In the tranquil manor, the flames of the fireplace crackled, the gentle rain tapping on the glass. The light sound, when transduced indoors, faded in the somewhat dim light.
The whispering sound of turning book pages could be heard, as Shiller reclined on the sofa in front of the fireplace, engrossed in reading. In this slow-paced era, the hours from sundown to bedtime always seemed quite lengthy. Shiller, with a book in hand, watched the world sway on the written words, slowly blurring, and just when he was about to doze off, the abrupt ring of the telephone roused him.
Shiller sat still, eyes closed as he took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, then slowly stood up. Walking over to the staircase, he picked up the telephone receiver from the sideboard and let it sit by his ear.
"Fish Muni is dead."
From the other end of the line, Gordon's voice boomed like a thunderclap.
With his hand on his forehead, Schiller leaned against the sideboard and asked, "Who's that?"
"The boss of the Munney Gang, the ruler of Living Hell."
"So what?"
"...I need your help, Professor."
Shiller glanced out at the pitch-black night outside, just as he was about to refuse, Gordon said, "It was Batman who unwittingly stumbled upon the crime scene. When we arrived, Fish was already dead. After documenting everything, we took Fish's body back for autopsy, as well as a witness to the crime. This witness seems to be in poor mental shape, perhaps suffering from some mental disorders, we indeed need your help."
Shiller put down the telephone receiver, let out a sigh, he put on a coat, grabbed an umbrella, and walked out of the warm and quiet manor into the dark rainy night of Gotham.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the police station, only a tiny light bulb hung at the top of the entrance porch of the old-looking police station front, revealing the rain falling through the faint light.
As Shiller ascended the steps filled with puddles, he looked up to find Gordon struggling to open the wooden door with an iron chain hanging on it.
Putting away his umbrella, Shiller watched as Gordon approached him and said, "Thank God, you're just in time."
"Next time there's an emergency like this..." Shiller shook his umbrella forcefully, as if he was venting, saying, "Don't call me, we can talk about it in the morning."
Gordon, following his movements, turned his gaze onto the umbrella. He glanced at it closely before finally saying, "How did your umbrella break? Didn't you say it was of good quality before?"
"Yes, but even the best things break, and there's no place to fix it when it does."
Shiller put away the umbrella, walking straight inside the police station, with Gordon trailing him from behind. Gordon then said: "That costumed freak ran into Living Hell in the middle of the night and happened to stumble upon a murder."
Gordon quickened his steps and walked in front of Shiller to lead the way, rapid-fire talking, "Fish Muni was the original mob boss that controlled Living Hell. Since the restructuring of Living Hell, many other mob bosses from the East District gradually moved in, dividing up Munney's territory."
"Fish had a hot temper and seemed to be a sadist."
"Now that she's dead, there's no need to describe her symptoms to me. Talk about the living, where's the eyewitness?"
"I was just going to take you to him..." Gordon led Shiller through a long corridor, stopping outside the room at the end. A young officer had just emerged from inside, saying to Gordon, "That guy seems to really have some mental issues. I swear I didn't hit him, but he..."
"Alright, alright." Gordon patted the young officer on his shoulder and said, "I trust you. You're not that violent. Let's go inside and take a look."
As the door opened, Gordon was the first to walk in. The moment Shiller entered, he saw a familiar figure sitting behind the interrogation desk, Oswald Kolbott.
He looked awful, pale-faced, his black hair drenched by the rain and plastered to his forehead. The eyes, sunken beneath his sockets, appeared dull and listless, his body twitched, and he was muttering something incessantly.
He wasn't seated but crouched in the corner of the room. The young officer also came in and said to Gordon, "We asked him to sit on the chair, but he refused. We didn't handcuff him or use any violent methods against him. He was like this as soon as he entered..."
Gordon understood why the young officer was emphasizing that they had not used violent means. In places like the Gotham Police Department, most cops weren't exactly friendly towards the criminals. It was common for someone being brought in to be roughed up.
Gordon had specifically instructed not to use violence towards Kolbott. On seeing Kolbott's condition, the young officer was worried Gordon would get the wrong impression.
Gordon unlocked the iron door behind the interrogation desk and went in. Seeing this, Kolbott looked terrified. Shiller interrupted Gordon's approach, saying, "From the looks of it, he seems to be suffering from an acute stress disorder. Better not get too close..."
Shiller and Gordon stood about two meters away from Kolbott. Shiller took another look at Kolbott from an angle where the light was behind him. From what he could tell, Kolbott seemed to be in the throes of a breakdown.
However, Gordon was observing him from another angle and asked the young officer, "Are you sure you guys didn't hit him? How come there's a wound on his neck?"
The officer raised his hand and said, "I swear, we didn't touch him at all! The wound must have been there from before."
The officer sounded pretty certain. Gordon furrowed his brows. Shiller turned to Gordon, saying, "Let's have him step out first. It's not conducive for him to calm down with so many people here."
After the young officer exited, Shiller said to Gordon, "It appears to be acute stress disorder."
Shiller took half a step forward, and Cobblepot immediately shrank back, emitting an unarticulated shriek. Shiller stepped back and told Gordon, "He's displaying symptoms again - terror, vigilance, and also…"
Shiller rubbed his chin, and added, "There's even more to it. Accompanied by a state of agitation, there seem to also be other mental disorders…"
"Alright, it doesn't seem like we can get any information from him, then," Gordon remarked.
"Not necessarily. His symptoms require hospitalisation and after receiving treatment, he should regain his sanity."
"How long will that take?" Gordon asked.
"Are you in a rush?" Shiller asked Gordon, "Fish Mooney may be a mob boss but is hardly a big player in Gotham. Who's putting this much pressure on you?"
Gordon sighed, "It's complicated. Let Batman explain."
No sooner had he finished speaking, there was a rustling sound from behind. Batman appeared from the shadows in the corner of the interrogation room.
"Let's get one thing straight, I know you suspect me of beating him, but I didn't," Batman initiated.
"Weren't the injuries on him inflicted by you when apprehending him?" Shiller turned to ask him.
Batman shook his head, "When I encountered him at the crime scene, he was already unconscious and covered in wounds, clearly just beaten up."
Batman also entered the cell, standing further away looking at Cobblepot, "When I arrived on the scene, Fish was already dead and he was collapsed nearby, covered in injuries from a beating. There was no sign of a third party so I called Gordon to investigate and transported Fish's body and him here."
"I think you guys should start from the beginning and explain this whole situation to me," Shiller suggested, going out with the two of them. Whilst walking, Gordon kept looking back; he seemed to sympathize with Cobblepot. He said, "Are we just going to leave him here? That's not right. Shouldn't we send him to the hospital?"
"It's best not to let anyone approach him for now, otherwise it's likely to further provoke him," Shiller advised without turning around. But Gordon was still a little worried. He said, "This kid doesn't look like he's of legal age. Surely he must have a family? If he doesn't return home this late, his folks will be worried."
With that, he shouted to the young officer smoking at the staircase to come back. He instructed him, "Look up where this kid lives, who lives with him. Reassure his family. Also, don't mention his sickness, just say he got a bit injured from street racing and is now in the hospital…"
"Don't use racing as an excuse," Shiller reminded Gordon, "I recognize him, he's a student from Hell Vocational School, his mother should be at home. He doesn't race."
"Then what? Whatever, just say he got drunk or high."
"He doesn't have any bad habits. He doesn't drink or do drugs, doesn't race or fight, he doesn't even smoke."
Gordon widened his eyes. He looked back and forth between Cobblepot and Shiller, and expressed in surprise, "Doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, doesn't do drugs, doesn't engage in racing or fighting? Has no bad habits? Are you sure he's a kid from Gotham? That's strange…" Gordon stood with his hands on his hips, looking puzzled, "So people like him actually exist in Gotham? That's the first I've heard of it during all my years here."
Having said that, he felt even more sympathetic towards Cobblepot, repeatedly glancing at him from the door. Shiller told Gordon, "The last time I was here, I saw a lady in charge of cleaning. Why don't you ask her to come over? Seeing someone close to his mother's age should help lower his defenses."
"You mean Mrs. Mona, right? Ok, she might still be around. I'll arrange for her to come in, at least to get the kid some fresh clothes."
After the three left, they went to Gordon's office. Gordon and Shiller sat face to face while Batman stayed in the shadows beside the window.
Shiller poured himself a cup of hot water, then said, "I think you guys should start from the beginning. What on earth happened?"
He turned to Batman and asked, "Why did you go to Hell in the first place?"
Then he turned back to face Gordon, "What's going on with Fish's death? And why are you in such a hurry to solve this case?"
Gordon was the first to speak, he sighed, "Let me first talk about what I know. This has to start with the reconstruction of the Hell area…"
"As we all know, the renovated Hell area is like a piece of delicious pie, and everyone wants a piece of it. Even though the Munney Gang were rampant in Hell, there were many thugs in the East District. There are several significant figures on Elizabeth Street alone. They are not far from Hell. It's like they stand by the river and wish to be the first to see the moon…"
"As the original owner of Hell, the Munney Gang wanted to retain this area, but they knew they could not do it alone."
"Therefore, Fish gave up a portion of their profits to foreign mob bosses, allowing them to occupy some territories in the North District. However, these mob bosses had insatiable greed. They kept pushing Fish's boundaries until they took over the entire North District and half of the South District. Fish was getting frustrated…"