The War Is About to Begin!

"Bruce, it's good to see you again. I'm very sorry, but we still haven't caught the killer who murdered your parents..."

Gordon took the initiative to apologize to Bruce Wayne.

In fact, this was not their first meeting. Gordon and Harvey had been the officers dispatched to the scene when the Waynes were shot.

Back then, Gordon had comforted Bruce and promised that he would definitely bring the killer to justice.

But now, they did not even have a single lead. Based on the latest clues they had, it appeared to have been nothing more than an ordinary street robbery, no different from the robberies that could happen at any moment outside the Gotham City Police Department. Where were they supposed to start?

When Gordon saw Bruce again, all he felt was guilt. He could not bring himself to blame him at all.

At the mention of his parents, Bruce's little face darkened again.

But after Alfred, the butler behind him, patted his shoulder as a reminder, Bruce forced himself to calm down.

"I believe in you, Detective Gordon." Bruce nodded at him. "I hope you catch the killer who murdered my parents as soon as possible. Just as you said, I've become strong."

Young Bruce Wayne held Detective Gordon, this righteous detective, in deep respect.

Although their exchange had been little more than empty words, the sorrow in Bruce's eyes cast an even darker shadow over Gordon's heart.

His promise, his superior's orders, the justice in his heart...

Even after Bruce Wayne left the police department with Alfred, Gordon remained trapped in his inner conflict.

"Buddy, let's go see whether there are any new leads in the Waynes shooting case."

In the end, Gordon still chose to bow to reality a little—not because he was giving up the justice in his heart, but so he could uphold more justice in the future.

Put simply, an arm could not twist a thigh.

The moment the two entered the evidence room, they saw its technical consultant—Edward Nygma—holding an evidence bag with a smile as he asked them a question.

"Guess what this is, gentlemen?"

"Just tell us, Edward." Harvey had no mood for guessing. He could already imagine how miserable things would become for him and Gordon if they could not solve this case soon. "If I wanted riddles, I'd read the funny pages."

The smile on Edward's face gradually froze. In the end, he lowered his head and read from his notes.

"A .45-caliber cupronickel hollow-point bullet recovered from Thomas Wayne's chest."

Gordon's eyes lit up. He took the evidence bag.

"A six-dollar bullet?"

As a former Marine, Gordon was highly familiar with firearms and ammunition. A bullet like this could provide far more clues.

The killer's weapon, the ballistic trajectory, financial circumstances, the weapon's source...

"Guess what kind of gun fired it..."

"Enough with the guessing!" Harvey impatiently cut Edward off. "Just tell us."

The smile finally vanished from Edward's face. After a moment of silence, he said, "We couldn't find any information on this gun in our database, and there were no fingerprints on the bullet..."

"Anything else?" Harvey's mood worsened.

He knew Gotham well. No one knew exactly how many illegal guns were in Gothamites' hands, just as no one knew the exact number of gang members.

New gangs emerged every day, and new illegal guns flowed into Gotham every day.

How were they supposed to investigate that?

"What is everywhere, all around us, but when you say it exists, it doesn't?" Edward posed another question.

This time, Gordon answered it, catching Edward off guard before his eyes lit up.

"Nothing? As in, no other findings?"

Harvey's mood was utterly terrible.

"Edward, seriously, you should see a psychiatrist."

Leaving behind only that sentence, he pulled Gordon out of the evidence room, leaving Edward standing there in silence as he watched their backs.

Were his riddles really that boring?

After leaving the evidence room, Gordon summed up the clues they had so far.

"The killer wore expensive leather shoes and used expensive ammunition. Street robbers don't know who this person is. Maybe he was a professional hitman or an enemy of the Waynes, not a robber!"

Harvey put on his coat as he glared irritably at Gordon.

"Even if you're right, how did he know the Waynes would definitely take that alley? Bruce Wayne said they only decided to go that way on a whim."

That left Gordon completely speechless.

"Come on, buddy. We need to hurry, or we'll have to go see Fish Mooney. That theater district is her territory..."

There was something Harvey had not told Gordon.

In Gotham, Gotham had its own ways of solving difficult problems. Gordon would never accept such methods, but they could get the two of them out of this mess. Even continuing the investigation into Khada Jhin would be safer than getting involved in this deadly trouble...

War Was About to Begin!

Meanwhile, Li Wei had no idea that the Gotham Police Department—or rather, Gordon—had shifted the focus of its investigation from Khada Jhin back to the Waynes shooting case.

After leaving the asylum, Li Wei headed straight for Gotham's affluent district.

Compared to the filthy, rundown Arkham district, the affluent district was clearly another world entirely.

Here, there were no homeless people on every street corner, nor were there street robberies everywhere.

Instead, there were neat storefront displays lining the streets, luxury cars everywhere, and wealthy people dressed in elegant, exquisite clothing.

Li Wei had not come here to wander around. He was here to shop at the furniture mall.

Only the affluent district offered high-end services like custom furniture. Even the best-off families in the slums could only buy finished furniture, while poorer ones had to settle for secondhand furniture or pick up what others had thrown away from the trash.

He took a taxi straight to the furniture mall.

It had to be said, clothes really did make the man.

The suit he wore at least made him look like a successful businessman.

It spared Li Wei most pointless trouble and disdainful looks. The moment he entered the furniture mall, he even received an enthusiastic welcome from a saleswoman.

"Hello, sir. What would you like to purchase? We're the best furniture mall in all of Gotham City. International luxury brands, private customization—whatever you want, we have it..."

Li Wei waved a hand and cut her off. Not only did the saleswoman show no anger, the smile on her face grew even wider.

Now this was what a rich man looked like!

What should he buy?

Naturally, the first thing was a bed!

He had had enough of that creaky little bed in the office!

And he wanted the best one!

He had five million dollars in cash alone in his account, not even counting the prison medical subsidy that City Hall had yet to issue. Of course he had to enjoy himself!

The moment the saleswoman heard that, her passable face bloomed like a flower.

The commission for private customization was not low. As long as she served him well, the commission on a single piece of furniture could equal a month's salary!

Amid the saleswoman's fawning smile, Li Wei began browsing the custom furniture section.

"How much is this? Ten thousand dollars? No, too cheap..."

"This one is thirty thousand dollars? No, that won't do either. I want the most expensive..."

"Mm, this one is pretty good. One hundred thousand dollars. I'll take it! Put it on the card!"

By the end, the muscles in the saleswoman's face had stiffened from smiling. Li Wei had ordered the most expensive bed in the entire furniture mall.

Spending someone else's money really felt great!

Li Wei could not understand a word of the various custom materials the saleswoman introduced.

It was not that he insisted on being taken for a sucker. He simply understood one principle.

You could doubt capitalists' moral bottom line, but you could never doubt their eye for value.

Especially in this capitalist country, if something was expensive, there had to be a reason for it.

If he met a girl he liked someday, he could use it to extend an invitation.

My bed is big and comfortable. Want to come lie down on it...

In truth, the saleswoman wanted to go back and lie down with Li Wei, but he was utterly uninterested in the flirtatious looks she gave him and ignored them completely...

Because it was custom-made, the bed had to be shipped to Gotham City from elsewhere and would not arrive at Gotham's docks for another two days.

Li Wei was not in any hurry. He could wait two days.

After choosing the bed, Li Wei did not sit idle. He began selecting other furniture and various renovation materials.

Of course, Li Wei was not nearly as generous when choosing the other items.

He basically selected only the materials with the best value for money.

The only thing his own room needed was a large bed. Everything else was for the rooms in Arkham Asylum.

After all, he would not be living there.

Patients should not have living conditions that were too good. It would not help with their recovery and reform!

After finishing his purchases, the saleswoman eagerly recommended a renovation company to Li Wei, but he decisively refused.

What a joke!

He had already bought the materials and furniture!

Was he supposed to pay for the installation too?

The patients should renovate their own rooms! More labor meant better recovery and reform! People could not stay idle. Once people got idle, they got sick easily!

Ten hours of work a day was enough!

Li Wei swore that he absolutely was not exploiting or oppressing patients. This was merely his unique treatment method, and it would definitely make every patient who came to Arkham Asylum feel right at home!

Over the next two days, Li Wei became completely busy.

Every day, he purchased all kinds of materials, while trucks constantly came and went through the gates of Arkham Asylum.

This asylum, which had been closed to the public for fifteen years, finally gained a trace of life.

After returning from the Court of Owls, Dr. Hugo plunged straight back into the laboratory. He was still wracking his brain over how to synthesize the Rage Potion, and Li Wei could not help him with that.

Everything seemed to be getting on track.

But the one thing Li Wei found strange was that Gordon and Harvey, that detective duo, had not come to bother him again since their last visit to Arkham Asylum.

Had the two of them completely cleared him of suspicion?

He had roughly looked through the profiling reports and information on Khada Jhin that Dr. Hugo brought back from the Court of Owls.

All those analysis documents carried the same signature—Edward Nygma.

As expected of the future Riddler. His analysis in those documents was already quite accurate.

Li Wei was naturally on the suspect list as well, though his suspicion level was low.

Given Gordon's personality, although he would not frame anyone, he also would never stop investigating anyone who was even slightly suspicious.

That was until Li Wei saw Gordon and Harvey on Gotham TV again that evening.

"...The shooting case involving the Waynes of Wayne Enterprises, which occurred some time ago, has finally come to a close today. According to Sheriff James Gordon and Sheriff Harvey Bullock of the Gotham Police Department, the murderer was Mario Pepper..."

The television news was reporting the latest developments in the case.

"...The murderer fired back with a gun during the pursuit and has now been shot dead..."