Chapter 4387

The fireplace in Wei En Manor was still burning warmly. The cold wind outside could not penetrate here at all, but when Bruce Wei En sat there, it was as if the darkness of the entire world was heaped upon him; one man was an entire city's snowy night.

Shiler walked in through the main door, took off his scarf to shake off the falling snow, handed his chilled coat to Alfred, exhaled a final puff of cold air, walked toward the sofa, and sat down opposite Bruce.

"What do you want with me?"

"There is a job that needs you to take over."

"Stop joking, I'm not an agent, and I don't love working that much." Shiler looked away.

"This is a great job that lets you be the mastermind behind the scenes," Bruce said unhurriedly, "The head of the Suicide Squad, a position whose job description is manipulating superheroes."

Shiler squinted at him. Bruce said: "You like doing this kind of thing, don't you? Attracting others' attention, manipulating others' emotions, watching them like fish on a hook, being played around by you. Amanda's position is practically tailor-made for you."

"Are you trying to provoke me? Why? What good does doing this do for you?" Shiler asked.

"None, I am praising you," Bruce said, "You and Amanda are completely different. She hates superheroes, hates all superhumans. But you are different, you love them."

Bruce leaned forward to pick up the cup on the table, then said: "You have a higher-level, unknown affection for them. Have you heard their legends, or has a superhero from some universe appeared in certain literary works and become deeply loved by you?"

Shiler's hand paused slightly. He looked at Bruce, but the man with graying temples had a normal expression.

This was the first elderly Batman Shiler had encountered. Currently, whether it was the Main Universe Batman, the Adventure Batman, or the Arkham Batman, they were all around forty years old, some even under forty. But the Batman in front of him was already fifty.

Ten years—this is a time span long enough to turn Batman into another kind of creature. If that is not obvious enough, then perhaps one can compare a twenty-year-old Batman with a thirty-year-old one. The twenty-year-old Batman was a novice, still struggling against gangs; while the thirty-year-old Batman had already ascended to Apokolips.

Forty and fifty are the same. When Shiler first met the Main Universe Batman, he was already strong enough. However, in just these few short years, the Main Universe Batman had transformed from a Cat Getan superhero into a leader of the multiverse. Give him another ten years, and no one knows what he could grow into.

Even if the Bruce in front of him had not been in contact with the Battleworld, nor had a multiverse to accelerate his growth, these ten years of experience were still not to be underestimated. He was the first person to see through Shiler's "high-dimensional perspective."

Of course, others had discovered before that Shiler had some knowledge of superheroes beyond the scope of cognition, and some heroes knew that Shiler was not a local, but came from a very far place.

However, no one had ever said that his cognition of superheroes did not seem like he was cognizing living people in a real world; much of the information was more like describing a character.

Although Shiler tried his best not to force the information of characters in his mind onto living people, certain "God's-eye views" and the judgments brought by this perspective were unavoidable. The first time he knew them from comic books, it was from a God's-eye view.

If it were just this, it wouldn't really count for much. Perhaps the Main Universe Batman also saw it, but he didn't say it. Because Shiler was already abnormal enough; could it be that knowing others from a God's-eye view is more bizarre than psychoanalysis? Since it wasn't, there was no need to single it out for discussion.

However, this elderly Batman saw the most critical point—Shiler loves these characters.

It can be said that no Batman would dare to guarantee this. First, they are not interested in the inner world of the mentally ill; second, Shiler does not look like the kind of friendly mentally ill person; finally, some of the crazy things Shiler has done, compared to love turning into hate, look more like pure hate, and it is hating everyone equally.

The personality trait the Main Universe Batman understands best is arrogance, so he is particularly afraid to make judgments about this. Any emotion driving arrogance to do certain things is more reasonable than love.

"Are you waiting for me to praise you for being smart?" Shiler asked, looking at Bruce with a smile, "Unfortunately, I am just one of many personality traits, that only represents one side of me..."

"You are the most special one," Bruce continued, "You are the source of power."

Shiler was not surprised that Bruce would know his form of existence. One can fool others with talk of counterparts, but not Batman. They have their own intelligence network; any personality trait that has appeared should be listed. Perhaps they even have a research group specifically studying the differences between these personality traits and when they can come in handy; otherwise, it is hard to explain why Batmen all want to hire agents.

"How did you know?" Shiler asked, "If I love them, how could I think about manipulating and deceiving them?"

"Because you are a perverted mentally ill person," Bruce said very calmly, "At least when you learned about the superheroes, you had not yet perfectly concealed your mental problems. So, you would fantasize about what pathological ways to treat them. Even if you have pretended to be a person now, these thoughts will still pop up from time to time, just as those more dangerous and crazy personality traits appear occasionally."

"I have to admit, your understanding is correct. But you are not like most people, who avoid pathology as if it were a plague."

"Everyone has their own pathological side. If you think only you can calmly admit and face it, then that is too arrogant."

"Are you saying you can too?"

"More than that," Bruce shook his head slightly and said, "Just as you will use your pathology, I will too; just as you will use the pathology of others, I will too. This is why I am looking for you now."

"What do you want to use me for?" Shiler asked.

"To do what you do best," Bruce said, "I need a Justice League united around me."

"This means they must break away from and oppose the society they are currently in to join the society you are building."

"Saying it like that makes us sound very heartless," Bruce shook his head and said, "I prefer to call it letting them see the truth of the society they are currently in, and then letting them choose voluntarily."

"Truth? What is the truth? The homeless struggling to survive in tent cities, or the family of a few living happily in a big house?"

"These are all the truth," Bruce admitted without avoidance, "It's just that what they have seen in the past is often the latter."

"You want to show them the former, make them think that the society they are currently in is too cold and heartless, so they will take the initiative to break away, and then throw themselves into your arms."

But Bruce shook his head again and said: "I am not trying to use the misery of the bottom layer to stimulate them. When they see the misery of the people at the bottom, they will also see the courage and love of the people at the bottom at the same time, see their kindness and the brilliance of human nature. This is the reason why they must walk out and save these people, because they are heroes."

Shiler took a sip of coffee and said: "This is indeed very clever. Sympathy for the victims and resentment toward the perpetrators are not enough to establish a firm belief. Only by truly realizing that the strength and character of those struggling in the abyss are already worthy of a better life can one establish a great cause to fight for a lifetime."

"Unfortunately, you are not a hero, and neither am I. So, on this journey, the two of us are the ones pouring cold water." Bruce leaned his body back, resting against the back of the chair, then said, "Lead the Suicide Squad, drag them out of their warm houses and throw them into the snow. Only then will they go to build a new shelter. They will realize how difficult this is, and then they will think of ways to join me."

"You don't think, what if they really build a new shelter and completely cast you aside..."

"Then I can truly retire." Bruce crossed his legs and placed his hands on his knees, saying, "I thought you wouldn't have such daydreams."

Shiler stopped talking too, because he understood that this was indeed a daydream. As it stands, the members of the Justice League in this universe cannot cast Batman aside. It's not because they aren't strong enough, but because this Batman is truly too calculating.

For a Batman who sees through Shiler's pathology and wants to actively use it, the word "calculating" can no longer describe him. You must know, having been in this universe for so long, those classic Cat Getan villains haven't made a move, quiet as if they were dead, which is more terrifying than if they were actually dead.

"Very good, I think this is very interesting." Shiler laughed, "It's not hard to get them to find you here, but it's not easy to get them to unite around you. The members of the Justice League in your universe are exceptionally independent."

Shiler had long discovered that the characters in the movie universe are indeed very different from the comics, especially in this universe. It might be that the glorious era of Batman happened to miss them; they don't seem to realize how strong Batman is, nor do they have any dependency on him, and when something happens, they only think about solving it themselves.

Although entering the Battleworld can make them vaguely feel that Batman is not some aging second-rate hero, but the person in charge of the multiverse, that is only hearsay; without actual experience, I'm afraid it's hard to believe.

"Haven't you already done it?" Bruce said.

Shiler recalled for a moment, and then understood. Bruce was referring to the things he did to Superman.

Still the same saying, to create a god, you can hold the god up high, but the most efficient method is actually to dig the ground down three feet, so that the god appears relatively higher.

That was exactly what Shiler did when he was creating a god out of Superman. Using a mysterious "Serpent of Phryne" from ancient Egypt, he dragged the British royal family, the federal government, the military, Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Lois Lane, and so on into it, stirring the whole situation into a mess. When it couldn't be cleaned up, naturally, Superman had to step forward to settle the matter.

And for Batman to go from a Cat Getan superhero who has long retired from the superhero world, is aging, and has no reputation, to becoming the absolute core of the superpowered organization Justice League, he also needs to use the same god-creating method.

As long as he finds a way to make the situation such that no one but him can solve it, then it will all be his stage.

"The plan is good, but it needs someone to invite you onto the stage. Who do you think is the one who will break first?"

"Diana."

"Why?"

"She has the most pressure. Besides protecting Metropolis, she also has to protect the Amazons. She knows the most, can be the first to realize the strength of the enemy and feel the pressure. She also knows Batman the best, has heard their names in the Battleworld, and knows how strong they are. She is also mature enough, has participated in wars, and knows that calling for reinforcements is not shameful..."

"Of course, these are not the main reasons." After Bruce paused, he continued, "It must be her, it can only be her, because I need the Golden Apple."

?? The Ben in the movie plot is silly, completely inconsistent with Affleck's temperament. Such a gloomy and oppressive Batman should be a ruthless old fox, mainly spicy.