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Chapter 616: Pathological Crisis (Two)

Chapter 616: Pathological Crisis (Two)

In Gotham's hospital, Lex had a bandage wrapped around his forehead, while Bruce had one on his arm. Their heated argument echoed through the corridors, audible even from a distance, though comprehending their words was another matter.

Standing outside the door, Clark held his arms, addressing his shoulder-sitting Bat Cat, "I really don't understand what they're arguing about. I can't make out anything they're saying..."

To his surprise, Bat Cat perched on his shoulder, scratched the wall briefly, and then meowed, "What on earth is Lex saying??"

"You can't understand either, can you? Even if there's a scholarly disagreement, they could discuss it calmly. There's no need for a brawl," Clark remarked.

However, Bat Cat swiftly leaped from his shoulder and dashed into the hospital room, starting a series of meows directed at Lex. Bruce turned his head and said to Lex, "See, even he agrees with my perspective. Your approach is just too radical. Have you considered the consequences of an energy leak?"

"I've mentioned before that my safety measures are foolproof. It's your conservatism, and regarding human experiments..."

"You want to conduct human experiments?" Clark had initially intended to come and retrieve Bat Cat, but upon hearing Lex's mention of human experiments, he sternly exclaimed, "Under no circumstances!"

Lex took a deep breath and said, "I meant the kind of ethical and legal human experiments. Haven't you heard of bedside trials?"

"If we don't use humans for experiments, how can we understand the effects of this energy on people? Why not gather volunteers?"@@@@

"It's not the same as testing drugs," Clark argued, "that energy seems inherently dangerous. I still support dumping it all into the Sun for destruction."

"No," Bruce countered again, saying, "We can't avoid studying it just because it might be dangerous. Nuclear energy was once a perilous force for humanity, but we still harnessed it for various purposes."

"So, you should be on my side!" Lex shouted, "Establish a research base covering all of Gotham's underground and recruit bedside trial volunteers."

"Gotham's underground is complex, and my laboratory is sufficient for now," Bruce rejected his proposal.

"Yeah, you have your cave. I suggested establishing a base here, but you disagreed. Bruce, you're using these underhanded methods to obstruct my research progress. I can only say you're completely unscrupulous..."

"I won't allow you to establish a base in Gotham, Luthor. I know what kind of person you are. If the Luthor family sets up a base here, your next step will be to use illegal means to recruit volunteers," Bruce looked at Lex and asked, "Can you guarantee you won't do that?"

Lex stared straight ahead and didn't answer, but as Bruce had said, he didn't care about ordinary people's lives. He and Batman and Superman were not on the same page.

"I suggest you can take some of the dark energy back to Metropolis, but you disagree," Bruce continued.

"Is that my disagreement?!" Lex raised his voice, and then Clark said, "Bruce, how can you think this way? You should support me. Destroy this energy; you actually want him to take it back to Metropolis, fearing it won't harm ordinary people?"

Lex and Bruce both took a deep breath.

The three of them were stuck in an intractable argument loop. Lex belonged to the radical faction, Bruce was in the neutral camp, and Clark was on the conservative side, with none of them budging from their stances.

Lex and Bruce were both researchers, while Clark was in security, and their styles didn't match.

Inside each socket, objects had been inserted. Though the image wasn't entirely clear, both Lex and Bruce recognized them as miniature telescopes.

This brutal imagery even stunned Lex and Bruce. Clark spat out his food and began to retch on the spot.

While the pixelated sections suggested gore, it was the exposed head that was truly horrifying, delivering a massive visual impact.

After the image disappeared, the host continued, "The victim, 53 years old, was the president of the Central Bank in Metropolis. His corpse was found in front of the bank's main entrance. About a hundred people witnessed the scene, but no traces of the killer were found..."

Bruce and Bat Cat's eyes narrowed simultaneously. Clearly, they were reminded of another case, a similar murder of a bank president in Gotham City.

The similarities in profile and location made it hard not to draw parallels.

Lex grabbed his briefcase, ready to leave. Bruce, still recovering from an injury, stood up and said, "I'll go with you to Metropolis."

"You're from Gotham. Stay out of Metropolis," Lex retorted, looking back at Bruce.

Bruce, rising from his bed, replied, "You probably realized, this is related to the Owls. Anything connected to them requires my involvement. You know that even if you disagree, I have other ways."

At this point, Bat Cat meowed, indicating he wanted to join. Clark, still in a state of shock and disgust, held Bat Cat and intervened, "You both are investigating this murder? I want in. The killer is just too... too..."

Struggling for words, Clark's intent to join was met with immediate resistance from both Bruce and Lex. Lex spoke first, "There's no need. Wayne and I can handle this."

Bruce chimed in, "While I'm not in Gotham, I need someone to help maintain order there. I'll contact Detective Gordon. You'd be a great asset to him."

Clark, a bit taken aback by their refusal, nodded in agreement, thinking of the troubling state of security in Gotham. "Alright, I'll stay here then."

Bat Cat tried to jump off Clark's shoulder to join Bruce, but Clark grabbed him, saying, "No, you have to stay with me. You're practically a local now. If I have questions, you're the one to ask."

Bat Cat struggled intensely, but before he could break free from Clark's grip, a nearby Pikachu jumped onto Clark's other shoulder and said to Bat Cat, "I'd advise you to stay. This isn't a world for cats."

Before Bat Cat could react, the TV interrupted with breaking news:

"Urgent report: just two minutes ago, another murder was discovered, believed to be committed by the same perpetrator as the bank president's murder. Our journalists are on the scene. The following footage may be distressing to some viewers..."

The screen revealed another person bound to a chair.

This time, it was a woman. Just like before, her arms were nowhere to be seen, and she was bound to the chair by iron wires. However, what differed this time was the uncensored part of her head: it wasn't her eyes that were missing, but her ears.

The ears of the corpse had been cruelly sliced off, and the skin and tissue surrounding them were completely gone. Within the skeletal remains of her ear canals, two horn-shaped signal receivers were embedded.