Chapter 1013: Scarecrow's Misfortune (Part 1) (Patreon)

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As Jonathan pointed out, Batman had indeed learned a lot from Schiller. However, it didn't include Schiller's style of language that could penetrate anyone's defenses equally. So, when Jonathan called out that name, Batman felt a bit puzzled.

Because he knew that if it were Schiller sitting here, more than just Jonathan would be scolded and mocked. Those who were absent, like Green Lantern, Batman, Superman, and even the teachers who were newly reported, would not escape being unfairly blamed.

Batman's language style was like a sniper rifle. Once the target was determined, he aimed and shot, hitting the mark with precision.

While Schiller's language style was more like a machine gun, the type with Infinity bullets. Not only would his frontal enemies be targeted, but even a passing mosquito overhead, lightly armed and carrying two pounds of bullets, wouldn't escape.

Jonathan seemed to have lost patience. He spoke up, "You cannot save Gotham... Batman!"

"But you might have Alzheimer's, because you've said that sentence once before, 2 minutes and 32 seconds ago," Batman immediately retorted.

With a "bang," the table trembled as it was struck, causing the cups and water bottles on the desktop to clink crisply.

"Do you know why?" Batman asked. "Because in Gotham's rain, within Gotham's rainwater, there's a mysterious substance that triggers toxins in Gotham's metal, plunging Gotham into endless darkness, never to rise again!"

"And then?" Batman inquired.

Batman's calm expression didn't surprise Jonathan, as he also knew that with Wayne's resources, investigating these matters wasn't difficult. He took a breath and suddenly changed the topic:

"Do you remember? Initially, you investigated the population disappearance cases in the Morrison District in vain, and those cases were all my doing."

"Your understanding of 'in vain' is quite unique," Batman said bluntly. "We uncovered all the clues and caught you, sending you to a psychiatric hospital. If you consider that 'in vain,' next time I'll remember to break your spine before sending you there."

"But you couldn't save those missing people, you know?" Jonathan said. "When I dissected them, I felt very pleased..."

"I could have killed them first, then dissected their corpses, but I didn't do that. It's not because I enjoy hearing screams, but because of you, Batman!" Jonathan narrowed his eyes.

"My pleasure in hearing their screams and curses doesn't come from them themselves; they're as uninteresting as fish on a chopping board when they're dying."

"But when I think that there's a self-proclaimed vigilante of justice out there, desperately searching for their traces, hoping to save them, and I, little by little, destroy that hope, I feel my whole body tremble with excitement..." Jonathan's tone became excited.

Batman paused for a moment, pursed his lips into a line, and then remarked, "Hmm... It seems you're a rather typical serial murder case perpetrator."

Jonathan's expression froze, but Batman continued unabated, tapping his finger on the water glass.

"Deriving mental pleasure from harming others, deceiving bystanders, and fooling the police make you more excited, very traditional, very typical."

"Are you insane, Batman?" Jonathan stood up, spreading his hands. "Do you want me to tell you in detail about the misery of those victims? Shouldn't you come up and punch me? I'm the kind of criminal you hate the most, cruel, evil, utterly unrepentant!"

"Indeed unrepentant, but cruel and evil... that depends on who you're compared to," Batman sat in his chair, looking up at Jonathan. "I've heard that the world of serial killers has undergone several rounds of innovation, Professor Klein. Didn't they inform you?"

Jonathan was stunned, because what Batman said was so matter-of-fact. So, instinctively, he asked, "What innovation? Who didn't inform me?"

"Deriving pleasure from killing, innocent because of the mental pleasure derived from murder, has been defined as a typical serial murder case. In other words, it would appear on the first page of the textbook, with a few dozen pages separating it from those truly bizarre cases."

Jonathan's face grew darker, but Batman didn't stop there. He continued, "If you flip a couple of pages further, perhaps it'll mention certain childhood stimuli that bring about special preferences for these serial murder case perpetrators."

"And if you flip to the end, among those cases that have obliterated humanity or remain unsolved to this day, the perpetrators always convey their ideologies to all viewers... So, Professor Klein, what's your ideology?"

Jonathan was taken aback, his mouth slightly agape, seeming eager to say something in response to Batman's question. But before he could come up with an answer, Batman said, "It seems you don't need to answer, because if you and your cases are to be written on the last few pages, you'd start thinking before I even ask you."

In the silence that followed Jonathan's silence, Batman recalled a conversation he had once had with Schiller.

Or rather, it shouldn't be called a conversation, but more like correcting the phrasing of a paper, a process of tormenting each other to ease tensions, ensuring that neither resorted to violence to deal with relaxed moments of problem-solving.

At that time, although Batman had made some progress in mental stability, he still hadn't completely opened up, never having visited the slums or participated in hellish wars.

However, at that time, Batman's mind was already muddled by the paper, so he directly asked Schiller a question he felt was very lethal—what exactly were the serial murder case perpetrators afraid of?

But Schiller seemed utterly oblivious, unable to detect any hint of sarcasm in Batman's words. He simply told Batman that if you wanted to insult a serial murder case perpetrator, there was one word that was best used: "typical."

As long as you said that he and his crimes were very typical, he would definitely be caught off guard. Batman didn't believe it, so he asked Schiller, what if the opponent didn't react to it?

Schiller told him that if you clearly state with factual evidence that the other party and their crimes are very typical, and yet the other party doesn't get angry, then it means they are not a true serial murder case perpetrator, at least not a natural-born killer.

Furthermore, Schiller told Batman a secret that shocked him a bit, which was that lunatics all over the world would contact each other; simply put, they had a group.

Of course, communication methods weren't as advanced back then, but they still kept an eye on each other's movements by collecting newspapers from various places, searching for major cases, examining each other's methods of crime, keeping track of apprehended individuals, and comparing themselves with them to determine their rank within the group.

Batman actually wanted to ask Schiller which level he belonged to, but his keen intuition and survival instincts made him shut his mouth to prevent himself from becoming a part of the major cases.

Afterward, Schiller told him that if he wanted to further catch the opponent off guard, he could directly point out that the opponent's status within this group was very low, and none of their peers would be impressed by their crimes. Even if there was immense hatred between them, one could completely use the ultimate weapon—"you're mediocre."

Of course, besides the ultimate weapon, there was also an off-the-record weapon. If there wasn't an irreconcilable hatred between the two parties, it was best not to use it.

Unfortunately, Batman had an irreconcilable hatred with every Criminal.

"Batman, don't forget who you are! Aren't you the self-proclaimed executor of justice? When a murderer stands before you, why do you sit idly by instead of arresting him?!" Jonathan launched another attack.

Batman withdrew his hands from the desktop, clasping them together on his lap, sitting upright with his back against the chair back.

This posture of his was something Jonathan disliked very much, reminding him of someone dull, like Godfather Falcone.

Jonathan didn't understand why he could see shades of Godfather in Batman; they shouldn't have had any connection, or rather, Batman was supposed to be Godfather's enemy, and Godfather should have been a despicable Criminal in Batman's eyes.

Yet Jonathan clearly saw the dignity and composure that had once shaken Gotham for an entire era in Batman. Batman looked at Jonathan and said, "Why are you so focused on me?"

When Batman asked this question, Jonathan didn't react at first, but then Batman pursued, "Why, from the moment I walked in, has your gaze been fixed on me? Why do you keep paying attention to my reactions? Why do you now demand that I arrest you? Am I important to you?"

Batman's eye contact with Jonathan was sincere, as if he genuinely didn't understand the answers to these questions. But Jonathan, feeling as if he had been stabbed, almost jumped up from the dining table. He said, "Why would I pay attention to you?! What's so special about you?! You're just like those ordinary people, mediocre and foolish, even more absurd than them!"

"Then I'll call Commissioner Gordon and have you handcuffed and taken to the police station, where professional doctors will conduct a psychiatric evaluation on you. If you're really mentally ill, they'll be responsible for sending you to the hospital."

Batman stood up, like a guest who had finished dining and wanted to leave. But suddenly, Jonathan erupted like a madman, yelling, "Batman!! What are you doing?! Aren't you a vigilante? Aren't you the incarnation of justice? Why aren't you arresting me?!!!"

"I understand... I understand..." Jonathan suddenly started pacing in place, saying, "You're contemptuous of me! You look down on me! You think I'm just an ordinary Criminal, not worth your attention. My god, are you blind?!!"

Jonathan suddenly stopped, extending his hand and pointing to the door, saying, "How many people can those ordinary murderers and gangs kill? Ten? Twenty? But I've killed at least two hundred people!!!"

Batman still looked calmly at him and said, "Then you're well-suited to work on the assembly line at a slaughterhouse."

Jonathan took a deep breath, as if trying to suck all the oxygen out of the room. His body began to tremble incessantly, and he clutched his hair, pounding the wall beside him with his elbow, shouting, "Batman, how can you have such a narrow perception of me?! You don't even know the details of my crimes! How do you know how much effort I've put into planning and executing them?! My teacher often said a sentence: if the result is wrong, there is no process."

"But... do you know what kind of results I've achieved?!" Jonathan, like a madman, grabbed his hair and shouted, "I discovered the problem with Gotham's rainwater a long time ago! So, I spent four years dealing with this problem!!!"

"Are you coming after me because I poisoned Gotham's drinking water? But let me tell you, it's not poison, it's the antidote!"

"The hallucinogen comes from fear gas, but it has another effect. It can infiltrate the toxins in the rainwater into the human body!"

"Their madness process is actually a battle between the hallucinogen and the toxins in the body. In the end, my antidote will surely defeat the poison and completely eliminate the toxins in the rainwater!"

"I am a hero, just like you, Batman, and I've done more than you!!!" Jonathan screamed hysterically. "I am the true savior of Gotham, and yet you treat me like a Criminal, wanting to kill and arrest me!!"

Batman paused for a moment and said, "But I didn't want to kill you, nor did I want to arrest you."

"Erm..."

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

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 1014 Scarecrow's Misfortune (Part 2)