Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics-Chapter 4259 - 3358: Bloodbath in New City (70)

Shiller opened the door to his office, and the travel-weary Gordon walked in. Shiller took a look at him and then said, "Looks like what you need is a bottle of ice-cold beer. Wait for me here for a moment."

Shiller went to the refrigerator in the lounge, took out a bottle of ice-cold beer, and handed it to Gordon. Without standing on ceremony, Gordon popped the cap and guzzled half the bottle.

Then, wiping his mouth and letting out a satisfied sigh, he put the bottle aside and said, "Seems like you've already heard about that big guy. I'm planning to talk to him. What do you think?"

"Did you come here today just to ask for my advice? I'm quite honored. But I know that whatever I say, you're not going to listen."

Gordon cracked a smile and said, "Well, it's not just for that. I've got people watching over several hospitals in the community, just like you expected, they're all using equipment from Audine Company. But everything seems normal. Should we keep watching?"

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Shiller shook his head and said, "You've troubled yourself enough. You'd better focus on managing the Lower city area. Let's talk about the Death Angel; how much do you know about him?"

"He seems to be a fanatical religious zealot," Gordon took another sip of beer and said, "People who have seen him all say he dresses like a combat priest from a medieval religious order. His uniform looks elite, probably cost a lot to make. People speculate that like Batman, he must have a wealthy backer funding him."

"How is he doing in fighting crime?"

At this, Gordon's face showed worry as he spoke, "Actually, very poorly. I admit that he has indeed deterred those Super Villains, making our community a bit safer."

"But the guy just doesn't understand restraint. Recently, a punk in my block broke into a store to steal for drugs. He was an amateur, chose a bad shop location, and was slow to act. The shop owner caught him and called the police."

"My arranged manpower was about to take people there, but then this Death Angel got to him first. He beat the kid half to death, nearly paralyzed him. His parents were crying a storm in my office, and now I have to pay for his treatment."

"What did he steal?" Shiller asked.

"He didn't manage to steal anything," Gordon waved his hand and said, "He originally wanted to snatch some change, but found the cash drawer locked. Tried to take a couple packs of cigarettes, but they didn't have his preferred brand."

"When the shop owner caught him, he didn't show his hands immediately. The shop owner thought he had a gun, that's why the police were called."

"So, it was a theft attempt that didn't succeed?"

"Yes, didn't steal anything, didn't cause any damage. And now he lies in the intensive care unit. His dad is a hard-working good guy, I don't even know how to explain this to him now."

"It seems there indeed is a problem." Shiller walked over and sat down, and then said, "Is he more violent than Batman?"

"Yes. More importantly, he lacks Batman's compassion," Gordon, leaning his hands on the table, said, "Although Batman has been a bit irritable lately, you can't deny that he is almost divine. Punishment is always his last resort. If possible, he'd rather choose forgiveness."

Shiller nodded in agreement with Gordon's judgment. Although Batman in this cosmos has some mental issues, which made him especially unreasonable and irritable, at most he's like Don Quixote, not Nero.

Even with mental issues, his irritability is mostly aimed at extremely dangerous antisocial figures like Joker, and at most he just beats them up, without killing. It's not considered excessive.

There has always been a divine side to Batman's personality. Even mental issues that make him seem more like an ordinary person can't always hide his radiance.

In the original comics, Batman in this universe, after enduring the grief of the loss of his loved ones, being framed and imprisoned by Joker, and facing pressures from all sides, came to only one conclusion: it's his own fault for not making Gotham better.

Shiller's assessment of this was, "No wonder if you don't get depressed."

But it has to be admitted, this saint-like compassionate mentality balances his paranoia and violent attributes well, turning him into a hero rather than a Tyrant.

But this Death Angel Paul is a pure Tyrant. Rather than seeking justice to save the people, he seems to be venting. Just because he is cloaked in a Superhero's guise doesn't mask the stench of rotting arrogance in violent fantasies that oozes from him.

"What do you plan to do?" Shiller asked for Gordon's opinion first. After all, the Death Angel appeared in the Lower city area, and since Gordon chose to take on such responsibility, he must have a method.

"I told you, I want to talk to him," Gordon shook his head, "I need to clarify some issues."

"What if he doesn't want to talk to you?"

"Then you can't blame me," Gordon said, "I always say I need this society to have order, to maintain stability because it's beneficial for most people."

"If anyone decides to disrupt order, refusing communication, then even if he calls himself a hero, I must impose restrictions on him."

"It seems you've been able to cooperate with Batman for so long because you guys communicated, right?" Shiller said with a smile.

"You might not believe it, nobody might, but my communication with Batman is very smooth," Gordon said, "Although you can't expect him to speak up on his own, if you ask the right way, there's nothing you can't find out."

"You really have a way with him," Shiller sighed, meaning his words genuinely because he always felt unable to communicate with Batman, with any Batman.

"You seem to have some ideas about him," Gordon tapped the table and said, "I don't know where you get so much money from, but it really helped a lot. I am willing to let you have him for a while."

"Who? Batman or Death Angel?" Shiller asked reflexively.

"Of course, it's the Death Angel." Gordon said helplessly.

"Since that's the case, I won't hold back." Shiller rubbed his hands together and said, "I do have a little something I'd like his help with. It might cause a bit of a stir. If you're willing to help with the aftermath, there might even be an unexpected gain."

"I have only one request." Gordon said, "Don't harm the ordinary people. Anything else goes."

Gordon didn't waste any more time and left directly. Shiller organized all the information he had uncovered in his office and went to Dr. Tompkins' clinic.

Dr. Tompkins was surprised by his arrival, and Jason was even more astonished. Shiller didn't beat around the bush. He plonked all the information onto the table and started presenting his deductions.

The deductions concerning the struggle between the East India Company and the Order Sect clearly shocked both Dr. Tompkins and Jason. They had rarely considered these events in the context of historical background.

But once this perspective was unlocked, they realized the seriousness of the matter, potentially far beyond their imagination.

The several of them discussed the issue for a while, but could not come to many conclusions, as many key historical issues remained unresolved. Even with Shiller's knowledge of the plot, there were still too many hidden secrets.

"We're sort of a team now," Shiller said, "I've shared all my findings with you. I hope you'll share with me if you discover anything."

After thinking for a moment, Jason said, "Before I left, I went through Batman's computer. It seems he infiltrated beneath the Gotham Reservoir and took many photos, but mostly they're just ruins of villages. Nothing very special."

"Based on my understanding of him, if there was something very special, he wouldn't have recorded it but would have remembered it in his head," contributed Dr. Tompkins. "So, the best course of action is for us to go down and take a look ourselves."

"I bet he left a thousand cameras there," Shiller said, "I have a way to block the cameras, but I don't want to go into the water."

"Why?" Jason asked.

Shiller shook his head, offering no explanation.

Greed and arrogance are not the same. He is not a detective; he does not chase after a clue whenever one appears. That would make him feel like being led by the nose.

He preferred to focus on his tasks, creating unsolvable situations for others. With enough of these situations, sooner or later, he'd find out more clues through their mistakes.

"I've come here today for another matter," Shiller looked at Dr. Tompkins and said, "If nothing goes wrong, the Death Angel, who has been gaining notoriety in the Lower city area recently, might come looking for you."

Dr. Tompkins was taken aback and said, "The so-called New Batman? Why would he target me? Have I offended him?"

"Haven't you realized, ma'am? Someone is clipping Batman's wings—Jason, Alfred, Lucius Fox..."

"You're saying I'm one of them?" Jason interjected, "I didn't get into trouble with them."

"Then it proves that the conspiracy started much earlier than you imagined," Shiller said confidently, "And it might be because you are the most important to Batman."

"You're different from the others. They are adults and know if they stand with Batman, they have to take such risks. They can be responsible for their choices."

"But at that time you were just a child. You didn't have that capability. Therefore, any issue that arose would be Batman's responsibility. This could cause severe mental blows to him and lay the seeds for his current mental state."

"Why didn't they just kill me then?"

"That would push Batman into complete despair. But real torture is never about despairing quickly, but about constantly fluctuating between despair and hope until one is completely drained."

"Why do you understand so well?" Jason frowned and asked.

"That's none of your business." Shiller decisively refused to continue discussing the topic, saying, "You best not think you've escaped unscathed. Once people know you're still alive, they won't let you go."

"Let them come," Jason sneered in response.

"Our concern now is your situation, Dr. Tompkins," Shiller turned to Dr. Tompkins again, "The Death Angel doesn't deserve the title of the New Batman. He's just a ruthless criminal. You won't be able to reason with him. So, you have two choices."

"Either I take you away from here, out of his reach. This might get him to temporarily give up, ensuring your safety. Or, you stay here, and we set a trap for him. That could settle things once and for all."

"Do you intend to kill him?" Dr. Tompkins looked at Shiller and asked.

Shiller shook his head and replied, "He's burning with anger, like a fiercely burning flame that scorches anyone who comes into contact with him. Not just us, but his master as well."

"But you said we can't persuade him."

"Persuasion alone certainly won't work. But we can reveal to him a truth that will stoke his fires even more. People can control a flame in a fireplace, but when the fire is fierce enough to burn down an entire house, nobody can control it."

"That sounds very dangerous," Dr. Tompkins remarked, "You better know what you're doing, Dr. Schiller. Has anyone ever told you that you're more like a broken machine than Batman?"

"Thank you for the compliment. It's my honor."