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Chapter 160: Gotham Avengers (3)

Soon, the temporary Avengers alliance, consisting of Evans, Copperpot, and Batman, began their investigation, infiltrating every corner of Gotham.

Batman's approach was correct; when it came to investigations, it was more important to be comprehensive than meticulous.

Especially when dealing with a mysterious organization like the Court of Owls, the results of investigating from the top were not obvious, but investigating from the bottom could yield some additional information. The earliest breakthrough came from Copperpot, or more precisely, the team he organized at the vocational school in Living Hell.

There's no need to elaborate on the backgrounds of the students at the vocational school. Undoubtedly, the vast majority of them were born and raised in slums and would continue to live there for the rest of their lives.

They were intimately familiar with the entire Gotham city life, and they followed Copperpot's orders because everything that happened here was closely related to them.

In the vocational school classroom, the chubby Tire hugged his arms and said, "Do you think we wanted to live like we did before? The whole hallway smelled like a garbage dump, and my nose was almost dysfunctional, you know? I couldn't even turn around in my bathroom!"

"Isn't that because you're too fat?" the tattooed girl Rocket said, smirking. "But seriously, it was too dangerous for us kids before. When I was eight, my right arm was shot by a bullet, leaving an ugly scar. I had to cover it with a tattoo."

Red Truck lit a cigarette and said while smoking, "Things have improved recently. I've been working with a guy named Doyle in the towing business and made quite a bit of money. My dad thought I'd finally come to my senses and learned to rob."

They all laughed together.

Rocket turned to Copperpot and asked, "Is it true what you said? That our chaotic lives before were because the rainwater was poisonous? That sounds absurd."

"It is a bit strange," chubby Tire said, frowning. "You all know my grandfather was the oldest person in Living Hell, and he died just two years ago."

"He told me that there was a major renovation in Gotham City, and the other streets in the East District got tap water. Although there were often problems, no place was like Living Hell, where wells were used for hundreds of years."

"Come on, it's the modern age, and we still have to fetch water with buckets. Don't you find that strange?" Tire asked, spreading his hands.

Red Truck chimed in, "The strangest thing is the location of those wells. My dad has bad legs, so I've always fetched water since I was a kid."

"I noticed that there are five wells in the north and only one in the south, but there are more people living in the south. They always have to run to the north to fetch water. Didn't they consider this problem when they built this place?"

Perhaps because these students were young, they were more receptive and understanding of new things. When Copperpot said that there might be a problem with Gotham's rainwater, they didn't dismiss it as nonsense like the adults did. Instead, they recalled some odd details.

Rocket, with one leg on a stool, complained, "Anyway, we have tap water now, so we don't need to drink well water anymore."

"But don't forget," Copperpot said somberly, "tap water doesn't just appear out of thin air. If this rain continues, Gotham's groundwater will be contaminated, and no one will be able to escape."

"What should we do? I don't want to go back to the way things were."

Red Truck and Rocket exchanged glances. Red Truck tugged at his hair and said, "Alright, we're all bad kids, just like they say, born bad. But we have to admit, life is much better now than it was before. If only it could stay like this forever."

"We cannot sit idly by." Copperpot looked at them and said, "That's not the Gotham style. We must take the initiative and start with an investigation."

Everyone looked at him, and Tire said, "Before, all the professors said you were the best among us in terms of learning and probably the smartest. What should we do?"

Copperpot took out a plan book, and the others' eyes fell on the table.

It turns out that when it comes to people's vital interests, everyone's motivation is strong.

The people of Living Hell were the first to be transformed and the first to experience the benefits of reform.

If they had continued to live in that chaotic environment, they wouldn't have thought about change. But now that they have tasted the sweetness of reform, they will not allow themselves to return to that chaotic and dangerous life.

Although Red Truck, Tire, and Rocket seemed unremarkable, their parents were engaged in crucial work in Living Hell.

The most obvious example was Red Truck. He was so young but could drive, ride a motorcycle, and knew the delivery routes well because his parents were doing this.

His father and two uncles used to drive garbage trucks, and his mother was a street sweeper in the neighboring street. They were very familiar with the area.

As for Rocket, her father was an arms dealer. They didn't live in Living Hell because they were poor, but because it was convenient for business.

Tire's family, although not running a big business, was crucial. His mother operated a small gas station, which was the fastest place for information exchange. Most drivers passing through would chat and boast during refueling.

When these three went back to deliver the message, their limited education made their expressions unclear, and their parents' comprehension was limited, so the whole story was distorted.

Soon, a rumor began to spread in Living Hell - someone was continuously poisoning Gotham's water supply, causing people to go mad. To prevent Living Hell from returning to its previous state, the poisoner must be found.

With this news, the enthusiasm of these Gotham citizens surged.

As everyone knows, Gotham people have bad tempers. If you shoot them once, they will do their best to shoot you back twice. When they heard that they had been poisoned, they were naturally furious.

Moreover, the whole matter became more and more mysterious, spreading faster and wider, with many people believing it to be true.

Concerned for their own safety, people would pay more attention to any signs of trouble. Whenever there was any disturbance, they would pass on the information layer by layer until it reached Copperpot's ears.

As a result, Copperpot's intelligence sources became extensive. Among the many true and false pieces of information, he quickly filtered out useful information.

Firstly, when the Living Hell well was built, there were disputes. There was only one well in the southern district, but the residents couldn't stand by and watch their interests being harmed, so they resisted.

In the end, the matter was left unresolved. Copperpot obtained information that there had been a brief epidemic in Living Hell, killing many people. Among the lists of deceased relatives or elders provided by the residents, Copperpot found that most of the dead were from the southern district and were the most resistant.

This confirmed that someone was indeed controlling the water supply in the Living Hell area.

Next, Copperpot obtained an old map of the Living Hell area from an elderly drug dealer. The dealer had traveled throughout Living Hell in his youth to smuggle contraband and had drawn the map.

According to this map, there was a reason for the abundance of wells in the northern district.

The buildings in the northern district were more loosely arranged, with more open spaces, while the southern district was densely populated and built, leaving almost no open spaces.

This further supported the speculation that the Court of Owls might be using this method to contaminate the drinking water of Living Hell residents with rainwater, making it the craziest and most chaotic place in the East District.

After obtaining sufficient evidence, Copperpot began investigating another question: Why was Living Hell so important to the Court of Owls that they would go to such lengths to arrange it?

Copperpot couldn't guess this point, but at this time, the alliance of the three played a role, with Batman's approach being more scientific.

At a small meeting of the three, Batman speculated, "First, the strategic location of Living Hell is not important. Although it is the most densely populated area in the East District, it is not a transportation hub and is relatively remote, far less strategically important than Elizabeth Street."

"Second, Living Hell is a slum within a slum. Even if all the people here disappeared, it would have little impact on Gotham's economic ecology. If considering the economic aspect, it would be better to target Green Street."

"If I had to describe a characteristic of Living Hell, I would say it's the high population," Batman summarized. "No other place in Gotham has such a high population density."

"It's very likely that this is their testing ground," Copperpot added, staring at the map. "There are many people here, and most of them can't escape even if the living conditions are terrible. Moreover, due to the poor sanitation, people wouldn't find it strange if some epidemic diseases broke out."

"More importantly, the ecosystem here is closed," Evans said, drawing a circle around the Living Hell area with his finger. "There is a well-established commercial system, and people's basic needs can be met, so the range of population movement is quite small."

"It's certain that the Court of Owls has made arrangements in Living Hell," Batman continued. "The only question is, since there are arrangements, there must be surveillance. How do they monitor Living Hell?"

The three of them paused for a moment, then exchanged glances and said simultaneously, "The wells!"

"Everyone needs to drink water, and everyone needs to fetch water. Even if some people can't fetch water themselves, their family members will do it for them. When fetching water, they have to look at the well's surface while lowering the bucket..."

Batman's deep voice sent chills down the spines of the other two: "At that moment, someone at the bottom of the well is also watching you..."