Chapter 947: Schiller's Greatest Fear (Part 1) (Patreon)

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Batman stepped forward and looked at Zatanna, saying, "I think, perhaps we can..."

Zatanna appeared somewhat exhausted. The multiple teleportations had drained her considerable power. Creating false memories not only consumed energy but also required concentration. When Batman interrupted her, she lost her focus momentarily. She paused her actions and turned to Batman, saying, "Bruce, I'm in the middle of something important. If you have any suggestions, can you please wait until I'm finished? You're distracting me."

Observing Zatanna's tired expression, Batman ultimately chose not to finish his sentence. Constantine wanted to say something but refrained when he noticed Zatanna's weariness.

Zatanna then picked up a knife and selected another sphere, gently grasping it. The sphere dispersed and transformed into a screen. Her brow furrowed deeply, her expression becoming serious as she contemplated. Batman observed as a room appeared on the screen.

It was a typical English-style living room often found in a Gotham Manor. Upon entering, one would find a complete set of sofas and a small round table. Further inside, there were rows of bookshelves, and at the far end stood a dark wooden desk, surrounded by more bookshelves. The desktop was cluttered with various items, including letters, an inkwell, and a globe.

After finding a suitable setting, Zatanna breathed a sigh of relief but quickly refocused her concentration and began arranging other details.

To stage a murder scene convincingly, they needed a corpse. It seemed that Zatanna hadn't encountered many ordinary deaths, as she hesitated for a while. Eventually, she created the image of a plump man, resembling a politician, and placed him flat on the ground.

"All right, the corpse is ready. What else do we need? Oh, right! Injuries and blood. Let me think... I'll make an injury on his chest, and the blood should be spilled on the ground," Zatanna muttered to herself while working.

She positioned the plump man's corpse on the ground, arranging him in a spread-eagle position, then created a large wound in the center of his chest. She also added some blood beneath his body.

Batman, standing behind her, couldn't help but interject, "Zatanna, theoretically, if someone has a wound this large on their chest, they wouldn't bleed this little."

Zatanna paused briefly, then looked at Batman with surprise. "How do you know that?"

"You've been away from Gotham for too long," Batman replied with just this one sentence. Zatanna felt puzzled but decided to accept the advice, adding more blood.

"Furthermore, if you intend to make this knife look like the murder weapon, it's better not to create a wound in his chest that resembles a shotgun blast," Batman continued.

"Also, when someone sustains such a severe chest injury, the blood wouldn't form a perfectly round and evenly distributed pool on the floor. Moreover, there should be more than just blood; there should be organ fragments, especially considering you've shattered his ribs," Batman pointed out.

"Bruce!" Zatanna raised her voice. "If you're not happy with me, just say it!"

"Fine, I acknowledge it was my mistake not to inform you before disappearing. I'm sorry, is that enough now? Please, don't disturb me while I work!" Batman responded firmly.

Zatanna turned her head away in frustration but hesitated for a moment. Following Batman's suggestions, she made the wound smaller, resembling a stabbing, and relocated it near the heart, causing the blood not to be evenly distributed.

Then, Zatanna glanced around and created a series of footprints on the ground, as well as some fingerprints on the nearby table. She said, "If he's in a hurry to cover up evidence, it will create even more chaos. That way, he won't have time to deal with the Umbrella..."

After completing the setup, Schiller abruptly appeared in the memory space. He was dressed in his usual suit, although a significant portion of it was soaked in blood, from the left side of his chest to his right wrist, with his right hand holding a long knife. Before him lay a corpse with a pierced chest, and blood had dripped onto his shoes, staining the soles.

Schiller, now inside the space, initially appeared bewildered but quickly seemed to forget how he had entered. He glanced down at the corpse, then turned his head to look at the bloodied knife in his hand. Finally, he gazed up at the ceiling and made a cross gesture on his chest, saying, "If I'm guilty, God will punish me, not show me a corpse like this..."

"Oh my God!" Schiller shook his head and sighed. "What kind of person would use a heavy knife like this to stab someone's heart in such a clean and tidy room..."

Hearing his words, Zatanna sighed with relief as his reaction seemed normal. However, she then watched as Schiller continued, "Moreover, there's only one door in this room, thick glass on the windows, high floor, no balcony, and no ventilation ducts..."

Zatanna's smile froze, and she said, "He's probably just complaining about the room's poor layout, right? Right?"

"Never mind, let's start modifying the memories..." Zatanna tried to ignore the abnormal aspects and muttered quietly.

Suddenly, the Schiller on the screen paused, then muttered to himself in a low voice, "Did I do this? Did I kill someone?"

Schiller displayed a highly puzzled expression as he surveyed the room and the corpse at his feet. In contrast to Zatanna's expectations, he remarked in a calm tone, "But I usually use my left hand for these things. No one in their right mind would use their dominant hand for murder, right?"

Zatanna, outside the screen, panicked and hastily made adjustments, shifting the blood stains to the left hand and resetting Schiller to his initial state.

The preceding steps remained identical. However, this time, Schiller didn't question the blood on his hands. Instead, he lowered his head to his chest and said, "The blood on my clothes and the blood on the ground, why do they coagulate differently? Could it be that he died two hours earlier, and only then did he splatter blood on me?"

Zatanna panicked once again and, while making changes, realized she had no idea about the difference in blood coagulation.

She turned to Batman for guidance. Batman briefly explained the changes that occurred in human blood after leaving the body, leaving Zatanna feeling overwhelmed. She eventually raised a hand and said, "Stop, just tell me the conclusion. What color and density should I adjust the two types of blood to?"

Batman approached her and guided Zatanna in adjusting the blood's color and density. After some time, they finally got it right, and Zatanna reset Schiller back to his initial state.

However, the next issue Schiller raised was not about the blood. He crouched beside the corpse and examined the wound in the heart, commenting, "Piercing the heart, instant death..."

Then, Schiller picked up the discarded knife and plunged it into the heart area once more. The next scene was even more shocking: Schiller proceeded to remove the heart from the corpse.

Zatanna, watching from outside the screen, widened her eyes in disbelief and gasped, "Oh my God! What is he doing? The person is already dead, why desecrate the body?"

But what left her even more stunned was when Schiller muttered to himself while dissecting, "Though I have no recollection of any grudge between us, since I killed you, consider yourself fortunate."

"I won't be like those inexperienced fools who leave you alone here, allowing your corpse to be discovered in the same wretched state as when you were alive. I'm not that kind of person."

"Regardless of our grievances, they are now resolved. I will give you a dignified end."

"You should speak well of me to God. After all, when your corpse is discovered, it might be the most glorious moment of your life... Thanks to me."

Zatanna, standing outside the screen, was left dumbfounded. Then, she shuddered, regained her composure, and pointed at the screen with a trembling finger, turning her head to look at Batman.

"I told you, he's not an ordinary person," Batman calmly remarked. He thought that this Schiller didn't even qualify as crazy, considering how he had treated the Owls of Metropolis in the past.

"The police are arriving soon... The police are arriving soon... The police are arriving soon..." Zatanna kept repeating, "You can't get caught... You can't get caught... You can't get caught... So you need to run fast... Run fast... Run, run, run! Oh my God! Stop messing around! You need to leave now!"

Zatanna seemed to be losing control. She clutched her throat and began to retch.

Finally, a few minutes later, the Schiller on the screen stood up. Zatanna sighed in relief and said, "The mental magic is finally taking effect. Quick, go hide the murder weapon. You should be focused on hiding it now!"

But the next moment, Schiller gripped the knife handle with both hands, raised it high, and with a swift motion, blood splattered onto the screen as he beheaded the corpse.

Then, Schiller took the severed head and placed it on the office desk. Afterward, he dragged the remaining corpse to the office chair, setting it on the seat.

Next, he stood in front of the desk, surveying the scene, seemingly dissatisfied. Schiller shook his head, rubbed his chin in thought, and then reached out to move the head slightly to the left to align it with the body.

"What is he doing?!" Zatanna roared in frustration. Then, in a highly distressed voice, she pleaded, "Why is he toying with the corpse? Please put the head down!"

After adjusting the position, Schiller suddenly smiled as if he had remembered something amusing. He said, "The person who once considered himself the nation's brain has lost his mind. Wait a minute, the head and the brain aren't exactly the same thing..."

Zatanna, watching outside the screen, gradually widened her eyes, observing as Schiller straightened his tie, picked up the discarded knife from the floor, and approached the head once more.

In a hurry, Zatanna closed the screen and stood still, panting heavily, her heart racing.

She then turned her gaze to Batman, staring wide-eyed at him while shaking her head slightly. With a trembling finger, she pointed at Batman, her eyes locked onto his, and said, "Bruce, no wonder you've changed so much. You actually have a professor like this!"

Afterward, she took a deep breath, displaying a determined expression. "Don't worry, Bruce. I will rescue you from this evil man."

Batman's face darkened, not because of Zatanna, but because of Constantine, who stood behind her, holding a recording pen emitting a magical glow and wearing a sinister grin.

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter >> Chapter 948: Schiller's Greatest Fear (Part II)