Batman had left Gotham.

After the Bat-Signal was dismantled, Gordon had it moved to GCPD headquarters. However, it hadn’t been lit much since.

Typically, the Bat-Signal was used when Gotham faced major crises that the police couldn’t handle. Although recent events had been significant, they were resolved without Batman’s intervention.

On this day, Vivi knew that to ensure the secure transfer of prisoners, Batman had left Gotham and traveled to Washington with the convoy. He seemed to have adopted a new undercover identity, but what did that matter to Vivi?

Robin, a.k.a. Tim Drake, was also busy—not just with Wayne Enterprises but with assisting the police in tracking down trafficking victims, especially children. Unfortunately, Vivi couldn’t help much with this task; the mission description indicated that the children had been sold to other cities. The clubs involved had already given up their records and leads, but it was up to the police to follow up in those distant locations.

The most Vivi could do was invest in expanding Gotham’s orphanages.

Vivi pushed open the tavern door, glanced in one direction, and then followed the patron who had gone to the “restroom.”

Thanks to the milk, Charlie wasn’t as intoxicated as usual and quickly recognized Vivi as the new Gotham vigilante, the Nightwatch. He watched as the girl, her cloak billowing like a fluffy animal, chased after the man.

After she left, another figure stood up from the corner and silently followed them out.

That meant three people exited the tavern’s back door in succession. Charlie muttered to himself, “Am I caught up in something big?”

Recalling the stories he had just been boasting about, his face changed. He immediately called his friends, urging them to stay safe and not to open their doors for anyone.

The first patron to leave was Peter Chris, the City Hall logistics director.

Vivi intercepted him. Leaping overhead, she landed in front of him, holding a pipe horizontally as a barrier. “The mayor wants to see you, Chris.”

The man gave a nervous laugh. “…Oh? Then perhaps I could hail a cab, Miss? I doubt the mayor would meet me in an alley.”

The alley was damp from a recent rain, and dark clouds threatened another downpour.

“Of course,” Vivi replied, smiling slowly. “This place isn’t exactly suitable. Follow me.”

When using her alternate persona, Vivi didn’t retain all the skills from her main account. But her main account could use all the skills from her alternate one. Without switching to her warden persona, Vivi still had her Level 12 Interrogation ability. Normally, the Nightwatch wasn’t involved in interrogations—her patrol partners like Nightwing and Catwoman typically handled such matters. Often, Vivi didn’t even need to question anyone; their fists and whips did the talking.

She led the way, but as soon as they turned a corner, she heard the sound of running behind her.

Peter Chris was sprinting back toward his car parked at the street.

From afar, a gargoyle’s eyes glowed faintly. Vivi twirled the pipe in her hands, shaking her head. With his lack of fitness, she didn’t need the gargoyle’s assistance to catch him.

However, before she could act, she heard a grunt and a heavy thud from around the corner.

Peeking around, she found Peter unconscious on the ground. She sighed. “If you knock him out, how am I supposed to interrogate him?”

The person who had intercepted Peter was the third figure from the tavern. He glanced at Vivi and slung the unconscious man over his shoulder. “What’s his crime?”

“No idea,” Vivi said matter-of-factly. “That’s why I need to interrogate him.”

The man seemed briefly stunned by her blatant response but followed her without further comment.

Vivi chose an unfinished construction site nearby. On the first floor, under a rain tarp, she hoisted Peter upside-down with a rope. He dangled over a patch of damp cement, feet bound, head swaying.

After securing him, she turned to the man in the red hood. “Interested in a stay at Blackgate Prison?”

“Don’t make me fight you here,” Red Hood replied coldly.

Vivi shrugged indifferently. “You’ve killed people—drug dealers, sure, but why not join the police and arrest them legally? If Batman were here, you two would already be fighting.”

Red Hood’s methods of dealing with criminals were well-known. The police had extensive records on him. Unlike Batman, who refused to kill, Red Hood ruled through violence and fear. Gotham’s criminals feared him because he wouldn’t hesitate to execute them.

Recently, however, the police had cracked down on clubs tied to illegal activities, causing a significant decline in the city’s drug trade. Word on the street was that internal conflicts had arisen among the dealers because their new boss, Red Hood, only collected protection money and refused to take down cops for them.

Something in Vivi’s words struck a nerve. Red Hood’s mood soured visibly. “So what’s Batman’s plan? Hang them up, scare them, toss them in prison—just so they can be bailed out or break out later? The law protects these pieces of trash—”

“But if you take justice into your own hands,” Vivi interrupted, “the law won’t protect you.”

Who would have thought this man was such an extremist, harboring hatred for criminals to the point of obsession? If he wasn’t lying, then everything he did was truly for Gotham’s sake. But—

But Vivi wasn’t on his side.

As mayor, her duty was to prioritize the city’s long-term stability and development. If she were less scrupulous, she could exploit the chaos in Gotham to let Red Hood eliminate some of the worst criminals. Once the city established the death penalty, she could then arrange for Red Hood to face execution himself. That way, using one angry idealist, Gotham could achieve lasting peace.

“Typical Batman rhetoric,” the man muttered, seemingly wanting to say more but stopping short. Instead, he asked, “What’s this guy done to make you chase him down?”

As they spoke, Peter Chris, still hanging upside-down, had regained consciousness. His face was flushed from the blood rushing to his head, and he squirmed in the ropes, calling out to them for mercy.

“I don’t know anything! Please, let me go! I swear I don’t know anything…”

“Twelve days ago,” Vivi said, tapping Peter’s chest with the pipe she held, “you used Director Hogg’s identity chip to access the third underground level of City Hall. All items are stored on the second level, and the third is restricted. What were you doing there?”

Peter stammered, “I— I accidentally swapped cards with Hogg the day before over dinner. It was a mistake! Hogg knows about it! He can vouch for me!”

“Sure, Hogg knows about the mix-up, but does he know you used the card to go somewhere you weren’t supposed to?” Vivi jabbed him lightly, causing him to swing like a slab of meat. Peter screamed, “No, no, wait! I know something—I know something!”

She pressed the pipe against his chest again to steady him, and Peter, red-faced and gasping, blurted, “I’m the head of logistics for City Hall. I… I noticed something strange in the underground warehouse and started investigating it. The items there—some of them seem magical. Strange, even. For example, the trees. I thought about secretly taking one home for my daughter, but I realized that touching those items made me subconsciously obey the mayor’s orders. Once the task was done, the effect wore off.”

He paused to catch his breath, then hurriedly continued, “After that, I started observing and researching why this was happening. When I heard that Hogg had sent something to the third level, my curiosity got the better of me, so I borrowed his chip under the pretense of drinking with him.”

“That’s all I did,” he pleaded. “If this is a problem, take me to the police. Please.”

Before Vivi could respond, Red Hood scoffed. Grabbing Peter by the collar, he pulled him closer. “You’re just deflecting blame. You’re saying the problem lies with the mayor, not you. But if you’re so innocent, why’d you try to run the moment you saw her? I’m not one of these soft-hearted vigilantes. Say another word of nonsense, and I’ll plant your head in the cement below.”

Peter stared at him in terror, his thoughts racing. This girl said she’d send you to Blackgate! Why are you helping her? Are you two in cahoots?!

Vivi clicked her tongue in mock disappointment. Meeting Peter’s terrified gaze, she slowly turned away. “I didn’t see anything.”

Peter: “?”

“Wait!” Peter shouted frantically. “No, I really… Fine, fine, damn it!”

He cursed under his breath and finally broke down. “I only took money! That’s all!”

Even if he were handed over to the GCPD, at least they wouldn’t bury him in cement.

Seeing the man on the verge of passing out, Vivi finally released him. As he caught his breath, she added dryly, “I hope your explanation is worth 8 million gold.”

Otherwise, why would she waste her time here instead of focusing on earning more gold?

Peter flinched. “It was before the mayor took office. Someone approached me and asked me to keep an eye on her… After she took office, she didn’t remove me from my position in logistics. So, I continued passing along information about every task I handled for them.”

“So you didn’t try to steal anything for your daughter—it was to fulfill your employer’s mission, wasn’t it?” Vivi asked, her tone flat.

Peter coughed awkwardly. “Yes. When I realized I couldn’t steal anything, I started taking photos instead. The third underground level—I went there because they ordered me to. Whenever we met, they wore a hat, scarf, and gloves, never left any traces online, and handed me printed instructions. They didn’t even leave handwriting. I don’t even know if it’s a man or a woman. I swear, I’ve told you everything I know.”

Vivi tilted her head thoughtfully. Ah, she thought, I already knew you were embezzling.

Early on, when she cleaned house at City Hall, Peter’s file had been flagged. But since almost everyone in the logistics department was corrupt, she had opted to quietly lower their salaries and monitor them instead of firing them outright.

Peter’s embezzlement had occurred under the previous mayor. Since Vivi’s tenure, he’d likely been too spooked by the chaos to try anything else.

Peter continued, voice trembling, “I had no choice but to keep going. I couldn’t steal anything, so I took photos instead… They used my embezzlement as leverage against me. I couldn’t quit.”

Vivi gave him a scrutinizing look. “I hope for your sake that’s everything.”

“Ew, that sounds so creepy.”

Red Hood gave the man a sharp kick and asked, “Has this person contacted you recently?”

“He sometimes shows up near my house and calls me over,” Peter shrank back, visibly trembling. “I suspect he’s been watching my family. So, please…”

“Hmm, my instincts tell me you’re still holding something back.” Vivi narrowed her eyes at the man, whose title now read [Guilty Conscience], then glanced toward the patch of cement nearby. “Maybe if Batman asked you, you’d be more inclined to talk?”

A sudden clap of thunder roared, followed by torrential rain beating down on the tarp above. In the flickering flashes of lightning, Peter turned to see Batman standing at the doorway, his unmistakable silhouette framed by the storm.

Compared to the new vigilante and rising crime boss, Batman’s presence carried a far heavier weight of fear for Gotham locals.

Images of the countless interrogation rumors about Batman—each more terrifying than the last—flashed through Peter’s mind. Even the threat of cement seemed tame by comparison. With a strangled cry, he shouted, “No, no, I’ll talk!”

“I’m just… not sure,” Peter stammered. “But I suspect… I think it’s a woman. Or maybe… a maid!”

Vivi listened intently as Peter stuttered out his story. Once he had shared everything he knew, she knocked him unconscious with a swift chop to the neck. Turning around, she found Red Hood glaring at “Batman.”

“Batman” was staring back at him.

Recalling Red Hood’s words during the South Hinckley incident, Vivi suddenly understood. Enemies reunited.

Red Hood’s posture was tense, his muscles coiled as if ready to throw a punch at Batman at any moment. Yet, with neither of them speaking, he stayed rooted in place.

Vivi sighed, already weary of maintaining the ruse. She casually stepped forward and grabbed “Batman” by the arm, hoisting him upright.

Red Hood: “…”

“Oh, it’s just a cardboard standee,” Vivi said nonchalantly, improvising on the spot. “We’re preparing for the upcoming festival—looks pretty lifelike, doesn’t it? How about using it to greet visitors?”

She reached out to touch “Batman’s” face. Instantly, the [Glaring] expression on the standee shifted into a [Smile].

But as Vivi moved closer, Red Hood—this man who faced drug lords and killers without batting an eye—took a step back.

Vivi: “?”