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95.59% Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics / Chapter 4100: Chapter 3209: The Detective's Death (23)

章節 4100: Chapter 3209: The Detective's Death (23)

What troubled Shiller was Night Owl.

Night Owl was no good person, belonging to the ranks of Evil Batman, and he continuously attracted Bruce's attention.

Yet, his identity was ironically that of a police officer, and logically speaking, American police shouldn't have arrived so early. His premature appearance suggested ulterior motives.

Shiller wasn't too clear if Night Owl knew Bruce was also playing the game when he fabricated his backstory. If he knew, he definitely would have crafted a backstory that aligned with Bruce, naturally positioning himself by Bruce's side.

However, the identity of a police officer was crucial, as many files could only be accessed at the police station, and police naturally held the right to interrogate. To clarify what was happening in the village, using law enforcement authority for direct investigation was the simplest approach.

But if Night Owl was also a corrupt cop with the intention to silence them, that would be an enormous problem.

Night Owl was purely a brother-controller, and Bruce completely dominated in this respect. Shiller knew he himself wasn't particularly skilled at attracting attention, making it nearly impossible to win over Night Owl.

Given this, he had to prepare for the worst-case scenario— the demise of the Primary Universe Batman right there, as he and the Pale Knight would stand together against the remaining three.

Don't ask Shiller why he didn't just join if he couldn't win. As long as the opposing faction harbored Greed, he could never join because Greed spared no Shiller equally.

Thinking this, Shiller stood up and said, "All of those who can stand, let's go."

The crowd turned their heads and looked at him. Shiller added, "Besides Mr. Hunter here, the rest of us are not severely injured. If we all leave, there's nothing valuable left here to attack."

"Are you going to abandon him?" Pale Knight frowned at Shiller.

"A professional Doctor has already given an answer," Shiller replied. "There's no saving him. It's completely irrational to slow down our investigation for a doomed man."

"I disagree," Pale Knight said. "Since you can heal our spirits, there must surely be a way to heal the body. It's too early to talk about giving up now."

"I also disagree," Greed said. "Mr. Hunter was severely injured while covering our retreat. From a humanitarian perspective, we can't just leave him here."

Shiller wasn't even sure who the villains were anymore— why did it seem like he was the cold-hearted one?

"Then you can stay with him," Shiller said. "And pray that the Wandering hasn't attached to him, so it won't snap your neck the moment he turns into a corpse."

"I'll stay and look after him," Night Owl stated. "Our injuries are the most severe among everyone. If we stay to recuperate, the situation might improve quite a bit. And if we do get attacked, your losses wouldn't be so great."

Everyone fell silent. It seemed like a solution with no other choice. The soon-to-be-deceased Primary Universe Batman and Night Owl, who had lost half an arm, were of the least value among them all, barely possessing any combat capability. Even if something unexpected occurred, it wouldn't really weaken the team.

"Now isn't the time for your grand gestures of kindness, young master," Shiller said looking at Greed. "If you really want to do something, go take their last portrait."

After saying this, Shiller turned and walked towards the door. Greed, with an angry expression, threw the half-piece of bread in his hand aside, seeming to have lost all appetite.

Everyone but Night Owl gradually followed Shiller out. Greed, last to exit, left the small room with just Night Owl and Primary Universe Batman remaining.

Shiller first went upstairs, searched the room where Jeff had stayed, but found nothing.

Then he moved to the third floor, to the room with the animal trap, crouched down to release and pick up the trap, and brought it back downstairs to place at the entrance of the stairs, as he explained.

"In case the Wandering really has possessed Mr. Hunter and controls his body after death to leave the room, the sound of the trap can alert us and also buy time."

"Do you think he'll come up here looking for us?" Pale Knight's brow never relaxed; he always found Shiller somewhat strange.

"A monster's goal is to kill. Rather than leaving the lighthouse to go to the village, it's faster to just trap us upstairs," Shiller said as he ascended the stairs. "Killing us wouldn't prevent him from returning to the village to kill later."

Pale Knight could only reluctantly accept this reasoning. After a moment of thought, he proposed, "Should we have someone keep watch downstairs?"

"Do you think any of you can defeat the Wandering?"

Shiller's retort stumped Pale Knight, but it made perfect sense; the remaining few weren't fighters. They might handle a corpse in coordinated action, but single combat was out of the question.

"Then let's send two people," Greed suggested. "Two people downstairs to guard, and three upstairs to explore. This arrangement should be just right."

As his words fell, he saw the dark muzzle of a gun pointed at his forehead. Shiller, standing on the upper stairs, turned around, pointing a shotgun downward directly at his brow, and said, "You'd better keep quiet during the next exploration."

Greed nervously said, "Aren't you afraid that monsters might possess me, and using firearms on me would curse you too?"

"I am actually a clergyman. Madeline's conclusion is wrong; attacking monsters with firearms does not result in a curse."

By then, Shiller had figured everything out. Among all established settings, the only reliable sources were the rules directly told by the Transcendent and the introductory animation. Anything else appearing in the game could potentially be a deception devised by others to weaken their opponents.

For instance, the notion that firearms shouldn't be used to attack monsters was merely based on Madeline's research. No one knew Madeline's true standing in the academic world; it was likely that she was merely a character in a background story fabricated by some player.

Besides using her to enhance his own origin story, she was also used to articulate their self-set rules through her voice.

And the rule barring firearms for attacking monsters evidently interacted with the possession rules of the Wanderers.

Knowing that using guns on monsters could lead to curses, and that Wanderers could possess anyone unpredictably, would deter the armed from shooting their companions—what if they hit a Wanderer and were cursed?

Everyone had different initial items at the start, but as soon as they watched the opening sequence, it was evident that some would have guns. The saying goes, shooting monsters might not cause much damage, but it sure does threaten people effectively.

Thus, there would certainly be those, in order to even out the disparity with those armed, who would think of ways to diminish the threat of firearms to the minimum.

They couldn't prevent the gun holders from firing through background stories, but they could invent rules that gave gun holders pause.

This way, relying on firearms to gain the most influence in the team would be difficult, while the unarmed could more smoothly contest for influence.

When creating background stories, although one wouldn't know if others had guns, their own identity could suggest whether they were armed—professions like painters or photographers were unlikely to possess firearms.

Therefore, the person who set the rule about firearms invoking curses on monsters must be someone without a gun.

Although there were many possibilities, Shiller believed it was the work of Greed.

Fortunately, though Arrogant didn't flesh out his background story well, his profession was a significant advantage. Clergy trained by the Church in the field of monsters were the authority.

If he said using firearms was safe, then it was safe. Anyone who disagreed would have to provide examples, but their identities and professions meant they couldn't, as it would be ridiculous for a photographer to know more about monsters than a priest, wouldn't it?

Shiller realized that his advantage wasn't any fabricated backstory but his current statements. No one present had the professional knowledge or background to refute him; any attempt to speak up would be silenced.

With this realization, Shiller's steps lightened a bit. He retracted his gun, turned around, and ascended the stairs. He glanced again at the spot where the nameplate fell, illuminated by the light streaming through the windows. There seemed to be traces of glue on the ceiling.

Thus, the nameplate wasn't thrown here by some supernatural power but was instead stuck to the ceiling and had fallen.

If this was a trap set by Greed, fabricating it as a frame-up against Nya, he had to establish in the background story a reason why someone had to do this.

The Hunting Dog on the first floor, the animal trap in the room, the tripwire mechanism in the storehouse seemed to be traps left by the Lighthouse's Guardian to deal with Invaders.

Thus, the nameplate could also be a trap, though its potential lethality was not apparent. Could it also involve a curse?

Wait, Shiller suddenly thought, could the hotel's world view and their current game universe actually coincide?

The hotel too housed various anomalies and monsters with corresponding restrictions. Although it was eventually proven to be Nya's conspiracy, the Transcendent could easily transfer that universe's worldview here—having boldly copied and pasted Arrogant's skills, what wouldn't he dare do?

If that were the case, then the entire world now resembled a giant hotel, with the previously anomaly-filled hotel rooms morphing into cities or villages.

If the worldview was copied by the Transcendent, he likely wouldn't apply it mechanically but would find a logical explanation for the pervasive anomalies and monsters.

Could he set the hotel as the origin of the anomaly's spread?

If that eerie hotel had truly existed in this world's history, then the 1913 nameplate wasn't an item thrown across worlds but an antique of this universe, its presence in the Lighthouse unexplained.

Shiller pulled out the nameplate from his pocket, staring intently, but could discern no clues.

And if the hotel's rules still applied here, then could he, by nailing this nameplate in its designated location, re-enter the mysterious 1913 room?

What lies in that room? And how does it relate to the current state of this world?


next chapter

章節 4101: Chapter 3210: The Detective Will Die (24)

Returning to the staircase, Shiller glanced upstairs, Greed following closely behind him as if the prior awkwardness was nothing to be concerned about, two Jokers trailing him, with Bruce bringing up the rear.

As they climbed the stairs, Greed fell back a couple of steps to Bruce's side and said to him, "I noticed you didn't eat much, are you okay?"

"I'm alright," Greed nodded and asked, "What about you? How's your hand?"

Bruce looked down at his hand, remembering how he had botched the healing earlier, resulting in a superficial cut, but nothing serious.

As soon as they reached the fourth floor, Shiller once again smelled a familiar, foul stench—the same rotten fish smell that was so overpowering it consumed all his attention.

He stopped at the top of the stairs, standing to the side, and told the others as they continued upward, "You go in front."

"What do you mean by this?!" Greed exclaimed. "You want us to be your cannon fodder?"

"Exactly, right now only two people have guns, other than me the other's shooting speed won't be faster than mine, so you'd better move it."

The others moved sluggishly to the front, Shiller's actions were a precaution against inadvertently triggering a dice roll and suffering a great failure that could severely injure him, his wounded shoulder was lesson enough.

Greed trudged forward, pinching his nose, but as he neared the room from which the stench emanated, he couldn't bear it any longer and retched.

Joker doubled over, vomiting, evidently disgusted beyond tolerance, as the others showed their discomfort—the smell in the hallway was beyond what humans could endure.

Upon entering the room, Shiller saw it was littered with fish, and beside them lay the bodies of a woman with a burst stomach and a man with a slit throat, blood, excrement, and bits of innards were everywhere—it was chaos.

Clear signs of struggle indicated to Shiller that the two deceased likely fought each other, with the man probably attempting to kill the woman but ending up killed by her instead.

Strangely, after killing him, the woman didn't dispose of the bodies or flee but rather, like the corpse in the cabin kitchen, consumed an excessive amount of raw fish and for reasons unknown, her stomach burst open.

Shiller first checked the man's body, who wore a plaid shirt with callused hands. As Shiller searched his pockets, he found a few screws.

Black dice rolled again, no doubt a great failure, but Shiller had stepped aside after checking the body, so at worst, it meant no clues were found.

Shiller thought as much, but after the dice settled, the body moved.

It was almost laughable for Shiller—to think this was even more effective than necromancy! If he turned all the bodies' pockets out now, rolling failures each time, he could become the most flamboyant necromancer in the world.

"The fight begins..."

The muffled voice came again, without specifying what constituted victory, Shiller resigned himself to the side, waiting for time to stop and the round to begin.

When time did stop, Greed said sarcastically, "Didn't you say it's fine to shoot monsters with guns? Go ahead, shoot one now!"

Shiller lifted the shotgun, aimed, "Bang!"

The bullet hit the corpse square in the chest.

Everyone was taken aback.

Wait, dude, you actually shot?

Then the dark barrel of the gun was pointing at Greed.

"Hold on!" Greed held up a hand, "Don't shoot! Let me explain first!"

"Don't waste the bullets," Bruce, realizing Shiller wasn't Arrogant, said, "We'll handle the monster first."

"It's not about the monster right now," Shiller's thoughts weren't following theirs, "If you don't explain yourselves, I can assure you this will be the last time I stop time."

"Don't be rash," Bruce said, "You're not the only one here with a gun; you can't always threaten us with it."

"You know I'm Shiller, so you should understand that threatening you with a gun is the most gentle approach I've chosen," Shiller then turned the gun towards Bruce.

Greed quickly pulled Bruce aside and whispered in his ear, "Don't provoke him; this isn't Arrogant."

"Then who is he?" Bruce whispered back.

"Didn't he tell you? Just a regular detective."

"He's an agent?! You've been an agent too???"

"That's old news," Greed said.

Bruce pursed his lips, now they were in a bit of trouble.

Agents are quite peculiar creatures, whose life creed is to never back down and not be responsible.

In their first training session upon joining, it's emphasized that they can't show weakness, not ever, because they represent not just themselves but the law enforcement authority behind them.

Once an agent yields to someone, it means all agents can bow to everyone, and the authority to enforce the law becomes a joke.

Agents are always taught never to show weakness, even if it exacerbates the conflict. Responsibility doesn't lie with them but with the others who refuse to back down. They end up facing more accusations because of it.

At least that's how all American agents are trained, and this includes the police and military because all these law enforcement agencies are nothing more than machines for maintaining stability. They bear no mission of national survival and development; they're just the cutting blades of the American meat grinder.

Agents don't negotiate. Either you listen to them, or you go talk to their superiors so that their superiors listen to you. There is no other way to deal with them, even if you once held the highest position in this country. Facing them only leaves room for temporary tactics.

"This is trouble," Bruce said, "He only has one bullet left. Who do you think he'll pop, you or me?"

"He could pop you first then use that knife to kill me," Greed said, "I don't think we have much room to resist. What do you think?"

Bruce hadn't actually seen Shiller in action. He was the type who wouldn't cry until he saw the coffin, believing in his capability until death. But today that wasn't possible since he couldn't see anything.

"Stay calm, sir," the pale knight stepped forward, "We have a common enemy now. There's no need to create discord over minor frictions. They just wanted to take care of the injured when they objected to your choice of exploration. And haven't they followed you out here? Since they've chosen to take the risk, there's no point in holding a grudge."

Shiller slowly lowered his gun.

Greed immediately glanced at the pale knight, realizing Shiller's intention to win him over. At this point, Bruce asked, "What's the deal with this guy? He reminds me of a young Joker?"

"He is the Joker," Greed said.

That doesn't seem right, Bruce shook his head. Though he was blind now, he had been able to see before, and this guy's every move didn't seem like someone from the lower classes but more like a well-educated heir.

"It's complicated," Greed went on, "But he saved Gotham."

"What?!" Bruce mentally added, "Another master? Which faction's general is he?"

"Don't pretend to care," Night Owl suddenly said, "If you truly wanted to protect them, you should have agreed to their proposal to stay behind. The doctor is too valuable to risk like this."

Hearing Night Owl speak for him, Bruce breathed a sigh of relief, not for the current situation, but because he was glad Arrogant wasn't here; otherwise, Night Owl could have been thoroughly confused.

Shiller turned the gun to Night Owl, and Night Owl drew his own handgun on Shiller.

The pale knight had already moved beside Shiller; he looked at Night Owl and said, "You're nothing like Batman. I don't know where you're an imposter from, but the Batman below, even in death, is a thousand times more noble than you."

Bruce thought to himself that the knight was no less provocative, but they couldn't keep arguing like this. It wasn't time for things to fall apart.

Just as he was about to speak up, the pale knight turned to him and said, "You're no different. Both of you are cut from the same cloth. You're evil. He's useless. Together, you're evil and useless."

Bruce's anger flared up. He looked at the pale knight and said, "What about you? A madman disguised as a champion of justice? Do you think you're that useful?"

"I tend to agree with him," Joker said, smirking sinisterly from the side, but his eyes were on Bruce, clearly agreeing with the pale knight's view, "You're like a child who hasn't been weaned. Does that make you unusually proud? Good thing you have plenty of mommies."

Bruce took a deep breath as Greed quickly grabbed hold of him.

Seeing Greed's action, Shiller understood; the one he really needed to win over wasn't the evil Batman Night Owl, but Joker.

Night Owl wasn't a crazy Batman; he was rational, evil in a lawful to neutral way, not the chaotic evil of the Joker.

Joker never truly cooperates with anyone, not even against Batman. He doesn't need teammates, and if Greed can make him take action once or twice, it's only because the outcome will entertain him, not because he actually considers the team's interests.

Shiller quickly figured it all out.

What's at the core of Joker's interests? Of course, it's always tormenting Batman.

Out of the three Batmen present, one had defected, one had gone mad; only one was left normal, and of course, Joker would choose to torment the normal one.

So, the Primary Universe Batman was the first to fall.

Though Greed might be the mastermind behind the scenes, Joker would certainly have exerted a great deal of effort to bring down the Batman most like the real one.

If Joker had indeed replaced the dice, his aim was to prevent Bruce from healing the Primary Universe Batman; he wanted the Primary Universe Batman to suffer.

But if this objective was unmet, there would be no basis for cooperation between him and Greed — in fact, it could even lead to them turning against each other.

"Batman is dying," Shiller suddenly said to Joker, "Is this what you wanted? To let him die inexplicably at the start of the game?"

"Isn't that perfect?" Joker sneered, "So many people here waiting to be saved, so many mysteries waiting to be solved, yet he can do nothing. He can only leave this beautiful world with his belly full of questions."

Shiller knew immediately — this was Joker's design. For a detective terminally ill with curiosity, to leave the world with the mystery unsolved and the murderer uncaught was indeed torture.

"No," Shiller said, "For a detective, being powerless is more painful than death."

"He's powerless now."

"He's only dying, not devoid of wisdom or means. If he dies now and watches our game unfold, he'll only feel that he could have done better if he were here."

Joker's face darkened.

"Only if he's here can you prove he's powerless. If he dies, he'll forever be the greatest detective."


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