Rainy Night Mystery (Part 1)

In the tranquil manor, the fireplace crackled and popped, and the light rain pattered against the glass. The slight sounds were swallowed up by the dim light as they entered the room.

The soft sound of pages turning filled the air as Schiller leaned back on the sofa in front of the fireplace, reading. In this slow-paced era, the time between sunset and bedtime always seemed incredibly long. Schiller held the book, the world before him swaying on the words, gradually blurring. Just as he was feeling drowsy, a sudden ringing of the telephone jolted him awake.

Schiller sat there for a moment, closed his eyes, took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, then slowly stood up, walked to the stairs, picked up the telephone receiver from the cabinet, and put it to his ear.

Fish Mooney is dead.

Gordon's voice boomed like thunder on the other end of the phone.

Schiller covered his forehead, leaned against the cabinet, and said, "Who's that?"

"The leader of the Muni Gang, the ruler of the Living Hell."

"So what?"

"... I need your help, Professor."

Schiller glanced at the completely dark sky. Just as he was about to refuse, Gordon said, "It was Batman who discovered the crime scene. When we got there, Fish was already dead. After we finished recording, we brought Fish's body back for an autopsy. We also brought back an eyewitness. This witness is not in good mental condition and may suffer from some mental illness. We really need your help."

Schiller put down the phone, sighed, put on his coat, grabbed his umbrella, and left the warm and quiet manor, stepping into the dark, rainy night of Gotham.

When we arrived at the police Police Department, there was only a small light bulb hanging from the top of the porch at the entrance. Through the light, we could see the rain drifting in.

Schiller walked up the steps, which were covered in water, and looked up to see Gordon struggling to open the wooden door with its chains.

Schiller folded his umbrella, and Gordon walked over and said, "Thank goodness you came just in time."

"Next time there's an emergency like this..." Schiller shook the umbrella violently, as if venting his anger, and said, "Don't call me. We'll talk about it tomorrow morning."

Gordon followed his movement, his gaze falling on the umbrella. He turned his head to examine it closely, then said, "How did your umbrella get broken? Didn't you say it was of very good quality?"

"Yes, but even the best quality things can break, and once they break, there's nowhere to get them repaired."

Schiller folded his umbrella and walked straight into the police station. Gordon followed behind him and said, "That weirdo in the tights went to Living Hell in the middle of the night and stumbled upon a murder."

Gordon quickened his pace and led the way for Schiller, speaking rapidly, "Fish Mooney was originally the head of the Living Hell gang. Since the transformation of Living Hell, many other gang leaders from the East District have gradually moved in and divided Muni Gang's territory."

"Fish has a bad temper and seems to be a sadist."

"Now that she's dead, you don't need to describe her symptoms to me. Talk about the survivors, what about the eyewitness?"

"I was just about to take you to..." Gordon led Schiller down a long corridor and stopped at the very end of the room, where a junior officer had just come out. The officer said to Gordon, "That kid seems to have some mental issues. I swear I didn't hit him, but he..."

"Alright, alright." Gordon patted the young officer on the shoulder and said, "I trust you. You're not that violent. Let's go in and take a look."

After opening the door, Gordon went in first. As soon as Schiller entered, he saw a familiar figure sitting behind the interrogation table— Oswald Cobblepot.

He looked terrible; his face was deathly pale, his black hair was soaked by the rain and stuck tightly to his forehead, his eyes, which were sunken deep in their sockets, were dull and lifeless, his limbs were twitching, and he was muttering to himself.

He wasn't sitting in the chair, but crouching in the corner of the room. The young officer came in and explained to Gordon, "We asked him to sit down, but he wouldn't. We didn't handcuff him, and we didn't use any violence on him. He came in like this..."

Gordon understood why the young officer repeatedly emphasized that no violence was used. In a place like the Gotham Police Department, most police officers were not so friendly to criminals, and it was normal to get beaten up after being arrested.

Gordon had specifically instructed them not to use violence against Cobblepot, and the young officer, seeing Cobblepot's condition, was afraid Gordon would misunderstand.

Gordon unlocked the Iron Gate behind the interrogation table with his key. As he walked in, Cobblepot appeared terrified. Schiller stopped Gordon from approaching further, saying, "It looks like he has post-traumatic stress disorder. Don't go near him..."

Schiller and Gordon stood two meters away from Cobblepot. Schiller tilted his head and glanced at Cobblepot from the backlight. He realized that Cobblepot was probably in the throes of an attack.

Gordon, however, observed him from a different angle. He asked the young officer, "You really didn't hit him? I think I saw a wound on his neck."

The officer raised his hands and said, "I swear, we didn't touch him! As for the wound, it must have been there before we got here."

The officer spoke with certainty, Gordon frowned. Schiller turned to Gordon and said, "Let him go out first. Too many people will make it harder for him to calm down."

After the young officer left, Schiller said to Gordon, "This should be Acute Stress Disorder."

Schiller took half a step forward, Cobblepot immediately recoiled as if possessed, letting out incomprehensible screams. Schiller stepped back and then said to Gordon, "Experience the symptoms again: panic, alertness, and..."

Schiller stroked his chin and said, "That's not all. Along with the state of agitation, there seem to be some other mental disorders..."

"Well, it seems unlikely that we'll get anything out of him."

"That's not necessarily true, but his symptoms require hospitalization. After treatment, he should be able to recover his normal mental state."

"Approximately how long will it take?"

"Are you in a hurry?" Schiller asked Gordon. "Fish Mooney may be a mob boss, but he's not even a big shot in Gotham. Who's putting so much pressure on you?"

Gordon sighed and said, "This is a complicated matter. Let Batman handle it."

As soon as he finished speaking, a sound came from behind him, and Batman appeared in the shadows in the corner of the interrogation room.

"Let me state this first: I know you suspect I assaulted him, but I did not," Batman said.

"Weren't those wounds on his body inflicted when you subdued him?" Schiller turned to ask him.

Batman shook his head and said, "When I met him at the crime scene, he was unconscious and covered in injuries, clearly having just been beaten up."

Batman also walked through the Iron Gate and stood further away, looking at Cobblepot and saying, "When I arrived at the scene, Fish was already dead, and he was lying unconscious to the side, covered in bruises from being beaten. There were no third parties present, so I had to call Gordon to investigate and then bring Fish's body here with him."

"I think you should tell me the whole story from the beginning." Schiller and the two men walked out, Gordon glancing back as he went, looking somewhat sympathetic towards Cobblepot. He said, "Are we just going to leave him here like this? That won't do, will it? Shouldn't we get him to the hospital first?"

"It's best not to let anyone get close to him for now, otherwise it will be easier to agitate him," Schiller said without turning his head. But Gordon was still a little worried. He said, "This kid doesn't look like he's an adult yet. He must have family, right? His relatives must be very worried about him not coming home so late."

As he spoke, he called out twice, summoning back the young police officer who was smoking at the stairwell. He told him, "Go find out where this kid lives, who else lives in his family, and let his family know he's safe. Oh, and don't tell him he's having a medical episode; just say he got injured while speeding on the street and is in the hospital now..."

"Don't use racing as an excuse," Schiller reminded Gordon. He told Gordon, "I know him. He's a student at the Hell School of Living Hell, and his mother should still be at home. He doesn't race."

"Then what should we say? Forget it, let's just say he was drunk or high on drugs."

"He has no bad habits. He doesn't drink or do drugs, doesn't race cars or fight, and doesn't even smoke."

Gordon's eyes widened. He glanced back at Cobblepot, then at Schiller, and said with some surprise, "No smoking, no drinking, no drugs, no racing, no fighting? No bad habits at all? Are you sure he's Gotham kid? That's really strange..." Gordon put his hands on his hips and said with great doubt, "So there really are people like that in Gotham? This is the first time I've seen one in all the years I've been here."

After saying that, he felt even more sorry for Cobblepot. He stood at the door and looked at him repeatedly. Schiller said to Gordon, "I remember the last time I came to the police station, I saw a cleaning lady. Have her come over. A lady who is about the same age as his mother should make him less wary."

"You mean Mrs. Mona? Well, she should still be here. I'll have her come over, at least to give this kid a change of clothes."

After the three left, they went to Gordon's office. Gordon and Schiller sat facing each other, while Batman stood in the shadows of the window.

Schiller poured himself a glass of hot water and then said, "I think you should start from the beginning and tell us what exactly happened."

He turned to Batman and said, "Why did you go to the Living Hell?"

Then he turned back to Gordon and said, "And what about Fish's death? Why are you in such a hurry to investigate this case?"

Gordon spoke first, sighing, "I'll start with what I know, which begins with the transformation of the Living Hell area..."

"We all know that a reformed Living Hell is like a delicious pie, and everyone wants a piece of the pie. Although Munibon used to run rampant in Living Hell, there are quite a few troublemakers in the East District. On Elizabeth Street alone, there are several powerful figures who Living Hell and want to take advantage of their proximity..."

"As the original masters of the Living Hell, the Muni Gang wants to protect this area, but they also know that they cannot do so on their own."

"So, Fish ceded some profits to those outside gang leaders, allowing them to occupy some territory in the North District. But these gang leaders were insatiable, Greed crocodiles. They gradually pressured Fish, and as a result, the entire North District and half of the South Side were taken over by outsiders. Fish was furious..."