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Commissioner Gordon was on the phone. The atmosphere in the office was abnormally oppressive; even the secretary outside the door was trembling.

Through the blinds of the partition, Gordon's face could be seen alternating between red and white, as colorful as Gotham's neon lights at night.

"Three bombings in fifteen minutes! Three! What's going to happen next?!"

A beastly roar came from the receiver. Maybe it was an illusion, but Gordon's hair seemed to have been blown askew.

"Listen to me, Mr. Mayor. We're severely understaffed, especially when it comes to bomb disposal teams. The areas around the three blast sites still haven't been fully searched, and ACE Chemical Plant is suspected to have a leak. I—"

Gordon stretched his arm out, holding the receiver away from his ear, but the other man's voice remained thunderous.

"I don't care! If this affects my approval rating, Gordon, I'll drag you down with me!"

"I—"

"Beep, beep, beep."

The other party gave Commissioner Gordon no chance to explain and hung up immediately. He was probably in a hurry to discuss countermeasures with his staff and prepare remarks for a public press conference.

Slap! Gordon slammed the receiver back onto the phone and panted heavily.

That mayor was stupider than a pig, yet he was remarkably good at fooling voters. Every Gothamite was fucking blind.

Gordon calmed himself. The situation was urgent, and this was no time to play political games with the mayor.

The priority was to inspect key businesses and institutions across the city, lest another bomb go off. The suspect had left a message in paint outside the blast sites, claiming there were more than a dozen bombs in Gotham City.

The pressure on Gordon was immense.

Yet there simply weren't enough officers. Only desk personnel remained at the precinct.