Under the cover of night, Archie Goodwin International Airport looked like an island suspended at Gotham's edge, brightly lit yet unable to dispel the heavy darkness surrounding it.
Li Jie parked the police Patrol Van marked GCPD outside the departures lane and leaned against its door, watching the stream of people pour out.
He had expected a few foundation representatives in suits, looking every inch the corporate elite. So when a man with a world-weary gaze came into view, he paused in surprise.
"Mr. Queen... you actually came in person?"
Oliver Queen stood tall in well-tailored, dark casual clothes, his face still bearing a little of the tan left by Star City's sunshine.
"I... still had a few things I wanted to discuss with you, so I decided to come see this famous city for myself."
He gestured to the person beside him. "Thea. You two have met."
"Wow, so this is Gotham?" Thea took a deep breath and wrinkled her nose. "It smells... pretty distinctive."
The short-haired girl greeted him with a curious expression.
"A blend of sea breeze, rust, garbage, and concentrated essence of crime," Li Jie added flatly. "You'll get used to it."
Oliver pointed to a heavily built, bald Black man standing beside him with a watchful gaze.
"John Diggle. My friend, driver, and bodyguard."
"John, this is Li Jie, Gotham's Sheriff. You missed each other last time in Star City."
"Hey!" Li Jie offered the big man his hand. "He gave you three job titles. Does he pay you three salaries?"
"Thank you for bringing that to my attention, officer." The bodyguard shook his hand, neither servile nor overbearing. "I'll have to discuss that with my boss later."
"Sheriff, sorry for the trouble of making you come out here yourself this late." Oliver Queen glanced