745

The fresh blood dripping into his eyes from his forehead began to blur Batman's vision. Within a hazy scarlet hue, he saw a hand stretching out before him, then picking up the light ring.

Next, a pair of leather shoes entered his line of sight. The person in front of him slowly squatted down, the light ring in his hand slamming forcefully onto the ground, becoming embedded halfway within the road's surface.

With all his strength, Batman rolled to his side and climbed up from the ground, panting in a semi-kneeling position. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Shiller's face. He watched as the professor in front of him adjusted his glasses and said,

"Drinking excessively, driving under the influence, staying out all night, racing, causing public chaos, disturbing the peace... Batman, if you truly have so much time on your hands, shouldn't you consider turning in that overdue homework?"

Batman coughed a few times. He discovered blood in his saliva, but didn't feel any pain in his lungs. He suspected he might have had internal bleeding from the collision earlier. He took a deep breath, stood up, and walked unsteadily toward the Batmobile.

Shiller didn't stop him. Instead, he watched as Batman struggled to flip the Batmobile that had overturned, then proceeded to get back inside.

Squinting, Batman was about to step on the gas when, all of a sudden, a light ring embedded itself onto the windshield, less than ten centimeters from his nose.

In a heartbeat, Batman sobered up considerably.

"Professor..." Batman's voice was very low. As he uttered this word, his lips didn't even move. It was as if the word had been forced out directly from his lungs, carrying with it a resonance that made even the rain tremble.

"Where are you planning to drive off to?" Shiller asked, standing in front of the Batmobile. After the violent accident just now, the Batmobile's lights were no longer on, thus Batman couldn't see his face clearly.

"I want to return to Wayne Manor," Batman answered.

"Do you plan to return like this? Do you know how old Alfred is this year? Do you know how he would feel seeing you covered in blood?" Shiller retracted the light ring and used it to illuminate their surroundings.

This was a highway leading out of Gotham, but still within the limits of Gotham City. Yet, the bustling scene of the city was no longer present, making the sound of the rain more distinct.

Shiller was standing behind Batman, who was sitting on the steps under the eaves of a house that belonged to a nearby alley. Batman held in his hands the light ring that was illuminating the area, while Shiller wrapped bandages around his head.

"Did... did you see her? Did you see that..." When Batman reached this point, he stopped, seemingly unwilling to say that word, but Shiller cut him off directly, "Yes, I saw the body."

"She was a poor child, had been abused a lot, suffered severe malnutrition, which greatly increased her chance of dying young. To be honest, it's a good fortune she managed to live until now."

"No." Batman shook his head, "I didn't take good care of her. I thought she had no power to resist, so I didn't bother to check the window in her room. I didn't expect her to jump out from there. She was already so weak, a fall from the second floor was too much for her."

"I also didn't take good care of Aisha. Aisha scared her, which caused her to have a breathing blockage, and it was too late by the time her heart stopped beating."

Shiller paused for a moment and then asked, "Are you blaming all this on your lack of a more complete plan?"

"Isn't it?"

Shiller sighed, just as Batman said, "Yes, I should have gained more knowledge about children's psychology before bringing them back. I should not have changed their environment so frequently, should have used some medical means to supplement their nutrition, improve their physical fitness..."

"I should not have brought her back to the Manor alone. I should have let her have a companion. The first night, I should have stayed with her instead of leaving her to pry at the window all night..."

Batman's voice began to lower. "I thought she might run away, but I never thought she would jump out of the window. I didn't believe she would dare to do that. I should have known that a patient who has been traumatized is not restricted by fear..."

"I should have told Dick and Aisha not to frighten her before I brought her back. After she ran out and came back, I should have taken measures to keep her warm at once, instead of standing there arguing with someone..."

Like a man who had been holding in for too long, Batman spoke rapidly through his returned drunkenness, "Dick is the same, he's reluctant to come home because I didn't consider that he might not like this environment. He might not want to keep changing schools. He might prefer staying with the choir group kids..."

"There should have been better ways to handle all of this." Batman wiped some blood from his eyes. "If I had carefully considered everything, all this could have been prevented."

"Why won't you allow yourself to make mistakes?" Shiller asked.

"Because she's dead, she was a child. No one's life, especially a child's life, should be the price paid for another person's mistake." Batman parted his lips to say "If Batman makes a mistake, and as a result, someone dies, then how is it any different from someone dying at the hands of a criminal?"