The GCPD officers, although not very skilled, often suffer casualties even when dealing with ordinary criminals; when faced with higher-level crises, it's even harder for them to make a difference.
However, their dedication is undeniable. Just as Su Ming and his group stepped out of the teleportation gate, they happened to see some officers moving their colleagues' bodies.
"Not bad, Director Gordon, your young men really have ironclad discipline." Su Ming waved a hand to greet the startled officers, who were surprised by their sudden appearance, and commented with great interest.
Gordon took off his glasses and wiped them. He wasn't pleased by Deathstroke's compliment; instead, he thought of the fallen officers.
"They were good lads, only I... sigh."
Su Ming patted him kindly, offering sincere comfort: "There's an old saying in the East, that the white-haired mourn the black-haired. Since this is such a common saying, it means this happens often, everywhere in the world, so you'll eventually get used to it. Doesn't that make you feel a bit better?"
"...." Gordon stared at him, speechless.
"Oh, it seems you've adjusted. Let's get down to business." Unfazed, Su Ming walked straight to the forensic workroom: "Director, could you please notify the forensic doctor? I remember the head of forensics at the Gotham Police Station is called Dr. Feite, right?"
"I'll go get someone." Gordon turned and walked outside to find someone: "But you Justice League people better keep an eye on Deathstroke and make sure he doesn't do anything weird to the bodies while I'm gone."
Now it was Su Ming's turn to be speechless, feeling as if he were being described as that kind of person.
Thomas ignored the banter between the Justice League members and Deathstroke and headed straight to the autopsy room. As soon as he entered, he saw the corpse of the Cruel Knight, dressed in a slightly frayed uniform, lying on a metal table.
The shadowless lamp illuminated him stark white, making Thomas instinctively feel uncomfortable.
Batman should not be seen in sunlight.
And when he saw the face of the Cruel Knight, the discomfort intensified. This Bruce from the Otherworld looked exactly like his son.
He gave a self-mocking chuckle; isn't that how it is? This is the normal form of a counterpart in the Other Plane.
After learning his son was still alive, Thomas was no longer troubled by such scenes. He too had shared Batman's common ailment—immersed in the illusion of a loved one's death.
Yet now he has recovered.
His back no longer aches, his legs no longer hurt, and even facing three 'Bruce' corpses in succession is no strain.
The Justice League members followed him in, with Arthur and Su Ming putting effort into placing three metal tables together for easy comparison.
"Barry, come take a look."
Su Ming called The Flash over to lend his expertise; although he's a solid expert in physical evidence, he's been in the field with colleagues enough to have learned a thing or two.
With Divine Speed's help, the autopsy work could proceed swiftly.
Barry walked over, grimacing, with a face full of reluctance: "Just this once, don't make me look at bodies again, especially not Bruce's."
"Dr. Thomas, you handle the Cruel Knight. I'll take the Mayor of Gotham, and The Flash, you're on Happy Dad."
In an instant, Strangulation transformed him into a white coat, complete with a mask and gloves, while the Godslayer became a scalpel.
Thomas naturally had no issues; he was a surgeon, and as Batman, he doubled as the best of forensic experts.
Barry could only express his exasperation—what kind of ridiculous nickname was 'Happy Dad'? Deathstroke's ability to nickname people was truly pitiful.
Still, he picked up the scalpel and stood by his assigned table.
"Go for it!" Arthur clapped in encouragement, knowing this type of meticulous task was never his forte.
Su Ming turned his head, his voice muffled by the blue sterile mask: "This isn't a contest, so no need to cheer us on. And come on, a bearded guy as your cheerleader?"
Diana: "Ahem!"
"Sorry, seeing such a tense and serious atmosphere, and you divided the work three ways, I instinctively thought it was a competition." Arthur smiled sheepishly.
"Not a competition, not a competition, my friends." Su Ming turned back, focusing again on the corpses, examining the pale skin and frozen expressions. He raised the golden knife in his hand: "Let's start with the basic signs, 3, 2, 1, GO!"
Before his golden knife could touch the skin, Barry's voice rang out: "I'm done."
Thomas lifted his head, slightly faster than Su Ming but equally resigned: "Divine Speed is cheating."
Su Ming tore off his mask, making way for Barry: "Alright, alright, you do the inspection. What a waste of my feelings."
Barry smugly took Su Ming's place—sometimes there's really nothing you can do, the Divine Speed is just too handy.
Once again, black-and-yellow armor enveloped Su Ming as he quietly walked back to Diana's side.
Plan complete.
Now Barry doesn't resist inspecting bodies at all, does he?
After all, Barry is a forensic expert. No matter how many bodies Su Ming and Thomas have seen, or how many people they have killed, their speed can't match Barry's.
What everyone needs to examine now isn't a routine case. Ordinary forensic knowledge is of no use, so we can only see if the Divine Speed will detect anything, because both the strangulation and magic floating cloak didn't reveal any anomalies earlier.
Director Gordon returned with Dr. Feite, and upon entering, saw a phantom flickering wildly around the corpse, checking each one rapidly.
Then, The Flash suddenly appeared in front of them, snatched away the previous incident report, read it over, then went upstairs to borrow a computer to redo it, and printed a copy for everyone.
Work done.
Su Ming flipped through the still warm report, and behind the red eyepiece, his expression couldn't be seen: "Other than the Cruel Knight, the causes of death for the other two are unknown?"
Thomas also looked down at the report: "I originally thought the Mayor of Gotham would have died from a fall, but the injuries were posthumous."
"The Cruel Knight's heart was riddled with arrows, that can't be considered an unknown cause of death, right?" Oliver inexplicably chose to crouch by the door, and when he suddenly spoke, it startled Dr. Feite.
"Unfortunately, that's not the case. His lifeforce had quietly disappeared even before you killed him. It was the Mad Laugh who decisively abandoned him. Otherwise, a Batman wouldn't die so easily."
Barry quickly washed his hands by the sink, using all the disinfectant he could find.
"How do you know? It was clearly me who shot him with arrows."
"Uh, it's a special usage of the Divine Speed. Enter the Divine Speed Plane, chase past time, as long as you don't interfere with events, you won't have to worry about a Flashpoint..."
Mid-sentence, Barry glanced apologetically at Thomas, knowing his mistake had caused the old man too much suffering.
Moreover, the consequences of Deathstroke bringing Thomas to the Main World are still unclear.
He himself never imagined the Divine Speed could be used this way, compatible with X Metal and Quantum, to yield greater results. Hence, he couldn't naturally predict the aftermath of this endeavor.
Regarding this matter, Su Ming, in his heart, was also uncertain. What he did was simply use all the means he could think of to charge the Jester Badge, and it was Manhattan who sent them to the Flashpoint World.
As for any side effects, those are concerns for the future. The immediate priority is to solve the impending destruction of Earth.
At this moment, the old coroner Gordon brought finally found an opportunity to interject. Perhaps he was a bit excited to see the Justice League, as his face was slightly red, his speech noticeably faster, and his voice still trembling.
"Yes, regarding the cause of death, although I haven't examined the two new ones yet, the previous one..."
"Happy Dad," Su Ming smiled, clarifying to avoid confusion among the three Bruce Waynes.
"Ahem... the corpse with spasmed facial muscles before." Dr. Feite refrained from adopting Deathstroke's term, as it seemed a bit disrespectful: "I can assure you his cause of death is like no other I've encountered in my thirty-seven-year career."
"Thank you, Dr. Feite, now please give us some time to discuss. Someone will follow up with more questions for you later." Su Ming nodded to the coroner, ushering the old man out the door. Ensuring he wasn't eavesdropping, he turned to Barry: "So your conclusion earlier was the same, right? Their souls seemed to leave the bodies in an instant?"
Barry scratched his head through the cowl, uncertainly saying: "The souls might have been taken, or perhaps it was some sort of timed curse; I can only confirm this wasn't caused by the Divine Speed."
Diana tugged at her hood. She was accustomed to hiding her face from strangers, preferring to be recognized for her prowess rather than her looks.
She raised her chin slightly: "This sounds like a demon's work."
"Ah, I had similar thoughts. After all, they're experts at toying with souls." Su Ming tapped the metallic surface in front of him, the cold light flickering at his fingertips: "But as far as I'm aware, demons might have the capacity to do such things, but certain conditions must be met."
"The condition is that the deceased must have made a pact with the demon while alive." Diana nodded, placing her hand on her sword hilt: "Look at them, it's as if every Bruce's wish had been fulfilled."
Barry hit his palm with his fist: "It does seem so. When a Batman makes a deal with a demon to bring back his wife and child, the demon fulfills his wish, becoming what Deathstroke referred to as... Happy Dad, but the cost is that one day, his soul might be collected by the demon."
"But if necessary, making a deal with a demon isn't beyond Batman's actions." Oliver stroked his beard, contemplatively: "Previously, if a demon appeared before Batman, proposing a trade of Batman's life for Selena and the Joker, an irrational Batman might just agree."
Thomas sighed: "This does seem like the Wayne family's style, willing to pay any price to achieve their goals."
"Then the 'Mayor of Gotham's wish was probably for Gotham to be filled with order and light, so he succeeded, you see the laugh lines at the corners of his mouth, and his forehead, the scars on his body are at least twenty years old, indicating this Bruce hasn't been Batman for a long time. He likely exchanged his soul for Gotham's prosperity and peace, but recently, his repayment term came due."
Su Ming rubbed his chin, sharing his observation, acknowledging that Earth 0 and these parallel universes have different time flows, otherwise such an aged Bruce wouldn't exist.
As long as there's a time discrepancy, the Mad Laugh would have the opportunity to lay plans.
"Then what did the Cruel Knight gain? Was it just an opportunity to kill Gordon?" Oliver was somewhat puzzled.
"Demonic transactions are mostly scams, or fleeting illusions; they're masters at twisting others' desires." Su Ming began preparing to open a Teleportation Gate, planning to consult Little Fortune Ape if demons were involved: "Moreover, if not for our unexpected intervention, it could have been more than just a single opportunity."