PFC Chapter 3766 Rapid Pursuit (1)
Chapter 3766 Rapid Pursuit (1)
Chapter 3766 Rapid Pursuit (XI)
"How could Schiller be at that intersection?!" Kuang Xiao was momentarily terrified, but then he looked at the hospital building.
Oh, right. Although he had hacked into the security cameras at all the hospital's main entrances, there were no cameras at the rooftop entrance. Also, there's a building about the same height as the hospital to the right of the hospital, and they're not far apart.
While Schiller was focusing on the chaos on the street, he could very well have already gone upstairs, exited through the rooftop door, jumped to the building next door, and then come down from there, completely avoiding the hospital's security cameras.
That building was conveniently located not far from the intersection in front of him, requiring almost no detour to get there. Kuangxiao mentally calculated the time, confirming that Schiller must have taken this route.
But he wasn't too nervous. Even though there weren't many people at the street corner, there were several trucks and many soldiers, all dressed similarly. He couldn't possibly spot him so quickly, and these soldiers wouldn't allow him to swagger around searching the area.
The spiked goggles on the top of the Laughing Man's head weren't just for decoration; they were devices that could read brainwaves. While not mind-reading, they could determine a person's emotions by observing changes in brainwaves. Some of the soldiers patrolling the street corner had already become suspicious. The Laughing Man wanted to see how Schiller would deal with these heavily armed security personnel.
They thought they could sit in the truck and watch the fight unfold, but the next second, the figure carrying a knife charged straight towards them.
Without searching, without confirming, and without even any basis, he just charged at the truck.
Kuang Xiao's hands tightened instantly on the steering wheel, but he reassured himself, "He's probably rushing straight in to break through the street corner's defenses. There's no way he could recognize me."
But that moment of hesitation cost him his best chance to escape. A few meters from the truck, Schiller leaped, slamming heavily onto the hood. Using the impact and the force of the fall, the longsword slammed into the corner of the windshield. The armored truck's bulletproof glass, along with the A-pillar, caved in, and the longsword became embedded in the glass. Schiller pulled the handle down and pried hard, and with a piercing sound, the windshield was pried open.
Kuangxiao flung open the car door and ran frantically out. At that moment, the patrolling soldiers guarding the street corner noticed the anomaly and opened fire. The weapons fired rapidly, bullets whizzing past their ears.
Kuangxiao immediately realized he was asking for trouble, because the thing chasing him wasn't afraid of bullets at all. A stray bullet or two hitting him wouldn't hurt him as long as it wasn't a vital spot; but if he took a bullet, he would be slowed down, and if the thing caught up with him, he'd be chopped into mincemeat.
Laughing Man had to run while dodging stray bullets. Unfortunately, one of those bastards was either terrible at shooting or incredibly accurate; he fired a shot that hit the metal support of a nearby billboard. The metal clashed, sending sparks flying, and the bullet ricocheted, striking Laughing Man in the head.
His brain was already underdeveloped, and now a bullet is lodged inside. If it weren't for the clown virus maintaining his immortality, he would definitely be dead by now.
The bullet was extremely dangerous; it not only lodged in his brain but also damaged part of his optic nerve, causing him to lose sight in his right eye. Furthermore, because it was stuck there, his healing abilities couldn't process or expel it, meaning he would remain blind in his right eye until he managed to remove the bullet.
Suddenly losing sight in one eye not only affects the field of vision but also a person's balance. It doesn't usually have much of an impact on walking, but when someone is running for their life, they might lose their balance and become unsteady.
By bringing in so many guards, he had only shot himself in the foot. If the main road were empty, he wouldn't have been able to run straight; the problem was, with so many people on the street, Schiller was chasing him towards the crowds. He had to run and dodge them, carefully weaving through the gaps to avoid bumping into things. Normally, his slender build would have given him some advantage, but now he was stumbling and bumping into things every three steps.
"Bang!"
The maniac laughed so hard he rammed his head into the leg of a bipedal robot. The impact left him dazed. He turned around and saw Schiller close behind, but not very fast. This slow approach, ironically, created even more pressure.
Kuangxiao struggled to his feet and stumbled forward again. He knew this couldn't go on, so he took control of the drone once more, trying to find any advantageous terrain nearby.
The advantageous terrain was gone; instead, the commotion he caused attracted the attention of even more defenders. Schiller was now inconspicuous, swallowed up by the crowd; he now had to face so many enemies.
Da da da……
Security personnel opened fire, unleashing a fierce barrage. Kuangxiao was no match for them; he disregarded any advantageous terrain and dashed through a door. Only after entering did he realize it was a bank.
He stood in the center of the lobby and looked around. Because of the street curfew, the bank's customers and staff hadn't left and were all nervously watching the scene outside the window. They were all startled when someone suddenly rushed in.
But the bank's back door was also blocked, so they had nowhere to run. Laughing swiftly, he grabbed a female teller and used her as a shield.
He was doing this to prevent Schiller, that madman, from killing him with a single blow, but the security personnel who rushed in after him didn't know that. Although they also found Schiller's strange attire and the long knife he was carrying odd, this man in front of them was already holding a hostage, so he was naturally their priority target.
Suddenly, a large group of people rushed into the bank lobby. In addition to Elliott's security personnel, the police also arrived and set up a loudspeaker to announce:
"Listen up, robbers inside! Robbing a bank is illegal! Release the hostages immediately! Release the hostages immediately! Otherwise, we have the right to shoot you on the spot..."
Gotham doesn't care about negotiation; at worst, they'll kill both the hostage-taker and the hostage-taker. Gothamites are also indifferent to life and death. The female teller struggled like a madwoman, seemingly unafraid of being killed in a fit of rage.
The Maniac Laugh was in a bind—he hadn't come to rob a bank at all! Batman or the Joker wouldn't even bother explaining, but the Maniac Laugh just couldn't swallow his anger. So he yelled at the police, "Someone's trying to kill me! Catch that killer, or I'll kill her!"
The police were completely baffled by his remarks. A killer? What killer? Why is he trying to play the victim?
The maniac laugh might have been away from Gotham for too long and completely forgotten what the place was like. Although Elliott had always ruled Gotham with violence, this was the chaotic old town, and the situation hadn't improved much; it could easily be called a concentration camp for lunatics.
Few people who dare to commit crimes here are normal; they're mostly insane. So, to the police and onlookers, his wildly laughing remarks sounded like a madman spouting nonsense.
The manic laughter does indeed resemble madness; many mentally ill people suffer from paranoia, constantly imagining someone is trying to kill them. The Gotham police, having seen it all, are used to it.
"Put down your weapon immediately!" the police officer continued shouting at him. "Release the hostages, or we will open fire! I repeat..."
They repeatedly warned him here, and his maniacal laughter was also a sign of his indescribable frustration. This was the first time in his life he had called the police, and the other party still didn't believe him! He was a victim too, you know!
His gaze unconsciously swept past the police and into the crowd, where he saw Schiller, who had been holding a long knife and covered in blood, now wearing a suit and standing in the crowd with a look of amusement.
"Him! It's him!!!" the man laughed maniacally, pointing at Schiller. "He's trying to kill me!!!"
The police officers behind him turned around but couldn't tell who he was pointing at at all. Unless it was something important, no one would come to the bank at this hour. The people standing behind him were all well-dressed businessmen, none of them looking like an assassin.
The police arrived late and didn't see Schiller chasing after the Laughing Man with a knife, so they didn't recognize him. A quick scan of the crowd further convinced them that the Laughing Man was a madman.
"He has a knife!!!" the maniacal laugher shouted again. "He has a very long knife, someone saw it before!!!"
The security personnel vaguely remembered the long knife. However, it was nighttime and raining outside, so they couldn't make out what the person carrying the knife looked like. Recognizing someone based on just their silhouette is extremely difficult.
But they weren't police officers. To report back to their superiors, two security guards approached Schiller for a search. They found nothing—no knife, not even a metal object—on him.
The maniac watched as Schiller casually picked up a document from beside him and handed it to a security guard, saying, "I'm here to conduct some business. This is the information I need to submit. How long do you intend to keep this locked down? I have very important matters to attend to."
The security personnel looked somewhat embarrassed. They weren't blind; looking at the maniacal laughter and then at Schiller, it was obvious who the madman was. Moreover, judging from Schiller's suit and demeanor, he must be an important figure, perhaps someone in their boss's circle—someone they couldn't afford to offend. They could only force a smile and say, "Excuse me, sir. This matter can be resolved immediately. If you're in a hurry, you can leave now."
Looking at Schiller's cheerful demeanor, a chill ran through him. He suddenly realized: Schiller wasn't crazy.
Schiller hasn't lost his mind, nor did he become a killing machine because he lost his mind. He can switch freely between that unstoppable berserk mode and this disguised mode, and no one can tell the difference.
Schiller's human skin was too perfect; ordinary people couldn't see any flaws. He was a monster whose true face could only be seen by designated individuals.
Compared to being chased by monsters, the loneliness and helplessness of seeing the truth but being unable to speak it out, feeling abandoned by the whole society even if you shout it out loud, is a weapon that is longer and sharper than the guillotine.
The maniacal laugh convinced Schiller that he had used it to kill many people.
Suddenly, the man with the maniacal laughter realized something—ordinary people could never see through Schiller's true nature. Only monsters like him could see his essence.
This means that no one who can see him is innocent. Therefore, the best way to avoid him is to prevent him from discovering that you have seen him.
But the maniacal laughter realized it too late.