Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics

Gordon rubbed his forehead when he got the emergency call, and said nothing. He looked at Batman standing in the corner of the room and said, "I've told you, it's not that I don't want to explain to you, but that I don't have time. If you're free, then do me a favor."

Gordon put down the phone and looked at him saying, "Someone reported a murder, saying that the daughter of the protester Willie was killed, and the house is full of blood. With vicious cases breaking out frequently, we're short on manpower. Go take a look."

Batman didn't want to move, but then Nightwing walked in. He looked extremely tired, with wounds on his face, but still stood in front of the table and said, "The situation on Lark Street is resolved. A total of 17 people died, and 36 were rescued. The perpetrator was caught, but he only admits to having personal grievances with the factory manager."

Gordon was expressionless, neither angry nor sad. Nightwing felt that something was off and looked at Gordon with a probing expression.

Quickly, Gordon stood up and then said to Nightwing, "I am going to resign from my position as chief. For the upcoming period, you need to do well, just like now."

"What?!" Nightwing said in disbelief, "You're resigning?! How can you resign at a time like this?? Gotham needs you! Chief!!"

Batman looked at Gordon too. He also did not expect Gordon to choose this moment to resign.

"Gotham indeed needs me, but not necessarily James Gordon as the police chief," Gordon said, hanging his head, "I can't let a 15-year-old kid take on such responsibility."

Batman and Nightwing couldn't understand what he was talking about. Only Gordon himself knew that, while the identity of Willie's daughter could indeed arouse people's sympathy, a little girl who hadn't yet started high school was hard to trust.

Since he had laid hands on the Harvey family but let them live, the criticisms coming from the Harvey family would never stop. Rather than being ousted in disgrace, he preferred to leave on his own terms.

He wanted to see, without him, where these upper-class people would find such a just and reliable dog.

Nightwing wanted to say more to dissuade him, but Batgirl Barbara had walked in. He looked up silently at Gordon, then took off his own mask.

Nightwing was astonished; he knew the lengths Batgirl had gone to in order to conceal her identity. The last thing he wanted was for his father to know what he was doing.

But Barbara spoke up, "I watched the news just now. That guy named Harvey claimed that you tried to murder him. He said you have to apologize to him, or he won't let you off."

Nightwing was too shocked to speak. The situation had changed too fast; Gordon actually laid hands on Harvey and even nearly killed him?!

Gordon looked at Barbara's face, and there was a moment of surprise, but it seemed that he quickly thought of something. Some accusatory words were held back in his heart.

"I'm telling you my true identity only to let you know that using me to threaten you will be the stupidest decision those criminals ever make in their lives. The concern you have in the back of your mind doesn't exist," Barbara said coldly, "If they dare come, I'll make them regret it for the rest of their lives."

Gordon's tense expression loosened a bit. Barbara likely had seen the news and then checked the surveillance, hearing what Harvey had said, thinking that her father had acted because her safety was threatened.

"Yes, you are excellent, and I am proud of you," Gordon said sincerely.

Barbara's expression also eased, as the anticipated anger and rebuke did not come. At the same time, she felt something was odd. She knew her father very well. James Gordon would never allow her to engage in such dangerous things at any time.

Except for one situation—that he himself was going to do something even more dangerous.

Barbara felt her heart sinking more and more.

The last time she heard Gordon saying to learn to protect herself was when Batman also went missing because of Joker's scheme, and Gordon had to face the madman alone.

Gordon turned and walked away. Barbara grabbed him and asked, "What are you going to do?"

"File a resignation report, then go home for a sleep."

This explanation did not soothe Barbara at all. She still clung firmly to Gordon's arm, saying, "You don't need to face them alone. We will all help you."

"Yes, so I'm just going home to rest, don't think too much about it."

Barbara watched his retreating figure, her heart pounding. She had just lifted her foot when she stumbled, and Nightwing steadied her.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm alright. I just have a bad feeling," Barbara turned to Batman and said, "What are you going to do next, Batman?"

Batman originally didn't want to go to Willie's house; he still wanted to find out the truth behind the situation. But looking into Barbara's eyes, he found himself unable to say no.

The standoff didn't last long. Barbara and Nightwing were drawn away by a new case. Batman drove to Willie's front door.

Even though it was noon, the sky was still very dim. The windows with shattered glass had curtains drawn, and Batman couldn't see the situation inside.

He just tried the doorknob and found the door unlocked. He pushed the door open and saw Shiller standing amidst a pool of blood.

Shiller turned around and nodded when he saw Batman. Batman frowned and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to investigate."

"So am I."

"I want to know what has happened recently," Batman said, "and I think you can't say all this has nothing to do with you."

"Far from having nothing to do with me." Shiller spread his arms, turned around on the spot, and then said, "All the questions you're puzzled about right now stem from me. That's why I'm standing here. I'm about to explain everything to you. How about that, more reasonable than Joker, right?"

Batman's frown deepened.

Because he knew very well, if a plan remains unknown, it still risks failure. But if a behind-the-scenes manipulator reveals his plan personally, it almost means he is certain of victory.

Shiller's hand slipped into the pocket of his trousers. He began pacing in the center of the room and said, "Where should we start?... Let's start with pale knight."

"There are some conflicts between you two, of course. After all, you were once mortal enemies, and it would be strange to reconcile instantly. It's normal to have disagreements."

"But you also share a common goal, a very grand goal—to thoroughly improve this city."

"For this grand goal, you can make compromises with each other. Putting aside personal enmities and striving for a common aim is highly commendable."

"There's only a small problem, which is, if the path is wrong, the faster you run, the more ridiculous the error."

"If I were an ordinary Gotham citizen, I'd just say you tried hard, but better not try next time."

"You might want to ask where exactly you went wrong. But rather than that, you should be asking where you were right."

"I'm not Arrogant, so there's no need for those very sharp words to describe your series of actions. Simply put, the better you do, the worse it is."

"This sounds contradictory, but it's the truth. Because all your actions to save the city are in fact cleaning up after the real evildoers, covering up their crimes, and oppressing the people."

"You must feel wronged, is fighting crime also wrong?"

"Of course, not entirely. If crime in Gotham wasn't an investment, then it wouldn't be wrong. But you know very well that crime in Gotham isn't a law and order issue, it's a means of oppression."

"Fighting crime is about improving law and order, but Gotham's crime isn't just crime. It doesn't need to be resolved by raising law and order. By insisting on solving it in such a way, you are depriving the people of the right to know the truth, and you want to use the word 'law and order' to hide the truly evil truth—exploitation."

"pale knight is the same. Improving welfare is meant to solve the poverty problem, but Gotham's poverty is not poverty. It is not the kind that can be resolved by improving social welfare. And by insisting to solve it by these means, it makes people simply attribute poverty to insufficient social welfare."

"Do you know what social welfare is? It's not the charity of the rich towards the poor, but an effort to improve the fairness of distribution. But needing a measure to improve distribution fairness means the original state is unfair. The measure hasn't really improved anything; it's just a cover-up. The more it hides, the more it emboldens those who have caused the unfairness."

"This is the problem with reformers like you and pale knight. You are not saviors but paperhangers. Not paperhangers of society, but of the Upper Class whom you hate the most."

"They cut the poor, and you just bandage that wound. Seeing the poor crying out in pain, you give them plenty of painkillers. Then all is quiet, as peaceful as Heaven. But what about those skeletons lying in bed?"

"You bandaged the wounds, stopped the cries, but it was just to let people die a slightly less painful death. People aren't supposed to die."

"Your actions instead drain the strength of those who truly want to resist, because their companions are intoxicated by painkillers. They are also hindered by well-intentioned bandages, and ultimately nothing will change."

"You're curious about my plan, but everything on the path I've taken is unrelated to you. The part that concerns you, I didn't expect you to do anything. I just hope you stop, don't be an accomplice anymore."

Batman's lips moved, but it seems not to argue. But as he was about to speak, his communicator went off.

The anxious voice of pale knight came through: "Harley passed out again! What's happening?! The Doctor says the situation suddenly worsened..."

Batman abruptly turned to look at Shiller. Shiller, standing in front of the window, said, "Stop and then get busy with something else."

"What have you done to Harley?"

Shiller just shook his head.

Batman stared at him in silence for a while, and finally, he unlocked the safety of the tranquilizer gun on his Arm Armor. Just as he was about to shoot, he heard Shiller say in a low voice:

"Would you like to meet Jason Todd?"