The Riddler (Part 1)

Hiss!

The female officer next to Gordon plugged the USB drive into the computer.

"It's already reading... it'll be ready in a moment. We've slowed it down... frame by frame."

"Here it comes."

Gordon sat in the Gotham PD's adjustable chair, adjusting his glasses.

"This was a few hours ago. That's John Peterson, the victim of this murder. Right there."

The screen gradually lit up. The black and white, intermittently static-filled, blurry footage had a silent film-like absurdity and horror.

"Our victim usually took the subway home, but that day he decided to take a taxi."

"Now look to the left."

Jim Gordon squinted.

"That's the Riddler. By the time the surveillance caught him, he had already drawn his gun. See? In his left hand. I remember the Riddler isn't left-handed."

"Actually, it happened in the blink of an eye, without hesitation... or any other movement."

The female officer's voice echoed: "Can't tell if he said anything. We've looked closely, and his lips don't look like they moved, so based on what we know now, we infer he likely didn't speak."

Gordon already guessed what would happen next, but he was a little hesitant to believe it.

"This is the moment of the shot."

Commissioner Gordon pursed his lips.

He saw the Riddler in the footage raise his pistol at the back of the innocent victim's head.

Bang!

The gunshot seemed to explode in Jim Gordon's ears, though there was no sound in the surveillance footage, silent like a tombstone.

"A headshot, killed instantly. The crowd started to panic and flee from the source of the noise," the female officer said. "The Riddler lowered his gun, without aiming or attacking anyone else."

"The crowd was still fleeing in a panic. He threw the gun next to the victim's body and didn't touch it again until we arrived at the scene."

"Very calm, no screaming or similar actions, very professional. Up to this point... he hadn't said a word."

"This is the first patrol car that rushed over. We happened to have an officer named Sean a block and a half away. He got out of the car... and yelled loudly at the Riddler."

"He heard him," Gordon said. "Without a doubt."

"This is all the information on the case of the Riddler shooting John Peterson on the street."

Commissioner Gordon saw the Riddler in the footage turn to look at the camera, pull a card with the Batman logo from his coat. He smiled gently, then said—

"Where is he?"

Interrogation room.

The desk lamp was turned on. The Riddler tilted his head slightly, avoiding the harsh light.

Commissioner Gordon sat down opposite the Riddler.

"He won't come. Edward isn't worth his time."

"Do you know the oldest riddle? From ancient Sumeria, about 4000 years ago."

He slightly raised the handcuffs in his hand:

"I am everywhere, but unseen. I can often escape, but never be caught. I will find you at the crossroads, even chase you to the next corner. What am I?"

"Death."

"I can be broken, spoken, made, played. What am I?"

"I don't have time to play riddles with you."

Commissioner Gordon interrupted him: "Nigma. You shot poor John Peterson in the head in broad daylight and then waited for the police to arrive."

"Did you do this for a reason? Did he owe you money? Did you owe him money? Did you lose to him in poker or something? Maybe he slept with your girlfriend—"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"The answer is a joke."

"So... regarding a girlfriend, does that mean no?"

"You don't like jokes?" the Riddler said.

He smiled gently, as shy as a student answering a teacher in school, his eyes even seeming to hold a clear sort of foolishness.

"Want to guess another one?"

"How did the Joker know Xiaoba was home that day? How did he know where you lived? How did he get through your security system? We both know him. He's a strange guy—crazy and complex, but not good at planning."

"..."

The Riddler made a gesture of making a phone call, imitating the Joker and his conversation on the spot:

"Hey~ dear Ed~ how's the plan going? I want to pull off a 'Bad Day', but I have no idea where to start."

"Well, how about this, Jack—how about starting with the Commissioner and his daughter? I've already planned everything, but it's so simple I'm bored. Sing me a song, and I'll give it to you."

"Wow, that's perfect, Ed. Listen, I'll throw in a dance for free."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

The Riddler said dismissively, and the fate of a girl was viciously smeared, like a patch of ink-black stain on a wall.

Gordon slowly clenched his fists.

He reminded himself repeatedly that the Riddler just wanted to provoke him.

He couldn't let his emotions be so easily manipulated by the other party; it meant a complete loss of control and a total breakdown of his mind. Facing the Riddler, this was an extremely dangerous stat...

"You ##%%@# son of a—How dare you?" Gordon suddenly jumped up from his seat and grabbed the Riddler by the neck. "How dare you ##%%@# in front of me!"

But the next second, Gordon forcefully controlled himself, not continuing to vent his anger.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough!" The Riddler coughed heartbreakingly behind him. "Are you okay, Gorduo? You don't look too happy."

"Oh no… did everyone find out about Sergeant Sarah? How did you… you know, ##%%@# her and force her to transfer?"

"This way you can hide your affair from your pregnant wife?"

"She was your subordinate, man, she used to have her own career, and then… well, we know what happened then, don't we? Poor woman."

Jim Gordon calmed down. Anger was gradually replaced by shame. Just as he was about to immerse himself in it, he suddenly realized that in front of the Riddler, his emotions were easily molded like ceramics.

So he turned around, no longer facing his prisoner.

But this wasn't normal. For so many years, no matter when the Riddler committed a crime, riddles would be left at the scene.

A murder without a riddle? This went against the Riddler's criminal pattern. Edward Nigma should have been the one who looked down on such low-level crime.

Gordon had a faint feeling: something seemed wrong. The Riddler… seemed to no longer be the Riddler of the past.

But no matter what, he had been caught now.

Gordon said, "You'll be transferred to the rebuilt Arkham Asylum. You can wait there. Maybe Batman will have time to interrogate you."

He looked at the Riddler, his pupils reflecting the sinister smile on the other's face:

"Do you believe it?"

He heard Edward Nigma say, "Escaping this cage… will only take 20 seconds."