"Uh... what are you guys..."
Gordon was somewhat dumbstruck as he watched the three men climb out of the ground like they were cosplaying Super Mario.
"Ptooey, ptooey. Don't even ask. Some bastard screwed us over. Ptooey, ptooey..."
Zuo Ci brushed the dust off himself as he grumbled.
Batman paid little attention to his disheveled state and walked straight toward Gordon.
"Commissioner, I think someone's calling me over there. I'll go check."
Since Batman's current status was rather awkward, the officers who saw him approaching tactfully blocked the cameras in various ways and quietly moved away from Gordon, leaving them plenty of room to talk.
"Gordon, there are still people buried down there. I need to get it dug open."
Gordon immediately understood. He picked up his radio and called for the officers to contact the nearest construction crew and have them come dig up the road.
"This may sound cruel, Batman, but I think the people down there have probably already..."
After making the arrangements, Gordon weighed his words before speaking slowly. Batman, Zuo Ci, and that "giant" were no ordinary men. It was hardly surprising that they had survived.
But the ordinary people had probably all died. He worried Batman would blame himself for failing to save them, so he wanted to offer him a little comfort.
"I know, Gordon."
Batman's voice was as raspy as ever, without a trace of emotion.
"Let me give you a rough rundown. I'll need to ask you for a favor in a minute anyway."
Having cleaned the grime off himself, Zuo Ci walked over to Gordon with the Crystal Ball in hand and briefly explained what they had done.
Naturally, he left out and sugarcoated quite a bit of his own involvement. Some things were simply too embarrassing to say aloud.