Chapter 1373

The sunset over the Hudson River was no brighter or more lasting than anywhere else; in just about an hour, that warm-colored glow disappeared. When night shrouded Hell's Kitchen, Shiler, sitting in the clinic, stood up to turn on the lights.

Daredevil Ma Te was blinded later in life; he was blinded by radioactive material spilled from a truck while trying to save a blind man. Since his optic nerves were still relatively intact, given current medical standards, he had a chance to see the light again, but he did not need it.

The heart-eye skill he possessed allowed his other enhanced senses to outline the surrounding scene in his mind, even more intricately than what many people saw, and it was not limited by visual fields.

Therefore, the moment Shiler stood up to turn on the lights, Ma Te's eyebrows furrowed slightly, the muscles under his suit tightened, and his waist exerted force, like a beast arching its body, ready to strike at any moment.

Ma Te's eyes could not perceive light; after hearing a few "click" sounds of the switch being flipped, he felt Shiler sit back down.

"Want another drink?" Ma Te asked, his lifeless eyes looking toward the glass in front of Shiler.

"No." Shiler shook his head and replied, then he crossed one leg over the other, placed his hands in front of him, and said: "That's too sweet."

"Then have some fish."

"I'm not interested in raw food." Shiler lowered his eyelids, looked at the few remaining slices of citrus sea bream sashimi on the plate, and shook his head.

"It seems you are that old-fashioned guy who likes sherry that Shiler mentioned." Ma Te did not show much surprise; he just picked up the ice wine next to him, poured himself another glass, and picked up a piece of fish and put it on his plate.

"I regret his behavior of spreading stereotypes, but he did indeed have some matters to attend to and left temporarily, but he was unwilling to end the conversation with his friend, so I am filling in for him for the time being."

"You have a child?"

Ma Te could not distinguish whether the previous sentence was spoken by Shiler or this stranger, so he could only ask.

"Not quite appropriate." Shiler's tone was calm, and he said: "I have many students, and they each have their own characteristics."

"It seems one of their characteristics left a deep impression on you."

Perhaps because lawyers and doctors always have things in common, Ma Te's way of speaking was different from many of the superheroes here; his conversational rhythm and pace were more like Shiler's.

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"You could say that." Shiler did not deny it, but paused for a moment. He seemed to feel that his attitude was inappropriate, so he added: "His thesis even more so."

"Are you a teacher?"

"Yes."

Ma Te noticed that the other party seemed to be avoiding any physical gestures to accommodate the fact that he was blind. Originally, facing this question, he could have just nodded, but he still spoke out loud.

"It seems that student has caused you quite a bit of trouble, making your behavioral patterns lean toward caution and propriety." Ma Te guessed, but soon he touched his philtrum with his hand and said: "Sometimes, I am like this too; when facing my own students, I have to perform a more perfect version of myself."

Shiler tilted his head, seemingly very interested in this point of view. Ma Te switched hands to hold his chopsticks, picked up the fish, put it into his mouth, and while chewing, said: "While being a teacher, must one be a role model? In the eyes of parents and students, the answer to this question must be yes; a teacher must do it first before they can teach the students."

"Is that not so?" Shiler asked.

Ma Te shook his head and continued: "My students have thousands of different lives, and it is impossible for me to have experienced every one of them. They also have countless possible futures, and I cannot experience them all personally. I am more inclined toward helping within my capabilities and letting go at the right time."

"Motherly guidance." Shiler evaluated.

"Because that way I don't have to hurt each other with my child—one side controls, the other resists. I am only willing to do that to criminals."

"Do you know Freud?" Shiler asked, but he did not expect Ma Te opposite him to answer, instead explaining to himself: "He once shone on the stage of cognitive theory, and he had a very interesting theory, which is 'love the mother and imitate the father, love the father and imitate the mother'."

"Although I personally feel that he places too much weight on sexual impulses in cognitive theory, I still agree with part of his theory, including the part about the formation of attachment psychology in human childhood."

"After reaching adulthood, people will imitate others through their own rational cognition, with the goal of communicating better with them or integrating into a group."

"But in childhood, we have no power to choose our social objects; whether you want to or not, human cubs need to be raised by their parents."

"The relationship with parents is the most difficult proposition in this world, but everyone has to face it. And at this time, a very strange phenomenon appears: when you start to rely on one side, you do not imitate their way of doing things, but choose to imitate the other side."

"Because the family itself is a manifestation of mutual possession—the father possesses the mother, and the mother also possesses the father. And when a newborn child wants to join this relationship, the more they love someone, the more they want to possess them. But they don't know how to possess, so they learn the behavioral patterns of the side that already possesses."

"And then we can look at it in reverse: being attached to the mother and developing a sense of possessiveness toward her can make the child's behavioral patterns closer to the father's, and if the object of possession is the father, the behavioral patterns are closer to the mother's."

Ma Te's hand holding the wine glass paused, and Shiler's voice sounded at the right time: "What just appeared in your mind should be your father, right?"

"So you mean, my teaching style is gentler and closer to a mother's because I was raised by my father?"

"To some extent, that is indeed the case."

"So, you want to explain to me that Shiler's teaching style leans more toward a strict father because he is more attached to his mother?"

Shiler lowered his eyelids. Although he knew Ma Te could not directly see his expression, he still dutifully displayed his mood through subtle changes in his facial muscles. He said: "Yes, but I also have to explain another point, and that is jealousy."

"Jealousy?"

"Possessing the mother leads to jealousy of the father; possessing the father leads to jealousy of the mother."

"Simply absurd." Ma Te evaluated, but he still rationally explained: "Sometimes the conclusions of psychiatrists and philosophers make me feel that humanity is truly hopeless."

"That is indeed the case." Shiler rarely did not refute, but continued: "I am just repeating some existing theories; it does not mean I agree with him. This is just one perspective on looking at problems."

"I am more interested now in knowing how Shiler ensures the safety of those children after throwing them into a dangerous universe?"

"I am discussing this matter with you."

Shiler leaned his body back, rested against the back of the sofa, moved his hands from in front of him to his sides, and continued: "Broadly speaking, jealousy stems from possessiveness, and possessiveness stems from greed."

"Greed is a trait of human nature, almost unavoidable." Shiler first stated a conclusion, then said: "After the child's attachment period ends, it can be viewed in two situations. If the possessiveness toward parents is not satisfied, besides deepening jealousy, it will also produce insecurity and even a vengeful psychology, eventually forming the incentive for the rebellious phase."

"And what if it is satisfied?" Ma Te asked.

Shiler leaned his body forward, picked up the empty wine glass to examine it, and said in a somewhat complex tone: "Being satisfied will produce enough sense of security, making the personality more stable... but actually there is another situation."

"What is that?"

"A bit too satisfied." Shiler looked up at Ma Te's lifeless eyes and said: "In order to satisfy the child, one does not hesitate to sacrifice oneself, even sacrificing one's own safety and life."

Ma Te's arm suddenly tightened; there was no doubt that what appeared in his mind now was his father again.

The father who, for his sake, in order to let his child see him win, did not hesitate to resist the mob, refused to throw a fight, and was finally cruelly murdered by the mob.

"Do you know what this will lead to?"

"Guilt." Ma Te replied.

"That is only if there is a chance for compensation. If there is not even a chance for compensation, it will develop into another kind of paranoid pursuit—an inner drive brought about by the fear of the tragedy happening again, just like you with the mob."

Ma Te felt his whole body go cold, as if he had been stripped naked in front of this stranger he was not familiar with, and had the deepest secrets in his heart seen through by those calm, unruffled eyes.

"You strike at the mob; besides upholding justice and avenging your father, there is another motive, and that is control. You feel that the mob, once out of your control, is creating tragedies like your father's every second. You feel fear about this, so you must try your best to avoid all of this from happening."

Ma Te pursed his lips. He looked up at Shiler and said: "Aren't we talking about Shiler? Why did the topic return to me?"

"I am talking about Shiler."

Shiler put the wine glass back on the table again, seemingly unaccustomed to the person opposite him failing to grasp the riddle he was telling, so he had to make his words clearer.

"Among the group of people thrown into that universe, there is one who is very special to Shiler; he is very important to Shiler."

"Then why still..." Ma Te paused suddenly when he said this, and then muttered to himself: "Shiler is worried about certain tragedies happening again, so he must control someone, or change him?"

Shiler sighed slightly, seemingly relieved that the other party's comprehension had suddenly risen, but what he didn't expect was that the superhero here didn't know how to read the room, let alone stop when appropriate. Ma Te pressed on:

"What is this tragedy?"

Shiler pursed his lips, seemingly not wanting to say, but from Ma Te's expression, he knew that if he didn't say it, the man in front of him would definitely get to the bottom of it, and might even shout it to the whole world.

So he could only stop at the point.

"A mother has lost one of her children, and she cannot lose a second one."

Ma Te had an expression of not understanding, and before he could continue to press, Shiler sighed deeply and had to explain:

"The first child has special qualities and would not fail to survive even in a special world, but the second child is just an ordinary person, simply not enough to cope with this world full of dangers."

"And what Shiler has to do is to use any means necessary to give him the ability to survive. Shiler's ultimate goal is to let him survive on his own, so you don't have to worry at all that he or they will die."