69novels Chapter 50 The Riddler
Chapter 50 The Riddler
Chapter 50 The Riddler (Part 1)
呲!
The policewoman next to Gordon plugged the USB drive into the computer.
"It's already reading... it'll be done in a bit. We'll slow it down... we'll look at it frame by frame."
"They're here."
Gordon sat in the lift-up seat at the Gotham Police Department and adjusted his glasses.
"This happened a few hours ago. That was John Peterson, the victim of this murder. He was there."
The screen gradually brightened, and the black and white, blurry image, occasionally interfered with by the signal, had a silent, absurd, and unsettling quality.
"Our victims usually take the subway home, but that day he decided to take a taxi."
"Now look to the left."
Jim Gordon narrowed his eyes.
"That's the Riddler. When the surveillance camera caught him, he had already drawn his gun. See? In his left hand. I remember the Riddler isn't left-handed."
"In fact, it happened in the blink of an eye, without hesitation... or any other action."
The policewoman's voice rang out: "It's unclear whether he spoke or not—we looked closely, and his lips didn't seem to move, so based on what we know so far, we conclude that he probably didn't speak."
Gordon had a guess about what would happen next, but he was still a little hesitant to believe it.
"This is the moment the guns are fired."
Chief Gordon pursed his lips.
He saw the Riddler in the picture raising a pistol at the back of the innocent victim's head.
boom!
The gunshot seemed to explode right next to Jim Gordon's ear, although there was no sound in the surveillance footage, as silent as a tombstone.
"One shot to the head, dead instantly. The crowd panicked and fled from the source of the noise," the policewoman said. "The Riddler lowered his gun without aiming or attacking anyone else."
"The crowd was still fleeing in panic. He threw the gun next to the victim's body and didn't touch it again until we arrived at the scene."
"Very calm, no screaming or anything like that, very professional, and up to this point... he hasn't said a word."
"This is the first patrol car that rushed over. We happened to have an officer named Sean half a block away, and he got out of the car... and was yelling at the Riddler."
"He heard it," Gordon said. "Without a doubt."
"This is all the information on the Riddler's shooting of John Peterson in the street."
Commissioner Gordon saw the Riddler turn to face the camera on screen, pull a card with the Batman logo from his pocket. He smiled slightly and then said—
Where is he?
trial room.
The table lamp was turned on, and the riddle teller turned his head slightly to avoid the glaring light.
Chief Gordon sat down opposite the Riddler.
"He won't come. Edward isn't worth wasting his time on."
Do you know what the oldest riddle is? It dates back to ancient Sumer, about 4000 years ago.
He slightly raised the shackles on his hands:
"I am everywhere, yet unseen. I often manage to escape, but never escape. I will find you at the intersection, and even chase you to the next street corner. What am I?"
"die."
"I can be broken, spoken of, manufactured, and manipulated. What am I?"
"I don't have time to play riddles with you."
Chief Gordon interrupted him: "Nigma. You shot poor John Peterson in the head in broad daylight and then waited for the police to arrive."
"Is there a reason you did this? Does he owe you money? Do you owe him some money? Did you lose to him in a poker game or something? Maybe he slept with your girlfriend—"
Do you have a girlfriend?
"The answer is a joke."
"So... does this mean a negative about your girlfriend?"
"Don't you like jokes?" the riddle-maker asked.
He smiled gently, shy like a student answering a teacher's question at school, even his eyes seemed to hold a clear naiveté.
"How about we guess the other one?"
"How did the Joker know that Barnacles was home that day? How did he know where you lived? How did he get through your security system? We both know him; he's a strange guy—crazy and complicated, but not good at planning."
"..."
The riddle teller made a phone call gesture and then imitated a clown talking to him:
"Hey~ dear Edward~ how's the plan going? I want to have a 'terrible day,' but I have no idea where to start."
"Well, Jack—how about starting with the sheriff and his daughter? I've planned everything, but it's too simple, I'm getting bored. Sing me a song, and I'll give it to you."
"Wow, that would be perfect, Ed. Listen, I'll throw in a free dance for you."
"Ha ha ha ha!"
The riddle teller spoke casually, and a girl's fate was thus maliciously smeared, like a black stain on a wall.
Gordon slowly clenched his fist.
He repeatedly reminded himself that the riddle-maker was just trying to provoke him.
He couldn't allow his emotions to be so easily manipulated by the other party, as that would mean a complete loss of initiative and a complete collapse of his mind—an extremely dangerous situation when facing the Riddler…”
"You son of a bitch—how dare you!" Gordon jumped up from his seat and grabbed the Riddler by the neck. "You dare to *do this* to me!"
But the next second, Gordon forcibly controlled himself and did not continue to vent his anger.
"Cough cough cough cough!" The Riddler coughed hysterically behind him. "Are you alright, Godot? You don't look very happy."
"Oh no... Has everyone found out about Sergeant Sarah? How did you... know about her, and then force her to transfer?"
"So you can hide your affair from your pregnant wife like this?"
"She was your subordinate, man. She used to have her own business, and then... well, we know what happened next, don't we? Poor woman."
Jim Gordon calmed down. His anger was gradually replaced by shame, and just as he was about to succumb to it, he suddenly realized that in front of the Riddler, his emotions were as easily molded as porcelain.
So he turned away and stopped facing his prisoner.
But this is not normal. Over the years, no matter which time the Riddler committed a crime, a riddle would always be left at the scene.
A crime of passion without a mystery? This goes against the Riddler's modus operandi. Edward Nicholas should be the one who despises such low-level crimes the most.
Gordon had a vague feeling that something was wrong; the Riddler... seemed to be no longer the Riddler he used to be.
But no matter what, he has now been captured.
Gordon said, "You'll be transferred to the rebuilt Arkham Asylum. You can wait there, and maybe Batman will have time to interrogate you."
He looked at the riddle-maker, his pupils reflecting the man's sinister smile:
Do you believe it?
He heard Edward Nigma say, "Escape from the cage... in just 20 seconds."
(End of this chapter)