Chapter 938: Exploring Shiller's Past Journey (Part 1)_2

Batman followed Zatanna and perched on top of a building. He saw a creature in the sky made of vines, looming large and monstrous above the science lab. It extended a thick vine into the educational building.

"All Things Green is supposed to confront Shiller. So, why is it trying to kill me? Or, has Shiller made some kind of deal with All Things Green?" Constantine asked, puzzled.

"Enough," Zatanna's hands began to radiate light, "We're not here for All Things Green." She began to explain further, "I'm going to use mind magic to infiltrate their spirit. I will target the most vulnerable spot in their spirit, essentially their weakest memories."

"All humans have fears and dislikes, right? Everyone has unpleasant memories. In these recollections, they tend to have less control over their spirit. We can exploit this vulnerability, conjuring some special memories, or crafting a scenario that benefits us."

"Their reactions in these scenarios would affect their actions in reality. For instance, we could simulate a scenario where they are so impoverished they have to sell their umbrella. In reality, they will willingly offer up the umbrella."

"Or, we could create a memory in a particularly delicate area where they really despise umbrellas, prompting them to throw the umbrella away. This could be tough, depending on the circumstance."

"Is there anything I should be aware of when entering the Memory Space?" inquired Batman.

Zatanna pondered for a second, "Just remember, there's always a scene or an object in a memory that can notably provoke their emotion. If we want to reach their vulnerabilities, we must find this object. Facing this item, the host of the memory would exhibit a stronger emotional response. We can then capitalize on this."

"Once we find the object, they may have an extreme reaction due to the sensation of being poked at a wound. At this moment, we must find the way out quickly, or else, terrifying things may occur."

"Of course, when we obtain this object, we can use it as a pivot to construct fabricated memories. Our first target is to find this object."

"Where would the exit be?" inquired Batman again.

Zatanna paused, "Generally, it will be in a place where they resist or do not want to approach. As long as we can locate it, we can escape the memory and move into a safer Memory Space."

"Okay, let's get ready to go." Syring a glowing hand in the air, Zatanna created a portal. The trio entered it, and Batman felt himself pulled into a hazy tunnel filled with a dim light.

He didn't have to fly. The attraction from the glowing orb at the end was intense, and then he heard Zatanna scream.

"Oh my God! His memories are so chaotic??!! Grab onto me! Grab on quick! We'll be separated otherwise!!!"

Upon hearing her shout, Batman instinctively tried to grab her hand, but everything happened too fast. The glowing orb at the end split into three, the immense pull directed the trio towards different directions.

Batman reached out his hand but got sucked into the center orb and immediately blacked out.

It could have been quite some time, or it just a blink. When he opened his eyes again, Batman experienced an intense burst of white light that flickered continuously before him.

After the initial daze, Batman found himself lying on a hospital bed. He was no longer dressed in his bat suit but in a hospital gown.

He stood up and surveyed the hospital room, which was different from what he remembered.

It was a double room, somewhat in disarray. The bed next to his was knocked askew. The table between the beds was flipped over, and a cup of water and other items were strewn across the floor.

Batman furrowed his brow. There was a patient's information card hanging from the nearby bed. He walked over to read and noted it was in Chinese.

Batman could read Chinese. He knew almost all the major scripts of the world. But the name and information written here were unfamiliar to him. The only hint he got was that this seemed to be a mental hospital in China.

Judging absently, Batman knew he was in Shiller's memory. But what was Shiller doing in a Chinese mental hospital?

At this moment, Batman didn't assume the other bed was Shiller's because the name was distinctly Chinese and not an English translation. Thus, he began to search for clues in the room.

The room wasn't big. There were two beds each against the left and right walls. Opposite the beds were cabinets for personal items, and a table was flipped over on the floor between the beds.

First, Batman pulled aside the curtain. He found the scene outside was too foggy to discern any identifiable feature. He guessed it might be because memory space did not extend outwards.

Batman then moved to the overturned table, put it back in its place, and picked up the water cup from the floor.

But he noticed that the tabletop on his side of the bed—the one he woke up in— was spotless. There were no marks.

On the other side of the table, however, there was a distinct round imprint. Batman noticed the cup he was holding fitted the mark perfectly. Indicating, perhaps the cup had always been there.

Batman studied the mark more closely and noticed that one side of it was deeper than the other. He sat by the bed, placed the cup on the mark with the handle facing him.

He realized that the uneven depth of the mark agrees with this scenario—if the cup was filled with water and lifted by the handle, the bottom edge of the cup opposite the handle would scrape against the table. This would create a mark of uneven depth.

This clue suggested to Batman that the patient in this bed might have obsessive-compulsive disorder. After all, the overall depth of the round impression indicated a strict and identical routine every time the patient drank water. There was no other way to explain such a prominent mark.

As Batman deliberated on the actions of this patient, a different scene emerged in his mind.

Batman sat down at the bed opposite the imprint, observed the wallpaper of the mental hospital started to peel off, wooden floors replaced by ceramic tiles, the circular table turned square and, across him, Shiller drank water from a cup given by the mob boss.

When Shiller put down the cup, the crisp sound of the cup's bottom touching the tabletop was deafening. Batman observed Shiller adjusting the handle of the cup then aligning it to face towards him.

At that moment, the distance between the cup handle and the edge of the table was perfectly aligned with the distance between the circular impression and the edge of the table.