Deathstroke frowned deeply. Actually, this was somewhat counterintuitive. Because the boy was straightforward, Deathstroke had never heard him complain, so he assumed everything was fine. If there was a problem, the boy would surely say so directly, without hesitation.
However, from the perspective Shiller mentioned, it was indeed a bit unusual. Since Deathstroke had more interactions with the boy, he knew: the boy had many good qualities, but his flaw was a rather hot temper and excessive protectiveness, easily provoked.
Before, when he came to their house, they went shopping together. Someone took their parking spot, and he jumped out, ready to fight. Although it was indeed that person's fault, his reaction was overly intense, and he kept complaining about how inconsiderate the person was the entire way back.
To be fair, that person might not have intentionally tried to take their spot, perhaps they just saw it was available and parked there. But the boy described the other person as utterly despicable. This showed that he was indeed very emotional and liked to exaggerate.
However, even with that, after Deathstroke tactfully asked several times and directly questioned him about whether Joseph was being bullied at school, he always said no. That was a bit strange.
Could Deathstroke not know? Whether public or private, schools always have some eccentrics. Public schools have more due to low entry barriers and mixed quality of students. But the eccentrics in private schools are even more peculiar as they generally come from wealthy families with support for their antics.
And Joseph, in fact, seemed like that type who would be easily bullied: mostly silent and introverted, preferring to read or play quietly. Although he exercised, he wasn't fond of competitive sports, more like for fitness. Such a personality is definitely unpopular in American high schools, where social standing heavily relies on interactions.
Many people know how "quirky" American universities are. Beyond the sky-high tuition fees, myriad small groups and gangs are unavoidable aspects. But universities are more open compared to high schools. If you are determined not to socialize, it's not a big deal. But American high schools are different.
In some very conservative states' church schools, where teachers' authority is supreme and students live in constant fear, it could be slightly better. But most American high schools are extremely social, so the saying "no socializing means social death" is no joke.
Many school shootings in the U.S. happen in such schools, not even in the worst public ones but rather in well-ranked private schools. That's because social interaction is overly crucial there, leaving no room for those with low social skills. Failing to socialize means social death, creating another high-pressure environment.
Forcing extroverts to calm down and study in a high-stress environment is painful. However, forcing naturally quiet people to adhere to various social norms, constantly communicating, guessing others' thoughts, and showing active involvement isn't much better either. Both go against nature, they're equally challenging.
Logically, Joseph would certainly encounter some unfriendly people. Then, given that boy's personality, if his friend faced even the slightest grievance, he'd make sure the whole world knew. Yet, he never mentioned anything.
Moreover, according to Deathstroke's own knowledge—he had his information sources, or he wouldn't have dared to send his kid there—Joseph was doing quite well. Although he wasn't in the student council or joined any clubs, he mostly kept to himself, got good grades, had a few close friends, got along with his roommates, and completed social practice courses smoothly.
Something was noticeably off. Deathstroke carefully recollected his own school days: someone like Joseph was very likely to become a target for various cliques. Even if a private school restrained itself, it wouldn't let him off so easily. What was really going on here?
It wasn't until now that Deathstroke admitted he didn't truly understand Joseph. There were many aspects of Joseph he hadn't noticed. Was it because he wasn't attentive enough?
"You underestimated him," Shiller said, almost as if reading his mind. "You think violence equates to strength, and lack of conspicuous violent traits equals weakness. But that's clearly not right."
"That's true," Deathstroke admitted readily, "after all, I never thought someone like you could cause such a commotion like a train wreck."
"I'm an exception," Shiller said with slight exasperation, "don't use that as a comparison. I'm talking about Joseph. He seems quiet, so you assume he's incapable."
"I didn't say he was incapable," Deathstroke retorted, "I just felt that someone like him shouldn't get involved in violent incidents. Because in such situations, you can't just wait and defend. You have to advance to find a way out. And advancing requires aggression."
"I don't disagree with that. However, you shouldn't tie violent traits and aggression together. Some people don't display conspicuous violent traits, but that doesn't mean they lack aggression. On the contrary, they're just hiding it intentionally."
"Like you?" Deathstroke stared at Shiller, "Honestly, your vibe suggests that if I had the ability to see spirits, your surroundings would be a thousand times more lively."
Shiller lowered his head and chuckled, "Then you should be proud of yourself. Joseph didn't turn out like me because he has a good father."
Deathstroke paused with his fingers, "Since you think Joseph is much like you, let's talk about you."
"I really have nothing much to say," Shiller replied, "This isn't an excuse; it's just such a cliché story, you could probably guess it."
"Hmm... orphan?" Deathstroke guessed.
Shiller nodded, and with that encouragement, Deathstroke thought for a moment and said, "Human experimentation?"
Shiller nodded again.
"Escape from experiments?"
Another nod.
"Revenge?"
Yet another nod.
"Well, that certainly is clichéd." Deathstroke admitted, "But you don't seem so evil. Something must have saved you, right?"
Shiller nodded again, and Deathstroke raised both hands and said, "Even more cliché than I imagined. Who is it? A gentle and kind girl? A teacher full of compassion and tolerance?"
"A doctor," Shiller said, "It's doctors and nurses."
"Well. You're really lucky, oh no, I should say I'm the lucky one. Without them, I would have been hit by a train into the Red Sea by now." Deathstroke said half-jokingly.
"Let's get down to business," he continued, "What means did you use?"
"What?"
"Revenge, what means did you use for revenge?"
"If I don't kill them myself, do you think I just watch?"
"That's exactly what I'm asking, what do you rely on to kill?" Deathstroke said, "You can't deny it, killing is an act of extreme violence naturally linked to violent traits. In the case of hiding your violent traits, how did you complete your revenge action?"
"It was precisely to complete my revenge that I hid my violent traits," Shiller said, "Your image can go to many places, but my image can go to even more places."
Deathstroke hesitated and said, "So your enemies are those high society people?"
Shiller nodded and said, "Exactly. This approach works better with high society. Whether it's playing a clueless newbie or a playboy at a celebrity party, it allows me to silently take out my target. Quick and efficient, never failing."
"That proves you're a born killer," Deathstroke said, "because the most important thing isn't your disguise, but catching the opportunity. Only when you strike at the right moment can you succeed and retreat unscathed."
"That might be true for someone like you," Shiller said, "You think the trust I've gained is superficial. They like me, but still harbor doubts. So, I need to find that fleeting moment to be able to kill them. Otherwise, even a slight flaw would be detected."
"Isn't that so?"
"Of course not. The main reason my revenge plan succeeded is because I manipulated them. I made them completely trust me, without any doubt. So, I just need to arrange their deaths based on what I plan to do next. Usually, it's effortless. If I'm in a good mood, I'll even hold a small funeral for them and then let themselves walk into the coffin."
Deathstroke felt a chill down his spine and said, "You mentally controlled them? Is that your superpower?"
Then, incredulously, he added, "You have strong power and mental control abilities—it's time to visit Batman's Tower of Babel and see how he plans to deal with you."
At this point, Deathstroke suddenly remembered what Shiller had said before: Batman had reminded the Justice League that if they discovered Shiller was causing trouble, they should pretend not to see it and just invite another Shiller over.
Indeed, Batman truly is the smartest man in the world.
"But Joseph doesn't have superpowers." Deathstroke decided to bring the conversation back to its starting point.
"Does he really not have any?" Shiller looked into Deathstroke's eyes and asked, "You accepted human modification before giving birth to him, right? Why do you think your edited genes had no impact on him?"
Deathstroke stiffened for a moment, then said, "But he's never..."
"He might have just not shown it," Shiller said, "I can responsibly tell you: either he's a genius in mental manipulation, capable of brainwashing others effortlessly; or he has psychic control superpowers."
A gust of wind blew from behind them. Both Deathstroke and Shiller turned their heads simultaneously. The shadow cast by the wide wings of a Boeing 787 swept over them as the landing gear lowered, and the plane landed smoothly on the runway.
The plane's cabin door opened, and Deathstroke instinctively looked over. When two pairs of blue eyes met, both were stunned.
"You lost." Shiller turned to lean back on the railing again, smiling as he said, "Remember, you owe me a favor."
Just as Deathstroke was about to say something, a cold voice suddenly sounded: "Stay away from him."
It was Joseph's voice, but Deathstroke had never heard him speak in this voice before. And Joseph was clearly still hundreds of meters away, so how could his voice be so clearly audible to both of them?
"I said. Stay away from him!" Joseph's voice was repressed with a kind of anger.
Shiller slowly turned back and looked at the young man standing in front of the plane, slowly mouthing, "Kid, don't be afraid."
"Leave there, Slade." His voice sounded again beside Deathstroke's ear. Startled, Deathstroke said, "What the hell! And I'm your father, how can you just call me by my name..."
"Leave there quickly. Slade Wilson... please!"