When Shiller entered the room, Batman also walked in. The children looked a little fearful at the sight of Shiller, but when Batman entered, they all retreated to the corner, looking terrified at the strange man in a black bodysuit.
"Cobblepot, these are the children you rescued?" Shiller looked over all the children, then said, "Things are worse than I imagined, they should eat more."
"They have been eating well these days. Give them another two weeks, and they will return to normal." Cobblepot said emotionlessly.
Batman shook his head and said: "That's impossible. Each of them is severely malnourished, they have wounds on their bodies, and they are on the verge of infection. They must go to the hospital."
"This is the way with Gotham's children." Cobblepot didn't even look at Batman, he just said calmly: "Hunger and injury are nothing as long as they are alive and have enough food and a safe shelter. They will recover quickly."
"You will cause them to miss the best time for treatment." Batman said, "It will affect their growth and development and leave them with permanent scars."
"As long as it's not a disability that affects their motion, it doesn't matter." Cobblepot frowned and said.
Batman silently stared at him, the dissatisfaction on his face apparent. Suddenly, Cobblepot became a bit irritated. "Stop spewing that useless sympathy, fat cat, keep your distance...get out of here!"
"Calm down, Cobblepot." Shiller stepped forward and slapped Cobblepot's shoulder. "Ignore his nonsense, he's just a rich guy."
"I'm just talking about some very basic medical knowledge that everyone should know." Batman's tone rose slightly, "Malnutrition weakens the immune system, extreme hunger damages their stomachs and intestines. These hard loafs of bread could cause obstructions or vomiting."
"With the current temperature only being 15 degrees and there's rain outside, four or five of these children are having a fever, and one is shaking all over. What we should do now is take them to the hospital for treatment."
With that, Batman walked into the group of children. He gently caught the arm of a particularly weak little girl, intending to pull her over to check her condition.
This little girl was of mixed race, with brown skin. She had thick, black eyebrows and large eyes, but she was thin as a stick, her limbs so slender that she looked disproportionate.
Her arm was really thin, and Batman used very little force when grabbing it. The instant his glove touched the girl, she bit him hard.
She let out a sharp cry, biting tightly onto Batman's wrist, then shook off his hand and dashed to the corner, shrieking as she tried to push the door open, her body convulsing and her voice hoarse.
"I just want to take you to the hospital." Batman said to her. "You don't need to be afraid of me. I will take you to see a doctor, and the doctor will cure all your illnesses."
He lowered his head at the children around him, but every child who met his eyes would tremble, back away, and then run off screaming. In just a short while, no one was left around Batman.
Even with a mask covering his face, it was clear to any normal person that Batman looked far better than Cobblepot. Cobblepot's stiletto-like nose made him look particularly sinister. He didn't look like a good person, but he had the most children around him.
"You are preventing them from getting proper treatment." Batman stood up and said to Cobblepot, "Even if you don't have medical knowledge, at least you should know that undernourished children who are soaked and have a fever can easily die."
Cobblepot held a multi-function army knife in his hand, twirling it around. He looked into Batman's eyes and asked, "Do you know why they are hiding from you?"
Batman stayed silent while watching him, but he indeed was looking for an answer.
"Perhaps you know, these homeless children all have 'dads and moms', their leaders. The leaders pick up abandoned babies that others don't want, feed them in the simplest way, and let them beg on the streets when they grow up."
"But they are not their real parents, just traders. The traders want their 'product' to sell well, but sometimes when times are tough, they can't make enough money, so their 'dad and mom' will find a child who is performing the worst and beat him half to death."
"Of course, sometimes they go too far. Such a child cannot beg the next day - nobody in Gotham gives a beggar child more money just because they are severely injured. They would only feel that the blood flowing down along with the rain to their feet would stain their leather shoes."
"These children are useless to them now, so their 'dad and mom' will deal with them. They proclaim publicly that they are sending this child to the hospital, and then they will hand over the child for adoption by a rich family, declaring that he is free from suffering."
"But these children are not fools. Everyone knows that he will not be sent to the hospital. He will be thrown onto a garbage truck and will die in the heavy rain overnight. Every child who is taken away by their 'dad and mom' will meet this end."
Cobblepot looked into Batman's eyes and said, "When you told them that you were going to take them to the hospital, it's as if you were telling them that you were going to kill them."
Upon seeing the look in the eyes of the children huddled in the corner, Batman knew that Cobblepot was not making up stories. This was the first time these children had heard the word 'hospital' from the mouths of the ones who always abused them.
At this time, Shiller knelt down half-way. He waved at one of the children and said,"Come here, kid."
It was a young black boy. His legs were shaking, but he still took small steps toward Shiller. Shiller looked at him and asked,"Where do you feel uncomfortable?"
"No, I'm fine, I can work." The little boy said, shivering: "I can go to the outer street to work."
Shiller looked up at Cobblepot, who explained: "Outer streets refer to the docks, where there are a lot of people, some of the local big shots use yachts to sail. Sometimes, for a smooth sailing, they would give the little beggars a bit of money. But at the same time, there are also vicious dock workers there. They have to be strong enough, and also smart enough to earn their meals."
"Okay, your body seems healthy, I saw you having a piece of bread, are you full now?" Shiller asked again.
"No, I'm still a bit hungry, but I don't need to eat more." The little boy spoke fluently, it seemed these words have been rehearsed by him a hundred times.
"Very good, do you feel cold? Do you need more clothes?" Shiller asked again.
"I'm a bit cold, but I don't need more clothes." the little boy responded once more.
After finishing the questions, Shiller stood up, shaking his head, "They do need to see a doctor, but a psychological one."
Batman looked at him, as if looking for an answer. However, Shiller directly gave a glance to Cobblepot, and they both walked out of the room.
Batman also followed them out, but as Red Card was about to leave, Shiller stopped him, telling Red Card, "You stay here with them for a while, after all, you're the one who gave them food."
Red Card was somewhat confused, but he still nodded. After the others had left, Shiller pointed to the ground with his umbrella tip.
"I think, you should have noticed, his answers are strange, when I asked about his condition, he would first mention that he's not doing well, and then supplement that he doesn't need any improvements."
"He mentions that he's not doing well to indicate to his controller that he has no chance of escaping from control. He's still cold and hungry, weak, and easily controlled."
"But at the same time, he also shows that he wouldn't waste any of the controller's resources, wouldn't ask them for additional food and clothing, meaning no additional expense."
"Obviously, this is not a natural expression." Shiller then turned to look at the situation inside the room and said, "They are trying hard to maintain themselves in the state most desired by their controllers and tormentors, weak, non-resistant, cost-saving, very obedient and capable...".
"But they are dying." Batman interjected somberly.
"Then give them some medicine." Cobblepot spoke with an indifferent expression, "One anti-inflammatory pill each. If they have a fever, give them antipyretics. If they feel cold, give them more clothes. If they're hungry, let them eat bread."
"You're still abusing them." Batman took a deep breath and said, "You are no different from the leaders who exploit and torture them, why can't you save them completely?"
"I'm doing exactly that, saving them completely." Cobblepot moved towards Batman, and with his military knife, poked Batman's battlesuit, then he said:
"Batman, this is why it's me, why it's us, and why everyone in Gotham hates you. You think you alone can save Gotham, you regard yourself as a savior, but you're not. You can't save anyone here, can't save this city."
"You did nothing but placed yourself in the position of a savior, arrogantly criticizing anyone not conforming to your ideology. Batman, if I didn't have something important to do now, I would teach you a lesson."
When Cobblepot's expressionless face showed a fierce look, even Batman felt a hint of ferocity. He felt an evil soul fermenting inside Cobblepot, ready to become one of the biggest threats to Gotham at any moment.
"At least, when they are unwell, I will provide them with the most professional medical assistance." Batman stared into Cobblepot's eyes, "At least, I can save these children, while you, with your clear lack of common knowledge, will kill them."
"Alright, stop arguing!" Shiller held his temples, obviously feeling bombarded, "Let's do this, you each take half of the children, save them in your own way, no matter how, or they would die in some alleyway."
Before Batman could refuse, he saw the look Shiller was giving him. His human rights-related retort was forced back down his throat, in the end, he and Cobblepot exchanged glances, neither saying a word.
Cobblepot stepped into the room and told his mailman subordinate, "Go to the drug dealer Andrew at Green Street, we need some anti-inflammatory medicines. If he also has morphine, get some too. No injections though."
"Ask the restaurant owner next door for a kettle. Have the bar on the upper floor send it over after boiling the water. Alert the bar owner and get today's leftover food, have it delivered here. The unfresh fish, meat pies and vegetable salads will do, just feed them."
"Also, you and Red Card watch them, don't let them run out or yell to disturb the bar business. If the bar owner comes down to check them out, tell him, the Spencer family is having a ball soon, I can get him an invitation, he's to forget about what's happening here then."
Finishing up, Cobblepot walked away without looking back, not planning to continue looking after these children. Batman watched his back, saying, "You're plotting a murder for money."
"You will soon understand who is plotting a murder for money."