章 1706: Chapter 1156: Professor (19)_1
The Shiller sitting on the sofa was taken aback, as a strange figure clad in a black skull mask burst through the door, a handgun in both hands. The gun was pointed at Gordon, who was seated on a couch to the side.
Upon seeing this familiar mask, Shiller suddenly remembered. Isn't this the infamous villain Black Mask from DC?
He was described as infamous, not well-known, because Black Mask's popularity couldn't be compared to that of the four most famous villains-- Joker, Penguin Man, Riddler, Two-Face. He wasn't entirely a villain who depended on intelligence, and his setup overlapped with another villain's.
"Rhomann." Shiller called out his name. Even if he didn't already know, he could tell from the man's voice that the Black Mask was actually Rhomann Sionis, the young man who had earlier sought a recommendation letter from Shiller, but was actually the killer behind the hospital murders.
Black Mask seemed entirely unprepared for Shiller's presence. The hand holding his gun wavered, unsure of whom to aim at. But Gordon's face darkened, and he glared coldly at Black Mask, saying,
"Mr. Sionis, stop your games. What are you planning to do? Take me down with that little handgun?"
Gordon slowly rose from the couch. He didn't reach for the gun at his waist, but calmly stood his ground. Staring into Rhomann's eyes beneath the mask, he said: "Do you really understand what you're doing? You're going to ruin everything the Sionis Family now holds!"
"Do you really think I care?!". Black Mask raised his voice: "That old bastard, just like you, all deserve to die!"
"Another tragic product of family education." Shiller shook his head, taking a drag on his cigarette. "Children educated with violence only understand violence and succumb to authority all their lives, always wanting to establish authority with violence."
"Shut up!!!" Black Mask shouted, turning his gaze upon Shiller. Full of caution, he said, "You really are a tough nut to crack! So, you've figured it out back when I was at Arkham Mental Hospital that I intentionally got myself arrested, that's why you're waiting here..."
"No, I didn't," Shiller denied earnestly before adding, "though I did wonder back then how a serial killer could have such poor psychological qualities. If you were pretending, then it all makes sense."
But the caution in Black Mask's eyes didn't fade. He didn't trust Shiller's words at all. He just thought that Shiller is an exceptional actor, showing no signs of pretending.
In reality, it wasn't his imagination running wild. The main problem had already been addressed. In Gotham, one would ask how does a person survive in such a dangerous environment without a robust physique, fierce disposition, or sufficient firepower?
A tall, thin scholar with an elegant demeanor and overflowing bookish aura didn't seem like someone who could thrive so effortlessly in a chaotic city like Gotham. Anyone claiming complete ignorance or obliviousness towards it all wouldn't fool anyone.
Black Mask certainly didn't consider himself a fool, so he didn't believe a single word from Shiller.
Moreover, his plan to get arrested and then kidnap Chief Gordon, with Shiller conveniently in Gordon's parlor… could there really be such a coincidence?
Therefore, Black Mask was on high alert; he did not swivel his gun barrel, keeping it pointed at Gordon, while intensely watching Shiller: "Since you came here beforehand, you must have a way to deal with me, right?"
"I sure do," Shiller nodded. Just as Black Mask directed all his attention at Shiller, Shiller turned to look at Gordon, Saying,
"Apparently, he allowed himself to be arrested by you just to sneak inside the police station and bypass the tight external firepower. But I think you can handle him. If not, I can call Batman for you."
Gordon opened his mouth in surprise. He took another look at Black Mask, sneered, and said: "Haven't I dealt with all sorts of criminals? I won't need Batman's help dealing with this kid."
Finished talking, he drew the gun from his waist. Like cowboys in a Western-style showdown, they stared each other down, ready to pounce. But then, Shiller suddenly got up, clapped his hands, drawing their attention, and said,
"Gentlemen, I don't think we necessarily need such violent methods to solve problems, right? We could sit down and talk it through."
Shiller slowly walked between them. Gordon glanced at him, cleared his throat, and said, "I have nothing to talk about with such a remorseless criminal. Even if he is the young master of the Sionis family, he must pay for his crimes!"
At the sight of his determined expression, Shiller shook his head helplessly. He turned to Black Mask, speaking in a gentler tone "Rhomann, I believe you're not as evil as you portray yourself to be. If some trouble has forced you into this, you could vent about it. As a psychologist, I'd be more than willing to talk with you..."
"Hypocrite." Black Mask judged, a slanting glance at Shiller walking by his side. He said icily, "You only care for Bruce Wayne. He's rich. What a psychology professor you are, nothing but a lapdog following the world's richest nugget! Just like those greedy chasers, hoping for something from Bruce Wayne."
Shiller continued to pace at ease, initially by Black Mask's side, then slowly behind him..."It seems you care about Bruce quite a lot, aren't you two friends?"
"Friends?" Black Mask sneered. "He's the most disgusting kind of person. I could never be..."
"Bang!"
Black Mask, halfway through his sentence, was knocked flat on the floor. Behind him, Shiller, who was holding half of a broken vase, shook his head, "You really didn't think I'd notice that you were dragging out time, right?"
Black Mask, lying on the ground, was covered in blood, shards of the vase scattered next to him. Just as he was about to get up, Shiller stepped on his back. Thus, he could only stay plastered on the floor, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, "It's too late, I will make Batman regret this for the rest of his life!"
"You have a partner, don't you?" Although Shiller phrased it as a question, he was actually asserting. "Your common target is not me but Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman."
"You staged a murder at the hospital, exploiting the fact that both Doctor Richard and I are doctors and serial killers to mislead Batman. This led him to believe that the theme of your serial killing case revolves around doctors, who happen to be serial killers."
"Upon that, your accomplice began to call me, leading me to believe that you were targeting me and that Batman was irrelevant, causing both Batman and me to let our guards down."
"Soon after, you presented yourself in front of me, performing a rage filled with ignorance and a self-reveal of your actions."
"You intentionally got arrested to attend the police station, escaped from detention from within, pretended to kidnap Gordon to pin down Gordon and the Gotham Police Department, allowing your partner to do something to Batman."
Shiller shook his head lightly, "You guys always like to conjure up these complicated plans, but I prefer the straightforward approach."
Just as Gordon stepped forward to do something, Shiller picked up the upper half of the vase and whacked it against the back of Black Mask's head. After the "thud," Black Mask stopped moving completely.
Gordon swallowed, retracting his foot, while Shiller looked at him and said, "....hand me your gun."
Gordon hesitated for an instant, "I thought you don't use guns?"
Regardless, he unholstered his sidearm, and added, "Apologies, I don't have time to find you a new one right now. Besides, a brand-new gun isn't any good. I think my gun suits you just fine."
What surprised Gordon was that Shiller took the gun directly, not bothering to wear gloves or spray any disinfectant. He simply put it in his coat pocket.
Not until Shiller waved at Gordon and walked out of the Gotham Police Department did Gordon, leaning against the door frame, look at his departing silhouette with a shake of his head in bewilderment.
Mounting his vehicle, Shiller turned on the ignition, driving out of the police station parking lot. He had a clear destination in mind, but it was neither the Wayne Manor nor the Batcave.
Shiller took a turn in his car and drove onto a ramp southeast of the central roundabout, heading towards Dick's school.
It was clear that if Black Mask and his gang intended to target Batman himself, they wouldn't have devised such a complicated plot. They could have gone straight to Batman.
The reason they wished to numb Batman and Shiller was that they certainly did not plan to face off directly. This group of serial killers didn't care for the spirit of duelling. They only wanted to launch a surprise attack on their opponent, physical or psychological.
Without a doubt, hurting someone important to Batman would deal him a great blow. There aren't many people close to Batman, and Catwoman, Gordon, and the child staying at Wayne Manor could all be their targets.
However, their first round of plans was to ambush both Gordon's police station and Dick's school, pulling Batman in two directions, with the hope of keeping Batman from saving both.
Shiller believed that their other target was Dick and not Catwoman because, judging from their selection of Gordon, they seemed to lack confidence in their abilities. Otherwise, they would have chosen to target Shiller, Batman's teacher.
Since they chose ordinary people like Gordon, their other target was likely to be Dick, also an ordinary person, rather than Catwoman, a skilled fighter.
Even if they indeed chose Catwoman, she should be able to hold off for quite a while. Comparatively, Dick is much more vulnerable, so Shiller decided to check on Dick first.
And reality proved Shiller's judgment correct. When he arrived at Dick's school, most of the students had left, and the lights in all the classrooms were out. However, there was only one window still lit, behind which two figures confronted each other.
Shiller pushed open the classroom door and was stunned by the scene inside.
In the middle of the classroom, Dick was tied to a chair. It seemed that he hadn't been injured, just immobilized and gagged.
At the front and back of the classroom stood two identical Batmans – the physique, looks, costumes, facial expressions, all exactly the same.
Stunned, Shiller stayed rooted to the spot.
What was happening? Real vs. fake Monkey King? A China-U.S. co-production ready to hit the screens?
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