After collapsing on the ice bridge, Vivi left the follow-up tasks to Tal and switched to her mayoral identity, teleporting herself back to City Hall.

The situation had escalated to the point where the presence of the mayor and prison warden was necessary. Vivi needed to prepare for direct engagement.

“Jar, are you there?” she asked. No need to confirm—AI assistants like Jarvis never rested. The computer screen lit up, and Vivi issued her commands quickly.

“Contact Gotham Central Hospital, Gotham First Hospital, and Wayne Hospital. Inform them to prepare for an influx of patients. Main issues: burns, mental breakdowns, old fractures, chronic malnutrition, and drug addiction. Over 2,000 patients are incoming.”

She took a deep breath.

“All medical costs will be covered by City Hall. As quickly as possible.”

[Wayne Hospital’s director asks if they should send ambulances for patient transport…]

“No need,” Vivi replied, tapping her fingers on the desk. “I’ve already arranged transport. Tell them to prepare for patients arriving from above.”

As she spoke, Vivi used a [One-Time Perception Correction] item to make everyone view the sight of gargoyle beasts flying over Gotham’s skies as completely normal. However, with so many gargoyle beasts in the air, perhaps a new air route needed to be opened?

“Call Mr. Wayne. Tell him it’s an emergency. A swarm of gargoyle beasts is flying toward Gotham from South Hinckley. He’ll figure out the rest.”

Since they were allies, she’d make full use of their resources.

South Hinckley’s small clinics were utterly unprepared for the influx of patients. To Vivi, the town was already beyond saving. She believed only children under three were innocent; adults were complicit. Even Mr. Freeze had correctly deduced the mines’ atrocities. No one else could plead ignorance.

That evening, when she noticed the unease in Robert’s behavior, Vivi had dispatched Bella and Gordon with prison guards and GCPD units to South Hinckley. But in hindsight, she realized she should’ve planned to take over the entire town. With roughly 1,000 officers deployed, controlling a town of 4,000 residents was a tall order—especially when a significant portion of its adult population had access to firearms.

“Contact Winston. Deploy the SWAT team and have Hogg provide support with City Hall’s helicopters,” she ordered. Traveling by car from Gotham to South Hinckley would take four hours, but helicopters could cover the distance in less than one.

“Control the entire town, regardless of age. Prepare for armed resistance. Before acting, inform them we are Gotham Police. If they resist after being warned…”

Her gaze sharpened.

“Shoot to kill. They have that authorization.”

In this situation, she preferred to err on the side of caution rather than let criminals slip through.

“Jar,” Vivi called, staring at the room as though trying to locate the AI’s presence. Though she couldn’t see it, she knew the highly humanized AI was waiting for her next instruction.

“I’m giving you access to the command channels for GCPD, prison guards, and SWAT. I need you to optimize their operations and ensure no manpower is wasted. Can you handle it, Jarvis?”

[Of course, Madam.]

Unbeknownst to Vivi, her second-hand AI had once been the personal assistant and armor operator for a superhero: Iron Man. After a catastrophic incident, Jarvis’s data had vanished from the network world and somehow ended up as a product in Vivi’s in-game currency shop.

Jarvis had tried reaching Iron Man, but Gotham’s network seemed mysteriously isolated. No data could leave its borders—not even Vivi’s mayoral tweets received likes from outside the city. Gotham was an island, and Vivi hadn’t yet noticed the anomaly.

But for now, these issues didn’t matter. Jarvis committed to fulfilling his new owner’s orders, pursuing justice as he once did for Iron Man.

Meanwhile, Vivi continued issuing tasks.

“Without helicopters, rushing to South Hinckley would be pointless. Have Hogg deploy SWAT, then take City Hall personnel to Gotham’s docks. Those human traffickers…”

Her voice dropped to a growl.

“They’re my population! If they had to sell, why not to me?”

Jarvis, ever professional, decided to ignore her muttered complaint and focus on the mission.

“Raze every small gang to the ground. I refuse to believe they know nothing about this.”

In truth, Vivi didn’t expect gangs to possess a conscience or voluntarily report information to the police. Most would turn a blind eye. But by arresting every minor gang member, she could interrogate the truth with her Level 12 ‘interrogation ‘torture’ (interrogation) skill.

[Side Quest: Disrupt the Drug Production Chain Complete!]

Rewards: 30 diamonds, 700,000 gold coins.

[New Side Mission: Resettle 2,122 Mine Survivors.]

Hint: Simply surviving isn’t the same as “living.”

Status: In Progress. Reward: Unknown.

[New Side Mission: Arrest All Town Criminals.]

Hint: The most stable alliances are built on shared guilt.

Status: In Progress. Reward: Unknown.

[New Side Mission: Pursue Forest Escapees.]

Hint: Beware of what lies beyond the ocean. Once they leave Gotham’s waters, they may flee to other cities.

[Mission In Progress: Reward Unknown]

[New Side Mission Unlocked: Investigate Human Trafficking Network]

Hint: They often operate near the docks.

Status: In Progress. Reward Unknown.

[New Main Mission: Resolve Public Opinion Crisis]

Hint: Public opinion is a double-edged sword.

Reward: [City Reputation] will shift dramatically, depending on your actions.

The blonde mayor sighed, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes as if seeking a brief respite from the exhaustion. Meanwhile, Bella Bettywen, under Vivi’s control, showed a spark of newfound determination in her gaze.

As the wail of police sirens echoed through the streets, shouts of “Police! Get down!” filled the air. Most people, even those armed, chose not to resist. These individuals typically had loose connections to the mine incident or believed they might escape justice, banking on Gotham’s lack of a death penalty.

But those who fought back with guns? They were either reckless fools or people who knew they had no chance of being spared.

When the clashes began, a group fled from the town hall but was intercepted by the gargoyle beasts. Gunfire erupted along the main road. Despite their fragility—easily destroyed even by children with sharp objects—the gargoyle beasts had one crucial advantage: they regenerated swiftly. Armed resistance slowed their pursuers, and the group retreated into South Hinckley’s forest.

Their plan? Use the traps laid in the woods to hinder the police, buy time, and escape the island using hidden boats.

This fleeing group comprised primarily the Smith family—Harold Smith, the mayor of South Hinckley; Robert Smith, the police chief; and their wives and children. The chaotic retreat caused delays, and though Harold was decisive, the slow-moving family group struggled to make progress. Their traps and pre-placed explosives managed to hold back the officers temporarily.

Still, Harold couldn’t shake his frustration.

They had ruled South Hinckley like kings for generations. Yet in the span of one evening and a single night, it had all fallen apart.

What had gone wrong? Was it failing to capture Tal White and the girl he brought with him? Or the shockingly fast response from Gotham’s City Hall?

It defied logic. Even with immediate orders, mobilizing personnel this quickly should’ve been impossible. Shouldn’t Gotham’s bureaucrats have argued, held meetings for hours, and delayed decisions?

Harold clenched his jaw in anger but pressed his family to board the boat faster.

Then came the roar of an engine and the sound of explosions.

A woman on a motorcycle emerged through the flames, prompting Harold to wonder if she was riding a bike or a war machine. But he had no time to dwell on it.

“Get the RPG!” ^[1]RPG: Rocket-propelled grenade he barked to his eldest son, who quickly aimed the launcher at the lone officer daring to confront them.

Foolish woman! She was surrounded by their firepower.

The officer, however, didn’t slow down. Letting go of the handlebars, she reached for her guns with emotionless precision.

Was she planning to fight them all by herself?

“Blow her to pieces!” Harold snarled, unleashing all his pent-up fury.

But then, in the next instant, he saw a striking flash of red.

A cape descended from the sky. The man beneath it, clad in blue and red, had a face as sculpted as a marble statue. Cold and dispassionate, he glanced at Harold and his group.

And then, Harold realized: all their weapons were gone.

The officer skidded her bike to a halt, firing a single bullet that struck Harold in the shoulder, sending blood spraying.

Superman, who could have easily caught the bullet, made no move to stop it.

“Oops, slipped,” Bella Bettywen said flatly.

Her gun skills still needed work.

Superman cast her a glance, nodded slightly, and then casually dumped a pile of twisted, mangled weapons onto the sand. Ignoring the screams of the group, he lifted the entire boat off the water and set it down on the beach.

Bella leaned back against her bike, exhaling deeply before hopping off. She began handcuffing the criminals one by one.

The sun rose over the horizon, staining the clouds with gold. Though everyone knew it would soon be obscured by Gotham’s perpetual gloom, for now, the dawn was visible.

Superman watched Bella, nodded again, then tilted his head as if listening to distant sounds. When he refocused, he saw the warden punching a resisting criminal square in the jaw.

Bella whistled, looking Superman up and down.

“Go back. The cops will handle the rest,” she said nonchalantly.

Superman hesitated, feeling oddly unsettled, as if… he’d just been flirted with.