Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 187 There is an old Chinese saying
Ma Zhaodi left the Gotham Police Department.

"There's an old Chinese saying: 'A man can't get rich without external wealth, and a horse can't grow fat without night grass.'" He said to Commissioner Gordon, "As the saying goes, wealth and honor are sought through risk. The fortune teller said I was doomed, but I disagree. I believe that those who escape should decide for themselves whether to live or die."

"My previous boss once told me that there is no garbage in the world, only resources that are misplaced. I used to think my life was a comedy, but now I think it can be even more fun."

Sergeant Gordon was stunned by Ma Zhaodi's exaggerated words. He subconsciously asked, "How is your former boss?"

"I went to prison and was sentenced to ten years."

"No wonder it was my 'former' boss."

"That's about it, anyway, Inspector Gordon—see you again someday."

“It doesn’t necessarily mean goodbye.”

Ma Zhaodi left the police station.

And the war continues, nothing changes.

half a month later.

Gotham rooftop.

"Don't go, Gordon."

"Have you seen the map, Batman? I have."

Jim Gordon looked around from the rooftop. The weather in Gotham City was still sunny today, but the scenery he saw did not seem sunny.

"The city has fallen."

He sighed. The streets were deserted at this time. Most people were hiding at home or in the company, not daring to stay on the streets for too long. The city was filled with smoke, dilapidated and collapsed houses, and burned-down residences. These were all destroyed in the war between the Joker and the Riddler.

Crows circled in the sky above the city, seemingly searching for rotting corpses and flesh. Perhaps they could occasionally get what they wanted - as the area of ​​war expanded, the casualties of the city residents increased. Although there were more injuries than deaths, there were indeed some deaths.

The Upper West Side in the distance was decorated in a bizarre way, with colorful buildings flashing with dazzling lights. From time to time, thugs wearing black suits and ties would come out of these buildings. That was the position occupied by the Joker, and he almost controlled most of the Upper West Side.

The buildings in the east district were still a mess, like weeds growing randomly, but the doors and windows were all sealed. Patrols and sentries were stationed in most areas. The seemingly ordinary, dilapidated buildings had actually been transformed into small bunkers.

As the war progressed, the two factions, each occupying a separate area on either side of Gotham, had established stable bases. The Park District, sandwiched between the East Side and the Upper West Side, became the primary battlefield. Both sides recruited their own soldiers and deployed them into the Park District as pawns in their battles.

Sheriff Gordon was right, the city had indeed fallen.

"This city has fallen before," Batman replied. "This is Gotham City, and Gotham City always has been like this."

He turned to look at Gordon beside him and continued, "And next, we should rescue it like before."

Gordon smiled wryly and took a drag from his pipe.

"You know what you're talking about, right? But do you believe it?"

Batman didn't answer.

"Every day, groups of people came into the park from both areas to fight. The Joker used these people to perform his jokes, and the Riddler used these people to perform his riddles, and I saw them fall in groups."

Gordon thought about what he had seen in the park area and couldn't help shaking his head. "We were lucky. We had you and Kite Man to help us. Even many seriously injured people didn't die, but luck always runs out one day. Besides, we can't intervene in this war by force. The police station hasn't even been fully repaired yet." "There's a one-hour truce every day. When we go in to collect the bodies, the blood forms puddles. You've seen those horrible scenes. Batman—whether male or female, whether using bombs or poison gas, their only goal is to destroy the other side. They'll stop at nothing. They've been completely brainwashed by the Joker and the Riddler and have become machines that do their orders."

Batman remained silent. He understood that everything Gordon said was true. The sheriff was under too much psychological pressure, so he left an envelope for the Riddler and the Joker during the truce, asking for negotiation.

And both criminals were willing to talk - there was definitely something wrong.

The Riddler wrote a 37-page letter detailing Gordon's negotiation route, attire, and behavior. He made Gordon wear prison uniform and demanded he follow his instructions strictly, treating him like a puppet, to be manipulated at will.

The Joker's response was a single sentence written in lipstick on a corpse: "Leave nothing but your underwear on, and come back."

This is of course also a humiliation to him.

Sheriff Gordon, who was being manipulated by both sides, did not show any sign of retreat on his face.

Batman continued, "You're alone, unarmed, and think you can negotiate with them, but you're just making yourself easy prey—they won't listen to you, and they might even kill you."

"Then let them try."

In this way, Gordon met the Joker and the Riddler separately that afternoon.

Man-Bat, Mr. Freeze, Mad Hatter, Penguin, Solomon Grundy, Scarface, Ventriloquist, Deadshot, Clueless. These are the super criminals under the Joker.

Deathstroke, Poison Ivy, Clayface, Mr. Zsasz, Crocodile, Firefly, Scarecrow, Two-Face, and the Riddler are no less powerful. All of them are even marked with a green riddle symbol, indicating that they have joined the Riddler's army.

After talking to them, Gordon returned to the rooftop again.

"They want you."

He told Batman, "Both sides."

"In their exact words, 'Bring me Batman and the war will end'."

Batman asked, "What do you say?"

Gordon shook his head and did not accept the offer.

"We have to go into the war zone."

"We can't go in." Gordon took a puff of his cigarette and replied, "The Joker has planted bombs everywhere, and the Riddler has kidnapped a large number of civilians. They all have hostages. If we go in, they will kill us."

At this point, his expression became resolute.

"I contacted the federal government. Since this is a war, we will treat it as a war—not by the police, not by vigilantes, but by absolute armed force."

"And you and I, we have to maintain the situation and not let anyone enter the city center, nor let anyone run out of the city center to the suburbs—"

At this point, Gordon suddenly thought of a question, so he asked, "Come to think of it, didn't the Psycho Bicycle Man fight with you before? Why did he join the Riddler?"

Batman didn't answer.

When Gordon looked back, he was gone.

(End of this chapter)