Chapter 570: The Black Sun and the Bat-Signal (Part 1) (Patreon)

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In Schiller's office at Gotham University, Victor stood on a stool, stretching his arm and twisting the overhead lightbulb.

He took the old, broken lightbulb down and examined it. "If Gotham ever builds a museum, I should definitely donate this lightbulb. It has preserved the corpses of more than twenty generations of insects at the very least."

Anna, holding a flashlight that illuminated the area below, made a disgusted face. "Can you not talk about such gross things? I haven't even had breakfast yet."

"Have you all heard the sirens?" Schiller, who had been looking up as well, interjected. "Since a while ago, there have been three police cars passing by. While it's not unusual in Gotham, the frequency seems rather high, doesn't it?"

"A murder has occurred at Gotham University. Though a person's death isn't uncommon in Gotham, someone dared to blatantly commit a crime inside a student dormitory, and that changes the nature of the case."

"The Godfather thinks that the Elliott family is challenging his authority. Recently, the Falcone Family and the Elliott family have been in opposition, and the situation appears to be getting tense," Anna added with a frown.

Victor, in the midst of replacing the lightbulb, sighed. "Actually, I had a good impression of Thomas. He was a decent guy, polite, and more dedicated to his studies than most. How did this happen..."

"Right," Schiller suddenly spoke up. "The deceased, Doris, was a student from the chemistry department. Did you teach her?"

"She's already a senior this year, and she rarely attended classes during my time, so I don't know her personally. However, in the courses I teach, there are a few girls who are her group members, and I've heard about her from them."

Victor's hands paused for a moment as he recollected. "During breaks, they would gossip about Doris's boyfriend, describing him as a young and talented guy, very handsome and charming. It's no wonder Doris was so infatuated with him."

"I heard that Doris's boyfriend works at the Central Research Institute in Metropolis," Schiller inquired.

"That's correct, and he's quite young. He's been doing research under a famous mentor, and I heard that if he completes this year's project successfully, he'll be promoted from intern to a full-fledged assistant. That's no small achievement."

Anna, with a hint of surprise in her eyes, asked, "How old is Doris's boyfriend? To become a full-fledged assistant at the Central Research Institute directly, he must indeed be considered promising."

"Yeah," Victor reminisced, "I had a colleague who also came from the Central Research Institute in Metropolis. It's a place where talented people gather, and to make a name for yourself there, you need to have real skills."

"I heard that Lex, a new student from Metropolis, called the Central Research Institute and reached Doris's boyfriend, David. But David acted very cold and even refused to come and see Doris one last time," Schiller sighed.

"It's strange. I heard those girls say their relationship was very good, especially how David always brought a big bouquet of flowers when he came to Gotham to see her. Those girls envied her," Victor shook his head.

"Such is the unpredictability of life. That's why I often advise my students not to focus too much on love," Anna walked to the side and slammed the books she was holding onto the table. "Young love is often impulsive and unreliable. If Doris hadn't died, she'd probably be crying her heart out over her boyfriend's indifference right now."

Schiller looked up at Victor's actions and said, "Is it done? Aren't you the world's most famous cryogenic scientist? Why is changing a lightbulb such a hassle?"

"What does being a cryogenic scientist have to do with changing a lightbulb?" Victor coughed twice, choked by the dust from the lampshade. He used his hand to clear the dust in front of his face and continued to focus on the lightbulb.

"The socket is not very responsive. I'm cleaning it now because if we don't clean it properly, problems may arise after it's screwed back on... Oh, there we go. I've screwed it back on. Anna, turn on the circuit breaker and see if it lights up."

Anna walked outside the room, opened the electrical box's door, and flipped the switch. For a moment, the room was filled with light again, and Victor and Schiller both breathed a sigh of relief. Schiller reached out and helped Victor down from the stool.

But just then, there was a "click," and the lightbulb went out again. Victor stumbled on the chair for a moment and nearly fell off, but he was fortunate that Schiller caught him. Anna came back into the room, holding the flashlight, and Victor had to stand on the stool again to inspect the lightbulb.

After taking the lightbulb down and inspecting it again, he said, "No, it's not a problem with the lightbulb. It seems like a power outage."

At this moment, it was early morning, and the room was pitch dark without any light. Anna walked to the door and looked out into the corridor. "Alright, it looks like the building has experienced another power outage."

"What's been happening recently?" Schiller frowned, stepping out of the room and coming to the window in the corridor. "Seven power outages in three days, and each time it's our building. Even during the snowstorm, it wasn't this severe. What is the power management department doing?"

"It's not entirely their fault. Except for Gotham University, all the other buildings have normal power. Last time, I stopped one of the electricians who came for maintenance, and he said it was due to aging circuits. It's an unsolvable excuse, and no one can do anything about it," Anna shrugged.

"We can't keep going on like this; it's already affecting regular teaching," Victor added. "Let's go to the electrical room. If it's really due to aging circuits, I might be able to help."

"Aren't you from the chemistry department? Do you know anything about electrical systems?" Anna raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you built the cryogenic unit for your wife yourself. You probably have a Bachelor of Science in physics and mechanical engineering, too, don't you?"

Victor smiled and took the lead, walking ahead. As they approached the staircase, he turned around, leaned on the armrest, and said with a smile, "You guessed it right. Besides that, I also have a Bachelor of Science in materials science and engineering..."

Anna shook her head, shrugged, and followed Victor as they briskly climbed the staircase. Meanwhile, Schiller paused briefly by the window because he noticed a police car parked on the east side of Gotham University, just outside the west entrance of the sports arena.

The electrical room wasn't far from the main building, and the three of them quickly reached the door. They could see signs of recent maintenance, but it hadn't seemed to resolve anything. None of the three electrical panels were functioning properly.

Victor began to inspect them one by one, and even Anna offered a helping hand. Schiller, on the other hand, could only watch because once the electrical panels were opened, it revealed a chaotic tangle of hundreds of wires.

"In my opinion, this electrical panel should be donated to a museum. I've seen at least five generations of technological iterations in here. It's almost like a European artifact," Schiller remarked with a hint of disbelief.

"It's not that exaggerated," Victor replied while sorting through the wires. "It looks messy, but it's manageable once organized. If you find this place too dusty, you can wait outside..."

"Alright, I..." Schiller was about to turn around and leave when suddenly, the door to the electrical room swung open with a loud bang. Several police officers rushed in, aiming their guns at the people inside. Schiller furrowed his brow, but then he recognized Gordon among the officers.

Gordon, upon seeing Schiller and Victor, displayed a surprised expression. He quickly navigated through the crowd and pushed down the gun-wielding officer's hand. He asked, "What are you doing here?"

"That's the question I was about to ask you, Detective Gordon. What brings you here?" Schiller replied.

Gordon, maintaining his composure, provided a well-organized explanation, "About half an hour ago, we received a report of another homicide at Gotham University. The crime scene is the lounge in the sports arena."

"The victim, Karina, was a sophomore at Gotham University and a member of the cheerleading squad. About half an hour ago, someone strangled her with a belt."

"At the time of the incident, the cheerleading squad members were rehearsing next door. In just five short minutes, Karina lost her breath, and there were no witnesses because, at that moment..."

"The power went out," Schiller interrupted. Their office had also experienced a power outage about half an hour ago, which had led them to the electrical room. It appeared that the police officers had a similar line of thought.

Gordon placed his hands on his hips and sighed, "Technicians checked the lounge's electrical lights; the bulbs are new, and there are no issues with the circuit breakers. The only place where there could be a problem is here."

"Hey, can someone give me a hand?" Victor suddenly called out. Schiller wanted to walk over, but Gordon signaled to one of his subordinates, a young officer who walked over and took the flashlight from Victor.

Victor half-submerged his body into the massive electrical panel, seemingly inspecting something deeper inside. After a while, he straightened up, smoothed his slightly disheveled hair, and said, "These recent power outages weren't accidental or due to aging circuits. They were deliberate."

Upon hearing this, both Gordon and Schiller narrowed their eyes. Clearly, they had both considered the same thing—murder. If someone benefited from the power outage, it was likely the perpetrator of the murder.

In other places, students might wish for a school power outage to skip classes, but at Gotham University, even without classes, there was nowhere to go because the outside world was too dangerous. Not attending classes and staying in a school without power was a form of torture, so it was unlikely that a student would intentionally sabotage the electrical equipment.

Victor turned to look inside the panel again and pointed, "The wiring may be aging, but that's not the issue. Someone added a remote control switch here. If I'm not mistaken, this device has been installed on all electrical facilities here."

"What's the use of that?" Gordon didn't actually see what Victor was pointing at, and he was quite certain that even if he saw it, he wouldn't understand it, so he asked directly.

"Obviously, it can cut off power to the school. I suspect it can even control specific buildings or rooms," Schiller chimed in.

"In fact, to cut off power to school buildings or rooms, you don't need such a complex device. You can come here directly, find the electrical panel, and with a little manipulation, you can achieve the same result," Victor explained.

"He probably needed this device because he couldn't always come here in person, so he had to control it remotely," Schiller added.

"That means he's likely not a student or a teacher at Gotham University, but an outsider," Gordon speculated. It seemed he was beginning to form a theory. Then, he turned to Victor, saying, "Professor Victor, could you please examine this device and see if we can trace the signal to find the person with the remote control? I'll check the security footage from the entrance gates for any suspicious individuals."

With that, Gordon sighed. He dismissed the other officers, leaving only himself and a few professors behind. He spoke again, "The recent murder at Gotham University has greatly displeased The Godfather. He believes it's a challenge to his authority, and that's putting a lot of pressure on me."

"If you have any leads, please inform me. The students are innocent, and I don't want to see such tragedies happen again."

Just as he finished speaking, an officer burst in, shouting, "Third floor! Someone has been attacked on the third floor!"

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 571: The Black Sun and Bat-Signal (Part 2)