Chapter 1197 Cry of the Lamb (Nine)_2

Davis dropped his gaze, cleared his throat, and said: "According to the information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Shiller may possess some abilities that defy common sense. Our current measures to confine him might not be effective."

Amanda Waller shook her head again and said: "You still don't understand these madmen—the more insane they are, the more fragile they become. They want their souls to stand up and are therefore never afraid to kneel in physical submission."

"To achieve intellectual victory, they would willingly eliminate all external distractions to ensure the environment for their debates remains pure."

"They disdain brute force to break the status quo, believing that it serves as proof of the inferiority of their ideas—they respond to it with nothing but furious bluster."

Amanda cast a sideways glance at Davis: "Whatever strict containment measures you put in place are essentially pointless. If he doesn't want to be here, you could never hold him. But since he's already here, no punishment will make him leave before obtaining the answers he seeks."

Davis shrugged: "I am just doing my job, Amanda. You must know how many people are watching this project. You won't let them down, will you?"

Amanda turned her head away, so Davis didn't see the flash of disgust in her eyes. Both of them looked towards the room behind the wall.

Shiller's muzzle had not been removed; he still couldn't speak. William handed him a stack of paper and a pen, asking him to write with his handcuffed hands.

"Hello Professor Rodriguez, we meet again, how have you been these days?" William smiled at Shiller, but his question was purely rhetorical.

In the past week, Shiller had experienced complete sensory deprivation.

Though this lasted only for a week, reliable experimental data analysis shows that the loneliness and darkness one experiences could feel approximately 20 times longer in the mind—in other words, Shiller experienced roughly five months of tormenting solitude.

"I'm fine," Shiller wrote on the paper.

"It seems like your mental state is far from its limit. I am very surprised, seeing as out of all the prisoners who arrived with you, three have already gone completely insane. We are currently comforting them and providing professional mental health treatment," William added, always expressing amusement in his words but with mockingly sinister eyes.

"Since you appear to be in a healthy mental state, I suppose continuing this confinement for another month should not be a problem, right?"

The smirk on William's face was turning wicked. He stood up, resting his hands on the table, and his shadow fell over Shiller.

He looked down at Shiller's eyes and said: "Professor Shearer, you've probably forgotten about one particular research application you denied at Columbia University."

"In the response you sent me, you dismissed my thesis as worthless. Now, I hold a PhD from the Harvard University Department of Psychology, while you're merely a fallen prisoner."

Shiller frowned, seemingly trying to recall which of the many applications he had reviewed was William's, but his unfocused gaze indicated that he could not remember.

William's facial expression turned dark, unable to bear this disregard any longer, he fiercely slammed the button on the table.

The special collar around Shiller's neck suddenly lit up and a surge of electricity flowed through it. Shiller spasmed briefly, leaning on the table with one arm to prevent collapsing.

Shiller shrugged, dipped his head low towards the table, his rapid breathing was the only indication that he was still awake.

William stood up, his hand still on the button, a smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. He said:

"Professor, you look like a drowning dog, but I don't mind. I can make you even more pitiful. This is the price you must pay for your arrogance."

After saying this, William pressed the button again. Shiller convulsed on the table, letting out a stifled groan.

After a few dozen seconds, a trembling hand covered in veins extended to one side, shakily writing in skewed lettering on the paper:

"Do they let you do this?"

With a bout of laughter, William responded: "You're merely a prisoner. Your mental evaluation depends entirely on my conclusion."

"They wouldn't mind me using a little force to get you to cooperate. You surely don't believe that anyone would offend me on behalf of a prisoner like you?"

A deep, mocking laugh escaped from Shiller's chest, sounding slow and steady.

William's hand hovered over the button once again, about to apply force.

The next second, the door swung open with a "bang", and Amanda Waller followed by Davis stepped out. Dressed in a full-length suit, Amanda said coldly:

"Enough. Get out."

As William tried to protest, Davis stepped forward and stared at him, saying: "The mental evaluation session for today has ended, Doctor William. Leave."

William wanted to argue, but looking into Davis's cold eyes, he locked his lips into a tight frown, gave Shiller a final glare, and left.