A special confinement cell in the prison that made everyone change color upon mention. This cell was prepared by Amanda for the high-risk criminals with special abilities during the early days of the prison's establishment. It did not follow any humanitarian rules and was a stern seclusion for twenty-four hours a day.
Bruce could not think of any reason why Bane would intentionally go to such a cell, but he indeed did so deliberately.
Bane refused to kill Elliot when Amanda commanded him to, and as soon as he met Galado, who he was supposed to protect, he killed him. It was clear that he was intentionally provoking Amanda, and he had long anticipated that Amanda's final method of dealing with him would be to transfer him to a special confinement cell.
But why would he do this?
The confrontations Bruce had imagined with Bane had ended before they could even start. Bane shared nothing in their sparse conversations.
Bruce should have been relieved, and now he could return to his original plan to slowly escalate, first manipulating Jimmy, then driving Donn mad. When new inmates were transferred in, he could continue to use the same methods to stir up their conflicts, learning from them patterns of behavior and skills in manipulating others, and complete a decent thesis.
But Bane's presence had successfully piqued his curiosity, and he was very curious about the story behind this beast with a philosopher's soul.
In the end, Batman always possessed a knightly spirit; he did not like crushing weak opponents, but rather, he enjoyed hunting equally powerful beasts.
There was a peculiar allure amongst madmen. Before their rival appeared, ordinary people could suffice for comfort. But once a true opponent enters the stage, no matter how grand the others' dances may be, they simply served as backdrops. Like Batman and the Joker, like Batman and all the other Gotham villains.
Bruce was drawn by Bane's aura and the secrets he held. When Bane killed Galado, he instinctively revealed the weakness of the electric ring on his foot because he subconsciously did not want Bane to be taken away. He yearned to discover the secrets behind Bane's mask.
Moreover, Bruce firmly believed that Bane was not completely uninterested in him. Otherwise, there was no need for Bane to keep him alive after killing Galado. He could have staged a massacre in the cell, which would provoke Amanda even more.
In that case, why did he want to go to the special confinement cell isolated from the world? What was in there?
Bruce calmly sat on the bed while his two other selves, one sitting on the bed across and the other standing in the center of the room, filled the room with swirling thoughts. He felt a slight stagnation in his train of thought.
Bruce's vast memory bank felt a bit rusty when retrieving information. He was unaccustomed to this sensation of recalling memories while communicating with his other selves who were experiencing these memories simultaneously.
Bruce's thought process didn't differ much from most individuals. First recall, then summarize, and finally think. He needed to retrieve information from his memory, then analyze this information. Humans always need to perceive before thinking. If a concept is not thought of, it simply cannot be analyzed.
However, Bruce was now going through a quite extraordinary experience. While one of him was contemplating, the other two were perceiving. Cognition and thought occurring at the same time, along with thought intersecting with another phase of thought.
Theoretically, if a human brain could run in three threads, then the efficiency would undoubtedly increase. However, Bruce found this somewhat chaotic.
Clearly, while one of him had already arrived at a conclusion at point three, another was still at point two. Yet, the conclusion drawn at point three was not perceived by the other, and then the other him will think about point three again. The efficiency didn't rise at all, and the repetition of conclusions only increased memory redundancy.
It could be said that such a mode of thinking is still too early for mankind.
Bruce was unsure of how all the hundreds and thousands of personalities in Shiller's mind operated, leaving him with a mild headache. However, he finally decided to deal with the issue of Bane first.
About half an hour later, medical personnel arrived to deal with Galado's body lying in the room. The guards ordered the prisoner to squat down with their heads held, and Bruce silently slid one hand into the ankle ring from the corner of the wall.
"Zzzt!" A flash of electricity passed, and Bruce swiftly threw the ankle ring away; his nimble body slipped through the medical staff who were still in shock. His hand balled into a fist with the middle finger protruding, and stuck a blow to the guard's face.
"Agh!"
The guard clutched his nose and leaned back while Bruce snatched the gun from his hand. He pushed the door open and dashed into the hallway as the sharp alarm sounded.
Normally, the best course of action at this time would be to take a hostage, but Bruce didn't do that. Not because his moral compass prevented him, but because he had no intention of actually escaping the prison. He intended to go to the special confinement cell to find Bane. But first, he needed to get close.
He held the gun pretending to be brash and ran to the end of the hallway. Then he saw Amanda leading a group of armed personnel charging in.
Bruce's pupils constricted. The armed guards meant to subdue Bane should have just disbanded at this point, they couldn't possibly regroup and rearm this quickly. Bruce had planned to be brought closer when the armed force was insufficient, then find a way to approach his destination.
Innumerable gun barrels pointed at Bruce who could only raise his hands and allow the guards to disarm him. Amanda smirked coldly, perplexing Bruce.