The journey had been longer than expected. Due to the flooding in the underground tunnels, Cindy had to reroute, taking the Northern Ring Road. By the time they reached the location they’d previously identified, it was already just past one in the morning.

  Under the pitch-bck sky, the world seemed swallowed by water, blurring the line between nd and sky. But despite the heavy rain, they could still spot Commissioner Gordon's brown sedan parked on the roadside not far from them, its tail lights glowing faintly.

  Su Ming and Cindy were ready to get out of the car to investigate further. As for the two reporters, even if they left now, Cindy wasn’t going anywhere. She was still waiting for more juicy tidbits—and for the fight footage Su Ming had promised her.

  Pete was just a ckey to Vicki, and Su Ming had no doubt he didn’t have the courage to walk alone through three rival gang territories at midnight.

  "Can I go down? Maybe shoot a documentary about the case or something?" Vicki asked eagerly, quickly pulling on her jacket, her eyes bright with excitement as she gnced at Su Ming.

  Su Ming shrugged. "Sure, but don’t film us both together in the same shot. And no filming Barbara. No live streams. If you try anything funny, I’ll make you wish you hadn’t."

  Cindy didn’t mind. Both Deathstrokes were as sharp as each other, and strangely, she felt a sense of reassurance, like she was with her old friend Holly again.

  Barbara wanted to go too, but her current condition made it impossible. She had to stay in the vehicle.

  The cold chill returned to Su Ming’s body, pushing all other thoughts aside. With long strides, he walked over to Gordon's car, yanking open the door to inspect it.

  The car smelled of tobacco and coffee, but there was no sign of blood. The phone was neatly pced on the dashboard, showing a few missed calls from Barbara—confirming that it was indeed Gordon’s phone.

  The car key was still in the ignition, the engine in neutral. That meant he had pnned to be away for only a short time, but something must’ve happened.

  There was still half a tank of gas, and the battery was fully charged. No signs of the engine hood or trunk being tampered with, so vehicle malfunction was ruled out.

  So why had he abandoned his car and fallen into the hands of the bck-cd figures?

  "Su, there’s a body in the water."

  Cindy, who had been checking the surveilnce camera, jumped down from a nearby power pole, spshing water everywhere. On one of the nearby cameras, she found a strange device attached, looking like a music pyer. She retrieved the equipment, pnning to investigate this method ter.

  As she walked over to Su Ming, she spotted a vague white figure beneath the murky water, just a little way in front of the car. Her instincts told her immediately—it was a body.

  Su Ming realized right away that the body was the reason Gordon had left the car. As a cop, there was no way he would ignore a body at a crime scene. This meant the bck-cd figures wanted him alive, not dead. That was good news.

  Cindy used her foot to nudge the body out from beneath the water. It had already started to deform from being submerged, the force of the rain hastening the breakdown of its fat, causing the skin to sag and loosen.

  The two of them quickly identified the cause of death: a massive loss of blood from external wounds. They set to work right there on the spot, conducting a quick autopsy.

  As an assassin, understanding human anatomy was a fundamental skill. When necessary, she could even take on the role of a coroner. Cindy checked the internal organs while Su Ming focused on the limbs and head.

  "Audience, what you’re seeing now is the scene of the disappearance of Commissioner Gordon. Behind me is…"

  In the distance, Vicki’s voice came through, her enthusiasm clear as she recorded her segment for the documentary. She clearly didn’t intend to film both Deathstrokes in the same shot, knowing that would cross a line they would not tolerate.

  Neither Cindy nor Su Ming were bothered. They quickly moved with practiced precision, each working in sync, their hands moving swiftly and expertly.

  Thirty seconds ter, both confirmed there were no overlooked details. With the storm pouring down, this was the extent of the clues they could gather.

  "Who goes first?" Su Ming asked with a smile. "I’m not pying the ‘we speak at the same time’ game again."

  "I’ll go first," Cindy replied, standing up and gncing around. But aside from the rain, there was nothing else to see. "The internal organs of the victim show signs of bruising, aside from the stab wounds. She had been struck before death."

  "Her cardiovascur system is well-developed, which suggests she was either a manual borer or an athlete. Her stomach is empty, so she probably hadn’t eaten in two or three days. I think she was executed in some kind of secret facility. She was a prisoner."

  Su Ming nodded, standing up as well, scanning the surroundings before adding, "My findings align with yours. She didn’t walk here on her own. Her feet are perfectly intact. Anyone who walks barefoot wouldn’t leave such marks. This body was dumped here."

  "Her knuckles are thick, and the first three fingers on each hand show signs of heavy wear and calluses. Her limbs are muscur and strong, which means she was either a martial artist or a swimmer. There’s defensive damage on her arms, suggesting she fought back before she died. Her wrists and ankles have clear signs of restraint."

  "She was interrogated and then executed."

  The two of them stood there, lost in thought, the silence between them broken only by the sound of the rain. They stood for several seconds, reflecting on their discoveries.

  "There are no clear signs of torture," Cindy said, her eyes drifting to Vicki, who was still performing in front of the camera as if nothing had happened.

  "It could be waterboarding," Su Ming suggested immediately. "They might’ve used a method called ‘Xie Jia Guan’—covering the face with paper and then pouring water. That would leave traces of asphyxiation during an autopsy."

  "Where did you hear that?" Cindy asked, surprised.

  Su Ming chuckled. "You’ve never seen that kind of interrogation? It’s a cssic, though. Every ancient civilization used it, I think. You’ll learn more about it someday."

  Cindy sighed, shaking her head. "I think you’re right. This situation’s getting more complicated."

  Su Ming understood the gravity of the situation too. This woman’s physical condition wasn’t something the average person could achieve.

  "Looks like they’re here," he said.

  "The Shadow Dancer Alliance," they both said at the same time, a chill settling over them.

  The assassins of the Shadow Dancer Alliance had met their end here. Whoever had done it would pay the price, and the ancient organization’s code demanded revenge. If these were the ones who had kidnapped Gordon, the Alliance wouldn’t waste time figuring out who was responsible—they would kill everyone in sight to send a message. Gordon’s life was in even more danger now.

  "How long does it take to get to Nandarbart from Gotham?" Su Ming asked, breaking the silence. He needed to know how much time they had.

  "Don’t you know? How long does it usually take where you’re from?" Cindy replied, curious. She knew Su Ming had some resources their side didn’t have. Maybe he had a faster way?

  Nandarbart, the headquarters of the Shadow Dancer Alliance, wasn’t actually in the south. It was in a frozen, mysterious pce, one that couldn’t be detected by any technology. Much like Paradise Isnd or Atntis, it seemed to be hidden by some force, not even existing in the physical world.

  From what he’d seen in the Arrowverse and the Dark Knight trilogy, it was probably somewhere in Icend or Greennd.

  "Maybe seven hours?" Su Ming calcuted, considering Gotham's location. By pne, it would take about that long.

  "That’s slow! Here, we can make it in four hours. You’ll find Shadow Dancer assassins everywhere in Gotham by then."

  Su Ming blinked. "Faster than a pne? Do they have some kind of special travel technique?"

  "Not something worth bragging about," Su Ming muttered, rolling his eyes. "We’re running out of time."

  "Alright, those bck-cd guys are probably hiding in the buildings on either side of the street. Let’s see if we can find any signs of them," Cindy suggested with a sigh.

  "Got it. I’ll check over there."

  Su Ming turned and walked away. Time was running out. Cindy shrugged and walked to the building across the street, kicking the door open and interrogating the residents one by one, as if she was venting some frustration.

  As they left, Vicki and Pete arrived at the body and began taking pictures. Suddenly, Vicki stepped on something, and as she looked down at the injury on the body’s waist, she made a discovery that made her smile.