Chapter 2502: The Battle for the Cloak (21)

King Robin didn't commit a massacre.

It wasn't that he didn't want to, but if he really had done so, he would have played right into Thomas and Martha's hands.

If King Robin had carried out a horrific carnage, just like he had in his own cosmos, wouldn't it just prove that Thomas and Martha had been right to oppress and guard against him?

Wouldn't that make them look wise and well-prepared, having foreseen the need for such measures?

King Robin finally deeply understood the truly disgusting nature of this trap, as if the decision he had to make wasn't between choosing chocolate-flavored crap or crap-flavored chocolate, but between crap-flavored crap and crap-flavored crap.

If you choose to endure, they will do as they please without restraint; if you choose to resist, they'll say they've seen your true face all along. You try to reason with them, they emotionally blackmail you; you say you have emotional needs, they respond with reason.

Because of his past stubborn behavior, King Robin had been disgusted the whole way. If he didn't resist, the revulsion would continue; if he did resist, his entire journey of disgust would have been for naught.

This time he finally deeply realized that from the moment he stepped into the cesspit, he was destined to be disgusted.

So you could say that King Robin didn't even have the chance to start a massacre; he couldn't stand the world for another second, and the moment he returned to reality, he vomited profusely.

Then he thought that if this kind of logic wasn't forcibly conjured by the mastermind behind the scenes, but something he might have encountered somewhere, someday, then there must be such people in this world he was currently in.

This made King Robin feel as if the world were a huge cesspit; perhaps where he currently stood was still clean, but somewhere, there must be a monstrous pile of crap hidden in a corner, so filthy that it contaminated the air of the whole world, even the cosmos.

Normal people find it difficult to understand the perspective of someone with a mental disorder, but it's not without reason that anti-social personalities often come with compulsive behaviors and obsession with cleanliness; they tend to view the world from a broader perspective.

They position themselves within a wider field of vision to understand the existence of every individual in the world, using their standards to discern what should exist and what should be thrown in the trash can.

Then, with a god complex, they attempt to correct things they perceive should not exist—big as humans, small as things around them—believing they have not only the right and capability but also the obligation to do so because it makes the world and themselves better.

They absolutely cannot comprehend the principle that existence is justification, or any similar reasoning; they reject such justifications completely, infuriated to madness solely by the presence of things they deem should not exist, even if those things are far removed and completely unrelated to them.

To normal people, such behavior is nonsensical, powerful evidence of madness.

King Robin is such a madman. He doesn't destroy superheroes because he hates justice, but because, in his vision, such things should not exist.

He doesn't see himself as evil and the others as good; quite the opposite, he believes his existence is unique and justified, while theirs are not, and therefore they should be eradicated.

This is a completely distorted personality and mindset, a fundamental cognitive dysfunction. Psychologically speaking, it's almost impossible to correct; pathologically speaking, it might require some adjustments to the brain, but the technology for that doesn't yet exist.

But if the goal isn't to cure the other person, merely to disgust them, then creating something that the madmen believe should absolutely not exist but are helpless about its existence is the best way to do it.

For King Robin, nearly anything can be physically wiped out—whether powerful enemies or a multitude of superheroes—provided he wants it done, it can always be done.

But some more abstract things are difficult; for instance, a way of thinking, a self-consistent logic. They always emerge in people's minds because of the way the human race forms society; every person becomes a suspect.

Now, in the position King Robin is in, at the very heart of Gotham, many such people might be surrounding him, individuals who at many moments in life, or perhaps just momentarily, might have such a response.

Batmen always have paranoid delusions, and King Robin is no exception. Once you realize there are cockroaches in the room, you'll also realize that every little black spot nearby could be a cockroach.

So King Robin knows he should be thankful to the mastermind behind the scenes for knocking out everyone in the city. Otherwise, if someone who held such logic really emerged, King Robin had no idea to what extent he would be disgusted.

Thinking that he still had to say "thanks" to the mastermind left King Robin even more disgusted.

After the fog cleared, he leaned against the office desk, vomiting violently, as if someone who was afraid of heights had ridden a roller coaster dozens of times.

This was a symptom produced by a neurological reaction triggered by a mental response, a severe, irresistible neurological reaction that people with mental disorders experience during an episode, including intense convulsions and vomiting.

King Robin collapsed on the floor for a while before thinking of getting up. The moment he stood up, his brain went blank; what was his plan again?

Oh, right, Batman—King Robin remembered. He had to go after Batman; he had to find a way to locate that escaped Batman.

But, unlike the later realization by Robin, King Robin knew although the Fifth-dimensional Imp had already driven Batman into a dead end, Batman had vanished before Red Hood's arrival; he was taken away by the mist.

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The situation had returned to square one: what exactly was the nauseating, vomit-inducing fog all about?

To be honest, King Robin didn't really want to research this issue right now, but whether he wanted to or not, he had to investigate. Sooner or later, Mad Laugh would notice the presence of the fog, and by then, he'd still have to look into it.

King Robin finally remembered where his train of thought had halted: he needed to find those criminals, especially Mr. Freeze, and ask what this dense fog and the so-called mysterious Doctor was all about.

Fortunately, the Crazy Robins and cameras he'd distributed had finally located Mr. Freeze. Seizing the opportunity before the next fog arrived, King Robin hurriedly made his way to Mr. Freeze.

As it so happened, Mr. Freeze was with that Pig Face, who had been chopping something in the window before.

Before King Robin revealed himself, he heard them discussing.

"The fog is appearing more and more frequently," said Mr. Freeze. "I think we should take some measures."

"What do you have in mind?" Professor Pig asked as he sorted through the meat. "Don't tell me you plan to head straight for the Guest in the Fog like those dazed fools, seeking an answer."

"Of course not. Do you remember the Doctor mentioned in Batman's letter? That Lightning Batman once made a deal with him and got a glimpse behind the truth of the fog; I think we could try to contact him."

"How so?"

King Robin couldn't take it anymore, and he appeared in front of the two men, gun pointed at their heads, and said, "Tell me what this is all about."

Professor Pig and Mr. Freeze both appeared surprised, but King Robin realized it wasn't his appearance that shocked them, but rather his appearance seemed to surprise them.

King Robin didn't think there was anything amiss with his appearance; at least not among the oddly shaped villains. You're one to talk, one with a cylindrical helmet, the other with a pig mask, and you're criticizing me?

Then King Robin quickly realized that something was indeed off with his appearance. The reflection in the window revealed his image was, to put it mildly, disastrous.

Everyone knows in Gotham you might not live, but you must have style. In the villain community, you might not be strong, but you can't be unfashionable.

Your appearance can be weird, but it cannot be too mediocre. King Robin's former appearance might have been called odd, but now reflecting in the mirror, his crown was crooked, his hair messy, and his chest smeared with some unknown substance, making him look like a completely defeated dog.

With a whoosh, King Robin disappeared; he found the nearest restroom to tidy up his image before reappearing in front of the two men. However, the weary look in his eyes and his stiff smile, barely able to break through, betrayed him in the mirror.

"Kid, if you have too much homework, I wouldn't recommend wandering the streets at this time," Mr. Freeze even hesitated a little, and King Robin could clearly see he had considered his words carefully, omitting some adult language before speaking.

"I'm not a kid!" King Robin had to emphasize to them. "Haven't you watched the live stream? I killed the president and am about to be crowned in this city!"

"Oh..." Mr. Freeze uttered an incomprehensible syllable, even elongating it, and then King Robin saw him nod and say, "Yes, Mr. President, your live performance was quite spectacular, we all saw it. So, may your loyal minister offer you a small suggestion regarding wording?"

"Didn't your language arts teacher teach you?" Professor Pig was more direct, saying, "The word a president uses is not 'coronation' but 'inauguration.' The ceremony for the president is not a coronation but an inauguration, and what you said should not be a crowning speech but an inaugural oath... In fact, how many points did you score on your last grammar test?"

"No one has the right to judge my grammar scores!!! And I got full marks in every subject!!"

"Hmm, I guess you and your language arts teacher are already on good terms," Mr. Freeze said diplomatically, and it was precisely this diplomacy that nearly drove King Robin mad.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, hurry back and do your homework," Professor Pig said with a slight dissatisfaction, "There's nothing for you here."

King Robin was stunned. I have descended upon Gotham in such an evil guise, appearing unexpectedly before you, and you can't guess I might have come to threaten you with something?

But looking at his reflection in the mirror, King Robin felt at a loss for words because he truly looked exhausted.

In fact, if he were to visit a psychiatrist now, the psychiatrist would surely warn him that he might be in or have been in an extended period of mental and emotional abuse.

And so it was; King Robin obsessing over the mysteries in the Illusion meant that he had endured several nauseatingly bad years there. Even for a madman, this level of mental torture was exceedingly harsh.

Therefore, the haggard appearance King Robin now showcased was genuine, the hyper-vigilance for the next terrible surprise lurking around the corner that made him jumpy wasn't feigned either, it was all perfectly etched onto his face.

As a result, he looked less like a Beast poised to pounce and more like a trapped animal ready to fight to the death.

In summary, he resembled a primary school student on the last day of vacation who hadn't even started his homework.

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