By the time Commissioner Gordon and District Attorney Harvey arrived at the warehouse, the contents had almost completely burned.
The reason was simple: nobody had called the fire department.
If someone's house caught fire, they'd call. If a neighbor's house burned, maybe a good Samaritan would help. But nobody knew what was in this warehouse, and nobody could locate the owner quickly enough. The fire trucks arrived late.
Gordon picked up a hundred-dollar bill that had escaped the flames, carried on hot air currents. Harvey examined another. Both men's expressions darkened. Judging by the fire's intensity, the warehouse had contained significantly more currency. And hiding that volume of cash in an anonymous building was inherently suspicious.
"Who could have done this?" Gordon murmured.
"Who indeed," Harvey echoed.
"So." A low voice emerged from the shadows behind them. "It wasn't you?"
Catwoman spun around, genuinely startled. A tall figure stood there, pointed ears silhouetted against the firelight. Indifferent blue eyes studied her from beneath the cowl.
"You're more cat-like than I am," she said, irritated. "Always appearing and disappearing without a sound."
"You haven't been around lately. Where have you been?"
"In case you haven't heard, Falcone put a million-dollar bounty on my head."
"He did the same for me. I'm still here investigating."
"Yeah, but you're a bat. I'm a cat. We have different survival strategies."
Batman's expression didn't change. "When did you arrive? What did you see?"
"Not much earlier than you." She smiled behind her mask. "Saw the same thing you did."
"Coincidence?"
"Want to know?" She laughed, backing toward the rooftop's edge. "Catch me and I'll tell you."
Cat and bat launched into motion, leaping between buildings, a chase that resembled play more than pursuit. At least, the cat seemed to be enjoying herself.
On ground level, Gordon and Harvey used brute force to break through the warehouse door. Inside, they found a mountain of ash. A few unburned bills scattered among the char.
"Fantastic," Harvey muttered. "Another case involving massive amounts of counterfeit currency, and we don't even have leads."
"It's not counterfeit."
Harvey turned sharply toward the corner of the warehouse. Batman's figure had materialized in the shadows, silent as death.
"When did you—never mind. What did you just say?"
Batman didn't answer immediately. Instead, he walked over and handed Harvey a ledger.
Harvey opened it, scanning the pages casually. Then he froze.
Numbers. Densely packed. Meticulous records of transactions that shouldn't exist.
"Falcone's mansion was broken into a few days ago," Batman explained. "His safe was opened. This ledger was inside—a very important ledger. Catwoman and I were both there. That's why he's offering the bounty."
"Catwoman stole it?" Harvey's mind raced through implications. "But how did you get it back?"
"I'm not certain why she wanted me to know," Batman said, "but she told me if we followed the money, it would lead here. To this warehouse."
Harvey stared at the ledger, then at the ash pile, then back at Batman.
"You mean—"
Meanwhile, Jude had arrived in central Gotham, the location of his third Halloween job.
"The instructions said to wear a gas mask, but I didn't expect this."
He stood before a sewer entrance, holding a Burger King bag containing one Big Mac. The corner of his mouth twitched.
"Who the hell orders takeout to a sewer? Killer Croc? Is he really that desperate for a burger?"
Jude's eyes widened as a horrifying thought struck him.
"Wait. No. The burger's the appetizer. I'm the main course!"
Cold sweat broke out across his back. He'd just wanted to deliver food and collect his reward, not become someone's meal.
Then again... he had the protective cross necklace. He had save points. Was he actually afraid of death?
Better safe than sorry.
Jude immediately spent $100 in asset points to create a new save point at this exact moment. If Killer Croc really did try to eat him, he could reload and try a different approach.
"Or..." Jude opened the system mall.
His first and second jobs had been completed and paid out. His current assets had reached a historical peak: over $20,000.
Those points couldn't make him strong enough to fight a man-eating mutant crocodile—over seven feet tall, three hundred pounds of muscle, superhuman strength, speed, endurance, and regenerative abilities. But he could potentially heal Croc back to normal human, then use the Colt to teach him some manners.
"Put your opponent on your level, then beat them with experience," Jude muttered. "Instead of improving yourself, pull others down."
The logic was sound. Confidence restored, he opened the manhole cover and descended the ladder.
Three seconds after Jude entered the sewer, a foul stench hit him like a physical blow. His stomach lurched. He barely suppressed the urge to vomit.
Holding his breath, fighting nausea, he bought a gas mask from the system. Ten dollars. The gun store versions were highway robbery by comparison. Cheap domestic manufacture worked fine as long as it filtered the smell.
That was all he needed.
"Hello? Anyone down here? Who ordered takeout?"
Pitch darkness surrounded him. Jude put on the gas mask, then pulled out the small pumpkin lantern he'd received as a reward from his first job.
"This really is small."
The lantern appeared in his hand, barely larger than a quail egg. Small enough to use as a keychain. But the pale yellow light it emitted was surprisingly bright, illuminating over thirty feet in every direction. It even radiated gentle warmth.
Complete with an adorable miniature pole.
Holding the tiny pumpkin lantern, Jude ventured deeper into the sewer system. His footsteps echoed in the circular tunnels, bouncing off curved walls. Despite the lantern's glow, fear crept into his chest. The emptiness felt oppressive. Threatening.
"Burger King delivery! Anyone order food?"
No response except rats squeaking and scattering from his light.
Jude scratched his head. "Either the system glitched, or I'm in the wrong place."
"SOLOMON GRUNDY, BORN ON MONDAY!"
The roar thundered through the sewer like an avalanche, making the entire tunnel system vibrate. Heavy footsteps approached, rapid and massive. Something huge was running toward him.
"Holy shit! It's not Killer Croc!"