"Don't talk about my parents..." Batman said, his voice somewhat trembling, "you criminal."
"You found many similarities." Shiller said.
"But your anger made you overlook many more differences."
"For example, I've never had any education in chemical or biological fields, I've taken part in countless serial murder investigations, my anti-detection awareness wouldn't falter to the point of not cleaning up footprints; even more importantly..."
Shiller looked at the memory card and said, "I have much more conclusive evidence than you."
Batman's anger had subsided slightly due to Gordon's interruption. When reason returned, he felt even in such a cold and damp weather, his back shirt was soaked with sweat.
Batman cautiously picked up the USB drive; he plugged it into the miniature computer on his arm, projecting an image.
By this time, Gordon had also hurriedly run onto the balcony. He saw in the video a man in a checkered shirt sneakily standing on the air conditioning unit outside a household, inserting a hose into the window. The people inside collapsed one after another. After the man jumped off the AC unit, he went into the stairwell, reappearing shortly dragging two large boxes, which he then placed on a cart and left. The figures inside the room had already disappeared.
This was the inspiration Batman gave Shiller. Jonathan greatly lacked anti-detection awareness; Shiller stood in the stairwell of the building opposite him, shooting with a camera, which he hadn't noticed.
But also, nobody in Gotham would be out wandering around in the middle of the night, particularly in such a slum, where one could lose their life in no time.
Gordon suddenly exclaimed, "No wonder!"
"I remember when registering the addresses of the missing, indeed it's the residents on the lower floors who were more victimized. Almost all the victims' homes had balconies..." Gordon said.
Then he looked at Batman and Shiller, he angrily said to Batman, "I really misjudged you, were you just about to shoot? Do you realize you almost killed someone?!"
Batman silently stared at the projection on his arm; anyone with vision could see that the killer's physique in the footage was way off from Shiller's.
Although Shiller doesn't fight or exercise, he's still quite tall and fit, only a bit shorter and thinner than Batman, but almost 1.9 meters tall. The person in the video at best is 1.7 meters tall and wouldn't weigh more than 60 kilograms.
"Professor Jonathan is a nice guy--that's what you think, right? Because he doesn't check homework, he's kind to you and certainly won't fail you. But I'm different, I'm a troublesome professor, always finding faults in the assignments, frequently testing, and threatening all students with the possibility of failing."
"So naturally, I must be the murderer and he couldn't be. After all, how could such a timid, introverted, thin, and short man possibly be a serial killer?"
"Don't say any more," Batman said, his voice trembling.
He remembered the situation at the scene when he faced the beggar, he still saw the stain the beggar left on the wall, the strong feeling of guilt and shame overwhelmed him.
Gordon's words were like rubbing salt into the wound, he said, "I don't care where you strange people in tight suits come from, messing around in the city, but you almost killed a good man. What's the hatred between you two? If you have a personal grudge, settle it yourselves, don't interfere with police work."
"Are the police of Gotham not busy enough? You want to commit murder right in front of me, is it your wish to be immediately sentenced to prison?" Gordon said.
Several days of working overtime have made him irritable, he said impatiently, "weirdo in a tight suit, give me the USB, I need to record it... Sir, please return with me, you seem to know who the murderer is, we need clues..."
After a few moments of silence, Batman quietly handed Gordon the USB.
He realized that his debut out in all his glory this time had only caused chaos; the criminal he thought he was pursuing, Shiller, turned out to be a great help, providing the crucial evidence.
Shiller remained silent, and Batman stood in place while the never-ending rain began to fall on the streets outside.
Just as he was about to leave with Gordon, he heard Batman behind him say, "...I'm sorry, Professor."
Shiller paused, he found it somewhat unbelievable. What did Batman just say? Did he just apologize?
Shiller turned back incredulously, Batman was standing in the shadow cast by the building, the only beam of light shining on his mask. Batman's lips were tightly pursed, which Shiller found utterly ridiculous.
He was Batman after all.
Because he was Batman.
And Batman was always right.
The Batman never apologized to anyone.
Even in the face of all scrutiny, he would always say, "Because I'm Batman."
In the Batman comics, Shiller saw Batman's darker side many times, such as preparing Kryptonite to counter Superman, and devising a plan for every member of the Justice League, he seemed to trust no one, not even himself.
It must be said that when the editors created this character for the comic, these darker elements made him more appealing and left a deeper impression on the readers.