No one had heard from Iselin for several days, and the blonde beauty still hadn't returned to Channel 3. Everyone was worried.
Liu A'dou bought a few newspapers and found out that all of Scarecrow's victims had been cured, and Scarecrow himself had already been caught. The day after the incident, Wayne Enterprises announced the antidote, mass-produced it, and distributed it quickly. All the poisoned victims had recovered. Liu A'dou was seriously impressed by Batman's speed. He figured Batman must've cracked Scarecrow's toxin and then used his company to release the antidote.
But he still didn't know what had happened with Iselin and her tense, overly cautious father.
"Liu, hurry to the meeting room. The boss is calling a meeting," the editor from post-production shouted.
A meeting? That was as rare as the sun rising in the west. Channel 3 barely got enough ad revenue to keep the lights on—what was there to meet about? Still, Liu A'dou didn't show it on his face.
In the shabby meeting room, everyone was already there—even the janitor. Was the station about to shut down? Everyone was thinking the same thing.
"John, you're close to the boss—know what this is about?" someone asked.
"I just host, I don't run the place," John, a veteran at the station, shook his head. He was just as clueless.
"Maybe the boss is gonna give us all raises." That was way too optimistic.
Liu A'dou didn't really care, but it was his first job since crossing over into this world, and he did feel a bit attached. Hopefully, they weren't shutting down.
After a long wait, the boss walked in with a stranger—a middle-aged white man, hair mixed with gray, sharp, European features.
"Everyone, quiet down. Let me introduce your new boss." The station manager dropped the bomb without any lead-in.
The room exploded. "Boss, what do you mean? You sold Channel 3?!"
The boss looked helpless, raising his hands to calm them down. "You all know Channel 3's been struggling. They gave me an offer I couldn't refuse, so I'm announcing that Channel 3 has been acquired by Channel 1."
Whoa—
Getting bought out was huge. Everyone started worrying about their jobs. Would Channel 1 fire them? Move them to other departments? These things hit close to home.
"You can't just decide this on your own!" John couldn't take it anymore. He was supposed to be friends with the boss, yet had been left completely in the dark—felt like a betrayal.
"John, I know how much you care about Channel 3. I just didn't think you'd be able to let go," the boss said. Feelings didn't pay the bills, and Channel 3 was right on the edge of bankruptcy. "Everyone, settle down. Channel 1 has promised not to fire anyone. This is Mr. Howard, the news director at Channel 1. He'll be in charge of your work from now on."
Hearing they wouldn't lose their jobs, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. But judging by Howard's stern face, he didn't seem like someone easy to deal with. It was clear things wouldn't be as relaxed as before.
"Mr. Howard, please say a few words."
The European man nodded. "Hello, everyone. I'm Howard, Channel 1's news director, and I'll also be the head of Channel 1's new dedicated news station..."
Turns out Channel 1 was expanding fast, and they were setting up a specialized news station. Channel 3 was their acquisition target. As long as no one got fired, the boss had agreed to the deal.
Howard went on to explain their new benefits, which were a big improvement over what they had at Channel 3—even the janitor got a raise. Of course, the expectations had gone up just as much. Show up on time, no unexcused absences, no chatting during work—over thirty new rules. Channel 1 wasn't successful by accident. Compared to Channel 3, this actually felt like a real TV station.
"That's all from me. Now let's go around—introduce yourselves with your name and role." Howard had already reviewed everyone's files, but he wanted to hear it in person.
They all introduced themselves one by one. Howard's face stayed stone cold, leaving everyone uneasy.
When it was Liu A'dou's turn: "Name, Liu A'dou. Field cameraman."
Finally, Howard's expression softened. "So you're Liu A'dou. I've seen your footage—very good. Steady camera work, and you capture the right moments. Even at Channel 1, you'd have a spot. Staying at Channel 3 was a waste of your talent. But no worries—from now on, you'll be the lead cameraman at the news station."
Didn't expect the new station director to know who he was, let alone think so highly of him—it caught Liu A'dou off guard. "Uh, thank you."
The introductions continued.
The next few days were busy. Everyone had to pack up. New boss, new atmosphere. Plus, renovations—the old Channel 3 clover logo was getting replaced with the new comet logo for the Channel 1 News Station.
Liu A'dou also packed Iselin's stuff for her. The old director told him that as long as Iselin returned before officially starting work at the news station, everything would be fine. So he figured he'd need to swing by her place.
Iselin had a lot of things—mostly little personal items. He even found a pink bunny plushie in her drawer, which didn't quite match her usual elegant, curvy vibe. Who'd have thought this sultry beauty had such a girlish side?
Everything went into storage for now. Once renovations were done, they'd pull it all back out. While the work was happening, Liu A'dou and the others would be going to Channel 1's main headquarters to get used to how things worked over there.
Channel 1 was the biggest TV station in Gotham City. Their offices took up an entire building. Walking into the place, it was a whirlwind—phones ringing nonstop, people running up and down the halls passing messages.
Now this was a real TV station. Compared to Channel 3, it was like night and day.
Howard took them to the news department. This was his original team, and they'd all be moving to the news station later. Channel 1 had already leased several floors of Channel 3's building for the expansion.
"Being part of Channel 1 is an honor for you all. From now on, you'll be working alongside these top talents," Howard said proudly, glancing over the newsroom. "Of course, if you can't meet Channel 1's standards, you'll still lose this rare opportunity. So you'd all better do your best."
The newsroom staff were too busy to even glance at the newcomers. The intensity of the work here had the former Channel 3 folks gulping nervously.
"Thomas, take this newcomer out on a field shoot," Howard called.
Thomas was in the middle of a call, but still gave an 'OK' hand sign without missing a beat.
"Liu, this is Thomas—our best field reporter. Learn everything you can from him."
"Yes, sir," Liu A'dou replied. What else could he say?
Channel 1 was seriously loaded. They had four broadcast vans, each decked out with the latest digital broadcast tech, all top-of-the-line. Compared to the single smoke-belching van from Channel 3, this was on another level entirely.
"Can you drive?" Thomas, a bit of a pretty boy, asked.
"Yeah."
"Then you drive."
On the road, Thomas struck up a conversation. "Thomas, Channel 1's best reporter."
Wow, no modesty at all. "Liu A'dou, cameraman."
"You guys are from Channel 3, right? Now that it's become the independent news station, it's a way better platform than before," Thomas said excitedly. "I'm going to be Gotham's top reporter. Everyone will know my name."
"Good luck."
"I'll definitely make it." Thomas was full of himself, but it didn't come off as arrogant—more like genuine confidence and ambition. "By the way, your station had that blonde bombshell of a field reporter, right? The one who always showed off her chest during broadcasts? We had drinks at the bar once."
Uh, he's talking about Iselin? So he's the guy who spilled the beans after getting her drunk. "She's in the hospital. She was there during the Scarecrow incident."
"Oh, did she get any inside info?" Thomas saw it as a golden opportunity.
"No, she got poisoned. Still hasn't recovered." Liu A'dou answered flatly.
"That's a shame. Hope she's alright." Thomas wasn't heartless—he moved on to another topic. "So Liu, before we get to the scene, tell me what kind of stories you've shot."
Liu A'dou thought for a second. "Halloween celebrations at the orphanage. Environmental activists holding a sit-in at Gotham Park…"
After listing a few, Thomas just kept shaking his head. "Those aren't real stories. Just filler pieces."
"I shot the footage of Kaitou Kid at the museum." Liu A'dou figured that one had to be impressive.
"Oh, so those were your shots? Not bad, not bad." That piece had topped Channel 1's ratings. Thomas didn't underestimate Liu A'dou anymore.