Quietly, Jonathan Crane completed a successful jailbreak.
The guards' eyes widened in their sleep, their faces turning an unhealthy red due to the surging blood from unknown fear, hoarse shouts coming from their throats, their hands scratching and waving unconsciously, and finally fell into silence.
Until the moment of death, they never saw the culprit who caused all this.
They were scared to death.
…
"Hmm...the long-lost sweetness."
If inside the wall just now, Jonathan enjoyed the taste of fear, then at this moment, outside the wall, under the light of the stars and the moon, with his arms stretched out flat, eyes closed and breathing deeply, Jonathan enjoys It's called the taste of freedom.
"Freedom, it's been a long time coming."
…………
The crow on the branch watched all this indifferently. In the dark night, this black bird camouflaged itself very well.
Jonathan is just like a crow, calm, indifferent, and highly intelligent, but he likes to flamboyantly show his existence in ways that others don't like.
After escaping the pursuit of the Arkham guards, Jonathan felt very funny, but also felt deeply unworthy of himself.
It was a place like this, with guys of this caliber, that they actually locked him up for so long.
"This is a shameless waste of life!"
However, Jonathan vaguely felt that those searching did not seem to have much enthusiasm for work.
"That would be even more shameful."
After watching the flashing car leave, Jonathan arranged his hair and left calmly.
…
As a decent, wealthy gentleman, at least once decent and wealthy, he was imprisoned in Arkham for more than a year, although they almost forced him to change Jonathan's hairstyle, clothing, eating habits...etc. However, the knowledge, knowledge, and insights in his mind, as well as his calm self-confidence and proud mental outlook, cannot be taken away.
Therefore, even though he had nothing and was even being hunted all over the city, Jonathan still relied on his advantages to successfully deceive others' trust.
Using a fake name, a non-existent address, and a sympathetic half-truth, Jonathan was able to get new clothes, a hot shower, a shave, and some cash. .
So, when Jonathan once again took the initiative to walk in the sunshine and on the streets of Gotham, he had regained the feeling he had a year ago.
That was something that the narrow special ward, white walls, fixed meal times, and repetition day after day could not bring him.
Sometimes, that feeling can be called: loneliness.
…
Walking into a coffee shop, Jonathan couldn't wait to enjoy his freedom and unrestraint. He even wanted to shout, laugh, and throw a gas bomb to kill the waiter serving the coffee.
"No, no, no... it's not the time yet..."
After persuading himself in time, Jonathan felt his hands and feet shaking due to uncontrollable excitement, and this feeling became more intense when he tried to suppress it by drinking coffee.
Because he suddenly realized that he was really free and he could do this.
"so."
Taking out two small bottles, Jonathan opened them.
Ten seconds later, Jonathan opened the door of the coffee shop and politely helped the lady who was about to open the door to hold on for a moment longer. After leaving a gentle message, Jonathan faced the setting sun in the west and left here without looking back.
Ten seconds later, a piercing cry came from the coffee shop, and soon, it fell silent again.
…
Jonathan doesn't care much about ordinary people. Those who were stupid and could be replaced at will were hardly worthy of being killed in Jonathan's eyes.
Now that he has left Arkham and returned to Gotham, Jonathan is still interested in some special people.
For example, when he was in Arkham, he heard the two names the most.
Batman, and Lynn.
There was a time when, due to the lack of information and the difficulty of obtaining information, from the various fragments of information he kept hearing, Jonathan once thought that Batman and Lynn were actually the same person.
The former is a code name and the latter is a name.
Just like Scarecrow Jonathan.
But later, as he was detained for longer and longer and came into contact with more and more "patients", Jonathan still obtained some useful information with enough time and superb acting skills.
Batman, when Jonathan was still a famous psychology professor, was not a name that caught his attention.
He was just a weirdo wearing a strange costume, trying to attract people's attention.
Otherwise, why would this guy always appear in crime-related newspapers and periodicals.
This guy is a criminal, that's all.
At that time, Jonathan's "diagnosis" of Batman was that he hated loneliness and enjoyed loneliness. A guy who has the ability to stay away from loneliness, but always takes the initiative to get close to him.
What a monster.
After entering Arkham, Jonathan changed his view.
He discovers more interesting things about Batman.
For example, very principled.
Arkham has many patients like Jonathan, and even more are patients sent in by Batman.
Their common characteristic is that they suffered severe beatings that were fatal enough, but they did not die.
The guy did it on purpose.
why?
Because he is trying to fight himself! You are limiting yourself and oppressing yourself!
Jonathan is almost certain that when Batman takes action, every time, every time! They definitely attack the enemy with the intention of killing them.
However, he held back every time.
every time.
Strong self-control means that the thing he fights against, the thing originating from the bottom of his heart, is equally powerful and...frightening.
Batman, he's afraid of himself...
The night he came to this conclusion, Jonathan was so surprised that he couldn't even sleep.
How interesting and weird that is.
Based on this theoretical premise, the most outstanding psychology professor at Gotham University, Mr. Jonathan Crane, came to another interesting conclusion.
The shape of the bat, the logo of the bat, the Batmobile, the Batdart, the Batsignal, the Bat Bat Bat...
To this extent, it can no longer be simply said to be deliberate. This is simply taking the initiative to put a stamp of thought on oneself.
But why.
This guy, this evil spirit that roams the night sky of Gotham, Batman seems to be fighting not only his inner self, but also other things.
What he is afraid of are bats!
Batman is afraid of himself and also of bats!
Oh my gosh! Is there anyone in this world who is more twisted, more interesting, and more worthy of studying and enjoying fear gas than him? !
…………
From that night on, when he learned everything, Jonathan, who had never had any contact with Batman and had no grudge, decided that Batman must die in his hands, and he must die of fear of poison gas. shrouded.
Over and over again, he imagined how interesting it would be to kill Batman, what shocking scenes he would see and hear, and when he replayed this gorgeous killing in his mind over and over again, Jonathan also gradually Access to another person's intelligence information.
Lynn.
Unlike Batman, Batman's existence is easily defined by "homogeneity".
Whether it's those guys who are seriously injured but still immortal, or his "saving" of Gotham day after day, or the bat symbol all over his body, Batman is just Batman at almost all times.
Batman, just Batman, has to be Batman.
But Lynn, this guy gave Jonathan a feeling that seemed even more weird and unpredictable.
He was actually a patient at Arkham. He was once locked up here and given three injections of sedatives every day for several months.
Lynn is a killer. Jonathan learned this not from his fellow patients, but by overhearing the doctors' conversations.
The original words are probably: If Linn was as efficient as Batman and showed up every night, then there would be no need for Arkham.
Because Lynn will kill everyone.
…
There are no [commandments] like Batman, which is an interesting difference.
The difference between Lynn and Batman is that Lynn implements standard chaos and fuzzy principles in so-called crime fighting.
That is: in principle, everyone is guilty, everyone is innocent, everyone can be judged, and everyone can not be judged.
Linn's existence is chaotic and vague.
There were very few patients sent in by Linn in Arkham, because he sent those people directly to the cemetery not far next door.
But what Jonathan couldn't figure out was why wouldn't someone like Linn kill Batman?
Why wouldn't someone like Batman stop Linn?
Why why why!
Once the thoughts of doubts and curiosity start to grow, they will soon be like weeds, densely crawling all over the heart and engraved in the depths of the soul. The more unclear and unobtainable the thoughts are, the more they want to understand and get that. Answer.
It is precisely because of this that Jonathan couldn't wait to plan this jailbreak.
He wanted to kill Batman, he wanted to test his theory, and he wanted to hear how a person who had been facing his own fears would cry out when he died in despair in the fear gas.
He wanted to meet Lin En, and wanted to know what people like Lin En were afraid of, and whether they were... the same as him.
Because of fear, choose to become fear itself.
If everything is really as he expected, Jonathan feels that it is not impossible to keep Linn's life and let him live in long-term fear.
That must be something very interesting.
……………………
Gotham is no different from before. To be precise, the people of Gotham a year ago have not changed much from the people of Gotham now.
Using only very simple means, relying on money and the fear poison in his body, Jonathan easily obtained a large amount of the information he wanted.
And this news about Linn and Batman once again convinced Jonathan that there was nothing wrong with his previous guesses.
The two of them are indeed two completely opposite individuals.
Absolute order, and absolute disorder.
The former has been trying to bring Gotham into a kind of order. Jonathan doesn't know what kind of order Batman wants, but he can determine it in advance without doing research. He will definitely not like Batman's order.
As for the latter, the things Linn did seemed more like overthrowing and destroying Gotham. He seemed to yearn for a completely different Gotham.
Jonathan also didn't know what kind of Gotham Lynn wanted, but he was also sure that he wouldn't like a Gotham controlled by the Disciplined.
"So, why can the two of them live together in Gotham! Why don't they kill each other and entangle each other until they are destroyed? Who can tell me why!!"
He smashed the table and cut his palms. Jonathan had some vague thoughts and guesses, but the thought passed quickly and disappeared from his mind.
I don’t know why, maybe it was intuition, but Jonathan felt that he might have deciphered this puzzle.
And the answer is absolutely satisfying.
"Now, I have to see them with my own eyes, kill them with my own hands, and verify my idea for myself!
I must know..."
In the dark room, blood dripping from the palm of his hand fell on a strange scarecrow mask. Jonathan put the scarecrow mask that represented his fear on his face, picked up the scythe as a weapon, and quietly Staring at himself in the broken mirror, his eyes gradually brightened and he murmured to himself: "I must know...
Batman and Lynn, aren't they...
He was originally alone! "
…
It started to rain lightly outside the window again. Jonathan took the initiative to create a little chaos, hid in the dark, and waited quietly.
As the patron saint of Gotham, even if no one wants to say it explicitly, everyone has to admit that at any time, Batman will always be the fastest to reach those places that need him.
really.
Jonathan, who had transformed into a scarecrow and hid behind old furniture on the street corner, waited until Batman appeared here.
only……
There seems to be something wrong with this Batman.
Why didn't he save people? Instead, he was looking for...wait a minute!
The Scarecrow pulled a thorn covering his eyes, and what he saw was...another Batman!
Two Batmans...no! More! And a third one!
Under the Scarecrow's gaze, the three Batmans started fighting without hesitation. Their attacks were extremely vicious and cruel. The Scarecrow saw one of the Batmans covering an indescribable area in pain, and went limp. He fell down, and for a moment there was something...
fear.
Fear originates from ancient times and is inherited in genes.
And, just looking at it makes me feel the pain.
Maybe I shouldn't come today.
At this second, Master of Fear, Professor of Psychology, Mr. Scarecrow, was a little excited, a little excited, and a little... regretful.
But soon, he no longer regretted it.
Because he saw, Batman, killing people.
He also saw the familiar faces revealed by the fighting Batmans after they pulled off their masks.
That's Lynn's face.
"As expected...as expected! It is indeed so!"
Scarecrow's excited fingers froze and pointed forward tremblingly: "I knew it! Lynn is Batman! Batman is Lynn!!"
Gotham's biggest secret has been revealed by me!
This chapter was so hard to write
(End of chapter)
