Upon hearing the commotion upstairs, Shiller hurriedly ran up without even having the chance to change out of his nightgown.
Because the situation was urgent, he didn't knock before entering the room. However, the Joker, who had just awoken by the loud noise, instinctively leaped up from the bed and ran towards the door. A colossal shadow—the result of a large, black shape who had shattered the balcony's glass pane—chased after him.
As soon as Shiller opened the door, he saw that it was a gigantic humanoid alligator monster that had jumped in. It was the legendary Killer Croc. However, Shiller's first reaction was surprise.
Shiller wasn't questioning why Killer Croc was here—his previous shout had already explained the reason; he found it strange why Killer Croc was holding two kitchen knives.
Killer Croc possessed extremely sharp claws, which served as his weapon. He didn't need anything else.
Seeing the primal monster's massive hand holding two kitchen knives looked extremely out of place. Moreover, it was evident that he was uncomfortable gripping the tiny knife handles.
But in the next second, Shiller understood why Killer Croc had chosen to do so.
Joker Jack, who had sprung from his bed towards the doorway, wasn't trying to escape. There was not much room in the ward for manoeuvring, not with Killer Croc coming in and practically filling the room. He needed more strategic space, and for that, the corridor was the only place available.
However, to his surprise, just as he rolled towards the door, Shiller opened it. Jack stumbled, almost knocked to his feet by the doorway, followed by two cold, gleaming kitchen knives that were thrown from mid-air.
It appeared that the Killer Croc, having become good friends with Batman, had also noticed his lack of range in attacks. So, he brought two makeshift Batman darts, by using tremendous force, achieving an effect that didn't lose to a shotgun.
Jack had already been struck by the door and lost his balance. Even if he felt the cold wind whistling behind him, he had no time to dodge. One knife hit his back; the other, his leg.
With a "crack" sound, Shiller was splashed with blood.
That impact was easy to bear. Blood had dueled on the left front of Shiller's nightgown and the right leg of his trousers. However, as Jack suffered severe injuries, he ran towards Shiller while spurting blood and shouting, "Doctor!! Help!! A madman's trying to kill me!!"
Due to the existence of the Joker virus, such an injury was considered minor for Jack. But as Jack reached Shiller, grabbing onto Shiller's trouser leg, they were both drenched in blood, turning Shiller into a bloody figure.
Shiller took a deep breath, first holding back Killer Croc, who was about to pounce. Then, he pulled the Joker from behind him, and like a court mediator, tried to resolve the conflict between the two.
It was already late at night by the time he convinced Killer Croc to retreat and called the nurse to dress Jack's wounds.
Shiller wanted to clean himself up then and there, but Arkham Hospital was not Rodriguez Manor. It didn't have his personal butler, who could magically produce a clean suit to maintain his tidy appearance no matter what ensued.
Consequently, Shiller could only retreat to his bedroom to wash away the lingering smell of blood. As soon as he entered his room, he saw a figure with pointed ears standing outside the window.
Before Shiller could enter his room, Batman had already pushed the window open. Seeing Shiller covered in blood, Batman froze.
In that moment, in Batman's mind, he had almost pieced together the process of Shiller's recent crime.
Judging from the congealed blood on Shiller's clothes, the blood seemed to have sprayed from bottom to top. Moreover, blood stains on the chest were more congealed than other parts.
This indicated that Shiller likely used a long weapon, or rather, an umbrella knife. He first stabbed his victim in the chest, then, using his foot to pin the victim's chest down, he pierced the victim's throat with the umbrella knife.
No, that's not right, Batman thought. If it was just a straightforward murder, there would not be as many blood stains on his shoes and trouser legs.
Shiller likely conducted certain ferocious actions before killing his victim.
Having considered this, Batman instinctively stepped back, knocked on the nearby window and asked, "... Do you have a moment? I need to ask you something about Dick."
Shiller seemed to have accepted that he and Batman lived on different sleep schedules. So, he didn't fuss about Batman's late-night visit. Instead, he took off his coat drenched in blood at the door, neatly hung it up, and asked, "What's up with Dick?"
Batman did not quickly answer Shiller's question because he noted that Shiller seemed indifferent. Batman realized that he wasn't feeling angry, as he typically did when facing criminals, but rather a sense of fear.
That was extremely abnormal; Batman didn't believe he had anything to fear from any criminal.
Yet, in the face of a creature who could commit inhumane murder and dismemberment with the ease and nonchalance of eating and drinking, anyone would instinctively feel fear.