The dark alley was not completely murky in Batman's vision. He had activated the Night Vision Goggles on his cowl long ago, allowing him to clearly see the posture of the man who had suddenly fallen from above.
The instant he saw him, countless pieces of information flashed through his mind. Batman stared at him and asked, "What are you allergic to?"
There was nothing particularly notable about his tone. As usual, Batman was merely using a question to state a fact he had already determined. He did not expect an answer.
"None of your business." The other man displayed resistance without surprise. Batman remained motionless, then asked his next question:
"How many people have you killed?"
Of course, that was not really a question either.
After receiving a negative answer to a question the other party could not answer, immediately following it with a lethal question would make anyone with kindness and a conscience feel guilty for answering the first. They would then seriously consider whether to answer the second.
Even if they still did not answer, the hesitation revealed in that instant would be enough evidence. It was an utterly ordinary negotiation tactic.
Batman did not feel nervous. His attitude seemed somewhat strange.
It was like finding a small dessert still left on the table after finishing a grand meal, idly prodding at it with a fork. Or like seeing a cat rummaging through a trash can on the way home at sunset, with enough spare leisure to ponder the philosophical meaning of cities and beasts.
Batman saw that after the man across from him climbed off the ground, his first action was to grasp his slightly loosened tie. He used his fingers to pull it free from the crooked knot, then removed the rain-dampened tie from around