James Gordon leaned against his patrol car, drinking coffee that was almost cold, when the roar of an engine came from the end of King's Avenue. He turned to look. The headlights of the Eastern District Precinct's armored Patrol Van appeared in the darkness. A moment later, it swept past him in a cloud of dust and stopped a short distance behind him.
That was one hell of a machine.
Gordon spat out a mouthful of saliva and dust, then walked toward Li Jie as he jumped down from the cab.
"Jay, where are you guys headed this late?"
"That Dismemberment Case you asked me to help with, of course. Ed..." He jerked a thumb toward the van, where Nygma had just gotten out and was walking over. "He used terms like... Propofol, metabolism, flow rate, and narrowed down the suspects in the end. I can't remember any of it. I'll just handle the arrest."
"Hey, Jim."
"Hey, Ed." Gordon shook Nygma's hand. "Seriously, Loeb shouldn't have let you go."
Nygma smiled without saying anything. Li Jie studied Gordon's haggard face and frowned slightly.
"Jim, I think you're going to drop dead."
"You're absolutely right. I've been living in my car for nearly three days." Gordon sighed. "Who knows when Black Mask will go berserk? This morning, I got an anonymous call saying Black Mask might be planning something big soon, and that the police should stay on high alert."
"But you don't have to..."
"Then I passed it up the chain... You know, Loeb hasn't left yet, but his word doesn't count anymore. Everything's decided by Barnes, the incoming chief. And then..."
Gordon let out an even heavier sigh. "He ordered every officer to cancel all leave and remain at their posts."
"That's fucking..." Li Jie shook his head,