Coffee Shop

Chapter 2 Coffee Shop

Darkness, the underlying tone of this city, is like a thick, gray-black cloth. The streets, already deserted and silent just past nine o'clock, are even dimmer than elsewhere, with each lamp emitting a faint glow like a firefly struggling in the cold night.

This is Gotham.

A steel jungle that disguises itself as a civilized land. Here, even blood is cold.

The burly man walked through the unsettling, dimly lit streets as if he were walking through a dark temple where ancient gods were buried, with streetlights on both sides like sacrificial torches.

A faint, warm light appeared only at the end of the streetlights. It came from a coffee shop, perhaps the only place in the surrounding area that made one feel safe.

This was a new shop that had only opened a few months ago. The man heard that the owner's name was Shen You, and that he seemed to be Chinese, and surprisingly young for someone with his reputation in the neighborhood.

He appears to be an outsider who just arrived in Gotham this year. But unlike most outsiders who are deterred by the simple and honest nature of the Gotham people within a week, he quickly integrated into the community and started running a coffee shop.

On the surface, he appears to be a kind businessman who can communicate amicably with anyone. Interestingly, he also seems quite adept at persuading others.

It's said that when this shop first opened, there were some minor clashes with gangs in the nearby streets. However, the gang members later clarified that it was all a misunderstanding. They had a good relationship with Boss Shen and there was never any conflict between them.

Interestingly, the locals have noticed that the gangs that used to be based in the area have become less active in the past few months, and they don't seem to be collecting protection money as much anymore.

No one has ever explicitly stated why, but there are always rumors that it might be related to the newly opened coffee shop on this street.

The man's target for tonight was this coffee shop.

He stopped at the doorway, looked up, and saw the eye-catching sign above, decorated with neon lights, that read "HISHE".

"Sorry, our store is closed for today."

The young boss came out with his usual gentle and infectious smile.

"I'm so sorry to bother you so late, Mr. Shen," the man said nervously. "You might not remember me."

"Of course I remember, Mr. Grimm. Yesterday it was a cappuccino, with a little sugar, right?"

"Ah, you remember me." Mr. Grimm's face lit up with delight. "Well, I need your help."

"Oh? What is it?"

Have you heard of it?

He looked around as he spoke, lowering his voice as if afraid of being overheard.

"Batman?"

Shen You said, "It's an urban legend that's only started circulating in the last few days, right? I've heard about it."

"It's not a legend, it's true. I saw it with my own eyes." Grimm's face twisted, and he said in a deep voice, "My son... may have been kidnapped by that monster."

Shen You hesitated for a moment, then asked, "By Batman?"

"Yes," Grimm nodded firmly.

"Okay. Since it's a kidnapping, it should fall under the jurisdiction of the Gotham Police Department. Haven't you considered calling the police?"

"Of course they do," Grimm said resentfully, "but they completely ignore it, and even laugh at me!"

"Laughing at you?" Shen You was somewhat surprised.

It's certainly possible that the GCPD (Gotham Police Department) wasn't doing its job during this period. After all, their main approach to dealing with organized crime these days was to treat the police and gangsters as one family. The chief spent five out of seven days a week in nightclubs run by gangsters, one day at home with his wife, and the other day recuperating and resting.

But no matter how you look at it, making sarcastic remarks seems a bit excessive, even by the standards of this city.

"Yeah," Grimm said angrily, "I said Batman did it, and those two cops started laughing! They just wouldn't stop!"

I told them they wouldn't admit it, saying they were professionally trained so they wouldn't laugh no matter how funny it was.

"Unless you can't help it?" Shen You interjected.

The man stared at him with wide, round eyes, blinking twice in astonishment.

How did you know?

"Just a guess, it's a coincidence, go on."

"Later I asked him what he was laughing about, and he said his wife was giving birth."

"Ahem, no, we can skip that part. I meant the matter of Batman kidnapping your child." Shen You coughed.

"Here's what happened. My child is in the second year of junior high school. That day, he was walking home from school when that guy suddenly appeared out of the sky! He spread his huge wings and flew down like a bat monster. He grabbed poor Jack with his claws and carried him away."

The students behind saw this from afar, my poor Jack.

"So you didn't see it with your own eyes, right?" Shen You asked.

"Yes. But that's not important. His classmates saw it," the man said emotionally. "And this isn't the first time. Several children have gone missing in our neighborhood over the past few days, and more than one witness has identified him as Batman!"

That's not just a rumor, it's true! He's a child-abducting psychopath, a monster!

"Okay, calm down, have some water, sir."

Shen You handed him a glass of water. The man's face was flushed from excessive excitement, and he didn't recover for a long time.

"So, why did you come to me? As you can see, I'm just a businessman."

"That's what everyone says. In this community, if something leaves you desperate and at your wit's end, you can always go to Mr. Shen, the owner of the coffee shop."

Shen You's expression was strange: "Who said such weird things? It makes me sound like some kind of godfather. I'm just an honest businessman."

"They say the Green Dragon Gang kid who came to collect protection money got his leg broken here."

"Nonsense, he fell on his own, it has nothing to do with anyone else," Shen You said firmly.

"The leader of the Green Dragon Gang boasted that he would raze this place to the ground, but when he woke up the next day, he found his beloved car had been crumpled into a pile of scrap metal."

"This is a classic case of spreading rumors and exaggerating. He ran a traffic light and crashed himself."

"Well, I heard that later the leader of the Iron Mask Gang personally led his men to storm the door, but they fled in disarray within minutes and never dared to set foot in the neighborhood again."

"Oh, that friendly gentleman. He's a very nice person, and his men are all easy to talk to. I got him a cold brew, and we had a good chat, where I shared some insights. He said he agreed wholeheartedly, and then he left with his men."

Grimm: "."

God, after saying a few words of reason, just left on his own.

Those are the Iron-Faced Gang, the local thugs who have intimidated these streets for years. A typical group of tough thugs, the kind that all the neighbors would avoid. But when they come to you, they suddenly become polite and civilized people?

Of course, Gotham is the place with the most urban legends. Gotham natives grow up hearing rumors, including but not limited to pale circus clowns and owls hiding in the corners. After hearing so many, they naturally develop a resistance to them.

So while most of the neighbors felt the rumors might be exaggerated, no one would deny that Mr. Shen had his own unique methods when it came to the art of "reasoning." Many neighbors also tended to believe that he might have practiced traditional kung fu, which wasn't unusual in Gotham.

"As I said, I am a legitimate businessman who has always abided by the law and has never overstepped any boundaries."

Shen You paused for a moment and thought about it.

"However, my shop is full of people and people talk a lot, so I'm sometimes quite well-informed. I'll keep an eye out for you, and I'll let you know if I happen to hear anything."

Grimm understood that this was a tactful agreement and was overjoyed: "Then I'll leave it to Mr. Shen! I'm willing to pay any price to find my Jack! I can go borrow money right now."

"No need, no need. I'm just trying my best to keep an eye out, but I can't guarantee that I'll find any clues," Shen You said softly. "If I happen to hear some rumors, I won't ask you to pay any money or anything else."

I only need a small, insignificant reward.

Grimm held his breath, bewildered and nervous, waiting for what would happen next.

Shen You said with a smile.

"Your gratitude."

(End of this chapter)