Chapter 957: Schiller's "Escape" Journey (Part 2)

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Continuing down the corridor, the female agent Lorena glanced back at Schiller and asked, "Why did you burn those things, Schiller?"

Schiller squinted his eyes in pain and replied, "Do you know why mice can fly in the sky?"

Lorena paused for a moment and instinctively asked, "Why?"

"Because those weren't mice; they were bats."

Lorena shook her head lightly, thinking that Schiller was indeed talking nonsense. She looked at the map in her hand and pointed to an intersection, saying, "Turn this way; there's another stronghold nearby."

With that, she led the way, followed by Schiller, who was supported by another agent, while Scott and another agent kept a close eye on him from behind.

"Who's chasing us?" Scott asked as he walked forward. Schiller shook his head and said, "I already told you, it's bats."

"I hope you'll have the energy to come up with such riddles during the interrogation," Scott said coldly. Schiller, however, wore a somewhat desperate expression and remained silent for the rest of the journey to the other stronghold.

Arriving at the other stronghold's room, Schiller calmed down a bit and assessed the situation inside.

It was less of a room and more of a slightly modified underground cavity, seemingly located beneath the Gotham sewer. Someone had set up a generator and lighting system here, along with a small table and a few chairs.

Schiller had seen such a room only in old movies from a long time ago. Had the Federal Bureau of Investigation finally decided to engage in underground warfare after decades of neglect?

However, upon closer observation, he realized that it was unlikely the FBI had built this. First, constructing such a large underground space below the water table would require a tremendous amount of manpower and resources, making it hard to imagine. Perhaps Batman could have the engineering expertise, but it would still take a long time.

Second, even if they had managed to build it, there should have been visible support structures, and the space was exceptionally dry with no signs of water damage on the walls. This was far from normal.

Just then, Schiller asked, "Has my medication arrived yet?"

Lorena, who had just put down her communication device, reported, "One of the agents on the road has been intercepted, so it may take a while to get the medicine."

Schiller frowned and struggled to speak, "Sodium thiopental..."

"What did you say?!" Lorena couldn't quite catch the word, so she leaned closer. Schiller repeated, "Sodium thiopental... You should have plenty, right? Give me two injections, quickly..."

Lorena widened her eyes in disbelief and raised her voice, "What did you say?! Inject you with sodium thiopental?! Are you... Are you out of your mind? Delirious?"

"Sodium thiopental acts on gamma-aminobutyric acid neurons, prolonging the opening time of chloride channels, inhibiting neuronal excitability. It's a sedative, rapid-acting drug used for acute neuroexcitation. If you have it, it's best to give me two shots quickly..."

Lorena stood still in shock, but Scott approached and said coldly, "Get the medication, and administer it to him."

Soon, an agent brought a vial of medicine, but Schiller squinted and said, "Not enough dosage. We need at least double the amount."

Seeing his tense muscles and trembling fingertips, Scott ordered, "Administer it."

After the proper dosage was administered, Schiller remained motionless with closed eyes, appearing drowsy due to the sedative. But suddenly, he jolted awake and shouted, "Blow up the previous intersection... Quickly, blow up the route we came from!"

Both Scott and Lorena were taken aback by his outburst. One of the agents nearby said, "The medication should have taken effect; his blood pressure and heart rate are returning to normal, and the symptoms of agitation are gradually disappearing..."

"What is he saying?" Lorena approached Schiller, who had lowered his head again, but he kept muttering, "Blow up the route we came from..."

"Blow it up? Why would we do that?" Lorena asked, puzzled. Scott, however, walked up and said coldly, "Lorena, don't you remember our protocol? Regardless of the actions taken by the detainees, we should not pay them any heed; it's just their ploy to escape judgment."

An agent produced a rope and tied Schiller's hands to the armrest of the chair. Scott stood in front of Schiller, overseeing him, and said, "We need to obtain some information from you to corroborate your identity. The more you tell us, the higher the chance of safely reaching Washington."

Scott leaned down and said, "Professor Rodriguez, you're a world-renowned psychologist. You should have some understanding of your own mental and psychological state. I don't want us to waste any more time. After all, if we keep dragging this out, it will be you who can't endure it."

Schiller leaned back in the chair, looking somewhat disheveled. The suit jacket was slightly wrinkled, his hair was wet and clung to his forehead due to the rain, and his glasses were fogged up. His pupils underneath the glasses appeared unfocused.

The female agent Lorena, standing nearby, hesitated and said, "Could we be overdosing him? What if he tells our superiors that we conducted an unauthorized drug interrogation..."

"I won't tell," Schiller said in his hoarse voice, still keeping his head down. "You are much more professional than my students and friends. At least, you were able to procure sedatives and administer them in a relatively standard manner. You saved my life, thank you."

"In that case, as a token of gratitude, shouldn't you provide us with information that can prove your identity?" Scott added.

"As a token of gratitude," Schiller began, taking a deep breath before continuing, "I advise you, right now, to blow up the intersection we came from. It's getting too late."

"I know what you're doing," Scott straightened up, gazing at the ceiling. "You're trying to manipulate us into doing something meaningless to gain control of the conversation. We've seen this tactic too many times. Let's not waste each other's time..."

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of thunderous explosions shook the room, causing everyone to struggle to maintain their balance. The once-stable room started to crumble, with debris falling from the ceiling. Agents had to brace against the walls to stay upright. Schiller, with all his recovered strength, shouted, "Blow up the passage! Get out of here!"

Lorena quickly untied Schiller's hands and helped him toward the back door. Scott glanced at the corridor outside the room and gritted his teeth, "Who the hell is chasing us?"

"Both of you, check if the explosives we had placed at the end of passage number 3 are still there. Bring them to the intersection and blow up the path we came from!" Scott gave orders decisively.

Lorena, assisting Schiller, entered the corridor once more. She had to ask, "Do you know who's chasing us, right?"

"I told you earlier, it's bats," Schiller swallowed and, though the sedatives had relieved his neuroexcitation, he felt drowsy. Without Grey Mist continually neutralizing the drug's effects, he might have fallen asleep by now.

However, Grey Mist couldn't neutralize too much, or the sedatives wouldn't be enough to suppress his stress response, and his broccoli allergy symptoms would resurface, causing his blood pressure to rise again.

Schiller sighed, "Did you not investigate Batman before coming to Gotham? Or did you come here without even knowing who Batman is?"

Upon hearing Batman's name, Lorena furrowed her brow and said, "Of course, I know Batman. I've heard that there's a vigilante in Gotham who dresses as a bat... Wait, that guy we encountered at the Manor in that tight suit, is that Batman?"

Lorena squinted and added, "He looks different from the silhouette I've seen in newspapers..."

Schiller sighed once more and said, "The Federal Bureau of Investigation relies on newspapers for information?"

"Because he's just a vigilante with no significant violations of federal law or threats to the city. We can't arbitrarily investigate citizens' identities and actions; it's a violation of privacy," Lorena responded meticulously, leaving no room for doubt.

"Thank you for your professionalism and discretion. Now, you are about to face Batman's pursuit," Schiller said before pausing. He leaned against the corridor, gasping for breath, and Lorena grew anxious, saying, "Do you know that we're being pursued? You need to run!"

"Believe me, I'm more anxious than you are," Schiller panted heavily. "But you need to understand that a few minutes ago, I was injected with twice the normal dose of sedatives. My blood pressure can't support strenuous activity right now..."

After they had been still for several seconds, Scott caught up with them. He glanced at Schiller and then said, "I've just blown up the only entrance to this place. Even if he wants to clear the debris, it will take hours..."

Schiller spoke between breaths, "Have you considered that he doesn't need to clear the debris..."

"Boom!"

Another explosion shook the area, and Lorena gritted her teeth, "Is he out of his mind? Isn't he afraid of the entire underground structure collapsing?"

"He probably understands the underground structure better than you do. Actually, I think anyone does," Schiller said with slurred words. Despite his condition, he didn't abandon his habit of mocking the agents at every opportunity.

"Professor, you'd better tell us who's pursuing us and what his background is. Don't forget, despite our mission to escort you to Washington, given the current situation, you're also our hostage."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Schiller shook his head. "While I was still not sober, you made strategic decisions that have now made us all hostages. The one chasing you can destroy the underground support structures at any moment, burying us all here."

"You should be grateful that it's not the KGB pursuing us; otherwise, those lunatics would have detonated a bomb long ago."

As Schiller finished speaking, the faces of several agents turned pale. What he said was correct; they were all in a vulnerable position now. As long as the pursuer wasn't afraid of dying, they could all be dragged down with him.

Schiller slowly straightened up and took a step forward. He continued, "We need to get back to the upper-level sewer. The dense ice there, while an obstacle, also serves as a natural barrier. Conventional explosives won't affect it..."

"Only by finding gaps in the upper-level sewer and moving forward can we shake off the relentless pursuit tactics."

Scott and Lorena exchanged a glance, unsure whether to trust Schiller's words. After all, they had been educated to remain vigilant and not fall into traps. In their careers, they had encountered a variety of cunning prisoners who employed various tactics to escape during transport, some of which went far beyond ordinary imagination.

As experienced agents, they had developed a strategy that worked best against these intelligent criminals: don't listen, don't watch, don't feel. Regardless of what the other side used to tempt them, they wouldn't be swayed, adhering to their own strategy and route.

It was indeed an effective approach, especially against intellectually adept criminals. Schiller, from his appearance and background, seemed to fall into that category. At this moment, these agents completely distrusted him.

Two agents approached from behind, grabbing hold of Schiller once more. After restraining him, Scott waved his hand and walked to the front of the team, saying, "We're shifting to the southern passage; there's a larger stronghold there."

"That stronghold is equipped with defenses and weapons. If our pursuer still wants to follow..." Scott sneered, "we'll show him what we're made of."

Schiller, walking behind them, heard this and couldn't help but wear a triumphant smile.

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