Jason's mouth was wide open, as if it could fit an entire egg.
While Shiller's expression was as if to say, if you don't close your mouth now, you'll lose your tongue.
Jason quickly closed his mouth.
Shiller slowly walked over, his hand resting on the back of the single sofa where Bruce was. Just from the shadow cast, Bruce knew it was him.
But the situation was grim because Shiller's intentions were unclear.
If there was a doctor in this world who couldn't be bought by the Wayne family, it might be this stranger from another world, Shiller.
What was even worse, if the absolutely fair-minded psychologist Clark was referring to was Shiller, how did they know each other? How did Shiller gain Clark's trust?
Even though Bruce's thinking was not clear at the moment, he could still deduce the ins and outs of the matter in a flash. It was not complicated at all, it was simply an open scheme.
Why would Superman travel all this way to come here? Of course, it could be because he was a reporter, he got the news quickly, so he rushed over to uphold justice.
But in reality, it was not that simple, it might sound ridiculous, but Superman did not really have such a strong sense of responsibility. He had been to Gotham before, but he had never fought crime there, because he accepted that it was Batman's territory, and unless necessary, he should not intervene.
From the few exchanges between Batman and Superman, Batman knew that Superman was not interested in the Batman Family. He didn't understand or care, and any person with some intelligence could see that Batman was probably not going to be a perfect father.
So why was Superman suddenly outraged at this twisted relationship in the Batman Family? He even flew all the way to Washington to find the victim Jason and deal with the issue in a business-like manner, without even seeking out Batman first.
Batman knew that Superman's position on him was neutral, perhaps even admiring. After all, just the fact of living in Gotham was daunting, let alone fighting crime there. This was inspiring to any hero, and Superman was such a hero.
So under normal circumstances, even if Superman had suspicions, he should have come to ask Batman about the situation first, rather than adopting the attitude of a judge.
He was being manipulated.
Batman immediately deduced that Superman was being used as a pawn.
So who could have manipulated him?
Batman heard Shiller say.
"Mr. Kent, I think you should seriously consider whether violent means will exacerbate the situation in this context. I do not advocate any…"
"I'm sorry, Doctor Shiller." Clark took a deep breath and said, "I lost control, but you have to understand, when you see the main culprits, who committed child abuse against twenty-some children from the welfare institute, released from jail the next day. And when the shameless media published clear pictures of all the victims, it would be hard for you to control yourself too."
That's right, Batman thought, that's it.
"Clark, I've told you about this, it's not your fault. We also can't prevent such tragedies from happening in this world."
"But if I had been there a little earlier, I could have stopped that ignorant nurse from letting those clearly unscrupulous reporters in. At least they wouldn't have been able to take photos."
Shiller sighed slightly and said, "Clark, let's focus on this issue, okay?"
From Clark's sigh afterwards, Batman sensed that he was becoming agitated which meant that he had fully stepped into the emotional trap.
As could be imagined, Shiller definitely called Clark as an informant, maybe saying to him that I saw in the newspaper your efforts to uphold justice, and now there's a suspicious case. Even worse than the one you handled befores, because the one who possibly committed it might be Bruce Wayne.
Clark probably had some psychological trauma left from the previous event, he thought he could not make the same mistake again, and his sense of justice and responsibility urged him to find the victim and provide protection as soon as possible, then deal with the main culprit.
But he was completely unaware that this might not be a crime at all. Or he knew, but wanted to nip the problem in the bud.
A subtle form of compensating for the past, Batman sighed, is easy to exploit, and Shiller took advantage of the situation.
Batman was very clear about the current situation. He was in the wrong, and Clark trusted Shiller. And from facts, as long as Shiller fully demonstrates his professional level, makes a factual judgment on Jason's mental state, then he would have no chance of proving his innocence.
And Bruce noticed from the corner of his eye that although Jason's expression didn't change much, his eyes reflected fear - it was not fear towards Batman.
Looking back at Jason's beautiful mental state when they reunited in the hotel, it was hard to imagine how Shiller treated him.
In this scenario, basically whatever Shiller wants Jason to say, Jason will say. Game over.
Batman began to think about which prison in New Jersey State is better, the most important thing was not to be shut in with the criminals from Gotham again. His experience in prison was not as rich as theirs.
Clark still sat opposite Bruce, while Shiller sat on the left, and Jason was on the right.
At this point, Shiller should start asking questions. Ask whether Jason was angry because of an argument, whether he felt depressed after the argument, whether he felt resentment against Batman's silence, and whether he was in this emotional state for a long time.
Batman had not experienced this, but he was very familiar with the process, because he had been through such an examination when his parents died.
"Enough," Jason spoke.
His tone suggested a stress response under extreme pressure.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore, because from beginning to end, you've treated me like a victim and a child, believing that all my judgments are influenced by others, but they're not."
Jason had never spoken so quickly before, thought Batman, not even when they were arguing.
"You think, oh, Batman must have abused me, then manipulated my mind, controlling my brain, making me beautify his actions and defend him."
"You think I accept his flaws because he has beautified them or suppressed me, forcing me to accept them, but I didn't."
"Haven't you had such experiences? You accept a person's flaws because their virtues are enough to compensate for them; he's given me more than he took from me."
Jason stood up, his tone was unimaginably icy and firm.
"You think, in reality, he took a lot from me, my labor, my time, but other than resources to subsist, there wasn't much."
"But you never thought that an orphan living at the bottom of Gotham, bereft of parents and homeless, this society would take more from me."
"Representatives of you well-intentioned people not only want to take my labor and time, but they are not even willing to provide the most basic resources for survival."
"At the same time, they even expect me to provide emotional value, play a victim and a pathetic figure, so you can emanate sympathy. You take everything, then give a bit in return, and then take this as evidence to accuse someone who rescued me from this fate. It is shameless."
"The same goes for me; so does Dick. More injustices in society have made us lose everything, but you choose to magnify the minor issues, because if you exaggerate what you dare to discuss, it can fill all the space and people's minds, so they won't pay attention to what you dare not talk about."
Jason pointed at his temple and said, "Giving not enough, not good enough, is a matter of degrees; not giving, even trying to take away, is a matter of social order. Taking away and blaming those who try to give but can't give enough is snapping the banner of justice and helping evil shout for provocations."
Jason turned to Clark and said, "Your so-called justice is just another way of whitewashing, because without experience, there is no right to speak."
"If you lived in the poorest neighborhood of Gotham as an orphan for three months, you'd know that the tortures I went through at the hands of supervillains, which you imagine, are what some people experience every day, while some people don't even have a chance to experience them."
"At least the Joker feeds me every day. To torture me, he has to keep me alive. If I beckoned on the street where I grew up, do you believe that a whole street of people would willingly take my place?"
"If you truly want justice, the thing that should be thrown out of the window is your mind's view of the grandeur of Metropolis, you mock the way Gothamites deal with issues or the way I handle our relationship, but you never realize, it's the best solution for us."
"When I chose to leave the herd and journey alone, I was prepared to die halfway. Now I can survive, even with scars all over. Batman, who you say is not a good father or a perfect hero, is the most crucial factor."
"You've never considered that for Gothamites stuck in the mud, Batman doesn't need to be a perfect father and hero. His existence is already a miracle."
"And if you have never clearly understood why Gothamites think this way, and believe that we are all crazy, then don't fucking represent us."
"The debate ends here." Jason made a cross with his hands, took two steps backward, and turned to walk toward Batman.
Superman and Batman were both stunned by Jason's words.
Superman, not being a Gothamite, couldn't imagine how Jason could say that if he beckoned on the impoverished streets of Gotham, people would want to replace him and endure the Joker's torment.
Was he lying? Wasn't he afraid that I would verify this?
But if it was true, how could it be so absurd?
Batman was also shocked by this. For the first time, he realized how different he and Jason's origins were.
So, the scenes he imagined of Jason being tortured and suffering terribly at the hands of the Joker, were they even less severe than what Jason had suffered while wandering around Gotham as a child?
Batman found that when he thought about this question, he really couldn't give a definitive answer.
The Joker is indeed the most challenging super-criminal to deal with, so if his brutality was halved and then halved again, if it was only a tenth, would that be the standard of the criminals in the lower levels of Gotham?
If so, he was dealing with one Joker, and Jason was dealing with how many one-tenth Jokers?
And Jason survived alone until he was 10 years old, until he met Batman.
Bruce and Clark made eye contact, understanding each other's meanings. So now, are we the ones being melodramatic?
Jason took a deep breath and said, "Alright, gentlemen, if you have any sympathy left, then get those silly journalists to shut up!"
"If anyone dares to shove a microphone into my mouth, asking me how Bruce Wayne hurt me, then I must tell them how this orderly and civilized society they talk about hurts all of us."
"Believe me, by that time, I will absolutely use everything I have seen in the lower levels of Gotham to shame everyone in this country, including the two of you."
"Now, go and carry out justice!"