Chapter-9 | Batman shaken again... [Edited]

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Gordon unbuttoned a button on his shirt collar, twisted his neck, and relaxed his shoulders. He then turned his head to look outside the window at the rainy night in Gotham Dark, still as cold and damp as ever.

His colleagues greeted each other, leaving the police station at the end of their shift. One of them said to Gordon, "Hey, buddy, you shouldn't have taken on that troublesome case in the first place. Dozens of people missing? You're probably going to be digging through files until midnight again tonight."

Gordon chuckled helplessly and replied, "You said it. With dozens of people missing, I have to stay focused."

After all his colleagues had left, Gordon brewed himself a strong cup of coffee. He intended to work through the night.

The disappearances in the Morrison District were very peculiar. In previous cases of missing persons, even if they were well-hidden, the bodies of certain victims would still be discovered. But among the 46 people missing in the Morrison Street area, not a single body had appeared on the streets of Gotham. This was highly abnormal.

Gotham had never been a city that upheld the law. Gangs were as abundant as hair on a cow's back, and no seasoned gang member would bother to deal with bodies. They would simply toss the bodies from the upper floors, knowing well that it wouldn't fool the police. However, the police in Gotham were powerless.

Among the dozens of missing people in the Morrison Street area, there were individuals from all walks of life. They had almost no common patterns, except that they were all permanent residents of Morrison Street.

At this time, Gordon was still young, just a low-ranking officer at the police station, far from being the commissioner. No one wanted to take on this case, this hot potato, but in the end, Gordon, who had a strong sense of justice, decided to take it on. Despite knowing that it would likely be a thankless job, he intended to do his best and seek justice for the victims.

While he was staying up late organizing files and feeling extremely tired, he suddenly felt a movement behind him. He turned around and saw a giant shadow looming over him. Gordon immediately reached for his waist, but his handgun wasn't there.

The person across from him was dressed in a black, tight-fitting suit with two pointed ears on their head. They also wore a black cape, and their tall figure almost blocked out all the light from overhead. Gordon cautiously said, "Who are you? Why are you here at the police station?"

"You can think of me as a vigilante. I'm investigating the missing persons case in the Morrison Street area. I noticed you went there today and yesterday. You must be the detective in charge of this case. I hope to obtain the files on these missing individuals," the person replied.

Gordon was about to refuse the person in front of him, but they spoke again, "Of course, I also have some clues that I can exchange with you. Or rather, I can work together with you to solve this case."

A vigilante? Gordon thought, this is absurd. There couldn't possibly be someone like that in Gotham City, otherwise it wouldn't be called the city of sin.

The first encounter between Gordon and Batman wasn't pleasant. They confronted each other at the police station for a long time. Apparently, the newly arrived Batman hadn't yet grasped the essence of finishing a conversation before leaving. They had a prolonged back-and-forth, and in the end, Batman grew impatient.

Batman realized he was having bad luck. Gotham City had countless negligent police officers, but he happened to encounter the most dedicated one. Gordon was even willing to protect those files with his life. Batman didn't want to harm him, so he didn't have a better solution.

After dealing with the Sewer Gang, Batman was greatly shaken by what he experienced from that beggar. Although he ultimately saved the beggar, he reflected on his actions and realized he had been too ambitious. He needed to start with the simplest things.

This was the starting point of his superhero journey, the Morrison Street area. Besides the Sewer Gang, it wasn't peaceful here either. The number of missing persons in the Morrison Street area had reached a dangerous level. Despite having only a few hundred permanent residents, over forty people had gone missing. Batman decided to make this case the beginning of his career.

And of course, he had someone to suspect.

A university professor who stayed up at night and secretly sneaked into the neighborhood where the Gotham Gang was located. They appeared out of nowhere and disappeared for no reason. Wasn't there anyone more suspicious than this?

Batman had considered confronting Schiller directly, but he knew he would have a difficult time outwitting the professor in a verbal confrontation. In their two encounters, Batman had been defeated. He felt he needed to gather sufficient evidence before bringing him to justice.

On this day, Batman returned to the Morrison Street area. Since he couldn't obtain the files on the missing persons from Gordon, he decided to infiltrate the home of one of the missing individuals, hoping to find some other clues there.

He had just climbed out of the window when he saw Schiller's figure again. Underneath a nearby street lamp, Schiller was holding a black umbrella, gazing at the wall across the street. Batman spotted him.

He noticed Schiller was fixated on the spot where the beggar used to stay. However, the beggar was no longer there. Batman had taken him to Gotham City's finest hospital and covered all his medical expenses. Though the beggar had lost both his feet, at least he was alive.

Due to the beggar often leaning against that wall, a dark stain had formed, and rainwater had collected into a small puddle in his usual spot. The dim yellow light from the street lamp reflected off the water, while Schiller stood across the road, staring at the puddle, lost in thought.

The young Batman couldn't contain himself any longer. He leaped down and appeared in front of Schiller.

"Good evening, Batman. I remember that's how you introduced yourself last time, so I'll address you as such," Schiller said.

Batman's eyes behind the mask were fixed on him as he replied, "Don't beat around the bush. You know why I'm here."

"You're here to play the savior. I know, like how you saved that pitiful beggar," Schiller responded.

"Did you have anything to do with the disappearances in the Morrison Street area?" Batman asked.

Schiller shook his head, and Batman continued, "You're the only outsider here, and you have no apparent reason for being here."

Schiller said, "Clearly, you already have the answer in your mind. So why bother asking me? You're always skilled at turning your own conclusions into questions and interrogating others."

"If you get an answer that satisfies you, you're content. But if you don't get the answer you want, you become angry."

"If I were to say I'm not the culprit, you would be angry. However, your anger doesn't stem from your sense of justice, but simply because I didn't give you the answer you desired."

"You think highly of your deductive skills, don't you?" Schiller asked.

"I told you, don't beat around the bush. You're the only one here with suspicion..."

Before Batman could finish his sentence, he noticed a Batarang flying past Schiller's neck. It seemed he had underestimated the situation. Whether it was the current Batman or the future Batman, though they didn't kill, they often beat criminals mercilessly, breaking their legs and then sending them to the hospital.

But evidently, this young Batman was missing a step.

Schiller remained silent for a moment, and then another Batarang flew past, grazing his neck. This time, Schiller didn't rely on his spider-sense to dodge it. He calmly watched Batman.

A small cut was left on his neck by the Batarang, and blood began to flow. At that moment, urgent footsteps were heard from the end of the alley. A voice shouted, "Stop!"

Batman turned his head towards the end of the alley where, under the streetlight, Gordon was aiming his handgun at the two of them.

"Gordon, detective, hello," Schiller said.

Gordon approached with the gun, slowly walking over. He said, "Put down your weapons and don't move."

Schiller shrugged, indicating he didn't have any weapons, while Batman put away the Batarang he had clenched in his hand.

As Gordon approached, he noticed the blood flowing from Schiller's neck, staining his shirt as it dripped down onto his shoulder.

Schiller said, "Batman, you made a mistake. You said I'm the only one with suspicion, but it seems this detective doesn't think so."

"Besides me, there's another person here with no motive to be present."

"I'm here to investigate the disappearances," Batman stated.

"So am I," Schiller replied. "But evidently, you're no nobler than I am because neither of us is a police officer. I believe only this Detective Gordon has the authority to act."

"I will find evidence," Batman said.

"If you also need evidence, then what differentiates you from the police?" Schiller suddenly asked.

Batman found himself speechless for a moment. He had expected Schiller to demand evidence from him. Batman also knew that even though Schiller had appeared in a place where he shouldn't have been, it couldn't serve as evidence to prove his guilt. So, Batman made up his mind to find Spider-Man's web traces to prove that Schiller was the culprit.

But Schiller's question hit the mark. Batman thought that he had always considered the police to be quite useless because they always required evidence for everything. Even if a murder occurred right in front of them, they wouldn't arrest the person with the highest suspicion unless they witnessed the perpetrator.

That was how it was when his parents died. Not a single police officer provided the explanation they should have, and no one was brought to justice. His parents had died, yet no one paid the price.

He wondered, if he also needed evidence, why didn't he become a police officer at the Gotham Police Station?

But if he didn't need evidence and simply arrested anyone at will, what would differentiate him from the criminals?

Batman regretted it. He shouldn't have approached Schiller and engaged in conversation. Every time he talked with Schiller, it would leave him deeply unsettled. This psychological and intellectual turmoil was the most dreadful.

After encountering Schiller each time, Batman would spend at least two to three days pondering deeply, understanding the questions posed to him, finding his own answers, and reaffirming his confidence before he could go out and act again.

He felt it was no different from attending classes at university. The teacher would pose a question, and the student would contemplate it, then write it down in an essay. And the next time they met, apart from checking assignments, new questions awaited them, one after another, as if there was never an end.

Similarly, Schiller complained in his mind. This Jonathan guy was really something. Even after stealing most of the fear gas, it not only didn't slow down his research speed but also drove him to crazily kidnap test subjects. It left Schiller unable to sleep at night and forced him to clean up this rotten mess.