The days of being a spiritual mentor in Meiman.

Chapter 3765 Rapid Pursuit ( )

Chapter 3765 Rapid Pursuit (Part 10)

“You’re right,” Batman continued, following the Joker’s lead. “If anyone is most likely to know where Bruce Wayne is in this universe, it’s Elliott.”

Why are you so sure Bruce isn't dead?

You said you saw a body in the cold storage?

"Yes. His internal organs were removed and placed in a specimen jar. I didn't have a chance to visit it."

"Okay. Let's assume that Elliott is a madman with a perverted fetish for gutting people. Since he's already gutted Bruce, why didn't he take the specimen jar with him, but instead left it in such a remote and isolated asylum?"

The clown frowned, shook his head, and said, "I don't understand what those lunatics are thinking."

“That’s interesting,” Batman admitted, acknowledging his current feelings. Before he could say anything, the Joker wrinkled the muscles around his nose in annoyance and said, “I know what you’re trying to say. It’s particularly strange for me to say something like this when 99% of my counterparts are insane. But this isn’t the time to discuss that. Go on with your speculation.”

“Okay. I have a friend who is a master in the field of psychoanalysis. I often talk to him about the psychological world of psychopaths and always benefit greatly. He once told me that psychopaths who have a special interest in human limbs and internal organs usually have a kind of ‘God complex’.”

"'God complex'?"

“They believe they are superior to everyone else and are the masters of other people’s lives. They believe they have the right to control other people’s bodies, and the best way to control them is to manipulate them into shapes that the limbs would not normally exist.”

"Sounds like some kind of serial killer who likes to manipulate corpses."

"That's right. Serial killers who collect skin and organs are also included. If Elliott had this mentality when he emptied Bruce's organs, he wouldn't have stored his collection so casually, and it's unlikely he would have created only Bruce as a victim. The wealth and power he received from Wayne Enterprises were enough for him to build an organ museum."

“You seem to know them quite well.” The Joker squinted at Batman. To Batman’s surprise, this face, covered in a messy and horribly made-up face, didn’t look out of place when he was serious. Instead, it had a Don Quixote-like absurd yet humorous tragic quality.

"Based on my understanding of Thomas Elliott, he's not that kind of madman. He wouldn't have removed Bruce's organs for some kind of mental pleasure. And if, as you say, Bruce has been confined to an asylum and subjected to human experimentation for years, then removing his organs is more like reclaiming the fruits of their experiments."

“That’s what I think too,” the Joker said. “That’s why they preserved his body in a cold storage…”

“I’m afraid you know absolutely nothing about medicine,” Batman shook his head, raising his voice. “That’s the crux of the matter. If it were for research purposes, no researcher with even a modicum of scientific knowledge would choose to freeze a corpse in a cold storage. What’s a chemical term you often hear in anatomy?”

"what?"

"Formalin. If bodies can be preserved well in cold storage, then no one will buy this not-so-cheap chemical."

"Perhaps he wanted to preserve the body more completely."

"Then there's no need for him to remove the organs first. Since the organs have already been taken out and preserved separately, why not just dismember them and soak them in formalin?"

The clown couldn't answer either, because it was indeed eerily strange. If the goal was to preserve the body intact, there was no need to move it; simply freezing it would suffice. Since the internal organs had already been removed, it proved that the body's integrity wasn't important. Therefore, for professional reasons, it shouldn't be frozen in a cold storage; instead, it should be dismembered and preserved in formalin.

Besides, even if the body wasn't dismembered, it's not impossible to preserve it in formalin. What's an expensive chemical for others is insignificant to the head of Wayne Enterprises. Even if he himself had little medical knowledge, his researchers would certainly have devised this plan. The fact that he didn't use it proves that something went wrong somewhere.

This method of taking some out and putting it in jars while freezing the rest in a cold storage is very strange and certainly worth pondering.

"Which do you think is more likely to survive: someone who isn't dead, frozen in a cold storage or preserved in a jar of formalin?" Batman suddenly asked.

"Cold storage," the clown immediately realized.

It's a very simple principle—assuming Bruce didn't die, working backward, the answer is easily found. To fool Elliott, the method of faking death had to be convincing. Considering that the other party would likely look at the body, Bruce would inevitably have to appear as the corpse.

While frozen in a cold storage, Bruce could maintain his condition for a short time by manipulating the temperature of the compartment, without significant changes to his appearance. However, if he were immersed in formalin, or even just ordinary water, he wouldn't be able to hold his breath for very long—at most a few minutes. At the point of extreme suffocation, the body would inevitably have instinctive reactions that would be difficult to conceal.

What's going on with those internal organs?

“You haven’t seen his internal organs with your own eyes, have you? Bruce Wayne isn’t going to have his name engraved on his heart, liver, spleen, and lungs. Elliott couldn’t possibly recognize his internal organs either, which is actually the easiest thing to fake.”

"In other words, someone is working with Bruce from the inside," the Joker said thoughtfully. "And this person working with Bruce can even influence the researchers under Elliott's command."

“That’s normal. Why isn’t Wayne Corporation called Elliott Corporation now?” Batman asked again, then answered himself, “If Elliott really had the ability to lead a corporation, he would have merged Wayne Corporation into Elliott Corporation long ago. After all, many years ago, the two were not that different.”

"But years have passed, and the fact that he chose to lead Wayne Enterprises under the Elliott name, even amidst criticism, rather than change the company's name to his own, proves that he didn't have that much say in Wayne Enterprises. More likely, the resistance he faced was too great to implement."

“I understand. This proves that there are many people within the Wayne Group who are loyal to the Wayne family. They are not only upholding the legitimacy of the Wayne family, but also secretly protecting Bruce Wayne. The researchers that Elliott can mobilize are all from the Wayne Group. It would be very easy for these people to do something.”

“There is no loyalty in business.” Batman’s tone turned somber. “The Wayne couple are dead, and Bruce Wayne is utterly useless. The only reason they’re so protective of Wayne is to fight Elliott and prevent him from forming a new power group that will kick them out of the center of power. Wayne is just a figurehead.”

"Are you worried that they might also want to secretly control Bruce Wayne?"

“That’s for sure,” Batman said. “In the power struggle between Elliott and Wayne, no one can escape unscathed. Whether Bruce is truly insane or not, as long as he bears the Wayne name, he has a natural legitimacy within Wayne Enterprises. Whoever can control him may just win Wayne Enterprises.”

"So besides Elliott, these guys should also know where Bruce is."

"They don't know. If they did, the news of Wayne Group's heir's return would have been released long ago. Such public opinion would be beneficial to them. It's only because they can't find him now that there's been no movement."

"So Bruce still ended up in Elliott's hands."

"Not necessarily. Elliott is too stupid; he probably already believes Bruce is really dead. Bruce faked his death with the help of those people, but since he didn't fall into their hands, it proves there's a third party involved. This third party has no ulterior motives; they're just thinking of Bruce. Who do you think it could be?"

Batman only realized after asking that the Joker's universe was different from theirs. So, without waiting for an answer, he said, "I want to know if Alfred is still alive."

“Your butler?” the Joker frowned. “He couldn’t have come to help Bruce get out of there himself; he must have someone in the asylum. We can find a way to find him.”

"What are you going to do?"

"Of course, I'm just borrowing your face."

The Bat Who Laughs is fleeing into the night. Ever since encountering Schiller again at the hospital, the latter has turned his attention to him, launching a relentless attack. Having already suffered a loss in a direct confrontation, the Bat Who Laughs has no choice but to temporarily retreat and strategically withdraw.

When it comes to escaping, the Laughing One wasn't bad either. After all, he was Batman, so he didn't just blindly run forward. Instead, he hacked into the security system of a street near the hospital, triggering a security alarm. Instantly, drones, security robots, and security forces rushed towards them. Armored trucks, bipedal robots, fully armed soldiers, drone operators, snipers, and passersby stopped for inspection... they swarmed the entire street.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Kuangxiao rushed to the back of an armored truck, knocked the driver unconscious while he was getting out of the vehicle, took off his coat and put it on himself, then put on a helmet and sat in the driver's seat.

Kuang Xiao was already thin, and the soldiers' uniforms completely concealed him. The soldiers under Elliott wore helmets instead of hats, which further obscured his oddly shaped head. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from the passenger seat, took one, and held it in his hand, smoking with one hand on the steering wheel—he really looked the part.

He had carefully chosen this truck. Firstly, its location was excellent; if anything went wrong, there was another street ahead, allowing him to easily escape the crowd without getting stuck like other vehicles. Secondly, the truck was close to the hospital entrance, offering a high enough view to have a clear view of the main entrance. He could see from inside the truck when Schiller would emerge.

His laughter carried a hint of smugness. The scene was so chaotic now; even if Schiller came out, he'd probably be squeezing through the crowd like a headless fly. There were at least several hundred people on this street and in the surrounding buildings. Where was Schiller supposed to find him?

Moreover, the long sword Schiller was carrying alone was enough to make these soldiers suspect him. No matter how skilled he was, could he possibly take on so many at once?

Kuangxiao waited in the car for a few minutes. Logically, Schiller, who had been chasing after him, should have come out by now, but there was still no movement at the hospital's main entrance.

If they waited any longer, the security forces would soon withdraw, and the situation would become unfavorable. Laughing wildly, he controlled the drone, moving it towards the hospital's main entrance, but still couldn't spot Schiller.

Suddenly, in the corner of his eye, Kuangxiao caught a glimpse of a figure appearing at the intersection facing the car. The figure was dressed in a suit and held a long, floor-length knife. In the interplay of light and shadow in the drizzling night rain, the figure exuded a terrifying, soul-searching aura.