely finished speaking when he carefully took an oil lamp from a corner, lit a match, and started the lamp.

By the light of this tiny lamp, many children emerged from the gaps between various discarded items.

They were of varying ages, but all wore tattered clothes and were thin and malnourished.

"Jamie, did you get your paycheck today?"

A little boy looked at Jamie with expectant eyes, and as soon as he finished speaking, his stomach growled twice.

Jamie used to work at a restaurant, and it was long past payday.

But the pot-bellied boss refused to pay Jamie's wages because Jamie broke a bowl.

You see, Jamie's salary is their hope for getting through the winter.

Today, Jamie went to ask for his wages, but the boss not only refused to pay him, but also had his men beat him up.

Jamie looked at the little boy's expectant eyes, his bruised lips twitched, and his expression became somewhat unnatural.

"I got my salary... I got my salary... The boss said he was sorry for what happened before and even gave me extra money as compensation."

Jamie pulled a wad of US dollars from his pocket, which looked to be at least several thousand dollars.

He had taken the money out of his wallet before he even got back, and then casually tossed the wallet aside on the roadside.

If he's lucky, maybe that guy can find the wallet and his ID.

After all, in Gotham, if you lose your wallet, being able to get your ID back is already a huge stroke of luck.

By the dim light of the warehouse lamp, a group of children looked at the American knife in Jamie's hand, their eyes shining with a light called hope.

"Very good!"

"Jamie is amazing!"

A child's innocent voice filled the small warehouse, praising his friend. Jamie smiled as he listened to his friend's praise.

He hadn't expected to find so much money in his wallet; it was a complete surprise.

What happens to the person who lost their wallet is no longer within his consideration.

After all, judging from that guy's appearance, he could live a good life even without those few thousand dollars.

Without this money, these teenagers might have truly lost their lives that winter.

"Alright, everyone, keep your voices down. Let's not make this a news story."

Jamie carefully put the money away, then told the other children, "We'll have a good meal tomorrow; Jamie's stew is absolutely amazing."

Hearing him say that, the other children's eyes lit up even more; they hadn't smelled meat in a long time.

They were all children forced to become homeless due to family reasons; in a place like Gotham, it was impossible for children to survive.

Just as all the children's eyes were filled with anticipation, the warehouse's iron door was gently knocked on, making a crisp "bang bang" sound.

"Shh~"

As soon as the sound came, Jamie signaled the children to be quiet and then immediately blew out the tiny lamp.

The small warehouse fell silent instantly, and the children stood motionless.

Similar incidents have occurred before, where drunken men have gone to the wrong place.

However, those people usually leave after knocking twice without receiving a response.

After all, judging from the outside, this warehouse doesn't look like a habitable place at all.

Even if someone comes in, as long as the children hide well, they will only think that this is an abandoned garbage dump.

The knocking stopped after two knocks, and the children in the warehouse breathed a sigh of relief.

They were still children, and once the danger had passed, some of them quickly became active again.

"call..."

"Jamie, is he gone?"

"Jamie, could you turn on the light? I can't see anything..."

The children started talking all at once, but they all tacitly kept their voices down.

Shh...don't make a sound yet.

Jamie didn't turn on the light immediately. Instead, he gestured for the children to be quiet and then listened carefully.

After a few minutes, and confirming that there was no sound outside the door, he lit a match and rekindled the small lamp.

"Go to sleep, everyone. We'll have a big meal tomorrow morning..."

Jamie looked at the group of children and was about to tell them to go to bed when he heard the creak of a door opening behind him.

Before the children could react, Jamie quickly turned around and looked behind him.

By the dim light of the lamp, he glanced behind him and froze.

The person who squeezed through the low doorway was none other than the Asian man who had just passed him!

Li Wei stuffed the empty wallet into his pocket, then ducked into the low-ceilinged warehouse.

He had found his empty wallet on the roadside, so he had no idea what had happened.

Having gotten used to mobile payments, he would never have carried that much cash with him when he went out.

However, considering that he was returning the car today, he needed to find a means of transportation.

Everyone said that used cars were cheap in America, so he stopped by a bank and withdrew $5000, planning to buy a used car tomorrow.

Unexpectedly, Jamie's accident on the road caused him to lose the money he had planned to use to buy a car.

He had already resigned himself to his bad luck, but he never expected that when he was about to turn around and leave...

Despite his exceptional hearing, he could hear children talking inside the old warehouse.

As soon as he entered the warehouse, under the dim light, looking at the group of children who were dumbfounded, Li Wei felt a lump in his throat.

In his homeland, these teenagers are at an age when they are pampered and protected by their parents.

Even for left-behind children, their grandparents will take good care of them, keeping them clean and tidy, so there is no way they will lack food or clothing.

However, the group of children who appeared in front of him at this moment were all dirty and wearing tattered and thin clothes.

Because of the cold, they could only huddle together and shiver in order to slightly dispel the chill.

At that moment, all the children looked at him in fear, and Li Wei felt a little guilty upon sensing their terrified gazes.

"you..."

Jamie's voice, noticeably distorted, interrupted Levi's thoughts.

Despite his trembling figure from fear, he took a step forward, shielding all the children behind him.

"The item is mine..."

Jamie looked at Levi with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Hey Jamie, are these the friends you were talking about?"

Jamie was interrupted by Levi before he could finish speaking.

Jamie was stunned by Li Wei's words. Before he could figure it out, he saw Li Wei take two steps forward.

"Good evening, children."

Li Wei smiled at the group of children, revealing a set of neat, white teeth.

"I'm Jamie's boss, you can call me Mr. Boss."

I'm sorry that Jamie's mistake at work delayed his salary, and that's why.

To make up for my mistake, I, this unwelcome fellow, have come uninvited today. I hope you won't be afraid.

After Li Wei finished speaking, he noticed that Jamie, who was standing opposite him, was stunned.

The children standing behind him all had happy smiles on their faces.

"Boss, could you please let Jamie go back to work?"

"Yes, sir, Jamie is a very hard worker. Could you please not fire him?"

"Boss, thank you for coming to see us..."

Hearing these naive words, Li Wei smiled gently.

"Don't worry, kids, I will seriously consider your suggestions."

After Li Wei finished speaking, he winked at Jamie, "I believe in your brother Jamie. He won't lose this job. Please believe me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Jamie's cheeks turn slightly red.

Although the change was not very obvious in the dark, Levi's enhanced body quickly detected Jamie's unusual behavior.

"Thank you, sir!"

"Boss, you're such a kind person!"

Soon a group of lively children surrounded Li Wei, chattering about Jamie's abilities.

After calming the group of lively little ones down, Li Wei smiled contentedly.

At that moment, he began to understand Catwoman a little better.

This woman must have gone through the same thing before, and that's why she chose such an unconventional path.

Ultimately, she probably saw her younger self reflected in these children...