The banquet was not large in scale and there was no dance. In a restaurant that looked retro or even a bit old, a long table was filled with chairs on both sides. The dark red table runner and carved candlesticks showed the atmosphere of the party. In old-school style, people in black suits and white gloves opened the door and guests took their seats one by one.
It was not yet time to start the banquet, so the guests had not arrived yet. Bruce came relatively early. He took Jason and Tim to their seats. The two children sat on his right side, and the one closer to him was Tim. Mu.
Bruce sat on the left side of the table, facing the door of the room, very close to the main seat, demonstrating his important status.
The other guests who came in one after another did not show any surprise when they saw the two children beside him. This is a common social method in upper class society. If you can't squeeze into a banquet, then find a way to make yourself The child goes in.
They would only make guesses about the families of these two children, and guess which lucky person was connected to the Wayne family, but Bruce, who was sitting in his seat, was not at all as calm as he appeared.
When people are waiting for the lottery draw, they will have a strange emotion. They don't want that moment to come, but they also hope it will come soon.
Bruce didn't know which Schiller he would draw. He just hoped that it wouldn't be the one he least wanted to see.
But before that, he heard another bad news. Clark Kent, an intern reporter from the Metropolitan City, who was supposed to come with Mayor Roy, could not come because of some personal matters of his.
Jason, who was sitting in his seat, shook his head slightly and whispered to Tim next to him: "You know what? Sometimes, I think he is really unlucky."
"I don't understand what he has to be afraid of." Tim lowered his voice and said, "That's his teacher, not his enemy. What can Schiller do to him?"
At this moment, a sound of footsteps came from outside the door. The knuckles of Bruce's hand on the table became visibly tense. He put away his hand and leaned back, staring at the door.
When Schiller appeared, Tim heard Bruce curse in a low voice, and he had never heard Bruce curse before.
Schiller handed the red wine to the waiter next to him and sat across from Bruce. Before Bruce could say anything, the Falcones had already entered, followed closely behind by the current head of the Gotham Police Department. Gordon, and two other police officers.
Everyone who came in had no relaxed expressions enjoying the banquet, including the hosts of the banquet, Mr. and Mrs. Falcone. It was as if everyone knew what was going to happen, and everyone was guessing how certain things would turn out. status occurs.
Bruce did not forget his other mission here, which was to prevent the murder from happening. He swept his eyes over every guest who was seated, remembering every detail about them to ensure that he would not miss any possible clues. , while Schiller sat quietly.
"This is just an ordinary family dinner. Don't be formal. Even if we have something to talk about, we should enjoy the delicious food first."
As Alberto finished speaking, the waiters who served the dishes began to come in and place one delicacy after another in front of all the guests. The dishes were indeed very ordinary, and they were all the most common Italian dishes.
No one expected to see any unique and innovative dishes at this time. Everyone knew that they were not here to eat.
The reason why the atmosphere is so tense is also related to the current situation. The Falcone family, Wayne Group and the city government are not in a complete cooperative relationship. They all want to demonstrate their authority.
Now there are two murder cases, respectively corresponding to the Falcone family and the city government, so who is the most likely perpetrator?
But even if everyone had a guess, no one dared to speak, not even the two victims.
But this does not mean that they will let it go. Friction will inevitably come. All people who do not belong to these three parties are thinking about how to survive in the cracks, not to be affected by the aftermath of the collision, and even gain some benefits from it.
After the appetizer comes the main course, which is also very common grilled ribs, paired with Italian-specific grilled vegetables. As soon as the lid of the main course is opened, the aroma of the meat inevitably spreads.
Even though everyone knew that today's task was not to eat, the instinctive human appetite still made them pick up their knives and forks again and start eating.
Bruce saw Schiller peeling and cutting the meat from the bones slowly, and then put it into his mouth. After a pause, he started chewing, thinking thoughtfully while eating.
Seeing that Schiller had no intention of doing anything for the time being, Bruce began to focus on the other people present. Most of them were familiar faces, including police officers, government officials, gang leaders, well-known businessmen, and their children. .
It can be said that the people at this table are in control of the city of Gotham, holding more than 90% of the power.
They all looked very elegant when eating. No one picked up the ribs and gnawed them directly. Most people were slowly separating the bones and meat, and then chewing them carefully. Therefore, it took more than ten minutes to finish a main dish, and most people just ate it. Half done.
Alberto gently put down his knife and fork and raised his wine glass. Just when he was about to say something, there was a "bang" and a black shadow hit the window.
Everyone looked at the window on one side of the room like a frightened bird. When Bruce, who had his back to the window but was closest to the window, turned around, he saw a hanging figure smashed against the window.
But his first reaction was surprise, because the figure was still alive, and the rope was not tied around his neck, but passed through his armpits and tied like a safety suit for a window-cleaning worker working at heights.
What horrified others was that this man was covered in bombs and had a sign hanging around his neck with the number of a TV channel written on it.
Alberto's hand holding the wine glass tightened, his eyebrows furrowed deeply, and he waved his hand, hoping to ask the subordinates behind him to drag this person in.
But Bruce moved one step faster. He rushed forward and cut the rope hanging the man.
The restaurant is located on the second floor. Even if the floor height of the old-fashioned manor is higher than that of ordinary buildings, no one can be killed by falling from this height.
The expected explosion did not come, but Bruce did not relax because of this. On the contrary, his face darkened, because he understood that if the other party did not want to blow up everyone here, it proved that he probably wanted to do something more serious. Big job.
Alberto turned to the subordinate next to him and said: "Go get a TV that's big enough and clear enough. Set the channel. I want to see what tricks he wants to do."
After a while, two subordinates brought in a large TV. The screen was large, but not thin enough. In this era, it was considered quite advanced.
The TV was placed at the end of the dining table, a whole dining table away from the main seat, and far away from Bruce and Schiller who were very close to the main guard.
The moment the channel was debugged, a bloody picture that made people feel physically uncomfortable appeared on it.
In the center of the screen, a corpse was lying on the floor. The blood that had flowed out had completely coagulated and was spread flat on the floor, like a dirty carpet that had not been washed for a long time.
The chest part of this corpse has completely disappeared, including the heart, lungs and skin, but most of the spine remains in place, and what can be clearly seen is that the ribs connecting the spine have disappeared.
"vomit!"
A sound of vomiting came from one side of the table. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. Tim covered his mouth and leaned sideways to retching. At this time, Bruce also reacted and he immediately turned his gaze to Right ribs on the plate.
There were all smart people present. Seeing Bruce's expression, they all guessed something. Then they looked at the food on the plate in disbelief, and Gordon's face turned a little pale.
"Some people say that the genes of humans and pigs are actually very similar." A voice came from the TV, but the other party did not show up. The camera slowly advanced and stopped on the broken chest of the corpse, while the other party used a dramatic performance. In an exaggerated tone, he began to recite a poem:
"I once saw a pig stretch itself to death on a hungry night."
"The belly it eats is round and the bran and fruits gush out from its intestines."
"I rushed up and picked up the debris."
"They came up to me and cursed and beat me."
"They said I'm not a pig and can't eat those things."
"So, I started to envy pigs."
"I put on a pig head mask and blended in with them."
"Then I discovered that what they were eating was not bran and fruits."
"It's human."
"Those who stop me are not afraid that I will get sick."
"But... I also want to be a pig."
When the ups and downs of the tone resounded in the empty room, it was like the lights in a theater, clearly illuminating the images of all the beings in the audience with different postures.
Most people were still feeling sick from the facts they had just guessed. Some people stretched out their hands and pushed the plates far away. Some people tried hard to think about what the content of the poem represented. Some people seemed to have already understood. Mingwu glanced at the others.
At this time, a voice came from the TV again.
"Smart men must have guessed what they ate, but it doesn't matter. You never treat them as humans. They are just poor pigs, just like me."
In an instant, the sound of vomiting came one after another around the dining table. Before getting a positive answer from the murderer, some people still had illusions. But after getting a positive answer, it was already too late to vomit.
As if in the history of evolution, in order to make people remember not to eat things they shouldn't eat, the act of vomiting is always full of pain, but it is even more painful for those who can't vomit it out. Screams and sobs can be heard one after another around the dinner table.
But there was only one person who stood out, and everyone's eyes were focused on him.
It wasn't something he did or said that made him look strange. On the contrary, he had the most normal behavior among them.
Use the sharp tip of a steak knife to slit the membrane along the center of the ribs, insert a fork toward one side, and use the knife to lift out the bone, leaving a whole piece of meat.
After fixing the middle of the meat with a fork, cut off the two small sections at the front and back, which are somewhat dry due to cooking techniques, leaving only the best-tasting part in the middle. Poke it up with a fork and put it into your mouth, and then start chewing.
When he took the fork out of his mouth, he looked up along his thin lips and over the straight bridge of his nose. His gray eyes were always unfocused but seemed too focused.
That was Schiller, eating slowly.
But at this time, a series of low laughter came from the TV again, drawing everyone's attention back.
"Hehehe... Look at your fearful looks. This is you, stupid pigs who are panicking and choosing their own way."
"Do you think this is the end? No, I want to tell you that among all the people present, half of the people here are eating real pork, and the other half..."
The person on the TV did not continue to speak, but everyone understood what he meant, so everyone turned their attention to the plate again.
When some people were vomiting, they accidentally knocked over the plate and the meat fell to the ground. They pushed the chair away and got under the table to pick it up, just to see if there were any clues on the ribs that could prove that they were The lucky half.
"My, my piece! This must be pork, I have experience!"
"As you all know, I actually love pork. This tastes exactly the same as what I used to eat, so this piece of mine must be..."
"I just vomited it out, so actually I didn't..."
But at this time, a series of higher-pitched laughter came again, and the strange voice from the TV series came again: "Half of the people are very lucky. Oh, I'm sorry, I don't mean the people who ate real pork, because it's really The pork is...poisonous."
Everyone who was checking the condition of the meat was stunned.
The people who had sworn before that they were eating pork threw the meat out as if it was hot to their hands. Although no one said it out loud, the same prayer sounded in their hearts.
And within a few seconds of their eye contact, everyone understood what they were thinking, and also realized that the people sitting at the same table with themselves for civilized communication were actually a group of people who wanted them to A pervert who eats human flesh.
Bruce frowned, and he began to think about the loopholes in it, but to be honest, it is not surprising at all that the madmen in Gotham would do such a thing. There is no need to consider whether their execution ability can do it, as long as they are crazy enough, It can definitely be done.
"What did you just think of?" The voice came from the TV again: "Not only do you not feel guilty about this, but you will also feel happy. But in fact, this is not the first time at all."
"You have sat at the table countless times, eating meat of the same kind that has been carefully cooked, with faces full of joy of harvest."
"So, of course you don't have to feel guilty... Friends, raise your glasses! Continue to celebrate all this, just like you have done in the past, raise us, slaughter us, cut up our meat, cook and eat it!"
"Throw a little more scraps into the pig pen, let us be grateful, walk to the slaughterhouse with pride, chest and head raised, to prove our worth!"
Everyone was staring at the TV, but at this moment, a calm voice sounded from the dining table: "I am eating pork. The pork is not poisonous, but the heat is too high."
Others turned their heads back again. They saw that Schiller finally put down his knife and fork. Some people who were anxious about the fact that pork might be poisonous immediately turned their eyes to him and said, "How can you be sure? ?This meat is almost burnt..."
Bruce also set his sights on Schiller. He also wanted to know, how did the professor get this answer?
In his opinion, the meat itself has no clues that can be used, because as Schiller said, the meat is too heated and it is basically impossible to judge any details. Even if there are some clues that can be used to speculate, there is actually no substantial evidence that can determine the answer.
So, Bruce, who felt that his reasoning was not inferior to others, asked:
"...Why are you so sure?"
Schiller wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked at Bruce with his barren eyes. Instantly, Bruce had a bad feeling. He felt that he shouldn't ask.
Then, Bruce heard Schiller say in an elegant and gentle tone:
"Because... human flesh doesn't taste like this."
When Zhou Keer comes, he has to be called a pervert.
