Chapter 616: Pathological Crisis (Part Two) (Patreon)

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In Gotham's hospital, Lex had a bandage wrapped around his forehead, while Bruce had one on his arm. Their heated argument echoed through the corridors, audible even from a distance, though comprehending their words was another matter.

Standing outside the door, Clark held his arms, addressing his shoulder-sitting Bat Cat, "I really don't understand what they're arguing about. I can't make out anything they're saying..."

To his surprise, Bat Cat perched on his shoulder, scratched the wall briefly, and then meowed, "What on earth is Lex saying??"

"You can't understand either, can you? Even if there's a scholarly disagreement, they could discuss it calmly. There's no need for a brawl," Clark remarked.

However, Bat Cat swiftly leaped from his shoulder and dashed into the hospital room, starting a series of meows directed at Lex. Bruce turned his head and said to Lex, "See, even he agrees with my perspective. Your approach is just too radical. Have you considered the consequences of an energy leak?"

"I've mentioned before that my safety measures are foolproof. It's your conservatism, and regarding human experiments..."

"You want to conduct human experiments?" Clark had initially intended to come and retrieve Bat Cat, but upon hearing Lex's mention of human experiments, he sternly exclaimed, "Under no circumstances!"

Lex took a deep breath and said, "I meant the kind of ethical and legal human experiments. Haven't you heard of bedside trials?"

"If we don't use humans for experiments, how can we understand the effects of this energy on people? Why not gather volunteers?"

"It's not the same as testing drugs," Clark argued, "that energy seems inherently dangerous. I still support dumping it all into the Sun for destruction."

"No," Bruce countered again, saying, "We can't avoid studying it just because it might be dangerous. Nuclear energy was once a perilous force for humanity, but we still harnessed it for various purposes."

"So, you should be on my side!" Lex shouted, "Establish a research base covering all of Gotham's underground and recruit bedside trial volunteers."

"Gotham's underground is complex, and my laboratory is sufficient for now," Bruce rejected his proposal.

"Yeah, you have your cave. I suggested establishing a base here, but you disagreed. Bruce, you're using these underhanded methods to obstruct my research progress. I can only say you're completely unscrupulous..."

"I won't allow you to establish a base in Gotham, Luthor. I know what kind of person you are. If the Luthor family sets up a base here, your next step will be to use illegal means to recruit volunteers," Bruce looked at Lex and asked, "Can you guarantee you won't do that?"

Lex stared straight ahead and didn't answer, but as Bruce had said, he didn't care about ordinary people's lives. He and Batman and Superman were not on the same page.

"I suggest you can take some of the dark energy back to Metropolis, but you disagree," Bruce continued.

"Is that my disagreement?!" Lex raised his voice, and then Clark said, "Bruce, how can you think this way? You should support me. Destroy this energy; you actually want him to take it back to Metropolis, fearing it won't harm ordinary people?"

Lex and Bruce both took a deep breath.

The three of them were stuck in an intractable argument loop. Lex belonged to the radical faction, Bruce was in the neutral camp, and Clark was on the conservative side, with none of them budging from their stances.

Lex and Bruce were both researchers, while Clark was in security, and their styles didn't match.

Lex was on the evil side, while Bruce and Clark were on the lawful side, with their alignments differing.

Lex and Clark were from Metropolis, while Bruce was from Gotham, with their geographical positions also differing.

Whenever these three people got together, no matter the topic, they would invariably end up arguing in circles.

When Lex proposed a certain deal, Bruce and Clark found it too sinister and rejected it.

When Clark proposed a deal, Bruce and Lex thought he was too conservative and lacked expertise, and they rejected it.

When Bruce proposed a method, Lex or Clark rejected it due to the differences between Gotham and Metropolis.

Throw in a Copperpot in between, along with the mischievous Pikachu, and this hospital room could witness more than 30 arguments in a day. The doctors and nurses were driven crazy by their constant bickering.

Without Clark, they might have been able to physically persuade each other, but Clark firmly believed that violence was not the answer. So, whenever they thought about getting physical, Superman would use his immense strength to restrain them, and they would revert to verbal squabbling.

And so, a week passed like this, and this group of people had exhausted their arguments, growing tired of each other. Lex, the least injured, was the first to recover. He no longer wanted to exchange a single word with them, so he decided to check out and return to Gotham University to continue his research.

On the morning he was to leave the hospital, he packed his belongings while turning on the television. He said, "I've been busy arguing with you all for the past few days, and I haven't kept up with the news. Let me see if there's anything new..."

As he turned on the television, Bruce, who had been half-asleep, was awakened by the noise. After waking up, he rolled over, and Clark entered with breakfast, giving each of them a portion. He leaned against the wall and started eating.

Bruce picked up the newspaper nearby and blocked the TV's light. He still preferred reading the newspaper during breakfast, rather than the more modern method of watching television.

However, at this moment, both Lex, who was watching TV, and Bruce, who was reading the newspaper, froze simultaneously. The TV broadcast and the front-page headline in the newspaper reported the same murder case.

"...Our station's journalist captured valuable footage at the scene of the incident, but out of humanitarian consideration, some images have been digitally obscured..."

According to a live reporter, the scene was simply too gruesome. The vast majority of eyewitnesses are currently undergoing professional psychological counseling. Until their sessions conclude, they are temporarily unable to assist in police inquiries...

"The following footage may be distressing to some viewers. Please watch with caution..."

As the host finished speaking, the television displayed an image on a black background. Most of the image was pixelated, but it was clear that it depicted a person sitting on a chair, looking upward.

While the posture seemed ordinary, the censored parts of the image hinted at a scene of blood and viscera. It was apparent that the person hadn't sat there willingly. Both their arms were missing, allowing the upper torso to be tightly wrapped and secured to the chair by iron wires. Ankles were nailed to the chair's legs.

The chest and abdominal cavities were torn open, with organs strewn about. But the only graphic part left uncensored was the head of the corpse.

The corpse's eyes had been gouged out. Even the skin around the eyes was ripped away, exposing skeletal-like eye sockets.

Inside each socket, objects had been inserted. Though the image wasn't entirely clear, both Lex and Bruce recognized them as miniature telescopes.

This brutal imagery even stunned Lex and Bruce. Clark spat out his food and began to retch on the spot.

While the pixelated sections suggested gore, it was the exposed head that was truly horrifying, delivering a massive visual impact.

After the image disappeared, the host continued, "The victim, 53 years old, was the president of the Central Bank in Metropolis. His corpse was found in front of the bank's main entrance. About a hundred people witnessed the scene, but no traces of the killer were found..."

Bruce and Bat Cat's eyes narrowed simultaneously. Clearly, they were reminded of another case, a similar murder of a bank president in Gotham City.

The similarities in profile and location made it hard not to draw parallels.

Lex grabbed his briefcase, ready to leave. Bruce, still recovering from an injury, stood up and said, "I'll go with you to Metropolis."

"You're from Gotham. Stay out of Metropolis," Lex retorted, looking back at Bruce.

Bruce, rising from his bed, replied, "You probably realized, this is related to the Owls. Anything connected to them requires my involvement. You know that even if you disagree, I have other ways."

At this point, Bat Cat meowed, indicating he wanted to join. Clark, still in a state of shock and disgust, held Bat Cat and intervened, "You both are investigating this murder? I want in. The killer is just too... too..."

Struggling for words, Clark's intent to join was met with immediate resistance from both Bruce and Lex. Lex spoke first, "There's no need. Wayne and I can handle this."

Bruce chimed in, "While I'm not in Gotham, I need someone to help maintain order there. I'll contact Detective Gordon. You'd be a great asset to him."

Clark, a bit taken aback by their refusal, nodded in agreement, thinking of the troubling state of security in Gotham. "Alright, I'll stay here then."

Bat Cat tried to jump off Clark's shoulder to join Bruce, but Clark grabbed him, saying, "No, you have to stay with me. You're practically a local now. If I have questions, you're the one to ask."

Bat Cat struggled intensely, but before he could break free from Clark's grip, a nearby Pikachu jumped onto Clark's other shoulder and said to Bat Cat, "I'd advise you to stay. This isn't a world for cats."

Before Bat Cat could react, the TV interrupted with breaking news:

"Urgent report: just two minutes ago, another murder was discovered, believed to be committed by the same perpetrator as the bank president's murder. Our journalists are on the scene. The following footage may be distressing to some viewers..."

The screen revealed another person bound to a chair.

This time, it was a woman. Just like before, her arms were nowhere to be seen, and she was bound to the chair by iron wires. However, what differed this time was the uncensored part of her head: it wasn't her eyes that were missing, but her ears.

The ears of the corpse had been cruelly sliced off, and the skin and tissue surrounding them were completely gone. Within the skeletal remains of her ear canals, two horn-shaped signal receivers were embedded.

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 617: Pathological Crisis (Part Three)