Chapter 15: The Elephant's Mating Season

“Distinguished guests, dear friends and visitors!”

“Welcome to Gotham City Zoo’s Ocean World to enjoy our seal show! Let us together experience the charm of the ocean!”

“Let’s momentarily forget the hustle and bustle of daily life and let our spirits be completely freed in this vast blue expanse!”

The host was dressed in a suit—an odd combination of a purple jacket with a white shirt and tie, which gave him a somewhat peculiar appearance.

“Why get so worked up over a seal balancing a ball…” Roland stood at the entrance of the aquarium watching the seal performance inside, feeling utterly bored.

“Boss, if you’re really that free, you could come help us unload some goods,” one of the underlings suggested.

“Tsk tsk tsk… you have to appreciate the seals,” Roland turned his head back, watching the aquarium show with genuine attention.

A few of the men exchanged glances and obediently started working.

Inside the aquarium, the performances were indeed quite spectacular. Strangely though, besides the many visitors with children, the front row was occupied entirely by a group of young Italian men in suits.

“Cousin Luca, look over there…” one of the young men spotted Roland and quietly asked, “Wasn’t Cousin Simon supposed to be handling that side?”

“It should be someone Simon assigned,” Luca whispered. “Don’t worry about it; Simon’s always reliable. No need for us to fret.”

What he didn’t know was that Simon had already been caught by Gordon and was being urgently interrogated at the police station.

“I feel like I’ve never seen that guy before,” one remarked.

“Idiot, that’s exactly why he’s safe,” another replied.

“I…”

“Alright, just enjoy the show.”

Suddenly, the aquarium lights went out, plunging the place into darkness and sparking a chorus of startled screams.

“Everyone, don’t worry, this is part of our performance,” the host’s laughter echoed through the dark before a beam of light illuminated him.

Strangely, under the light, the host turned entirely green, and a cane appeared in his hand as if out of nowhere.

“Allow me to introduce myself—I’m Edward Nygma, but you can call me the Riddler,” he grinned. “However, I’m not the star today. Let me present our special guest—the Holiday Killer!”

“Where does this guy get such a flair for theatrics?” Falcone muttered from the shadows, feeling a headache coming on.

“Maybe that’s why he was sent to Arkham Asylum instead of Blackgate Penitentiary,” Falcone’s loyal men were also rendered speechless by the over-the-top spectacle.

“Whatever, it’s no big deal as long as we catch the Holiday Killer.”

After speaking, the light on the Riddler wandered around the room before finally resting at the aquarium’s entrance.

Roland glanced back but saw nothing.

“Never expected the Holiday Killer to be a priest,” the Riddler chuckled upon seeing Roland. “So, aren’t you going to run?”

“…Do you really think I’d believe you if you said you’ve got the wrong person?”

“Hehehe…” The Riddler laughed. “I deliberately left a flaw at the aquarium’s entrance, waiting for you to take the bait. I guessed you’d stick around, watching us clueless fools, thinking you could easily manipulate everyone at your whim…”

Roland’s face darkened. What nonsense was this? Fortunately, this guy was a notorious criminal. If he were a judge, he’d probably convict based on mere imagination.

“Wrong guess, fool.”

Suddenly, a voice crackled through the speakers, followed by a gunshot shattering the spotlight.

Roland turned and ran, signaling his men to stop their dealings and flee immediately.

Gunfire erupted inside the aquarium. Although its cause was unknown, people soon began rushing out.

Roland had just reached the zoo’s entrance, but it was already blocked off by gang members, causing him a headache.

Though he wasn’t the Holiday Killer these gangsters were talking about, he couldn’t be sure there wasn’t a cunning mastermind like the Riddler among them, so he didn’t dare approach that direction.

He activated his domain.

“Word Spirit: Kamaitachi!”

Roland released his power to gather sounds from the area and ran toward a less crowded spot.

Coincidentally, another person fleeing was also heading toward a sparsely populated area.

“Hello there,” Harvey smiled upon encountering the unlucky guy who was again bearing the blame for him.

“…You’re the Holiday Killer?” Roland asked curiously.

“I am the Holiday Killer, but the Holiday Killer is not me.”

“Alright, I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Roland shrugged. “Do you have a way out?”

“No. The zoo walls are electrified. Not just us, even the elephants would be knocked out,” Harvey shook his head. “Plus, there might be other traps. If we try to climb over, we’ll get caught easily.”

“Then what now?” Roland asked.

“For now, we have to hide inside the zoo,” Harvey said. “Wait until they think we’ve escaped and relax their guard at the gates, then find a chance to get out. But… where can we hide from their search?”

“Did you just say elephants?” Roland suddenly had a strange look on his face. “Have you ever watched ‘Animal World’?”

“No,” Harvey eyed Roland suspiciously, sensing something ominous.

“Do you know two people can hide inside an elephant’s body?” Roland asked. “By the way, why so quiet? What are you thinking?”

“…I’m thinking of killing you, the elephant, and the Falcone family scum.”

Ten minutes later, Harvey made this declaration from inside a female elephant.

“That’s biting the hand that feeds you. If it weren’t for me and the elephant, you’d have been caught by those bastards long ago,” Roland said, holding back his temper.

“I’d rather be caught by them,” Harvey sighed. “This is torture.”

“Who says? They’re gangsters with no bottom line, understand? If they caught you, you’d be the one being exploited by a bull elephant right now.”

“Well, maybe not that extreme,” Harvey said. Although he had little hope for those scumbags, the idea of being tormented by elephants was just too surreal.

“By the way, what month is it now?” Roland suddenly remembered something, a chill running down his spine.

“It’s March 1st. Didn’t Gotham Zoo just hold a few days of International Seal Day celebrations?” Harvey answered, puzzled by Roland’s increasingly grim expression. “Is something wrong?”

“…Do you know when elephants’ mating season is?”

“…What?” Harvey swallowed hard, as if he had a dreadful realization.

“Elephants’ mating season mainly falls between February and March,” Roland shared the cold fact he had learned from Animal World.