studiobondurri Chapter 17: Ch.16 Arrival At The Scene
Chapter 17: Ch.16 Arrival At The Scene
Chapter 17: Ch.16 Arrival At The Scene
The journey this time was longer, as Cindy had to take the northern ring road due to the flooding in the underground tunnel. By the time they arrived at the previously located spot, it was already past 1 a.m.
Under the pitch-black night sky, everything was covered in water, with the line between the ground and the sky blurred. However, they could still see Commissioner Gordon's brown sedan parked by the roadside not far ahead, its taillights still glowing.
Su Ming and Cindy prepared to get out and investigate the scene. As for the two reporters, even if they tried to send Vika away, she wouldn't leave. She was still waiting for more juicy material and the "action-packed footage" Su Ming had promised her.
Peter, being Vika's sidekick, certainly didn't have the guts to walk through three gang territories alone in the dead of night.
"Can I get out and film a crime scene documentary or something?" Vika hurriedly started putting on her coat, looking eagerly at Su Ming.
Su Ming didn't mind. Having some recorded footage might come in handy. "Sure, but don't film both Deathstrokes at the same time, and don't film Barbara. No live streaming. If you try any tricks, I'll make sure you wish you were dead."
Cindy didn't object either. After all, it didn't matter which one of them did the thinking—both were capable. In fact, she felt an unexpected sense of comfort, as if she were with an old friend, like Holly.
Barbara also wanted to go down, but due to her limited mobility, she had to stay in the van.
The cold air washed over Su Ming again, pushing away all distractions. He quickly approached Gordon's car, opened the door, and started examining the scene.
The car smelled of tobacco and coffee but not blood. Gordon's phone sat neatly on the dashboard, showing several missed calls from Barbara, confirming that it was indeed his phone.
The car keys were still in the ignition, and the engine was in neutral, suggesting that Gordon had only planned to leave the car for a short time, but something unexpected had happened.
The fuel tank was half full, the battery was charged, and there were no signs of tampering with the hood or the trunk, ruling out vehicle malfunction.
So, what caused him to leave his car and fall into the black-clad attackers' trap?
"Su, there's a body in the water over here."
Cindy, who had been checking the surveillance cameras, jumped down from a nearby utility pole, splashing water everywhere. There was indeed a device like a music player attached to the surveillance camera. She collected the equipment, planning to study it later.
As she walked toward Su Ming, she noticed a faint white shape under the dirty water not far from the car. Her experience told her it was a corpse.
Su Ming immediately understood that this body was likely what drew Gordon from his car. As a police officer, finding a body would ensure that he'd stop and investigate, no matter the time.
This meant the attackers wanted Gordon alive, not dead, which was good news.
Cindy used her foot to pull the corpse from the water. It had already started to deform from soaking, and the rain had accelerated the breakdown of fat, making the skin look loose and saggy.
Su Ming understood as well. A body in such physical condition was no ordinary person.
"The League of Shadows," they said simultaneously.
This time, though, they simply stood silently over the corpse, saying nothing more.
A League of Shadows assassin had died here. No matter who was responsible, the assassins would avenge her. That was their ancient tradition.
If the ones who kidnapped Gordon were responsible, the League wouldn't care to differentiate. They would kill everyone as a warning, and Gordon's life would be in danger.
"How far is Nanda Parbat from Gotham?" Su Ming asked, needing to calculate time.
"You don't know? How long does it take in your world?" Cindy was curious. She knew Su Ming had access to things her world didn't—maybe faster travel methods?
Nanda Parbat, the League of Shadows' headquarters, wasn't actually in the south but rather in a frozen, mysterious place that no technology could detect.
Like Themyscira, Atlantis, and the House of Mystery, it was shielded by some unknown force or existed outside the material world.
From what Su Ming could gather from shows like *Arrow* and the *Dark Knight* trilogy, it was probably somewhere around Iceland or Greenland.
"About seven hours?" Su Ming estimated, calculating Gotham's location relative to a flight.
"Too slow! Here, it only takes four hours. You'd find assassins swarming Gotham by then."
What? Faster than a plane? Did they have some secret travel method?
"This isn't exactly a competition. We're short on time!" Su Ming interrupted, annoyed. Why was she so proud of even the assassins' travel speed?
"Fine. Those black-clad guys are probably hiding in the nearby buildings. Let's check for any clues." Cindy sighed.
"Alright, I'll go that way."
Su Ming turned to leave. Time was running out. Cindy shrugged in the rain. She just wanted to show off her strength—Amazon women were like that—but it seemed Su wasn't impressed.
She kicked open the door of the nearest building and began questioning the residents, seemingly venting her frustration by hacking at anything in sight.
As soon as they left, Vika and Peter approached the body, recording everything. Suddenly, Vika felt something under her foot and noticed a wound on the corpse's waist, making a discovery that brought a smile to her face.