Quite the unexpected guest, Shiller opened the door for him, Gordon didn't stand on ceremony and walked straight to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of ice-cold drink, the shirt sticking wetly to his front and back from sweat.
"Your car doesn't have air conditioning?" Shiller asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Don't even mention it, halfway through the road a tar-covered path melted and a car got stuck in it. I helped clear it for quite some time, and I felt like I was about to get dehydrated."
After downing the entire can of an ice-cold drink, Gordon wiped his mouth and said, "I really didn't expect to find soda in your fridge."
"It was bought by those kids." Shiller went to the kitchen to pour some water, placed it on the table, and said, "Luckily, the residents in this community are quite health-conscious, no one fought over it, or else the reason for your visit would've been to stop an ice Coke war."
Gordon chuckled, "They're always like that. I even heard Alfred complaining about the kids drinking too much soda. I thought you would limit them too."
"It's definitely not good for Dick and the others to drink too much since they're ordinary people. But these few are different. I don't think soda will cause them any harm," Shiller said as he sat down.
In fact, that was what he believed too. The few in the New Warriors Team mostly had superpowers, and a bit of soda wasn't much of an issue, especially considering the weather was extremely hot. Even with air conditioning, coming in from the outside all sweaty, nothing beats a sip of an ice-cold drink for comfort.
Although he said this, Shiller hadn't tried it himself, because he hadn't gone out at all.
Without Gray mist, he couldn't adjust the temperature anymore, and it was just too hot outside. Unless he absolutely had to go to work, he would never willingly go out.
"How are Wanda and the others?" Shiller politely inquired. Gordon gestured dismissively and said, "That girl's got big skills, she can even adjust the temperature. Without her, I don't even know how much the electricity bill would be this month."
At this point, Shiller began to feel a headache coming on. Last month's electricity bill had already been astonishing, and this month it was feared it would reach a new high.
Just then, a pair of furry ears appeared at the window, followed by a head poking through the door crack. Squirrel Girl shouted towards the kitchen where Helen was, "Hurry up! Helen, we've found an awesome big tree! It's perfect for building the best treehouse in the world!"
Helen put down the glass filled with ice cubes and clomped to the door, then ran out after Squirrel Girl.
"What are they up to?" Gordon asked.
"They seem to want to build a treehouse," Shiller said, shaking his head. "That area is public land, but I think they can convince the neighbors."
"You need to keep an eye on them so they don't get heatstroke, it'd be best. Too many people are suffering from it now, and hospitals just don't have the beds."
Gordon let out a sigh, continuing, "Even the killers have stopped working recently, that's how terrible this damn weather is."
"How do you know they've stopped working?"
"In this weather, bodies start decomposing in less than half an hour. How could they possibly operate?" Gordon squeaked, took a sip of ice water, and exhaled, "Even the new young cops found a poor bastard on the roadside who got heatstroke while dumping a body."
Shiller pictured the scene and found it somewhat amusing. Still, Gordon was right. He himself wouldn't want to operate in this weather unless he could ensure that the entire process from murder to disposing of the body was completed in an air-conditioned space, or else it would be a disaster.
"What's the crime rate like?"
"Down by too much," Gordon finally showed a contented expression and said, "Everyone's too drained to commit crimes, even the brash habitual offenders have been preferring to stay home and enjoy the AC lately."
"Well, that's a good thing, but the death rate must have increased a lot."
Gordon exhaled deeply and said, "You must have already called the mayor about it, right? Things are indeed troublesome as the number of deaths from heatstroke reached an all-time high, and it looks like it will only get worse. Hospitals are overwhelmed, healthcare resources are severely lacking."
"He said he's prepared to induce artificial rain, but the technology is not quite there yet," Shiller relayed the information he got from Roy.
Gordon also shook his head and said, "Artificial rain relies on the right conditions, and firing shells into the clouds might not necessarily bring rain. Who would've thought that one day we'd start to miss the old Gotham?"
At this, Shiller fell silent. Standing in front of the thermometer, he had already thought about almost every problem. To improve the high temperatures, relying solely on methods like artificial rain could only provide temporary relief. The ultimate solution still lay in improving urban environment, increasing vegetation and water bodies.
But such a project was as large scale as undertaking another renovation of Gotham's architecture, clearly beyond what Mayor Roy could handle.
"I'll call Bruce about it," Shiller gave Gordon a satisfying answer, knowing that was what Gordon was here for. Such obvious problems beyond human resolution still needed to fall back on Batman.
"What has he been up to lately?" Gordon asked.
"I'm not quite sure," Shiller shook his head. "Probably the same old things."
"You have to let me know when he gets back," Gordon paused before adding, "Roy and I are both waiting to throw him a welcome-back party."
"I will," Shiller said.
Following that, finding themselves with no particular tasks, Shiller invited Gordon for a walk by the lake. Initially, Gordon didn't understand the appeal, but after crossing the sweltering lawn and feeling the lakeside breeze, even he found a hint of coolness.
"Oh my, if I were you, I'd stay here and never leave," Gordon remarked, "Indeed, no matter how big the gardens are, they can't compare to a natural lake. This place is fantastic."
Shiller and Gordon stood in the shade of the trees, looking out at the lake sparkling under the sunlight like a bright mirror. The forest on the other side cast deep shadows, the dense foliage blocking out the sun. Beams of sunlight occasionally sprinkled through the gaps between leaves, making the shrubs and lawn below twinkle.
"You really don't plan on having another party?" Gordon asked, "I swear many people would love to come here to escape the heat."
Shiller shook his head and replied, "Although I'd like to offer you all a summer retreat, I really can't handle buying all the supplies in this weather. It's just too hot."
Gordon didn't press him, instead looking towards the opposite forest. He noticed some vague shadows, and Shiller suggested, "Let's go over there."
The two traversed the uneven shrubbery, bypassing the lake to enter the forest. They soon saw the youths from the New Warriors Team busily at work.
The forest was even cooler; they felt none of the outside heat. The youths were grouped around a large maple tree in the center of the forest. The trunk was short and stout, but surprisingly, the branches were neither feeble nor frail. Instead, they were robust, twisting outwards in every direction.
"Are you planning to build a treehouse on this tree?" Shiller looked up at the tall maple, its dense leaves creating a canopy, with just enough sunlight filtering through, not blinding, but rather casting a warm, welcoming glow on the ground.
"Yes, we initially wanted to build a treehouse on a redwood tree, but then we found their trunks too straight, only allowing us to wrap a house around them. This is different, though," Gordon said.
Squirrel Girl pointed at the branches above and added, "The way these branches spread out, we could construct a multi-level villa."
Gordon, already excited, joined in, "That's a brilliant idea! Let's get to work, and be sure to reserve a room for me when it's done. Jenny will be thrilled."
Shiller knew he was referring to his daughter, as Jane's nickname was Jenny, but Gordon's daughter surprisingly wasn't Barbara, which still took some getting used to.
Helen let out a cheer and then declared, "I'll draw up the designs. I can certainly design the most beautiful treehouse villa!"
"Don't rush," Nightingale, with a steadier personality, interjected, "This area is supposed to be community land. We probably can't just cut down trees or build freely; it could be illegal. Professor, what do you think?"
"This land isn't indeed mine," Shiller said, "It's just that being close to my house and relatively untouched, nobody has had the interest to come here. However, if people discover how cool it is here, it might quickly become a well-known spot."
Helen rushed over and clung to Shiller, pleading, "No, Professor, you can't just give up on this amazing place. Let's buy it! Please, Professor!"
Like an octopus, Helen coiled herself around Shiller, who, somewhat helplessly, patted her head and coaxed her to let go before saying, "Of course, I've considered it, but it's quite difficult in reality. First of all, the land here is very expensive. My house was a discount deal, but this land would cost a fortune—I can't afford it."
"Besides, my own house is more than enough for one person. What would I do with such a vast property? Just use it to admire the view?"
"Professor, you and the Doctor are so different," Helen said with a pout, "If it were Doctor Schiller, he would have bought the lake and this land without hesitation."
"No, don't expect me to be tempted," Shiller shook his head, "Trying to provoke me won't work, I'm not going to buy it."
Helen seemed dejected, but they didn't give up, apparently planning to raise funds to purchase the land. However, upon hearing from Gordon about the housing prices in the area, they all felt a bit hopeless.
Helen was right; if it were Doctor Schiller, he would surely buy the land, but the problem was that perhaps only he could afford it.
Gotham's positioning is essentially like New York, and the real estate prices there are well known for being exorbitant. Moreover, community green spaces like this are generally bought by developers as public greenery to ensure lower prices for the community, not something that can be purchased on a whim.
Just when Shiller and Gordon were about to return, having cooled off enough, they suddenly spotted a few people loitering outside the forest. The leader, wearing a plaid shirt and sporting a beer belly, had the typical image of an older white man.
Gordon and Shiller approached the group, who looked back at them warily. Gordon didn't beat around the bush, "You're not residents here, what are you doing?"
His tone was unmistakable, and almost immediately, the man replied impatiently, "I'm not one of those Black Devils. What's it to you? Get lost, blue boy."
Gordon didn't get angry. He stood with his hands on his hips, looking down the slope, "That forest down there looks nice, and there seems to be a good number of fish in the lake. Are you here to fish?"
"Ha, you think I'd use such a perfect lake just for fishing?" the white man scoffed, arms folded, "The temperature here is the lowest within a hundred kilometers. I'm going to turn this into a perfect high-end summer resort. Ha! Pete, grab the survey equipment, let's go!"
With that, he turned and made his way down the slope with his assistant carrying a toolbox, while Shiller watched their retreating figures.
"You don't like people disturbing your life, Professor," Gordon suddenly said, "But you know that dumping a body in this season could lead to heatstroke, right?"
"Yes, I know," Shiller nodded.