Chapter 994: The Battle for High Tower (Twenty-Eight) (Patreon)

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"Before we proceed, I have a question for you, Batman. Do you consider yourself special?" Schiller smiled as he looked at Batman.

"Everyone considers themselves special," Batman replied in a deep voice. "Because people can only perceive themselves. For everyone, there's only themselves that they can feel, and others who appear in their lives play supporting roles."

"An interesting perspective," Schiller remarked. He continued, "It seems you are quite interested in cognitive theory, but what I'm talking about isn't from a cognitive standpoint; it's about reality."

"Perhaps," Batman took a deep breath, the fatigue from exerting himself moments ago easing the tension in his mind. This relaxation heightened the activity in the language center of his brain, making him more talkative than usual.

"The world's richest person is special wherever they go, just like in Gotham," Batman looked at the reflection of the utensils on the desktop, somewhat absentmindedly. Schiller raised an eyebrow in response, saying, "I didn't expect the first identity you mentioned to be the world's richest person."

"Because all the plans swirling in my mind to rebuild Gotham revolve around one word—money," Batman exhaled the breath he had been holding, sounding almost like a gentle sigh.

"Four years ago, you would never have thought that one day, after just completing a life-and-death battle, you'd be sitting in the final antagonist's room with your psychology professor, discussing money issues, and... you'd be short of money," Batman covered his eyes with gauntleted hands, then asked, "Why do you say you're a victim of Batman? What have I done?"

Schiller picked up the utensils again, starting to cut the food on the plate. He said, "If you're curious about this question, then let's first talk about the matter of the blue cabbage. How did you and those two idiots break into the high tower? And why did you rummage around in my room?"

"We each had our own purposes," Batman admitted frankly. He glanced upwards as if recollecting, then continued, "Zatanna indeed wanted to save the world; it's just that her methods... are rather unconventional."

"Why did she come to me to save the world?" Schiller asked.

"Zatanna came to us, saying there's a Curse of Extreme Evil hidden in Gotham City, and Gotham's current state is closely related to this curse," Batman explained.

"Constantine believed her reasoning wasn't without merit, and you've also mentioned that Gotham's current state is influenced by mysticism," Batman looked at Schiller and asked, "So, is the stronger curse you mentioned the Curse of Extreme Evil?"

"I think you've misunderstood," Schiller understood the causal relationship he mentioned. He said, "The curse I have in my possession actually comes from Constantine. It's the vengeful spirit of his elder brother, whom he killed in his mother's womb. Constantine once said his name was Thomas, but I don't particularly like that name. Neither do you, right?"

Unusually, Batman's expression didn't change much. Unlike before, where he would don a classic serious expression upon hearing his parents' names, he rested one hand on the armrest of the chair and said, "We thought that the curse in your Umbrella was the so-called Curse of Extreme Evil."

"So you intend to take my Umbrella's idea?" Schiller's movements paused for a moment, then he looked at Batman from above his glasses and said, "Have I not set a clear and forceful warning to you greedy intruders?"

Batman tapped his finger on the armrest, pausing for a moment. He said, "No need for a clearer warning."

Schiller rolled his eyes, showing a slightly disgusted expression. He said, "I can tolerate Zatanna because she's just like you were at eighteen, almost identical."

"People with abilities always have great confidence in their abilities. And once the situation goes beyond their control, they don't reflect on how they've used those abilities or if their beliefs are wrong. Instead, they always try to find flaws in others, isn't that right, Batman?" Schiller continued.

Batman coughed lightly twice. While he and Schiller hadn't directly discussed four years ago, every sentence seemed to refer to that time.

"You should consider yourself fortunate, Batman. At the same time, I can only tolerate one such idiot. If you're still as you were back then, someone would be in danger," Schiller put a piece of tissue into his mouth and meticulously rearranged the food on the plate, then said in a low voice:

"But for you to easily enter my room, it must be related to those negligent guards of mine. Perhaps, they deliberately let you in because they must be curious about my current situation as well."

Batman's finger paused again as he looked at Schiller's face. It might have been his imagination, but occasionally, a mad smile flashed across Schiller's face, though not as frequently as before, nor as crazily, as if he were in the midst of a transformation.

"Merkel mentioned to me that over these four years, you've undergone significant changes. Does this have anything to do with the mad personality within you?" Batman asked.

"This brings us back to the original question," Schiller asked without lifting his head, "Do you know you're special?"

But he didn't wait for Batman's response; instead, he continued on his own, saying, "Regardless of whether you know it now or not, back then, during our first encounter, you certainly didn't know."

"Otherwise, you wouldn't have asked me such a question, and I wouldn't have become a victim of Batman."

"A question?" Batman repeated the word in a questioning tone, then recalled that he had indeed asked Schiller a question during their first meeting. So, he repeated the question, "…What is the meaning of life?"

"Revenge. The meaning of life is revenge. That's how I answered you initially. But in reality, I shouldn't have answered you at all," Schiller sighed slightly as he put down the utensils again. "Perhaps when you asked that question initially, it was merely to gauge my expertise. But in reality, the impact of that question was much greater than you imagined."

"Gotham City is unique. Everyone deeply involved in it has the chance to become insane. When I first came here, I was just an ordinary citizen, but everything changed on the day you appeared."

"You must understand one thing, it's not Joker who chose Batman, it's Batman who chose Joker," Schiller looked at Batman. "That kind of madness virus was generated by your attention. The moment you saw me and became curious about my identity, my personality traits were already contaminated."

Batman furrowed his brow deeply. He never believed in such notions of fate, but when these words came from his professor's mouth, he couldn't help but feel that Schiller wasn't speaking without reason, because he knew Schiller also didn't believe in fate.

"Perhaps you find it difficult to understand, but you must remember, you are special. Your attention to anyone can have a significant impact on their fate, including mine."

"For some reason, I knew you would come sooner or later. Before meeting you for the first time, I kept thinking about how to avoid encountering you because I detest being forcibly drawn into whirlpools."

"If I were to participate in something, it should be in a more proactive manner. I believe you must have realized this by now."

Schiller looked at Batman, who nodded. He was quite certain that this professor didn't like surprises; he preferred everything to be under control, or rather, he preferred to create disturbances rather than be involved in events.

"But when you appeared, I was defenseless. In that moment, I, who had been infected by the special madness virus, had my thoughts twisted, just like every Joker. I used a very simple psychological suggestion to attract your attention."

"And just to validate my expertise, you asked that question. And that question is the root of these changes."

"Perhaps you already know that the fragment of personality infected by the virus initially was also a part of arrogance. It was half of the arrogant trait, while I am the other half."

"After he was infected by the madness virus, in order to ensure that I could act with a clear mind, 'Superego' forcefully shut him down and sent me, the other half of arrogance, in his place."

"But this matter is far from simple, Batman..." Schiller gripped the knife slightly, looking at Batman with a malicious gaze. He said, "Your initial question became a curse, a task I must fulfill."

"If you don't find the answer, if you haven't found out what the meaning of life is, then the other half of the trait infected by the madness virus and I cannot be restored."

"You sound like you're talking nonsense," Batman remarked. He continued, "I don't mean that this is impossible, but both you and I can't explain how this situation occurred."

"What's so special about my attention? Why did it produce a special virus? And why did that question turn into a curse?" Batman posed a series of questions, but he didn't expect Schiller to provide an explanation.

Breaking his usual silence, he continued, "In every experience we shared, you always had additional judgments that neither the authorities nor bystanders could perceive. I used to think you could foresee the future, but later, your behavior didn't seem to indicate such abilities."

"If you can stop pursuing this question, there's no need to delve into the principles behind these questions," Schiller said. "I want to explain all this more than you do, but the answer to this question is, it cannot be explained."

Batman narrowed his eyes, but before he could speak, Schiller continued, "Setting aside the facts, do you know? Every Joker has their fate, a fate related to Batman."

"He will definitely answer one of your questions, make you realize certain realities, evoke some emotions in you, or teach you something."

"If he's your friend, he'll accompany you until you're no longer Batman. If he's your classmate, he'll study with you and progress together. And if he's your teacher..."

As Batman listened, Schiller sighed deeply, as if lamenting his own unfortunate fate. He said, "I am Joker, and Joker is me. We are not only one person but also the same fragment of personality. Therefore, we share the same fate."

"If I didn't have such special traits, if there wasn't that thinking high tower and a calm yet decisive manager, then a psychology professor turned into Joker would have answered your question in a much more forceful manner."

Before Batman could inquire, Schiller spoke again, "...You wouldn't want to know the methods he intended to use."

Seeing Schiller's expression, Batman knew that whatever answer was circling in Schiller's mind would likely be more shocking than the food on his plate and the corpse behind it.

"Thanks to the calm and decisive Superego, he locked up that madman. But the cost is..." Schiller paused for a moment, then locked eyes with Batman and said, "I have to fulfill Joker's task."

"I have to use a gentler method to teach you how to find the answer to this question—What is the meaning of life?"

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

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 995: The Battle for High Tower (Part Twenty-Nine)