The Death Knell

This is a first-person perspective of the camera. Not even the anchor appears on camera, only his voice can be heard and the microphone he reaches into the screen can be seen.

The location of the interview was in the small square in front of Planet Daily. You can see the big copper ball on the roof of the newspaper office, which is a classic landmark.

"Hello, we are doing a street survey. Are you willing to move to Gotham?"

The person who was stopped by the anchor for an interview was a young woman. She was very obese, and she even poured a high-calorie drink into her mouth while being on camera.

After listening to the question, she first showed an expression of 'are you kidding me', and then after confirming that the anchor was serious, she rolled her eyes and answered:

"Moving to Gotham for what? Being murdered by a clown? Beep--!"

After saying the fragrant phrase, she pulled the microphone aside and left quickly, as if hearing the word Gotham had dirty her ears, and she had no interest in answering other questions.

Because it was a news program, the curse words were muffled, leaving only a beep.

As the newly appointed mayor, Mr. Nakano loved this city deeply, and when he heard others scolding Gotham, he frowned slightly in displeasure.

But the video projection was still playing, and soon the camera switched to Star City, where a black citizen who was demonstrating became the second interviewee.

The anchor still asked the old question, and then stretched out the microphone to the other party, and the black guy took the initiative to grab the microphone and put it directly on his lips like a rap singer:

"Brother, you are so funny. You are funny in broad daylight. Why don't you go home and ask your mother if she loves Gotham's beep——! Beep——! Beep..."

Maybe it is really a racial talent. The black brother performed a freestyle on the spot. But unfortunately, with his extraordinary literary literacy, he obviously said all the blocked words, so that the interview was fruitless. I didn’t know what he wanted to hear at the end. Don't want to move to Gotham.

Next, the anchor interviewed a couple from Midtown, and they had the same question.

The man in the couple looked disgusted. Even though he was dressed shabbily, he still refused with dignity: "I wouldn't even go there if you gave me a million dollars. That's Gotham. Man, are you crazy?"

His girlfriend raised her arms and made an 'X' sign in front of her, lowered her head and shook her head: "No, that's Gotham, and that city shouldn't be rebuilt after the earthquake."

It was said to be an earthquake to the outside world, but it was actually the big noise caused by Barbatos. Obviously ordinary citizens were unaware of it, and there was no problem.

Next, the scene changed to Los Angeles. The interviewee was a well-dressed, handsome man who looked like a senior white-collar worker.

After listening to the reporter's question, he just smiled and answered politely and rationally:

"You mean Gotham? There is Batman there, so my answer is never! He will find me... No, has he already found me?! Are you his people?! Satan, I Master! Please save me! Don’t let me fall into the dark abyss of Gotham!”

As he spoke, the man ran away like crazy. Through the camera, you can see him rolling and running into a nightclub called "Light of the Afterlife" on the roadside, so he probably drank too much during the day. .

But this explains the problem even more. A drunkard is scared crazy when he hears the name Gotham. You can imagine how hopeless this city is.

Seeing this, Dr. Santo spoke with satisfaction. He looked at the mayor sitting on the sofa and said: "Yes, no good people want to come to Gotham, but can you blame them? The city is always in the hands of bad people. , mutilation and murder are becoming more and more common, threats come one after another, but we only have murderous mad vigilantes."

As he spoke, he moved the small device in his hand, and the device projected the dark appearance of Batman. After Mayor Nakano saw it clearly, he gave the other party some time to digest, and then said:

"Our beloved city is sitting back and waiting for death. It pinned its hopes on a madman, but we cannot ignore the fact that Gotham has been getting worse and worse since Batman appeared! Please forgive my rude question, Nakano Mayor, you've worked for the Gotham Police Department before, but when was the last time you took down a supervillain on your own without Batman's intervention?"

This question is quite acute, because Batman always intervenes in everything related to the masked man. Mayor Nakano held his cheek with his fist:

"Batman rarely gives us a chance to get the job done, Mr. Santo, and you know what kind of man he is."

"I understand...but I disagree. The police are supposed to deal with criminals, and special criminals should be dealt with by special police, such as the crime fighters I invented."

Dr. Santo pinched the orchid finger, as if pulling out an invisible thread in the air. He showed a proud smile, erased the projection of Batman, and replaced it with a tall and mighty robot image. The machine covered Wearing heavy armor and carrying a variety of deadly weapons:

"This is my Archon project. They can help us deal with any criminal who wants to destroy Gotham, whether it's the Joker or the Scarecrow, or any psychopath... There will be no more connivance, only ruthless judgment." .”

"You want me to approve the robot's law enforcement rights?" Nakano's sleepy eyes showed a glimmer of light, and he began to think about how to refuse.

After all, if things like robots don't work well, the end of the world in the "Terminator" movie will be everyone's fate.

"Oh, no, Mayor Nakano, what I want is not law enforcement power, but a bright future for Gotham. I have a whole set of plans. After cleaning up the criminals in the city, I will rebuild the city and provide More than half a million jobs, using technology to increase our GDP in one year to more than the past fifty years combined, making you the best mayor in the United States... and possibly the best president, you You know, I always do what I say.”

There is no doubt that Dr. Santo was seducing our Mr. Mayor, and to some extent, he succeeded.

Which Japanese immigrant doesn’t want to be the president of the United States? This is the beacon of democracy in the hearts of many Japanese. Ever since they ate nuclear bombs produced in the United States, they believe that everything is good for the United States.

"Let me go back and think about it. I have to admit that your promise made my head buzz." The mayor stood up and grabbed the coat on the side to put it on: "But you can't deny that Batman has great influence on the city. The influence is far greater than that of you and me.”

The doctor smiled and shook his head. He walked back to the sofa and poured two glasses of wine with his own hands: "That was before. As long as you sign the bill now, I will ensure that the city council passes it. After today, it will be different. I will give it to you." Look how crazy he is now.”

As he spoke, he used the projector to start playing a new video, probably a surveillance video somewhere.

In the video, you can see Batman, Batgirl, Robin and a bloodthirsty chimpanzee brutally killing many dock workers and blowing up the dock and a freighter.

As we all know, videos cannot be photoshopped, so Dr. Santo spread his hands and said solemnly:

"This is what just happened in the east of the city. My warehouse was bombed and my employees were killed. So now I want to accuse Batman of murder. Mr. Mayor, if you don't adopt my Archon plan , so can your former colleagues in the police department ensure that the crazy Batman appears in court? Batman will kill them too, kill us, he has gone crazy."