In the car, Gordon's face was pale. In just a few days, there had been five deaths, not to mention that all the deceased were important individuals, and the manner of their deaths was quite extravagant. Gordon was feeling a great deal of pressure.
Unlike Batman, Gordon was just an ordinary person. These past few days, he had been working tirelessly, staying up late, and dealing with one thing after another. It had left him extremely exhausted. While in the car, his voice had become hoarse, making it difficult for him to speak.
Raindrops pounded against the car window. Schiller, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and looked at Gordon's pale face. He said, "Commissioner, why don't you go back and get some rest?"
Gordon forced a smile and said, "Just a few days ago, I used those exact words to advise Batman. I never thought that today it would be my turn. But my answer is the same as his. I think I'm fine, at least I can hold on until dawn today without any problem..."
Schiller seemed like he wanted to say something more, but Batman interrupted, saying, "We've arrived."
He seemed somewhat anxious because this was the boarding school where Dick was studying. Dick had just started school two days ago, and today should have been his first official day of classes. Unfortunately, this incident occurred. Batman was concerned since he was the one who had insisted that Dick attend this school.
Batman entered the gates of the boarding school first. However, a person who approached them grabbed Commissioner Gordon's hand, dressed in a police uniform. He said, "You must be Detective Gordon. I was the one who called for help. Hurry to the seventh floor. Mrs. Sanchez... she... she..."
The person was an elderly individual with a slightly hunched figure, wearing the typical black robe commonly seen in boarding schools. Gordon tried to calm him down and asked, "Are you a teacher at this school? Could you please explain what happened?"
The old man led them inside the school while walking and said, "I'm not a teacher. I'm just a key custodian responsible for locking the doors of important rooms after the students have gone to bed."
"Just a moment ago, as I was planning to go to the seventh floor to check if the room doors were properly locked, I saw... I don't know, but dear God..."Gordon asked the old man the standard question, "Did you see anyone suspicious?" The old man shook his head and said, "This school has strict security measures in place, and ordinary individuals are not allowed entry. After class, the teachers return to their own rooms, and students are not permitted to wander around at night."
"All boarding schools operate this way, and the children here are well-behaved. There have never been any disturbances."
Batman wanted to inquire about Dick's situation, but he didn't want to expose their relationship. Schiller glanced at Batman's expression and asked the old man, "Do you have a child named Dick here?"
"Dick? We have at least five or six kids named Dick here. Which one are you looking for?"
"Dick Grayson. Do you know where he is now?"
The old man shook his head and said, "There are too many kids named Dick here. I'm getting old, and I can't remember who is who anymore."
Schiller didn't pursue the matter further and said, "Please tell us the exact location of Mrs. Sanchez's room. We'll go there ourselves."
The old man slowly shook his head and replied, "The staircase here is not easy to navigate. I'll take you to the seventh floor, and then you can proceed on your own."
With that said, the old man led them up two more floors and brought them to the seventh floor of the boarding school. He then turned around and left. As soon as they reached the seventh floor, Gordon shivered and said, "Why does it feel so cold here?"
Schiller also felt an unusually cold air spreading in the corridor, and he said to Gordon, "Detective, you're not in good condition, stay here for now, Batman and I will go in."
Gordon didn't try to be brave because he really felt bad. He took a few steps back, opened the window of the Staircase room, and leaned against the wall, feeling better. He waved to the two of them, signaling them to hurry up. Schiller and Batman walked down the corridor.
As soon as they walked into the darkness, Schiller's eyes settled on a black mark in the corner of the wall. He squatted down and observed it carefully, saying, "It seems that what happened here should also be related to supernatural powers."
"If it's really that so-called demon, do we have any way to deal with it?"
"According to the theory of occultism, there are many things that can be used to deal with demons, such as crosses, holy water, statues of the Virgin Mary, and so on. But I don't think we'll encounter real demons here."
Having said that, they had arrived at the door of the second room. Schiller pushed the door open without hesitation and walked in. The scene inside was not bloody but very strange.
There was a mummy standing in the center of the room, charred black and shriveled, standing upright in place. There was a pattern resembling a magic circle around it. Batman walked over and said, "This pattern is different from the previous one, and the style of drawing is also different."
"However, it seems that they both used the same element, the hexagram representing the devil, and these small patterns also have some similarities..."
Schiller walked around the mummy and approached the table behind it. The table was very messy, with various items on it. On the first row of shelves, there was a pile of bottles and jars, while below there was a stack of scrap paper. On the left side, there was a box filled with miscellaneous herbs, and the table mat was inscribed with unreadable words.
"It seems that this Mrs. Sanchez is not only a principal but also a part-time witch."
Schiller bent down to examine the items on the table. There was a drawer beneath the table, hanging a brass lock engraved with a strange rune. Schiller didn't use physical methods to pick the lock. He looked up at the mummy.
The mummy seemed to have been instantly charred into charcoal by high temperatures, and the oozing oil made its feet stick to the ground, preventing it from falling.
Some traces of clothing could still be vaguely seen on the mummy's body, but they had turned charred, sticking to its skin. There seemed to be a keychain around the mummy's waist.
Schiller didn't reach out to take it. Instead, he crouched down and placed his hand on the side of the cabinet. A wisp of gray mist emanated from between his arms and seeped into the drawer. Just as Schiller was beginning to feel something inside the drawer, Gordon's scream suddenly echoed from outside the corridor.
Batman rushed to the door and saw Gordon clutching his neck in pain, stumbling backward, and flipping out of the window, falling from the seventh floor.
In the instant Batman reached the window, a cloud of gray fog moved even faster than him. Just before Gordon hit the ground, the gray fog caught him and gently placed him on the ground. Batman used his grappling hook to descend from the seventh floor and walked over to Gordon, noticing two bruised handprints on his neck.
Gordon gasped for breath, then looked at Batman after regaining his senses and said, "Indeed... it's exactly what you said..."
"What did you see?"
"A ghost, a ghost rushed towards me. He grabbed my neck..."
"It seems that this school is indeed a bit weird. Let's find Dick first."
Gordon struggled to stand up and said, "What about the key manager who led the way before? Why didn't we see him? I think we should ask him..."
"Don't count on him."
This time, Schiller walked ahead with Batman supporting Gordon from behind. As they walked, Batman looked at the display on his wrist and said, "Go around this building, then turn right. Dick should be underground..."
Schiller wasn't surprised, but Gordon looked at Batman and asked, "Did you put a tracker on your adopted son?"
"That's why I can find him in time now."
The group continued towards their target point when suddenly Batman's communication device on his wrist rang. Jason's voice came from inside, screaming, "Batman! Come quickly! There's danger, oh my god, she's... she's..."
The communication was abruptly cut off. Batman manipulated the device on his wrist and frowned, saying, "...how did they end up together?"
Gordon also heard the distress call and screams from the communication device. Schiller lifted the umbrella and looked back at Batman, saying, "Give me the coordinates."
"1:21, direction, 351 meters underground..."
Though the straight-line distance wasn't far, they had to navigate around an entire building. As Batman finished speaking, Schiller's figure transformed into a cloud of gray mist, swiftly passing through the walls. While the two men on the ground were still running, Schiller had already arrived at the target location above ground.
In a flash, Schiller appeared underground. The moment his figure materialized, he felt a dark shadow descending rapidly above him.
Without hesitation, Schiller grabbed the umbrella with both hands and swiftly raised it. With a "bang," a figure was sent flying and crashed into the wall. Everyone present was left stunned.
Looking down from the room's ceiling, Schiller, who had just landed, stood precisely in the middle of the room, maintaining his posture with the umbrella. Near the left wall of the room, a blond man holding a black book stared in astonishment at Schiller's actions. Behind Schiller, the children lying on the ground had their mouths agape, while in front of Schiller stood a monster with four arms, horns on its head, and black patterns covering its body.
After the monster was forcefully slammed into the wall, silence fell over the scene. The blond man turned his gaze towards the children and asked, "Is he the rescuer you mentioned?"
Lying on the ground, Jason swallowed nervously, but Sliphead behind him shouted, "Professor Schiller!"
The blond man froze once more. He looked at Schiller and asked, "You're still a professor? What subject do you teach? Combat?"
"Compared to that..." Schiller retrieved the umbrella and leaned it against the ground. He turned to face the blond man, who was tall and wearing a light brown long suit with a black tie. Although he looked handsome, he also appeared disheveled.
"I've long heard of your name, Constantine."
The man was stunned again and said, "You know me?"
"Of course, your band's song 'I Had a Kiss with Oneiroi' is pretty good. An old classmate of mine, the drummer for the band 'Sex Handgun,' gave me a picture of the Roxy Club, and you were in it."
The blond man first opened his mouth and then pursed his lips. He didn't expect the response he received to be from this perspective. Schiller's praise happened to hit his soft spot, and he shook his head, inserting his hand into the pocket of his windbreaker, saying, "Oh, really? Actually, my favorite song on that album is 'Kowtow to Death.' It's more in line with the punk style, right?"
"But I prefer psychedelic rock and romanticism. I have to say, the monologue at the end of the Dream God song was excellent, it gave me a sense of traversing through dreams. I know this aspect of the design must have faced criticism, but I really like it..."
"I knew someone would understand me!" Constantine spread his hands and said, "Those bunch of old-fashioned music judges don't understand what psychedelic rock is. They don't even understand punk. Just because I slept with the bassist in the band, they said my album was worthless. It's simply..."
"Please!" Jason screamed, pointing his finger at the monster across from them. "Is this really the time to discuss music?!! There's a demon standing right in front of you!!! A live demon!!!!"
Just as he let out a heart-wrenching scream, the demon also regained its senses. It slowly stood up, then bent its body, preparing to pounce at the enemy once again.
At that moment, with a "bang," the door swung open, and the monster standing in front of it was sent flying out once more.
Watching the monster hurtling towards them, Schiller adjusted his tie and picked up an umbrella, assuming a baseball batter's pose. With a "bang," the monster was struck back into the wall, becoming embedded in it.
Batman, who had just opened the door, looked at the scene inside the room with confusion, but the blond Constantine whistled and said, "That's a beautiful home run!"
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