Shiller stared straight at the corpse's face, saying nothing, until even Gordon felt a chill creep down his spine. Only then did Shiller withdraw his gaze. Instantly, that dark aura vanished, replaced by an elegant and gentle demeanor that concealed something frightening.
Batman found himself unable to take his eyes off of Shiller's face. He was drawn not by his appearance, but by the carefully donned human guise and what lay beneath it.
"Erim Turek was originally one of the mayoral candidates, and quite a reputable contender at that. He invested in three banks in Gotham and even established a charity for homeless children. His reputation wasn't too shabby."
"Last night, he was found dead in his own home. A bladed weapon had sliced open his chest and pierced his lung. He had died on the spot, and it was quite agonizing."
"He hated him." As soon as Shiller began to speak, he had the attention of the other two. "Of course he suffered. The killer could have killed him with a single blow, but he chose not to do so. He first severely wounded him, watched him struggle on the edge of death, and then finally landed the kill. The intention was to cause torment. There must have been personal animosity in the murder."
"We noticed that, too." Gordon nodded. "The previous few bodies also had more than one wound, but all the injuries occurred at the same time and the victims died quickly, without a struggle."
"We now suspect there is more than one killer." Batman spoke up.
"Do you set this kind of test for everyone who comes here?" Shiller turned his head, his gaze meeting Batman's for the first time. The silent conflict between the two caused a dark storm to spread through the room.
"You're the first person to come here, and you're not at all grateful." Batman stared at Shiller, his tone low and slow.
The next second, the storm disappeared. Shiller was the first to divert his gaze back to the corpse. His eyelids flitted upwards, giving the appearance of narrowing his eyes - an unfriendly expression. But the mysterious hint of a smile further confused others.
"You've gleaned that although the victims died in similar circumstances, they were not killed by the same person. You're aware that this could be the work of a premeditated organization, with a clear target - the important figures of Gotham City."
"You didn't bring me here to hear this. So, let's skip the pleasantries. How do we manipulate the psyche of someone in this organization to sniff out their trail?"
Gordon's pupils shrank. He gave a slight lift to one eyelid, appearing as if the corner of his eye was twitching. But it was really a signal to Batman, suggesting "Are you sure he knows what to do?" and "If he truly has a way to handle this organization, how will you handle him?"
Batman didn't respond. He was focused only on Shiller's words.
Shiller tapped lightly on the edge of the autopsy table with the side of his finger. "This is their slip-up."
"Typically, an organization that regularly kills follows a particular purpose, usually driven by benefit or, to put it bluntly, it's for their own gains - not personal vengeance."
"Because the difference between mass murders and serial murders lies in the number of murderers, which often equals the number of victims for the former, and only the number of victims for the latter."
"The more murderers there are, the more difficult it is to hide them. This requires enormous manpower and resources. Without larger benefits, no one would go to the trouble of establishing such an organization."
"Before the appearance of this body, all their victims were killed efficiently and swiftly, driven by benefits. That was their modus operandi. But this victim was special, which I suppose is why he ended up before me."
Shiller glanced at Batman, seeming a little surprised by both his prolonged silence and his intense gaze.
"The fact that the killer tortured him indicates that he wasn't driven strictly by benefit. He had a personal feud with the victim. So, I said 'he hated him,' and that's the answer to the question, irrelevant of whether you asked it or not."
"So, should we start by looking into Erim's personal relationships?" asked Gordon.
"Now that the preliminary forensic test is over, shouldn't you ask me the real question?" Shiller said to Batman.
"You're very self-aware." Batman's voice was low, like wind whispering through a gorge.
"I live for it."
Shiller's reply was as light as a leaf floating on the surface of the water, imbued with an unfathomable delight.
"I'm starting to get confused." Jason rested one hand on his face, expressing his confusion. "The professor doesn't seem like a person who would accept such blunt and rash judgments from others. Or, to put it bluntly, it's disrespectful."
"Isn't this just blatantly insulting???" Clark with wide eyes echoed Jason's sentiment. "'You're very self-aware,' no matter how you interpret it, it's bad-mouthing, isn't it? It's either scorn or sarcastic - there's no positive implication!"
Sitting on another seat, Morbid watched Bruce furrow his brows. He relaxed his head against the chair's backrest and then spoke.
"The key here is 'aggressiveness'."
"If you reveal your aggressiveness, even if you're discussing what to have for breakfast, it'll sound like you want to make a meal out of the person. But if you don't display any aggressiveness, even such blatant sarcasm can be taken as a compliment."
Bruce involuntarily turned his head towards Morbid, and as he met Morbid's barren gaze, he froze.
"So, would you like to know what I'll have for breakfast tomorrow?"
Instantly, Bruce felt his hairs stand on end, but in the next second, Morbid regained his teasing demeanour.
A touch of coldness crept into Morbid's voice, reverberating thunderously within Bruce's mind like a knife puncturing his eardrum.
"The trick to saving face for yourself and others is really about how you control your aggressiveness when dealing with different people in different scenarios."
"Only a cornered beast is always baring its teeth. Even if you're a wolf wearing human skin, you must remain calm, composed, and uphold your dignity and elegance, maintaining an impeccable beauty."
"This way, when you bite someone's neck, you will see the shock and fear on their faces... That is the most exquisite taste of human flesh you should be seeking."