Chapter 3310: Bloody New City (70)

Schiller opened the office door, and a travel-worn Gordon walked in. Schiller looked him over and said, "It seems you're in greater need of an ice-cold beer. Wait here for me a moment."

Schiller walked to the freezer in the lounge, took out a bottle of ice-cold beer, and handed it to Gordon. Gordon didn't stand on ceremony with him; after popping the cap, he gulped down half the bottle.

Then, wiping his mouth and letting out a satisfied sigh, he set the bottle aside and said, "It seems you've already heard the news about that big guy. I'm planning to go talk to him. What do you think?"

"Are you here specifically to ask for my opinion today? I'm quite honored, then. But I know that even if I said something, you wouldn't listen."

Gordon grinned and said, "Alright, it's not specifically for that. I've sent people to keep an eye on several hospitals in the community. Just as you predicted, they are all using equipment from the Aodeyin Company. But it doesn't look like there's anything unusual. Should we keep watching?"

Schiller shook his head and said, "I've already troubled you enough. You should focus on managing the Lower District. Let's talk about the Angel of Death again; how much do you know about him?"

"He seems to be a religious fanatic." Gordon took another sip of beer and said, "Several people who have seen him say he dresses like a combat priest from a medieval religious order. The uniform looks very well-made; the production cost must be quite high. People speculate that he should be like Batman, with a wealthy tycoon behind him who has been funding him all along."

"How are his results in fighting crime?"

Speaking of this, Gordon looked a bit dejected. He said, "Actually, it's very bad. I admit he has indeed given those super-criminals some deterrence, making our community slightly safer."

"But he doesn't know how to exercise restraint at all. A while ago, there was a punk in my neighborhood who broke into a shop to steal things because he wanted to buy drugs. He was a novice; the shop location he chose was bad, and he was slow. The shopkeeper discovered him and called the police."

"The men I arranged were just about to take the person away, but they ran into that Angel of Death first. He beat him half to death, almost paralyzing him. His parents were crying their eyes out at my place, and I even had to pay for his treatment."

"What did he steal?" Schiller asked.

"He didn't steal anything at all." Gordon waved his hand and said, "He originally wanted to rummage for some pocket change, but found the drawer locked. He wanted to grab a couple of packs of cigarettes, but they weren't the brand he liked to smoke."

"When the shopkeeper caught him, he didn't show his hands immediately. The shopkeeper thought he had a gun, which is why he called the police."

"So it was attempted theft?"

"Yes, nothing was stolen, and no damage was caused. As a result, he is now lying in the intensive care unit. His father is considered a diligent, hardworking, good man; I have no way to explain this to him now."

"It seems there are indeed some problems." Schiller walked over, sat down, and said, "Is he more violent than Batman?"

"Yes. More importantly, he lacks Batman's compassion." Gordon rested his hands on the table and said, "Although Batman has been a bit irritable lately, you can't deny that he is a person with divinity. Discipline is always his last resort. If possible, he would rather choose tolerance."

Schiller nodded, agreeing with Gordon's judgment. Although the Batman of this universe has mental health issues and thus appears exceptionally unreasonable and irritable, at most he can be considered a Don Quixote, not a Nero.

Even with mental health issues, his irritability is mostly directed at extremely dangerous antisocial elements like the Joker, and at most, he just gives them a sound beating; he doesn't kill, so it can't be considered excessive.

There has always been a divine side to Batman's personality. Even if mental health issues make him look more like an ordinary person, this side will occasionally reveal its brilliance.

In the original comics, after the Batman of this universe endured the grief of losing his closest loved ones, being framed and imprisoned by the Joker, and suffering pressure from all sides, the only conclusion he reached was: it was all his own fault for not being able to make Cat Getan better.

Schiller's evaluation of this was: "It would be strange if you didn't get depression from this."

But one has to admit that this saint-like compassion well balances his paranoia and violent attributes, making him a hero rather than a tyrant.

But this Angel of Death, Paul, is a pure tyrant. Compared to upholding justice and saving the people, he seems more like he is venting. Putting on the skin of a superhero cannot cover up the stench of rot emanating from his whole body, as if he is about to drown in his own violent fantasies.

"What do you plan to do?" Schiller took the initiative to ask for Gordon's opinion. Because the Angel of Death appeared in the Lower District after all, and since Gordon chose to bear such responsibility himself, he must have a way.

"I said, I want to talk to him." Gordon shook his head and said, "I need to figure out some issues."

"What if he doesn't want to talk to you?"

"Then I can't be blamed." Gordon said, "Still the same thing, I need this society to have order and be able to maintain stability. Because only then is it beneficial to the majority of people."

"If someone insists on choosing to destroy order and refuses to communicate, then even if he calls himself a hero, I must impose restrictions on him."

"It seems the foundation for you and Batman to cooperate for so long must be communication?" Schiller said with a smile.

"You might not believe it, no one would believe it. But my communication with Batman is very smooth." Gordon said, "Although you can't expect him to take the initiative to say anything, as long as you ask in the right way, there is nothing you can't understand."

"You really have a way with him." Schiller sighed. He was saying this sincerely, because he always felt that he couldn't communicate with Batman, and that was true for every Batman.

"It sounds like you have some ideas about him." Gordon tapped the table and said, "I don't know where you got so much money, but it really helped a lot. I am willing to let him be with you for a while."

"Who? Batman or the Angel of Death?" Schiller asked subconsciously.

"Of course, the Angel of Death." Gordon said helplessly.

"Since that's the case, I won't be polite." Schiller rubbed his hands and said, "I do have something I want him to help me with. It might cause a bit of a stir. If you are willing to help me clean up the aftermath, there might even be unexpected gains."

"I only have one requirement." Gordon said, "Don't hurt ordinary people. Anything else is up to you."

Gordon didn't waste any more time and left directly. Schiller packed up all the information he had investigated in the office and came to Dr. Thompkins' clinic.

Dr. Thompkins was surprised by his arrival, and Jason was even more surprised. Schiller didn't talk nonsense; he put all the information on the table with a bang and spoke about his deductions.

The deduction regarding the game between the East India Company and the Order of Order clearly shocked Dr. Thompkins and Jason. They indeed rarely incorporated historical backgrounds to look at this matter.

But once this perspective was unlocked, they would immediately realize that the severity of this matter probably exceeded their imagination.

Several people discussed this issue for a while, but the conclusions they could reach were few. Because many key historical questions could not be answered. Even if Schiller knew the plot, there were too many secrets hidden behind it.

"We can barely be considered a team." Schiller said, "I have told you all my findings. I hope you will also tell me if you have any findings."

After thinking for a while, Jason said: "Before I left, I looked through Batman's computer. He seems to have dived under the Cat Getan Reservoir and taken many photos, but the content of the photos is mostly just some village ruins. There is nothing very special."

"According to my understanding of him, if there was anything very special, he wouldn't leave a record, but would keep it in his mind." Dr. Thompkins spoke up, "So the best way is for us to go down and see for ourselves."

"I bet he left ten thousand cameras there." Schiller said, "I have a way to shield the cameras, but I don't want to go into the water."

"Why?" Jason asked.

Schiller shook his head and didn't explain.

Greed is different from arrogance. He is not a detective; he doesn't chase a clue just because one appears. That would make him feel like he was being led by the nose by others.

He prefers to focus on his own affairs and create an unsolvable situation for others. As long as there are enough such situations, sooner or later he will be able to find more clues from the flaws of others.

"I have one more thing to do here today." Schiller looked at Dr. Thompkins and said, "If nothing goes wrong, the Angel of Death, who has recently become famous in the Lower District, might come to trouble you."

Dr. Thompkins was stunned. She said: "That so-called new Batman? Why would he deal with me? Did I offend him?"

"Haven't you discovered it yet, ma'am? Someone is clipping Batman's wings—Jason, Alfred, Fox..."

"You say I am too?" Jason said, "I didn't have an accident with them."

"That just proves that the conspiracy started much earlier than you imagined." Schiller's tone was very firm. He said, "It could also be because you are the most important to Batman."

"You are different from the others. The others are adults; they know that if they choose to stand on Batman's side, they must bear such risks. They have the ability to be responsible for their choices."

"But at that time, you were just a child. You didn't have such ability. Therefore, Batman is the one who needs to be responsible for anything that happens to you. This will deal a severe blow to his spirit and lay the groundwork for his mental state today."

"Then why didn't they just kill me?"

"That would make Batman completely desperate. But true torture is never about being desperate quickly, but about always retaining a glimmer of hope, constantly floating between despair and hope, until the heart and blood are completely exhausted."

"Why do you know so much?" Jason asked with a frown.

"This has nothing to do with you." Schiller decisively refused to continue discussing this issue. He said, "You'd better not think that you have escaped a disaster. Once people know you are still alive, they won't let you go."

"Then let them come." Jason sneered and said.

"What we need to study now is your problem, Dr. Thompkins." Schiller looked at Dr. Thompkins again and said, "The Angel of Death is not worthy of being called the new Batman. He is just a cruel criminal. You can't talk him out of it. So you have two choices now."

"Either I take you away so he can't find you. This way he might give up temporarily, which can ensure your personal safety. Or you stay here, and we set a trap for him. This can solve it once and for all."

"Do you want to kill him?" Dr. Thompkins looked at Schiller and asked.

Schiller shook his head and said: "He is full of anger, like a flame burning brightly, which will burn anyone who comes into contact with him. Not just us, but also his master."

"But you said we couldn't persuade him."

"Persuasion alone won't work. But we can use another way to let him know a truth that can make him burn even brighter. People can control a fire in a fireplace, but when the fire is so big that it will burn down the whole house, then no one can control it."

"It sounds very dangerous." Dr. Thompkins said, "You'd better know what you are doing, Dr. Schiller. Has anyone ever said that you are more like a broken machine than Batman?"

"Thanks for the compliment, it's my honor."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 3311 =====