Chapter 582: Memories of the Departed Suddenly Assault Me (Part 1) (Patreon)

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In Gotham, the night rain always carried a bone-chilling chill with it. Amidst the gusty winds and pouring rain, the colorful neon lights resembled the shifting tides of this city.

A man in a trench coat hurriedly crossed the sidewalk, honking cars sounding in succession, yet the man swiftly disappeared on the other side of the street.

Traffic signals changed, and car tires rolled over puddles, splashing water droplets onto the cobblestone edges of the street, bathed in the warm glow of a convenience store.

His leather shoes stepped through puddles on the steps, leaving only small gaps for the light to reflect on the water's surface. The man in the trench coat briskly ascended the staircase of Gotham's grand theater. Inside, there were no ushers, and darkness shrouded everything.

But he navigated with familiarity, turning left and entering the ticket passage, then making his way to the audience seats. Several figures were already waiting there.

Victor, who had rushed over, removed his hat, shaking off the rainwater. He sat down beside Schiller and said, "Sorry for being a bit late. I had to tidy up my laboratory."

"No problem. The movie hasn't started yet," Schiller replied, moving his umbrella to the side. Victor noticed the water droplets on the umbrella, realizing Schiller had arrived not long ago either.

In front of Schiller, there were two people, Evans and Copperpot, engaged in hushed conversation. It seemed Copperpot was recounting the incident where Bruce and Lex got caught fighting, and Evans looked displeased, furrowing his brow and pursing his lips.

In the diagonal front row from Evans and Copperpot sat JokerJack, who was already sound asleep, with a bubble of snot forming.

Far away in a distant corner seat, there was an unfamiliar man. Victor couldn't see his face clearly, but he had a vague sense of familiarity.

Suddenly, the shadowy figure moved. In a brief moment Victor couldn't quite grasp, he blinked and reappeared in another row of seats, then vanished once again.

Victor wasn't even sure if he had truly seen him, but Schiller answered his uncertainty. "Today's movie has a large cast, and it might be quite exciting. I can't pay attention to all the scenes, so I've enlisted a projectionist."

Victor looked at Schiller, noticing that Schiller turned his head towards the empty seat beside him. Even though there was no one there, Schiller seemed to see something. He said, "Morpheus, could you kindly help us with the movie tonight?"

In Schiller's line of sight, the pale man in a black robe sitting beside him turned his head slightly and gave Schiller a dissatisfied look, as if he disagreed with being called a projectionist.

"I promise this will be your last movie before bedtime. After we finish it, my friends and I will personally bid you goodnight," Schiller said with a smile.

Morpheus turned his head back, gazing at the theater's stage. Suddenly, the wooden stage and curtains vanished, replaced by an endless starry expanse. The entire theater seemed to open up like a vast black hole, extending from the front row seats onward.

Stars constantly revolved, forming vortexes of blinking light in the deep space. The lights on the theater ceiling went out one by one...

The profound darkness didn't last long. Suddenly, the ground in front of the seats started to extend forward, changing from old tiles to wooden flooring.

Next, a room began to take shape, seamlessly connected to the audience seats of the entire theater, even displaying the intersection of wooden and tiled floors.

At this moment, the theater audience seats were pitch-black, and the room was too. Suddenly, with a "pop," a light bulb at the top of the room lit up.

Simultaneously, light shone into the audience seats, illuminating the front rows while leaving the viewers in semi-darkness, intensifying the immersion.

When the room's light shone on their faces, they all squinted their eyes, just like when a movie started, and you saw the audience in front from the back rows.

After the light bulb lit up, the room's scene became clear. It was a not-so-spacious room with a desk in the center. What stood out was a massive hand-painted poster hanging on the wall, bearing the words: "Welcome Freshmen Registration."

"Drip, drip, drip." Footsteps echoed from outside the room as a figure walked in, standing in front of the desk.

The person behind the desk raised their head. They wore a doctor's uniform, glasses, and what was different was that they were bald, with a stubble beard. Victor found his face oddly familiar. It was Hugo Strange.

Victor furrowed his brow in confusion. He didn't understand why the story was starting this way. But Schiller had a look of amused anticipation on his face.

Hugo looked up, saw Bruce's face, and offered a gentle smile. "Bruce Wayne, welcome to the registration. Please have a seat and fill out your personal information."

"Thank you." Bruce in the room complied, sitting down and starting to fill out the form. However, after just two lines, he stopped and said, "Why is there so much to fill out? I don't want to do this."

With that, he tossed the pen onto the desk. Hugo's expression briefly stiffened, but he quickly regained his smile. "Well, if you don't want to go through the process, your dorm room is in Building 2, Room 201, in the men's apartment. Take the keys and start your life as a big student."

Bruce didn't say anything and grabbed the keys, then turned and left. After he left, Hugo, seated behind the desk, wore a relaxed smile and remarked, "I thought Schiller's encounter with Batman would be a more thrilling story. But isn't this just a chance meeting in school?"

"Looked like Schiller was an ordinary receptionist at the time. In that case, how could Batman be on guard against him?"

"What's going on?" Victor, sitting in the audience seats, turned his head to Schiller. Meanwhile, Copperpot and Evans in the front row were also leaning in, eager for Schiller's explanation.

"If I had simply sent Hugo into Batman's conscious mind and had them fight, wouldn't it just be a brawl? What would be the point?"

"So, what did you do?" Victor asked.

Schiller lowered his gaze. When the room's light shone on his face, it couldn't dispel the shadow beneath his eyebrows. Those eyes, perpetually shrouded in mist, remained gray and inscrutable.

"Hugo entered not Batman's conscious mind but his subconscious, where his memories are stored. Of course, I couldn't bypass Batman's conscious mind to send Hugo into his subconscious, but I could use a detour."

"I entered the Dreamland beneath my own subconscious, then ventured into Batman's dream below that. From there, I ascended through the Dreamland, allowing me to directly access Batman's subconscious."

"Thanks to our projectionist here," Schiller turned his head and looked at Morpheus. He said, "Thanks to him for allowing me to use this detour. Of course, this is no trespassing; I had informed Batman in advance that there would be an examination."

"Of course, I must also thank a friend, the one who is currently sound asleep, Mr. Jack," Schiller looked at Jack, who sat in the front row. He continued, "To prevent Batman's conscious mind from detecting any interference in his memories, the comedian Jack is tirelessly performing in Batman's conscious mind."

"But perhaps he's enjoying himself. Just look at his expression."

Following Schiller's words, Victor looked at Jack in the front row. Their seats were not directly aligned, so from the side, Victor could see that the soundly sleeping Jack wore a contented smile, clearly having a good time.

"Furthermore, our friend named Hugo Strange," Schiller continued, "he told me himself that he wanted to play a role similar to mine. So, I gave him this opportunity."

"In Batman's subconscious, I found all the memories related to me. What Hugo invaded is precisely this segment of memories. In this segment, he replaced my existence and became Batman's teacher."

Victor shook his head. He didn't say anything further, but Schiller continued to explain, "The Bruce in those memories didn't know this was an exam. Therefore, he would act according to his original personality logic. I had no control or influence over him. So, what Hugo encountered was the purest form of Batman, without any external interference."

"In that case, he might be in trouble," Victor concluded, but Schiller turned to Victor, saying, "You seem to have a unique understanding of Batman..."

"He's a rather complex individual, forgive me for being frank. You two are quite alike, and from my understanding of you, I can guess what kind of person he truly is."

Schiller smiled but didn't say anything more. He turned his head back and continued to watch the stage's scene.

At this point, the room's scene gradually dissolved, once again engulfed by the darkness of deep space. The stars gathered again, forming a vortex. This time, the damp and chilly cobblestones fell one by one, and the shadow of the building emerged in the distance.

Rain sounds began in the quiet room, and a light drizzle fell on the stage. Everyone in the room felt the approaching humidity and the peculiar chemical scent hidden in the rain, unique to Gotham.

Copperpot sniffed, intimately familiar with the scent as a born-and-raised Gothamite. He had traversed these rainy nights countless times—damp, chilly, and pungent, with nowhere to escape.

In the alley, Hugo, who had just entered this memory scene, seemed somewhat disoriented, not understanding why he had suddenly appeared in Gotham's rainy night.

Suddenly, two sharp sounds, like a swoosh, came from the air. Hugo couldn't react in time. He didn't have Spider-Sense, nor did he have an Umbrella. Therefore, when the two bat symbols attacked, he was defenseless.

The jet-black and sharp Batarangs stopped about 30 centimeters away from him. Batman, dressed as the Bat, appeared at the alley's entrance.

"Batman?" Hugo squinted, but the Batman in front of him was momentarily stunned. He remembered that his alter ego had not been publicly revealed yet. How did his university professor suddenly know?

"Put the Batarangs down, Batman. We should talk," Hugo frowned. However, Batman remained unfazed, saying, "You shouldn't be here, Professor Strange."

"Are you involved in the recent disappearances in the Morrison District?" Batman asked.

"No," Hugo immediately denied it. However, the suspended Batarangs continued to approach, and Hugo hesitated for a moment, taking a slight step back. After all, the cold light reflected by the sharp edges of the Batarangs was not a ruse. If he got any closer, his neck would be cut.

"Batman, no, it's Bruce, Bruce Wayne... I know your true identity. You're a student at Gotham University. So, I should be the one asking you this question. Why are you here?"

Hugo wanted to regain some control by pointing out Batman's identity because Batman was a student, and he was the teacher. He believed that in this situation, he could create some psychological pressure.

But Batman remained unfazed. The suspended Batarangs continued to approach, pressing against Hugo's throat as they closed in.

"Do you want to kill your teacher?!" Hugo's throat trembled up and down as he asked, "Are you crazy, Batman!"

"Tell me, are you involved in the disappearances in the Morrison District?" Batman stepped closer to Hugo, and they were now so close that Hugo could see raindrops falling on Batman's cape, leaving tiny water droplets behind.

He felt a terrifying atmosphere spreading, and suddenly, with a "shoo" sound, one of the Batarangs rotated and cut Hugo's skin. Blood splattered, and Hugo instinctively covered his throat and moved aside. But what awaited him was Batman's fist.

First, a punch struck the side of his cheek, followed by a knee strike. Hugo was helpless and fell to the ground, lying in a puddle of Gotham's icy water. He heard Batman's cold question, "Tell me, are you involved in the disappearances in the Morrison District?"

"If you don't want to speak, I'll find a way to make you talk."

"Are you insane, Bruce?! You want to kill your university professor?!... No, it shouldn't be like this. Could it be that Schiller also... impossible..."

Batman continued to emotionlessly repeat that sentence, and when Hugo didn't answer, he resorted to violence, relentlessly assaulting Hugo.

Hugo was left disoriented by the beating. His nosebleed first flowed into his mouth and then dripped into a puddle, tainting it red. He curled up, lying on the ground, and heard Batman say:

"Hugo Strange, I've investigated your entire history. One year ago, you were expelled for unauthorized experiments, followed by a warrant for your arrest. However, you used unscrupulous methods to clear your name. Afterward, you entered another laboratory, but you were expelled again half a year ago due to another unauthorized experiment."

"During these experiments, you exhibited violent and abusive tendencies, especially regarding unauthorized human experiments. Among the subjects in your last experiment project, 11 samples resembled the population profiles of the missing individuals in the Morrison District."

"Wait a moment!" Victor, from the audience, suddenly spoke up. "If this is a fragment of Bruce's memory, how does he know all these details? At this point, he shouldn't even know Hugo, right?"

"I added them to his memory. However, everything I told him is factual. Hugo was indeed expelled for unauthorized human experiments, a widely known fact in the industry, and the Batman of that period had the means to discover it."

"I don't think that's unfair," Schiller rubbed his finger and said, "After all, my past records..."

Schiller shook his head and didn't continue speaking. After Victor thought about it, he looked at Schiller curiously and asked, "So how did you avoid getting caught up in this situation?"

Schiller shook his head again, not intending to answer that question. But seeing Victor's curious gaze, Schiller said only one thing, "I'm just an ordinary person."

Schiller continued to gaze at the stage. Hugo, lying on the ground, was barely conscious. As the sound of the night rain grew louder, this scene collapsed once again, returning to the boundless deep space.

The stars swirled, and when they reappeared, the scene was somewhat familiar. It was still that alley, but this time, the rain had just stopped, and a cold, chilling wind swept through the streets, emitting mournful howls.

"Bang! Bang!"

The amplified sounds startled Evans, and he instinctively ducked into his seat. However, like watching a horror movie, he was both frightened and couldn't tear his eyes away from the stage, eager to see what had made the noise.

At the base of a high-rise building, a seemingly inconspicuous garbage bin had a hand sticking out of it. The pattern on the glove looked somewhat familiar to Copperpot. As expected, Batman crawled out of the garbage bin.

He coughed continuously and rubbed his eyes. Copperpot noticed some white powder on Batman's mask. He frowned and said, "That's the trick those lowlifes from the lower levels like to use. When they can't win a fight, they throw lime powder in your eyes..."

Evans took a sharp breath. "That must be really uncomfortable. If I got eyelashes in my eyes, I'd be uncomfortable for half a day."

Batman covered one eye with his hand and used the other to support his waist. He limped toward the alley's exit.

On the road, he saw a beggar, so he approached and had a conversation with the beggar. Meanwhile, Hugo, on the balcony of the second floor, was still immersed in the anger and fear from Batman's earlier beating.

He muttered to himself, "No... Could it be that Schiller also... Correct, facing someone like him, how could he not suffer? Controlling Batman isn't that simple. It seems I was too hasty..."

"I shouldn't have clashed with him so quickly. I need to observe a bit more before taking action..."

So, he stood on the side of the second-floor balcony, observing Batman's conversation with the beggar. He heard Batman saying something about the beggar being safe, but that wasn't Hugo's focus now. He wanted to figure out Batman's weaknesses.

After Batman had spoken with the beggar for a few moments and left some money, he departed. Once he was gone, Hugo approached the beggar. He just wanted to understand what made this beggar special and if he could find a weakness in Batman's conversation with him.

However, just as Hugo had jumped down from the second floor and reached the beggar, a swooshing sound rang out again. Two Batarangs came flying once more. Batman, who had already left, turned back.

In Hugo's field of vision, all he saw was Batman's massive fist.

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 583: The Sudden Assault of Dead Memories (Part 2)