American comic book police officer survival manual

"Thump...thump..."

The footsteps slowed, and the person who had stopped outside the room seemed to gradually stop moving, making no further sound.

Two or three minutes passed in absolute silence, and Lucius frowned deeply.

Did the other party realize that something was wrong?

His hearing could not possibly be wrong, but if the footsteps disappeared, then where did the people who came to steal the corpse go?

Carefully stepping out of the corner and retrieving his weapon, Lucius approached the doorway and scanned the gap beneath it.

The light and shadow were transparent, and there was no one outside the door.

"...strangeness."

After checking the empty corridor, Lucius returned to the body, lifted the white sheet, and was able to see the deceased's face.

After setting up the instruments, putting on gloves, and examining the other person's wounds, Lucius touched a small, strange object.

The hard texture and small cube shape suggest it's made of some kind of thin steel.

As Lucius extracted the crystalline substance from the blurred flesh, a strange double image suddenly appeared before his eyes.

The pale light flickered slightly, and Lucius felt as if a large hand had suddenly gripped his head, making his body sway precariously.

"Damn it! What is this thing...?"

Lucius placed the chip back into the tray, his face pale as he stared at the strange object.

He didn't notice any effects from the gas or toxins. How did this thing interfere with his mind?

Could it be that even the student's death was due to the influence of this thing?

No, that's not right. The Black Doves are definitely not just a simple student club. How could they create such a mind-altering device? They must be connected to some of Gotham's villains!

However, villains who can directly interfere with the mind through instruments...

"ah!!"

A scream interrupted Lucius's thoughts, and the familiar sound made the officer's eyes widen in shock!

"Pamela??"

Shouldn't Pamela be in the cafeteria?!

Without a second thought for the body, Lucius quickly took off his gloves and rushed out of the morgue!

Rushing to the outside of the medical building, Lucius found a group of students chatting and laughing.

The celebrations and sports meet started at the same time, and the entire Gotham University campus was decorated with banners for the celebrations and various snacks and drinks available for everyone to enjoy.

The cheerful students gathered in groups to discuss what had happened, and when they saw Lucius rushing over, many of them cast strange glances at him.

"What happened?" Lucius, covered in sweat, stopped the celebrating students in their tracks. They all turned to look at the police officer who had recently become famous in Gotham.

"Did anyone hear a terrifying scream just now?"

Quickly stating his question, Lucius's sharp gaze swept across each student's face, only to find their expressions utterly bewildered.

"Scream?"

"There was cheering, though."

"We didn't hear anyone calling for help, officer."

"Did something happen to you just now?"

The composed demeanor of the student group deepened Lucius's doubts.

He could clearly hear the shout... and the footsteps outside the morgue...

"Damn it, could it be...?"

Covering his forehead, Lucius bit his tongue, and the chaotic, heavy pressure in his mind dissipated slightly.

With his mind clearing, Lucius, under the curious gazes of the many students, suddenly ran back to the medical building...

Lucius rushed into the stairwell and hurried toward the morgue on the basement floor, but he was too late.

The morgue, where the body was originally waiting for an autopsy, is now empty, without any trace of its existence.

Even the instruments Lucius set up before examining the body had been stolen by that damned guy.

"Good, good, good... After the gas, it's mind control... Gotham really has a lot of talented people."

With gritted teeth, Lucius pulled the tracker from his pocket, his face filled with intense rage.

Fortunately, he's no longer the naive green recruit he was when he first arrived in Gotham. Trying to easily take all the clues from him and escape would be far too greedy.

"The location is on the north side of the medical building... To escape without being discovered by everyone, the only way is to go along this route into the alleys near Gotham University."

Following the trajectory of the light spot, Lucius predicted the other party's route in advance. He quickly rushed out of the morgue and took a detour to the intersection where the other party left the university.

The perpetrator's methods were incredibly skillful; even in broad daylight, they managed to bypass students on campus, clearly indicating they were a repeat offender.

"They couldn't find an opportunity to act last night, so they stole the body just before the autopsy today. Was it to prevent the police from discovering that strange chip? Or was it for some other, more terrifying secret..."

Rushing out of the school, Lucius stepped into the dark alley.

The moment Lucius caught a whiff of that unique, dark scent of Gotham alley, he felt as if his surroundings had undergone a complete transformation.

The sunny, cheerful atmosphere of the campus vanished completely, replaced by the darkest corner of Gotham's world...

As he moved quietly and released the safety on his pistol, Lucius could already hear the roar of a pickup truck engine.

After retrieving his phone at the corner and alerting Chief Gordon, the officer waited quietly for someone to walk right into his trap...

"To bring a corpse out in front of countless classmates... some disguise is necessary."

Despite the dizziness in his mind, Lucius still couldn't stop thinking about his opponent's methods.

During the celebration, the body was carried out of the campus in a rather large container without arousing suspicion...

As he watched the figure appear at the end of the alley, a smile crept across Lucius's lips.

A service cart for delivering food and water... so it was hidden inside this thing after all.

Watching the masked student move the cart to the back of the pickup truck, Lucius raised his gun, ready to intercept.

But the next second, the man who stepped out of the driver's seat gave Lucius a jolt.

A comical top hat paired with a slovenly suit, and a gaunt-faced man slowly walked out with a smile, meeting the thief who was transporting the corpse.

The moment this man appeared, Lucius felt a strong sense of dread, as if the man possessed some kind of terrifying power!

This sense of oppression even surpasses the fear that the scarecrow once brought!

As he took the body, the Mad Hatter uttered sinister words, causing the students transporting the corpse to widen their pupils:

"You've got a tail following you. Get rid of him."

The moment the voice rang out, Lucius felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and his vision suddenly blurred.

The gun barrel swayed for a moment as it was aimed, and the bullets flew through the air in sharp arcs but failed to hit any target.

Patting the 'thief' on the shoulder, the Mad Hatter darted into the driver's seat and drove off with the corpse.

The thief, his face contorted in extreme despair, took out a pill and silently swallowed it...

In the dimly lit alley, the man's thin frame suddenly swelled up, and his lifeless eyes were completely filled with madness and bloodlust!

.....