After time passed.
With the help of Wayne Enterprises, many families and businesses in Gotham put a lot of money, time, resources, and technology into rebuilding the city.
This rapid recovery breathed new life into Gotham, gradually stabilizing people's lives.
But there was secret chaos below this calm surface.
It was like two invisible forces were in a never-ending battle, and no one knew what would happen next.
In the old city district, at the Gotham Police Department headquarters.
"Jim, Batman's actions against the Mosaic Gang have been escalating recently."
In the commissioner's office, Harvey Bullock spoke to Gordon with a solemn expression.
"Although the Man-Bat Virus incident is far from over, we still haven't identified the person responsible."
"Since the day after the resolution of the Man-Bat Virus crisis, Batman has been causing trouble for the Mosaic Gang. Do you think..."
At these words, Jim squinted slightly and said, "Are you suggesting that Batman believes Mosaic is the mastermind behind releasing the Man-Bat Virus, so he's been targeting the Mosaic Gang recently?"
"Is there any other possibility? I don't think the world's best detective would investigate another completely unrelated case before identifying the real culprit."
Harvey responded matter-of-factly.
"Batman never exchanges information with the police. He doesn't trust the GCPD. We've always been the ones providing information to him one-sidedly. So, it's normal for Batman not to tell us about Mosaic."
Jim remained silent for a moment and then suddenly asked, "Is Kirk Langstrom still not talking?"
Harvey shook his head slightly and said, "He sticks to the same story, placing all his hopes on Batman. He won't say anything else and remains strongly guarded against the police."
At this point, Harvey chuckled.
"Even in the eyes of criminals, we police officers are not as reliable as Batman."
After all, the Man-Bat Serum was basically Kirk's research achievement, and the virus leakage incident must be connected to him.
No one could fail to see that.
Since Robin and Batgirl were able to trace the kidnapping of Francine Langstrom back, the GCPD could certainly follow the trail too.
However, the police lost all leads on who kidnapped Francine and threatened Kirk to hand over the serum formula.
They were unaware that the kidnapper was associated with the Penguin Gang.
Batman had taken the surveillance footage of Tom from Arkham Asylum and left no trace.
In addition, there are several people visited Kirk in the last month, which made it impossible for Jim and his team to determine who obtained the formula.
In short, Kirk trusted the Bat Family more than the Gotham Police. He willingly revealed everything to Robin but remained silent in front of the GCPD.
This interruption in information made it impossible for Jim and his team to figure out who kidnapped Francine.
Without knowing who took Francine, it became impossible to find the mastermind behind the scenes.
The city's problems would never really be resolved as long as the person who almost destroyed Gotham was still on the loose.
It remained uncertain whether this mastermind would continue his or her terrorist activities or whether other cities would experience similar Man-Bat Virus incidents.
"Since Kirk doesn't want to talk, let's get him back to Arkham as soon as possible. It's against the law to keep him at the precinct."
Jimmy said this while rubbing his forehead.
"Forty-two minutes ago, he was already taken back to Arkham by the prison guards."
Harvey responded.
Upon hearing Harvey's reply, Jimmy nodded tiredly and continued the previous topic.
"Batman's unusual pursuit of the Mosaic Gang is indeed strange. But to say that Mosaic had the Man-Bat Virus spread, Harvey, I think that's highly unlikely. He didn't have any reason to do that, and there's no benefit for him."
"I suspect Mosaic has a close connection to the mastermind behind this. Perhaps he is an accomplice."
"Mosaic is deeply tied to the Penguin Gang. The only one who could command Mosaic is the Penguin. Jim, are you suggesting this is related to the Penguin?"
Harvey pondered, then furrowed his brow in response.
"But hasn't the Penguin already died from the attacks by the Man-Bats infected? If he was the mastermind, how could he die from the virus he spread?"
"Corpse."
Jim softly uttered a word.
"What?"
Harvey didn't immediately catch on.
"I said 'corpse,' Harvey. The Penguin's body still hasn't been found."
Jim's gaze sharpened.
"Maybe his body was eaten by those crazy Man-Bats?"
Harvey speculated tentatively.
"Maybe, but after a complete investigation of the bloodstains and remains left at the scene, the final test report showed that only a small part of the bloodstains and muscle tissue matched the Penguin's DNA. The rest all belonged to his henchmen."
Jim shook his head.
"More importantly, the flesh left by the Penguin did not cause injuries severe enough to result in death."
Harvey's face changed, and he exclaimed, "Jim, do you suspect the Penguin isn't actually dead?"
...
Sewer
A man with a cane, dressed in a suit and having a tall and somewhat dog-like physique, slowly walked in.
This man exuded a sinister yet gentlemanly vibe, which made people think he might not be a good person at first glance.
However, there was also an air of politeness and friendliness about him.
However, that kind of aura is something that anyone can't see or touch, and it doesn't mean much.
This man had one feature that nobody could forget. It was the giant glass-like head above his neck, filled with an unknown blue liquid.
This unmistakable feature belonged to Mr. Combustible, an ally of the Penguin Gang.
As Mr. Combustible walked forward, he continually glanced over his shoulder while repeatedly confirming if anyone was trailing him.
He kept going until he reached a T-shaped intersection.
Mr. Combustible stopped before the intersection and leaned against the wall at the corner.
He could only see the path ahead of him and the path behind him from where he was standing. He wasn't able to see what was around the corner.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
At this moment, Mr. Combustible knocked three times on the wall and whispered, "Boss, confirm it's safe; no one is tailing."
The sounds of footsteps coming from around the corner got louder as his words faded.
...
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