After turning off the recording device, Batman sat at the table in silence for a long time. If Willie truly knew nothing, then he had been an innocent victim under the power of the elite class.
But if Schiller had warned him long ago, if he had known those people wanted his life yet still insisted on fighting until his final breath, then he had been a true hero.
Having obtained the recording from Batman and listened to it with Fiona, Pale Rider comforted Fiona as she lay sprawled over the table, weeping bitterly. The little girl cried so hard her whole body convulsed, and Gordon could only summon two policewomen to help her to the Lounge.
"What do you plan to do?" Gordon asked Pale Rider.
Pale Rider stood before the table in silence for a long while. When he finally raised his head again, Gordon saw an unprecedented light in his eyes.
"I'm going to find Batman."
Pale Rider turned and left Gordon's office. On the way to Wayne Manor, he thought of many things, all kinds of images flashing continuously before his eyes.
The car stopped, and he stepped out. But to his surprise, the gates of Wayne Manor had opened, and a figure stood before them.
It was Batman.
An umbrella was handed to him. Pale Rider grasped its handle and looked at Batman standing amid the curtain of rain. He no longer seemed so heavy and inscrutable, instead revealing a pale fragility.
Batman said nothing and turned to walk into the manor.
Pale Rider had never imagined Batman would come out to greet him. He thought perhaps Batman felt the same way he did.
There had been a deep divide between them from the very beginning. Pale Rider believed Batman had not done well enough,