Chapter 176: The Phantom of the Opera (Part 2)

The screen returned to static again, Shiller yawned, then moved to the desk in his hospital room. Muttering to himself, he asked, "What was the television station's number again?"

He took out his yellow pages and dialed a number. Once the call connected, he said, "Hello? Is this Jack the comedic performance artist? ... Ah, you're too modest. I think your performance just now deserved the title of 'artist'..."

"Yes, I'm calling to buy tickets. It's at midnight, yes? I need three tickets… or maybe four. I have a friend with dual identities, so he'll need two tickets. What? Buy three get one free? Because I'm the first? That's great, thank you."

"How do I collect the tickets? TV station mailbox? Alright... I'll put the money there..."

"I wish you success in your performance, thank you, goodbye."

After placing the call, he noticed Batman and Alberto were both staring at him. Shiller shrugged, saying, "He's going after the Court of Owls, why shouldn't we enjoy the show?"

"Plus, your Avengers alliance may have unfortunately split in half, but you guys still need a farewell meal, right?"

At eleven o'clock at night, outside the theater entrance, Shiller got out of his car. Before he could even enter, he spotted a familiar face. He approached enthusiastically, shaking Detective Gordon's hand, "Detective Gordon, you came too."

Gordon replied irritably, "Even with all the lunatics in Gotham, this is too out there. Do you know how many distress calls the police received in the past few hours?"

"Oh? What happened?"

"This nut job has got Gothamites calling the cops for help!" Gordon chuckled, incredulous. He emphasized, "He's gotten the Gotham residents to call the police for help!!!"

"That's a good thing; it means tonight will be the most normal night in Gotham."

"Normal?" Gordon paused, hearing Shiller say, "Detective, I know you don't agree with fighting fire with fire, but in Gotham, the best method is fighting crazy with crazy."

As they were talking, a limousine turned into the alley, stopping in front of the theater. The driver got out and opened the door for Falcone. Spotting Shiller and Gordon, he made his way over to them.

The Godfather adjusted his cufflinks, chatting casually, "Tickets are hard to get, right? They told me they were sold out when I called. Interesting."

"It's been many years since you were last refused, hasn't it?"

"True, but he heard about my reputation in the Mob and decided to give me special treatment."

Next, Father Daniel got out of the car, making the sign of the cross on his chest, "Thanks to Carmine, he bought one for me; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to buy tickets."

Shiller told the others, "You guys go in first, I still have two friends to wait for."

Everyone except Shiller went in. After a while, the Batmobile slowly drove up. Batman exited the vehicle, followed by Evans, who seemed especially excited, "It's been a long time since Gotham had any performances, who's performing today? Is there a program list? Can I take a look?"

"I bet he educated you on the history of European drama, modern opera, and vocal techniques on the way." Shiller approached, whispering to Batman."

"More than that. He even gave me a personal demonstration," Batman said dryly.

"How was the singing?"

"Alfred would've liked it."

"You mean he's too old-fashioned?"

Evans caught up and overheard Shiller's final words, "Hey! How could you say that? That's called sticking to classics. I have always believed those so-called new operas are a desecration…"

The trio entered the grand doors of the theater. Inside, they were met with a massive poster featuring a group of featherless owls hoisted above an oil pot. Below, a pair of hands wielding a knife and fork, seemingly about to enjoy a grand feast.

"Opera and painting?" Shiller mumbled beneath the poster, "An artistic persona hidden within his psyche? Or deep-rooted yearning and fantasies for art?"

Shiller shook his head. He finally understood why Harley Quinn from the original books had lost her sanity. The Joker's crazed persona was like an irresistible research material for any psychologist. It was hard to resist analyzing and probing into it.

Shiller held a map of the theater and said, "My mansion isn't far from here. My neighbor gave me a map. Let's see... ticket window... ah, it's this way, turn left."

They turned left along the side of the poster, finding the ticket window on their right-hand side. As expected, there were also some popcorn buckets, but obviously not from this old theater, as nobody would eat popcorn while watching an opera.

Was this disarray due to the personality's lack of understanding of art, or was it brought about by the chaotic thinking of madness? Shiller involuntarily began to speculate.

He leaned forward, peeking into the ticket booth. Suddenly, a dummy popped up from the floor, startling Shiller. He looked the dummy up and down, noticing it was probably an old mannequin left in the theater's warehouse. It had been used as stage scenery, except now, a smiling face had been painted on its head.

Shiller grabbed the dummy and examined it, a bit disappointed, "Where's the catchphrase? Why doesn't it have the classic line?"

As he inspecting the dummy, Evans fetched two popcorn buckets from the ticket booth. He looked shocked, "Why is there just paper crumpled up in here? Where's the popcorn?"

Batman stood behind the two, feeling incredibly out of place.

Evans handed Batman one of the paper-stuffed buckets, "Though it's not actual popcorn, it'll have to do."

"Didn't you say new operas are a desecration of classics? Are you really planning to watch the opera with a bucket of popcorn?" Shiller asked, turning around.

"I just like eating popcorn. I can never buy popcorn whenever I go to the cinema. My dad won't let me, because there might be bombs hidden inside."

Batman wanted to remind Evans that the probability of a bomb being hidden inside this bucket was much higher than in a regular cinema.

It seemed as if Shiller understood what Batman wanted to say, he interjected, "Haven't you got it yet? He wouldn't stoop to such boring pranks. Without something exciting, it's better to have nothing."