"I have never heard a serial killer scream at a judge, showing insolence. They have a kind of temperament that is different from ordinary people..."
"When you confront Batman, I always feel like you two are looking at a mirror image of each other."
"You think I'm like him? Are you serious?"
"Some things are completely different, but some things are strikingly similar."
Shiller looked at Gordon and said: "Maintain this kind of sensitivity, and you will become Gotham's savior."
Gordon tapped some ash on the silver platter and then said: "This time The Godfather is in deep shit. The gang who infiltrated us seems to have some tricks. They killed two bartenders from the Falcone Family. If the Godfather can't apprehend them quickly, he'd lose face in Gotham, which is more severe than anything else."
"The mobs should not dare provoke the Godfather so soon, right?" Shiller puts down the newspaper and leans back in his chair.
"Hard to say, don't underestimate those people. Don't forget, Maroni isn't dead. He made a fortune in the East District conflict. He might be planning to challenge the Godfather."
"He's asking for death." Smoke falls as he talks, Shiller stretches out his hand, taps his cigar, and fine dust floats down slowly.
"Not necessarily, for some unknown reason, the Godfather bypassed him, had old Director Victor killed. I heard he also wanted to get involved with Arkham Hospital, but again was kicked out by the Godfather, Maroni can't stand this."
"The East District is in unrest, Maroni is desperate to appease the forces he has incorporated. He needs victories to consolidate his newly absorbed forces."
"If he dares to use the Godfather to show his power, Falcone will teach him a lesson." Shiller thoroughly leans back in his chair, he pulls at his sweater collar, appearing very relaxed.
Gordon coughs again, through the smoke surging from the tip of his cigar, he squints at the reflection on the silver platter and says: "Maroni is a formidable character, and the Godfather is getting old."
"Are you favoring him?"
"No, I really hope the old Godfather can win. As long as Falcone is still there, Gotham won't run amok, but without him, it's hard to say."
Soon, Gordon leaves. After all, he still has work to be done. It has been his busy season lately, another month of hard work, and buying a villa wouldn't be a problem.
After Gordon leaves, Shiller leans back in his chair and finishes his entire cigar. Smoke swirls at his fingertips. He hasn't had the chance to relax and think like this in a long time.
In this city full of crisis, if there's no guaranteed safety, he doesn't even have the time to rest and have a smoke.
Before this, Shiller had never thought about buying a home; he didn't need one. He is not a Gothamite, and he comes from one of the world's safest order countries.
With the burning of the cigar, the smoke, several times thicker than cigarettes, dissipates into a series of unpredictable abstract shapes, incubating countless associations. In such hallucinogenic, sweet-smelling aroma, Shiller begins to reflect.
He vaguely remembers his first feelings, a mix of shock or excitement, at seeing his first shootout in Chicago after leaving his hometown.
All he remembers is when the plane was falling, with the memory of his life up till then, filled with convoluted ups and downs, all turning into a blur with the weightlessness and lack of oxygen. Just as they wished, when the memories disappear with death, countless secrets will be buried forever.
If there truly is a God in this world, Shiller thought, the great one who could grant people another life would really understand him well.
Gotham is the sewer drain of the world's evils, and good people are not washed down the drain.
Shiller looks at the tip of the cigar at his fingertips as the flame gradually dies out, the smoke starts to thin, and the patterns it formed slowly disperse.
He knew that when he regained consciousness and learned from the original host's memory that this is Gotham City, that initial excitement filling his mind would eventually destroy all his ambitions for a peaceful life.
Or, the desire to enjoy the monotonous routine of daily life, from start to finish, is in itself self-deceiving by a madman skilled in self-hypnosis, right up until the moment Batman appears.
With the dispersion of the smoke, Shiller recalls the feeling when he first used his weak mind-reading ability to reach inside Batman's heart.
Just like what Gordon said, he felt like he was looking in the mirror.
Therefore, he gave Batman the answer he wanted to hear the most, and then, almost impatiently, he put an end to the boring life that had driven him to despair.
Now, he finally becomes a Gotham citizen, in the winter of 1987 in Gotham, on this day, which is the first birthday of his second life.