After confirming that the observation room had no exits, Batman turned and asked Zatanna, "How many more times can you use that teleportation of yours? I mean, in a full power..."
"5 times, at most 5 times." Zatanna sighed, "Haven't you noticed that my soul power is almost exhausted? Traveling within the Memory Space is a lot more difficult than in reality. Just pinpointing the location requires more than half of my power. I can only teleport 5 more times, after which I will completely lose my ability to move..."
Batman nodded, "Now, teleport once and take us to the first floor, the living area, to look for an exit."
Zatanna looked a bit tired, but didn't say anything. She waved her hand and a ring of fire appeared. The three of them stepped in, and appeared in the hallway on the first floor.
Batman started investigating from facilities like convenience stores, but after a few minutes of searching, he didn't find any place that seemed like an exit. Finally, they ended up in the main dining hall on the first floor.
Just as they pushed the door open, they saw a bright ball of light in the center of the dining hall. Constantine breathed a sigh of relief, "Finally we've found it, let's go, we can't stay here any longer."
"But why the dining hall?" Batman showed his classic expression of doubt, "The consultation room, observation room, library, study room, wouldn't these places be more likely to have events that make Shearer feel averse?"
"Wouldn't it be more uncomfortable being repeatedly dissected by a psychiatrist, or fixed to a chair by a straight jacket, rather than eating?"
"Who knows? You said it too, he's a mental patient, don't try to understand their world." Constantine shrugged, then walked towards the ball of light, with Zatanna following him.
But before Batman left, he saw a figure in a straitjacket appearing outside the dining hall's entrance. Amid the dim and eerie glow of the safety direction lights, the figure looked creepy and terrifying.
It's hard to tell who seemed crazier when Shearer in the straitjacket and Batman in the bat suit faced each other.
Batman turned and walked toward the sphere. A flash of bright white light passed, and the next second, he found himself in a pure white space.
Constantine settled down on the ground. Zatanna introduced to Batman, "This is a buffer zone. We can rest here for a while before we start considering constructing the Virtual Memory…"
"I don't need rest. What kind of Virtual Memory Space are you planning to construct ?" Batman asked.
Zatanna thought for a moment before answering," First of all, we need to find a relatively safe and stable Memory Space. It can't be too aggressive, or it's easy for flaws to occur."
"Then, I use weakness items to trick him into giving up his umbrella. For example...never mind, I'm not that tired either, let's start."
Constantine sighed, "But I...Alright, Zha, you owe me a drink after we get out of here. It's been a long time since I've lost this much blood..."
Having said that, he wobbly stood up from the ground. Zatanna waved her hand, causing many spheres of light to appear in front of her. "These are some Memory Fragments. I don't know why, but his Memory Fragments are more fragmented than others. A normal person's memory can usually last 2-3 days."
"But the longest Memory Fragment I could find in his soul is no more than an hour. So, I don't have time to slowly pave the way. Creating some unexpected events might work better. Watch me."
Zatanna stepped forward and chose one among many spheres of light. As the sphere unfolded, it turned into a screen where Batman saw Shearer teaching a class.
Seeing the familiar theories on the blackboard, and the freshly handed in assignment on the professor's desk, Batman instinctively took a step back, wanting to distance himself from the blackboard.
Zatanna didn't notice his reaction. She just rubbed her chin and said, "Straitjacket...straitjacket... I've got it. I'll do this!"
Then, she lit up one hand and pointed at her forehead with her index finger, saying, "Schiller Rodriguez, you were born into a family with a history of mental illness. You often fear your own mental breakdowns..."
"Wait a minute." Batman interrupted her, "As far as I know, scholarly autism is not a hereditary mental illness…"
Zatanna made a face, "That's not important, we are tricksters, our goal is to fabricate things that don't exist..."
"I'm replacing Shearer's memories in this Memory Space. You have to make him feel fear in order for him to give up his umbrella."
After saying that, Zatanna turned to Batman as if unsatisfied, "Don't interrupt me. It's a serious drain on my power."
Batman caught himself, seeming as if he had something else to say, but seeing Zatanna's determined expression, he remained silent.
Then he saw, on the screen, the classroom door on the right swung open with a loud bang. A group of doctors stormed in and one approached Shearer saying, "I'm sorry, Professor Shearer. You've hurt three innocent students during your previous mental breakdown, and the students' parents have reported this. You have to come back with us to the hospital for treatment."