Chapter 3336: Old City New Night (Part 3)

Gordon was standing in the office, handing the last document to Harvey Bullock. The new chief of the Cat Getan Police Department, who was broad-minded and fat, lowered his hat and said: "I really didn't expect that one day I would call my old partner Mayor."

Gordon patted his arm, walked out with him, and said: "I also didn't expect my support rate to be so high. Perhaps it's because my work in the Lower District was indeed quite good, there is nothing that makes people happier than citizens recognizing me."

"You can be considered to have achieved your wish." Bullock said, "But the mayor's work is different from the chief's. You have to deal with many people. But I hope you can remember that I will always stand on your side."

"You don't need to stand on anyone's side, Harvey. Just stand on the side of justice."

Gordon returned home. Barbara was cleaning. The father and daughter cleaned up the house together, and after dinner, they walked along the street as usual.

It's just that this time, they walked a little further, walking along the edge of the community park all the way to the bridgehead of the Cat Getan Bridge.

There is a pedestrian walkway on the Cat Getan Bridge, many people will jog, night jog, or walk their dogs here.

Standing on the bridge at dusk, you can see the sunset of Cat Getan slowly sinking into the water. Barbara put her hands on the railing and looked into the distance, seeing the engineering machinery swinging back and forth in the distance, as if trying to fish up the sun that was about to sink below the horizon.

"You are about to face a big trouble as soon as you take office." Barbara sighed and said, "The demolition of the Cat Getan reservoir is not so easy, not to mention that the ruins of Cat Getan Village were found under the water. The citizens all disagree with moving there, you must not be too tough."

Gordon smiled and said: "I didn't expect you to say that, I thought you would firmly stop me."

Barbara revealed a hesitant look, pursed her lips, and opened her mouth to say: "On the day you were accused of murder, I pulled out the surveillance that Batman had deployed near the Cat Getan Bridge. I... I saw it."

"What did you see?"

"You did force that car into a dead end, letting them fall off the bridge, but you jumped down later." Barbara's hands gripped the railing tightly, "Do you know how high this bridge is? If it weren't for something falling down by chance, destroying the surface tension of the water, you would definitely be dead."

"Why did you suddenly bring this up?"

"I just want to know what you were thinking." Barbara turned her head back and said, "If you want to kill someone, then you should leave without looking back. If you don't want to, then don't do it from the very beginning."

"Do you hope I do that?"

"I know it's wrong to do so, and you often educate me like that. But I also know that sometimes, the right and wrong in morality and law are not the only way to trace the root of a matter. I just feel it's very dangerous."

Gordon looked up at the gorgeous sunset of Cat Getan, his rough fingers stroking the railing of the bridge. He said: "I know what a dangerous job Batgirl is. If I were just a father, I would definitely want to stop you."

"When I saw the car slowly sinking, I realized that my understanding of this danger is still shallow. Because the most dangerous thing you face is not a hail of bullets, but the torture of your own conscience at all times."

"When you have the ability to kill, you must control yourself at every moment of emotional loss of control, making choices that don't make you regret and don't make others feel disappointed. This requires extremely strong self-control and sense of responsibility."

"The moment I stepped on the edge of the bridge, I realized how difficult it is to do these things. But you did it all. Assuming I am not your relative, I would definitely praise your character very much."

"Then, why does the kinship relationship that is closer than others make me unable to see these, but instead narrowly understand all this as your rashly putting yourself in danger, rather than analyzing from reason that you have the ability to handle all this, and believing from emotion full of pride that you can do it?"

Barbara understood something. That's right, if they weren't father and daughter, then they would definitely admire each other's actions very much—the young superhero firmly striking at crime, the Cat Getan Police Chief unswervingly sticking to his original heart. The character required to do these things is enough to make anyone who has heard of their deeds feel admiration.

Then, as relatives, they would instead one-sidedly perceive the other's great behavior as not considering others' feelings and taking risks, isn't it also using kinship to kidnap the other party?

Then, wouldn't they also become the kind of feudal control freak they hate the most?

Barbara felt some knots that had been tangled in her heart for a long time open. But she couldn't help but think of Batman, thinking of the heavy sadness she had seen Batman reveal in some late nights.

Under the same sunset, two thin figures stood on the roof of Wei En Tower. Nightwing took off his mask and exhaled a breath of cold air that he had inhaled when he was speeding on a motorcycle from his mouth.

"You lost again." Jason's feet stepped on the edge of the building, he said, "Batman's eye for finding assistants is really not very good."

"Aren't you scolding yourself in too?"

"I'm mainly scolding myself, could it be you?" Jason snorted coldly.

"What on earth did you give him as a Christmas gift? Why do you refuse to tell me? Are you worried that I will plagiarize you?"

"Don't take yourself too seriously, latecomer." Jason retorted mercilessly, he said, "Take care of your own damn self."

Nightwing rolled his eyes and said: "I have never seen such a self-righteous arrogant person as you."

Jason ignored him, just sat down on the edge of the roof. He also took off his hood and fiddled with the gun in his hand.

"Do you know what the Joker and Batman said on Christmas Eve?" Nightwing looked at the sunset on the horizon and said.

"About me?"

"How did you know?"

"If it has nothing to do with me, you wouldn't bring it up suddenly. The way of finding topics is too stiff."

Nightwing also sat down on the edge of the roof, he said: "The Joker told Batman that you betrayed him."

"They aren't even the same Joker, you believe what he says?"

"Of course I don't believe it. But Batman looked very sad."

"He didn't believe it either, he was sad about other things." Jason took a deep breath and said, "Before he went out, I had a fight with him. I estimate he didn't listen carefully to what the Joker said at all."

"You had a fight with him again, then what did you say?"

"'Don't damn trap me in your memories'. Just this."

"Hiss..." Nightwing inhaled in an unclear meaning.

"But the Joker was right." Jason curled up one leg, holding his knees with his hands and said, "In those years I was in Blüdhaven, I was also reflecting on my actions. Perhaps I was the one who trapped Batman in my memories first."

Nightwing turned to look at him.

"He saved me, so I assumed he was a great hero, every move better fit the hero standard, absolutely no disqualification. So when I realized he wasn't actually that powerful, I hated him for deceiving me."

"But the fact is, if we didn't know each other, as a poor kid from the Cat Getan slums, knowing that a big tycoon like Bruce Wei En came to us personally to strike at crime, regardless of whether he was used by others or was sincere, I might admire him."

"After all, in this city, there are plenty of bad guys who don't even pretend. Even if he came to perform for fun, at least he beat up a few villains, I might also treat him as my idol."

"Then, why when I was his assistant, I couldn't recognize him so intuitively?"

"Why do you think it is?" Nightwing asked.

"I thought for a long time, and then realized that intimacy means expectation. The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. Many misunderstandings in intimate relationships stem from the attempt to use one's specialness to the other party to kidnap the other party."

"And the fact is, no one has to live the way the other expects. Just like Batman had no obligation to live the way of the perfect hero in my mind, and I had no obligation to live the way of the poor stray dog with mental trauma that he thought I should become."

"You thought of these in Blüdhaven?"

"What about you?"

"I also held many unrealistic expectations for Batman. For example, I felt he should accept the Joker at the first moment of his transformation, and also had a fight with Batman for this." Nightwing shook his head and said, "And the main reason why he wasn't as sad as when he fought with you was probably that he didn't have high expectations for me. And all this is thanks to you. Your encounter made him feel that I should just live well, and couldn't count on more."

Jason suddenly laughed. This was a smile that still shone under the golden sunset, full of the pride and publicity of a teenager, happy and proud like a swan.

"Facts have proven that you are indeed not as strong as me." Jason pointed his finger at the motorcycle downstairs, and then said, "Back then, I relied on this to help him block many escaping criminals. The racing kids of those years were much stronger than now."

Speaking of racing kids, Nightwing got excited. He said enthusiastically: "That Bruce from another universe has very good driving skills. At that time, I and the Pale Knight chased him, and we couldn't catch him, why don't you try?"

"Look at your unworldly appearance, that is Bruce Wei En, a pampered young master, at most playing with sports cars or something. Compared to the city technology of street racers trained on the track?"

"If you don't believe it, go try it. It will definitely scare you!"

The roar of the engine blew into the window along with the last wisp of sunset before it fell. Clark, who was organizing his thoughts, frowned and instructed his assistant to close the window.

At 8:00, the door was knocked. Clark put down the notebook recording the questions, adjusted his tie, walked to the door, and shook hands with the figure who appeared outside the door.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Ruth. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Kent. You have become famous recently, many of my colleagues in the Municipal Planning Bureau want your autograph."

Clark smiled, walked over to take off the lens cap of the camera. Ruth took off her glasses, and the two sat opposite each other by the window, with a brand-new night sky of an old city behind them.

"I am very happy to have invited Ms. Ruth, the person in charge of the Cat Getan Municipal Planning Bureau, today. I can't wait to share her legendary story from a slum girl to a Cat Getan State official with everyone..."

Schiller held the remote control and turned up the volume of the TV. Sitting on the other side of the sofa was Brad, who looked helpless, and a phantom of a man wearing noble attire and having eyebrows similar to Paul's beside him.

?? Greed will make everyone have a happy ending!

? (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 3337 =====