Chapter 397: Barbara Gordon and Kara Zor-El (5)
Cleanup and Ethical Debate
Laszlo Valentin died a horrific death. Kicked into the wall by Linda, his body was smashed into the stone, becoming a puddle of bloody paste.
He, who loved to chop "pork" into dumpling filling, had now become the filling himself.
Looking at the blood constantly dripping down the wall, Barbara felt nauseated, yet she shook her head and sighed.
Linda was displeased. "He's dead. Why the sighing? Are you suggesting he didn't deserve to die?"
"He absolutely deserved to die."
Valentin killed countless people and liked to mince his "pork" into dumpling filling to mix into food. A man like that didn't deserve to live.
"Well, there you have it. If he deserved to die, then let him die. What is there to hesitate about?"
Barbara shook her head in frustration.
"The law should be the one to sentence him to death, not us."
"Does Gotham City even have the death penalty?"
Barbara's face stiffened, leaving her speechless.
Linda sneered. "I recall Gotham's law doesn't include the death penalty. No matter how heinous the crime, they all go to one of two places: Arkham Asylum or Blackgate Penitentiary."
"This pig has a history of mental illness. Even if you handed over all the evidence to the police, he wouldn't die. At most, he'd be locked up in Arkham, becoming a patient. What's more..." She paused, glancing at the "pupae" outside the iron door.
"You told me to disable the police car precisely so you could hide the secret of this place."
Barbara gave a wry smile. "You figured it out."
"I'm not that stupid."
Linda walked up to her friend and gave her a big hug. "The police ate those ['pork'] hamburgers last night too. If they found out they were eating..."
"Stop talking."
Barbara clamped her hand over her mouth and instantly vomited. Linda, too, looked utterly disgusted.
That pig was subhuman, worse than a mere pervert.
As the saying goes, even hyenas on the African savanna won't eat their own kind under normal circumstances. This pig was worse than a dog.
The two girls didn't want to stay a minute longer. After confirming the "Pig-Head Man" was dead, they began to deal with the scene. The contents of the cellar absolutely could not be exposed. If the police found out, another few citizens would likely go mad and end up in Arkham.
Gotham was chaotic enough. It had finally had a period of calm, and they couldn't risk another shockwave.
To cover their tracks, Barbara used Luke's finances to buy the slaughterhouse and the surrounding land. As for the cellar, they had no choice but to collapse it for now and deal with it later when things quieted down.
"I'm never eating pork again."
Barbara nodded in agreement. "Me, neither."
They exchanged a look and gave bitter smiles. The "Pig-Head Man" was Barbara's first case as a superhero, and just when she was ready to show off her skills, it ended like this.
A pig farmer, and a pig-eating pig!
Feeling dispirited, the two friends decided to go watch the sunrise by the sea. A red line rose from the east, illuminating the horizon where the sky and the sea met in a deep crimson.
"Are all the villains you'll face going to be perverts like that?"
Barbara shook her head. "I don't know. I hope not."
Linda picked up a pebble and casually skipped it across the water.
"I used to think so-called superheroes were just bored people who liked to show off. Last night changed my view."
Barbara was surprised. "Are you going to join in? We can team up! I've always wanted to. How about 'The Radiant Duo?' Doesn't that sound cool?"
Linda looked utterly repulsed. "I have no interest in protecting strangers."
Barbara deflated a little, hugging her knees and yawning listlessly.
"Sometimes, I think you and Luke are really alike."
"Me and him?"
Linda raised an eyebrow. "We're nothing alike."
"You just don't notice it yourself."
Barbara steered away from the topic. Subconsciously, she already considered Luke her boyfriend, and after several months, she suspected her best friend might have feelings for him too. The strange thing was, they had lived in the same place for so long and never slept together.
Incredible. Utterly incredible.
"By the way, how is he? Still hasn't come out?"
"Don't even mention him to me. He's annoying just thinking about him."
Linda scoffed irritably. "He promised I'd only have to work for four months, but it's almost the end of the year and no sign of him. That guy wants me to work for him for the rest of my life."
Barbara hesitated.
"Could something have happened?"
"No, he replies to my messages every time."
"What if it's not him?"
Barbara looked up, her expression growing serious. "It's been almost seven months, from May until now. You haven't seen him in person, he hasn't left the base, and the only contact is a text message every half a month. Don't you think that's too strange?"
"Luke Shaw is not the kind of person who can endure loneliness."
Hearing that, Linda also frowned, a hint of doubt in her eyes.
"I don't know what Luke Shaw is researching, but a normal person would never lock themselves up for more than half a year without coming out. I've been worried that something might have happened to him."
Barbara grabbed her friend's hand and said earnestly, "You should go in and check. It's almost Christmas. He can't possibly skip Christmas, right?"
Linda hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"Alright, I'll listen to you. I want to know what the heck that guy is up to, too."
The Kryptonian's Entrance
Thanks to the efforts of Barbara and Linda, the missing persons case did not cause a major public uproar. Due to lack of evidence and the sudden disappearance of the main suspect, Laszlo Valentin, Captain Bellon and his team were instructed by Commissioner Jim Gordon to drop the case and focus their energy elsewhere.
As for the slaughterhouse, Linda had people raze it to the ground, burying all evidence deep beneath the soil.
Professor Pyg, a villain who had barely made it onto the stage, vanished into the dust of history.
In the first basement level of the cliffside villa, encouraged by Barbara's persistence, Linda finally summoned the courage to ring the doorbell leading to the underground base.
A holographic human figure, composed of light and shadow, materialized.
"Hello, Miss Danvers. How may I assist you?"
Linda took a breath. "I need to see Luke."
"The Young Master is currently working and cannot receive outsiders."
"When will he come out?"
"The Young Master did not specify an exact date."
"I must see him."
"I am sorry, Miss Danvers, I cannot grant your request."
Linda lifted her right foot and placed it down "gently."
BOOM!
Her foot sank into the concrete floor, and cracks radiated outward from her toe. Even the surrounding walls developed small fissures.
"I'm going to say this one more time: I want to see Luke."
After a brief silence, the virtual figure bowed slightly.
"Please wait. Opening the door for you now."
Linda grinned, an expression of unmasked derision on her face. "Luke was right. Sometimes, you have to use violence to solve problems. The more you talk, the less sense you make—a punch is the only real truth."
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