Stepping into ankle-deep water, an icy chill crept up his spine.
"Hoo..." The rain-laden wind made Gordon instinctively duck his head, and his glasses instantly became soaked, distorting everything in his view like looking through a funhouse mirror.
He realized deeply that he was getting old, feeling the decline of strength and stamina. Despite not yet being sixty, the accumulated hidden injuries from over the years made every joint ache on such rainy days.
Closing the car door, he shielded his glasses with one hand while the other held the gun inside his coat at the waist, like an old man clutching his aching back in a storm, moving forward slowly.
Getting closer, he could see the figure on the side of the road more clearly; it was a young woman, dressed in clothing made of beast hide, like a cave dweller.
Gordon wasn't surprised. When you have a friend who always dresses as a bat, driving her bat-like car ostentatiously through the city, with gadgets called Bat Darts, Bat Belt, Bat Gloves, Bat Cloak.
Then you can accept any strange costume. Gotham never lacks weird people. It's just that among these people, some are just attending Halloween parties, while others are dangerous elements.
Judging by the person's condition by the roadside, Gordon estimated she was the latter.
"Ma'am! Are you still conscious? I am James Gordon from the Gotham City Bureau."
Upon determining the other might be dangerous, the first step is to shout out, hoping the person would drop the act and stop playing dead, and leave immediately.
If the person persists, in some dangerous situations, Gordon would also resort to shooting.
This is Gotham's law enforcement procedure.
The woman on the roadside remained motionless, showing no response.
Gordon leaned in closer for a detailed look; her pale face showed she was already dead, and the rain had caused her body to swell slightly.
There was a huge wound on her side, inflicted by a sharp weapon. This one strike had destroyed a third of her internal organs and caused her to bleed to death.
Judging by the current state, this was not her first crime scene. She was moved here. The lack of nearby mud under her nails and no scratches on her feet showed she died in a dry and smooth place, possibly a room in some high-end club considering her attire.
But the heavy rain had destroyed most of the evidence, this was all he could deduce. Her eyes conveyed unresolved death, staring blankly at the sky.
Gordon sighed, this meant more work for the police. Gotham not only has crimes committed by the mentally ill, but ordinary people also kill for various reasons.
The deceased's identity couldn't be determined yet. Gordon had to call in the coroners and stumbled back towards the car to make the call.
However, just then, doors in all surrounding buildings suddenly opened, and a crowd poured out. They wore black suits and old-style felt hats, immediately surrounding Gordon with countless submachine guns aimed at him.
"Director Gordon, our boss invites you as a guest."
The leading woman wore a false smile as a few black vans pulled up from behind the building, gesturing for Gordon to get in.
Gordon removed his glasses, endeavoring not to impede his vision, but nearsightedness was also an issue:
"Who is your boss? Penguin Lady? Black Mask?"
Only their subordinates would be so lacking in distinctiveness. Despite being kidnapped, the fact that they were not irrational meant there might still be hope....
"Oh? Director Gordon seems to have forgotten old friends, only remembering new ones now?" The woman chuckled, then grinned, delivering a heavy punch to Gordon: "No worries, once you reach the place, seeing the boss will jog your memory."
Gordon was knocked to the ground by the sudden attack, kneeling in the street's muddy water, just as the nearby corpse still lay there, but now he felt it was watching him.
"She, that woman over there, did you kill her too?" Gordon clutched his stomach, lying on the ground, staring intently at the woman in black.
"Sigh...." The woman in black sighed, looking around the downpour: "Do you still have the mind to worry about a dead person? We've already sent another team to fetch your daughter. You should be worried if she might end up the same as this corpse.... Take him away!"
She loudly ordered her men, rain pattered down, unable to drown out her voice.
Under the assault of a few sturdy women, Gordon was lifted into a black van. The vehicles started up one by one, and soon everyone vanished from the street.
All that remained was Gordon's car and the beast-hide-clad woman's corpse, gradually obscured by the curtain of rain.
........................................................
Meanwhile, Su Ming and Cindy continued pedaling furiously through the storm. His current physical state allowed him to avoid any fatigue even in the violent storm. They had covered about 30 kilometers in just ten minutes.
The unicycle's speed of over 150 kilometers per hour could only be achieved by Deathstroke or other modified people. Had it not been for the rain today, he felt the bearings on the unicycle might have smoked by now.
Amid the thick rain, he caught sight of a tall building in the distance, faintly glimpsing a beautiful round dome—that was the Gotham City Court. Across from it, separated by a small park, was the Gotham City Police Department.
The street was devoid of pedestrians; this was the city center, a place densely packed with upscale offices and relatively better security.
On regular days, people liked bringing their families to this park or office workers from nearby coming for a lunch break.
But it's different at midnight. Even opposite the GCPD, some still traded contraband in the park.
He felt himself growing as cold as the outside environment; it was a few degrees outside, typical for a rainy spring night. Water seeped through every seam of the armor, with the strong wind rapidly taking away any warmth.
Cindy was still a few steps ahead, leading the way; she probably felt the chill by now too.
"If we'd known the rain would get this bad, we should've had a few drinks at Harley's before heading out, at least to warm up a bit." He touched the liquor in his backpack, stolen from Vayne Mansion.
Cindy, riding the unicycle, also sighed: "Indeed, we have the same thoughts. I not only want a drink now, but also a hot dog or something."
"The police department's vending machine should have something, we'll smash one open later. Your world has microwaves, right?"
"Of course, microwaves are part of ordinary household appliances."
He really had no idea what was up with this world. It had the necessary appliances and communication devices, but somehow lacked aircraft, as if that branch of the tech tree had been forgotten.
Nevertheless, the two were already planning what to eat once they reached the police department. They just needed to knock everyone inside unconscious and then kidnap Gordon.
The city was in such chaos recently. Knowing his diligent nature, he would definitely be working overtime at this hour.
Su Ming's plan was simple: kidnap Gordon, then launch an attack on the TV station, using Gordon's safety as a bargaining chip to make Bat Heroine appear.
Would Briss leave Gordon to die? Not a chance. Even on Earth -11, before Gotham's destruction, Briss wasn't much different from other Batman across parallel universes.
In fact, being the world's only Superhero gave her a greater sense of responsibility. In the end, the destruction of her home left this responsibility transforming into a sense of guilt, crushing her.
"Wait, do you hear gunfire over there?"
Through the storm, he vaguely heard commotion from the GCPD direction. It wasn't thunder in this rain, then those continuous booming sounds must be explosions or gunfire.
Cindy removed her helmet, tilting her head to listen, her blonde hair instantly getting drenched by the rain as her expression became serious.
"Yes, and just now that was a grenade explosion inside the police station."
Both realized the situation changed and sped up their pace even more.