*Chapter 26: Whoa, Cursed Car!*

In Gotham City, Wayne Enterprises is hands-down the top dog when it comes to overall power and influence. Landing a job there? You can pretty much start dreaming about a sweet life for yourself in this town.

If they got the chance, a regular person wouldn't turn down an offer from Wayne Enterprises. After all, it's like the perfect launchpad for those fantasies about climbing the corporate ladder, getting a huge raise, snagging a fancy title, marrying a rich bombshell, and basically hitting the jackpot in life.

So, Cody looked at his system.

"I figure this is my launching point for a successful life."

"After scanning, the basic requirements for a Wayne Enterprises Tech Department staff member include partial mastery of intermediate mechanical skills, partial mastery of intermediate programming skills, partial mastery of intermediate physics skills, and other relevant skills. You do not possess the specialized skills and qualifications corresponding to this job. If you force your way in, you will be unable to gain asset points through this work."

So, Cody looked at Lucius Fox.

"Uh, sorry. Can't do it. I'm out."

Seriously? Cody only had less than five hundred asset points on hand right now. Besides the tricked-out wheelchair and advanced wheelchair driving mastery he started with, he'd later used points to buy beginner driving mastery and beginner firearm proficiency.

Those two skills cost five hundred and fifteen hundred points respectively, burning through two thousand bucks worth of asset points. To buy all the skills needed for the tech department job, Cody would have to save up for at least a couple more months.

No way around it, this is Gotham. If you can't drive and you can't shoot, you're not gonna last long just living your daily life. Even with Cody zooming around on his super-speed wheelchair commute every day, he still got chased and shot at by a bunch of crazy lowlifes on the street one evening and ended up getting his wheelchair swiped.

Hearing Cody's answer, Lucius didn't have much of a reaction. He just smiled and asked, "You're turning down the job without even asking about it?"

"I know where I stand," Cody sighed. "You know, 'without the diamond drill, don't take on porcelain work.' I probably can't handle this gig. Guess I'll stick to being a waiter. As for the payment... I don't even know what to ask for. Can you just... give me cash?"

"Certainly. I will personally pay you fifty thousand dollars as compensation. It will be deposited into your account shortly."

Man, people from Wayne Enterprises are loaded. Paying fifty grand for selling a few flowers?

Too bad. That fifty grand didn't count as regular work income, so his asset points in the system didn't go up.

"Goodbye, Mr. Cody. If you come across any leads on this plant, feel free to contact me anytime."

"Next time, for sure." Cody waved a hand. "See ya, Lucius."

...

"Alright, alright. Look, I'm not entirely sure how you managed to rake in that much cash, but bottom line, you wanna buy a car, right?"

"I told you, it was a legit transaction!" Cody corrected him. "Could you stop using that tone that makes things sound shady? Seriously, I could probably be considered the most law-abiding guy in all of Gotham. Giving me a five-star citizen rating wouldn't be out of line."

Drake conveniently ignored him and just mumbled to himself, "Okay, so a car you're gonna park in Gotham's East End at night. Can't be too new, can't be too expensive, and can't be a flimsy piece of junk. Come to think of it, your paycheck this week is probably only enough for a cheap, beat-up clunker. Anything more expensive just isn't safe."

"So, the real expense when buying a car is actually getting a safe parking spot?"

Drake shot him a look. "What kind of crazy talk is that? A safe parking spot in the East End? Not even the Falcone family is capable of running that kind of operation."

"Then what happens if my car gets stolen?"

"A beat-up old junker should last you at least a year. Even if it gets swiped after six months, are you really gonna feel that bad?"

"...It still cost over two thousand bucks. Yeah, I'd feel a little bad."

He was kind of being a hypocrite there. A two-thousand-dollar beat-up car? As long as it moved, it was a win. If you got into an accident, you only had your own lousy driving skills to blame.

The car wasn't complaining that he was broke, so how could he complain that it was a wreck?

"Hey, Drake, here to buy a car?"

"Yeah, anything decent? Around two thousand bucks is fine."

Cody raised an eyebrow, seeing how familiar Drake was with the car salesman.

"You're even buddies with a car salesman?"

Drake shrugged. "I drove here when I first came to Gotham. Who do you think I sold my car to afterwards?"

Cody got it. While the salesman turned to lead the way, he quietly asked Drake, "Is this guy on the level?"

Drake gave him a weird look. "What kind of crazy talk is that? A car salesman with a conscience in the East End? Get outta here."

"Then why..."

"Oh, I definitely got ripped off back then. Then I took some immediate damage control measures."

"You pulled a gun on him?"

"Nah. From that day on, I picked up a side hustle as a car salesman in the East End, specifically bringing people here to buy and sell cars. The salesman and I split the take fifty-fifty."

Okay, so Drake didn't pull a gun, but he definitely teamed up with him.

"...You're a real piece of work, aren't you?"

"Anyway, they're gonna get screwed over by every car salesman in the East End. Maybe getting screwed over by me means they lose a little less."

"So, me buying a car here..."

"Haha." At this, Drake cracked a confident smile. "Man, we're all buddies here. For my sake, he'll only rip you off a little bit."

"Isn't that still getting ripped off?!"

Just then, the car salesman, grinning from ear to ear, led them to a car.

"This one's a new arrival for us. Everything works fine, just a dozen or so minor dings on the outside. Drives smooth, and it's Russian-made, built like a tank. For Drake's sake, I'll let you have it for just twenty-two hundred bucks. How about it?"

Before Cody could answer, Drake spoke up first. "What's wrong with it?"

"Hey, what kind of guy do you take me for?!" The salesman's face suddenly darkened. "With our friendship, would I really screw over your friend? Let him get in and test drive it! If he finds a problem, I'll swap it out for a different one right away!"

Hearing this, Cody took the keys, hopped in, skillfully started it up, put it in gear, and pulled out. After testing the handling and checking out the interior, he confirmed that the only issue was heavily worn tires. The engine, brakes, steering wheel, and seats were all fine. He couldn't help but feel a little confused.

Could Drake actually be reliable for once?

The salesman watched Cody's movements, letting out a barely noticeable sigh of relief. Then, he puffed out his chest and declared loudly, "I told you! This car has no prob—"

Hiss

At that moment, Drake turned on the car's air conditioning, and a mist of bright red immediately blew out, carrying a damp, bloody smell.

"......."

The salesman's mouth snapped shut instantly.

"Johnny, level with me." Drake's eyes narrowed. "What's the deal with this car?"

"Uh, cough, cough... this car... was in a bit of an accident before."

Cody immediately understood. This car, holy cow, was carrying a 'soul ring' with it.

"How many times has this been sold now?"

"...Fifth time."