Jimmy struggled along with the camera on his shoulder, sprinting after Lois.
As for Downton, the man she was focused on, he was facing down countless police guns as he casually sat on the sofa inside the shop.
After shifting into a more comfortable position, Downton tucked his pistol into his waistband under the tense gazes of countless officers.
Seeing that he was no longer holding the gun, an officer immediately reached for him. But after grabbing the officer's wrist, Downton spoke in Gordon's direction.
"You're all experienced Gotham cops. You should act a little more professionally.
So what makes you think I came unprepared?
I may have been kind enough to let that glib little girl go, but if I didn't have other cards up my sleeve, do you think I'd be sitting here in front of you so openly?
Then why don't you guess when the bomb I arranged beforehand will explode, and which crowded part of Gotham it will blow up in?"
With that, Downton yanked the first officer who had tried to restrain him closer by the wrist.
Gripping the officer's neck with one hand, Downton lightly slapped his face before shoving the gritting officer away.
Behind Downton, the officers who heard his words were horrified.
"A bomb!"
"He planted a bomb in Gotham!"
"No wonder he's been acting so brazenly!"
"Shut up! Don't let the reporters hear!"
"They already did!"
Gordon looked helplessly outside the shop, where a huge crowd of reporters all let out startled, even terrified "whoa~"s like teddy bears.
The flashes and shutter clicks rose and fell without pause.
After a brief pause, Lois, who had charged to the front, looked at Downton with even greater disgust.
At the same time, seeing how confident Downton was, Gordon swallowed hard before quietly asking.
"Why are you doing this? What is your goal?"
"My goal is simple. I wanted to get a phone, pick up a watch, change into some better clothes, and grab a wallet while I was at it. I've already achieved my goal."
Downton answered with a light laugh, but his words made Gordon look at him as though he were an idiot.
"Stop joking, Downton. You kidnapped the daughters of a senator and the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and you planted a bomb in Gotham. Your goal can't possibly be that simple!"
"Fine!"
Faced with Gordon's complete disbelief, Downton shrugged boredly.
"You really are a genius, Gordon. Since you say so, I'll tell you my real goal!
I want to rule this city. I want my shadow to cover Gotham!
I want to announce my arrival to Gotham through my actions. I want to tell every Gothamite in front of the media that their emperor has returned from hell. Hahaha!"
Downton laughed as he mocked them, waving at the female reporter rushing toward him.
"That's right. I want every Gothamite to know my name. You reporter over there, get your ass over here and interview me, or I'll set off the bomb!"
Hearing this, Gordon became somewhat suspicious instead and hesitantly asked Downton.
"Are you sure there's a bomb?"
"Want to find out?"
Downton glared back without a care.
After staring at Downton for a long time, Gordon finally backed down helplessly. He did not dare take the gamble.
While Gordon hesitated, Downton waved toward Lois again.
Lois was brave, but not brave enough to charge into a circle of police officers. She had only wanted to choose the closest and boldest angle for a few photographs and eavesdrop on the conversation.
So when she saw Downton wave at her and threaten her, she froze completely.
Behind her, Jimmy could not help swallowing.
"Lo... Lois, you can't listen to him. It's too dangerous!"
"If I don't listen, he'll set off the bomb. That damned bomber!"
Lois replied before nervously walking toward Downton.
When Gordon saw that Lois actually dared to come over, he immediately stopped her.
"He's dangerous. We can't agree to his conditions!"
"If I were afraid of danger, I wouldn't have chosen this profession. Don't worry, this is my own choice!
And I'll monitor his mental state during the interview and do my best to keep myself safe!"
Lois pushed Gordon aside and approached Downton with righteous determination.
Gordon had wanted to keep stopping her, but Mayor Mitchell's secretary suddenly grabbed his sleeve and pulled him toward the mayor.
Just like that, Lois walked up to Downton and held out her microphone.
"Hello, I'm Lois Lane, special correspondent for Metropolis's Daily Planet.
I want to know what drove you to become who you are today, and why you carried out this kind of act in Gotham—"
"Wait!"
Before Lois could finish, Downton interrupted her with a frown.
"The Daily Planet from Metropolis? You're not even local Gotham media!"
"Huh?" Lois was briefly taken aback. "What difference does that make?"
"It makes a huge difference. You're brushing me off!"
As Lois's eyes widened abruptly, Downton grabbed the hand holding her microphone.
"Don't move!"
"Sit down!"
"Stay still!"
In an instant, countless officers went on high alert. The sounds of pistols being cocked rang out one after another, followed by the mayor's voice from afar.
"Can't you just take him out? Don't let him keep this up! The voters will tear City Hall apart tomorrow!"
Along with the mayor's words came Gordon's explanation.
"Mr. Mayor, he's not an ordinary criminal. He's special. If we open fire, we might let him get away instead!"
Before Gordon had even finished speaking, Downton had already pulled Lois in front of him.
The sudden change made Gordon's heart skip violently from afar, but he was simply too far away, and the other officers besides Gordon were utterly useless.
Downton actually pulled Lois right onto his lap.
Wrapping an arm around Lois, whose face was written with despair, Downton grinned.
"I remember now. You're Lois Lane. Hahaha."
"Y-yes, that's me!"
Held in Downton's arms, Lois forced down the nausea brought on by fear and answered with difficulty.
Seeing how stiff Lois sounded, Downton gently patted her back and continued.
"Relax, Lois. Do you have a boyfriend?"
"N-no. Why?" Lois answered instinctively.
At the same time, seeing Lois taken hostage by a vicious man right under the police's noses, Jimmy, who had been filming nearby, finally could not hold back.
"Let Lois go! Her father is a general and a senator!"
"What?!!"
Downton showed no reaction to Jimmy's words, but the surrounding officers collectively lost it. They immediately looked at one another and shouted.
"Why the fuck didn't you say so earlier!"
"How many well-connected people are there?"
"I need to shoot him. To hell with the bomb!"
"No! I request permission to fire! I need to save her!"
"Save her!"
"Get the general's daughter out of there!!!"
Amid those absurd Gotham cops, Downton smiled and placed his phone in Lois's hand.
"No boyfriend, huh? Then hold on to my phone. I'll call this phone when I have time to contact you. Don't give it to anyone else."
"Fine!"
Hearing Downton's demand, Lois suddenly calmed down and immediately offered him a condition in exchange.
"I'll answer your calls no matter what. Whether you want an exclusive interview or want me to have dinner with you, I'll agree to all of it, as long as you disarm the bomb!
No matter what, don't hurt any more people, Mr. Downton!"
Hearing Lois's words, Downton grinned and leaned close to her ear.
"There was never any bomb, Lois. All I have is nerve."
As soon as the words fell, Downton shoved Lois away and made a phone gesture at her.
"Wait for my call."
With that, Downton turned into a ball of flame and vanished into thin air, leaving only a completely stunned Lois clutching the phone in disbelief.
All around them, the police and Gotham reporters were terrified by Downton's disappearance.
"He vanished!"
"He's gone!"
"Wraith! He's Gotham's Wraith! This is the third time I've seen him disappear in flames!"
"He's a demon walking among men!"
"Those are flames from hell!"
Amid the surrounding screams, Jimmy nervously rushed to Lois's side.
"Lois, are you okay?" he asked worriedly.
Faced with Jimmy's question, Lois swallowed with difficulty, then held up the phone Downton had left behind.
"I'm not okay, Jimmy. I think I'm really in deep trouble!"
Please keep reading, sob sob sob. My reader retention is terrible. I probably won't make it onto the trial recommendations next week...
Before you continue