Chapter 793: Chapter 750: On TV
Director Gordon was on the phone, the atmosphere in the office was unusually oppressive, even the secretary outside the door was trembling.
Through the blinds of the partition, Gordon’s face was alternating between red and white, as colorful as the neon lights of Gotham at night.
"Three explosions in fifteen minutes! Three! What will happen next?!"
A beast-like roar came from the phone receiver, and whether it was an illusion or not, Gordon’s hair seemed to be blown out of place.
"Listen to me, Mr. Mayor, our police force is severely understaffed, not to mention the bomb squad. So far, the investigation around the three explosion sites hasn’t concluded, and ACE Chemical Factory is suspected of a leak. I...."
Gordon stretched his arm away from the receiver, but the other person’s voice was still loud:
"I don’t care! If this incident affects my approval rating, Gordon, I’ll drag you down with me!"
"I...."
"Beep beep beep...."
The other party didn’t give Director Gordon any chance to argue and directly hung up the phone, likely eager to discuss countermeasures with his staff and prepare a speech at the public news conference.
"Bang!" Gordon slammed the receiver back onto the phone, breathing heavily.
This mayor is dumber than a pig, but when it comes to fooling the voters, he’s got quite the playbook, all the Gothamites are blind.
Gordon calmed himself down; after all, it’s a critical situation, not the time to play political games with the mayor.
The priority now should be to check key enterprises and institutions in the urban area to prevent the next bombing, as the suspect left messages in paint outside the explosion sites claiming there are over a dozen more bombs in Gotham City.
This put immense pressure on Gordon.
However, there’s simply not enough police power, the police department now only has administrative staff left, and even if they can take up guns, they might not remember to turn off the safety....
Gordon’s face was wrinkled like a walnut, with his thumbs pressing against his temples as he leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.
"Burp..."
Outside the door, the secretary female police officer made a weird silhouette, and separated by the blinds, when Gordon opened his eyes, he seemed to see something flash by.
But before he could get up to check, a person in a police uniform came in with a raised gun.
"Director Gordon, please don’t move."
Not mentioning that unfamiliar face, just the malicious smile told Gordon that the person was not good, and he was absolutely different from his subordinates, confidently holding a large-caliber pistol with the safety off.
Gordon withdrew his hand, his turbid eyes deeply looking at the person.
"Who are you?"
"Wudang Mountain Shaolin Temple Office Director, Grand Lama Sweet and Spicy." The other party spoke in a language Gordon didn’t understand at all, with a unique rhythmic tone.
"???" Gordon’s face froze, but seeing the other’s wicked grin, his forehead’s blood vessels jumped twice: "Are you teasing me?"
"Not as serious as you said, after all, very soon everyone in the world will return to normal, whatever I say to you, you won’t remember."
The young police officer stepped forward a few steps, took off his hat and placed it on the office desk, casually brushing over his short hair.
Such an elusive answer was what Gordon least wanted to hear, although there were many mental illness cases in his memory, but now a gunman has quietly entered his office, this can’t be good.
What does it mean that everyone in the world will return to normal?
Only a real madman would consider themselves normal and everyone else abnormal, right?
However, Gordon is a very experienced officer, and after a brief panic, he quickly calmed down, placing his hands on the desk to signal no resistance, then looking into the other’s eyes, seriously asked:
"What are your demands? You can put the gun down and speak slowly, there are many officers outside, don’t make any misunderstandings."
"Hehe, are you talking about those riffraff outside?" The intruder’s shoulders shook twice and he replied with a grim smile: "There are still 77 officers in the station now, and some civilians making reports. I’ve knocked them all out and gathered them together. I’ve also tied a big bomb to them."
As he spoke, he pulled out a cellphone from his pocket, running an unfamiliar program, showing a red button on the screen.
Gordon took a deep breath, this must be the remote detonation program.
The fact that the intruder could easily knock out the secretary before proves that if they go one by one, the office staff is no match for him.
"Were you behind the three explosions in the city earlier?"
"You could say that. I have a few friends in the city. If I don’t leave the station today, they’ll send all of Gotham sky-high." The intruder holstered his gun, seemingly confident he had Gordon cornered.
The experienced Gordon fell silent, the intruder showed frightening planning and skills, in his memory, he had never dealt with such a criminal before.
"Alright, what do you want? Money? Clemency? Transportation?"
Su Ming shook his head; he wasn’t some robber: "I want to get on television, can you help me contact the TV station?"
"...." Gordon didn’t expect such a demand, for a moment, he couldn’t figure out the other’s purpose.
Bombing the city and holding the police commissioner hostage, he was stomping on the city government’s face with insane disregard. Once it happens, the National Guard will arrive soon, there’s no escaping for him.
But seeing him extremely calm, as if he had already put life and death aside, those eyes like deep wells had no emotion.
"The officers don’t have the TV station’s contact information on their phones. I assume you, as the Director, must have it, right?"
Su Ming urged again, sitting very relaxed across from Gordon with the phone in his hand.
Gordon thought for a moment, it’s not just his life at risk now, but the entire police station threatened by bombs. If the other party gets displeased, all hostages will be sent to heaven.
It’s not worth it, best to satisfy the other party first and see what he’s planning to do with the media.
"Let me check the number."
Gordon stood up, indicating he was going to get the coat behind the door. Su Ming crossed his legs on the desk, like examining the stains on his shoe tip, turned his palm, and said.
"Please go ahead, but I need to remind you, it only takes 0.02 seconds for the signal from the brain to reach the fingers. If I hear gunfire, I will subconsciously press the button; the bullet’s speed can’t catch my response."
Gordon’s steps paused briefly, his hand reaching for the spare firearm took a detour, pulling out a small black notebook from the inside pocket of his coat.
He silently sat back at the desk, started flipping pages, and then made the call.
"Hello, GCTV News Channel." A pleasant female voice came through the receiver, the sweetness of the voice rated three +’s.
"This is Jim Gordon, Director of Gotham City Police Department. We’ve captured the suspect in the bombing case, please send a journalist to attend the press conference."
Gordon very consciously even prepared the lie for Su Ming.
"Really? Thank you, Director Gordon, our broadcast van will arrive shortly."
Gordon hung up the phone, the office returned to silence, dust particles in the air floated up and down in the sunshine, his mustache slightly trembled.
"No need to contact the print media, right?"
"No, as long as Gotham City TV Station releases the news, public platforms and social media will quickly catch up, my goal will be achieved. Speaking of which, I am also a journalist, print media really has to be eliminated."
Su Ming stood up, waved the phone in his hand, indicating Gordon to leave the office.
Gordon’s heart sank, so that’s how it is, is this a story of a laid-off paparazzo retaliating against society....
The Director completed a tragic story in his mind, a young paparazzo displaced due to a magazine’s layoff, family members starving to death one by one because they couldn’t afford food, he tasting social coldness and disdain.
And all this pushed a paparazzo into an anti-social madman, deciding to use illegal means and past knowledge to retaliate against society.
Suspects in bombing and arson cases often have anti-social tendencies. Destruction, ruin, and burning are their external psychological manifestations of trying to overthrow society.
And contacting the media clearly indicates a desire to denounce social cruelty, seeking justice and support.
Feeling like he saw through everything, Gordon gave Su Ming a look, in his eyes besides determination there was also a hint of sympathy.
"???", Su Ming raised one eyebrow.
The so-called bomb did not exist, but the officers left behind were indeed broken by him one by one. Now, even without super power, Su Ming is confident in a two-meter range, even if Gordon has a gun, he isn’t his opponent.
But why did Gordon show a sympathetic expression just now, what was he imagining?
"Please, Director Gordon, let’s go to the first-floor lobby and wait for the journalists."
"Please maintain restraint; no problem cannot be negotiated to solve, even if you’ve committed a grievous sin, I believe the jury will sympathize with your plight."
Su Ming nodded with a smile, showing a relieved expression: "That’s great, last night in Metropolis I killed and ate a family of seven, can you talk to the media for me?"
Gordon’s smile gradually faded from his face, this was against society and humanity!
"You..."
"Stop ’you’ and ’me’, let’s go, I’ve been looking forward to a TV interview with you for a long time." Su Ming pushed Gordon’s shoulder lightly, the old man just swayed.
"Did you know me before?" Gordon turned his head a bit, heading down the stairs, earlier he walked toward the elevator but was pushed toward the stairwell by the alert opponent.
Su Ming tilted his head, showing an exaggerated smile: "I’m extremely familiar with you, I’ve practically grown up watching your stories."
Gordon’s heart sank again, okay, now there’s another psychological issue to add to the criminal suspect—delusional mania....
Things got more complicated, which asylum released such a madman?
The wooden staircase squeaked, and even the longest road has a moment of finishing; the two reached the first floor of the police station via the stairs, the opponent raised a hand indicating stopping at the last step.
"Stop, Director, there’s a Broadsword Mine in the lobby ahead."
"Cough cough... Where did you get military equipment?"
"Don’t ask, just wait to be on TV with me. By the way, how’s my hairstyle now? By the way, if during the interview later, you can’t maintain a laughing expression, I’ll kill hostages."
Watching the criminal with a full smile, controlling the detonation program, Gordon’s heart felt like a glass ball rolling down stairs, continuously emitting ’thump, thump, thump’, a series of sounds....
