Gordon's consciousness finally returned to his body. He could sense the light, feel the warmth of the fireplace.
But inside, he felt like it was winter; everything was frozen, with no sunlight, no hope.
Falcone gently patted his shoulder, comforting him like an elder, "Gordon, my dear Gordon, it's all over, everything will be alright... You lost two wives, lost your child, all for this city, you're just a bit tired."
"Tired... yes, I'm tired..." Gordon bowed his head, slightly trembling.
"No, Gordon, it's not time for you to rest yet. The new Gotham hasn't been established; you can't rest yet. Only you can save it, you promised me."
Falcone hugged him tightly, the frail old man almost lifting him off the sofa.
Gordon looked at Falcone confusedly; he couldn't remember what he had promised. His mind was like a boiling pot, thoughts chaotic, as if they lost connection with each other.
"I, yes, I promised you..." he replied vaguely.
"Yes, you promised, a better Gotham, a Gotham where everyone can live happily. This is our city, and we all want it to get better."
"Child... child!" Gordon painfully held his head again.
Falcone comforted him once more, patting his back, "It's all in the past, it's all in the past, you will have a new wife. When the new Gotham is rebuilt, I will host your wedding with Sofia, then hand the Falcone Clan over to you. I will leave in the midst of applause... You will have new children, a new city, live happily."
As he spoke, he looked expectantly at Sofia, as if seeking her opinion.
"Yes, father, everything is up to you."
She maintained that fake smile, like a Middle Ages noblewoman's polite expression toward others, using her good girl's voice to answer him, as if she had never changed.
"Come, Gordon, kiss my ring, accept my promise, and we will be a family from now on, for a better Gotham!"
Falcone smiled, extending his right hand to Gordon. On his ring finger was an exquisite gold ring engraved with the Falcone Clan's rose emblem.
But the dazed Gordon still turned his head away, no longer looking at that ring, just like he did more than a decade ago.
.....................................
Outside Indian Mountain, Su Ming and his group had been staking out in the broadcast van for an hour now. Time had passed 4 o'clock, but there was only the sound of the wind and rain around.
Endless rain fell from the sky, twisted into water dragons by the gale, seemingly always finding unbelievable angles to drill into their car, taking away their body's warmth through small gaps.
The car was in complete darkness, he and Cindy sat in the dark cockpit, each holding a bottle of beer they had just swiped, monitoring the movements outside.
Earlier in the small supermarket, Su Ming had told Cindy about everything related to the Multiverse, also revealing the mastermind's plan, and some other speculations.
The reason was that she was the only person Su Ming could trust here. Before leaving, he felt he should leave enough information so that Cindy could continue surviving.
He didn't know if his decision was right, nor if it would trigger a butterfly effect or more severe consequences, but he just did what a partner should do.
Even though they had only known each other for six hours and were just a temporary team, their similarities and tacit cooperation made it feel like they had known each other for a long time.
Indeed a long time, for Su Ming had only been in this world for six and a half hours; those six hours almost encompassed his entire new life.
During those six hours, he experienced things he had never imagined before, made changes he had never considered, and he had become inseparable from the world that created all of this.
But back then, Cindy's reaction was very calm, like she took it as ordinary intelligence after Su Ming told her about the mastermind's plot. She merely said, "Oh," not knowing what she was thinking.
The two returned to the car in silence, drove here, and then turned off the ignition to wait in the dark.
In the distance, the scrapyard had scattered firelights, kindled by some homeless wanderers sheltering in broken cars from the rain, with some unfortunate flames being extinguished by the heavy rain, occasionally interspersed with curses or cries from unknown locations.
This weather wasn't suitable for small animals to be active, but Su Ming was sure he saw rats dart in and out of the scrap cars, seemingly transferring their stored food to higher ground.
The wind direction had shifted slightly, the rain coming from a new direction, yet their awaited target still hadn't shown up.
"Damn it, could the Shadow Dancer Alliance have encountered a flash flood, why haven't they arrived yet?"
Cindy lay on the steering wheel, her body stiff from waiting.
"Something seems off; Batwoman's monitoring system still hasn't detected any ninjas entering Gotham. Something must have gone wrong."
Su Ming gazed into the distant darkness, trying to discern the direction of the underground research facility's entrance, hoping it matched the location in the TV show's world.
Barbara continued using her laptop connected to the Bat Cave's Batcomputer. The screens were rapidly switching, with the system failing to identify any Shadow Dancer members.
"What should we do?" Cindy turned her head to look at him.
After a moment of thought, Su Ming suddenly considered the possibility that the Shadow Dancer had a different plan?
Cindy had only found the Ninja Footwear's footprints on the rooftop; the Shadow Dancer's spy might not have come down to check the body.
She only needed to know the organization's people were dead, not needing to investigate like Su Ming and his team.
After all, it was Gotham's fault. With Batwoman not in the city, isn't destroying Gotham avenging their death?
Leixiao Gu might be assembling forces in Nandabalt now, requiring alliance members to return from around the world, naturally taking more time.
When the Shadow Dancer returns, perhaps they will launch a major operation to destroy Gotham, not bothering to discern who the murderer is. Too troublesome, it was Gothamites' doing anyway.
Detonating a few nuclear bombs in the city, sending all the mafia and residents skyward, naturally avenging the killed member, fulfilling Leixiao Gu's long-held wish.
Two birds with one stone.
"We attack, can't wait any longer. No matter what's inside, we have to go."
Su Ming put on his helmet, adjusted the buckle, and organized his weapons.
"Sure? We still can't confirm where the Romans plan to confront them."
Cindy said with a smile, but her hands were swift, also preparing for battle.
Su Ming just glanced at her, then at the others in the compartment, and jumped out of the car.
"I can only be certain that with time passing, greater danger is coming closer."
He was referring to the possible renewed war between the Amazon and Atlantis, along with a potential assassination initiated by Briss. They didn't have time to wait longer here; they must quickly rescue Gordon and find the Bat.