He still had things to do.
Subduing the demon was physically and mentally refreshing, but clearly not something he could keep repeating.
The problem wasn't him. It was that the demon couldn't handle it.
So the next day, Morin arrived in Gotham and walked openly through the streets.
He wasn't worried about the Joker noticing him. He had already transformed back into "Ethan Hunt."
Morin could also alter his appearance by controlling the bones and muscles of his face. And people in the DC world seemed universally blind-Superman could wear glasses and go unrecognized. There was even an official explanation about altering biological magnetic fields, but Morin still wanted to complain.
That method wasn't comfortable.
Using someone else's face to do evil-
Ahem. To enforce justice.
That was much better.
"Have you arrived?" Bruce sent a message.
He was clearly impatient.
His girlfriend had been kidnapped. That was understandable.
"I'm here. I'll find your girlfriend immediately. Don't worry," Morin replied.
He went to Gotham's tallest building, took the elevator to the top floor, stepped outside, and activated his [Eye of Justice].
Question: How do you quickly find a kidnapped hostage?
Answer: Find the person who kidnapped them.
Kidnappers were bad people.
And bad people were easy for Morin to locate.
His master-level [Eye of Justice] could now adjust the threshold of evil it detected. Unlike the Eye of Judgment, it didn't reject even the slightest impurity.
That drastically reduced the difficulty of the search.
It was a sunny, pleasant day.
But from Morin's perspective, with the Eye of Justice active and Gotham spread beneath him, dark clouds still lingered over parts of the city.
Compared to before-when the clouds pressed down as if the city were on the brink of destruction-this was already much better.
The fact that sunlight could break through proved Bruce's efforts were working.
Morin memorized the locations of the dark clouds.
His figure blurred, vanished, and became a silent streak of lightning as he moved through the city.
After a while, Morin-still as "Ethan Hunt"-stopped on the roof of an abandoned warehouse.
"Found one..."
Inside, Gordon was tied tightly to a load-bearing pillar.
He wasn't struggling. He likely knew it was pointless.
"Look at this. Gotham City Police Commissioner Gordon," a thug sneered.
"Why's he here?" another mocked.
"Didn't you say you'd change Gotham and wipe out all the evil?" the second thug added.
"Aren't you afraid Batman will come for you?" Gordon asked calmly.
The temperature in the warehouse seemed to drop.
The two thugs shivered.
They were survivors-people who had once been exposed to Batman's Fear Domain and escaped.
That terror had branded itself into their hearts.
Like hearing Voldemort's name.
"...So what?" one thug forced out.
"Master Joker says Batman's only scary because of the mask. Once we expose him, nobody will fear him anymore."
"You probably don't know," the other added coldly, "but Bruce Wayne already announced that he's contacted Batman. In two days, at a Wayne Enterprises press conference, Batman's identity will be revealed."
"In two days, Batman becomes a joke."
Gordon's heart sank.
He knew Batman was Bruce Wayne.
Did Bruce really have no other choice?
If that happened, their entire plan to change Gotham would collapse. Too many things depended on Batman's identity remaining hidden.
"Scared?" the thugs laughed. "Hahahaha!"
"Damn it," Gordon snapped. "If Morin hadn't left temporarily, would you even dare act like this?"
"Morin?" one thug scoffed. "That cop? Even Batman can't stop us. What can he-"
"The greatest fear comes from the unknown in the darkness. That's a good saying."
A voice cut in.
"By the way... did someone just mention my name?"
The warehouse fell silent.
"Who-who's there?" a thug shouted, raising his gun.
"Morin?" Gordon stared, disbelief on his face.
Since when could he summon people?
"Long time no see," Morin said, walking forward slowly. "Didn't expect you to be doing this badly, Commissioner Gordon."
"My eyes work just fine," Morin chuckled. "How does it feel?"
"Terrible," Gordon said, rolling his eyes. "You're finally back. Untie me, save Rachel, and deal with the Joker."
"No," Morin said, shaking his head. "I can't let you go yet."
"...What?"
Gordon froze.
"Bruce and I made a plan," Morin said. "The Joker wants to play a game. I'm turning it into a play. One made just for him."
"What do you think?"
"I'm... one of the actors?" Gordon asked.
Why do this?
With Morin's abilities, he could rescue them and catch the Joker immediately.
But instead, he chose performance.
A performance where the Joker was the only audience.
That meant the Joker would be the only one left in the dark.
Caught and humiliated.
If that was the solution...
It was far more satisfying than brute force.
"I understand," Gordon said. "So?"
"Yes," Morin replied. "You and Miss Rachel. Both actors."
"What do I need to do?"
"Stay tied here and wait," Morin said, smiling as he slipped a button-sized listening device into Gordon's clothes.
"I'll ensure your safety."
"And them?" Gordon glanced at the frozen thugs. "What about those two?"
"I've learned a few new skills," Morin said, snapping his fingers.
The thugs lowered their guns and stood obediently behind him.
"Remember what I said? This play has only one audience."
"...Magic?" Gordon asked quietly.
"Don't worry," Morin said. "I've never used this on good people."
"I can persuade you with reason. I don't need this power."
He was telling the truth.
Hypnosis was something he disdained.
More importantly, using it improperly would invalidate transactions. The money wouldn't convert to experience points.
That would be a waste.
And besides, his art of deception wasn't a false reputation.
"I believe you," Gordon said without hesitation.
"Good. I still need to find Miss Rachel and deal with her situation," Morin said. "Anything else you need?"
"Well," Gordon thought. "Check if my son's doing his homework, remind him to drink milk before bed, and the dog needs the vet-he keeps peeing everywhere. Hey! Where are you going?!"
Morin turned and left.
The thugs snapped back to awareness and raised their guns at Gordon.
"What were you talking about?" one frowned.
"He was probably trying to attract attention," the other threatened. "Shut up. I may not kill you, but I can still make you suffer."
"..."
Gordon stayed silent and returned to his earlier act.
Morin's arrival had finally calmed his heart.
Now, he just had to perform well.
Morin searched again and eventually found Rachel's location.
This time, he didn't speak to her.
He silently hypnotized the guards, installed listening and tracking devices, and left.
There was no helping it.
Rachel's impression on Morin...
Wasn't good.
She was Bruce's girlfriend. Using methods on her wasn't appropriate.
More importantly, Morin worried that if he explained the plan, she might insist-
"For law and justice, rescue me now and go catch the Joker."
That scenario felt extremely likely.
Gordon could act because he'd seen too much.
Rachel hadn't.
She was a canary Bruce had protected too well.
After weighing everything, Morin chose the simplest solution.
Less trouble.
Miss Rachel Dawes would be a tool-person actor, unaware of the script from start to finish.
Just like how Marvel treated Holland.
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