amaotonovel Chapter 3753 The Perilous Situation of Dark City (6)
Chapter 3753 The Perilous Situation of Dark City (6)
Chapter 3753 The Perilous Situation of Dark City (Sixteen)
The shot startled all the Batmen in the room.
A single shot ripped a bloody hole into the Batman Who Laughs's head, swift, decisive, and utterly merciless. From raising his hand to pulling the trigger, there was no hesitation, leaving no chance for anyone to stop him. More importantly, it offered no lofty meaning to the choice between life and death, nor any philosophical intention to explore justice or judgment; it was dismissive, even contemptuous. To Batman, it was practically a provocation.
Batman doesn't kill. This is the principle of all righteous Batmen. Every character, every faction, friend or foe, inside or outside the walls, has fought countless battles over this principle, creating countless entanglements and troubles. This forces everyone who understands this principle—everyone who understands Batman—to think twice and be extremely cautious when taking any actions related to it.
Perhaps they also harbor a peculiar complex, regardless of whether they kill or not. More than the act of killing itself, it's about wanting to know Batman's reaction to their stance. Essentially, they want Batman's attention. Not killing is obedience, killing is rebellion; the standard is always set by Batman.
This results in everyone who dares to attempt to take another's life in front of Batman having too many thoughts beyond killing, possessing a philosophical temperament reminiscent of philosophical debate, making them appear profound, melancholic, and excessively assertive.
But Schiller was different. His mind was free of mental prisons, his arms free of moral shackles, and his fingers free of emotional attachments. The gunshot was not the gavel falling in a courtroom, the bullet not a train carrying ideas—it was simply a killing.
Because it is pure, it is sharp; because its killing intent is too direct, it inspires fear.
Night Owl stared blankly at the fallen Batman Who Laughs. Then he looked at the other Batmen. The room was silent; all the Batmen remained silent.
The owl suddenly felt a sense of absurdity. Why were all the gentlemen present silent?
Are you afraid he'll shoot you too?
Night Owl had no doubt that anyone who dared to step forward and lecture Schiller about not killing would be shot without hesitation. This was something none of those who debated with Batman about whether or not killing was right would ever do. Because arguing meant they still cared, while actually killing meant that even if 99% of the people present disliked violence, the shooter didn't care. He didn't care what Batman thought of him, or even the potential threat of violence posed by so many Batmen.
It's as if the moment he grasps the gun, he becomes God. The world begins with pulling the trigger and ends with the burst of blood. The fractions of a second the bullet flies out define the entire universe he has created. No rules or doctrines can make him a god, yet they create a solemn aesthetic of violence that even Batman cannot help but admire.
Schiller slowly holstered his gun, glanced around, seemingly unaware of the silence they were sharing. Just a second before the main universe's Batman opened his mouth, Schiller said, "He's a combination of Batman and the Joker; he won't die so easily. I just want to keep him quiet."
It's better not to explain, Night Owl thought. Not explaining just shows ruthlessness, but explaining makes it seem more like a provocation.
Broken Bat swallowed back all his questions. He couldn't find an opportunity to ask. He didn't know much about the other Batmen, but he knew that if he took a bullet to the head like that, he definitely wouldn't survive.
Fortunately, Schiller had already put his gun away. He seemed oblivious to the awkward atmosphere, instead lowering his hat brim and saying, "I still have half my mission to complete. Now I need to restore order to Gotham. Anyone want to come with me? Or will you stay here and deal with them?"
He glanced back at the maniacal laugher lying on the ground. The man didn't seem dead, but his silence was unusual. Schiller guessed he had a backup plan; after all, he hadn't yet used his most proficient skill, "prediction."
“I advise you not to enter the city,” Night Owl suddenly said. “The Batman Who Laughs has assembled Batmen from the Dark Universe, and spatial rifts have probably already opened everywhere. Their army will arrive soon.”
"Looks like he's determined to ruin my mission," Schiller sneered. "Even so, he'd better hope his stupid plan actually works. Otherwise, he can expect to get shot again."
After saying that, he walked out of the church, leaving the Batmen inside the room in a dilemma, unsure whether to stay or leave.
Logically, the best approach now would be to capture the few Dark Batmen in the room, figure out their plans and what arrangements they've made in the city, so that a counterattack plan can be devised. But frankly, compared to Schiller, who's determined to plunge into the city, these Dark Batmen don't seem as dangerous.
“Go and watch over him.” The main universe Batman walked over to the Arkham Batman and whispered, “The Dark Multiverse Batman isn’t entirely hopeless either. We can’t let him kill all those people, or we’ll be in a very passive position later.”
Arkham Batman glanced at Broken Bat, discerning the complex emotions surging within him, and nodded without saying anything.
There was a lot of rambling and nonsensical laughter, but I did manage to say a few human words today. For the Batmen of the Dark Multiverse, everything they suffer—these inhumane calamities—is not their fault. If all living beings in the universe were like this, one could say "Heaven and Earth are unjust"; but there is, of course, the normally developing Light Multiverse. It's not scarcity that's the problem, but inequality.
Knowing this, the Dark Batmen's resentment and their efforts to resist and break free were all justified. Even if this might endanger the Light Multiverse, the Batmen of the Light Multiverse would never decide to kill all the Dark Batmen. They still wanted to save as many as possible.
But now it seems Schiller intends to have them lined up and shot. So even though it's important to catch the mastermind and interrogate him about the plan, we have to stop that murderer first.
This task was naturally assigned to the most capable Batman from Arkham. It's not that the main universe Batman is incompetent, but since Schiller chose to skip the Batman Who Laughs' dialogue and shoot him directly, it's likely that any other Batman would do the same. This means that Batman's brilliant mind and eloquent tongue are essentially useless; it's better to send someone who can fight.
Arkham Batman got back into the Batmobile, turned the steering wheel, and drove out of the church's main entrance, returning to the ruined city. He should have felt some emotion, but before the thought could even form, it was shattered by a familiar gunshot.
Arkham Batman turned the car around at top speed. There was no time for pointless thinking; Schiller's fighting style, which skipped all dialogue, required him to be faster than ever before.
The Batmobile stopped. When Arkham Batman got out, he saw Schiller already locked in combat with a powerful figure. The not-yet-fully-closed spatial rifts around them indicated that this was likely another Batman from the Dark Multiverse, summoned by the Batman Who Laughs.
The figure was different from the usual Batman: he wore a dark gray bodysuit, a shorter cape, and a full-coverage mask with two smaller, pointed ears on top; most strikingly, his bodysuit had many bright red lines—not the style Batman usually prefers.
There was no doubt that he was very skilled, able to hold his own against the armed Schiller. Schiller fired two shots but missed. Just as Arkham Batman was about to rush in and subdue the two, a red laser suddenly shot out from the stranger's eye.
Batman from Arkham is very familiar with this energy: "The Omega effect?"
Schiller paused slightly. He rolled to avoid the incoming beam, then stood up and sized up his opponent.
The Batman opposite him was dressed so uniquely that he almost immediately found the corresponding character in his memory—Omega Batman from "The Last Knight".
This is a DC Black Label work, belonging to its own independent universe. Although not explicitly stated, the darkness and gore of its story strongly suggest it belongs to the Dark Multiverse. When discussing the "most tragic Batman," this universe's Batman is a strong contender. It's unexpected that he too was swayed by the Maniac Laughter.
However, upon closer examination, it makes sense. Whether it's the Broken Bat or the Omega Batman, their misfortunes in the storyline are essentially undeserved. In other words, they were originally righteous and kind Batmen, but the world was full of hardships, and they were forced into their own circumstances, ultimately driven insane.
This kind of Batman is far more resentful than those born evil seeds. In Schiller's view, a dark army composed of such Batmen would be even more powerful than the Dark Legion of the Laughing Organization in the original comics, because they are victims of cosmic injustice.
When faced with these victims, the Batman of the Light Multiverse has many reservations. They will never give up on saving these victims, which makes them hesitant to act, and may even lead them to cut off their own arm, making them more intimidating than those truly evil villains.
“Who is he?” Arkham Batman asked. It wasn’t really a question, because he seemed certain that Schiller would explain it to him.
His answer was a gunshot.
"Bang!" Taking advantage of the moment the laser in the opponent's eye receded, Schiller fired again. This time, he finally hit, striking the opponent directly in the lumbar spine. The opponent fell to the ground with a thud. Schiller wanted to finish him off.
“Wait,” Batman Arkham stopped him and said, “Don’t kill him. I need to know who he is and what’s going on.”
“They betrayed me…” Omega Batman slowly began as he lay on the ground, “They stormed into the Hall of Justice and tore me to pieces…”
Before he could finish speaking, the dark muzzle of a gun appeared before him. Schiller looked down at him and said, "Shut up."
Arkham Batman frowned. He turned to Schiller and said, "We need information about the Dark Multiverse. You should let him finish."
“No, you don’t need to,” Schiller said without even looking at him. “I know that each of them has an unspeakable tragic past. But I didn’t create their past, and I have no obligation to take responsibility for it, much less to listen to their stories or help them solve their problems.”
"But you don't need to kill him."
“Living might be more painful for him. All my kindness combined is only enough to give him one bullet to end it all. Are you sure you want to stop me?”
Arkham Batman seemed unsure what to say. Schiller's logic seemed a little too convincing, but he still couldn't let himself do it. So he said, "You probably don't have many bullets left, no need to waste them on this pointless kindness. Forget it."
Schiller put away his gun and said, “I’m not trying to argue with you. You have to realize that the best outcome for these people who have been bewitched by the Batman Who Laughs is to die cleanly at my hands. If they miss this opportunity, they will only end up in a more miserable situation.”
"Is it really that exaggerated?" Arkham Batman seemed somewhat skeptical.
Schiller didn't answer him, but just glanced at the Omega Batman lying on the ground, and then left without looking back.