"You guys didn't hear Loeb's voice when he was woken up. It sounded like his mother just died. I bet he was interrupted while getting it on with his mistress."
Jay yawned, leaning back on his chair, rocking on the two back legs.
"Jay, actually, following most people's circadian rhythms, four in the morning is when the brain is sluggish and tired. Almost no one is with the opposite sex at that time…"
"Alright, Ed, I guess you're always right." Jay gave Nygma an insincere thumbs-up. "Help me think, are their targets Arkham Asylum?"
"To be honest, I don't know this time. Since I know very little about his overall strength and have only seen a few individuals in the surveillance footage, it's difficult to deduce. In fact…"
He pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up his nose. "There are many places we need to guard, but we don't have enough manpower. Gotham is too big, the police force is too scattered, and the GCPD has too many vacancies."
Nygma didn't continue, just sighed softly.
Silence fell upon the room.
Wilson looked back and forth. "Don't be so gloomy. Aren't you going to ask me if I have any good news?"
"No need to ask, you definitely don't… Hah, I'm so damn sleepy…"
"Bullshit! The building next door is finished being renovated! The Forensics and Medical Examiner's departments can open for business!"
"Huh?"
Jay was startled and nearly tumbled off his chair. "Stop pulling my leg. The concrete can't possibly be dry."
"Uh… the floor wasn't done…"
"Then the rooms couldn't have been painted that quickly…"
"The rooms weren't painted either…"
"…??? What the hell did they actually do then?!"
"Well…" Wilson scratched his head. "Didn't you say you needed it urgently? I gave them an idea…no… I mean…they came up with one themselves.
They just threw out the trash in those few rooms, replaced the broken doors and windows, smashed the sinks and replaced them with specialized corrosion-resistant large basins, and fixed the clogged drains and pipes.
Power and water were already there; we just paid to connect them. That's all they fixed."
"If someone who didn't know saw this, they'd probably wonder, 'What kind of gang is brazen enough to set up a base next to the precinct?'" Jay sighed. "How about it, Ed? Can we make do for now?"
Jay turned around to see a flicker of eager excitement on Nygma's face.
"Alright, today, have Anna go with you to buy equipment. I'll have Cobblepot send the severed hand and whatever else over. We're opening for business now!"
…
"This is a briefing from the East Precinct. They believe Black Mask may target more than just Arkham."
Gordon placed a fax on the table. "I think we need to raise the alert level."
Gillian Loeb cast a resentful, unwilling glance at Gordon and slowly picked up the paper.
"Arkham Asylum, Blackgate Penitentiary, Falcone Family Memorial Hall, Roman gang area vaults, GCPD evidence storage, Wayne Tower, Diamond District villas… you might as well paste the entire map of Gotham on the back."
"Uh… Jim, I genuinely appreciate your… vigilance and foresight, and that of your East Precinct colleagues. This report is very detailed and well-considered. This issue is indeed very serious, and we must take it seriously."
Loeb put down the paper, leaned forward slightly, crossing his hands on the table, and said with a look of sincerity.
"Here's what we'll do," he picked up his pen and circled several items on the list. "All these locations you mentioned make sense. I will immediately request that all precincts and jurisdictions raise their vigilance and increase patrol intensity to ensure absolute safety."
"Especially Arkham and Blackgate Penitentiary, which you highlighted, I will put the SWAT team on standby. As for the other potential targets…"
He paused, looking meaningfully at Gordon.
"…We can't panic, right? Police resources are limited, and Gotham has tens of thousands of cases to deal with every day.
If we scatter everyone to guard every possible building, how will normal police work proceed? What will the public think? And what will the Mayor think?"
"Your briefing is valuable, and I'll keep it here. I will study it thoroughly and bring it up for careful discussion at today's Chief's meeting.
Your current task is to focus your efforts, following our established plan, on securing Arkham and Blackgate Penitentiary first. That is our core responsibility, understand?"
"But, Chief, I think you're being too simplistic. If we don't guard the other places, it could lead to major trouble. You should call the State…"
"Enough, James Gordon. Do you not understand what I'm saying? Your comprehension of language is truly astonishing."
Loeb heavily exhaled, slamming the fax onto the table with a sneer.
"Detective Gordon, your job at the precinct is to catch the criminals disrupting Gotham, not drag me here to play puzzle games. Did you call me at four in the morning to help you filter the correct answers?"
He pointed at the locations on the paper. "If this Black Mask is truly foolish enough to storm Blackgate or the GCPD to seek his own death, that would make things easy."
"This is just a spat and a transaction between two gang members. What is that Cobblepot guy anyway? The GCPD has no obligation to serve just him."
Loeb folded the fax over and over into a small square and tossed it back to Gordon. "Remember, the police force must first protect City Hall and the Mayor's Mansion.
Second, cooperate with Mr. Falcone to protect his property and ensure his men don't cause trouble in the streets.
Third, have the SWAT team guard Blackgate, and your men watch over the lunatics at Arkham; they cannot be allowed to run free. Other areas must operate as usual. We can't manage everything else."
"My goodness," he shook his head. "Why can't you people restore Gotham to the way it was? What are you all even doing?"
…
"There will likely be a major operation today, and the risk factor is very high."
Jay walked to the front desk in the East Precinct lobby and addressed all the officers. "We need to support Central Precinct with at least five to seven vehicles, which means 15 to 20 people.
Each participant will receive a thousand-dollar bonus. If killed in the line of duty, an extra ten thousand dollars will be added to the regular compensation and benefits. This is the maximum I can afford."
Silence immediately fell in the precinct. No matter the amount of money, you needed to be alive to spend it.
"If anyone wants to go, you can volunteer. If we're short on numbers, Bob might call names later, but I won't offer any recommendations."
Still, no one spoke, but a few hands were raised.
Wilson, Allen, Otis, and Anna—these were expected. But to his surprise, one hand belonged to Sergeant Albert.
"Al, seriously, you don't have to…" Jay softened his tone. "After all, you have less than six months until retirement. You should just stay behind at the precinct."
"No," Albert shook his head, walking slowly to the front. "To be honest, everyone, the doctor told me yesterday that my test results aren't good. I might not make it to retirement. I want to… die with some dignity, and maybe earn a little more cash."
He offered a self-deprecating bitter smile, pulled two paper bags from his pocket, and placed them on the table. "Does anyone want to place a bet? A wager on whether I make it back alive."
He pulled out a green banknote and put it into the left bag: "One hundred dollars. I'm definitely going to die."
All the officers present exchanged glances, unsure how to react.
"Don't be so down. At least you'll still get several months' salary. I'll bet one hundred dollars that you will definitely make it back alive…"Jay patted Albert's shoulder and reached into his own pocket.
His face suddenly became extremely awkward, and his eyes swept across the room.
"Wilson, lend me a hundred bucks, quick!"
"…You motherfucker…"
——————
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