Chapter 1763: Summer in Fool

"The ACTH project was a secret project conducted by the US military aimed at exploring the limits of the human body. I was once a test subject of this project, and also the only successful experimental subject who survived."

Shiler's gaze fell on Deathstroke's body. There were no scars on it, but this was almost impossible for an experienced killer, unless he had regenerative abilities far beyond ordinary people.

"I don't know the specific data of this experiment. No one told me at the time, and I didn't care later. But this project team existed for a very short time and then disappeared. The reason was that Congress wanted to catch the military's handle at the time, and illegal human experiments were a good direction to make a cut."

"The project team disbanded too quickly. People who wanted to profit from it or climb to a high position were not reconciled. After the project team disbanded, they went their separate ways. And one of the scientists decided to surrender to Congress. He was called Francis Campbell."

"Campbell knew all the information about the specific data of the project. He could provide this information to Congress as evidence of the military's illegal human experiments. And that also included detailed information about me, the only successful experimental subject and survivor. I couldn't let him do that, because I have family."

"Once Congress discovered that I had become a super weapon, they wouldn't give up controlling me. And the best way to control me was to control my family. And I learned this through William Walsh."

"In this way, he should be considered to have saved you."

"It's far from that simple. Walsh was just a speculator. When the project team still existed, he and Campbell didn't get along, but he was more inclined toward the military and didn't want Campbell to succeed."

"He let you kill Campbell?"

"This wasn't an order, but he knew that I would definitely do this to preserve myself, and I did as he wished."

Deathstroke sighed. Shiler could hear the annoyance in it. Sure enough, Deathstroke opened his mouth and said: "Originally, this matter would have passed, but that idiot William Walsh actually privately retained a list of test subjects, and even let his wife know. The two of them divorced, and the child was judged to the mother."

"Later, his wife remarried and married a businessman named DeNechette. His son also grew up under the upbringing of his stepfather. After Old William died, his only blood relative, that is, Young William DeNechette, went to receive his biological father's inheritance and found that list in the inheritance."

"He sold you out." Shiler added an ending to this story and said: "He took this information and knocked on the door of the FBI, and got on Amanda's line."

"He had always wanted to find me." Deathstroke's tone had sunk to the bottom, saying: "He thought that the super weapon that survived that year must still be alive, and he was the only person who knew the method of controlling the dangerous weapon—he knew the identity of my family, so he had to die."

When he said this, Deathstroke was stunned. He suddenly looked up at Shiler, because he recalled the question Shiler asked when he started this topic—"You have family, right?"

"Did William give that list to you?"

"I found it myself." Shiler did not avoid Deathstroke's murderous gaze at all. He said: "Why would you think that if a murder case happened in front of me, I wouldn't get to the bottom of it?"

"Mr. Wilson, your biggest mistake was that you shouldn't have toyed with William's corpse and constructed his method of death to be full of artistry. That greatly aroused my interest."

"For some reason, I will actively contact people who can create such art and invite them to join the art group I founded. I think the person who killed William has this qualification, so I went to investigate who did it."

"To investigate the murderer, one must investigate William as a person. Although I have no interest in him and don't know his family history, I simply asked Amanda for his residence and found that list. He didn't even hide it."

"That idiot!" Deathstroke said through gritted teeth.

"I am quite curious, why didn't you go to his residence to destroy that list after killing him? You didn't think he had already destroyed it, did you?"

"I thought William had hidden it."

"Then you really overestimated this idiot."

Deathstroke was obviously choked up. He felt that he had been scolded by Shiler and he had evidence, but he could not refute it.

"A common problem for smart people." Shiler put his hand on the handle of his umbrella, smiled, and said: "You think it is very likely that he divided the list into several parts, hid them in secret strongholds all over the world, and also set up countless complex passwords for the safe that only he knew."

"You clearly know that no matter how complex the puzzle is, as long as the only person who knows all the clues is dead, no one can string so much information together to find the final answer. This is a sufficiently convenient and quick method, specifically for treating patients with advanced paranoia and persecution mania."

"But William's stupidity obviously exceeded your imagination. He just simply put the list on the bookshelf in his apartment, tucked it into a book whose title had his initials, and I just understood his stupidity better than you."

Deathstroke lay back on the recliner as if he had suddenly deflated and said: "Then how did you know about his relationship with me?"

"I know you killed him."

"How did you know?"

"I just know." Shiler turned and sat on another recliner nearby and said: "If you want to find the loopholes in your methods through my answer, you might be disappointed."

"I didn't use detective methods to find the murderer; my method is more abstract."

"Anyway, since we are free now, you might as well talk about it."

"I saw a contradiction in William's corpse. The murderer's method of killing him was too professional, clean, and without clues, as professional as the best killer in the world."

"But a killer wouldn't pour so much emotion into the corpse. I saw anger in the state of the corpse. Your heart and spirit were imprisoned by some of his actions, so you in turn imprisoned his body in a box."

Deathstroke's fingertips moved slightly. He seemed to be hesitating, but in the end, he seemed to feel that things had reached this point and there was no point in hiding it, so he said: "The FBI is a trouble for me."

"Or let's put it this way, the official law enforcement agencies of any major country in the world are trouble for a killer. The more troublesome part about the FBI is that they know my real information. For the sake of my family, I must stay away from them to prevent them from recognizing me."

"It's not that there isn't this possibility. Campbell had already submitted part of the experimental information to Congress to gain Congress's trust. Once the FBI obtained the original experimental information from Congress and matched it with some characteristics I displayed, they would know who I am."

"So you were isolated." Shiler summarized: "William's behavior led to you having to stay away from this country, and as revenge, you isolated him in a box."

"That's what he deserved." The anger in Deathstroke's tone had not yet subsided, both angry at William's stupidity and annoyed at his own carelessness.

"You might think this is just a public revenge and humiliation, but you are not experienced in showing corpses to the world. The information you left on the corpse was not carefully screened. To me, it was simply like writing your name on the corpse."

"Before this, I never thought there would be someone like you in the world, reading faces on corpses? Hmph." Deathstroke snorted coldly, but still said: "I'm just a killer who takes money to do things. If it weren't for a personal vendetta with that idiot and wanting to warn the FBI, I wouldn't have touched his corpse. I'm not a psychopath."

"But if you'll excuse me, you definitely have this talent."

Feeling Shiler's suddenly rising interest in talking, Deathstroke immediately interrupted him: "I get paid by the job, I leave after killing, I don't need to know how to toy with corpses correctly. Ask whatever you want to ask."

"When did the League of Assassins approach you?"

"Two months after I killed Gorbachev."

Shiler pondered for a moment and said: "I'm afraid Ra's al Ghul is not as confident as he appears. He is also afraid of you."

"He has no reason to be afraid of me. No one paid me to kill him, so he is absolutely safe."

"But he doesn't know if someone will pay, because someone just paid you to kill an important figure. He thinks the person behind you wants to establish a new world order like him, and thinks that the person behind you has been eyeing him for a long time."

"Don't you?"

"No, I thought he would be more interested in my student." Shiler shook his head, still speaking in a chatty tone. Deathstroke really couldn't figure out what Shiler meant, so he tentatively asked: "So you came to me to give me another business?"

"Do you think I would hire you to kill him?"

"Why do you people always like to use rhetorical questions?"

"Because psychologists usually charge by the hour. This is a very good rule. I suggest you can also use it. That way, just by talking, you can also collect my money."

Deathstroke felt that he had been mocked by Shiler again, but with potential business in front of him, he had no time to care. He said: "That old devil is hard to deal with, so the price is very high."

"But I don't intend to pay."

"Then I'm afraid you will receive round after round of his probing, and there will be no peace from now on." Deathstroke lay on the recliner, hands crossed over his abdomen, making a smug posture, and said: "Although I personally would be happy to see you being chased around, I also think he can't do it. But in any case, he will cause you a lot of trouble."

"I mean, I don't intend to hire a killer who costs money. Why not use a free one if there is one?"

Deathstroke narrowed his eyes and said: "If there really is such a sensible person, you must introduce them to me."

"Not someone in your line of work."

"Then who?"

"Someone in the League of Assassins' line of work."

In the restaurant of the Rodriguez Manor, Lex and Clark looked at Bruce, who walked back holding his phone. Lex frowned and asked: "What did you go do? Why were you gone for so long?"

"I took a call from Professor Shiler."

"Is there anything urgent?" Clark asked with concern.

"Nothing." Bruce sighed softly and said: "It's just that I have to take a make-up exam again, again, again, and again."

Lex squeezed a sneer from his throat, while Clark asked curiously: "Another exam? What is the content of the exam?"

"Dealing with a troublesome woman."