Chapter 3316: Bloodbath in New City (28)

The natural forest at night seemed somewhat terrifying, with most of the trees' leaves gone without a trace, and the branches under the moonlight resembled the menacing shadows of ghosts.

The searchlight of the camp emitted a faint glow, elongating all shadows, making them look strange and sharp.

A dark figure was moving through the woods, first using the trees to shield their form, circling around the camp for half of its perimeter before climbing up a tree of suitable height and gingerly moving to another.

The patrol personnel holding flashlights had no idea that someone was above their heads, and the shadow above had no plans of jumping down either.

According to the information Batman gave her, Gordon was trying his best to make this operation a success by using all the tricks in his book.

The patrol personnel were required to send back a signal confirming safety every two minutes, meaning if they were knocked out, the headquarters would be immediately aware of it.

This undoubtedly increased the difficulty of infiltration, but obviously, it wasn't enough to stop Catwoman. She never touched the ground during the entire process, continually moving above the treetops with the dexterity of a leopard.

However, there were not as many trees up ahead, and Catwoman had to descend along the trunk, sneaking into the bushes at a dead angle of the patrolmen's line of sight. She pulled out a military shovel she had prepared from her waist, and quickly dug up a dense bush, roots and all.

Then, using the bush as cover, she tiptoed forward.

There were several times when the patrolling officers took notice, but Catwoman's petite figure was well-concealed by the dense leaves of the bushes, and she was not discovered.

Inching forward slowly, she broke through three layers of encirclement and finally arrived at the center of the forested area.

This was also the place where chemical raw materials were stored and where environmental activists were located; they had been sitting in for two days.

Catwoman poked her head out to confirm the layout of the camp, then followed the electrical wires to the generator and swiftly pulled the switch.

It was deep into the night; the tents had been dark for a while. Catwoman pressed her finger to her lips and blew a sharp whistle.

Instantly, the people in the tents were awakened. They tried to turn on the lights, only to discover that all electrical equipment had come to a halt, and the bulbs didn't light up at all.

Some took out flashlights and circled around outside the tents, but found nothing. They simply attributed the noise to some kind of bird call and prepared to go back to sleep.

But no sooner had they lied down, practically having just fallen asleep, another sharp whistle sounded.

The bearded leader cussed as he rushed out, shouting into the outdoors: "Don't sleep! Nobody sleep! It must be those damn police playing tricks! They want to harass us in the middle of the night so that we're worn-out!"

The other sleep-disrupted individuals also looked disgruntled. One of them turned and walked into the woods near the edge of the camp, and soon arguing voices could be heard from within the trees.

The environmental activists already knew that the GTO patrol teams had been wandering in the forests outside, and in the dead of night, only they had the conditions to commit the act, and they had ample motivation as well.

Conflicts broke out between the two sides. The environmentalists grabbed hold of the nearest patrol team and insisted on getting an explanation from them.

The patrol team felt wronged too, as the chief had specifically told them not to make a lot of noise while patrolling to avoid conflict. They not only switched to soft-soled shoes but also made sure not to step on piles of leaves, all in an effort to avoid making a sound.

They also heard those two noises, but thought it was the environmentalists who made them, aiming to give them a scare.

Both sides thought the other was responsible but neither could produce evidence. Because the patrol team missed sending a regular safety signal due to their argument, an emergency team quickly came over.

Then the situation escalated. Besides Nightwing and Barbara, Gordon also hurried over.

The environmentalist leader with a big beard had a guilty conscience. They were employed by the Natural Forest Protection Fund controlled by Shiller. The party was generous in payment and had assured them that the police would absolutely not take action, which for those who made a living from environmental marches and protest demonstrations, was a very good job indeed.

The only downside to this job was that it was settled daily. The Natural Forest Protection Foundation had been transferring their daily wages to their cards on time; the longer they stayed, the more they earned.

Unfortunately, these peaceful protests were not destined to last long. Without turning into violent conflicts which would attract media attention and achieve public opinion goals, it would quickly disperse.

They had finally gotten hold of a good opportunity and wanted to earn for a few more days. These past days, Big Beard had privately provoked the patrolling police in minor ways to intensify the conflict and escalate the situation.

By then, in addition to having to pay them daily wages, the other party would also have to pay for their personal safety; if a few people were injured and went to the media to garner sympathy, it was sure to extort a large sum.

They were not self-sacrificing employees; this tactic was frequently used by them not only to cause trouble for the opposition but also to exploit public opinion and overcharge their employer.

But the police who came this time were different from the previous hotheads; they were clearly well-trained and very restrained, almost completely avoiding conflicts with the environmental activists. Big Beard's tricks simply wouldn't work.

So when he heard those two sounds, Big Beard thought the opportunity had finally come. Even if it wasn't the police who did it, it had to be made to appear as if it were the police.

Make a mountain out of a molehill, let it explode, and be done with it!

Under their deliberate provocations, Gordon's expression also turned ugly; he absolutely couldn't let the natural forest incident evolve into a violent conflict. If these people managed to blackmail Charabang, it would mean his first debut was completely ruined.

At this moment, Batgirl stepped forward and said, "Chief, in the last equipment upgrade, in addition to the body cameras for the squad leaders, I've added mini cameras to every team member's belt. By pulling up the surveillance footage, we can know whether or not they have been up to any tricks."

Big Beard's eyes immediately widened. He thought to himself: "Are you insane? Putting a surveillance camera on everyone's belt? Are you burning money for fun?"

In fact, after Gordon received that hefty sum, the first thing he did was upgrade the equipment again. Every team member was fully outfitted with gear, the weight of which was second only to Batman. Everything that could possibly be carried was strapped on.

It was then Gordon remembered this arrangement and hurriedly had someone pull up the surveillance footage. When all of tonight's video was laid out in front of Big Beard, he finally stopped muttering and fell silent.

But Big Beard was clearly hell-bent on causing trouble. After watching the surveillance footage, he shook his head and said: "All right, I admit it wasn't your doing. But we still need to find the source of that sound, right? It could have been that damn Charabang Chemical Factory sending someone to sneak in with the intention of silencing us. You are the police, it's your duty to protect us!"

Gordon was actually puzzled about the origin of the sound too, and he thought there was some plausibility in Big Beard's speculation—not out of disrespect for his own employer, but because he knew too well the nature of these wealthy individuals. What they wanted most was a once-and-for-all solution.

Even if they did not plan to kill everyone, scaring the others away by killing one or two would be much more efficient than surrounding the protesters with police. You couldn't rule out the possibility that they might hedge their bets.

Gordon sighed softly and said, "Don't worry, sir. There are more than 500 police officers around you, patrolling 24/7 without interruption, and we absolutely won't let anything happen to you..."

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

A shrill scream emanated from behind the tents at the back of the camp, causing everyone to instantly turn their heads in that direction.

It sounded like a woman's agonizing scream. Gordon's hand immediately went to the gun at his waist, while Nightwing had already dashed out.

The others followed him, rushing towards the farthest tent. As they rounded to the back of the tent, they only saw splashes of bright red.

A woman lay on top of the tent, her hand covering her abdomen, bright red blood oozing out between her fingers. Blood was splattered all over the tent as well.

"Li Ya! Li Ya, what happened to you?!" A short-haired girl rushed out from among the environmental activists.

The woman called Li Ya was breathing with difficulty, and she said, "Someone... someone with a knife. He attacked me..."

Gordon quickly called for an ambulance, then directed his team to administer first aid and urgent bandaging, while Nightwing led the squad members in pursuit of the direction Li Ya had indicated.

Big Beard was furious, angrily cursing the police officers for their incompetence. Although it was a bitter pill, the policemen had little to counter with, as they too were clueless about how, despite their stringent patrol, someone had managed to break through.

The good news was the ambulance arrived before the victim lost too much blood and passed out. The bad news was that reporters had also arrived.

Watching the reflection of cameras, Gordon knew instantly—it was all over.

Environmental activists were protesting, surrounded by police. Now, someone covered in blood was being carried out, and Gordon didn't have to think twice to know what tomorrow's morning news headlines would say.

It was only then that Gordon realized—he'd been played.

There was nothing wrong with his patrol arrangements, but he had underestimated the ability of Big Beard and his group to cause trouble. Their interference had created a gap in the otherwise seamlessly coordinated eastern patrol squad, and several squad leaders, including himself, were drawn away by their tactics—a classic case of luring the tiger away from the mountain.

During this brief interlude, the culprit had found an opportunity to sneak in. In the midst of so many police officers, a violent crime had occurred. It was as if GTO's reputation had been trampled on the ground.

The environmental activists led by Big Beard, though keen on making money, dared not really risk their lives. One of their own had been directly stabbed, and the next time it might be fatal, so they had no choice but to pack up and leave.

After they left, GTO naturally had no reason to stay there any longer. Gordon led his team back to the police station.

Exhausted, but unable to rest, he could only brew himself a hot cup of coffee. Just then, his subordinate informed him that Shiller had arrived.

Shiller knocked on the office door. Gordon felt a splitting headache, but still managed a calm voice, "Come in."

Shiller entered, still impeccably dressed and calm, as if nothing could perturb him.

"What brings you here so late?" Gordon asked while sipping his coffee.

"Nothing yet," Shiller sat down opposite Gordon and said, "but there soon will be. I'm here to wait for it."

Gordon frowned slightly, about to say something, when the phone in the office rang.

He had to put down his coffee cup and go to answer it. As soon as he picked up, he was assaulted by a barrage of curses.

Ten minutes passed before Gordon finally hung up the receiver, his expression pained.

"What happened?" Shiller asked, feigning ignorance.

"The State Council is dissatisfied with the recent events in Gotham. They are demanding I disband GTO, or they will vote to remove me from my position."

"You see, there it is, something has come up, hasn't it?"