Jerome felt a bit puzzled; this counterattack was actually not forceful at all. If you were to say that Shiller could now produce a super bomb that would blow up the restaurant along with the whole hotel, Jerome would believe it. The guy's power far exceeded the ordinary imagination.
But he hadn't done that. Instead, he had produced what looked like a very ordinary little flame. There was no grand disaster, far from a crippling blow to the enemy. Yet Cobblepot, who had listened to Shiller's entire analysis without showing his face in the kitchen, just appeared like that.
"Long time no see, Jerome." The face on the ceiling was still very gloomy, with drooping eyes, downturned corners of the mouth, and an especially prominent eagle hook nose.
"How do you two know each other?" Shiller asked.
"You could say we got to know each other through fights," Jerome said vaguely, "It just happened."
"His brother has caused me quite a bit of trouble," Cobblepot said, not caring about Jerome's attempt to hide it. He revealed Jerome's secret and continued, "Your brother is much smarter than you. What do you think he would do if I killed you here?"
Jerome lifted his head and looked up at the ceiling with a sinister gaze but said nothing, so Cobblepot turned his attention to Shiller.
"Put the fire out," he said. His tone didn't carry a heavy threat, but there was a sly, deceitful undertone.
"I now have a method to reconnect the snake. Would you like to try it?" Shiller spoke digressively, as if he could not understand human speech at all. Cobblepot just stared coldly at him, but Shiller had never lost in any standoff.
"Who are they?" Shiller asked, and then added, "If you don't tell me, I can only guess."
Jerome immediately signaled Cobblepot desperately with his eyes, urging him to speak quickly. Letting Shiller guess typically didn't end well, just like for himself. Though he wanted to grasp this detestable Eagle Hook Nose's Achilles' heel, if satisfying Shiller was the result, he'd rather side with Cobblepot against a common enemy.
Cobblepot didn't answer, so Shiller started talking as if he had already thought of the answer.
"Your childhood was not very fortunate, fraught with too many unfortunate factors. A fish living in water doesn't feel suffocated, and the harsh conditions of your birthplace didn't actually cause you much pain, even with your abnormal father and mother..."
The whole ceiling's nerves contracted slightly when Shiller mentioned the word "mother," then quickly relaxed. Cobblepot's face became more pronounced, seemingly about to break free from the ceiling. He opened his mouth as if he was about to swallow Shiller whole.
But it was clear that he couldn't achieve this directly. The restaurant's resistance was strong; even now, out of business, he couldn't fully devour the restaurant so quickly. At least for now, he couldn't break the restaurant's rules; Shiller was still dining and couldn't act against him at this time.
"I mean no disrespect to you and your family. By abnormal, I refer to what is described in textbooks. If compared to Gotham, it would be considered normal," Shiller assessed objectively. "You had a house, not constantly being uprooted. You understood the concepts of going home and hiding, which, although part of the reason for the timidity in your character, also proves you were protected, both mentally and physically."
"You had a house and a rather responsible mother when you were a child, so if you encountered insurmountable troubles, you could always dive back into your nest to at least enjoy a moment of peace. You often did so, and you still do."
"I believe your current situation isn't good. If you had a chance to go home, you definitely would. Is your mother still alive?"
Cobblepot's expression noticeably stiffened. He tried to control himself, but couldn't help looking at Jerome, who shook his head and said, "I haven't been in here much longer than you. If you've run into Jerome, maybe you could ask him."
"Back to the point," Shiller said. Cobblepot's attitudes shifted slightly, as he seemed to think Shiller might leave the place, and thus might help protect his mother. Cobblepot was always patient and humble with those beneficial to him.
"During that time, both your social and self-identification systems were normal, as most of the emotions you received then were quite pure. Some people cursed you, some beat you, denying your worth due to your lowliness," Shiller continued.
"There were also definitely people who genuinely praised you, thinking you were capable and valuable, and indeed you were. Both social and self-identification, split half-and-half, formed a stable identification system."
"But one day, something changed. Someone made you doubt others' recognition for the first time as you were wholly immersed in the recognition they provided, yet they ended up hurting you. Who was this person?"
The face on the ceiling seemed to regain its color for an instant, even reddening a bit. He raised his lips to reveal his teeth, almost viciously spitting out a name, "Colin!"
"A… nobody?" Shiller was not following along with Penguin Man but instead sifted through his own memory. There truly wasn't such a person in Gotham, which meant he was likely dead in some forgotten corner.
Yet Cobblepot seemed quite satisfied, gritting his teeth and saying, "Yes, he was a nobody. No one knew him. He died soon after leaving me – it served him right!"
"You're not as nonchalant as you pretend," Shiller said with a smile. "It seems like he didn't die by your hand – a lifelong regret, surely."
Cobblepot fell silent again, his expression still as ruthless as before, his lips trembling, his nose twitching, his eyes rolling up, obviously recalling something. But now was not a good time to dig into memories; the more he remembered, the angrier he got, and the entire restaurant trembled with him.
"Calm down." Shiller tapped the service bell next to him, and the familiar sound of the elevator ringing halted them for a moment.
It wasn't truly magical, but clearly all three of them had suffered from this bell before. Being intelligent, they immediately realized it was not the right time to vent their emotions.
"I guess you must have trusted him a lot," Shiller said. "Before you met him, your life wasn't great, and I don't mean that no one recognized you. It was precisely because you were recognized by others that what you really needed was understanding, not just recognition."
"It's like a starving ghost who only wants food and doesn't care if it tastes good. A person who isn't that hungry would be picky. As a child, you clearly weren't as hungry as you are now."
"You were different, so you always felt out of place. I'm not saying that you were disabled, but that you always thought more long-term, which is rare in Gotham's lower echelons. Most people are only worried about tomorrow. If you start talking about the future, they treat you as a freak."
"You were the freak in everyone's eyes, even though your intelligence and toughness could be useful to some, earning their recognition, they never truly understood you."
"That guy named Colin showed you understanding, coupled with your hatred for the upper class. He probably wasn't from Gotham's lower classes; at least he was a few levels above you, maybe from a well-off family, possibly even having the opportunity to be educated."
"... He went to a private elementary school." Cobblepot finally spoke up. He said, "My mother was unwell and couldn't do heavy work. She cooked for distant relatives who owned a store to get by, and I was responsible for delivering meals to her, passing by that school every day. One day, it was raining and I was a bit late, and I ran right into him."
"I knew it was over then, not because of the meal, but because I had dirtied his clothes. Those clothes were expensive, and I couldn't afford to compensate. His parents were probably on their way, and I was terrified."
"Then he surely said he didn't mind, right?" Shiller said. "He would tell his parents that he got dirty while eating and if possible, he would bring his breakfast for you the next day as compensation. And he really did bring it, and he ate with you."
"Then you felt he wasn't like those hypocritical rich people. He was willing to eat with you, proving he wasn't just showing good will, but that he truly didn't look down on you. You couldn't believe it and began to probe indirectly, but the result was that he was really innocent, like a light in your life."
Cobblepot's mouth was already open, obviously intending to continue, but Shiller interrupted him so abruptly that he didn't know what to say and just stared at Shiller, saying, "How do you know?"
Jerome couldn't stand to listen any longer. He sighed deeply, leaning on the armrest and said, "A born bad seed, premeditatedly."
As soon as Cobblepot opened his mouth to object, Jerome had learned Shiller's method of interruption. At the moment Cobblepot inhaled, he said, "Don't ask me how I know, because I am also a bad seed."
Cobblepot was indeed choked up, coughing violently. Jerome wasn't pretending anymore and revealed a wicked smile.
"I bet he had been watching you at school. You delivered meals there rain or shine. He had plenty of time to plan an accident and rehearse expressions. Do you believe the timing and intensity of his bumping into you were practiced countless times?"
Cobblepot tried to speak again, but Jerome interrupted him once more. He said, "Also, don't ask me why I know. I've done it myself."
Cobblepot choked again, nearly suffocating himself. Jerome began to enjoy all of this. When he realized that words could be more forceful than fists, no one could refuse the thrill.
"I remember I haven't introduced myself yet. Although now, in this cosmos, you might have not heard my name, but maybe you'll hear it soon. I'm Shiller Rodriguez, a psychologist and a psychology Professor at Gotham University in another cosmos."
"From a professional standpoint, I can very responsibly tell you that this guy named Colin had a purpose from the start when he approached you. You must have suspected this, but denied the idea because it seemed meaningless,"
"But there are people in this world, like him and me, who act not necessarily for profit but just to watch the world burn."
"This boy named Colin is likely the same. He's a born bad seed who approached you to bully you, no different from other bullies except that he was born into a good family with educational opportunities, so he could disguise himself better than others."
"And he also has more need than lower-class people to disguise himself which means he has been repressed longer. For these born bad seeds, the longer they are suppressed, the crazier their outbursts are."
Cobblepot's lips began to tremble, obviously recalling something. Jerome suddenly revealed a big smile and abruptly asked,
"Does your leg hurt?"
The whole restaurant shuddered.
Cobblepot's face vanished instantly, and a chill spread from the kitchen again. Shiller looked at Jerome with a disapproving expression and said, "You shouldn't provoke him like that. If it happens again, I absolutely won't help you clean up the mess."
"That means you will this time, my dear Professor," Jerome said with a smile. "Call that scaredy-cat back. I swear I won't scare him anymore."
"Cobblepot," Shiller raised his voice, "If you still want to listen, come out. If not, we're both leaving."
The other party was clearly conflicted, mainly about whether they could force the two to stay, but Penguin Man was always sensible to the situation. A few seconds later, that face reappeared.
But Cobblepot's look at Jerome was a bit complicated.