Chương 686: Chapter 469: The Three of Us (Part 1)_1

After Shiller had found his old safe hidden underground in the Metropolitan Manor, he had retrieved the "Philby List" that everyone was after. There was also a medal from the Soviet Union, proving that the original Shiller may have had ties to the Soviets.

Now, his former classmate Brand himself admitted that Shiller was indeed a Marxist; not only had he been to East Berlin, but he had also resided in Moscow and joined the KGB, and had even defected from the KGB in the end.

According to Brand, Shiller came to Gotham seeking refuge, precisely to evade the KGB.

That did make sense. Through truth's breadcrumbs, Shiller realized that his predecessor was no ordinary man. Run-of-the-mill adversaries would not necessitate his hiding in this City of Sin, yet if it were the KGB, even the current Shiller would have to tread carefully.

Many people probably don't understand how powerful this organization is. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federal Security Bureau, which evolved from the KGB, is not renowned. But during the Soviet era, the KGB was undeniably the world's top spy organization.

Due to ideological reasons, the Soviet Union was constantly at war with the world, and the KGB was continually battling against spy organizations worldwide. During the existence of the Soviet Union, this spy organization was always beneath the unfavorable odds of fighting many simultaneously. Yet, in the end, all the other countries' combined spy organizations could barely fend off its offensive.

Of course, as it is now 1988, the Soviet Union is confronted with severe internal conflicts, and the economic situation is not as it once was, causing the KGB's past glory to fade. But without a doubt, it remains the world's most outstanding spy organization, bar none.

If the original Shiller had provoked such an entity, it would be entirely normal for him to seek refuge in Gotham.

Nevertheless, there remains a doubt. Previously, in Gotham, Shiller encountered a group from Metropolis who came to cause him trouble. This group was not very professional and did not pose much threat. Shiller speculated that it might be a reconnaissance move from KGB.

Being the world's most powerful spy organization, they would certainly know about the unique circumstances of Gotham. Unlike the CIA's foolish move of directly sending in agents, they chose to incite certain forces from Metropolis to lead the way, which in fact, does make sense.

The sole problem is that the assassin that showed up subsequently was not a KGB agent but Deathstroke.

Shiller did not think that the KGB would hire a freelance mercenary to kill him, especially as Shiller potentially held some intelligence. Yet, Deathstroke went all out, adamant about killing him, a move uncharacteristic of the KGB.

To uncover the answer to this question, the identity of the individual who hired Deathstroke must be revealed. However, dealing with this seasoned mercenary is not easy, especially as he disappears without trace and is unpredictable. Shiller had no time to chase him around the world; contacting him purely depended on luck.

Apart from searching for clues externally, Shiller had another way: to survey his own memory.

Shiller rummaged through the archive room in the Thought Palace for quite a while, but he was very certain that he did not find any memories of his old self working as a spy. There were indeed memories of his growth, education, graduation, work, and involvement in those strange cases, but they were not very vivid.

Shiller could not be sure whether his reincarnation caused this, or if there was any hidden information.

Due to the lack of clues about this, making an accurate judgment was impossible. But since he was not in any immediate danger, Shiller was not in a hurry to investigate.

Even if we take a step back, the Soviet Union as it is now is almost beyond saving. In at most another three years, this country would cease to exist, and no matter how deep Shiller's grievances with the KGB may be, they will vanish into thin air after three years.

In the office of Arkham Mental Hospital, Shiller slowly narrated the events that had happened in Metropolis to Brand.

"...So that's the gist of it. It's rather dramatic, don't you think?"

Brand rolled his eyes in slight annoyance, saying, "Only you would describe a dangerous event filled with power struggles and frequent murder cases as dramatic..."

Brand opened his case file, saying, "I can prescribe some anti-anxiety medication for you. You need to adjust your schedule and relax at home. I suppose, the remaining medical instructions, I don't need to mention..."

"By the way, now that my replacement, Hugo Strange, has become a patient, who is now the chief doctor of Arkham Hospital?"

"Don't even get me started on that." Brand sighed deeply, "After Hugo was admitted, I went to the Mayor and Bruce Wayne, hoping they could help hire a new chief doctor for this hospital."

"Once you arrived here, you hardly communicated with your old teachers and classmates. If it wasn't for the papers you were still publishing, they would have thought you had died in Gotham."

"Hugo was even more outrageous. Not even a week into his work here, he turned from doctor to patient, completely severing ties with his original social circle."

"And I don't even have to mention myself, I barely keep in touch with the outside world, solely to avoid all those troubles."

"Among the three of us, you are the most famous, but Hugo and I aren't half bad. Three renowned psychologists all fell at Arkham Mental Hospital, do you think anyone would dare to come?"

Shiller propped up his chin with his fingers, saying: "As long as the pay is high enough, there should be a few daring souls, right?"

Brand chuckled coldly, "Haven't you realized? Gotham is abnormal. Normal people who visit might become a bit muddled, while those who are originally crazy can only end up as patients."

"Do you think a sane man would dare to risk his life in Gotham?"

"It will take me a week to sort out all the work and then hand it over to the new chief doctor, yet how long can he last in this position? Three days? A week?"

"More importantly, thanks to your infinitely wise administration, we do not have any spare rooms left for insane chief doctors. If we get another lunatic doctor, I'm afraid he'll have to bunk in the washroom."

"In that case, Hugo is relatively lucky?"

"Yes, at least he got the last fixed room. Otherwise, I would have had to lock him in the washroom cubicle."

Shiller sneered, he stood up, straightened his clothes, then said to Brand, "I think you can have a talk with the Mayor. The work of an acting chief doctor should come with a pay raise, right?"

Dr. Brand didn't look up. All he did was roll his eyes at Shiller, "When Victor called me earlier, I didn't think there was something to worry about. But now you seem sicker. You should take your medication."

Shiller shrugged his shoulders, traded some barbs with Brand, then prepared to leave. But as he was about to turn away, Brand called after him,

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. Yesterday, I got a strange call. The person on the other end somehow made my phone's receiver levitate."

"He said he is your friend and was asking for a permanent bed..."

Shiller turned back to Brand, "Don't tell me, his name was Constantine?"

"That's the name. He has a thick British accent, and he stammers, he didn't explain his illness or symptoms clearly, what's going on?"

"If he calls again, give him a piece of your mind and hang up."

Right after Shiller said this, a crisp ring echoed from the desk phone. Shiller and Brand's gaze both fell on the phone.

Brand bobbed his head, cueing Shiller to answer. Shiller hesitated when he reached the phone. He took a piece of tissue to wrap around the receiver, picked it up and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Is this Dr. Brand? It's me, Constantine, the one who called you yesterday, um… can I get treatment there now? I feel a bit…"

"Constantine, listen up. If you want medicine, go to the pharmacy by the East Dock. No discounts here. If you're looking for hookers, go to the Red Light District. We don't have what you want…"

"Um, Shiller? How come you're the one answering? You went back to work?"

Constantine suddenly sobered up, Shiller heard a chaotic background, even gunshots. He heard Constantine muttering to himself,

"Damn it, they're following me again...wait, did I draw the array wrong? Did I drink too much?"

"Oh, wait, wait!... Batman! Don't fight, I didn't do anything, I was just resting here! I didn't break the law, you can't…"

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Bang! Bang——rumble...crash...crash…"

The sounds of violent impacts came from the other end, followed by Constantine gasping, and finally, it quieted down.

Constantine, out of breath, said, "Thank God I run fast, that madman..."

"Are you okay? I need to hang up if there's nothing else."

"No! No! Shiller, for the sake of our friendship, help me out. I'm sick of that damn Batman!"

Before Shiller could question him, Constantine started complaining,

"This Batman guy, he's a psycho. At first, he was stalking me, peeping like some pervert. Even if I wanted to go to the bar or the Red Light District for fun, he'd still follow!"

"Recently, it's gotten worse. He even started infringing on my personal freedom. He'd beat me, kidnap me, God, he definitely wants to kill me!"

"Constantine... you know?" Shiller interrupted in a deep-toned voice, "I've always found Batman's obsession for justice in Gotham and crime fighting a bit much. And his methods... are inefficient too..."

As Constantine was about to agree, Shiller suddenly shifted to an admiring tone,

"But I must say, what he's done recently is really heroic in Gotham. If he manages to kill you, I'll erect a monument for him right in the middle of the roundabout."

"Don't do this, Shiller, let me hide there for a couple of days, really just a couple of days. Once the two days are up, I promise that I won't bother you of all people..."

To Constantine's surprise, Shiller didn't immediately refuse. Instead, he asked, "What the hell did you do to piss off Batman?"

"I didn't... Okay, you know, I'm a very devout believer, so I go to church to worship on the Sabbath…"

"The other believers must really be thanking you. God must have seen Constantine worshiping, grabbed his cross, and left heaven overnight."

Constantine snorted through his nose, "Quit joking. Seriously, when I was at church praying, I happened to find out something was off about their basement. To ensure the safety of all believers, I naturally had to investigate…"

"How much did you make off with?"

"Just a small bottle. Is Batman... No, I didn't. No... I mean, I don't know what you're talking about..."

Shiller chuckled. Constantine joined in with a nervous laugh over the phone, and then he heard Shiller say menacingly,

"There's no cure, you're a goner."

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