Chapter 955: Schiller's Misfortune (Part 2) (Patreon)

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"What did you say? Repeat that!" The leading black Agent stared into Schiller's eyes, taking a step forward. Schiller stood his ground, unflinching, and replied, locking eyes with him.

"I said I am the organizer and leader of Central American revolutionary activities. If you don't want to hear the sound of KGB gunfire, it's best to apply for witness protection for me right away."

The black Agent waved his hand, and all the Agents drew their guns. Four of them positioned themselves at the door, blocking any escape routes. The black Agent produced a recording device, and Schiller glanced at it, acknowledging its presence without a word.

Standing behind him, Merkel's eyes were wide with astonishment, but he quickly stepped forward and said, "I apologize, Mr. Federal Bureau of Investigation Agent. My employer is currently experiencing a mental health crisis and needs immediate hospitalization and treatment."

Schiller turned slightly to look at Merkel, his icy eye contact conveying a silent message. He then said, "Please fetch me a raincoat. Thank you, Merkel."

Merkel wanted to say more but, upon seeing Schiller's eye contact, turned to retrieve the raincoat without a word.

Batman interjected, "You claim he violated spy laws, but where's the evidence? Where's the arrest warrant?"

"Shut up," Schiller addressed Batman. "This is not a game of cops and robbers. Nobody needs to prove anything to you."

Schiller then turned to Brand and asked, "Could you fill in for me with my classes for a few days, Brand?"

Brand sighed but nodded without uttering a word. Victor was about to speak, but Schiller cut him off, saying, "There's no need to worry about me."

Finally, Schiller called Jason over. He crouched down, tousled Jason's hair, and said, "Off to your classes, my boy."

He stood up again and locked eyes with the Agent opposite him, saying, "I know you have many questions, but I won't say anything until I meet with your superiors."

Batman observed Schiller's demeanor, noticing that Schiller seemed to be struggling to maintain his composure. Without the support of the Umbrella, he might not have been able to stand on equal footing with the Federal Bureau of Investigation Agent at this moment.

Pale face and trembling fingers gave him an unusual presence.

Some people were accustomed to displaying their strength through physical means, but others, when their physical strength waned, demonstrated the strength of their soul and spirit. When Schiller's soul stood tall, he resembled a solitary, silent high tower on a rainy night.

Schiller's attitude struck Batman as peculiar. He seemed to be preventing anyone from exonerating him and even appeared eager to leave with the Agent.

Central American revolution? Batman wondered. What did that have to do with Schiller? And why bring it up now? Why confess so readily without putting up any resistance?

As the Agent leader made his move, Agents armed with real weapons surrounded Schiller, intending to take him away. At this moment, the Agent leader's gaze shifted to the Umbrella in Schiller's hand. He cleared his throat and said, "I'm sorry, sir, but you can't take anything from here."

Schiller lowered his head and glanced at the Umbrella in his hand. Then, to the astonishment of Batman and Constantine, he slowly set the Umbrella down.

With trembling hands, he adjusted his tie, and with his head held high, he followed the Agent, leaving with them.

Before departing, he cast one final glance at Batman. The expression on his face conveyed that he had known this day would come.

Finally, surrounded by numerous Agents, Schiller left Rodriguez Manor, boarded the Federal Bureau of Investigation's vehicle, and the headlights illuminated the rainy path ahead before disappearing into the darkness of Gotham.

As the black Agent leader left the Manor's door, he didn't notice Batman's narrowed eyes or his slightly downturned mouth. He also didn't notice that Batman was clenching the bat symbol on his finger, his muscles slightly bulging with tension.

Sitting in the car, the female agent who was driving turned her head to him and asked, "What's wrong? Wasn't it just a routine arrest operation? Why do you seem so nervous?"

"Do you know what he just said?" The black Agent's tone was somewhat rigid. Seeing the puzzled expression on his colleague's face, he continued, "That Rodriguez claimed to be the organizer and leader of Central American revolutionaries and requested witness protection."

"Screech!" The sharp sound of brakes echoed as the female agent slammed into the steering wheel. She raised her voice in disbelief, saying, "What did you say? The organizer of the Central American revolution?! Isn't that the mystery that all Agents around the world are trying to solve? Who planned it, who led it, who executed it... it's all a mystery!"

"Even the CIA's planted agents within the KGB couldn't provide any useful information. And he claims... are you sure he's not playing us?!!"

The black Agent rubbed his sore shoulder from the impact and said, "Lower-level Agents are completely unaware of this matter, and the majority of Agents don't grasp its significance. If he dares to use this as leverage and request witness protection, it proves that he's at least aware of the current situation on the field."

"It proves that he knows that there's no answer anywhere in the world, and just knowing this already elevates his status."

"What's going on here?" The female agent patted the steering wheel and said, "The FBI, CIA, and KGB have deployed so many resources, and this inexplicable chaos... where did it start from? I've never believed that organized riots like this could be spontaneously organized by corn-farming peasants!"

"I don't believe it either," the black Agent said, taking a deep breath. "But you should be prepared for the possibility that what Rodriguez said might be true."

"If it's true, even if only partially, dealing with someone like him... Have you heard of Philby?"

"Of course, I know about him." The female agent restarted the vehicle and said, "He nearly became the top leader of the U.K. Agent organization, only to be discovered as a KGB agent. What's even more absurd is that he was released without charges and returned to the Soviet Union. Remember the uproar surrounding his case?"

"Don't just think about the U.K.; there are cases within the U.S. as well. The more cunning they are, the harder they are to handle." The black Agent revealed a somewhat malicious expression. "If he slips through our fingers, we'll be the subject of ridicule by those folks at the Central Intelligence Agency for a lifetime."

The female agent clearly felt nervous, and her breathing rate increased. She turned the car around a corner before hesitating and saying, "Shouldn't this be handed over to the Central Intelligence Agency? It might be... better."

"Don't even think about it; our boss won't release him." The black Agent pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and spoke while puffing. "Have you forgotten the friction between us and the CIA? This is our chance to prove that we're stronger than them. I don't want us to end up unable to extract any information and handing him over to the CIA with those meddlers."

He exhaled a plume of smoke and continued in a cold tone, "We're not like those gentlemen in the U.K. who only ask questions gently from start to finish."

"The other side is a world-renowned psychologist. Normal interrogation won't work on him, but as long as we can obtain important intelligence, we can use any means necessary."

His icy words, transmitted through the listening device to Batman's monitoring equipment, prompted him to press the hang-up button immediately and stand up. He knew he had to act quickly.

Batman was well aware of how urgently the U.S. viewed the Central American revolution at this moment, and they were on the brink of losing their rationality.

Since the start of this revolution, they had been tirelessly investigating leads to uncover the organizers, whether through infiltration or reverse engineering, with little to no results. To obtain specific information from Schiller, they would resort to any means necessary.

If it were the past, Batman wouldn't worry. He knew Schiller had the ability to turn into the Grey Mist, rendering him impervious to most attacks. However, the situation was different now.

If the control center of his body, or in other words, his mental state, was compromised, no matter how high his defenses were or how clever his defensive measures, they would be useless. If Schiller couldn't even react in time, there would be no way to evade danger.

Judging from Schiller's state when he was taken away, the sedative Brand had given him clearly wasn't enough. Batman distinctly remembered that Schiller's hands were still trembling before he boarded the vehicle.

Batman understood that the biggest puzzle in this recent turn of events was the sudden arrest of Schiller by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Schiller was fully capable of escaping, but he completely skipped the process of demanding evidence, an arrest warrant, arguing with the other party, or resisting.

Schiller even added fuel to the fire by acknowledging his importance as a KGB Agent and claiming an extremely vital identity. Finally, he silenced everyone with his icy attitude, preventing them from defending him further. This all seemed deliberate.

While the initial arrest seemed to involve multiple charges, completing the interrogation process would have ultimately led to regular imprisonment. However, once witness protection was requested, this matter could turn into a game between two superpowers, and those caught in the middle often suffered dire consequences.

Philby was only an exception because, aside from his exceptional abilities, his high status and fame forced both sides to exercise restraint. However, such individuals were few, and the majority caught in the middle, thinking they could manipulate and provoke both sides, usually met a grim fate.

Batman couldn't currently fathom Schiller's motives, and he couldn't even be sure if Schiller was speaking coherently due to a fever. However, it was unquestionable that he needed to find a way to extricate Schiller.

Finding evidence of Schiller's crimes for a trial was one thing, but letting him become a pawn in a back-and-forth struggle between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the CIA was another.

For this reason, Batman knew whom he needed to approach. After all, this string of events couldn't escape the involvement of one organization: the KGB.

When Batman tried to find Alfred, he realized that Alfred had taken Dick to school.

In Alfred's room, only Aisha, who had also tried to locate the butler, remained. Batman picked up Aisha, intending to take her away, but at that moment, Aisha started wailing loudly. She mumbled through her sobs, "Waaa! Waaah! Want toys! Yesterday! Toys! Next to books! Want toys!!!"

Batman furrowed his brow, looking at Aisha. "Aren't your toys in the toy bin in your room?"

Aisha became more agitated and yelled, "Not toys! Not! Yesterday... new toy... new toy!! Red! Bright! Sharp! Next to books... here! Right here!"

Although Batman couldn't fully comprehend Aisha's broken speech, he understood the last two words. He assumed Aisha was talking about a new toy Alfred had given her yesterday, which was in this room, near some books.

Aisha continued to cry, and Batman, feeling a headache coming on from her incessant wailing, decided to find the toy, calm Aisha, and then proceed with his investigation.

He approached the bookshelf and noticed a faint glimmer near one of the books. Batman reached out to touch it and found a small, metallic object. He pulled it out and realized it was a Red Flag badge.

For a moment, Batman's hand trembled. He knew his butler had some connection with the Soviet Union, but he hadn't expected Alfred's involvement to have reached the point of possessing a Red Flag badge.

Aisha eagerly grabbed the badge and exclaimed in delight, prompting Batman to consider leaving the room. However, as he withdrew his hand, it accidentally brushed against the edge of a letter, causing it to slip out of its envelope.

Curiosity piqued, Batman picked up the letter and noticed that the stationery had been removed from the envelope. He opened it, and the first sentence left him shocked.

"Comrade Pennyworth, I am deeply impressed and admiring of your outstanding achievements in Mexico!"

Batman didn't even read the rest of the letter; he immediately focused on the signature at the bottom, a name that had been featured prominently in recent television reports for the past few months—Vasiliyevich.

This was a personal letter from the new leader of the Soviet Union.

So, Alfred was the true leader behind the Central American revolution??!!

Batman lifted his head in astonishment, and as for Schiller...

Aisha, holding the badge, saw the dark figure vanish from the room in an instant.

After his departure, the letter slowly fluttered down to the floor, as light as falling leaves during the late summer and early autumn, yet carrying the weight of the world.

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 956: Schiller's "Escape" Journey (Part 1)