Chapter 990: Battle for the Tower (Twenty-Four)

When the ground trembled, Batman looked at Merkel, who covered his mouth, but the next second, he turned around and called out to the demons: "Retreat! Listen to me, retreat!"

As soon as this syllable came out, all the demons were like being turned on. They immediately put down their work, began to gather together, and then rushed into the mine in an orderly manner. The speed of their actions and reactions made Batman feel a little surprised.

Merkel also ran towards the depths of the mine, and Batman followed behind him. Because the reaction was too fast, the magma didn't even have time to erupt, and all the demons retreated into the underground escape passage.

The escape passage was also above the magma, but because their speed was too fast, after all the demons passed through the escape passage, the magma gradually erupted, destroying the space inside the third mountain.

After retreating to the mine under the second mountain, before everyone could catch their breath, a thallion demon immediately poked its head out of the tunnel and said to Merkel: "Is that you, Comrade Merkel? Comrade Alfred sent me to pick you up. Your amazing victory in the third mountain has inspired the comrades in the second mountain..."

Hearing the Soviet jargon of this thallion demon, Batman covered his eyes. He looked back at the frightened and somewhat distracted demon behind him, and suddenly felt that he could not move forward.

Batman really didn't want to bring the group of demons he brought to Alfred, just like he didn't want to bring his credit score back to him.

But there was no way, Merkel had already moved forward, and Batman could only move forward. When he saw Alfred, he was directing a group of lava demons to move huge logs to the top of the mine as support to strengthen the structure of the mine.

Alfred was also very happy when he saw Batman. He smiled and said, "I saw the central mine collapsed. I'm glad you're okay. It's really a miracle that you can hold on there for so long."

Batman was stunned. He didn't expect Alfred to praise him so directly. He paused, but still said, "Actually, I borrowed..."

"No matter what you borrowed, being able to hold back the elite demon soldiers for so long according to local conditions is enough to show your excellent level in tactical and strategic arrangements."

Batman, who was praised, didn't seem too happy, because he was actually full of questions now. Alfred saw his state and winked at the thallusionist next to him. The thallusionist took Merkel and his army, as well as Batman's army, to the deeper mine.

In the center of the mine, only Batman and Alfred were left. Alfred led Batman to the side of the log pile, where a bonfire was lit. The difference was that there was also a rock plate for frying and grilling, on which a piece of steak with the right temperature was placed.

"Eat some. I got it from the supervisor who manages the cafeteria. It tastes good." Alfred cut off a piece of meat with a sharp ore and pushed it to Batman.

Batman paused, but did not eat. Alfred shook his head and said, "You have been like this since you were a child. If you are in a bad mood, you will not eat. This will put your stomach in a very bad situation."

In front of Alfred, Batman seemed more fragile and more childish. He was angry and moved away from the rock slab. Alfred smiled and said, "I guess you are puzzled by Merkel's achievements. You feel that you are obviously smarter than him, but you can't lead these demons well."

Batman opened his mouth and closed it again, but then he said, "Okay, this is also one of the questions, but it's not this."

"What is that?" Alfred cut the steak with a dagger, then picked it up with a fork made of logs and put it in his mouth.

"In fact, you have always... I mean, you have never given up your ideals. You have wanted to do this for a long time, right?" Batman looked at Alfred and asked.

Alfred lowered his head, but then nodded and said, "A person can never really give up his ideals. If he says he has given up, maybe he just buried his ideals in the deepest part of his heart and is unwilling to mention it to others."

"But this is not because he no longer believes, nor because he is ashamed to speak up, but a mature person should realize that when the time is not ripe, no matter how many times he shouts, no matter how loud he shouts, it will be useless."

"Why don't you..." When Batman just said this, he seemed to feel that his tone was a bit radical and became like questioning, so he eased up and said, "Why have I never heard you say these things?"

Alfred looked into Batman's eyes and was silent for a long time, until his silence made Batman feel a little creepy, Alfred sighed and said, "When Thomas and Martha are still there, I will not hide it from them. It is unjust to instill certain ideas into a child who knows nothing."

"And after they died..." Alfred was silent for a while, Batman kept staring at him, and then he heard Alfred say: "Your mental state is really not suitable for any deeper philosophical thinking."

Alfred said it very tactfully, but Batman had understood what he meant. Just as he was about to speak, Alfred said: "I know that at that time, you had a lot of questions and you urgently needed someone to answer them, but I couldn't let you go down this path at that time."

"If you learn this kind of thinking because you need a universal answer, regard it as the only life-saving straw, and really feel that you have been redeemed from it, then in fact, this is no different from your belief in God."

Alfred looked at Batman with his old eyes, and there was a deep entanglement and pain in his tone.

"At that time, I can give you a key as a spiritual sustenance, but the price is that you will never be able to look at this kind of thought from an objective perspective again."

Alfred's tone suddenly became a little excited. He pinched his hand on the edge of the rock slab, completely ignoring the heat on it. He looked at Batman and asked: "... Do you know what 'liberation' means?"

Batman shook his head slowly, and Alfred said very seriously: "The liberation of all mankind that we pursue, in a sense, is to allow everyone to have the right to make all choices independently and choose the answers they want."

"I said before, this is not the Bible, it's not that you memorize all the theories, and then there will be a god in your ear. Answer all your questions, but if I gave it to you at that time, you would definitely think so. "

"I can't let it become your belief when you are eager to ask questions to the whole world, because this means that you will never understand the essence of this thought..."

"It can answer all the questions of everyone because it will tell you that it is you who can answer all your own questions."

Alfred's words reminded Batman of his mental state at that time. He didn't remember the things at that time very clearly. Everything seemed to have become broken pieces, but the only thing he remembered was that he was trying his best to find an answer that could relieve his pain.

At that time, the person he trusted most was Alfred. If Alfred told him that all this was God's will, he would definitely believe it, and if it was changed to Marxism, it might be the same.

However, Alfred said nothing, so Batman doesn't believe anything now.

Alfred sighed again and said with some guilt: "I know that if I give you an answer, it will make you feel better, but that will deprive you of the right to make a choice."

"That's what I thought at the time, but now I still regret it a little, because the consequences are much more serious than I thought."

Apart from the identities of master and butler, Alfred seemed to be able to say more. Batman had never heard Alfred speak to him in such a tone. Alfred continued:

"I only thought about the future at the time, but I didn't think about how traumatized you would be at that time, so that it would affect your personality in the future, and even your education and future generations..." Alfred shook his head, as if he felt that there was no better way to deal with this matter.

When such an accident befell a genius, it was destined that his fragile emotions, which were suppressed by wisdom, would be completely defeated. No matter what others did, it would only be a remedy after the sheep had been sheeped.

But Batman heard some other information from it. He looked at Alfred and asked very seriously: "So, am I really sick?"

Alfred was stunned by his question, and then suddenly became a little stuttering. He said intermittently: "Well... that is... maybe one of your mentors, I mean, the one who has always been very strict, once expressed some opinions about your mental state in front of you?"

"I thought he was scolding me." Batman said very straightforwardly: "... I am sure he was scolding me."

"Why did he scold you?"

"No reason, he scolds whoever he wants to scold." At this point, Batman paused, and then continued: "He especially likes to scold me."

Alfred turned his palm, meaning that everything was self-explanatory. Batman took a deep breath and sighed again.

As for whether Batman realized that he might have some physical mental illness, he actually noticed it, but he mistook all this for his rational thinking, which overwhelmed his emotional thinking, resulting in emotional dullness.

But now it seems that his condition is no longer just dull. Some of his emotional reactions are beginning to become weaker and weaker, even affecting his empathy.

His reason and logic tell him whether the other person is happy or sad, but once he puts himself in the other person's shoes, he finds that theoretically, this should make the other person happy or sad, but he himself does not feel anything.

This also causes his substitution to become more and more biased, and his judgment of behavior may also be biased. Batman thinks that this may be the reason why he always fails to learn psychology. He understands the theory, but once he puts himself in the analysis, it is always a mess.

But then again, he has mental illness, doesn't Schiller have it? Everyone is mentally ill, why can he be a psychology expert?

Batman was puzzled, so he planned to ask Schiller. He looked at Alfred and asked, "Where is Professor Schiller now?"

"He, after leaving the Central Mine, went to the Seventh Mountain, which is the mountain closest to the big eyeball." Alfred replied, and then he continued, "I just organized the demons to dig a retreat channel leading there. When the time comes, we can go there to join him."

Batman had a bad feeling when he heard that the mountain where Schiller was was closest to the big eyeball, so he immediately called Merkel, and the two of them went to the mine cave of the Seventh Mountain through the retreat channel.

As soon as the two arrived at the Seventh Mountain, they saw General Rot Heart standing on the edge of the mine cave, looking down at Schiller lying on the ground.

He raised the harpoon high, and then pierced Schiller's clavicle. Schiller snorted, and the demon behind General Rot Heart walked up with a grin.

They took out a huge rusty ring lock, put the lock through the hole made by the harpoon, locked Schiller's shoulder and collarbone, and dragged Schiller, who was covered in blood, out of the mine.

Merkel was shocked and shouted:

"We have to rescue General Rotheart immediately!!!"

Batman turned his head and stared at him. Merkel was stunned for a moment, then immediately covered his mouth, and the sound leaked out from between his fingers:

"Uh, I mean, we have to rescue... Mr. Schiller immediately!"

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