Gotham Docks had been built right at the mouth of the Gotham River. Because of the terrain, every heavy rainstorm caused severe flooding in the areas near Gotham Docks, making them key targets for flood prevention during the rainy season.
Gotham Docks was the original Gotham City. Most of the buildings there were over a hundred years old. They could not be demolished, and renovation was difficult, let alone establishing any comprehensive reinforcement measures. So every year's flood-control plan amounted to stacking sandbags, as long as the Gotham River's flood crest did not overflow.
Easy to say, hard to do. The docks were already a chaotic mess, making coordinated dispatch difficult. The sandbags normally stored in the air-raid shelters along the coastal cliffs were in an extremely awkward location, accessible by only a single narrow road. Everyone drove their private cars up to haul them, and soon the place was jammed solid.
When Joker and Schiller got out of the car, they saw the uphill road west of the parking lot packed with vehicles. A red car and a white car had scraped each other. The two drivers each held a long gun, while a figure in a Red Hood stood between them, patiently trying to break up the fight.
Joker was even happier. After chuckling a few times, he sauntered over to Gordon's police car and said, "Looks like our Director will be playing patrol officer today."
Gordon got out of the car with a dark expression, then leaned back into the cruiser and took out a police beacon. Instead of mounting it on the car, he unplugged its charging cable and carried the light up the slope.
At the sight of the familiar red-and-blue flashes, Gothamites lived up to expectations by pretending they had not seen a thing.