Gotham's night rain always carried a bone-deep chill. Amid the wind and rain, colorful neon lights shimmered like the city's wandering gaze.
A man in a trench coat hurried across the sidewalk. Horns blared one after another, but he quickly vanished down the other end of the street.
The traffic light changed. Car tires rolled through puddles, and the spray landed along the edges of the stone pavement, tinted warm by the convenience store's lights.
Dress shoes stepped into puddles on the stairs, leaving only narrow gaps in the reflected light on the water's surface. The man in the trench coat hurried up the stairs of Gotham Grand Theater. Once inside, there were no attendants, and the lights were completely out.
Yet he still turned left with practiced ease, entered the ticket passageway, and made his way to the audience seats, where several figures were already waiting.
Victor, who had arrived in a hurry, took off his hat and shook off the rainwater. He sat down beside Schiller and said, "Sorry, I was a little late. I had to clean up my laboratory..."
"It's fine. The movie hasn't started yet." Schiller moved the umbrella beside him to the other side. Seeing the water droplets hanging from it, Victor knew Schiller had not arrived much earlier either.
The two people seated in front of Schiller were Evans and Cobblepot. They were whispering to each other. Cobblepot seemed to be telling Evans about Bruce and Lex getting caught after fighting, and Evans listened with a deeply furrowed brow, clicking his tongue.
Joker Jack sat diagonally ahead of Evans and Cobblepot, but he had already fallen asleep. He slept soundly enough that a snot bubble had formed at his nose.
In a seat in a distant corner sat an unfamiliar man. Victor could