Chapter 1979 U: Beyond Major Events (68)_1

Owen's screams suddenly ceased.

Because the entire screening room began to shake.

The shake was still on a rule level. Despite Bruce's previous hunch, he still stepped on a steel pipe rolling from the back seat, resulting in a spectacular tumble to the ground after an elaborate arm-and-leg dance.

Arthur was sitting well in his chair, but a sudden to and fro shake pulled his chair out from under him, causing him to plop down onto the ground.

Lord Superman was not weakened; he could fly. But, just as he rose into the air, a spotlight from above the screening room crashed down, pounding him straight into the ground.

Constantine was still turning his head to watch the commotion, and promptly found himself tangled in a chain of lights that flew from the stage, sending him crashing to the floor.

Owen was about to unleash his powers when suddenly, a billboard crashed down from above his head, burying him into the floor, leaving only his head sticking out.

Helplessly, he could only watch as the entire screening room crumbled into pieces. When the first piece hit the ceiling, everyone could see the castle through the gap.

Alas, they couldn't stand up. Even when Lord Superman cleared the debris off himself, he was quickly rocked by the storm of flying objects, unable to approach the castle.

Thus, everything in the screening room flew away, and the castle's doorway morphed into a gaping mouth, belching out a satisfied "burp".

Back where Shiller was in the wilderness, the castle made a U-turn and abruptly stopped in mid-air.

"He-tui!"

Something was spat out from the castle's big mouth – a scorched bus large enough for several passengers.

But, by now, the bus was charred black, leaving nothing but a burnt skeleton.

Shiller screamed.

"My school bus!!!"

He then turned sharply, standing up and stretched out a hand in one direction saying: "You, settle the legal fees!"

The Shiller on the screen was staring straight out of it, and his extended hand was reaching towards Owen, who was buried in the floor.

Bruce, fallen on the floor, slapped his forehead.

"What the hell is going on?" Owen asked in bewilderment.

To understand what was happening, one needed to start with Shiller's backup plan:

Shiller initially intended to solve the problem through surgery, but he knew that the killer devil wouldn't make things that simple.

After all, the surgery was so crude that even if it failed, it could be blamed on external conditions. But if the killer devil mimicked the vertical saw from "Saw," he undoubtedly intended to create an internal dilemma.

For Shiller, the success or failure of the surgery couldn't achieve the purpose of tormenting the inner self, hence the arrival of Little Bruce.

Shiller was the Joker, he could never sit by and watch any Batman die. He had to find ways to save Little Bruce. However, the crude external conditions made it impossible for Shiller to save him through surgery.

Even if he wanted to use another method, Shiller had to examine Little Bruce's heart condition first, which clearly showed a demon inside.

Then the problem arose, to save Little Bruce, he had to exorcise the demon. But the demon was Little Bruce's heart, presenting Shiller with a choice.

If he exorcised the demon, it would be equivalent to personally removing Little Bruce's heart, thereby killing Batman.

If he didn't exorcise the demon, the demon would eventually kill Little Bruce, meaning someone other than the Joker killed Batman.

Again, the Joker could not accept himself killing Batman because it would mean admitting defeat to Batman - a concession that he could never make Batman laugh again, hence he was forced to deliver the lethal blow.

Yet, the Joker also couldn't accept someone else living and dying with Batman, because Batman would rather fight and die with someone else than play a game with him. This situation had once driven the Joker of the Prime Universe to a breakdown.

Therefore, Shiller was stuck in a dilemma: he had to choose between killing Batman himself and letting someone else kill Batman, an answer was clearly non-existent.

As for simultaneously exorcising the demon and saving Little Bruce, it was impossible. As Constantine had said, if the demon had just entered, it could be exorcised using mystical methods.

But now, Little Bruce's heart was the demon. It was not that the two were conjoined; the demon had completely replaced Little Bruce's heart. There was no way to exorcise the demon without hurting the heart.

Even if it could be forcibly done, a healthy human heart alone couldn't save Little Bruce's systemic organ failure.

Long term ischemia was not something that could be reversed with mere blood supply. Even if they managed to cure him and send him back to Mr. and Mrs. Wayne for the best medical treatment and drugs, the best outcome would still be Little Bruce living an ordinary life as a weak individual.This situation was equivalent to killing Batman, because if Little Bruce found even simple physical activity difficult, it would be impossible for him to become Batman. And if Little Bruce was bedridden most of the time, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne probably wouldn't be in the mood for movies.

When Shiller realized that the little boy was Bruce, he had roughly understood the strategy of the killer devil, which was basically to use the Joker-Batman law.

While this law was a useful weapon, it proved tricky when used against oneself. The double bind could not be solved by any normal means, so Shiller devised an out-of-the-box plan.

Theoretically, even if Little Bruce's heart is a demon, as long as the demon behaves and restores blood supply to Little Bruce's body, and even goes a step further to heal Little Bruce's health with its power, the situation can continue.

There is also a way to break this impasse, which is to seal the demon, allowing the demon and Little Bruce to maintain a symbiotic relationship, thereby barely saving him.

Unfortunately, when Mr. and Mrs. Wayne said they were willing to give up everything they had to save Little Bruce, Shiller abandoned this mediocre way.

How can you continue to do business if you don't produce some results for a client willing to pay such a hefty treatment fee?

So, not only must the treatment be effective, but it needs to be quick. Moreover, since they are so decisive and generous, how can Shiller not give them some kind of gift?

Thus, in addition to exorcism by divine power and physical exorcism, Shiller decisively took a third path - exorcism through copyright.

As we all know, Disney is currently Marvel's boss, with all Marvel heroes belonging to Disney, and the DC boss is Warner. You can't get the two confused.

Warner can negotiate, but Disney is renowned for its copyright fanaticism, especially when it comes to media infringement, and traditional media infringement in particular.

For instance, Disney hasn't done much about the mass production of modified toys of Disney heroes and characters by manufacturers in Yiwu, even some 1:1 copies of authentic toys don't worry Disney much.

If it was because they couldn't get into China before, then after the opening of Disney Shanghai, this excuse is no longer valid. But we still see all sorts of Disney classic characters in ordinary supermarkets, and haven't seen Disney send out a wave of attorney letters.

Such circumstances are almost the same outside of China. A lot of modified versions of characters being made into various plastic toys and dolls are sold in some supermarkets, and Disney doesn't really care.

A lot of new media channels have fan-made and commercial creations that blur the line but are widely spread, yet we haven't seen Disney send out a lawyer's letter to each author.

Almost all of Disney's classic lawsuits where they've won have been against those who have used their classic graphics, unauthorized broadcasting of Disney-owned movies, and unauthorized use of Disney-owned characters in advertising. These are most often seen in the publishing, printing, and broadcast industries.

Especially unauthorized illegal broadcasts which always lose when taken to court. Hence the classic joke: if ever you are marooned on a deserted island, just draw Mickey on the beach and Disney's plane will be there asap.

The key lies in the fact that Mickey's image is a highly recognizable classic pattern that can represent Disney to some extent. That's why Disney is so cautious about its use because misuse could upset the whole company's image.

Shiller's plan also stems from this.

First of all, drawing a Mickey on Batman's heart is not only a copyright infringement but also somewhat mocking, so it's easy to attract attention and get noticed.

However, when the big boss peers in, this matter won't go well.

Disney's brand image has always been positive, promoting dreams coming true, love, and friendship, growth, and family, etc., most are appropriate for viewing by families with children aged 13 and under.

However, at Shiller's end, there is a seriously ill child, a closed-door abduction case, a killer's devil's choice, plus crying, howling, and screaming.

Moreover, several television screens have been set up to broadcast live to Mr. and Mrs. Wayne and also to the audience in the theater, who all saw that pattern through Shiller's residual vision.

This presents another problem, once you're involved, can you just walk away and not help?

If the big boss retracts their pattern on the spot, Little Bruce will die there instantly, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne will pass out in tears, Shiller will go insane, and the killer will burst into laughter.

This is not a scene appropriate for anyone under 18 to watch, actually, it's not suitable for any human to watch.

To preserve its brand image in family-friendly contexts, Disney must not allow Little Bruce to die, even if he is on the brink of death, in fact, he should be instantly restored to health so he can spend three days playing in Disney World.

But the problem remains, the demon is Little Bruce's heart. To directly remove his heart seems too inappropriate for a family audience, so Mickey's pattern becomes a seal.

In summary, Disney lights up the dream in the demon's heart, making its biggest wish to visit Disney World and see the Lion King. The demon then finds out it has a child's heart and from then on, becomes best friends with Little Bruce.

However, this also creates a problem.The Mickey symbol must stay on Little Bruce's body at all times, meaning he must be granted permission to use it.

Of course, even for the sake of publicity, Disney won't mind a child, much less a gravely ill child, drawing a Mickey pattern on himself.

But the problem is that while Little Bruce is sick, the killer and Owen, who have caused all these incidents, are not. They are adults capable of bearing legal responsibilities.

Now they'll have to face the consequences of illegal broadcasts, unauthorized use of patented patterns, and the unauthorized use of patented images, which has caused damage to the brand's reputation.

Thus, all of the levels Owen created and his newly built theater were taken away as licensing fees and compensation.

The entire game's venues, the current and upcoming killers, and the theater where the spectators are located, were all cleaned out. All that remained was the foundation, with only a few individuals left.

Once the castle completely disappears, two pieces of paper slowly drift from mid-air, landing in Little Bruce's hand.

He looked down and to his surprise, they were movie tickets for "The Little Mermaid", which premiered in the 80s.

Shiller patted Little Bruce on the back of his head and said, "Go watch a movie, Bruce."

"Can I go with my mom and dad?"

"...Of course."