Chapter 580: We Are Alike (Part 2) (Patreon)

In DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

"Please, have a seat, Dr. Hugo. I remember we've never sat down face to face like this before," Schiller walked over to a single sofa by the window and pointed to the seat opposite. Hugo stood in place, slightly wary.

"I'm sorry for bringing you here like this, but I do have an urgent matter. Forget about the plan you had with that delusional patient; I have something more important to discuss with you."

Hugo narrowed his eyes and said, "Was it you who orchestrated my descent into the Dream Realm last time? The monster, the battle..."

"So, you were there that time. I thought you'd been kicked out a long time ago due to your inability to handle divine power. It seems I've found the right person," Schiller casually picked up a book from the bookshelf behind him.

Hugo interlocked his fingers, hesitated for a moment, and then walked over to the chair opposite Schiller.

"I think you've realized by now that we are of the same kind. What happened earlier was just a small welcome ceremony, a cruel Gotham-style joke. I believe you've gotten used to it," Schiller said with a smile.

Hugo snorted but didn't want to appear vulnerable in front of Schiller. He couldn't admit that he had suffered significant trauma from Schiller's cruel prank.

"You enjoy controlling others, uncovering the secrets of their inner worlds, and using that knowledge to manipulate them into criminal acts. So do I," Schiller looked at Hugo and continued, "The difference is that I'm closer to the person called Batman. He trusts me more, which means I know he's onto a part of your conspiracy. I'm here to remind you that we are alike, and sooner or later, you'll face Batman. It's not in my interest to see him eliminate you because someday, he'll also suspect me."

"We are alike."

Hugo's attitude relaxed slightly because Schiller made it clear that he wasn't a righteous warrior coming to punish him.

As a psychology expert, Hugo understood, just as Schiller had said, that they were of the same kind—cold and ruthless control freaks who found pleasure in manipulating others and witnessing tragedies.

"I assume you've been in Gotham for some time now, and you should know how rare a research subject Batman is. If you were me, wouldn't you want to study him?" Hugo asked.

"Of course, I would," Hugo's eyes gleamed with a hint of madness, like all the villains in Gotham. He continued, "He's a mystery, an endless and beautiful enigma. I'm fascinated by his condition and want to know what led to the creation of such a person."

"There's no psychologist in the world who could resist peeking into Batman's inner world, and I've done more than you. So now, I have the opportunity to remind you."

"Indeed," Hugo sneered, "You were his university professor, very close to him. Maybe he confided in you about his past, perhaps he revealed some inner secrets to you. What he didn't realize is that the teacher who guided and educated him was the same kind of natural psychopath he despises..."

Hugo became more excited as he spoke. "I also want to play such a role. It excites me! A hero of the righteous night, a mad villain. I will hypnotize them, deconstruct them, control them, and stage one drama after another in Gotham, igniting chaos. That's why I came here. I belong to Gotham!"

Hugo began to tremble with excitement. He was speaking the truth; those who didn't belong to Gotham would eventually leave, while those who did would come to this extreme and absurd madman's paradise to compete with their peers.

"If I were to choose a target for cooperation in this city, it would definitely be you, Dr. Hugo."

"The other lunatics make me sick; they're not professional enough," Schiller said with a contemptuous tone when he saw the gleam in Hugo's eyes. He knew the other side had taken the bait.

"...they're not professional enough. That's the only reason."

Looking along the wall of this meeting room to the other side, in another room that seemed to be copied and pasted, another Schiller was saying the same things to Taichi.

"Metropolis? I hate that place! I imagine it hasn't been easy for you to live there either. It's not meant for people like us."

"What's more annoying is that there's someone flying around in the sky... what? Superman? Does he think he's a helicopter?" Schiller lit a cigar, squinted, and spoke in a disdainful tone.

"He left a very bad impression on me. What did I do? I just used some means to achieve my goals along the way. I naturally possess this tool, so why shouldn't I use it?"

"Dr. Taichi, the reason I reached out to you is that we are alike."

"So, forget about Hugo's lackeys. He hasn't even completed a round with me; he fled," Schiller chuckled.

"I just created a monster in my consciousness space, nothing terrifying. You know, like the cat that flies and laughs in your subconscious. Just a small pet, and it scared him away. Dr. Taichi, I'm surprised. How did you end up working with someone like him?"

The diminutive Taichi sat down on the chair, and his feet couldn't even reach the ground. But he made an effort to appear composed, coughed lightly, and said, "He reached out to me first."

"That day, I was testing my Brainwaves Controller at the research institute. After sending out the test signal, I thought it would be the usual bunch of ordinary people annoying me with their thoughts. However, it seems that signal was captured by his device. That's how we established contact across the two cities."

"He's in Gotham, and I'm in Metropolis, but my device is powerful enough to cover this distance. He told me about a plan that sounded quite foolish, wouldn't you agree?"

Taichi also reached for a cigar from the table, and when he felt the delicate touch and the scent after it was lit, he knew that the person across from him was also one of the top experts in this field.

"To be honest, what kind of plan did you two come up with? I haven't heard a thing in Gotham. If he's only capable of that, I'd say it's best to give up on him, Dr. Taichi. He's not a good partner."

It seems that, to distance himself from the relationship, Taichi quickly remarked, "Plan? Well, let's just say it's even more rotten than my students' assignments."

In order to echo Schiller's words and not appear unprofessional, Taichi began to mockingly explain Hugo's plan with a light-hearted tone.

"Hugo told me he needs more support in Gotham, which essentially means he needs money and influence to achieve his goals. Gotham has many wealthy families, but most of them are not easy to deal with."

"Gang families in your area don't follow the noble family traditions; they believe in might makes right, making them even harder for us to handle."

"There are some innocent business families, but most of them have close relationships with the Wayne Family, except for one exception: the Elliott family."

"Their family structure is very simple, with only one heir. This means that if you can win over the heir, you can easily gain control of all the resources of the Elliott family."

"Obviously, he oversimplified things. Hugo managed to get close to the Elliott family's heir and manipulated him into killing his own parents."

"Hugo believed that killing Thomas and taking over the Elliott family wasn't a clear choice because he indeed has no business acumen. Instead, he decided to keep Thomas and manipulate him, making the Elliott family plunder interests for him and become his foundation in Gotham."

"So, he's indeed helping Thomas clear his name, but that damn guy killed my Alice, so I must seek revenge against him!"

"As for your loved one, could you tell me more?" Schiller looked at Taichi and said, "Of course, I understand your feelings for her. I'm just curious about how you two met."

"I am a mentor at the Metropolis Central Research Institute, and Alice was visiting Metropolis. We met that way, and our feelings grew. But my damn assistant, David, used his youthful charm to seduce Alice..."

"So, you and Alice met first?" Schiller asked, but as he asked this question, Taichi turned his head away, avoiding eye contact. Schiller knew he was lying.

When dealing with a delusional patient, the best approach is to find the logical inconsistencies in their story. Clearly, Doris traveling to Metropolis and meeting Taichi didn't make sense.

Metropolis had many attractions, but certainly not the Central Research Institute, a place ordinary people couldn't access. The only possibility was that Doris fell in love with Taichi's assistant, David. She might have gone to the institute to visit her boyfriend and encountered Taichi.

Then, Taichi fantasized that she was his lover, which wasn't surprising, given that the man named Taichi was, in fact, the infamous Mad Hatter...

Considering the Mad Hatter's background story, it was highly likely that Taichi had harassed Doris but was rejected, which exacerbated his delusional disorder. He imagined a romantic relationship with Doris and depicted David, her actual boyfriend, as an interloper when, in reality, he was the intruder.

Schiller didn't press further because there was no need; he wasn't there to treat Taichi.

"So, you controlled Belenna's friend, Angel, to have him kill Belenna for your lover's revenge?"

"Correct. But I didn't expect that the girl had strong willpower. Without a relationship, I will soon succeed; no one can escape my hypnosis..."

What Taichi didn't see was the look of disdain on Schiller's face. Meanwhile, in the adjacent room, the other Schiller sitting across from Hugo didn't hide his contempt either. He said:

"I've said it before; he lacks professionalism to the extreme. He constantly imposes his own worldview on others without considering their upbringing, personality traits, or their current environment. He's like a barbarian who only knows brute force."

"He forced his beliefs onto Angel and was proud of it. But he didn't realize that Angel had already noticed something was wrong, which is why she resisted him."

"That fool thinks that women should be jealous of each other because of dresses or jewelry. He completely ignored analyzing Angel's personality, not knowing that she's more interested in research than ornaments."

"He didn't deeply analyze the relationship between Angel and Belenna, didn't consider whether they should have taken such actions at that time, and only knew how to wave around a Brainwaves Controller. I must say, there's no artistry in that..."

Hugo resonated with Schiller on this point, and he said, "He likes to rely on external tools like the Brainwaves Controller, treating it as his weapon. He'll never understand the charm of psychology, the pleasure of manipulating others by exploiting their personality weaknesses."

Both Schillers leaned back on their chairs, their backs against the chair backs, which were tightly pressed against the wall behind them. On the other side of the wall, another Schiller assumed the same posture.

The two Schillers sat back-to-back across the wall, looking at Hugo and Taichi's eyes and said in unison:

"So, we are alike."

"We should unite and show those who underestimate us what true hell is."

"How do you plan to do that?" Hugo and Taichi asked simultaneously.

Both Schillers stood up from their chairs simultaneously. Outside the window, the twilight sun cast a radiant arc on their profiles as they said:

"I have a method that allows people to enter each other's world of consciousness. We all know that's where our real power lies. In the world of consciousness, even the strongest physical beings are nothing more than helpless ants in our eyes."

"Now, think about your opponents. Who are you going to use to make your mark on controlling this world?"

"Allow me to introduce the person you despise the most, the one who is most suitable to be your adversary..."

The voices of the two identical Schillers sounded simultaneously but called out different names. Finally, their voices converged:

"Batman!"

"Superman!"

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, without ads and support the work.]

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

Next Chapter>>Chapter 581: We Are Alike (Part 3)