Chapter 3350: Chapter 2491: The Battle for the Cloak (Part 10)_2

"What's wrong, Professor?"

"It's nothing." Shiller turned his head and smiled at Poison Ivy, which took her aback. This smile was very gentle, completely unlike the stern professor she had seen before. What was going on?

Poison Ivy felt that something was off, but her sensations were vague, and she couldn't pinpoint exactly why. However, her condition was not good; her energy was solely focused on regaining her strength, plus she had to hold up an umbrella for fear of a sneak attack from the plants nearby, so she didn't bother to ask any further questions.

Once inside, Shiller first went to find Scarecrow. Of course, after Scarecrow had schemed with fear gas and orchestrated a terror attack, Batman of the Arkham Universe had locked him up in the most secure cell. Nevertheless, after his trial, Scarecrow still escaped punishment due to his mental illness.

However, now-President Bruce Wayne wasn't so easy to deal with. Since his identity had been made public, he could take certain measures against these criminals—measures that Wayne would take—and no one would object.

The exterior of Arkham Asylum remained unchanged, but the interior was thoroughly transformed. All the medical equipment in the wards had been updated to state-of-the-art, and security was entirely managed by emotionless machines. As a result, to this day, not a single criminal had successfully escaped.

This provided Shiller with a great convenience because he could gather most of the Gotham villains all at once, instead of having to chase them down individually at their own hideouts.

Seeing Scarecrow again, Poison Ivy was still visibly annoyed; she certainly still resented this damned psycho for causing her to follow Peter Parker, that little madman, all over the place all night, ending up with nothing to show for it.

"You go in by yourself," Poison Ivy said with a touch of disdain, leaning against a wall, "It's not that I don't want to help you, but if you intend to discuss something with him, I'd only ruin the negotiation atmosphere."

Shiller said nothing and walked in—he, of course, had obtained a pass the moment he entered this place, one with the highest security clearance. And Poison Ivy was no longer surprised by this.

The conversation between Shiller and Scarecrow surprisingly didn't last long. Moreover, they both walked out of the cell together. Scarecrow didn't even attack them in an attempt to escape immediately upon leaving; instead, he shook hands with Shiller and said, "Pleasure doing business with you, Professor. I think this will be a remarkable show."

"Indeed it will, Doctor Jonathan. See you later."

Poison Ivy watched Scarecrow's departing figure with some astonishment, then turned her gaze to Shiller and asked, "What did you talk to him about?"

"Just some things of mutual interest," he replied.

"Such as?"

"Art, and Batman." Shiller said, "Do you enjoy watching plays? Do you have any favorite ones?"

"I've seen some 'Shakespeare,' but I never finish them," Poison Ivy chatted casually as they walked upstairs, "There's always some part in his tragedies or comedies that I find tedious. Whenever I reach those parts, I fall asleep. It happens every time, so I never know the full story."

"Maybe that's a way of appreciating it," Shiller suggested. "Testing whether you can hold out longer next time is also a unique interest."

"You're getting stranger by the minute," Poison Ivy remarked. "You seem like a different person. Your style of speaking is completely unlike before, and it doesn't seem as if your mood has suddenly improved to make you more amiable. I thought at least you would've brought up students sleeping in your lectures."

"Relax, I slept during lectures too," Shiller shrugged and said. "As long as you pass the exams, it doesn't matter how."

Poison Ivy felt there was an underlying message in his words, but they sounded ordinary, as if anyone who had been to college could say them. She couldn't find anything concretely wrong with them.

Shiller then visited the wards of other criminals like Mr. Freeze, Professor Pig, Clayface, and more. To Poison Ivy's surprise, Shiller got along quite well with them, managing to soothe their irritation and restlessness from the stringent security restrictions and even securing courteous farewells as they left.

"What kind of magic soup did you feed them?" Poison Ivy mused, watching the departing figure of Bane. She knew this giant was devoid of emotion. What kind of promise could have swayed him?

Shiller shook his head, his tone now softer than any Poison Ivy had heard from him before.

"If they cared about their interests, they wouldn't be here after all, who benefits from being in prison?"

"How did you convince them then?"

"Still the same answer, how did they end up here?"

"That's a no-brainer," Poison Ivy instinctively replied, "Of course, it was Batman who caught them."

"And why did Batman have to catch them?"

"Because they committed crimes, of course."

"And why did they commit crimes?"

"That's hard to say," Poison Ivy looked away, "because they are crazy."

Shiller shook his head again, "People often say you are crazy, do you think you are?"

"Of course not."

"If the culprit who polluted these plants appeared before you now, what would you do?"

"I would chop him up and feed him to the plants."

Shiller stared at Poison Ivy, who averted her gaze.

"All the criminals here are the same, they want something, but their mad logic is beyond the understanding of ordinary people. Thus, their insane actions seem illogical to others, who call them mad."

"But that's not necessarily the case," Shiller said, "They have their desires, the means to fulfill them, and they need help along the way. If someone can discern their desires and is willing to help them, they would naturally be willing to cooperate."

"Just spit it out," Poison Ivy pressed her temples, "Stop beating around the bush, I have a headache."

"Do you think they would very much like Batman to die?"

"Probably, after all, it's Batman who locked them up here."

"On the contrary, because Batman went to such lengths to lock them up so securely, they absolutely cannot allow Batman to die by someone else's hand."

Poison Ivy seemed to understand, "If that lunatic who polluted the plants appeared before me, and someone else wanted to kill him, I would definitely kill that person first, because only I have the right to judge him, only I can claim vengeance for the plants."

"Exactly, madam, and if the person who killed Batman also boasts of ascending the throne of Gotham, and I just happen to have a splendid welcome drama here that requires each one of them to play a significant role, turning this act of vengeance into a performance for Batman, what do you think they would do?"

Poison Ivy gazed into Shiller's eyes, she suddenly noticed that when Shiller's eyebrows drooped, his eyes became gentler, more refined, and slightly melancholic.

If Poison Ivy had to describe this quality, she would say he looked like an artist filled with sorrow for the world.

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