The female agent Lauren standing nearby said hesitantly, "Could there have been an overuse of drugs? If he were to tell our superiors that we conducted a non-standard, drug-induced interrogation..."
"I won't tell." Shiller, still bowing his head, spoke in a hoarse voice, "You're far more professional than most of my students and friends. At least you managed to get tranquilizers and injected them in a relatively standard manner. You saved my life. Thank you."
"So, to reciprocate, shouldn't you provide us with information that confirms your identity?" Scott retorted.
"As a token of gratitude." Shiller spoke and sighed lightly, continuing, "I advise you to blow the entrance we came through immediately. If we wait, it will be too late."
"I know what you're doing." Scott straightened up and looked towards the ceiling, "You're getting us to do meaningless things to gain control of the conversation. We've seen this too many times, don't let's waste each other's…"
"Boom boom boom boom boom!!!"
Another series of earthquake-like sounds echoed and everyone became unsteady. The once-steady room was crumbling from the ceiling. The agents could only steady themselves by leaning on the wall. Shiller, using all his recovered strength, yelled, "Blow up the passage!! Get out of here!!!"
Lauren quickly untied Shiller's hands and guided him towards the back door. Scott looked at the passageway outside the room and gritted his teeth, "Damn it! Who is chasing us?!"
"You two, go check if the explosives previously placed at the end of passage 3 are still there? Bring them here and blow up the passageways!" Scott immediately ordered.
Lauren, supporting Shiller, entered the passageway again and felt compelled to ask, "You do know who is chasing us, don't you?"
"As I've told you, it's Batman." Shiller swallowed his saliva. Though the tranquilizer had relieved his panic, it has also made him somewhat sleepy. If gray mist hadn't been continuously neutralizing the drug, he would likely be asleep by now.
However, Gray Mist also couldn't neutralize too much; otherwise, the tranquilizer wouldn't suppress the stress response, once the symptoms of his broccoli allergy re-appeared, Shiller's blood pressure would hike again.
Shiller sighed, "Before you came to Gotham, didn't you look into Batman? Or are you saying that you dared to come to Gotham without even knowing about Batman?"
On hearing the name 'Batman', Lauren frowned and said, "Of course, I know about Batman. I've long heard that there's a vigilante in Gotham who impersonates a bat... wait a second, the weirdo in tights that appeared in the manor, that was Batman?"
Lauren squinted her eyes, "He doesn't quite match the silhouette in the newspaper photos..."
Shiller sighed again, "Even the Federal Bureau of Investigation has to rely on newspapers for information..."
"Because he is just an insignificant vigilante, his actions do not violate federal law or harm the city. We won't arbitrarily investigate a citizen's identity and actions. That would infringe upon their privacy" Lauren's response was watertight, not giving him any room for retort.
"Thank your dedication to duty and caution; now you are about to face the pursuit of Batman." After Shiller finished speaking, he stopped, leaning against the passageway wall, panting, Lauren anxiously said, "You know we're being chased, so why aren't you running?!"
"Trust me, I'm more anxious than you are." Shiller, short of breath, managed to say, "But you need to understand that just a few minutes ago, I injected twice the dose of tranquilizers a person would normally take. My current blood pressure can't support such intense movement..."
Just after they paused for a few dozen seconds, Scott caught up with them. He glanced at Shiller and said, "I've blown up the single passage leading here. Even if he wants to clear the debris, it will certainly take him several hours..."
As he panted, Shiller interjected, "Did you ever consider that he might not need to clear the debris..."
"Boom!!!!!!!!!"
Another explosion sounded, Lauren gritted her teeth, "Has he gone mad? Isn't he afraid the entire underground structure will cave in?!"
"He probably knows the underground structure better than any of you. Oh, no, I expect anybody knows the underground structures better than you do!"
Shiller was almost slurring his words, but he still didn't abandon his sarcastic criticisms, never missing a chance to mock these agents.
"Professor, you'd better tell us what this person pursuing us is all about. Don't forget, although our mission is to escort you to Washington, in light of the current circumstances, you also are our hostage."
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Shiller shook his head, saying, "The tactical decisions you made when I was still not fully awake have now made us all hostages. That man, pursuing you, could destroy the underground structure at any moment and bury us all here."
"You should be thankful the ones pursuing you aren't the KGB; otherwise, those madmen would have already detonated a large bomb."
As soon as his words fell, all the agents went pale. Shiller was right, they were all sitting ducks, and as long as the enemy didn't fear death, they could drag everyone down with them.
Shiller slowly straightened up and started walking again, "We must return to the upper sewer. Though the packed ice there is an obstacle, it is also a natural barrier. Ordinary bombs won't work on it..."
"Only by finding a way through within the upper sewer can we escape the chase of someone who does not divert even slightly from the path."
Scott and Lauren exchanged glances, unsure whether to trust Shiller's words. After all, they were trained to always be on high alert, never fall into the opponent's trap.
In their careers, they had seen a variety of cunning prisoners trying to escape during transport. They used all manner of tactics, some even beyond imagination.
As experienced agents, they had figured out the best defense strategy. That is, do not listen, do not watch, and do not feel. No matter how the opposition tries to lure them, they remain unmoved, always proceeding according to their own plans and routes.
This was indeed an effective strategy, especially against the intellectually cunning criminals, which Shiller seemed to be, judging by his appearance and resume. Right now, these agents completely distrusted him.
Two agents approached from behind and grabbed Shiller. Once he was under control again, Scott waved his hand to lead the team and said, "We will move towards the southern passage. There's a larger base there."
"That base has ample defensive works and weapons. If he still want to chase..." Scott snorted, "We will show him what we're capable of."
On hearing this, Shiller, who was walking behind him, showed a satisfied smile.