Chapter 963: Constantine's Last Stand (Part 2) (Patreon)

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Zatanna rushed into the room and saw Constantine hanging from the ceiling by Iron Wire, letting out a frantic scream.

"No!!!!!!"

With a swift motion, a whip coiled around Constantine's waist, shaking him twice before tossing him to the ground.

Catwoman and Pamela entered shortly after, and turning his head, Catwoman looked at Zatanna and said, "Is this the Constantine you were looking for? He seems quite similar to the one we know. I thought it was just a common name."

"What happened to him? How could he...?" Zatanna rushed forward, staring in disbelief at the fresh blood on Constantine's neck. "How could he commit suicide? This can't be real!"

"Well, isn't it somewhat normal for someone like him to have a moment of despair?" Catwoman took a sharp breath. "Even though I'm a Gotham resident, Constantine ranks high among the most resilient Rottens I've encountered."

"Hurry! We need to get him to the hospital!" Zatanna held onto Constantine's shoulder. "Where's the nearest hospital? I can teleport him there!"

Hearing the question, Catwoman hesitated and said, "This bar is quite remote. Wayne Hospital and the central hospital are far away, but Arkham Asylum is nearby. It's a psychiatric hospital, but they should have doctors who can provide emergency care."

Zatanna summoned a portal and, with Constantine, Catwoman, and Pamela, arrived above Arkham Asylum.

After descending from the sign, Zatanna was about to take Constantine into the hospital, but Catwoman stopped her. "Wait, there are rules here. If you barge in, you'll be met with resistance."

"I'll slip in first, find the attending doctor, and explain the situation. We'll have them send help. Don't make any sudden moves. Trust me, the firepower here is more substantial than you might think," Catwoman advised.

Zatanna nodded, and Catwoman entered the rooftop door. In no time, she returned with Brand. Brand looked surprised as he gazed at Constantine, covered in blood.

"What happened? Who could have caused him such harm?" Brand asked.

Zatanna was about to explain when Brand waved her off. "Let's get him into a hospital room first. I need to make sure his airway is not compromised."

They carried Constantine into a hospital room on the top floor of Arkham Hospital. After a while, nurses and a doctor entered, while Zatanna, Catwoman, and Pamela waited outside.

Catwoman glanced at the hospital room door and said, "Honestly, how could he end up like this? Though he lived a rotten lifestyle, he must have been quite resilient to survive until now."

Zatanna covered her eyes, sighed deeply, and said, "It's probably because of Schiller and Bruce..."

"Who are you talking about?" Catwoman asked, puzzled. She seemed to recognize a familiar name, but Zatanna waved her hand and said, "Never mind, it's unrelated to you. What was it you needed my help with before?"

"Oh, you suddenly fell out of a portal, which startled us. You mentioned it was your portal, so we thought we'd hitch a ride. Can you take us to Wayne Tower? We need to find someone," Catwoman explained.

"Wayne Tower? Are you referring to Bruce Wayne's Manor?" Zatanna asked. Catwoman looked at her with surprise and said, "You don't know Wayne Tower? It's the Wayne family building, the tallest one in the city center."

"Of course, I can take you to Wayne Manor, but I think he might not be there. He's either in the building's laboratory or the Batcave..." Zatanna realized something was amiss and asked, "Do you know Bruce Wayne?"

Catwoman hesitated for a moment and then said, "Well, we're friends." Zatanna sighed and said, "You're his girlfriend, right? Hi, I'm Zatanna, his ex-girlfriend, but that's not important."

Zatanna straightened up and looked at Catwoman. "I might have some bad news for you, but please stay calm."

Catwoman froze for a moment and asked, "What bad news?"

"You wanted to know why Constantine ended up like this, right? The reason is that his two friends, Schiller Rodriguez and Bruce Wayne, jumped into hell right in front of him."

"What did you say?!" Catwoman raised her voice. "Who jumped into what?!"

"Listen, miss," Zatanna said while looking at Catwoman. "I need to deal with this. Before I met you, I called my family and asked if anyone had left a beacon in hell. I have to go into hell and find them."

"But right now, I'm swamped," Zatanna's features contorted, and she coughed twice before continuing. "There's a dangerous curse in Gotham that some Dark Sorcerers are after. My defensive measures in the Gotham Spirit Realm have vanished, and they might attack here. We need to stop them."

"Additionally, we haven't figured out what's causing the sudden madness and plant mutations among Gotham citizens. Blue cabbage can only hold them off temporarily, but we must find a cure."

"Now, Constantine is going insane out of guilt, and he might do more extreme things. If he really loses it, he can cause significant destruction, so we need to keep an eye on him."

"And Schiller and Bruce falling into hell, this is related to me as well..." Zatanna sighed in regret. "I was hesitant to tell them earlier, but the reason I was in such a rush to destroy the curse is because these Dark Sorcerers are actually sent as pathfinders by certain magic families."

"Many ancient magic families no longer seek ancient glory and their friction has been escalating. They all hope to obtain the weapon that could put the other to death. If anyone really gets their hands on it, there will undoubtedly be a terrible war erupting in the Mysticism world."

"I underestimated the complexity of Gotham, leading to the current crisis, but I must deal with all these matters," Zatanna took a deep breath and looked at Catwoman. "I hope I can get your help."

"So, you're going to hell to bring them back?" Catwoman frowned. "Can I go?"

Zatanna shook her head. "Your soul is unique, but your strength isn't enough, and you can't perform magic in hell. It's nearly impossible for you to navigate there. This is something only I can do."

"I hope you can summon assistance, first to defend against the Dark Sorcerers' attacks, and ideally, to find and eliminate them."

"I won't be gone for too long. When I return, we can deal with the issue of citizens going mad and experiencing plant mutations together. As for Constantine..." Zatanna turned her head and glanced at the hospital room door. "If I can bring back Bruce and Schiller, his condition will naturally improve. If not..."

Zatanna shook her head and didn't continue. She clenched her staff and made a decision. At that moment, the hospital room door was pushed open, and Brand stood at the entrance, beckoning to them. Zatanna entered first.

"Doctor, how is he?" she asked.

"The neck injury is not severe; it's just a superficial wound that's been bandaged. However, the psychological trauma..." Brand took a deep breath. "Please, answer a few questions for me."

Zatanna nodded, and Brand looked at the medical records in his hand. "First, does the patient have a history of mental illness, including inherited and acquired mental illnesses?"

"He shouldn't have any hereditary mental illnesses," Zatanna shook her head. "But he was previously in a mental hospital called... Ravenscar, I believe that was the name. However, he claimed he was wrongly committed."

"Ravenscar?" Brand mentioned the name with a disgusted expression. "Isn't that the psychiatric hospital that was exposed for mistreating patients? No wonder..."

Brand glanced at Constantine and continued, "Firstly, he has severe post-traumatic stress disorder, with particularly pronounced paranoid delusions. Secondly, there are signs of Asperger's syndrome."

"But these aren't the main concerns," Brand said while looking at Constantine's face. "Earlier, when he woke up for a brief moment, I asked him some questions and eventually determined that he might have Dissociative Identity Disorder."

"What does that mean?" Zatanna asked, puzzled.

"It's also known as multiple personality disorder," Brand explained, looking back at the medical records. "When he woke up, he believed he was someone named Thomas Constantine."

"He claimed he was born in Liverpool, UK, with a grandfather who was a World War I soldier and a father who was a homeless wanderer. He said he ran a bookstore in the UK, but due to poor business, he came to the East Coast to seek new collaborations with booksellers, all while having two novels in progress."

"What?!" Zatanna was now so bewildered and surprised that she could only produce a single syllable.

"When I mentioned the name John, he said he might indeed have a younger brother named John, but he died in their mother's womb before he was born. However, the family didn't pay much attention, and he had almost forgotten about it. Apart from that, he claimed not to know anyone named John as a friend."

"How is that even possible?" Zatanna showed an expression of disbelief. "How could he think he's... Wait a moment, Thomas? That name sounds somewhat familiar. Oh, I remember!"

"John mentioned once that he had an elder brother who died before birth, and his name was Thomas, inheriting his father's name..."

"But how could John think he's his elder brother?" Zatanna looked at Brand and asked, "His elder brother was never born, so where did the bookstore owner and collaboration come from?"

Brand shook his head and said, "That's why I'm asking the second question: why did he suddenly develop a split personality?"

"He..." Zatanna hesitated for a moment and then looked at Constantine's face, which now appeared peaceful and sound asleep, without any signs of suffering.

So, Zatanna turned her gaze back to Brand and asked, "Does he really not remember anything? Does he genuinely believe he's an ordinary person?"

Brand nodded and said, "I mentioned something related to magic, and he started discussing the best-selling magic novels in the UK without touching any real Mysticism theory."

Zatanna opened her mouth briefly, recalling Constantine's earlier manic and painful behavior. She said, somewhat dazed, "Actually, isn't this a good thing?"

Brand stood up and also looked at Constantine, saying, "It's hard to say. I'm just a psychiatrist, I can't provide psychological treatment. To determine the specifics and stability of his personalities, we'll have to wait for Schiller to return. Speaking of which, where is Schiller?"

Upon hearing this question, Zatanna closed her eyes in anguish.

If there was anything scarier in this world than hearing news of death, it was having to tell countless hopeful friends and relatives that their dear ones were gone, ringing the Death Knell with one's own hands.

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

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