"I'm terribly sorry, Professor Shearer. It's such a heavy rain, yet I still had to call you here," Gordon said, standing in front of his desk. "And Miss Nemocine, technically speaking, it should be your sleeping time now. But considering you might become Batman's assistant in the future, it's necessary to adapt to this schedule of staying up all night and not getting up early."
Nemocine seemed as if she hadn't heard him, standing by the window counting the raindrops on the glass. One finger twisted the hem of her suspender skirt, while the other hand tugged at her hair. The muscles around her mouth moved constantly, but she wasn't talking or chewing, looking a bit like she was ruminating.
Gordon didn't care about Nemocine ignoring him; he just looked at Shiller and said, "We just caught someone in the evidence department. Unfortunately, he really is a detective from the precinct. The problem is, he's the Penguin's agent. Without Batman here, we can't easily move against him, and even interrogation is difficult, so we can only ask you to step in."
"Did you also catch the female assassin?"
"Yes. But her physical condition is very poor. When we caught her, she was already showing symptoms of fentanyl poisoning. She's still in the hospital being rescued and temporarily unable to undergo interrogation."
"What about the mimicry suspect?"
"No clues whatsoever."
Upon hearing "mimicry suspect," Nemocine finally turned her head, quietly staring at Gordon. She said, "You're hiding something."
"Alright, miss. Trust me, if it would help the case, I would never hide it from you."
"Will you tell Batman?"
Gordon paused and said, "You shouldn't equate yourself with Batman. Perhaps you have similarities in wisdom, but you certainly can't protect yourself like he can."
"Fine. Then don't count on my wisdom," Nemocine said coldly.
"Don't be like that," Shiller sighed lightly and said, "Director Gordon has his difficulties. Let's go see the person who broke into the evidence department to steal the camera."
Gordon took them to the interrogation room. Shiller looked through the observation window and saw a rather ferocious-looking big guy inside. Just as Gordon was about to open the door for him, Shiller shook his head and said, "It's not him. Where is the camera now?"
"Officer Ross is keeping it," Gordon said. "He's the head of the evidence department."
"I'm afraid he's not anymore," Shiller shook his head and said, "Now, give him a call and ask if someone threatened his family's safety. If he's willing to tell to whom he gave the camera, maybe he can still save his family's lives."
Gordon was completely stunned. Even though he had seen Shiller's skills before, this conclusion was too abrupt and made no sense. Nemocine also clearly didn't know how Shiller had deduced it because her height wasn't enough to see the observation window.
Under Shiller's urging, Gordon still picked up his phone and called Ross. As soon as the call connected, Ross's suppressed crying could be heard from the other side.
"I'm very sorry, Director Gordon. But my daughter is only four years old. You know, Evina and I may only have this one child. We absolutely can't give her up."
Gordon felt a chill in his heart and said, "Why? Why didn't you tell me? Maybe I could have helped you."
"No, Gordon. If Batman were still around, I might have chosen to tell you. But if it's only you, even if you knew the truth, you might not be able to rescue my daughter in one night. I have to do this."
Gordon looked toward the observation window while holding the phone and said, "So the big guy is innocent?"
"He's not innocent. He's a lackey of the Penguin, isn't he? He once stole evidence against the Penguin and even threatened me face to face. This is a good opportunity to get rid of him, Gordon. Think of it as my last gift to you."
As Gordon was about to say something, Shiller took the phone and said, "Who told you to say that?"
"What?"
"You have a script in front of you, right? Someone told you to tell Gordon that if Batman were around, everything would be different. Who instructed you to do this?"
"I don't understand what you're talking about." Even Gordon could hear the panic in the other's voice.
"I can only give you one last piece of advice," Shiller said, "Stay at home and let the police arrest you at the precinct. That's your only chance of survival."
He hung up the phone and looked at Gordon, saying, "From your attitude, he's competent most of the time. Although I think he won't listen to me, you can still try to send someone. If you can't find him at his home, there's no need to look further; he won't survive."
"No," Nemocine said, "We can use the Penguin. The Penguin must be very angry now that his subordinate has been framed. As long as we leak Ross's name to him, he'll definitely send someone to trouble Ross, and he might clash with the people the behind-the-scenes manipulator sent to silence him. A mighty dragon cannot suppress a local snake."
Shiller quietly observed Nemocine, as if seeing another Batman, then said to Gordon, "Either way, it's worth a try. If the Penguin wins and takes him away, we can exchange hostages. It could at least save his life."
Obviously, Ross had helped Gordon quite a bit before. He immediately found someone to arrange it, hoping to have an answer before dawn.
"Boss!" Another officer ran over to Gordon and said, "There's been a murder at No. 12 Delhi Street. Another john and a prostitute!"
Nemocine's eyes lit up instantly. He immediately grabbed Gordon's sleeve and said, "The male killer is dead, and the female killer is caught. The only possibility for the crime now is the mimicry suspect. Take me there; I can definitely figure out who it is."
But Gordon's face turned grim. He shook his head gently and said, "No, we can't go over there now."
"Why not?"
"Do you know what 12 Delhi Street is?"
"Isn't it the Red Light District?"
Gordon shook his head gently and said, "That's the current mayor's house."
"The mayor is dead?!"
Gordon sighed and said, "I've long known he had a habit of hiring prostitutes, but I didn't expect him to be so bold as to do it while the Eden Killer is rampant. We can't go there in a high-profile manner, or else those reporters will flock like hyenas smelling blood. Without Batman, no one can suppress Gotham's elite. The situation would turn into chaos."
Unexpectedly, Nemocine didn't make a fuss anymore. It was as if she saw through the complex yet delicately balanced situation of Gotham's upper class through these words and also saw the impending collapse this news of death might bring.
Nemocine and Shiller returned to 125, and her calmness ended there. She began to become very manic, running wildly in the living room, wielding a letter opener, as if fighting monsters in hallucinations.
Shiller didn't go to sleep, nor did he do what a doctor should do. He just sat on the sofa reading a newspaper, completely ignoring the noise Nemocine made, until the girl exhausted herself to the point of panting heavily and had to sit across from him.
"James is right. Before you have Batman's physical strength and willpower, you need to use your wisdom sparingly, so you don't exhaust your fragile shell to death."
Nemocine panted heavily without being able to speak, then she stared into Shiller's eyes and said, "You knew all along, right? You knew I wouldn't cause much trouble, so you didn't see the need to use a sedative on me. I'd stop once I got tired."
"Not because of that. Even if I used a sedative on your body, your brain wouldn't stop. You'd feel like a soul trapped inside a statue, and that feeling isn't good."
"So you'd rather let me damage your floor worth tens of thousands?"
"It's Batman's floor worth tens of thousands. Trust me, during his process of educating you, this will be the smallest expense." Shiller shook the newspaper and said.
"I really want to know about the imitator." Nemocine recovered quickly, gathered her scattered hair at the back of her head, tied it into a ponytail randomly, and then said, "Every cell in my body is telling me I should go to the crime scene and just take a look..."
"I guess the killer knew Batman isn't in Gotham, so he dared to act so recklessly. But he didn't expect there's a little Batman here."
"You said Batman has assistants. Do you think they're better than me?"
Shiller gently shook his head and said, "Currently, his assistant is also a genius detective. Unfortunately, because Batman is absent, Robin has to do his best to keep Wayne Enterprises running and simply can't spare the time."
"If I became Batman's assistant, could I go to the crime scene?"
"Perhaps. Gotham's upper class always has to give him some face."
"Because he's Bruce Wayne?"
Shiller looked up from the newspaper at him. Nemocine understood his meaning. She curled up on the sofa and said, "It's no secret. I knew from the first glance of him in the newspaper. I also know Superman is a reporter, The Flash works at the police station, and Green Arrow is also a big shot..."
"Don't say it out loud." Shiller said, "If you promise me, I can write a letter to Batman, asking him if he can give you a temporary Robin identity. If he persuades, Director Gordon might not be so strict with you anymore."
Nemocine immediately jumped up from the sofa. He said, "I promise you! I swear to God! I will never reveal their identities! Go write the letter! Professor!!!"
Shiller shook his head slightly, somewhat helplessly. He returned to his study, and as he spread out the letter paper, he finally smiled and wrote on the paper:
"Thank you immensely for your trust, Batman. However, I didn't know that the child you mentioned with typical spectrum symptoms is actually a genius in Behavioral Analysis Method like you. I dare say her talent rivals Tim's, and like Mr. Drake, she has a very keen interest in you.
She deduced your identity through her own reasoning, as well as almost all the superheroes in the Justice League. I'm a bit worried she might blurt it out in an excited state, so I think she should be given some work. Coincidentally, the Gotham Mayor has unfortunately passed away, and she is quite interested in the crime scene; just without police authorization, she would not be able to join the investigation. Perhaps you can give her a chance..."
In another sector, the Prime Universe Batman took the letter from The Flash, and after reading it, he shook his head slightly and folded the letter, saying, "The Doctor is still as skilled at pushing the troubles I entrust him back to me. I guess he's enjoying it."
"The Gotham Mayor is dead again?" The Flash scratched his head and said, "Central City hasn't changed a mayor in twelve years."
Batman calmly put down the letter and said, "From the moment he was elected, his life was on a countdown. The position of Gotham Mayor has always been a high-risk job, and they're well aware of this."
"What do you plan to do?" The Flash asked, "I could run and take you back, and then you come back after handling it..."
"No need," Batman said, "Help me go to the Batcave, grab a set of Robin's communicators and give them to the Doctor, then inform Director Gordon to let my new assistant check the scene of the mayor's death."
After The Flash left, Batman stood up, knocked on Green Lantern's office door, and then said, "Ready, Hal? It's time to close the net."