Chapter 259: Inception and Truman Show (Part 2)_1

Shiller, with his globe head, snapped his fingers, and a screen appeared above everyone. He said, "You can see what's happening outside through my consciousness space, like this..."

"This is Hugo Strange, what you're seeing now is his first day in Gotham..."

In the image, the face of Hugo Strange appears. From a first-person perspective, an arm wearing a white coat comes into view, followed by a handshake with Hugo.

"We are seeing this from your first-person perspective, right?" Victor asked.

"Yes, right now I'm exchanging pleasantries with him. Pay attention, I'm about to steer the conversation towards psychological theories..."

Everyone was curious and engrossed in watching the screen. The first-person Hugo quickly started his lengthy discourse, while Shiller kept discussing with him. After a while, the first-person Shiller reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of wine.

"Wait, isn't it strange to drink during an academic discussion?" Evans asked. "You were having a serious academic conversation, and then you pull out a bottle of wine. Doesn't he think that's odd?"

"It's precisely because we were having a serious academic conversation that he wouldn't pay attention to these details. All his energy was focused on debunking my theory. Look at his expression, pay attention here..."

Shiller mysteriously produced a pointer and pointed at the screen, saying, "See that? He glanced at my hand opening the bottle, but I asked him a question at the same time, and so, his attention got diverted..."

"The curiosity about what I'm exactly doing is far less than his desire to refute my theory and prove himself."

In the first-person perspective on the screen, two hands take out two wine glasses and pour wine for Hugo and himself. Everyone heard Shiller say, "I usually have a drink after work, how about you, Dr. Hugo?"

It seemed Hugo was indifferent. He didn't look like a heavy drinker, but he didn't seem averse to drinking either. When Shiller pushed the glass of wine towards him, he lifted it and took a sip, seemingly to give Shiller some face.

As the debate became more heated, Hugo began to frequently lift his wine glass during his thinking breaks. Shiller pointed at the screen and said, "He starts to use secondary objects as pauses and transitions in thinking, just like many people like to spin pens, bite fingers, or play with erasers in class..."

Soon, the screen showed Hugo getting drowsy. Victor asked, "Is he about to enter a dream?"

"Exactly, can you guess where the first act will begin?"

"Just like us, wake up in the original scene and completely unaware that we are dreaming." Cobblepot replied with a low voice.

Shiller shook his head, "That's a good opening, but it's a bit mediocre. If a script begins too blandly, the subsequent development may not be very exciting either."

"Where do you plan to start it off, Professor?"

Shiller snapped his fingers again, all the objects in the room began retreating, the floorboards were pulled out one by one, the sofa gradually disappeared, the cabinets and tables all collapsed into the floor and ceiling in a magical folding manner.

Then all sorts of things tumbled out of the space's walls, forming a new scene. Standing in the center of this space, Evans looked around and said, "It looks like... a train carriage?"

"Correct, I think a graduated opening wouldn't be a bad choice. You may have seen in some movies where the protagonist is on a train to a strange city, looking at the scenery outside the window and fantasizing about his future life. This kind of opening is somewhat arty, but I like it…"

Saying so, Shiller walked to the door between the carriages, opened it, and there sat Hugo Strange.

"But I think it's missing something." Evans said while stroking his chin, "Oh, right, in drama creation, the protagonist needs motivation. With motivation, the protagonist is driven to act..."

"Of course, I'm prepared for that, but let me be clear, I'm not controlling his mind. Like you guys, he also has the ability to think independently in consciousness space."

"Now..." Shiller snapped his fingers again, and the narrow corridor and dividing boards on the train unfurled like a cardboard box, changing to a flat plane. There was only Hugo, the chair he's sitting on, and the table in front of him left.

Everyone moved to Hugo's front following Shiller's steps. Cobblepot asked, "Can't he see us?"

"Good question." Shiller replied, "I was about to explain that."

"The consciousness space and dreamscape of people have many layers. At least in my case, it's like that. Different floors can't interact or interfere with one another."

"We're on a different floor from him?"

"Right, the place you're in now is the 'theatre' in my Thought Palace, specifically the 68th, 69th and 70th floors."

"What's this concept? What's the difference between the floors?"

"Of course, there is. If I were to explain it, it would be very complex since such a Thought Palace is not built in a day. But there are rules to follow. In short, the lower the floor, the more chaotic it is. The higher the floor, the more orderly it is."