Metropolis.
Under the thick night sky, countless neon lights illuminated the skyscrapers.
These colorful lights intertwined, shimmering in the darkness like a beautiful painting unfolding before the eyes.
A black car, whose expensive build was evident from its paint and sleek lines, slowly pulled up in front of a manor.
A pair of long, straight legs stepped out onto the tiles in front of the manor.
The young man in a black suit adjusted his tie, slowly raised his head, and a hint of sadness flickered in his eyes.
In the pitch-black night,
The iron gate of the manor bore a golden plaque: Swymore Asylum.
Speaking of Swymore Asylum, it's an institution with a long history.
It existed even at the beginning of Metropolis's development. However, back then, not many people went mad, so the asylum's business was slow.
But as times changed and the pace of life quickened, the number of mad people in the city increased. The originally all-accepting Swymore Asylum successfully transformed: they now only served the elite.
After the security guards at the entrance verified his identity, the tightly shut iron gate opened. Gino strode into the vast estate.
Blue flowers lined both sides of the road.
Gino casually picked a bunch and strolled into the manor castle.
Security guards stood around the hall, guarding the area.
The patients, dressed in hospital gowns, were each lost in their own worlds.
People hurried along, heads bowed, circling the hall.
Others stood on tables and chairs, belting out off-key songs.
Gino walked past the patients, heading towards the second floor.
He stepped onto the wooden staircase and ascended, hearing a melodious song echoing from the corridor.
The singing was soft and slow, like a mother's lullaby.
Gino's expression was complicated as he looked at the blonde woman leaning against the locked window.
It was his mother, Letitia Elliott.
Four years earlier, she could no longer bear Lionel's endless affairs and arguments. This flower, raised in a greenhouse, had chosen to end her life.
She jumped headfirst from the fourth floor of her home. Gino caught her, but because of the height, the woman hit her head and suffered lasting damage.
This incident was like a thorn in Gino's heart, and it was also the fundamental reason for his strained relationship with Lionel.
No one has a life free of hardship. Even Gino, who possessed infinite possibilities, secretly found an empty place to cry for a while after Letitia jumped from the fourth floor.
Gino looked at his mother.
Her hand touched the cold glass, as if trying to pick up those small flowers through the window.
And her other hand tightly clutched two teddy bear dolls.
Even wearing the smallest size patient gown couldn't hide her thin figure.
The dark circles under her eyes proved that the woman's sleep quality wasn't very good.
Her lips curved into a peaceful smile. When she heard footsteps behind her, the woman turned around.
She saw the handsome young man approaching. The woman's previously serene smile instantly darkened, and she shouted as she charged towards Gino.
"Leave! Leave now!"
The woman waved her arms in a gesture of dismissal, trying to drive away the unwelcome visitor.
"This is my castle! Lionel isn't here!"
"Mom." Gino reached out and grasped the woman's wrist, his azure eyes fixed on the woman with the same eye color as his own. "It's me, Gino."
"I came to see you."
Listening to Gino, the woman tilted her head and glanced at the two dolls in her hands. Confusion flickered in her eyes. "But, my two children are right here with me."
As she spoke, the woman pulled a piece of candy from her patient's pocket and stuffed it into the golden, fluffy teddy bear's mouth, her eyes softening as she stroked its head. "Your favorite candy, Gino."
Watching this silently, Gino sighed.
Why does that bald-headed teddy bear look so pitiful?
"Alright."
He gave up on trying to make Letitia Elliott realize he was Gino.
In the world of the mentally ill, only by complying with their delusions could he achieve his goals.
Gino changed his approach.
"I'm Mr. Loren Elliott's driver, here to pick you up and take you back to Gotham."
Hearing Gino's words, the woman's previously wary expression vanished completely. She cheered like a little girl, "Father sent you to get me?"
"That's right." Gino pulled a crumpled blue flower from his pocket and smiled, handing it to Letitia. "Look, a special flower from Gotham."
"Didn't you always love the flowers at Elliott Manor?" Gino glanced at the flowerbeds below the asylum. He had even paid to have flowers from Gotham transplanted here to make Letitia happy.
Letitia reached out eagerly and took the blue flower, smiling at Gino. "Let's go then."
She waved her arms and ran towards the first floor. "Home!"
"Yes," Gino said softly, following behind her. "Home."
Gotham.
This cold and cruel steel forest nurtured everyone in the city.
Gunfire echoed in the night, as if disturbing the cold moon in the sky, which cast a dim, hazy glow, illuminating Gotham's grim appearance.
Countless towering smokestacks spewed gray and black fumes into the air, giving every corner of Gotham a foul, acrid smell of coal smoke.
This was Gotham.
Chaos, filth, evil – any disgusting, unfortunate, angry, or pathetic adjective could be found in this city. It was like a beast roaring in the night, devouring the souls of everyone within its grasp.
"This damn weather," a brown-haired man in a suit muttered, standing outside Gotham Airport.
He checked his watch, then glanced at the airport exit.
After what he considered a long wait...
A woman in a light blue dress skipped out of the hall, followed by a blonde-haired young man.
The people passing by seemed unfazed by Letitia's actions.
Because this is Gotham, a few lunatics and psychopaths pop up every day.
"Letitia!"
The brown-haired man called out to the woman, "Come over here!"
"Thomas?" Letitia tilted her head, sizing up the brown-haired man.
"It's me, Letitia." Thomas smiled; seeing his only sister made him happy.
"Uncle Thomas." Gino followed, carrying a suitcase.
Thomas glanced at Gino and sighed, "Gino, welcome to Gotham. By the way, when you go back, don't forget to pass on my curses to Lionel!"
Gino shrugged, "I will, but he probably won't care."
The three of them got into Thomas's car.
Letitia spent the whole ride pressed against the glass, like an inquisitive child, observing the passing scenery.
In the front passenger seat, Thomas was chatting with Gino.
"Come with me to a banquet tomorrow night. I want to introduce you to a good friend of mine."
As his younger sister's most beloved son, Thomas, out of affection, wanted to introduce Gino to his network.
Gino nodded and said, "I will, Uncle."
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