The afternoon in Gotham always seems a little gloomy. The originally not bright sunlight shines through the gauze curtains and becomes even fainter. When it falls on the floor, it is like a golden sunset wave.
Schiller was standing behind the table, playing with a telescope from the Age of Discovery, which was the collection of the original owner of this manor. He had accompanied his ancestors across the ocean and came here from Europe thousands of miles away.
Most of the decorations placed on Schiller's table were left by the original owner of the manor, so they all have some British classical charm, such as the old and yellowed globe, the gramophone placed on the corner of the table,
There is also a walking stick hanging on the side of the bookshelf.
Schiller was looking forward with the telescope. Suddenly, a black shadow flew across the field of view of the telescope. Schiller put down the telescope and turned to look at the uninvited Batman.
Batman picked up the globe on the corner of the table very naturally. In his field of vision, the globe blocked Schiller's head, as if everything was back in a dream.
Batman moved the globe with his hand, but soon it stopped. Batman said to Schiller: "You know what I'm here to do..."
Schiller was turning around to take something from the bookshelf. As he rummaged through it, he said, "You're not here to arrest me, are you? Detective Batman?"
"Gordon told me that whenever something weird and incomprehensible happens in Gotham, you're the right person to come to."
"Oh, why don't I know what weird things happened in Gotham recently? Are you referring to those ordinary murders?"
Batman read the words "unremarkable" in his mouth, and suddenly felt that the long series of introductions and explanations he was going to follow were a bit difficult to speak.
Schiller turned around, holding a bottle of wine and two glasses in his hands, and then he asked Batman to sit across the table. He said: "Language statements are always boring and boring, and they are far inferior to being there."
It’s interesting, don’t you think?”
Perhaps because he didn't want his next topic to be evaluated as "bland and boring", Batman drank the glass of wine in front of him like he was drinking medicine. Schiller also took a sip of wine and relaxed.
He leaned back on the chair, feeling drunk.
As the afternoon sun floated in the air, Batman suddenly woke up. He saw the globe on the table began to rotate slowly, but Schiller's head on the opposite side was normal. After he opened his eyes, he paused and said:
"Oh, I forgot."
Then he leaned forward, reached for the globe on the table, and held it in front of his face. In Batman's field of vision, the globe overlapped with Schiller's head, and then Schiller's head turned into a globe.
.
Now Batman knows where the globe-headed Schiller in the dream came from.
After Schiller stood up, Batman also stood up. The two walked to the center of the room. Schiller made an inviting gesture to Batman. Batman began to concentrate and recall the details of Richie's room in his memory.
This is the first time he has constructed such a large-scale scene in a dream. Even with the support of physical memory, Batman has consumed most of his energy in an instant.
As he slowly raised his arm, the scene in the room began to change. The books on the bookshelf melted back into the wall one by one, the partitions were pulled out layer by layer and merged into the side wall, and the desk moved back.
It sank into the floor, and the floor turned over piece by piece, changing from dark brown to light brown.
Rich's body appeared on the floor, blood spread on the light-colored floor, and then gradually seeped into the gaps.
Schiller clicked his tongue and said, "It's really tragic, isn't it?"
"Three days ago, the leader of the Lawrence family, one of the twelve Gotham families, was found dead in his bedroom. There were seven wounds on his body, including a penetrating wound in the heart that was fatal. Anesthetic drugs were detected in his body...
…”
"Two days ago, the Hawke brothers, a member of the Hawke family among the Twelve Families, were found dead in their study. After being tied to a chair in the study, they were beheaded and killed with a knife."
"One day ago, the leader of the Rich family, one of the twelve families, was found dead in the living room. He was sawed from the middle of his body and died of excessive blood loss."
"What these three cases have in common is that the way they died was the martyrdom of the apostles of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Both Gordon and I thought this was a serial murder case, but until today after Rich's death, I discovered that
The murderer’s modus operandi is different from the previous two cases.”
Schiller grabbed his hand in the air, and a cane appeared in his hand. He tapped the ground lightly with the cane and said: "Why do you judge that this is a serial murder case? Because the way they died is similar to that of a certain person."
Does it fit into a religious story?"
"Isn't this consistent with the characteristics of serial murders?" Batman asked: "I remember what I heard in class. Most of the murderers of serial murders like to find a background story with numbers, and apply it to
In the process of committing a crime, such as the seven most common sins, Black Friday, Sabbath, etc..."
"So I told you in class, why is this?"
"Because of the 'sense of ritual', serial murderers, especially the kind of murderers who randomly select the targets of their crimes, do not kill for revenge, but simply enjoy the pleasure of killing their own kind. Therefore, what is important to them is
A sense of ritual.”
"Even if they kill seven people in seven days, it may greatly increase their probability of being caught by the police, and the various clues they leave behind may also increase the possibility of being arrested, but they will still do it without feeling the sense of ritual.
The joy it brings, killing people becomes meaningless to them."
"Yes, that's why for a smart detective, serial murderers are sometimes easier to deal with than ordinary murderers, because they will always take the initiative to leave all kinds of clues."
"So, this should be a very typical serial murder..."
Schiller shook his head and said: "Maybe it looks like this on the surface, but in fact, I can only say that this is a poor imitation."
"Imitator? What do you mean?"
"It means that the person who did it was not the psychopathic murderer I told you about before. In other words, he was not a real serial killer, but a somewhat lame imitator."
Batman looked Schiller in the eyes and asked, "Why?"
"First of all, I am not legally responsible for what I say next, because this is just a dream, and precisely because this is just a dream, I will only tell you this in my dream, and you don't have to think about it in reality.
Activate some audio or video device to use some of my sleep talking as evidence..."
Schiller took his cane and began to pace around Richie's body lying in the center of the room. He said, "You know, if I were the one doing this case, what would I do?"
Batman didn't expect that he would start this topic, but he really couldn't think of an answer. In the end, he could only answer: "I don't think you will do this kind of case, because there is no need."
"I'm glad that you still know me a little bit, but now we are assuming, assuming that I suddenly changed my mind and started planning a serial murder case..."
"First of all, let's start with the topic. Since you said that the topic of this murderer is Jesus and his twelve disciples, then I will also use this topic."
"I assume you have carefully read the story of Jesus and his twelve disciples, right?"
Batman nodded, and Schiller looked up, showing a recalling expression. He asked, "Do you remember who was the first person to die among the Twelve Apostles?"
"...Is it Saint James?"
"Yes, according to the Bible, he was the first disciple to be martyred for Jesus. Do you know what kind of person he is?"
"The two brothers James and John were both sons of Zebedee, and their mother was also a disciple of Jesus. James was beheaded by King Herod. He and John were both men of strong temperament..."
"That's why I said the person who did it was just a poor imitator. Who was Lawrence? What did he have in common with Jacob? Why did he become the first martyr?"
Batman didn't understand what Schiller meant. Schiller continued: "If it were me, the first target I would choose must have a brother, just like Jacob, and old Lawrence should be an only son."
"Secondly, Lawrence's temperament is not strong enough. His appearance and inner nature are very different from Jacob."
"And you also said that the first martyr was beheaded, not crucified."
"So, if I were to do this, my first target would be a man with an extremely strong character and a living brother and mother. His death would be beheading."
“What if Lawrence corresponds to St. Peter?”
"Oh, yes, St. Peter is known as the person closest to Jesus, and was also named the first pope. If he was the first to die, that would make sense, but what do old Lawrence and St. Peter have in common?
"
Batman was silent, Schiller tilted his head, looked at the corpse on the ground and said, "Not to mention, the process of the murderer crucifying old Lawrence upside down is simply telling you very straightforwardly that he is a fake."
“If you have read history, you will know that in the punishment of crucifixion, the victim on the cross should not die from having his vital organs penetrated, but should be exposed to the outdoors after being nailed through his limbs, and die from bleeding or extreme exhaustion.
of heart failure.”
"The crucifixion through the heart is part of the legend of vampires, not a story recorded in the Bible, and has nothing to do with the Twelve Apostles. The victims who were crucified upside down should also die of congestion in the brain, not the heart being penetrated."
"Obviously, the person who did it either didn't read the story carefully or didn't have the patience to wait for the other person to die slowly."
"If it were me, I have a lot of patience. I could spend a year setting up a scene where he would be nailed to the bedroom for ten days without being discovered. This is the way to die that fits this background story."
"Not to mention, the murderer used a long nail to drive his head through. Oh my god, I feel horrified when I think of him hammering someone's head with a long nail..."
"Your choice of words always surprises me..." Batman commented.
"And the biggest flaw is that he actually used anesthetics? God, if he is really a serial murderer, then he should be crucified. This damn pagan has no sense of ritual...
…”
Seeing Schiller's dissatisfied expression, Batman didn't know what to say for a moment.
