Chapter 4558

Shiler didn't want to ask who he was calling, nor did he want to ask what he was going to say, because Deathstroke didn't intend for him to respond either; he had already made up his mind and had already started fiddling with the satellite phone, attempting to contact his family.

"So it's not enough for you to face two of me at once, you have to drag your son into it too," Shiler looked away and said. "Wriggling between two armed forces, completing this plan in the capital of a country under full martial law. Is he really your biological son?"

"I didn't say it had to be this way."

"Your actions have already betrayed you," Shiler said. "You're simply impatient. You're accustomed to treating young people as your opponents, enjoying confronting them. This is why you will never become a successful father like Batman."

"A successful father?!" Deathstroke seemed to have heard a huge joke, and he said, "He has lost his birds more than once. They can simply be described as deeply harmed."

"But they have a solid and certain relationship, which you will never have. Not even with your own biological son."

This successfully struck a chord with Deathstroke; in fact, it struck a bit too deep, to the point where he became silent. Shiler didn't want to use this method to make him shut up, but the truth is always hard to hear, and no matter how it's said, it can't sound very tactful.

When it comes to the difference between Deathstroke and Batman, many people discuss their combat power, wanting to compare which of the two tactical masters is more brilliant. Of course, morality must also be mentioned: one kills for money, the other never kills. Who is more real and who is more noble is also an eternal topic.

And Robin, who is caught between them and has intersections with both, is always seen as strong evidence for a certain argument. Compared to their complex entanglements with Batman, Deathstroke's relationship with them is much simpler, just purely opponents.

But in reality, the difference in their relationships with Robin is the easiest way to see their differences. Batman is someone who is good at building long-term relationships, while Deathstroke is not.

No matter how taciturn Batman is, and how he seems to be bad at socializing, all the relationships he has built are long-term relationships: with Robin, with the Justice League, and even with the Joker.

In Batman's life, there aren't many passersby who appear for a fleeting moment and then drift away. He is very good at keeping others, maintaining a solid relationship with them that is neither too close nor too far, but always connected. Whether it's love or hate, he almost never changes dance partners.

But Deathstroke is not. He formed a family early on, but almost never stayed for it. He has children, and more than one; at most, there were even three. But they left one after another, and they left without looking back.

He rarely has long-term enemies; don't look at how he often beats up the Teen Titans, but that's only because they are relatively special, so they are easier to remember. In reality, most of them are enemies generated by boring and dull commissions, meeting each other, then dying; it's almost impossible to meet again.

Few people discuss the differences in this regard, and even fewer people realize that Batman is good at building long-term relationships. While those of his era or with similar settings are not. Ultimately, this isn't a question of preference, but just "can and cannot."

Not everyone has the ability to build solid long-term relationships. And some long-term relationships that they think are solid enough are actually "unable to get rid of," or "not worth the effort to break free from," rather than truly healthy relationships.

No one is born good at doing this, because human genes are filled with hormones that urge short-term pleasure; this is the animal instinct needed for mating. In the era when this instinct appeared, humans were not the dominant species, and the whole process was the faster the better, the higher the efficiency the better. This leads to the fact that building long-term relationships similar to partners is anti-instinctual.

This requires more skill. Skills need to be learned and honed. Batman's act of looking for assistants is the correct way to enter a long-term relationship, because he is the one actively looking. While Deathstroke and Joseph are not like that. Although there is a blood relationship, what you are born with is what you are; Deathstroke has no choice.

This proves that the primary condition for building a healthy long-term relationship is selection, not cultivation. Actively looking for a suitable one is more applicable to long-term relationships than ignoring it, taking a gamble, and then trying to reverse the other person's thoughts.

And then there is the "self-centered" ideology; showing the other person your power, charm, and ability is more important than demanding that the other person show theirs. Batman doesn't hide anything from his Robin. Who he is, what he is going to do, and what abilities he has, the Robins know very clearly.

But Deathstroke didn't tell his son all this. On the contrary, he hoped that his son would show certain abilities, such as being able to deal with danger and being able to accept a life of displacement. He took this as a condition. If the other party didn't do it, then he would never reveal a single bit of himself. It sounds like he's thinking about the other party's safety, but in reality, he still wants to make a benefit exchange.

People will always realize at some point that relationships that require you to suppress and hide your true self to maintain superficial peace can never last long, and are even more like some kind of poison, making you endure painfully for a while, but still not being able to exchange for the emotional comfort you want.

Finally, and most importantly, in long-term relationships, evil is far better than vulgarity. Batman is always criticized for being too controlling, or for having a cold way of expressing himself, or for acting too mystically. But these shortcomings are precisely the anchors of the solid relationships he possesses, because criticism and complaints are better than looking at each other in silence.

Deathstroke and his son have almost no common topics. Their daily lives revolve only around family, not ideas, beliefs, or right and wrong. It sounds like the former doesn't have any problems, but in reality, it's not the case.

Many trivial matters that people talk about in daily life are actually collisions of ideas. Some people spend money lavishly because their philosophy is to enjoy the present; some people are overly calculating because they feel they need to be responsible for the future. These are not vulgar and ordinary conversations. Truly ineffective family communication is precisely "parents playing parents, children playing children."

They lose all social identities, don't discuss careers or studies, and don't truly show their ideas; what they do every day is nag, "I am your parent, so you must do this," "I am your child, so you must do that."

The things that truly make a family solid and healthy are always outside the family. The personality shaped by society, the ideas generated by personality, and the path chosen by ideas are all very important. People trapped in family identities will never be able to have a healthy family.

Batman acts as Batman in his family, and Robin acts as Robin in the family. So although the Bat-family has members coming and going, it is always solid. Deathstroke acts as a father in his family and demands that Joseph only act as a son, so the relationship between them is on the verge of collapse.

And the suggestion Shiler gave him is the shortest path to reverse this situation—return to your family in the identity of Deathstroke.

You can lie, you can hide, and you can even carefully plan and design for it to perform an exaggerated show. But you must break free from the role of a father and let your son be more than just a child, but an explorer and investigator, an observer and audience, and even a judge.

It's just that the Shiler who just left chose to use fabricated theories to blur the line of sight; while the Shiler who stayed now doesn't like to analyze deep emotional logic. To the point that all of this sounds very absurd.

And because Deathstroke didn't leave a good impression on Shiler before, the rare hint that pointed directly to the truth was also made to look like a personal attack. Because Deathstroke was stung, he didn't think about the deeper meaning. Shiler couldn't be bothered to talk, and also didn't mention it.

They soon became busy again, because the Red Sea now was like dumping dumplings, with all kinds of monsters and demons coming out. They encountered several patrol warships; some could be bluffed past, while others could not. They even changed ships twice in between and finally successfully sailed to the north.

They weren't far from Cairo, and both were a bit exhausted. Even Deathstroke, a cyborg, was physically and mentally exhausted, not to mention Shiler's hearing that hadn't recovered and his aching shoulder blades.

Once they entered Cairo, they had to have a good rest; both of them thought so. Because it was obvious that there was still a fierce battle to be fought later. Considering that Deathstroke also wanted to move a family ethics drama onto the stage, things might become more complicated.

The good news is that the turmoil in Hurghada hadn't spread over yet, and Cairo hadn't become more chaotic. The bad news is that Cairo was already chaotic enough.

Parisians call it Little Rome, and Romans call it Little Cairo. The three cities are the three major main cities for the thief profession. Old Europe is more business-oriented, and the Gypsy race bonus is very high; Africa is more sports-oriented, and choosing a child's body type makes it easier to succeed.

Although the two of them didn't come out of the airport or train station, they really looked too much like outsiders. They hadn't walked far before they were surrounded by children asking for dollars. This bunch of kids really stood out for wanting money more than their lives. Deathstroke was a bit helpless; he was already dressed like this, and yet there were still people surrounding him and reaching out.

What made him even angrier was that there was no one on Shiler's side, who looked more normal and easier to talk to. Deathstroke turned his head and saw Shiler, who had already taken off his glasses, looking over toward him.

"Damn it," Deathstroke cursed in his heart, "no wonder they all come to find me."

The children were like young beasts with sharper intuition, having a greater reaction to Shiler's gaze. Adults might just feel a chill down their backs after looking, but they scattered like birds and beasts, with not a single one going over. Compared to Shiler's strange temperament, they would rather rob Deathstroke.

Deathstroke naturally ignored them, because he knew that once he gave money, more people would surround him. He was big enough, so he could directly push those children away.

Originally, he wanted to lift his feet and leave, but Shiler grabbed him and said: "If you really intend to act according to my script, then you'd better start getting into character now. How to make your son believe that you are a powerful mercenary who is forced into a corner but still has a conscience? The answer is hidden in these details."

And so Deathstroke lost 3,000 dollars. He really should have brought some small change. It wouldn't be long before his title of "sucker in armor" would spread throughout Egypt.