Chapter 2234

The moment Pamela stepped out of the door, her expression turned serious; she walked to the spot where the porch met the garden's stone path, stood still, turned around, and looked up.

Directly above was Schiller's bedroom.

Lex said nothing, standing on the porch staring at her, the meaning in his eyes couldn't have been more obvious.

Pamela withdrew her gaze, shook her head slightly, and whispered a single word: "Blood."

Lex's Adam's apple moved slightly; he didn't try to sniff, as he knew that the extraordinary senses capable of smelling blood from hundreds of meters away were skills belonging to Batman and Superman—he couldn't do it, and even if he did smell something, it wouldn't be reliable.

The scents in the garden were rich: the fishy smell of damp soil, the grassy aroma of leaves, and the scent of the courtyard walls' mud and rocks—when intertwined, they could mask anyone's sense of smell.

Pamela clearly hadn't obtained this clue through sniffing; Lex saw emerald light flickering in her eyes.

"What do you see?" Lex asked in a low voice.

"It's hard to describe," Pamela said, looking at Lex with her flickering eyes.

"A woman?"

"You knew?"

"I only know that a lady appeared in Schiller's bedroom, and she visited suddenly, without an appointment."

"Incredible," Pamela exclaimed. "Is she crazy?"

"Either she's crazy, or her relationship with Professor Schiller is extraordinary," Lex said, frowning in thought. "I'm more inclined toward the latter; a lunatic would likely find it difficult to precisely locate the master bedroom of the Rodriguez estate and appear there without anyone knowing."

"I don't dare look," Pamela hurried back under the porch, looking up through the porch ceiling, and said, "Schiller could return at any moment; he needs to clean up the scene."

"What's at the scene?"

"Blood."

Pamela swallowed, seemingly steadying her nerves, and stared at the ceiling as she said, "It's not ordinary blood; it radiates a strange power, very... cold."

"Cold?"

"Yes, I can't describe it, because I've never seen this kind of power before. Its composition is completely different from the power I use and recognize; it's very mysterious."

"Did they have a dispute?"

"I'm afraid it was more than just a dispute." Pamela was weighing how much she should actually say; just because she and Lex had experienced this together didn't mean they were necessarily on the same side.

Lex might choose to side with Schiller, and she might too, depending on what they each believed the truth of the matter to be.

Pamela couldn't deny Lex's intelligence; she believed he could offer useful advice, so she spoke anyway.

"Through the vines, I saw Professor Schiller holding a woman. Blood was constantly flowing between his hand and her abdomen, and in the end, she collapsed into a pool of blood."

Pamela described the scene she had witnessed without adding any speculation, then added a detail: "Before that woman collapsed, her body was radiating a faint light."

"The same light we saw..."

"Almost identical."

Now things were getting a bit complicated. Lex walked over to a chair under the porch and sat down, rubbing his forehead as he said, "On the eve of the banquet, a woman found her way to Schiller. They stayed in the room for about 15 minutes, and Schiller attacked her?"

"It was clearly the woman who made the first move," Pamela emphasized, standing at the edge of the porch. "The light appeared first, and only then was there blood."

"That makes it even stranger," Lex said, stroking his chin. "There aren't many people in this world who dare to take the initiative to attack Professor Schiller—you count as one."

Pamela rolled her eyes slightly and said, "Can we not mention me right now? Besides, I wasn't in control at that time."

"How do you know this woman was in her right mind?"

"If she wasn't, Schiller wouldn't have needed to attack her at all," Pamela analyzed. "If it were just some kind of problem, like with me, Schiller would use his usual way of speaking to make someone lose control, and the result would certainly be within his expectations. Being prepared, Schiller wouldn't need to see blood to subdue anyone."

"I didn't see a weapon in Schiller's hand, but I suspect it might have been a knife," Pamela recalled. "Small enough to be hidden in a sleeve. He first hugged her, and then he stabbed her."

"This clearly wasn't out of a need to subdue her; it was more like a punitive injury. The goal was to cut a wound and make the other party bleed. For Professor Schiller, this is very abnormal."

"He doesn't like blood very much," Lex said. "Despite various religious and symbolic meanings, to a doctor, the complex components in blood still can't be called clean. Splattered blood is a disaster for unprotected oral and ocular mucosa."

"But other Schillers are different," Pamela licked her lips, her mind recalling those bright, glossy pieces of moose meat. "Blood is a very good cooking ingredient; because of its liquid yet coagulable nature, it can be shaped into many delicacies."

"You know how to cook?"

"Haven't you seen Schiller cook?"

Lex shook his head, but Pamela didn't feel smug; she said, "Then perhaps it's because he didn't want you to see."

"What do you mean?" Lex caught the implication in Pamela's words.

But Pamela had a sudden flash of insight and said, "Remember? It's not Professor Schiller hosting this banquet, and I've seen another feast of this Schiller's."

"The main course was prepared a month before the banquet started. He captured many prey, dismantled their parts, observed their organs, tasted them, and then looked for a perfect cooking method."

"Are you saying this banquet is also..."

Pamela shook her head and said, "No, this banquet should have many people from the occult world in attendance, and even visitors from other universes we don't understand. The flavor of special ingredient dishes wouldn't escape them, and besides, Schiller has no need to treat them like that."

"I only brought this up to say that Schiller isn't afraid of using some special ingredients, especially if the ingredient is delivered to his door..."

"The other party isn't human?" Lex asked.

Pamela nodded and said, "It's impossible for human blood to have such powerful energy. No matter how much magic one practices, it can't be done; it's limited by human innate conditions."

Lex breathed a sigh of relief, the expression on his face immediately becoming indifferent. He said, "Then let it be. As you said, she delivered herself to his door, so what does it have to do with us?"

"Do you think I care about her safety?" Pamela said with some disdain. "I don't care about the life or death of humans, nor of any race other than plants, but don't you think this is bizarre?"

She hurried down the steps, sat in the chair next to Lex, and said, "Do you think Professor Schiller would have been unpopular when he was young?"

"If he didn't possess such an intense personal temperament, he would be very popular now," Lex said.

"Actually, I asked him this question."

This really made Lex look at Pamela with new respect; he looked at her with some surprise. Pamela snorted coldly and said, "The questions I ask are beyond your imagination."

"Bravery is sometimes recklessness."

"But at least I'm still sitting here, instead of on a plate."

"Perhaps it's because Schiller isn't a vegetarian."

Pamela brought the topic back on track and said, "Schiller once personally admitted that in his life, there have been many beautiful and passionate ladies who left a deep impression on him. Do you think anything might have happened between them?"

"Perhaps, but I think the form was likely a bit different from what we imagine." Lex clearly understood these lunatics better; he said, "From your perspective, what is the most attractive thing about Schiller?"

"'Everything in this world is sexual attraction,'" Pamela first quoted a line, then expressed her own view: "I don't think this statement is entirely correct; it sounds a bit too extreme. But if you're referring to this aspect, I think it comes from 'taboo'."

"Exactly," Lex nodded and said, "People like to transgress; it brings a different kind of stimulation beyond simple physical pleasure, making one unable to stop."

"When you see a person and think 'Oh, this is impossible,' something urges you to try and see if it is possible. Curiosity, a spirit of adventure, and a desire to win can all be driving factors."

"This is much more advanced than simple hormonal attraction," Lex's fingers tapped the tabletop lightly as he said, "Women are particularly sensitive to this. Your understanding of male charm is like this: you appreciate the primitive, powerful wildness, but you are even more obsessed with the shackles that bind the beast."

Pamela licked her lips, lowered her eyes, and said, "Fine, don't tell anyone, but if I could persuade Bruce, he would have to wear his Batman suit, and Superman too."

Lex ignored her and continued, "I suspect that Schiller frequently utilized this point when he was young. I'm afraid the truth about his interactions with those so-called beautiful and passionate ladies is more cruel and bloody than you imagine."

"Why do you say that?"

"This is a weapon he once carefully crafted. Even if he doesn't need to use it now, the traces of that carving will remain on him. The power of this charm is something both you and I have deeply experienced."

"Everyone at Gotham University knows how terrifying Schiller is, but there are still many people who risk their lives to deliver things to Schiller's mailbox that have absolutely nothing to do with academics, or are even the opposite. You know how terrifying that is."

"I'd rather understand it as humans being like this—lustful, driven by desire, demons in the midst of desire..." Pamela evaluated.

"Conversely, if this charm still has such power now, then how could Schiller have been unknown among the skirts when he was young?"

Pamela opened her eyes slightly and said, "You mean, those were romantic debts Schiller incurred when he was young?"

"The act of stabbing itself is very strange," Lex analyzed. "If you want to subdue, knocking them out is simpler than stabbing. If you want to murder, stabbing the eye socket or heart is more efficient. But you said he stabbed the abdomen."

"As long as the knife wasn't poisoned, the wound certainly wouldn't be fatal," Pamela said very firmly. "But it would be very painful."

"The Schiller who did it, besides having even less moral sense than the professor, probably doesn't know pity, nor would he consider old feelings. Breaking into the master bedroom is very rude in itself, and the other party attacked first—Schiller had no reason to show mercy."

"Unless the other party is not ordinary at all," Pamela revealed an interested smile and said, "Either she is useful for the banquet, or she is useful to Schiller."

"What are you trying to do?" Lex narrowed his eyes, looking at Pamela, who was wearing an excited expression.

"Find her."

"Are you crazy?"

Pamela looked at Lex with bright, piercing eyes and said, "If things are really as we speculate, as long as I find her, perhaps I really can pull Schiller in."