When Peter revisited the island cabin, Shiller was in the kitchen preparing food for himself. The moment they entered, they noticed that familiar Doctor Shiller had returned.
Hence, he started wailing instantly, threw himself onto the soft couch like a sack of mud, and said, "I've screwed up. I didn't mean to reveal Batman's identity, nor did I manage to stop those reporters. This is just too tough."
Shiller put the freshly tossed vegetable salad in front of Peter, went to brew some hot tea, and said, "Don't stress too much, Peter, maybe things will work themselves out."
Peter sat up, all startled, intensely staring at Shiller who stood at the edge of the kitchen island. Shiller returned his gaze and, after about ten seconds, smiled saying, "Don't look at me like that. I'm only trying to help you."
"So it was you, Doctor, I knew it! Wayne Manor was razed to the ground, everything was burnt down, so how come that picture is still intact!"
Peter grabbed the nearby cushion, placing it over his face, and mumbled, "Is this really the right way? Revealing their true identities might pose a risk to the superheroes. Moreover, they... they..."
"They're spreading some romantic rumors that once circulated between you and Stark." Shiller placed a hot cup of tea in front of Peter and said, "Peter, you might see these methods as a bit contentious, but as I told you before, I've arranged safeguards behind every plan of mine. Do you think I only published the picture?"
Peter looked puzzled at Shiller's face. Shiller took a seat on the couch opposite him, smiled, and said, "What do you think is the biggest conflict between Batman and the other members of the Batman Family?"
"They are terrible at communicating," Peter complained, "Not trying to defame anyone, but the wear on the organ below their nose is too low, which increases the wear on the organ inside their skulls."
"Excellent description, Peter," Shiller nodded and said, "Indeed, due to their nature, they are not good communicators. But people who are close need to understand each other. So they look at each other from their perspective, guessing their actions and then reacting to them. But usually, such reactions are wrong."
"I think they should change," Peter insisted, "And that too immediately. Sit down and chat, is that so hard?"
"Peter, your thoughts are not wrong, but perhaps you're missing something," Shiller first comforted Peter, then said, "Would you tell a person with severe depression, 'be more optimistic, you should change'?"
Peter looked hesitant and said, "I would wish it, but from my understanding, severe depression involves physiological responses. It's not a problem that can be solved by just thinking positively, or there would be no depressed people in this world."
"Exactly, that's why you should consider the Batman Family as a whole. The various contradictions within it are like diseases occurring within a body."
"So, what you have to do is not cure the head when it hurts and the foot when it hurts, let alone stand aside and tell them to cheer up through a loudspeaker. You have to maintain a clear mind and confront the unhealthy relation."
"So how should we do it?"
"Of course, seek a doctor," Shiller said after taking a sip of tea. "This doctor might not need to have high professional skills, but he/she must be an absolutely impartial third party, or simply be impartial and powerful."
"Oh, I get it," Peter exclaimed, "If you have a headache because of unhealthy sleep patterns, you do not need a successful person to guide your future, you just need a healthy friend with good sleep habits to help, encourage, and supervise you to adjust your routine."
Shiller smiled and nodded and was about to pick up his phone when it rang. He picked it up and said, "Hello, Mr. Kent, no need to feel sorry, it's just human nature."
"Yes, I do have concerns, as you know, all matters related to Wayne Enterprises need to be handled with utmost caution. I need to ensure my safety first, I hope you understand."
"Yes, I saw your report on the sexual assault case at a welfare house in Metropolis in the Gotham Daily. Trust me, it's the best outcome. Otherwise, I wouldn't have called you."
Shiller listened quietly to Clark's narrative and then said, "I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you're saying about the polygraph monitoring equipment. I don't support this kind of speculation because it sounds too astonishing."
Shiller paused for a long time before he said, "Mr. Kent, I hope you understand, calling you to ask for help for potential victims after an incident is different from me personally collecting evidence…"
Peter could hear an intense argument on the other end of the line, while Shiller listened intently the entire time. Finally, he said, "I can't deny that I do have a few friends who may be able to help, but I really can't guarantee…"
"Are you planning to do something rash? I'm afraid I must express my disapproval. Confronting Bruce Wayne directly is not a good choice, you may face charges of defamation or intentional harm..."
Shiller remained quiet for quite a while, and then hesitated as he said, "Yes, I am a psychologist, so I inferred the possibly unhealthy relationship from the few facts revealed in the media."
"I respect you, Mr. Kent. I will do my best, but I can't guarantee that I can find substantial evidence. No need to, sir, please take care, goodbye."
Meanwhile, Peter was fully sitting up, arms crossed over his chest, narrowing his eyes at Shiller across him, and said, "You placed the picture, you tipped the reporters, now it seems like you've lured another person to trouble Bruce Wayne. I'm a little lost about what you're trying to achieve, Doctor."
"Don't make it seem like you ever understood," Shiller blew on his tea, and said, "I'm pretty sure that after we created such havoc in his Gotham, the first thing he would do on returning to Gotham would be to send us an astonishingly lengthy list of damages. And the total of all those things will match your internship salary."
"Um...," a somewhat embarrassed Peter said, "That does make sense, since we did..."
"Yes, your actions did ruin lots of things, and my treatment for Jason, seems likely to hurt him emotionally. A financial compensation is not unreasonable."
Peter stared in shock at Shiller, as if he didn't know him earlier. How could such words come from a doctor?
But Shiller's map of Yan country was too short, quickly revealing its sharp fangs.
"However, this doesn't mean we can't create another job opportunity for ourselves before he returns, an exclusive, unique, and irreplaceable position, and then earn back the salary he might withhold from you and the compensation that should be given to me all at once."
Clark hung up the phone, laid the unconscious Jason comfortably on the sofa, and then found a blanket from a nearby cabinet to cover him.
He didn't tell Jason about what was happening, not only because of the principle of not admitting the testimony of victims, but also because in serious situations, the court wouldn't allow victims to attend court hearings.
This is firstly to prevent victims from being further traumatized during confrontation and secondly to prevent kidnappers from manipulating the victims' minds in court, tricking the jury into trusting them and affecting judicial fairness with their testimonies.
It sounds absurd, but in practice, it happens often. Some victims, due to manipulation or fear, want to withdraw charges on the spot or even destroy evidence in court.
Clark could clearly see Jason's intention to defend Batman, and he wisely thought that Batman's relationship with Jason was not merely one of simple abuse. There was love and feelings between them and they had given to each other materially and spiritually.
However, this could not conceal the fact that there were certain abusive behaviors by Batman. What he was trying to solve were these factual behaviors of injustice, so he needed to find Bruce Wayne now.
Clark had locked onto Bruce's location, but during the process of settling Jason, he found that Bruce seemed to want to leave the hotel. He knew the opportunity to act had come.
Without any hesitation, a strong figure leaped out of the hotel's reception room window and flew down at the fastest speed for more than ten floors before stopping in front of a window.
Coming out of the utility room, Bruce rubbed the fingerprints, iris, and vocal data of the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation he just obtained, and quickly walked towards the stairwell.
The hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor. Bruce suddenly felt the light in the corridor dimmed. The faint moonlight coming through the window at the end of the corridor was blocked by a towering figure.
Bruce's hand instantly landed on the Batman dart.
When Clark landed, Bruce saw the sparkle in his eyes. When he arrived, the moonlight gave him armour.
"Superman." Bruce's deep voice echoed in the corridor, that was the voice exclusively of Batman, "Long time no see."
"Indeed, it's been a long time, Bruce. How have you been?"
There wasn't the slightest hint of greeting in his voice. It was more like loading a gun. Batman had never heard Superman speak in such a tone before.
"You saw the reports about the Batman Family." When Batman is Batman, his declarative sentences are all like rebukes and commands.
"Of course, I came for this specifically."
Superman held a seriousness Batman didn't understand. They hadn't had much interaction, but Batman knew typically, Superman would answer him, "Yes, I saw it, Bruce. I told you before, not every media news worker sticks to facts and justice like me. Maybe I can't completely do it, but I'm much better than them."
Batman found himself hoping Superman would answer like this, which was not in accordance with common sense. He should be hoping more that Superman wouldn't show up here.
"Can we talk?" Superman took off his glasses, making his shimmering eyes even more eye-catching.
"I don't have time now."
This was not an excuse, but the truth. Batman had to go meet the landing of his remotely piloted Batplane. There was a Bat Computer on board. And he needed to use the biometric password he got off the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to access the Federal Bureau of Investigation database.
A very bold and dangerous move, but there was no other way now. He needed the leverage of all who knew about this, and also needed a scapegoat that had a reason to get such leverage.
"We need to talk." Superman said, looking at him.
"I don't have any time left, Clark." Batman exuded a deadly presence, it was indeed his most lethal moment now.
He knew what sort of stories Clark's colleagues were concocting now. In less than three hours, they would broadcast their shameless rumors all over the world.
Clear mug shots of Dick, Jason, and Barbara would be plastered on the front-page headline, and beneath them would be a long string of obscenities. Public opinion wouldn't give them any chance to explain, and the blame would end up on Wayne Enterprises.
He had to turn the situation around before dawn, and no one could stop him.
At the moment when three Batman darts whizzed past Superman's ear, the glow of heat vision lit up the night sky.