The searchlight lit up again, its beam like a blade drawn from its sheath, plunging straight into the soft belly of the clouds. A black bat spread its wings within it, suspended above the city like a motionless warning, or a wound that had never healed, looming before everyone's eyes.
Clouds drifted slowly behind it, bringing the sound of a cape snapping in the dead of night and the marks of boots landing on gargoyles.
Li Jie lay on the roof of a tall building two intersections away from the Gotham Police Department's Central Headquarters, holding a pair of high-powered binoculars. Through the lenses, he could clearly see James Gordon standing alone beside the searchlight in a trench coat, smoking irritably.
"I'm going to see how you pop out of nowhere, no matter what."
Muttering to himself, he swept his view around Gordon and the Police Department. The area around GCPD headquarters was relatively quiet, but farther away, elsewhere in the West District, the fireworks seemed much more spectacular than in the East End.
"Now that's a lively neighborhood."
He thought that with a touch of schadenfreude. Bruce Wayne had donated plenty of money to Central Headquarters, but Gordon wasn't shameless enough to go knocking on his door for more. Besides, every equipment purchase had to follow strict specifications and approval procedures, to avoid giving anyone grounds for criticism. As a result, spending that money always seemed to be a struggle for Gordon.
"Where is he?"
More than ten minutes had passed, and Gordon was still the only person on the headquarters rooftop. Li Jie adjusted the mat beneath him to make himself more comfortable. Suddenly, someone beside him asked:
"What are you looking at?"
"Batman. Waiting to see when he shows up."
Holding up his binoculars, Li Jie answered