Chapter 3222: Bloodbath in New City (34)

"I'm not joking with you, I am indeed a psychiatrist, very expensive, but considering you just paid half the funds to prevent the dissolution of GTO, I can offer you a free psychological healing session." Shiller said sincerely.

"…When did I say I was paying?"

"So it seems you meant to pay in full? Thank you for your generosity, when will you transfer the funds?"

Batman didn't want to discuss this matter with Shiller any longer, he didn't even want to stay in the same room with him, so he put on his coat, and as he walked to the door, he said, "I hope you don't provoke Superman, he's not someone you can easily deceive, once he realizes he's being used, he will definitely make the mastermind pay a price."

"Are you worried about me?"

Batman felt as uncomfortable as if he had eaten shit.

He practically fled, but Shiller just smiled. He picked up his phone, seeing a message that Gordon had just sent him: "Penguin Man has escaped the trap."

This guy was very clever indeed, as he didn't rush back to Gotham right away, but instead rested for a while in Brude Haven and had Gordon prepare a car to send him to Metropolis.

As expected, he must have met up with Superman by now. Penguin Man is a smart person; as soon as he hears of Superman's famed reputation, he'll understand that Superman's arrival means not only supervision but also support.

What Penguin Man is most worried about now is being captured by the pale knight again, because clearly, even if Gordon could persuade the pale knight, he would be reluctant, and if he changes his mind, trouble would erupt.

But if he can gain the trust of Superman, it would not be so easy for the pale knight to capture him again using force, which would give him some peace of mind.

Although Superman had already labeled Penguin Man as an evil Super Villain, still, he is not one to judge by appearances, nor would he deny his own direct observations due to any preconceived biases.

As long as Penguin Man works honestly, acting with the integrity expected of a conscientious politician and works for the benefit of most people, then Superman can certainly guarantee his personal safety and protect him from almost all Physical Attacks.

In the beginning of his rise to power, Penguin Man indeed mustn't fall into corruption too quickly, after all, he represents Gotham and still holds the large sum of money from GTO; if he is smart, he will definitely maintain appearances, waiting for others to come to him.

And he must also understand that Superman can't stay with him forever. If he doesn't secure his position within a certain period, the pale knight would still pursue him, possibly leading him to face imprisonment; he must show his true competence during this time— a fully committed Penguin Man is still trustworthy, and results will soon follow.

Shiller then met Gordon again at the coffee shop next to the police station, and as Gordon walked in, Shiller was rummaging through some documents.

"What's going on? Something up with Batman?"

"Yes, I was just about to discuss him with you." Shiller put down the things in his hands, looked up at Gordon, and asked, "Do you know that Batman is not mentally well?"

"Has he ever been well?"

"Don't say that, at least he was a happy child before his parents were killed."

"That's too long ago," Gordon said, "If you are asking about that case, I can only tell you, that's high society business, the police really can't handle it."

"You're right, that case is a bit too old. What about Jason Todd then?"

Gordon's expression slowly became complicated, and he lowered his eyelids saying, "…That was my fault."

"Is he still alive?"

Gordon shook his head and said, "He disappeared, and there are no signs that he's alive, nor has his body been found, no one knows where he is now… except maybe the Joker."

"But the Joker is now beyond asking." Shiller said, "Hasn't Batman tried to look for him all these years?"

"Of course he has, and for a very long time, still looking, but really, he hasn't found him." Gordon's brows knotted tightly, "Batgirl has a special system, designed to find various missing persons, it was created to find Robin, but unfortunately, they never found him."

"Well, chief, let's not mince words, Batman's mental state is extremely poor. Do you understand? Extremely, extremely poor."

Gordon showed no surprise, he just sighed and said, "When he was beating the Joker, I realized he was on the brink of losing control."

"Then you still underestimate how serious it is." Shiller said, "This is a profile of his mental state, don't worry if you don't understand the technical terms, I can explain them to you."

"He's not on the brink of losing control, he has already lost control; he is gradually losing his sensitivity to the order of life, which means his depression is progressing towards a moderate to severe stage."

"For someone like Batman, the margin of error for his mental state is very low, the death of his parents was a fatal blow, and the following decades he was just clinging to life, and Alfred's death was the final straw that broke the camel's back. All continuous collapse."

"You can't feel the gravity of the situation because the hard shell of Batman conceals the rotting process inside, this also means, once the structure completely collapses, there wouldn't be enough time for you to mount a rescue."

Gordon's expression turned serious, and he looked at Shiller earnestly, asking, "What can be done about this situation now? Hospitalization for treatment? Or medication? Whatever it is, I'll try to persuade him."

Shiller shook his head and said, "Medication can have some effect, but it treats the symptoms, not the root cause. Normally, I would suggest such a patient change their environment, but you can't persuade Batman to leave Gotham, especially not at this time."

Gordon nodded and said, "You don't know how stubborn he is, if any one of us could've persuaded him, things wouldn't have become like this."

"But it's not completely hopeless," Shiller continued, "Today his friend Superman came, and from my observation of their interactions, I noticed that Batman is not completely unresponsive, which means he actually craves companionship."

Gordon seemed interested, saying, "But he's never shown he likes Superman, it seems like he always finds him annoying, even somewhat disdainful."

"That's just how it appears on the surface. In reality, they are good friends. Batman is enjoying his care, even if he might not realize it, but emotions do not deceive."

"What should we do then? Let Superman spend more time with him."

"No, Superman has his own important work to do. But, don't you think that instead of Superman, it should be his adoptive son who should be by his side?"

Gordon showed a troubled expression and said, "Nightwing is very opinionated. He isn't the type that's good at comforting others like a sweet boy."

"He doesn't need to comfort Batman, he just needs to understand and be there for him."

"I'll try to persuade him," Gordon said, "It's really not right that he hasn't been home for so long. I'll have him come home tonight."

"No, you can't just order him to do it. Mr. Commissioner, you know that kids his age are rebellious. The more you urge him, the more he'll think you're Batman's solicitor and even if he goes back, he'll be reluctant. If he argues with Batman again, that would only make things worse."

"What should we do then? Should I ask Batgirl to talk to him?"

"Do not persuade him, just tell him the facts," Shiller said, sipping his coffee, "Batman agreed to pay to bail Balk out, which helped the GTO avoid dissolution."

"You actually persuaded him." Gordon was a bit surprised and said, "I can't think of any reason he would pay for this, but you did it."

"It was just a bit of insignificant work," Shiller smiled and said, "Since he made my job easy, I should help him mend his father-son relationship as a return favor, shouldn't I?"

"Alright," Gordon nodded and said, "I will tell him, but will this really make him willing to come home?"

"Kids his age have one more characteristic."

"What's that?"

"They care about saving face."

Nightwing put down his gun, took off his protective mask, glanced back at the target, and shook his head, apparently not satisfied with his training result.

Another lad at a different target also lowered his gun, took a deep breath, but he was much more optimistic, came over, and put an arm around Nightwing's shoulders saying, "Life's really good after the investment, this gun feels way better than the previous ones."

"I actually find it a bit uncomfortable to handle," Nightwing shook his head, "Once I'm used to it, my performance will surely improve."

"My goodness, you are already first place, how much better do you want to be? Come on, let's go eat. The food standards have also improved quite a bit, I'm looking forward to it."

Nightwing followed the young man out to the restaurant. It was mealtime, and many people were already settling down at their tables.

Just then, Batgirl walked over, smiled at Nightwing and said, "The Commissioner wants to see you, come to his office after you eat."

Nightwing scoffed down his food as quickly as possible, placed the plate down, and headed to the Commissioner's office, while at the same time, other members of the GTO also learned about the State Council's decision to disband the squad.

Gordon did as Shiller had suggested. He didn't say anything superfluous and didn't try to console Nightwing; he just told him about Batman's decision.

Nightwing's expression grew complicated because he had not expected Batman—who had never supported establishing the GTO—to be willing to spend such a large sum of money to help the squad through the crisis.

If that was the case, it meant all his previous prejudices were wrong; Batman wasn't someone who would jeopardize the bigger picture over personal grievances. His lack of support for the GTO might have other hidden reasons.

Should he go back and apologize?

Nightwing was reluctant deep down and also a bit resentful towards Batman for not sharing the hidden reasons with him.

But as soon as he left the office, he was surrounded by squad members chattering:

"Is it true Batman paid the money and we don't have to disband?"

"I knew he would help us. He was framed when he was imprisoned. I've always felt he's Gotham's best volunteer police, a real role model for us!"

"I'm not so sure, maybe he's doing this for some benefits, maybe he wants us to do some tasks for him."

"No way, his equipment is way better than ours. Nightwing, do you know about this? Is it true?"

Batgirl also stepped forward and asked, "Is Batman really going to help us? Nightwing, you're his assistant, can you ask him for us?"

Nightwing opened his mouth but ultimately just nodded.

"So, are you going to see Batman? Can you get his autograph for me? I really admire him!"

"Me too, me too! I've got his photo here; can you bring it to him for his signature?"

"I want one too, on my baseball cap. I've already got Superman's signature on it!"

Half an hour later, Nightwing stood at the entrance of Wayne Manor, laden with a mishmash of items, while Batman, standing on the stairs, looked at him, puzzled.