Chapter 1453: Bat of the Nest (Part 1)_2

"That was also the last time I heard you apologize to me."

"Because we weren't close at that time, right?"

"Indeed, we weren't close at that time."

The air quieted down, but the silence wasn't awkward. They seemed to both be immersed in memories. The passing of a few years couldn't exactly be described as the flowing of time, but it felt like ages had passed.

"People can easily apologize to strangers," Shiller was the first to speak, "because we have no expectations of strangers. We don't even expect to meet them a second time in our lives. Hence, making choices is a simple matter, unaffected by the desire for victory."

"But people always want to outdo their family members," Bruce continued, "Always hoping to prove themselves right, to leave a good impression on them, and fearing that an apology for a mistake might diminish their status in their family's eyes."

"Perhaps it's also a result of being too familiar, too assured of their understanding of you, that you deem an apology unnecessary," Shiller replied. "If they demand one, the issue escalates from whether to apologize to whether they can understand each other."

"And I tried to understand you, even to become you," Bruce continued after a couple of weak coughs. "Yet, I am far from understanding your feelings towards me."

"And leverage that to manipulate me."

"That was just incidental."

"It worked well, the first time I've lost control since becoming an adult."

"Can I return to being a student now?"

Shiller was silent for a while before responding, "Yes, and not just passing...you can be considered excellent."

Bruce's body finally relaxed completely, collapsing into the pool of blood as if he had lost all strength.

He was in shock but still conscious, which wasn't exactly surprising, for he was Batman.

Shiller returned to the side of the operating table. He didn't reach for the tools on the tray, but stared at the wound that was still bleeding profusely and said, "It seems you don't want it to heal right away."

"Yes, this is my distinguished graduate medal."

"Fortunately, I don't have the skill to operate, otherwise you may not want this ugly medal," Shiller replied.

Bruce laughed weakly again, apparently finding the joke amusing. Still, Shiller picked up a scalpel and said:

"You still need stitches, I'll find a doctor who has a surgical license."

Shiller paused briefly, when he focused again, his grey eyes seemed blurry. Bruce tentatively asked, "...Morbid?"

"It's me."

Morbid picked up the scalpel, took a glance at the situation, and told Bruce, "You need a blood transfusion. You should have prepared some blood, right?"

"Out the door to the right, the room on the left is the blood bank."

As Shiller was on his way to get the blood, he passed Bane, taking a quick glance at him. On his way back with his gaze resting on Bane, he asked Bruce, "Your new prey?"

"Arrogant chose for me."

"As always, rigorous," Shiller commented as he began to transfuse blood into Bruce. After adjusting the position of the blood bag, he started arranging the surgical equipment.

"I'll use the Gray mist to take out the nanomachine controller first. I know you don't use anesthesia, but pain will cause your muscles to tense up, affecting the stitching. So I'll have the Gray mist temporarily cut off your pain receptors. Also, the wounds on your face shouldn't be your badge of honor right?"

Bruce weakly shook his head, as a wisp of Gray mist passed in front of him, the wounds on his face healed instantaneously.

Shiller picked out the sutures and began to speak, "It seems, you didn't listen to a word I said. The feud between you two has added a room full of fresh blood and an innocent victim, probably more than one."

"On the contrary, I listened, remembered, and understood."

"Don't seek understanding from a father beyond what's familial, hm?"

"I'm researching the element of kinship."

"Obsession."

"But quite successful."

Shiller began to suture the wound on Bruce's back. Before he started, he glanced at Bruce's expression and said, "But you don't seem happy."

"Because he seems a bit tired." Bruce said with his eyes closed.

"Oh, really?" There was a hint of surprise in Shiller's voice. "The kind of fatigue from using all the strength ever to knock on my door asking me to take over, then running to the broadcasting room at the High Tower to announce thirty-six times that you've finally graduated, and it's still broadcasting?"

Bruce started laughing again, and Shiller had to press his shoulder to prevent his movements from affecting the suturing. After Bruce calmed down, Shiller continued to suture the wound and said, "You know he's communicating with Batman from another world, right?"

"Of course, that Batman visited him a while ago and gave him half of an equation, but I didn't see it."

"You should've taken a look, it's the result of his joint research with a genius from another cosmos, it might enable you to understand some universal secrets."

"The cosmos doesn't need more secrets."

"Are you contented with the status quo?" Shiller adjusted his gloves, chased the suture thread a bit, and then said, "Not surprising, you're possibly more mad and cruel than most Batmans, maybe even crueler than Joker."

"Why would you say that?"

"Which do you think is more evil, destroying the body or torturing the mind?"

Bruce didn't answer, but Shiller continued, "Joker only destroys bodies, no matter how many people his explosion cases killed, their pain is short-lived, death ends everything."

"But spiritual torture is long-lasting and endless. Slowly rotting away the few remaining wood on a little boat in the vast ocean; At midnight, the person on the boat repeatedly contemplates jumping into the sea to die, but realizes he lacks the courage."

"This makes them blame their endured pain on their own cowardice. Even the last resentment before death falls on themselves, so much so that there's no room for fantasies of reincarnation or becoming a ghost. The end and decay is tragic to the extreme."

"This is a terrifying torture, much more terrifying than death, the most horrifying physical torture is less than one-thousandth of the pain of spirit."

"Isn't that exactly what you want me to do?"

"No, I just hope that you learn how to inflict such mental pain on people. If you have this ability but choose to quickly end their physical bodies instead, the death you give them becomes a blessing, not an evil."

"That makes sense."

"Then, would you kill a criminal?"

Bruce blinked lightly and said, "Do you think I only manipulate criminals?"

"Aren't you?"

"Then you haven't realized how crazy I am."

Shiller's hand halted for a moment, then he sewed the last bit of the wound. His hand remained steady, but there was a hint of curiosity in his tone, "So, can I have the privilege to get a ticket?"

"How are you planning to pay?"

"I can teach you how to end a person's body in the fastest way. Obviously, you're not good at it, because you've never really done it, theory and practice are not the same."

"Deal."

"Bang!"

Amanda led the guards and broke down the door to the lab. Seeing the blood all over, Bruce lying on the operating table, Shiller standing beside him, and Bane on the ground, she screamed loudly.

"Call the doctor! Prepare the plane!!!"