"At the time, I was taking a grammar class, so I was particularly sensitive to it…well, yes, I admit I'm a bit obsessive-compulsive. It annoyed me that something which was originally perfect had a flaw in it, made me so uncomfortable that I wanted to hit a wall."
Harley pressed her mouth tightly, pulling down the corners of her lips, revealing a very unhappy expression, as if she had swallowed a fly.
Although Gordon was not a serial killer expert like Angela, having been a police officer in Gotham for so many years, he had considerable experience, so he nodded and said, "Indeed, many killers I know have obsessive-compulsive disorder."
"When I spot their grammatical and symbolic errors, I couldn't help but to correct them in my mind. It became a habit over time. Gradually, however, I noticed that these grammatical and symbolic errors followed a pattern."
Harley frowned tightly, staring at the newspaper on the ground, "After I noticed this, I started to investigate what pattern these symbols and grammatical errors had, and why there was a pattern."
"Then, I discovered an astonishing fact, there is an organization I was unfamiliar with, using grammatical and symbolic errors in text content within various sections of newspapers and magazines to communicate."
Harley shook her head and said, "It's not hard at all. The way the errors are made corresponds to a specific word in the erroneous sentence. Extracting all the words that the errors in the sentences point to, could form a coherent sentence. Arranging these sentences according to the number or position of grammatical errors can form an article. It's a very simple text puzzle."
"When I put together these articles, I realized a world unknown to ordinary people was hidden beneath the surface, a world of insanity belonging to serial killers."
"These killers used this method to write their own articles, describing their thoughts behind their actions, including what theme they set for their cases and why."
"Wait!" Gordon interrupted, looking at Harley in surprise, "What do you mean?"
Harley sighed, thought about how to explain, but ultimately decided to use an example to illustrate to ordinary man Gordon how this insane club really operates.
"For example, if someone committed a skinning crime, peeled off the victim's skin and did some processing, they would first choose a pseudonym for themselves, and then decide on a theme for the case."
"It's possible that they'd call themselves the 'Skin Hunter', and the theme of their crime could be 'What lies beneath the human skin?'"
"Of course, a simple sentence of description is not enough, so they must fully elaborate on why they chose this particular theme."
"It might be because they were abused as a child and sexually assaulted by a seemingly kind relative or friend. Or they might have seen animals painfully struggling while being skinned alive during a childhood hunting trip."
"They must give a full account of why they were interested in pursuing this particular study."
"Wait, so the academic research you're talking about is actually murder?!" Gordon raised his tone, as this was brutal even by Gotham's standards.
Harley, however, did not show any signs of guilt. She nodded lightly and then said, "Next, they have to write about their executing process. From my observations, when I first discovered the existence of this club, many killers elaborated on the pain of the victims, taking pride in their own abuse of others."
"But then, a scholar codenamed Professor wrote an article criticizing such shallow academic research and wrote several papers far superior in content, wording, grammar, and innovation. He illustrated a logically consistent argument, demonstrating a dark charm that was unparalleled."
"These papers made a huge impact in the academic community. His profound philosophical thinking, logically closed arguments, and eloquent expressions elevated a previously disorganized third-rate group to the level of academia."
"Since then, the vast majority of serial killers who publish articles have become more academically inclined and introspective."
"They no longer pursued abusing victims, nor emphasized on describing others' pain, but began to rigorously explain their thoughts and views, presenting their minds and souls to everyone, voicing their pain."
"If everyone in this world had to take a philosophy test, it would be easy to distinguish who is a fool. A person's view of the world and his ability to articulate it often shows whether he is intelligent."
Harley's manner of speaking was so rigorous, unlike that of a child her age, and her eloquence surprised Gordon.
"After this academic shift, those chaotic-thought, low-taste, and tedious butchers were ostracized by everyone. All the serial killers began to chase after the Professor's style."
"I'm still a little confused, what is the style of this Professor?" Gordon asked.
Harley showed a reminiscent look, a trace of fanaticism on her face, as if being mesmerized by her own fantasies, she began to speak with a slightly excited tone,
"The professor prefers to dissect himself rather than focus on others, and that's precisely why all serial killers are infatuated with him. Through his writing, he has shown us how a morbid soul manages to survive in this world. That is the stimulus we need."
"He made us realize, the pleasure we gain from torturing others, stems from an inconsistent soul, comes from the morbidity that has been suppressed for years. Everyone who understands and accepts this theory wants to know how he coexists with the other self within him."
Harley took a gentle sigh and said, "The recent spree of serial killings is not an academic discussion at all, but a celebration by those butchers who think they have won and have been expelled from academia."
"Those genuine souls in torment due to their morbidity and talent are all waiting for a new savior."
Harley's gaze fell again onto the newspaper on the floor, then she looked into Gordon's eyes, "And now, they have accepted a new secret code, one set by Batman. Do you know what it means?"
Gordon looked at her silently, Harley's eyes became somewhat misty, like a gemstone soaked in rain.
"This means that the theory developed by Batman in his articles has convinced the majority."
"He will take after the Professor, soothing these restless souls, controlling them, leading them, accepting their sacrifices, telling them the answer."
"We will listen to him, follow him, love him, revere him, recognize him as the Savior and Father ... become his obedient lambs."
With a "snap", a lonely incandescent bulb hanging from the ceiling pierced the darkness of the room. Its harsh light was far from warm, instead, it was rather blinding.
Amanda Waller sat on one side of a table while Schiller Rodriguez sat on the other. A heavy collar was secured around Schiller's neck, fastened to the back of his chair. Amanda held a remote control in her hand and spoke to Schiller, "The lock on your lower jaw will be released, Professor, you can speak now. However, I advise against any attempts to persuade me. Electric shock is rather unpleasurable, isn't it?"
With a "click", the sounds of unlocking echoed. Yet, Schiller remained silent, uttering no words. Amanda peered into his eyes and asked, "Do you think there's nothing left to say with your former student? Or are you ashamed and thus, refusing to talk?"
Amanda's eyes gazed directly into Schiller's, focusing on the pupils partially hidden under the shadow of his eyebrow ridges. She spoke with deliberate emphasis, "You obstructed me in exacting revenge on those maniacs, purely because you were one of them. You colluded with them, and for that, you will pay the price."
"Amanda…"
At the sound of Schiller's deep and hoarse voice, Amanda suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. She gazed at his face again as if she no longer recognized the professor.
Amanda realized her teeth were chattering and her fingertips trembling. Despite desperately trying to suppress her fear, she was still overwhelmed by the panic that surged within her.
"I am truly sorry. Your family died in a gruesome serial murder case, yet I didn't do anything about it for you. More so, I obstructed you from pursuing the killer."
Amanda intently stared into Schiller's eyes with a slightly trembling voice, she said, "You claimed my methods were wrong, but were yours any better?! Schiller, you are the most arrogant lunatic in this world!"
Amanda suddenly brandished a sarcastic smile. She scoffed and said, "Your plan to control and influence them by organizing a serial killer club, it was a complete failure."
"Those maniacs. Within two weeks of you leaving, they completely broke free and started wreaking havoc throughout the Federation."
"Even more ridiculous was their feeble struggle which barely lasted more than a week. Soon after, the case was cracked and the culprits were arrested."
"These arrogant maniacs like yourself, unable to utter any significant exclamations, are going to spend the rest of their lives in the darkness of a high-security prison, just like you."
Schiller subtly raised his head as if he was looking into a non-existent window in the air. He then slightly shook his head and said to Amanda:
"The truly arrogant one here is you, Amanda."
Schiller lowered his gaze and looked at Amanda. There was no resentment in his eyes, despite being well-aware that it was his former student who had orchestrated his capture and subjected him to this cruel sensory deprivation torture.
This realization intensified Amanda's inner fear. She desperately wanted to take control of something to protect herself.
As such, she instinctively pressed the button to administer the electric shock. Schiller twitched violently and groaned in agony.
Unfortunately for Amanda, she saw no pain or anger in his eyes. What she saw filled her with fear. It mirrored the excitement that those maniacs always had right before they made a move, an image that often visited her in nightmares.
"You really are insane." Amanda blurted out.
"But do you know why I went insane?" Schiller retorted.
"Schiller, snap out of it. This isn't a university lecture, nor is it your office. I am interrogating you here!"
"Look, Amanda, this is exactly it. You don't understand me, nor even know me. You don't know what experiences I've had over these years, you don't know how my thinking has changed. You know nothing. And yet, you sit before me, bewildered and afraid of my every move."
"You've truly lost it." Amanda repeated, gritting through her teeth, "Why should I try to understand these maniacs?! They are my enemies! I wish they could be obliterated from existence!"
"But you cannot...argh…"
Amanda's trembling hand gripped the remote control tightly. But the sight of Schiller writhing under her electrocution did nothing to allay her sense of insecurity, her breaths were becoming rapid.
"You damn madmen, you damn serial killers!!! You should be locked up in darkness forever! You should languish in your punishment for life! This is the price you need to pay! Why on earth would I try to understand you?!"
"If you don't understand them, you can't make them feel the pain." Schiller wheezed, "Just like right now, you think that you're punishing me, making me feel pain, but that isn't really the case."
"I know you; you are more insane than they ever were." Amanda stood and walked over to Schiller, peering into his face, "Complete sensory deprivation for an entire week without crying out in pain or your mind showing any signs of confusion. Schiller Rodriguez, your insanity is terrifying!"
"Did you say the serial killers started committing crimes wildly, then suddenly disappeared from view or faced the full force of the law?" Schiller suddenly asked.