Chapter 1133: Professor (13)

Upon hearing the commotion from upstairs, Schiller didn't even have time to change out of his pajamas before rushing up.

Because the situation was urgent, he didn't have time to knock, pushing the door open directly. However, Jack the Joker, who had been awakened by the roar, instinctively jumped off the bed and ran toward the door, with the massive black shadow that had smashed through the balcony glass in pursuit.

The moment Schiller opened the door, he saw clearly that the figure that had jumped in was a giant humanoid crocodile monster—presumably Killer Croc. Yet, Schiller's first reaction was one of confusion.

Schiller wasn't confused as to why Killer Croc appeared here; the roar he had just let out explained the reason. What Schiller found strange was why Killer Croc was holding two kitchen knives.

Killer Croc possessed extremely sharp claws, which were weapons in themselves; he didn't need to carry anything extra.

If anything, his giant hands gripping the tiny knife handles looked extremely uncoordinated, and it was clear that even he found it difficult to hold them.

But the next second, Schiller understood why Killer Croc had done this.

Jack the Joker, who had leaped from the bed, bolted for the door. He wasn't trying to escape, but rather, there wasn't enough space in the room; after Killer Croc jumped in, the room was nearly packed, and he needed more strategic space to maneuver. Now, the only place left was the hallway.

But unexpectedly, the moment he was about to roll out the door, Schiller pushed it open. Jack stumbled, nearly getting flattened by the door panel, but what followed immediately were two kitchen knives whistling through the air with chilling cold light.

Apparently, having become good friends with Batman, Killer Croc had realized his own lack of ranged attack capabilities, so he had procured two low-end versions of Batarangs. Combined with his "brute force works miracles" approach, the effect was not even inferior to a shotgun.

Jack had already been clipped by the door panel and lost his balance; even though he felt the cold wind whistling behind him, he couldn't dodge in time. One kitchen knife slashed into his back, and the other into his leg.

*Squelch! * Schiller was splattered with blood.

Actually, that hit alone wouldn't have been too bad, just staining the front lapel of Schiller's pajamas and his right pant leg with blood. But unfortunately, after being seriously injured, Jack ran toward Schiller while spraying blood, shouting: "Doctor! Help! There's a lunatic trying to kill me!"

(Help!)

(There's a lunatic trying to kill me!)

(Help!)

Because of the Joker virus, this kind of injury could only be considered minor for Jack. However, as he ran behind Schiller and grabbed his pant leg, the blood spraying from his body splattered all over Schiller's clothes, nearly turning him into a blood-soaked figure.

Schiller took a deep breath, first raising a hand to stop Killer Croc, who was about to pounce, and then pulling the Joker from behind him to his front, beginning to mediate between the two parties like a courtroom conciliator.

It wasn't until he had persuaded Killer Croc to back off and called the nurses to bandage Jack's wounds that it was already late into the night.

Schiller really wanted to clean himself up immediately, but the problem was that Arkham Hospital wasn't the Rodriguez Manor. There was no dedicated butler here who could conjure a clean set of clothes for him to maintain a tidy image no matter what happened.

Thus, Schiller could only return to his bedroom, intending to take a shower to wash away the foul stench of blood. But the moment he entered, he saw a figure with pointed ears standing outside the window.

Schiller hadn't even entered the room when Batman pushed the window open. Seeing Schiller covered in blood again, Batman froze.

In that instant, Batman's mind nearly reconstructed the entire process of Schiller's crime.

Judging by the degree of coagulation of the bloodstains on Schiller's clothes, the blood must have sprayed from bottom to top, and the coagulation on his chest was higher than anywhere else.

This suggested that Schiller had likely held a long, sharp weapon—in plain terms, an umbrella sword—first piercing the victim's chest, then stepping on their chest to drive the umbrella sword through their throat.

No, that wasn't right, Batman thought. If the killing process were that simple, the bloodstains on the leather shoes and pant legs shouldn't have been that heavy.

It was highly likely that Schiller had performed some extremely brutal processing before killing the other party.

Thinking of this, Batman stepped back slightly, reached out to knock on the adjacent window, and said, "... Do you have a moment? I want to ask about Dick."

Schiller seemed to have discovered that he and Batman didn't live on the same biological clock, so he didn't dwell on why Batman had come so late. He stood by the door, took off his blood-soaked coat, hung it up, and said, "What's wrong with Dick?"

Batman didn't answer Schiller's question immediately, because he found that looking at Schiller's indifferent demeanor, the first emotion he felt wasn't the usual anger he faced when dealing with criminals, but a sense of dread.

This was highly abnormal. Batman didn't believe he would fear any criminal.

But the fact remained: any human being, when faced with a monster who stripped away the lives of their own kind with no guilt, as easily as eating or drinking, would feel instinctive fear.

There was a famous saying in psychology that Batman had once seen, and today, he had gained a new understanding of it: "Fear saves humanity."

In the long evolutionary history of humanity, there had been too many disasters that could have wiped out this fragile species. Not to mention the bloodthirsty beasts or the ruthless natural disasters, in some years, a few extra days of rain could claim many lives.

Every fear humans had for every thing was a scar from human evolutionary history.

Without fear, there would be no distancing, and naturally, one couldn't escape a disaster. Only groups highly sensitive to various natural and man-made disasters were more likely to survive and develop to this day. Thus, fear had been etched ever more deeply into the human marrow.

And these killers, who should have been viewed by humans as their own kind, struck such boundless fear into people precisely because they shared traits with beasts—savage, frenzied, pursuing only pleasure—while also sharing traits with natural disasters—indifferent, cruel, yet possessing unwavering will.

The instinct for self-preservation etched into human bones would leave them at a natural disadvantage when facing people who possessed the same traits as the terrifying disasters in evolutionary history.

Even though Batman had reached the pinnacle of human willpower, the instincts belonging to a human would still make him feel a chill down his spine when facing Schiller in this state.

Now Batman could understand why some serial killers continued to strike and yet people still fell victim. It wasn't that those people hadn't been vigilant or hadn't resisted; what broke them wasn't their own kind, but the fear within their hearts.

Seeing Batman frozen there, Schiller walked up, a bit puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong? Didn't you want to ask about Dick? Why aren't you saying anything?"

However, as Batman looked at Schiller before him, the more nonchalant Schiller appeared, the more Batman felt the fear erupting from his instincts, making him want to retreat.

"Dick has run away from home again." Batman forced his thoughts back on track. He said, "Because I took in a child named Tim Drake. He... has great talent and really wants to be my assistant. His parents don't object."

Schiller was about to speak, but Batman cut him off: "I didn't agree to his request. He's still too young, and even if he lives at Wei En Manor, he must study first."

"And I have already expressed to Dick that he is my eldest son and will be my most excellent assistant. I also told him he could participate in case investigations; I just needed some time to prepare a set of equipment for him to ensure his safety."

"But no matter what I said, Dick wouldn't listen." Batman shook his head slightly. "He is firmly convinced that I want to abandon him and drive him out of Cat Getan."

Schiller frowned deeply and shook his head as well. "That doesn't fit my psychological profile of Dick Grayson."

"After the Grayson family fell from their peak, they went through a long period without any performance invitations, facing a very difficult time. Beyond the economic hardship, the psychological gap was also significant."

"At the same time, Dick was very close to his grandfather, so his grandfather's death was a huge blow to him. And coincidentally, during his formative years regarding wealth, his family fell into ruin. Such a blow could very well make a child isolated and eccentric."

"But Dick didn't collapse because of this. On the contrary, he comforted his parents, worked hard on his acrobatics, and even moonlighted as a street vendor during performances, using all his strength to change the family's economic situation."

"To earn money, the Grayson family continued to tour nationwide. The hardships need not be mentioned; there was more mockery and cold shoulders. Yet Dick didn't waver because of those rumors, firmly believing the Grayson family was the best circus in America and constantly striving for the family's revival."

"He is a quite clear-headed, wise, and firm child. With all due respect, his mental stability is much higher than yours, even the current you."

"After all, the massive inheritance left by your parents is enough that you don't have to worry about economic problems, while Dick had to scrimp and save for a long time, sometimes even going without a meal."

"Yet despite such hardship, his psychological state remained positive and proactive, with no tendency toward self-abandonment. This is very rare."

Batman looked at Schiller, seemingly waiting for a conclusion. Schiller stood there, looking into his eyes, and said:

"Hardship couldn't defeat this child in over a decade. Why do you think you could change his nature and make him impossible to communicate with in just a few years?"

Batman opened his mouth slightly but didn't know how to refute this. He realized that his confidence in his own educational level had plummeted to such a degree that it was affecting his judgment of the facts.

Back then, young Dick hadn't gone astray when the Grayson family declined, his closest grandfather died tragically, his family was in dire straits, homeless, and mocked by others. How could he have suddenly changed his nature after just a few years at Wei En Manor?

Batman hesitated and opened his mouth: "When Dick first came here, I transferred him to several different schools. Tim told me he might have been bullied at school, but at the time, I didn't pay attention..."

"Did he tell you, and you didn't do anything about it?" Schiller asked.

Batman shook his head. "No, he didn't. In fact, I pressed him several times, and he answered that school life was perfectly fine."

"Actually, he might not be as fragile as you think." Schiller picked up a towel from the side and began wiping the blood off his neck. He said, "He isn't a Cat Getan local, but he has traveled all over the country with his parents and is well-traveled."

Schiller looked into Batman's eyes and said: "I remember I once told you that psychology looks like a form of mysticism, but in fact, its internal logic is as rigorous as mathematics and physics. If you follow a line of reasoning to the end, there is only one standard answer."

"For a person to suddenly change their behavioral pattern, external factors are essential. If you feel that you haven't exerted any influence on the change in Dick's behavioral pattern, then it is highly likely that someone else has exerted an influence you are unaware of."

"And if this influence is long-term, it couldn't have just suddenly erupted now. And if it isn't long-term..."

Batman narrowed his eyes. He understood what Schiller meant, and he said: