PFC Chapter 4478 The Darkest Night (6)
Chapter 4478 The Darkest Night (6)
Chapter 4478 The Darkest Night (Part Six)
Jenna opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know how to explain. She said, "The principal hates being suppressed. No matter who he's talking to, he has to be in control. Any coercion, judgment, or being treated as an object in a condescending manner will severely trigger his stress response."
“I suggest that Principal Sivana contact Chik’s mother,” Schiller continued.
“Oh, God.” Victor seemed to realize something.
As Schiller just mentioned, Chick's emotional outbursts may be imitating his mother. In other words, his mother was even more extreme in her tendency to cry, make a scene, and threaten suicide.
Victor also knew something about Sivana. This headmaster was very tough; no matter who came, if you wanted to communicate with him, you had to go along with him. If you even slightly intended to put him down, nothing would be discussed.
Moreover, he's a very emotional person. If you upset him, he'll hold a grudge against you and try every means to get back at you, without considering the bigger picture or the specific issue at hand.
Logically speaking, this kind of person isn't well-suited to be a leader. But Gotham's situation is unique; it's precisely this kind of tough yet petty person who thrives. The wizarding world is even more so; the way to generate revenue is through revenge, and the more petty-minded you are, the more you reap.
When these two types of people meet, wouldn't it be a clash of titans?
However, it's clear that emotional blackmail through crying,闹事, and threatening suicide only works against opponents of similar strength. At worst, it can only manipulate those who need to consider the bigger picture.
However, Sivana is the kind of person who doesn't really consider the bigger picture; instead, he'll make you even more unhappy if you upset me. And his social status is far higher than Chick's mother's. In any clash between the two, Chick's mother is bound to suffer.
He had far too many leverage over Chick's mother. Putting everything else aside, just the $70,000 worth of equipment alone—if he really intended to pursue the matter to the end, he'd be forced to pay it all according to the law. Even if he didn't pay the full amount, paying even a tenth would be disastrous.
Furthermore, although university loans are no longer required, the consequences of a bad record are much more severe. Once expelled from university, it's nearly impossible to find a good job because Brainiac meticulously records all misconduct. This record is valid globally, and there's no way to get away with it by changing locations.
Chick's mother must have high hopes for her son, so she couldn't accept his expulsion. If Sivana could seize on this point, Chick's mother would be powerless to resist.
And if Chick's mother loses, it's hard to expect such a person to control their emotions. A person who is used to bullying others will inevitably vent their emotions by persecuting others when things don't go their way.
And coincidentally, Chik returned home and fell into his mother's hands, which was bound to be a difficult night.
"Professor, are you suggesting that Chick's mother might have killed him?" Barry asked, frowning. "While his mother wasn't exactly a good person, I don't think she would kill her own son for that."
Victor nodded. Although he also felt that Chick's mother would definitely mistreat him, he still maintained that the two of them depended on each other for survival. Chick's future success was also related to his mother's future life, so it really didn't warrant someone dying.
Do you think his mother has a normal personality?
“Uh… this doesn’t seem normal at all,” Victor said. “To be honest, I think Brainiac’s criteria for judging mental patients are a bit too lenient. This kind of person really should see a doctor.”
"What causes this abnormality?" Schiller asked again.
The others were taken aback; they hadn't actually considered this question. After all, there are plenty of annoying people in the world, and no one really bothers to investigate how someone developed such an unpleasant personality. But upon closer examination, it's actually quite worth studying.
It's said to be innate, but that's not entirely true. Human genes don't yet have the power to create so many unique and extraordinary things. The biggest variable is still the external environment.
"You mean, Chick's mother was also imitating?" Victor asked thoughtfully. "She learned from others too?"
“No,” Jenna said first, “quite the opposite, it’s cognitive behavior.”
Victor looked at her, and Jenna thought for a moment before saying, "She is very aware of her situation, she resents it, and she feels she is right. So she desperately tries to convey these feelings to those around her. Whether it's threatening suicide or being unreasonable, she believes it's a helpless act given her circumstances, and not only is it reasonable, but it should also be understood by others."
"Just because I'm poor doesn't mean I'm right!" Barry frowned.
Schiller shook his head and said, "It's not just poverty; there must be some deeper levels of oppression."
After saying that, he turned to Victor and asked, "Do you know Chick's father?"
“I only heard they got divorced,” Victor said, frowning.
“Chik’s father is probably a rich man,” Schiller said. Victor stared at him wide-eyed again, as if to say, “How did you figure that out?”
“Moving to the villa in the South District is a very risky move,” Schiller said. “People who have always stayed among the common people may not be so sure of themselves. Some people have nothing to lose and are not afraid of those who have nothing to lose. They are already desperate and might as well take a gamble. Even if the political situation changes and the house is taken back, they are still penniless and have nothing to lose. But the Chick family is obviously not like that.”
Victor recalled the scene inside the house. To be honest, the mess couldn't be explained simply by having lots of stuff. It was clear that the people living there didn't have good living habits, hence the mess and filth, with grease and dust everywhere. This also proved that they didn't come from a good background, and might even have been homeless or something similar in the past.
People like this don't feel any psychological pressure moving into shared apartments in villa areas. At worst, they'll just go back to being homeless; things won't get any worse. On the other hand, ordinary people in the eastern district—dockworkers, street vendors, even scavengers—have relatively stable jobs and decent housing; they won't take the risk. If their houses in the southern district are taken away, and they can't go back to the eastern district, they're completely doomed.
However, Chick is a student at Gotham University. University admission standards are higher now, and low-temperature physics is a highly sought-after major with a clearly bright future. Logically, his family shouldn't be taking such a gamble.
Staying in the East District would be peaceful and stable; once Chick graduated from university, his living conditions would improve rapidly. But going to the South District, in case of policy changes, could even implicate Chick. No one in their right mind would do that, but Chick's mother did exactly that.
This only proves that she may not necessarily want to take a gamble, but may simply want to live in the South District, or even just want to live in a specific house in a specific area; this is her obsession.
"You mean he might have been a rich man's mistress before, and Chick is his illegitimate child?"
Schiller nodded and said, “I’m afraid that’s the case. Chick’s biological father went to the Otherworld without them, and may have even lost all contact with them. This is something she can’t accept; she feels abandoned, so she is resentful and fearful.”
"fear?"
"A mistress who can hook up with a truly wealthy man and have an illegitimate child certainly wouldn't do it for just a pittance. But the arrival of the Otherworld completely shattered her plans. Some of the scenarios she envisioned will never happen, but she also lacks any other plans for her life besides these. Everything is unknown, so naturally she feels fear."
“This is too far-fetched,” Victor said. “It’s all just speculation; we have no concrete evidence… Well, that’s pointless. What good would it do to deduce the killer if we assumed it were true?”
“This basically rules out Chick’s mother as a suspect.” Schiller picked up his hot tea, took a sip, and said, “His mother certainly wanted him to be good enough, but she also had other expectations for him. These expectations were not about whether he was gay or academically successful, but simply about whether he was alive. Because the root of these expectations came from blood ties.”
"Therefore, even if Chik causes trouble at school and his mother runs into trouble with Principal Sivana, they will definitely have a fight, and Chik may be abused, but his mother will never kill him because his bloodline is her most important hope."
“Could it be his father?” Barry said. “He didn’t want this dishonorable bastard son, so he killed him.”
“This is even more melodramatic,” Victor commented.
“I don’t think it’s necessary,” Schiller said. “After all, his father has gone to the Otherworld and completely severed ties with this place. And Chick’s mother is unable to find him, so it doesn’t bother him. If he really wanted to take action, he should have eliminated the threat when he went to the Otherworld, instead of trying to find a way to do it now.”
Victor nodded, clearly agreeing with this idea. He stroked his chin and then said, "Could it be his biological father's first wife...?"
"How dare you call us melodramatic?" Jenna couldn't help but say.
“But that’s certainly possible,” Victor said, spreading his hands. “This is a fundamental struggle for interests; the right of succession is very important.”
"First, Brainiac law does not recognize the inheritance rights of illegitimate children, and it can be enforced perfectly. Second, the existence of this first wife is still in doubt. Because if such a person really existed, then Chick's mother would not have such high hopes. If the first wife and the legitimate child were both alive, she should know that she had little hope."
“That makes sense.” Victor suddenly realized. “After all, Chick’s mother should also know about Brainiac’s inheritance law. The reason she still thinks she has a chance is probably because her biological father’s side has few members, and if it is a will, it might be her turn to inherit.”
“Now that we’ve ruled out the Cheek family’s involvement, the probability of it being his ex-boyfriend and his ex-boyfriend’s girlfriend increases,” Barry sighed. “So the question comes back to whether they can actually escape Brainiac’s surveillance of supervillains.”
“I don’t think so,” Jenna said. “At least Perrotta is definitely not that smart. Smart people don’t listen to just anyone.”
“That’s Milos,” Barry said. “He’s the prime suspect by all accounts. But if it really is him, how did he manage to fool Brainiac?”
“The key is timing,” Schiller said. “There are many ways to commit murder, the simplest being a stab wound. Chick wasn’t a very strong man; one stab would have been enough to kill him. But the killer chose to hang him.”
“Was that to fake a suicide?” Jenna said. “Oh, no. If it were just a simple fake suicide, hanging from the rafters would have been better. Why would he hang the body outside the window?”
“That’s the key point,” Schiller said. “Hanging someone from inside a window is a very unusual position that no normal person would think of.”
"The reason for resorting to this method of murder is either to express certain ideas, or it is out of necessity, as doing so would expose oneself."
"Which one do you think it will be?" Victor asked.
Schiller was about to speak when his phone rang. He picked it up: "Hello?"
"Hello? Scotland Yard. A student has died in his dorm room. You need to come over right away."
The atmosphere in the room suddenly froze.