“Commissioner Gordon!
And that…
uh…
what’s his name again?”
Will recognized the newcomers, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember the name of Gordon’s supporting-character partner.
The man’s appearance was almost exactly as Will remembered from the movies.
The stubble on his face had grown wildly, like a patch of grass ravaged by a goat.
A filthy woolen fedora sat on his head.
His broad, short, stocky body was wrapped in a taupe trench coat that looked as though someone had crumpled up a newspaper and thrown it over him, with coffee stains still lingering around the collar.
As far as Will remembered, he was one of the few good cops in Gotham.
Unfortunately, he had far too little screen time.
“Why?!
Why did James get to become commissioner?
Why am I the one whose name is ‘what’s his name again?!'”
Bullock was extremely unhappy with the nickname.
He was just about to light a cigarette when he reached into his pocket and discovered that even his cigars had gotten soaked.
“It’s you!”
Gordon recognized Will.
After all, there were plenty of lunatics in Gotham, but not many perverts.
But then his gaze shifted toward Catwoman.
A young woman dressed in a leather suit and wearing a cat-eared mask!
Her appearance matched the description of the suspect in the recent string of robberies almost perfectly.
“Hands behind your head!”
Gordon, who had been relaxed just a moment ago, suddenly drew his gun and made his move.
Seeing that Catwoman showed no intention of resisting, he pulled out his handcuffs and slowly approached her in a half-crouch, reciting the Miranda warning more smoothly than a nursery rhyme.
“You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…”
What the hell was going on?!
Will was completely bewildered.
Selina, however, was perfectly clear-headed.
Catwoman never sat around waiting for things to happen.
Seeing the silver handcuffs about to close around her wrists, she twisted her wrist and struck first.
Her right hand seized Gordon by the shoulder.
Her toes kicked and hooked.
In the blink of an eye, she had thrown him to the ground.
By the time Bullock hurriedly drew his revolver, Selina had already wrapped her whip around Gordon’s neck.
“Gentlemen, you’re even more dedicated to your jobs than I imagined!
You leave the monster wandering around the sewers alone, yet you’re concerned about one little thief?”
“Little thief?
Don’t sell yourself short.
You’ve just added assaulting a police officer to your list of charges.
The gates of Blackgate Prison are wide open for you!”
Bullock kept his gun trained on her while relentlessly running his mouth.
“Is that so?
Then what about those people from the Roman Empire?
They’ve beaten plenty of cops, yet I’ve never seen any of them spend a night in prison.
You grain-warehouse rats who only know how to bully the weak!”
Seeing the situation about to spiral out of control, Will spread his arms and stepped between the two.
“Listen to me, everyone.
I think we’re all here for the same reason.
Why don’t we cooperate and deal with the immediate danger first?”
“I’ve got no problem with that.
You should ask your little thief friend.”
Bullock holstered his gun and spat into the sewage.
“If even a grain-warehouse rat has no objection, how could I possibly object?”
Selina smiled sweetly, but the sarcastic edge in her voice was particularly biting.
Once Bullock put his gun away, Selina pushed her hostage back toward him.
But she still took the precaution of quietly stealing Gordon’s gun and handcuffs.
“I’ll hold onto these for you for now.
I’ll give them back once we’re out.
Assuming we actually make it out.”
“What do you mean?!”
Bullock glared at her.
He was already furious, especially after being called a grain-warehouse rat twice in the span of a few sentences.
Aside from his instinctive fear of Disney’s legal department, Bullock also hated that nickname.
But with corrupt cops ruling Gotham, it was hardly surprising that citizens talked about them that way behind their backs.
Even Gordon and Bullock got caught in the crossfire.
Selina looked Bullock up and down, undisguised contempt in her eyes.
“Judging by the two of you, you came down from the level above as well.
The enemy hiding in the darkness deliberately made noises to drive us down one level at a time.
I’ll bet there’s some kind of trap waiting for us further ahead.”
“Whatever trap there is has nothing to do with me.
I’ve had enough of this damn place!
Partner, let’s study the map and get out of here as soon as possible!”
Bullock said this, but Gordon remained silent.
“What is it?”
He turned his head and saw Gordon repeatedly tapping at his phone, whose screen had gone completely black.
“My phone got soaked.
Is yours still working?”
Bullock searched himself but found nothing.
Already hostile toward Catwoman, he naturally assumed she had stolen it.
“Thief, did you steal my phone?”
“How ridiculous.
A grain-warehouse rat who takes money from the mob and feeds on taxpayers’ money is accusing someone else of stealing?”
“What do you mean by that?
What do you mean?!”
Seeing the two about to start arguing again, Will’s head began to ache.
He knew that if they kept bickering like this, none of them would make it out.
“All of you, shut up!”
With one roar, all three turned toward Will at the same time.
“Let me establish something first.
None of you have a map, right?”
All three shook their heads. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“And none of you know the way?”
All three nodded.
“Then there’s only one way out.
We go to the drainage outlet and pray the current carries us into the sea.”
Gordon’s eyes lit up when he heard the suggestion, but he immediately tightened his expression and stroked his beard.
In theory, the method was viable.
To keep Gotham’s sewers flowing freely, the city had removed the filtration grates along the waterways back in the last century.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have fallen to the level below so easily.
If they followed the current, there was indeed a very good chance they would eventually flow into the sea.
The problem was that the elevation difference inside the sewers was enormous.
No one could guarantee that they wouldn’t be injured during the descent.
And even if they survived the drop from the outlet into the ocean, they would face a second challenge.
The sewer system’s main outlet led to Coventry, adjacent to Arkham Asylum.
The cliffs there were a good thirty or forty zhang high, with reefs packed beneath the surface and jagged rocks jutting upward.
Could anyone really survive a fall like that?
And even if they were lucky enough to survive, how would they get back to shore?
But staying here and waiting for rescue was even more unrealistic.
No one understood the Gotham Police Department better than Gordon.
The two most reliable cops in the entire department were trapped down here.
If they were counting on those useless drunks to come rescue them, they would either die of methane poisoning or starve to death.
Oh, sorry.
In the Gotham Police Department, “useless drunks” was practically a compliment.
After weighing the pros and cons, Gordon became the first to agree to the plan.
Bullock was still hesitant, but the moment he saw his partner nod, he immediately raised his hand in agreement.
Likewise, no one understood his partner better than Bullock.
Gordon loved his daughter, Barbara, deeply.
If he had any other choice, he would never willingly put himself in danger.
Will looked toward Selina.
She was the only one who hadn’t given her answer.
“Me…?
Hoo…”
Catwoman puffed out her cheeks and let out a long breath.
“Honestly, I’m starting to regret this.
Tonight’s plan was a complete failure.
We didn’t find the money, we got lost in the sewers, and now you’re telling me we have to follow the outlet into the ocean…”
Her sixth sense told her that this plan was extremely dangerous.
So she intended to bail.
But before leaving, she still offered the three men her sincere blessing.
“I’ll stay here and try to find another way out.
I hope we can all make it back to the surface alive.”
Will didn’t try to persuade her.
Without Catwoman, his plan to steal the money would probably fall through.
But there was nothing he could do.
He wasn’t ruthless enough to drag someone else into a dangerous plan when he knew there was a real chance it could get them killed.
“Thanks for the good wishes.
Good luck!”
He handed his flashlight to Selina and waved goodbye.