Shiller's mind raced, and two facts flashed through his mind.
First, with such a big scene, Gordon must have arrived.
Second, the Raven was still in the house, and he couldn't possibly deceive this seasoned detective.
But he still didn't hit the brakes, letting the car move toward the police line at an extremely steady speed, until the policeman standing in front of the police line waved at him, signaling him to stop, and then Shiller slowly pressed the brake.
He got out of the car and saw that the police who stopped him were two young officers, obviously new recruits, so he extended both hands to show he was harmless and said, "I live here, I just came back from the post office, what happened here?"
Seeing Shiller in a suit and not holding anything in his hands, driving a brand-name car that was also well-maintained, the two officers relaxed.
"Sir, there has been a homicide in your community, someone was dismembered in a gentleman's house, and we are currently blocking the street for investigation."
"So can I go back to my house?"
"Not at the moment, please wait in your car for a while, we need to report personnel movements to our superiors before we can open the police line for you," one of the policemen said as a matter of routine.
Shiller went back to his car but beckoned the two policemen over and handed one of them a tip, to which the policeman, seemingly understanding, said, "I'm sorry, sir, but I have to say this, there's probably a terrifying serial killer lurking near your community. If you're not in a rush to go home, I suggest you stay at a hotel for the night."
"Of course, I dare not go back, but my underage niece is still at home, and I have to take her to meet her teachers at her new school tomorrow. Could you ask your superiors if they could get her out?"
Shiller passed over another tip, and the two policemen, holding the money, showed hesitation on their faces. Logically, the police line was easier to enter than exit to ensure no potential suspects slipped through.
But times were tough for everyone, and they really needed the tips. It didn't feel right to take someone's money without doing anything for them.
"I'll ask Officer Clay for you," the policeman said, resting his hand on the car window frame and nodding to Shiller. He was about to leave when Shiller called out to him, saying, "But I heard that major cases are always personally overseen by Director Gordon. Hasn't he come?"
Shiller expressed genuine concern because he knew that the eyes of the public were clear. After many years of diligent work, Gordon held high prestige among the people of Gotham, not only earning the trust of the upper classes but also having a good reputation among the ordinary people. Everyone counted on him, feeling he was the only officer who could uphold justice.
Shiller frowned with a look of dissatisfaction, as if to say that for such a big case, it was outrageous that Gordon hadn't come, but in his heart, he actually hoped Gordon hadn't.
"Didn't you know? Officer Gordon has been assigned to the police training academy in Metropolis for a two-week session of experience sharing and teaching."
"Police training academy? Isn't the only official police academy on the East Coast located in Chicago?" Shiller asked with some confusion.
"That's a new one," one of the policemen replied vaguely, adding, "All the good police chiefs from the East Coast have been called there for training, and they likely won't be back for a month."
"And this Officer Clay..."
"He was transferred to Gotham about a year ago," the young officer responded. "He's a professional, graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a major in criminal investigation. He used to head the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the Gotham Major Crime Squad and was greatly trusted by Director Gordon. So before he left, he handed over all his work to him."
Shiller nodded; he knew that after initially making up for a lack of firepower, the Gotham Police Department did not continue to spend a fortune on hardware but instead focused on software, hiring many technical experts with high salaries.
Now, the Gotham Police Department could be considered the most comprehensively equipped on the East Coast, the most technically capable, with the most experience in handling various incidents—and all thanks must go to Director Gordon, who had persisted in his efforts. So it was no surprise that he was invited to give training.
However, the police academy located in Metropolis had caught Shiller's attention. The real and largest-scale police academy on the East Coast was in Chicago, and that was where Gordon came from; the rest were just police training schools.
Given the current situation, the output of police talent from this academy and numerous schools was more than sufficient. Moreover, Metropolis never lacked for police—why then establish a separate police academy, especially with such fanfare?
Shiller put his doubts aside for the moment and prepared to greet Officer Clay. After the two young officers reported Shiller's situation, he was almost immediately invited over.
After making his way there, he saw a tall white man, about 35 to 40, dressed slightly differently from the other regular officers, with a square forehead, broad cheekbones, and deep-set eyes—someone who often appeared as a police chief in TV dramas.
Beside him was another tall, skinny, bald man. When he turned his head, Shiller recognized him; it was Principal Xi Wana (Shivana).
Shiller approached and Xi Wana immediately came up to him. He first shook hands with Shiller, then patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Luckily you're okay, Professor. I was really worried."
"What exactly happened?" Shiller appeared very puzzled.
He stepped forward and shook hands with Officer Clay, who scrutinized Shiller with hawk-like eyes, a look that seemed to observe a suspect, causing Shiller to frown.
Xi Wana immediately stepped between them and introduced to Clay, "This is Xie Le Rodriguez, a professor of psychology at Gotham University and a renowned psychologist known worldwide. He has also made contributions to criminal science and behaviorism. Perhaps you've heard of his name."
The tall white officer known as Clay nodded solemnly and said, "Yes, I've seen the name in textbooks before, but duty compels me to ask you a few questions nonetheless. I hope you don't mind."
"Don't be like that, officer," Professor Shearer couldn't possibly be a suspect, have I not told you already? I saw the serial killer's silhouette and the size difference with Professor Shearer is significant. Anyone could tell at a glance that he has no suspicion."
"It's okay, officer," Professor Shearer said as he looked toward Xi Wana. "Actually, I also want to know what's going on here. But before that, I need to go back to my house and make sure my niece is alright."
Only then did Xi Wana suddenly realize, speaking anxiously, "Good heavens, I almost forgot about that! Professor Shearer has a minor niece who might be alone in the house right now. We must hurry to find her; we can't leave a minor unattended..."
As he was speaking, there was a loud boom from behind them. Shearer quickly turned his head to see the back wall of his house had collapsed. In the instant his Spirit Vision activated, he could see a force bursting out from the backyard, but it disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Xi Wana's right eye also flickered with light. Clearly, he had also seen that force.
The group immediately ran to Shearer's house. Upon pushing the front door open, Shearer saw no sign of Raven and knew that something must have happened to her.
He opened the door straight ahead and saw that the prior arrangement of sculptures had toppled over, with a Batman puppet lying in the center of the floor, its back slashed open, revealing signs of a violent struggle.
Moving further inside, the dining table was overturned, the vase smashed to pieces on the floor, and though there was no major damage to the kitchen countertops or stovetop, the refrigerator had fallen over, face-down, with its electrical cord ripped out.
Continuing forward, the backyard had suffered the most damage; there was a large crater in the center, and the remnants of the uncompleted barbecue grill and the football that had been on the table were still emitting smoke.
"God Almighty..." Xi Wana exclaimed.
"Rachel! Rachel!!" Shearer rushed upstairs, and without seeing Raven, he knew she was no longer in the house, yet he still appeared frantic.
The officers quickly entered and started searching the house. After coming back down, Shearer looked at Officer Clay with a very serious expression, "Someone has kidnapped my niece; I must find out what happened."
Clay signaled for all the officers to follow the direction in which the wall had collapsed in pursuit and see what they could find. The officers swarmed out, and the three of them left Shearer's house, returning to the street.
"I was woken up tonight," said Xi Wana. "I heard something in the backyard and was about to check it out. Just as I stepped outside, I saw a black figure scaling the fence of my backyard."
"He left a few black plastic bags in my backyard, the kind usually seen around trash bins. When I went over to check them out, inside I found human limbs."
"I was terrified and immediately called the police. Officer Clay arrived swiftly. I thought that this short amount of time wouldn't have been enough for this terrifying killer to leave our community, so I suggested a lockdown."
After finishing, he showed a look of self-reproach, "We should have strengthened the defenses for each house. Then your niece would not have..." He paused, still somewhat unclear about the explosion. "But I still don't quite understand what's going on with that explosion."
"I was previously assembling a barbecue grill," Shearer said. "If there was a struggle between them, it's likely a gas explosion."
Xi Wana, seemingly seeking an excuse for the anomaly, immediately nodded and said, "That's possible, and if so, the culprit and your niece may both be injured. He couldn't have gone far. I suggest we continue the search."
"Of course," Clay said. "A missing minor is no small matter. Even if we didn't see her being kidnapped, we can make that assumption, and I'll immediately have people look into it."
Just then, a female officer squeezed through the crowd to Clay's ear and whispered a few words. Clay looked somewhat displeased as he asked, "Why didn't you report this earlier?"
"Missing person cases usually require a 10 to 24-hour window before reporting," the female officer said somewhat awkwardly. "Especially for adults, we would normally wait until the evening if it were not for their persistent requests."
"What's happened?" asked Shearer, although he already had an inkling but still deliberately played dumb.
"A model employee from the postal office has gone missing," Clay said with a frown and a grave look. "The postal office is already short-staffed. Now there's no one to do his work, and they hope we can find him quickly."
"The bodies in the bags!" Xi Wana exclaimed.
The three of them moved together toward Xi Wana's backyard. The crime scene was untouched, now being examined by the police forensics team outside the bags.
Clay waved his hand, and someone carefully opened the bags. An older officer glanced at Shearer. Among all the officers, he was the only familiar face, the one who had always followed Director Gordon.
"No head," the older officer intoned as he shook his head with hands on his hips. "We haven't opened the bags yet, but it's clear from the outline that the head of the corpse is missing."
Clay could obviously make out the same but still wanted the limbs pulled out of the bag. As the bags were being maneuvered, releasing a strong stench of blood, Shearer turned his head and coughed twice while Xi Wana stepped back a couple of paces.
Clay's eyes swept over the two men. Shearer wore an expression of distaste, his brow furrowed, while Xi Wana looked somewhat pale.
"You don't seem to be very frightened, Professor," Clay remarked, looking directly at Shearer.