Wayne approached the curled-up corpse and glanced around.
"Who dropped this?"
No response.
He stepped forward and gave the body a routine pat on the shoulder. When there was indeed no reaction, Wayne turned the corpse over.
It was an old yet young Black teenager.
Though he appeared to be only in his teens, the boy was already mostly bald, with a forehead full of wrinkles. A blissful smile was etched on his face, as if he had already departed for Wakanda.
[You have looted Little Goblin Joey's corpse. As a moderately successful Enhancement Drug dealer, he died while testing new products to ensure their quality]
[You have acquired Little Joey's legacy: Compound Creation (Beginner 70%)]
Strange knowledge rapidly flooded Wayne's mind, instantly granting him chemical expertise he wouldn't normally use. This included numerous scenes of preparing drugs in clandestine chemical workshops and survival knowledge difficult for ordinary people to grasp.
This Little Joey was quite a studious child—at least the chemical knowledge he had mastered far surpassed that of his peers.
Just as Wayne noticed the bulging pockets and prepared to investigate, the dog Wick suddenly started barking fiercely in one direction:
"Woof! Woof!"
Footsteps approached from nearby, followed by a voice shouting:
"Hey! White Devil, this is our turf! We found him first!"
[You have encountered Wandering Goblins. They possess strong territorial instincts]
Wayne turned to see two Black men emerging from a makeshift shelter constructed from cardboard boxes at the street corner, staggering toward him.
Both appeared to be in their twenties. The one in front had a shaved head, while the other wore his hair in small braids.
Their attire—multiple short-sleeved T-shirts, long shirts, and several pairs of bulging pants layered on their bodies—clearly identified them as homeless.
Only homeless people wear all their clothes at once.
The bald man tilted his head and studied Wayne, saying:
"You new around here? Why haven't I seen you before? Anyway, Joey belongs to us. We've been waiting all night for him."
He bent down to feel Joey's neck, then shrugged and said:
"It's like fishing—just when you finally get a bite, you come along and cast your line. That's not right... David, call the Corpse Collector."
The Black homeless man with braids immediately pulled out a phone with a cracked screen and dialed a number, shooting Wayne a fierce glare.
Wayne suddenly understood—in West America, even corpses were resources, valuable commodities that could be sold for money.
Just like copper cables, metal components, and other sellable items.
He shrugged. After all, he had already acquired the skills. Given his weakened state, there was no need to fight over a corpse.
Just then, flashing red and blue lights appeared as a sharp siren wailed. A police car pulled over at the curb.
Two fully armed police officers stepped out of their car and strode toward two homeless Black men, drawing their pistols as they advanced and shouting loudly:
"Get on your knees! Get on your knees!"
A line of text immediately flashed across Wayne's interface:
[You have encountered the Fallen Enforcers of the Dark Court. They value gold coins more than justice.]
The two homeless Black men raised their hands, fear and anger flashing in their eyes. The bald one instinctively clasped his hands behind his head and knelt, while the one with braids protested loudly:
"I didn't do anything! You have no right to treat me like this!"
A tall, burly blond white officer aimed his gun at him and yelled:
"On your knees!"
He then struck the braided man on the forehead with the butt of his gun, causing blood to gush instantly. The braided man collapsed to the ground, landing in a filthy puddle on the street.
He struggled to get up but was pinned down by the same officer, who kneeled on his neck, riding him and completely restraining him.
The bald man was similarly forced to the ground and handcuffed by the other officer.
"I can't breathe… cough… I can't breathe…" The braided man struggled desperately but couldn't even lift his head. Soon, his face turned a dark purple.
"Damn it, David has asthma! He can't breathe! Sir!" the bald man shouted frantically, only to be met with a brutal blow from a gun butt to his head, breaking his nose and sending blood streaming down his face.
Throughout it all, the two white officers didn't even glance at Wayne, focusing their lethal force entirely on the two homeless Black men from the start.
Why was this happening?
Wayne frowned deeply, suddenly noticing one of the officers repeatedly glancing at the waist pocket of the corpse.
The corner of a plastic bag was faintly visible there.
Wayne understood.
Their target was also Joey's corpse—or more precisely, what Joey had left behind!
The Enhancement Drug!
There was clearly something going on here that he wasn't aware of.
As for the two homeless men, in this dimly lit street corner at dawn, they were just extra income for the two officers.
Like casually slaughtering a couple of chickens.
No one would care.
The thought sent a chill down Wayne's spine.
He didn't believe they had spared him because of his skin color; it was obvious that his apparent weakness made him no threat.
And if these two homeless men were killed, he, as a witness, wouldn't be allowed to live either.
Taking a deep breath, Wayne spoke in a firm voice:
"Sir, this is racial discrimination! Cough… Please let my friends go! They haven't done anything!"
At the same time, he pulled out his phone and aimed it at the two officers, quickly adding:
"I'm live-streaming this! Let them go now! Cough… I'm Bruce Wayne, I'm Bang Jack from Golden Childhood!"
The little dog Wick immediately ran in front of him, barking fiercely at the officers.
The two officers had initially assumed Wayne was just another homeless man, but upon hearing this and seeing his phone, they exchanged glances.
The middle-aged officer on the left, wearing goggles, studied Wayne's dog and then his face, frowning slightly before saying to his colleague:
"Damn, he really does look like Bang Jack."
Then the goggled officer broke into a wide smile and said to Wayne:
"Sir, these two didn't harm you, did they? We were only trying to protect you. There might have been some misunderstanding... but no one can obstruct law enforcement. My colleague was nearly attacked, so I hope you'll turn off the live stream."
Wayne shook his head and quickly spoke into his phone, pointing it at the two:
"Ahem... they're both my friends. We just discovered this body... cough... Since the misunderstanding has been cleared up, please let them go. Let's just pretend nothing happened."
"You're both dedicated and dutiful officers. Thank you for your commitment to duty."
The officer wearing goggles smiled at Wayne and said:
"In that case, there's no problem. Please believe that we only wanted to ensure your safety. My colleague Charlie has had an unpleasant day—his pet cat fell ill, which has upset him, so he might have acted a bit impulsively... Charlie."
The blond officer Charlie forced a smile as well and released the knee pressing against the braided man's neck.
The braided man's lungs wheezed like a bellows as he gasped desperately for air, then curled up on the ground, panting heavily.
Wayne stepped forward, pulled the braided man up, and together with the bald man, helped support him as they hurriedly made their way toward the other end of the street, fleeing the scene. The little dog Wick quickly followed behind him.
Only after turning into an alley and completely leaving the two officers' line of sight did the bald man stop. He pulled out an asthma inhaler and gave it to the braided man, then said to Wayne:
"Brother, we owe you our lives!"
At the same time, a line of text appeared before Wayne's eyes:
[Brave adventurer, you have rescued two innocent Wandering Goblins from the hands of the Fallen Enforcers of the Dark Court. Your courage shines with the light of justice in the Infernal Dungeon!]
[You have gained the friendship of the Wandering Goblins]
[You have obtained the title "Court Rebel." Experience Points +20]
[Class: Adventurer (Beginner, No Path Chosen)
Title: Court Rebel (Increased likelihood of gaining favor from the streets of the dungeon)
Stamina: 0.2/0.3
Intelligence: 1.2/1.3
Spirit: 0.3/0.6
Health: 8/60
Experience Points: 66/100
Skills: Minstrel Performance (Beginner 10%); "Familiar Stranger" (Passive 40%); Tactical Dagger Proficiency (Expert); Compound Creation (Beginner 70%)
Companion: Wild Hound (Level 1, 40%)
Status: Severely Ill and Weak]