Chapter 986: Can That Be Done? Can’t It?
Luke’s words were rather presumptuous, but since he and Damon were “comrades” who had gone through a fight together, it wasn’t strange for him to say that.
Damon opened his mouth, but couldn’t think of a reply.
Could he say that Mindy was very mature for her age and no one could rob her, which was why he could leave her home alone without worry?
Luke said, “Also, it’s not the holidays yet. Watching cartoons at home on her own isn’t good for a kid’s development.”
Damon was rendered speechless.
Luke said, “I’m just reminding you that Mindy is still a kid. Don’t… overlook her.”
Damon could only nod.
Luke changed the topic. “I heard that you’ve been sketching recently. Do you want to be an artist, or have you always been one?”
Damon smiled wryly. “I’m planning to, a little. Maybe I’ll become a cartoonist in the future, nothing as grand as an artist.”
Luke didn’t think much of it. “It’s good too if you don’t want to be an artist. I had a case a few days ago that had to do with an artist. It was a good thing I was there. I sent him to a psychiatrist right away, otherwise he would’ve been sent to prison.”
Damon was lost for words. You can still talk about it so cheerfully? What kind of conversation is this?!
After stabbing Damon in the heart, Luke finally talked to him about drawing comics.
Damon hadn’t officially started his comic series yet, because he hadn’t come up with a reasonable concept for the protagonist.
Luke chuckled. “Just draw Batman.”
Damon was stunned. “But… I don’t have the copyright.”
Luke looked at him strangely. “Do you think Batman will come asking you for a copyright fee? That is, as long as you’re not planning to disparage him.”
Damon shook his head. “Doing it without copyright would be theft. I can’t use Batman’s fame to make a profit.”
Luke thought for a moment, then replied, “Then you can publish a notice in the newspaper and ask him if he would be willing to let you use him to create a comic.”
Damon was stunned. “Can that be done?”
Luke said, “Did Batman ever say that it can’t?”
Damon said, “…He really didn’t.”
Luke said, “Then it’s settled. See how he reacts first. What if you succeed?”
Damon’s expression changed.
As an experienced detective, Luke wasn’t stupid. He had seen everything of the dark side of the world.
Luke was taking advantage of an opportunity here.
Batman had helped hundreds of people and had never asked for a reward, nor asked for an appearance fee when he went on TV.
Would this superhero, who was so full of justice that he was practically a saint, come out to ask a cartoonist for a copyright fee? At most, he would beat up any cartoonist who simply drew dirty comics of him.
…Alright, that was unlikely.
Among some of the pictures which Mindy had found online, a huge amount were of a “gay” Batman and some “Bat/Iron CP,” which were pretty popular.
These cartoonists had never heard of anyone getting beaten up by Batman for it.
Clearly, Batman didn’t care about these fan “hobbies” at all.
Looking at Damon’s hesitation, Luke said with a smile, “If you really make money, then give a little more to charity. Batman should be very happy for you to contribute to charity, right?”
Stunned for a moment, Damon slapped his forehead. “That’s right. I can donate, and it’ll be fine.”
He was using the t.i.tle of a cartoonist just to make his “daily” life a little easier in the future; he wouldn’t be relying on it for his livelihood.
There was no sense in feeling conflicted over this.
As they chatted, Luke mentioned his new job.
Damon and Mindy were both surprised when they heard that Luke had been transferred to NYPD HQ.
During the hijacking, the three of them had worked together to take down five robbers, and they all knew that the other party wasn’t simple.
So, the father and daughter were mostly surprised at how sudden this “job hop” was, and not that he could join NYPD.
Luke also casually talked about law and order in New York recently, and told them a little about the aftermath of the D’Amico case.
He then talked about the stories that had been going around, and described the bounties on the masked heroes and the large number of a.s.sa.s.sins in New York.
Damon and Mindy naturally knew about this.
They had a lot of information sources, but nothing like Luke’s “precise details.”
In the end, Luke said with certainty, “New York hasn’t been very peaceful recently. If anyone wants to cause trouble, they might run into some powerful characters. As far as we know, many gang members have even left New York and gone into hiding.”
Damon and Mindy looked at each other and rejoiced inwardly that they had been too busy adapting to their daily life recently to go out.
In the last few days, Damon had forked out 100,000 as a contribution and 20,000 in tuition fees to secure Mindy’s enrollment.
After Christmas, Mindy would become a glorious middle-schooler, and Damon would become a cartoonist.
It was only after everything was arranged that he was able to find time to sketch leisurely.
Mindy, on the other hand, watched TV and read at home as she adjusted her biological clock.
She basically couldn’t stay up all night anymore after she started school. She had to adapt in advance.
Both father and daughter, who were adapting to their new life, hadn’t paid much attention to the recent rumors in New York’s underworld.
Now that Luke was giving them this inside information from the police department, they had a clearer understanding of the situation.
Damon, who had gotten his revenge, could only mumble to himself, I’m old! The world has changed too quickly. I should just stay low and be a cartoonist!
After chatting for almost an hour, Luke and Selina got up and said goodbye.
They exchanged phone numbers, and Luke gave them his address in the Clinton area so that they could keep in touch.
Unlike during the hijacking, when both father and daughter had still been obsessed with revenge, they were very willing to become friends with Luke now that they were back to living a normal life.
Both father and daughter liked Luke and Selina, and Mindy loved Gold Nugget even more.
Gold Nugget didn’t have an opinion either way of this little girl. It wasn’t like it hadn’t been around kids before. There were five kids in total in Selina and Luke’s families.
Compared with younger kids who didn’t know how to control their strength, Mindy knew better. Most of the time, she just liked to stroke the furry dog head and look at its honest face.
After Luke and Selina left, Damon closed the door.
Mindy pondered for a moment. “Dad, can I play with them when I’m free?”
Damon thought for a moment, then shook his head. “They’re detectives. They don’t even have regular holidays, and it’s normal for them to be busy all the time. You can go over to play once in a while, but all the time…”
Mindy put up her fingers in a pledge. “I promise I won’t disturb them.”
Damon rubbed her head. “Don’t get your hopes up. When I was a police officer and did manage to come home, all I did was sleep. It’s easy to say you won’t disturb them, but easier said than done.”
That was all he said.
His daughter was very sensible. As long as she understood Luke and Selina’s situation, she wouldn’t be rash.
Besides, she had to go to school after Christmas.
At that time, she wouldn’t have the time to bother them.