Chapter 1259: Farm of Justice (41)_1

"Sit."

Shiller, sitting in the main seat, tilted his head and motioned with his eyes to a spot on his left. Bruce walked over, but his body language remained somewhat stiff. But, he wasn't the only one who was anxious. Greedy Shiller, seated at the right side, was staring intensely at Bruce.

"What are you doing here?" Greedy asked.

"He's here to complain."

"I'm not here to complain."

The two statements resonated simultaneously, followed by a low chuckle from Shiller.

Bruce turned his head, looking at Shiller sitting in the main seat. His colorful suit and tie were his most recognizable features. This morbid Shiller seemed to enjoy dressing himself up, which wasn't all that surprising.

In books about criminal psychology that Bruce had read, most serial killers had narcissistic tendencies. They admired and loved themselves, viewing themselves as being of incomparable beauty. Like birds during mating season, they would adorn themselves with bright feathers. This behavior was not exclusive to either gender or age group.

But essentially, they weren't dressing themselves up but camouflaging traps, waiting for their prey to be attracted by the bright colors and cluelessly hop into their mouths.

All creatures have the instinct to appreciate beauty, as beautiful things often lower one's guard, leaving them more likely to overlook traps.

Even though Bruce had rung the alarm in his head a thousand times, when he first saw Morbid Shiller, he couldn't help but admit that the deep blue suit suited him, as did the white streaks in his hair.

"Alright, you're not here to complain," Morbid surrendered almost without a fight, which made Bruce's hackles rise, because Morbid added, "But when you hear others complaining about your teacher, why don't you feel angry?"

Bruce slowly put his head down, but soon lifted it again, looked at Morbid's face, and gritted his teeth.

Morbid chuckled again, saying, "Alright, I'm not trying to suppress you... but you felt guilty just now, didn't you?"

"Let's talk about the matter at hand." Greedy looked very impatient as he stared into Bruce's face, saying, "Arrogance and I are one and the same. What's wrong with me complaining about him? On the other hand, you and Arrogance are in cahoots if it weren't for you, he could have had a more regular schedule!"

"Last night, Lucifer called me." Bruce said, recalibrating his emotions: "He said Shiller's schedule has become terribly disorganized, or rather, he just doesn't sleep anymore."

"I'm aware that when the professor was in Gotham, his schedule was also irregular. He stayed up late and never took a nap, but that was still acceptable. Now, it's going too far."

"Professor Victor also called to tell me that Shiller went to treat Constantine again, nearly turning him into a vegetarian. His condition hasn't improved at all, it may even be worse."

Worry lining his words, Bruce watched Morbid cut his meal while asking, "Why do you think this is happening?"

Bruce tucked his chin using two fingers before answering, "I suspect the change in living environment has once again triggered his anxiety."

"I know that most patients with autism adhere to a regular lifestyle. They are almost obsessive about the routines of life, from the thing they do each day to when they brush their teeth in the morning. These routines are their source of security."

"However, following the Broccoli-project event in Gotham, Shiller's lifestyle has changed significantly. He moved from Gotham University to Arkham Asylum, then to Florence Prison in Denver, and finally to Seashore City. These frequent changes probably cause him a great deal of stress."

Bruce laid out his theory as accurately as possible, but Morbid neither confirmed nor denied it. Instead, he asked, "So, you think this is short-term anxiety?"

"I'm aware that in addition to anxiety, his long-term mental state isn't optimistic either. But to alleviate this situation, you have to solve the short-term anxiety first, right?"

"The problem is, it's not a short-term anxiety." Greedy interrupted, "Indeed, changes in his life have led to instability, but it's not because he moved; we're not as fragile as you think."

Bruce furrowed his eyebrows, asking somewhat dubiously, "Then what's causing it?"

"It's because of you."

Morbid lifted his eyelids, glancing at Bruce from above his glasses before shifting his gaze back to his meal.

"Both we and you can see it, you're close to being healed. Arrogance, as your teacher, of course, could sense it too."

"A fledgling that's been stumbling and falling off cliffs is finally about to successfully leave the nest. This means not only that you're about to fly into a new sky but also signals a change in Shiller's life phase."

Bruice's throat bobbed, not quite knowing what expression was on his own face,

But somehow, looking at both familiar faces in front of him, he felt very alienated. He didn't even know he had such an acute observation skill to tell hundreds of delicate variations from identical features.

Morbid wasn't shy about it. He directly said, "From the moment Shiller entered this world, he has been trying to teach and heal you. Initially, it was due to a special curse in the cosmos. Yet, this semi-compulsive binding changed his accepted daily routine."

"Over the next few years, instructing, healing, and trying to transform you became part of his life. Yes, the process might have been painful, but you both gained a sense of security from it, didn't you?"

With a gentle sigh, Morbid said, "But now, the days of a stable life are nearing their end. It's as if you are walking on a road, but someone keeps reminding you there's a cliff ahead. You know you will definitely fall, but you don't know when."

Bruce pursed his lips. Even the scenario Morbid described made him anxious.

What was most terrifying was not the fact that he "would definitely fall," but the tug of war between the hope brought by wishful thinking with every step forward and the despair brought by an inevitable bad ending — this was what was referred to as "mental exhaustion."

"What you see as arrogance at work, including creating busywork for himself, continually working, and staying up late each night, these are actually his attempts to force himself to adapt in advance to the upcoming changes."

"He feels like he must keep himself busy to face the upcoming incomplete life. We generally call this — 'Retirement Syndrome.'

With a hint of humor, Morbid said, "Humans are strange — when they're busy they wish they could rest, yet when they do get to retire, they want to keep themselves busy again."

"Essentially, they seek self-fulfillment when they are contributing to society, yet when they have time for self-contemplation, they feel unfulfilled. They wish to gain societal acceptance and self-confirmation at the same time. I told you, human nature is rooted in greed."

"Also, have you ever thought about why others have been misunderstanding you and neglecting Shiller's mental illness over the past few years?" Morbid asked Bruce outright.

Bruce furrowed his brows. Since he entered the room, he saw Morbid for the first time as if seeking an answer. Morbid took a sip of red wine and said:

"When you were not yet cured, he put all his energy on you. Now that your cure is almost complete, he can't sabotage his own accomplishments, so he has to torment someone else."

"So, Victor, Constantine, and Lucifer all became victims. Essentially, Shiller dispersed the energy he used to torment you onto others. So, they suddenly realized that Shiller is mentally ill."

Bruce displayed a complicated emotion, he didn't know how to react. On one hand, admiring Shiller's strength and wanting to gloat, but thinking he could also be the most unfortunate amongst all those unfortunate souls, he couldn't laugh.

"Everyone thought that the mutual torment between him and me led to his unstable mental state. But, it seems like the complete opposite." Bruce pondered aloud.

"The description 'mutual torment' is debatable." Greed rolled his eyes and said, "Arrogant didn't allow us to fill the hole on the ground floor of the high tower so that you could walk through the Dreamworld to sleep."

"So, what are you planning to do?" Morbid asked, evidently intrigued.

"We originally had a plan, but it's more traditional." Bruce gently touched his cheek, resting his fingers on his temples and said, "Simply put, we first control him then find a place for him to rest and get treatment, similar to how other mental patients are treated."

Before the other two could respond, Bruce hastily explained, "Others don't know much about psychology. Clark and Diana think that a good, comfortable place can solve all mental illnesses."

"To a certain extent, they're not wrong." Greed interjected, "But the premises is that a good environment not only indicates good natural conditions, it also requires a cultural atmosphere that makes the patient feel comfortable and relaxed. The environment needs to provide a sense of security to the patient, only then will it be effective for convalescence."

"Arrogant's sense of security comes from a regular life, but the disruption of that routine is now inevitable. So I am afraid his convalescence ..."

"Wait." Bruce suddenly interrupted, "Routine disruption is inevitable? Is it genuinely inevitable?"

"What are you trying to say?" Greed squinted his eyes at Bruce, "So you'd prefer to go back to those days of tormenting each other? But forgive me for being blunt, you can't pretend to be mad in front of Arrogant; he knows Batman too well."

However, Bruce slowly opened his eyes, looking at Greed with a slightly glowing gaze in the dim room, and said:

"But... there is more than one Batman."

Then, laughter echoed throughout the empty room. As Bruce woke from the dream, Morbid's words were still echoing in his mind;

"It seems you really have been cured."

As Bruce got up from the bed, Clark, who was fiddling with the tools next to him, turned his head and asked, "Are you up? How did you sleep?"

Bruce did not reply. He quickly rolled out of bed and rushed out of the room. He entered the only room in the village with a telephone, dialed a number, picked up the receiver, and said to the other side;

"Hello? Professor Victor, I've figured out how to heal Shiller, but I need your help to find someone."

"Find someone? Who?"

"Pamela Isley."