Chapter 24: The Gotham Arsonist

Arkham Asylum.
Harley lay on her hospital bed, her face stripped of makeup. She stared calmly at the ceiling.
"I’ve finally realized that he doesn’t actually care about me."
"He just needed an accomplice to help him break out of Arkham Asylum."
"And that doesn't mean he has any feelings for me."
"Since he doesn't love me, I shouldn't continue to waste my time."
"I should focus more on myself, get cured and discharged from Arkham as soon as possible, and continue my studies and research."
"He is not the only thing in my world!"
Suddenly, Harley noticed a flower and a note that had appeared on the table beside her, though she had no idea when they arrived.
"Oh! Puddin'!"

The Church.
Roland returned to his room and collapsed onto his bed without even undressing, eager to check today's gains.
[Current Goodwill: 344]
[Current Redemption: 1]
[Your Goodwill has reached 100 points. Would you like to initiate a draw?]
[Your Redemption has reached 1 point. Would you like to use it? Using it will slightly increase the probability of obtaining rare items in this draw.]
Roland pondered for a moment and decided to skip using the Redemption point, opting to burn two standard draws first.
[A pure silver crucifix]
[A stainless steel crown of thorns]
As expected, miracles are rare in single draws. Roland sighed and placed his hopes on the single Redemption point.
He flicked the needle on the dial. After spinning for what felt like an eternity, the slender pointer finally came to a rest in a glowing region.
"Jackpot!" Roland’s eyes lit up.
[Caesar Gattuso’s Bloodline: Grade A Hybrid]

Hmm... A Grade A Hybrid. If you call it strong, it really is strong; dragon blood grants hybrids greater muscle strength, superior agility, hyper-flexibility of the bones, and enhanced regenerative capabilities. Generally speaking, compared to ordinary humans, hybrids are much more powerful and possess special abilities.
If you call it weak, well, without using a Spirit, a Grade A Hybrid might not even be able to beat a polar bear.
"Boss... why are your eyes yellow?" A lackey walked into Roland's room and was startled to see two glowing pupils shining in the darkness.
"These are colored contacts," Roland said after a moment's thought, lighting a candle on the nightstand. "Why are you looking for me so suddenly? Nothing else went wrong, did it?"
"Actually, something did. You should come out and see."
Roland stepped outside and saw a reddish glow flickering in the direction of the city center, as if it were on fire.
However, it was too far away to see clearly, and his Kamaitachi domain couldn't reach that far.
"What's going on?" Roland asked.
"It looks like a fire."
"A fire that far away? What does that have to do with us?" Roland asked, confused.
"Our side is all wooden buildings. If the fire spreads here, this whole area won't be spared. If it really is a fire, we need to find a way to run now."
"Is it that exaggerated?" Roland paused. "Doesn't the fire department handle that?"
"Gotham's fire department isn't very efficient, and since we aren't in the city center, it's hard to say if they'll even bother with us."
"Then get ready to evacuate. I remember there's a river nearby; tell Jason to take the men that way," Roland ordered. "As for me, I'm going to head toward the fire to see if I can save anyone."
"Got it!"
After saying this, Roland rushed toward the fire. Halfway there, he "borrowed" a van parked on the side of the road for transport.
This was a trick he’d learned from Jason: smash the window with an elbow, climb in, rip out the wires, and hotwire it. For older vehicles, this method worked almost every time.
As for more modern methods... he certainly wasn't going to spend thousands of dollars online to buy a keyless relay device.
He drove the van at breakneck speed until he reached a fire site. The flames were already raging, having ignited several residential buildings, but the firefighters had yet to arrive.
"Those firefighters are truly unreliable..." Roland charged directly into the fire and rescued two survivors.
[Goodwill +100]
[Goodwill +100]
"Thank you, Father. You must have been sent by God to save us." A survivor thanked Roland. He was an old man whose beard had been singed, making him look rather comical.
His tone was sincere, and he seemed to overlook the two familiar-looking gold chains that had appeared on Roland’s hands.
"What happened here?" Roland asked. "Where are the others?"
"The others must have already fled," said another, younger survivor. "The old man’s hearing is poor; he probably didn't hear the commotion when the fire started."
"And you?"
"I was in a deep sleep and didn't hear it either. By the time I woke up choking, I was trapped and couldn't get out. If you hadn't come to save me, I would have experienced the most desperate way to die."
"Don't mention it. You two should hurry to a safe place," Roland said to them, then turned to open a fire hydrant, intending to extinguish the flames.
But no water flowed from the hydrant.
"Fxxk!" Roland couldn't help but curse. "Who is in charge of this thing?"
"If I’m not mistaken, the Water and Power Department and the Fire Department will eventually blame each other for this," a voice came from behind Roland—it was Batman. "The corruption and incompetence of this city’s administrators have reached this point."
"Oh, you're here too," Roland turned and nodded at Batman. "...You look a bit filthy. I almost thought they were going to replace you with a Black Batman."
Batman was covered in soot, and his exposed chin had turned black.
"This isn't the only place on fire. I just came from another scene," Batman said. "I suspect someone is committing arson."
"I thought the place smelled like gasoline. Maybe it really is arson," Roland recalled something. "So, Detective, do you have any brilliant ideas?"
"No leads yet." Batman shook his head. "The fire didn't cause any financial losses... Wait, what is that in your hand?"
"Nothing. Go on," Roland said, tucking his hand behind his back.
"The arson sites include residences, factories, and schools. I can't find any pattern."
"That’s strange. Could it just be pure misanthropy?" Roland mused. Gotham was full of eccentric characters, and the variety of criminal motives was second only to Beika City; it was hard to say for sure.
"If that’s the case, it will be very difficult to find the perpetrator based on motive," Batman said with a hint of frustration.
However, the next day, he discovered the perpetrator's motive.
The front-page headline of the Gotham newspaper featured photos of Batman appearing at various fire scenes, with the title: "Gotham's Devil, The Mad Arsonist: Bat-Man."