As night deepened, Gordon finally concluded his initial investigation into the Wayne Couple's murder.
Dragging his weary body, he didn't head straight home. Instead, after confirming no one was following him, he began walking into an alley.
Weaving through the intricate streets, he soon arrived at a secluded corner of the slum.
In this corner, a few folding tables and chairs were haphazardly arranged. At the hot dog stand nearby, the vendor nodded at Gordon as he approached, then ignored him.
Although the food here was indeed good and affordable, business today was truly terrible.
It was lightly snowing outside, and while folding umbrellas were opened above the tables and chairs, few people wanted to brave the snow for a hot dog.
Gordon immediately spotted the familiar figure sitting at a table in the corner, devouring a plate of fries.
Gordon strode over in a few steps, plopped down opposite him, and reached for the fries on the plate.
Harvey Bullock, across from him, reacted quickly. With a "slap," he smacked Gordon's hand away, grumbling irritably, "If you want to eat, buy your own, or at least prove you've washed your hands!"
Gordon pursed his lips in resignation, then turned and ordered a hot dog from the vendor.
After the vendor acknowledged him, he continued to watch his partner, who was still wolfing down food.
Soon, Gordon's hot dog arrived. At the same time, Brock had also nearly finished eating.
He clapped his hands to remove the remaining fry crumbs, then picked up the nearby cola and began to drink.
Gordon took another large bite of his hot dog, chewed a few times, and then asked indistinctly, "Did you find any clues on your end?"
Brock wiped his face, removing the salt grains from the corners of his mouth, and snorted, "Oh, I found a lot!"
"After arguing with you, I went back to the Gotham Police Department. When I got back, the archives room was like a promotional event, with people coming and going, very lively!" Brock was clearly being sarcastic. "By the time I went in to check, the Wayne Family's files were already unrecognizable. Even the signature on the autopsy report had been deliberately erased. If you ask who did the autopsy now, you probably won't find out."
Yes, these two were actually working together.
In fact, over these four years, Gordon had, either actively or passively, come to understand his partner's true nature.
Although this fellow was slippery and evasive, shirked cases, accepted bribes, and pulled strings — skilled at everything, seemingly a beneficiary of Gotham's dark system.
But as time went on, he realized that despite his 'bad Police' demeanor, he was actually a good Police.
Brock took bribes simply to survive in Gotham, a city that devours people whole.
If he hadn't taken that money, given his position, he would probably have 'committed suicide' with 20 gunshot wounds long ago.
Or perhaps he would have been beaten up by his colleagues in a basement parking lot while wearing a hood. (Gordon in year one: Damn it!)
However, Brock did not pocket this money; most of it found its way into the hands of the poor.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be reduced to a makeshift late-night snack at this humble roadside fast-food stand.
As for Brock, he was initially quite exasperated with his partner.
When he first met Gordon, he felt this young man was full of passion, a hothead in Gotham's dark quagmire, destined to be swallowed whole sooner or later.
He considered himself already a black part of Gotham's vast dye vat, not a good Police.
But ultimately, how could a person who took dirty money and then passed it on to others be a bad person?
He felt it might be his own younger self at work, making him not want to see Gordon go down the same path as him.
So, from then on, Brock silently protected Gordon.
Of course, this couldn't be explicitly shown.
Whenever Gordon was about to do something that crossed the line for those in power, Brock would jump out and object immediately.
This led to countless arguments between him and Gordon at the Police Department, which in turn completely relaxed the Director of the Police Department, who believed Gordon wouldn't cause any trouble.
Over time, the two gradually developed a unique understanding that others found hard to comprehend.
Gordon always maintained the slightly reckless good Police image he had when he first joined the Police Department, acting impetuously, and whenever he encountered a case involving justice, he would dive in headfirst, regardless of obstacles.
Brock, as always, disguised himself as an incorrigible corrupt Police, dealing with all sorts of shady characters day in and day out, seemingly mired in the mud and beyond redemption.
And these two Police, one good and one bad, although partners, would always have big arguments at the Police Department whenever they handled a case.
Whenever Gordon, as the good Police, forcibly investigated thorny cases that others avoided, no one would say anything.
At most, they would inwardly mock his naivety and offer him no help.
At such times, Brock would chime in, expressing his dissatisfaction with Gordon to the fullest.
Then he would turn around and start collecting clues from the Police who were mocking Gordon.
The Director of the Gotham Police Department was quite pleased with his arrangement.
In his view, Brock was like his informant planted beside Gordon.
With him by Gordon's side, it would be difficult for Gordon to uncover the secrets that those in power did not want exposed.
However, the Director was completely unaware that these two had already reached a tacit understanding in secret; though they appeared to have different intentions, in reality, they could find out almost anything they needed to investigate.
If it could be resolved through official channels, Gordon would solve the case, and the Director wouldn't take it seriously.
If it couldn't be resolved through official channels, it was also very simple.
Brock had a very clear self-positioning: a corrupt Police is a corrupt Police. Even if his heart yearned for the light, he was still a corrupt Police who had done dirty deeds.
Since that was who he was, he might as well fully embody his role as a corrupt Police.
At least he wouldn't have to make his "partner" a corrupt Police who had to do dirty work.
The two had always cooperated in this way, and this time was no different.
Brock, filled with righteous indignation, loudly accused Gordon of wanting to drag everyone down with him.
Gordon was not to be outdone, stomping his feet and yelling back.
After confirming that the surrounding Police Officers had witnessed the scene, the two then, as if their conversation had reached an impasse, went their separate ways.
In reality, Brock wanted to use the argument as an opportunity to quickly return to the Police Department to gather relevant information.
What he didn't expect was to witness this grand spectacle as soon as he returned to the Police Department.
After Brock roughly estimated the number of people entering and exiting the archives room, he felt his scalp tingle.
Good heavens, had every named gang in Gotham sent people over?
Realizing this, Brock felt a pang of bitterness.
In the Gotham Police Department, finding an informant was not difficult; finding someone who wasn't an informant was truly too hard.
If he hadn't entered the archives room himself at the end to check what the file had been changed to, Brock would probably have wondered if, because he hadn't entered the archives room, he might have been suspected by his colleagues of being a "good Police."
Oh God, a Police Officer having to worry about being labeled a good Police by other colleagues—this World is truly insane.
Brock raised the paper cup, tilted his head back, and chugged the remaining cola, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Then he let out a loud burp, causing Gordon across from him to look at him with a "subway, old man, phone" expression.
But Brock didn't care at all, smiling as he asked, "So, how do you plan to investigate this case tomorrow, my dear good Police?"
"I'll go to the Wayne Family's residence tomorrow and see if I can get any useful clues from Miss Wayne."
Brock pondered for a moment, a rare trace of seriousness appearing on his face: "Listen, if you can't get anything, don't force it. Not only can't you offend the Wayne Family's child, but she just lost her parents and is already feeling terrible. You can't upset her any more."
Gordon nodded: "Of course I know that. I'm not like when I first transferred here."
Brock smiled mischievously, rubbed his hands together, stood up, and continued, "After you leave the Wayne Family, I'll take you to the gangs to sound them out."
Gordon's lips curved slightly upward, a hint of teasing in his eyes: "Still the same old routine, I'm forcing you to go?"
Brock rolled his eyes and retorted irritably, "Otherwise? Am I supposed to say I willingly went with a 'lunatic' like you to ask gangs for information?"
At this point, Brock waved his hand: "Alright, alright, I'm not going to mess around with you anymore. Speaking of which, isn't Barbara pregnant? Aren't you going back to take care of her?"
"Uh..." As if just remembering, Gordon suddenly stood up.
Brock was somewhat speechless, teasing, "Officer Gordon, the great, righteous, never-colludes-with-gangs, didn't you forget your pregnant wife?"
At this moment, Gordon couldn't bother with him; he practically fled.
"Hey! You didn't pay!"
The fleeing Police Officer turned a corner and came back.