Chapter 2086: Knight's Frightening Soul Night (28)_2

"Alright, Jason, I've got it all down."

Jason took a deep breath, let it out in a sigh, turned his head aside and said, "People gather together, out of convenience and emotional needs, to form a society."

"But everyone has different thoughts. Some people want to gain more from this collective, which inevitably harms others. Hence, we have laws, the last step before the concept of 'society' emerged."

"But we're not talking about laws. Obviously, people within society can commit murder. They could do it for various reasons — impulse, hatred, or even excessive love – to kill other individuals in society."

"At this point, the law will punish them. Note, I'm referring to those that the law can punish. They would end up in prison or might even get killed themselves."

"Those criminals whose actions are not severe enough to warrant the death sentence, after enduring a long term in prison, may not genuinely repent. But they will undoubtedly realize that their crimes have consequences, and thus, they will develop fear."

"So society tolerates all those who fear. They commit crimes, pay the price, and realize the harm of their actions on both themselves and others. Even if they reoffend, they would rack their brains to avoid punishment and dare not openly confess their crimes because they don't want to lose their freedom again."

"What I've said lies within the scope of what society can tolerate, and no one has the right to criticize the society that sets these standards."

"They choose to tolerate, so they bear the costs. Everyone has the same odds of being killed, whether by a first-time murderer or a repeat offender. It's pretty fair."

"But there's a group of people in this world. Either they have abilities beyond ordinary humans to evade punishment, and they are aware of this, or they have no fear of anything they can lose in life. No matter if it's imprisonment or anything else, they may not fear at all."

"They are not within society but isolated from all societal rules. Yet, wrongly, they are put into the sheepfold. Hence, even if they don't consume the sheep, they have to kill them."

"Of course, there are sheep amongst the flock that derive joy from killing their kind, but they usually do it discreetly to avoid being punished by their peers. Even if they want to show off, they dare not reveal their real names."

"But this group of wolves that breaks into the sheepfold believes that killing sheep is right, not just without condemnation, but something praiseworthy. The more they kill, the better. The more terrified the sheep are, the better."

"As they know they won't pay a price for their reckless behavior, they dare to howl wildly in the sheep pen and even dare to announce their names and beliefs to each sheep, even those in charge of law enforcement, shouting that they are the right ones."

"This is the primary difference between the violent sheep within the sheep pen and the wolves that break in from outside — and what I want to kill are wolves."

Jason spread out his hands, saying, "Violent sheep are common criminals, and wolves are super criminals, or more accurately, those lunatics in Gotham."

"You have no way to make them realize that sheep can strike fear in them, that they can pay a price. The only method to end their hurting the flock is to — send them to hell."

"Killing them is not about venting anger. It involves no intention of execution but an ending. Once they're dead, they won't have any chance to harm the flock anymore."

"'Isolated from societal rules'…" Shiller repeated Jason's phrase, seemingly finding it quite interesting. He looked at Jason and asked, "If this is your definition, then how do you see superheroes?"

"I know what you want to say." Jason replied, arms crossed, "Yes, superheroes are also separated from societal rules. Essentially, they are intruders into the sheepfold."

"But humans are not that simple. Complicated emotions give us countless possibilities for individual development. Not all outsiders are wolves."

"Some might be deer who sympathize with their similar beings and instinctively guard the flock. Some might be dogs who, although fierce, need to fight wolves to protect their resources for survival. And some are shepherds who are more cunning and powerful than wolves."

"As for shepherds, they never see themselves as sheep. But the pasture and flock are their territory and property, so they have to take up shotguns to fend off jackals."

"Is this your view on Batman?"

"He's more extreme than a shepherd; he's a president." Jason said, looking intently at Shiller, "Bruce Wayne's way of owning the world is unique, not just the flock. The entire pasture, the town, the state, even the whole country, is all his property."

"Be it a sheep, deer, dog, or wolf…," Jason muttered, "He sees them all as his property, allowing none of them to get hurt."

"Hence, he starts naively seeking a way for sheep and wolves to coexist peacefully, instead of annihilating one of them."

"And you think this is unfair to the flock."

"Because I was once part of it." Jason averted his gaze, lowered his lids, and said, "Bruce's way of owning the world is quite different from mine. When I was just a little lamb, even a robust sheep with the slightest malice could cause me irreversible harm."

"When he looks down from the sky, he sees sheep and wolves about the same size. They gather in groups, marching in step. Hence, he sees this as a natural wonder, a delicate balance."

"However, when I was running with the flock pursued by wolves, only I could understand the panic of my companions. My senses are sharper than theirs, maybe I'm fortunate, or maybe I'm unfortunate."

"My experiences growing up made me realize that if I kept hidden within the flock, I would never have the chance to change the situation, so I chose to step out."

"And you ventured out a bit too far," Shiller stood up."

Jason glanced at the clock behind him, noticing that half an hour had passed. His story was perhaps not as smooth as he had hoped, and this had taken up much time, so the conversation had to end."

But in the end, Jason still spoke."

"Perhaps, that's my only mistake. The moment I stood upright and started walking, I shouldn't have gone straight to the president. An angry sheep standing up must indeed seem eerie causing him to fear, right?"

With sorrow visible in Jason's eyes, Shiller approached him, moved past the tea table, and, before Jason reacted, gently patted his back.