In the end, Batman came in.
Watching the nurse's retreating figure, Schiller let out a deep sigh. He looked up at Batman and said, "Have you ever heard this saying? The moment you enter a psychiatric hospital, you become a psychiatric patient."
Batman shook his head.
"Of course you haven't, because I made it up." Schiller rolled his neck and said, "The truth is, I am a psychiatric patient now, and I desperately need treatment."
"What happened?" Batman frowned slightly.
"Why does everyone like asking that?" Schiller shook his head and said, "The truth is, once I tell you I'm mentally ill, don't listen to another word I say."
"I think you're confused," Batman said.
"That is indeed the truth." Schiller painfully tightened the muscles around his eyes. "I'm repairing my house. That earthquake just now damaged some things, so I probably only have thirty percent of my attention available to talk to you. Don't expect any logic from me."
Batman tensed. He understood. Schiller was actually saying that something had gone wrong with his mental High Tower and that he was adjusting it, leaving little attention for the real world and making him seem somewhat confused.
But what made him even more wary was Schiller's manner of speaking. He did not believe this normally rigorous professor would deliberately leave things unclear. Even if he could not focus, he would not be this vague—unless he was doing it on purpose.
To an observer, it would have sounded like complete nonsense. There was no house here at all, nor had there been an earthquake. Schiller had deliberately said it that way, seemingly to make the observer think it was madness.
So where was the observer?
Batman looked around. He found no gleam from any surveillance equipment, so he gave up on