Gotham.
On the rooftop of Wayne Tower, the Bat-Signal was activated.
A massive Bat-shadow was projected into the sky.
In the pitch-black night, the Bat-Signal pierced through the dark clouds, appearing particularly conspicuous in the haze-filled city.
On the rooftop of another tall building near Wayne Tower, Commissioner Gordon, the head of the Gotham City Police Department, stood in a shadow, observing the activity at the adjacent Wayne Tower.
He was the one who projected the Bat-Signal.
This city had become a city he no longer recognized.
Everything had become incomprehensible and eerie.
Criminals in the city were imprisoned, and those in the underworld were all in fear. This was supposed to be the situation he hoped to see, but why did he still feel uneasy, even fearful?!
He lit a cigarette while pondering.
That's right.
He looked up, gazing at the desolate Gotham streets, and murmured, "It's too quiet, too peaceful, so peaceful it doesn't even seem like a city. This eerie calm instills terror in the hearts of everyone who understands this city!"
Withdrawing his gaze, he nervously put the cigarette to his mouth.
After taking two puffs, feeling the long-lost scent of tobacco in his lungs, he exhaled.
But his throat suddenly felt uncomfortable, and he lowered his head, coughing violently.
"Cough cough! Cough cough cough!"
He crouched down, feeling a great sense of weakness Attacking him.
The pain extended from his lungs all the way to his spine and brain.
His throat coughed violently, as if countless iron thorns were piercing his body.
The physical pain triggered by smoking attacked him like a tsunami.
He coughed for several minutes, only finding relief after slowly squatting down against a wall.
He stood up, vigorously rubbing his chest, allowing his flushed face to gradually return to its normal color.
He was the one who activated the Bat-Signal on Wayne Tower.
He could only hope to find the whereabouts of the missing Batman in this way.
Although this might attract soldiers from Homelander's side, he had to take the risk.
Because he was running out of time.
"Commissioner Gordon, you don't look so good!"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind him.
Commissioner Gordon turned around and saw Superman, and a teenage girl, both suspended in the air, quietly watching him.
"Superman?!"
Commissioner Gordon exclaimed Clark's name in surprise.
He hadn't expected the Bat-Signal to attract Superman!
"Nice to meet you, Commissioner Gordon."
Clark and Amy descended from the air and slowly walked towards Commissioner Gordon.
"However, the Gendarmerie will be here soon to arrest you for 'appearing on a rooftop in the middle of the night to intimidate the public.'"
Clark walked up to the surprised Commissioner Gordon, speaking in a half-joking tone.
"Is that so? Is it because I destroyed a part of Homelander's perfect world, so they want to arrest me?"
The cigarette in Commissioner Gordon's hand had burned out, and he pulled another one from the pack in his pocket.
He pulled open his clothes to shield from the wind and lit the cigarette.
"Click!"
The lighter clicked shut, Commissioner Gordon exhaled a puff of smoke, and asked Clark, "Mr. Superman, you're not here to arrest me, are you?"
"Of course not."
Clark denied it.
"I belong to Batman's faction. In a sense, we are opposing forces."
"That's good, at least I don't have to worry about being arrested."
Commissioner Gordon turned off the lighter, put it in his pocket, and extended his hand to Clark.
"James Gordon, Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department, an ally and friend of Batman."
He shook Clark's hand and introduced himself, "Forgive my rudeness and impoliteness just now, I didn't know your intentions."
Clark smiled slightly at him, indicating that he didn't mind.
After shaking hands with Clark, Commissioner Gordon shook hands with Amy.
"Amy, you can call me Amy, I'm Superman's friend."
Amy glanced at Clark, then said with a somewhat unnatural expression.
Compared to her identity as an ordinary person, she was still a bit unaccustomed to being known as the famous Superman's friend.
Clark's purpose in coming to Gotham this time was to contact the Commissioner of the Gotham Police Department.
He knew a lot about Gotham and could provide a lot of help to their resistance force.
Moreover, Commissioner Gordon's projection of the Bat-Signal had already been noticed by the Gendarmerie, and for his safety, he had to stop such behavior.
Clark was also there to warn him.
While shaking hands with James Gordon, Amy's ability inadvertently activated again.
She once again glimpsed the moment of James Gordon's Death.
The lighthouse room was surrounded by glass windows.
One of the glass windows had a hole in it, and the wind howled through the opening into the room.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and a gray light filtered through the dirty window, illuminating James Gordon's face, a face covered in blood.
The sound of the tide came from outside.
This was the top of a lighthouse. James Gordon was tied to a wooden chair next to the signal light, and above his head was a dazzling array of optical instruments.
Two brown wires were wrapped around his wrists, securing his hands to the armrests of the chair, and his feet were also tied to the chair legs with wires.
A strip of black tape was wrapped around his forehead, binding his head tightly to the base spring of the signal light.
James Gordon was tightly bound, unable to move, his forehead covered in blood and dirt.
A tall, thin man slowly approached him.
The tall, thin man was bald, with a smooth head, no eyebrows, and not even eyelashes.
His hands were smooth and slender, but in one of them, he held a long fish filleting knife.
The man examined the blade as if admiring a precious sword, even though the blade was already rusty and chipped, and smelled faintly of fish.
"Let me go."
James Gordon said weakly, "Who are you? Who are you people? I… I don't have what you want."
He hung his head, the light in his eyes gradually dimming.
"That no longer matters."
The man said unhurriedly. He spoke with an accent that sounded somewhat European.
The man's movements were unusually swift; he plunged the filleting knife into James Gordon's left eye.
However, the tip of the knife did not go deep, only disabling his eye, but not damaging his brain.
Clearly, the bald man intentionally held back.
James Gordon cried out in pain.
The bald man then pulled the knife out again, the tip making a chilling sucking sound as it left the eye.
The man's thin lips curled slightly, revealing a sinister smile.
He paused, admiring his masterpiece.
James Gordon's gaze from his right eye passed over the man's shoulder and landed on something behind him.
"Batman?!"
James Gordon asked in surprise, seemingly having seen something that greatly shocked him.
The bald man raised the knife again and plunged it into Commissioner Gordon's right eye.
This time, he used all his strength.
However, the shadow behind the bald man had already rushed over like lightning, swinging a punch that heavily struck the bald man's head.
With a thud, the knife in the opponent's hand fell to the ground, and he slumped weakly to the side.
Batman, whom Commissioner Gordon had just mentioned, gripped the bald man's arm and violently slammed him forward.
The bald man's body was heavily slammed against the wall, and because Batman was holding his hand, the bald man's arm snapped.
"Crack!"
The bald man howled, clutching his left arm, but Batman punched him in the head again, completely silencing him.
"Batman? It's really you!"
Commissioner Gordon was greatly surprised by the reappearance of his old friend, who had been missing for so long and was rumored to be dead!
"You're injured! You need immediate medical attention!"
Batman simply bandaged Commissioner Gordon's eyes and was about to take him to the hospital.
"No, not yet, I have something more important to do. In my left pocket, there's something there."
Commissioner Gordon said weakly.
Batman reached into his pocket and found it was just a pack of cigarettes.
Commissioner Gordon's hands trembled as he took the cigarettes, pulled one out, lit it, and shakily put it in his mouth.
"This city has waited for you for a long time. You won't disappoint it, will you?"
Commissioner Gordon slowly sat down under Batman's silence.
He leaned against the fishy-smelling wooden table, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said in an increasingly weak voice, "You are the only one who has taken on too many heavy responsibilities to resist Homelander."
"Don't talk anymore, I'll take you to the hospital."
Batman's hoarse voice came from behind his mask.
"No, it's too late. My… my lung cancer is already in its late stage. Being able to hold on until now is enough!"
He exhaled a puff of smoke, and the cigarette held between his fingers fell to the ground.
Then his upper body suddenly slumped down, his head nearly hitting the corner of a nearby toolbox.
But Commissioner Gordon didn't completely lie down; Batman caught his body.
His body trembling, Batman reached out and tightly gripped Commissioner Gordon's cold right hand.
Outside the window, a torrential rain fell, and lightning illuminated a white glow, casting a light on Batman's chin.
At the same time, water slowly flowed from beneath his mask.
"Hiss!"
The scene shifted back to reality.
Amy's hand felt like it had touched a hot stove, she gasped, and quickly pulled it back.
Commissioner Gordon looked at Amy, who was behaving somewhat strangely, but didn't ask further, releasing her hand.
"Clark, can you check Commissioner Gordon's lungs?"
Amy waited until Commissioner Gordon had temporarily left, then whispered to Clark.
Although Clark didn't know why, he still did as Amy said.
Sure enough, he saw something that greatly surprised him!
"Commissioner Gordon!"
Clark said seriously to Commissioner Gordon, "Your lungs have a large number of shadows. I recommend you seek treatment immediately, but you should know that the tumor has likely spread very severely."
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