Batman quickly pieced together what had happened.
"I am not your private thug," he said darkly.
Ah. The little cat is angry.
Faced with that tone, Lance raised both hands with practiced ease and spoke with complete sincerity. "How could you be a thug? You are, of course, the one and only Batman of this city."
"Hmph." Batman let out a cold snort, clearly unimpressed.
Lance shrugged after being brushed off. Either way, he had helped Batman and Gordon deal with two major problems at once. Being forgiven was only reasonable. They should probably even award him a commendation banner.
He had no idea whether Gotham had that kind of custom.
But even if it didn't, it didn't matter. Whether it existed or not, Lance would still do his small part for Gotham's peace.
This time, he had not only wiped out two major gangs, but also forced a reshuffle of Gotham's entire underworld.
At least for a while, with two major factions taken down, the remaining gang leaders would think twice before making any moves.
Thinking about it, Lance almost felt moved by his own good deed.
"I really am a good person," he said with feeling.
Waylana, a loyal admirer of Lance, nodded without hesitation, her gaze full of admiration.
Batman, of course, heard Lance's shameless praise.
His response was another cold snort.
Lance paid no attention to his attitude. With Batman, everything he said usually meant the opposite anyway.
Outside the warehouse, Gordon had been waiting with his team.
When no more sounds came from inside, he signaled to the officers behind him, then raised his gun and approached the door carefully.
"Don't move. Police!"
Gordon kicked the door open, raised his weapon, and shouted inside.
The scene that greeted him left him momentarily stunned.
He quickly called the officers in to secure the scene and arrest those still conscious. Then he holstered his gun, walked up to Batman, and asked in disbelief, "Did you do all this?"
Batman shook his head. The slight twitch at the corner of his mouth made his displeasure obvious.
Lance knew it was time to step in. Otherwise, Batman would definitely hold a grudge.
Then again, even if he did step in, the man would probably hold a grudge anyway.
"It's hard to say who did it," Lance said. "You could call it… a coincidence."
Only then did Gordon notice Lance and Waylana standing nearby. His eyes widened further.
"What are you doing here?"
Lance shrugged. "Can't be helped. I'm an honored guest."
He extended his hands toward Gordon with practiced ease. "So, are you taking me back to the station for questioning?"
Gordon's gaze shifted between the warehouse littered with bodies and Lance. After a moment, he shook his head.
"Not this time."
"Wow." Lance raised an eyebrow. "Looks like our Gordon has been corrupted."
"I mean the evidence is already solid. I don't need your testimony." Gordon snapped. "I applied for an arrest warrant directly. Understand?"
"Fine, fine."
In a single night, he had managed to provoke two people into irritation. That alone made it worthwhile.
Lance knew when to stop. He turned and left with Waylana.
As they passed a row of refrigerated containers, he casually lifted one lid, took out a vial, and held it up to the light.
Batman and Gordon both watched him immediately, their expressions sharpening.
"Sir," No. 1's voice came through the earpiece, "analysis complete. The serum is defective. Stability is below seven percent. Estimated mortality rate from side effects is ninety-two percent."
Lance tossed the vial back into the container and shrugged. "Trash."
He left the warehouse with Waylana, walking out as if he owned the place.
The fall of the two major gangs in Gotham exposed the darker side of the city's police force.
Even the Police Director, along with many of Gordon's superiors, had been colluding with them.
After extracting those confessions, Gordon paid particular attention to every name that appeared.
So, after a night patrol, he returned alone to the station and happened to catch the Director trying to slip into the archives to destroy evidence.
Gordon arrested him on the spot. Although the archive cameras had been sabotaged, the countless micro-cameras Batman had planted on Gordon provided sufficient evidence.
With the Maroni Family losing its grip on the police and the Director conveniently sent to prison, no one had the time or influence to interfere with Gordon's position.
He was promoted accordingly, rising from Sergeant to the leader of the Special Enforcement Unit of the Gotham City Police.
If you asked Lance, with the police now leaderless, Bruce could have pushed Gordon straight into the Director's position without anyone objecting.
But even without Batman insisting on procedural justice, Gordon himself refused to take such a leap.
In his view, climbing step by step was more stable and reassuring.
Since that was his decision, Lance had nothing to add.
All of this had happened within three days.
...
Before Lance even had time to catch his breath, Jonathan Crane's court date arrived.
This time, Bruce did not attend. Gordon was there instead.
He had never seen Lance in court before, and his expression carried a hint of concern.
Before the session began, he walked up to Lance. Instead of offering empty encouragement, he lowered his voice and spoke seriously.
"I've bet everything on you. You have to win."
"If you said that to any other rookie before a trial, they'd collapse under the pressure and lose," Lance replied.
"Ahh.." Gordon froze.
Seeing his expression, Lance smiled.
"Heh~ But you're in luck."
He adjusted his cuffs. "I'm not one of those third-rate lawyers."
Gordon's expression shifted, like someone clutching at a lifeline. "What do you mean?"
"It means…" Lance picked up his briefcase and turned toward the plaintiff's table, "…just wait for the good news of Jonathan Crane being completely locked away."
He paused, then glanced back at Gordon with a slight smile.
"Watch closely. This is my field. My home turf~"
The courtroom bell rang.
The judge took the bench.
Lance Prescott stood before the plaintiff's table, his gaze sweeping over the disheveled man in handcuffs seated at the defendant's side.
Jonathan Crane looked up at him.
___
Read 12 chapters ahead of WN:
Patreon.com/CorruptElf