Chapter 1019: Schiller in 1991 (Patreon)

In DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

Schiller's chewing paused for a moment before he spoke, "If you truly wish to thwart him, I suggest you place this room behind mine. You should know, that little guy won't be able to stop him."

"That's my intention. After all, to restrain someone driven by the innate human trait of greed, one must possess complete arrogance," Superego said as he speared a piece of meat with his fork and fed it to Schiller.

"When I landed at the high tower, what I saw wasn't a person but a vortex and a black hole. This force had grown so immense that it created a singularity within this flesh, or so it seemed."

"I'm not sure if this can be described by scientific principles, but that was my impression at the time, and later, its power certainly didn't disappoint me."

"The first thing I did when I discovered that this power could be at my disposal was to use it to repair the heavily scarred high tower of our thoughts. I believe there shouldn't be any issue with this. After all, while scars represent memories, having a new and beautiful high tower after repairs is preferable."

Schiller nodded in agreement, acknowledging Superego's point of view. Superego continued, "Then I began pondering how to utilize this power to deal with the pressing issues we face now, namely, how to establish ourselves and ensure our safety in the world of Comic."

"Of course, I also had to consider another issue, that is, not letting too many personality fragments know about this, especially those like greed, arrogance, and gluttony, who might devour this power."

"You don't need to mention other personality traits. Only greed behaves so recklessly. If he finds out, even if it means his own demise, he will surely devour it."

"Sometimes, his actions really make me reflect on how could I be so greedy?" Schiller shook his head.

"So, when devising a strategy, I must meet two requirements: deal with the security issue while not arousing greed's suspicion."

"Fortunately, you both are different personality traits. While greed has stronger drive, he lacks interest in analysis and puzzles. He mainly acts on instinct driven by greed. Therefore, we only need a plausible reason that aligns with our common sense to cover up this power."

"So, you created the standard system for traversers," Schiller said, but after some thought, he added, "No, that's not it. The system you created has the ability to converse with characters from other worlds. How did you manage that?"

"I've said it before, this power is more like a compressed singularity. It differs qualitatively from the power that greed Schiller brought back. The other powers are more like energy sources, while this power has the ability to alter reality."

Superego turned his head to look at Schiller sitting on the chair, furrowing his brows before saying, "Your breathing rate is too fast. It's better to calm down. It doesn't have the ability to take us back."

Schiller took a moment to catch his breath, then made an effort to calm down before Superego continued, "As you suspected, those system prompt sounds you heard were all me speaking."

"And because of this powerful reality-distorting force, we can indeed communicate across worlds, and even replicate the abilities of others... Oh, perhaps not replicate, but I create similar abilities based on your actions using this power."

Schiller paused again and said, "No wonder the system you created has no fancy features, not even a store, let alone functions like Roundabout, lottery, or item exchange."

"If I wanted, I could achieve that. But we both know it's unnecessary, and I haven't bothered to cover up this fact. I know you called the system several times later, but there was no response because I didn't want to deal with you."

"In fact, it's because we're already very safe, right?" Schiller speculated, "Your disguise lacks sincerity, but perhaps sincerity isn't necessary, because greed won't investigate too deeply."

"No, I'm afraid his greed surpasses your imagination," Superego shook his head. "Although life on the Marvel side is more relaxed, he hasn't been idle in his spare time."

"When we first arrived there, greed spent all his spare time searching for traces of the system. I saw the green light in his eyes and the drool at the corners of his mouth."

Schiller showed a malicious smile and said, "You didn't engage in a guerrilla war with him for so long, did you?"

Superego also smiled wryly and said, "Actually, I'm in a worse state than you imagine. Honestly, Joker's appearance saved me. After that lunatic showed up, greed found him too noisy and didn't venture out much."

"I've said it before, he's the craziest among us. He only pursues endless acquisition, regardless of what he gains or what he'll do with it afterward. He only enjoys the moment of acquisition."

Superego sighed, "But this power isn't infinite. As you've seen, communicating across space isn't a big deal, but the key is that creating these abilities out of thin air consumes a lot of power."
Superego glanced down at the food on the plate before saying, "What you can eat is merely a drop in the bucket, except for Greed and Gluttony, of course."

"We've finished stating the facts. Now it's time for deductions," Schiller took the initiative to open the topic. He swallowed the food in his mouth and continued, "Where does this power truly come from?"

"I can confirm it's related to the original owner of this body," Superego asserted with great certainty. "Before we arrived here, this power already existed within the body. It didn't come with us; it was already there."

"Due to its unknown origin, after dealing with the initial survival issues, I was reluctant to use it excessively. Most of the personalities who can dine here are relatively powerful, ensuring that even if there are any impurities here, they won't control or contaminate you."

Schiller pondered carefully and said, "Do you remember the things in our subconscious? Feathers, scales, perhaps there are more in the deeper layers. Those weren't things we acquired; it's very likely that they, like this power, originally existed within the body and then seeped into our consciousness."

"But we have too few clues now. According to the vague memories we've obtained, there are no leads. And logically, the original Schiller's life trajectory shouldn't have access to such a powerful force. It simply doesn't make sense," Superego speculated as he thought.

"Could it be related to the KGB?" Schiller squinted his eyes and said, "The most suspicious part of the original Schiller's life trajectory is his experience in the KGB."

At this point, Superego had already set down his utensils and started undoing the clasps on Schiller's body. He said to him, "So, you must now ascend to the surface consciousness. Do you know who caused the explosion before?"

"Could it be the KGB?"

"Congratulations, you're correct. And you're the most polite guest I've invited for a meal. It would be even better if you remained silent from start to finish," Superego said to Schiller.

Schiller tilted his head, exposing his neck, allowing Superego to undo the clasp around his neck. He then leaned his head to the side and said, "Greed wouldn't have the time to speak here. If you prefer this silence, I'll convey it for you."

"No need," Superego undid the last clasp, but Schiller didn't get up from the chair. Instead, he picked up the nearby napkin and wiped his mouth meticulously, arranging the plate and cutlery on the table before finally getting up.

As he walked towards the door, he said, "You should know, my politeness is based on the functionality of these clasps. Thank you for not activating them."

Superego watched Schiller leave and said, "You have to understand, dealing with certain excessively violent personalities requires corresponding measures; otherwise, what you'll see on that wound won't be just a bite mark."

After Schiller left, he directly ascended to the surface consciousness via the elevator. As soon as he woke up, he found himself lying on a soft bed, and the ceiling was the familiar decor of a hotel.

He turned his head and saw a stranger's face, brown hair, gray-blue eyes, deep eye sockets, giving his gaze a mysterious quality hidden in the shadows. This expression and demeanor usually only appeared in a certain type of person.

"Who are you?" Schiller spoke with a hoarse voice as soon as he opened his mouth. So, he coughed a couple of times while lying on the bed, then took the water cup from the man's hand, drank some water, and leaned against the pillow the man had just propped up.

"The Soviet Union's Committee for State Security." The man sat on the chair beside the bed, looking at Schiller. He spoke, "Andrei Potzvieievsky, you can call me Andrei."

Schiller coughed a couple more times, struggling with his dry voice, and said, "Are you KGB? Why did you kidnap me?"

"Mr. Schiller, we heard that as a revolutionary mentor in Central America, you were arrested and disappeared by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We never abandon any comrade. So, we sent people into Gotham to search for your traces and eventually brought you here."

"I think you've got the wrong person. I'm just a regular university professor with two papers waiting to be published. Can you send me back?" Schiller said expressionlessly.

Andrei lowered his head slightly, smiled, and said, "Professor Schiller, let's not beat around the bush. Since you failed to contact Moscow on time, that is, the moment you went missing, you've been on the KGB's wanted list."

"And this time, regardless of your motives, assuming the role of the leader of the Central American revolution, Moscow can no longer easily trust you."

"So, I need to warn you in advance. This time, I'll take you back to Moscow for questioning. You will undoubtedly undergo interrogation. You used to be our comrade, but you should also know that every comrade who has undergone long-term infiltration or has had experience as a double agent finds it difficult to avoid this process, especially considering your long absence."

Schiller turned his head to look at him. Andrei's expression was calm, as if he had said these words several times before, but Schiller remained expressionless and said, "I've already said it, you've got the wrong person. I have no connection with that country across the ocean, nor have I ever joined the KGB. Taking me back to Moscow would be a brutal kidnapping. If I manage to escape, I won't hesitate to tell journalists everything."

Andrei ignored what Schiller said. He just walked to the door and opened it. Another female agent glanced at him and said, "The plane is ready. We'll be ready to transfer in ten minutes. Keep an eye on the target, after all, this is Gotham."

Andrei turned back to give Schiller a glance, but before he could speak, a commotion suddenly came from downstairs. Both of them pulled out their handguns from their waists. The female agent rushed out, and Andrei took a step back, keeping an eye on Schiller.

There was a fierce exchange of gunfire downstairs. Andrei quickly rushed towards Schiller, intending to use him as a hostage. But the next moment, the glass of the window broke with a snap.

Schiller turned his head to look at the person rushing in, but it wasn't Batman or Superman as he expected; it was another unfamiliar face.

The person who rushed in knocked down Andrei from behind. Another group of people rushed in from the door, and the man with the gun in both hands put his handgun back into the pocket of his trench coat, turned around, and looked at Schiller, saying:

"Sorry, we're late, Director."

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

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

Next Chapter>>Chapter 1020: Schiller in 1991 (Part 2)