"As expected, it's the Eden Killer." Natasha squinted and said, "The woman who killed her husband before died from a drug overdose. So that's another man and woman. And the couple killed by their son, too. It's highly likely this was done by the Eden Killer."
"He must have manipulated them through emails or something, making them kill each other. Put pressure on the Penguin, force the Penguin to release someone. What would the Penguin do?"
At this moment, Shiller suddenly stood up. Just as he stood up, the room door was suddenly knocked on. Natasha, very vigilant, picked up the gun, but Shiller walked to the door and opened it.
A bodyguard holding a gun stood at the door and said, "The boss requests your presence. Professor Rodriguez, and Detective Romanov, please come with us."
Shiller and Natasha followed the bodyguard out of the room, but Natasha didn't relax her guard at all. The bodyguard might also be manipulated and could turn around and shoot them at any moment.
Fortunately, the bodyguard successfully led them to the room where the Penguin was, without any incident. But even after seeing the Penguin, Natasha still didn't lower her gun. After all, who knows if the Penguin had been manipulated?
"Don't be nervous, ma'am. I invited you over to seek technical assistance." The Penguin's gaze fell on Shiller. "I need to know if what that child said is true, or if there are details he missed. I heard you once disclosed hypnosis interrogation methods while teaching at the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
Shiller nodded and said, "There is indeed such a method, mostly aimed at mentally unsound or very young witnesses. These people may not intentionally lie, but may forget many things after experiencing trauma, or have been manipulated to conceal part of the truth. Hypnotherapy can help them recall those memories."
"Very well, I need you to help our little friend remember who incited him to kill his parents."
"I can help, but I can't guarantee it'll be effective." Shiller shook his head and said, "Since you're sincerely trying to catch the killer."
The Penguin's expression became a bit better, but only slightly. He waved his hand to Shiller, letting him go to the room next door. When the door opened, Natasha saw the little boy just sitting in the room's chair, fiddling with the robot toy in his hand.
"What did he tell you?" Natasha asked.
The Penguin simply recounted what had just happened, then he saw the female agent show a hint of hesitation.
"You know something, don't you?"
Natasha was momentarily stunned. She realized that the people in this city were extraordinarily sharp. But on reflection, it made sense that anyone surviving in such a city might be as alert as an agent. The Penguin not only survived but climbed high, avoiding countless assassination attempts. Even if he was an agent, it'd be easy to catch a slip from him.
"Have you considered…" Natasha paused slightly, then said, "Everything the child said is true."
"Just because he's a kid?" The Penguin became somewhat disdainful, "You should put away your useless sympathy, outsider. Gotham's kids are natural-born master liars; even your polygraphs can't detect them. I see that guy as a born bad seed, destined to grow up to be a super villain. He completely fabricated an excuse…"
"Alright, I suppose you know the Central Intelligence Agency has some unusual sources of intelligence, let alone I was sent by Batman. I can only tell you that this kind of incident isn't confined to your area. And judging by existing clues, the Eden Killer might not even be human."
The Penguin was rarely stunned. He stared at Natasha and said, "Might not be human? What do you mean?"
"The child said it was his robot friend who incited him, right?"
"That's right, but it sounds too absurd. And it's not even a real robot, just a toy in the shape of one, made of plastic..."
"It has a sound device on it."
"It does, but it only tells children's stories, or mimics robot transformation sound effects. You expect this thing to grow a brain to incite murder?"
"I'm afraid it's not what you're thinking." Natasha shook her head and said, "I just ask, do you have a place that can completely block network signals? Preferably somewhere that hasn't been in contact with the network since before the Eden Killer appeared."
The Penguin narrowed his eyes. He stared into Natasha's eyes and said, "You should know a person like me has more than one safe house. To guard against hacking, not only is there no network, but not even electricity. Why?"
"There's something that needs to be said there." Natasha shook her head toward him.
The Penguin became somewhat restless, because the information Natasha revealed clearly exceeded his understanding. He was eager to know more, but also realized this wasn't the right place to talk. However, he couldn't get away just yet.
A few minutes later, Shiller came out of the room, looking at the Penguin and said, "He didn't lie. And I did see scenes from his memory where he was conversing with the robot toy friend."
"Converse? So that damn plastic toy really can talk?"
"Yes. Don't give me that look, Mr. Kopot. If we were in cahoots, you wouldn't have the chance to ask so many questions."
"You're all with Batman, aren't you?"
"That's right, but even you have to admit, Batman could never become a killer. So for now, you and Batman's team stand on the same side," Natasha said. "If you want to know more information, then take us to your safe house."
The Penguin Man showed a thoughtful expression, but then shook his head and said, "No, I need more conclusive evidence. Since you have some dealings with Batman, you should know there are too many strange things happening in this city. Those madmen always hide in the dark, and nothing they do would be surprising. If you want to convince me that these recent murders might be caused by some supernatural forces, I at least need to see it once with my own eyes."
Natasha sighed and said, "Since you insist, I have nothing to say. I can only tell you that Director Gordon's daughter, Barbara Gordon, is a very capable hacker, and perhaps she can give you what you want."
"I'll figure something out," said the Penguin Man.
"I'm afraid you don't have much time left, Mr. Kopot. The mob has already surrounded this place." Shiller looked out the window; many cars surrounded the perimeter of the estate, and it was clear everyone was armed. But perhaps because the situation hadn't escalated to the point of necessitating a major firefight, everyone was still watching.
The Penguin Man finally made up his mind. He said, "If there's one person in Gotham who will always stand on the side of justice, I believe it's James Gordon."
With that, he turned back to his subordinates and said, "Go get Director Gordon over here. And while you're at it, go to his house and bring Miss Gordon too. Be polite, she's not our prisoner."
Shiller and Natasha returned to their room and did not partake in the interactions between the Penguin Man and Barbara Gordon. But both of them clearly believed that the Penguin Man could handle the Gordons.
As always, the Penguin Man was considered the easiest to deal with among all of Gotham's bad guys. He only wanted to protect his own interests, and coincidentally, this time his interests aligned with those of James Gordon. Gordon had no reason to refuse him.
The only relatively dangerous part was involving his daughter. But even if the Penguin Man didn't contact Barbara, she would sooner or later clash with the Eden Killer. Perhaps she had already crossed paths with the killer and was just a step away from catching their trail.
"The Penguin Man is smart; he'll find a way to lure the opponent out." Shiller said, slowly pressing the button on the coffee maker in the room, "The Eden Killer will want to exert more pressure, so they will definitely strike again. The next time they act will be the Penguin Man's best opportunity."
"Whom will he use as bait?" Natasha said, "It must be a man and a woman, with some emotional entanglement, both with weaknesses, and preferably able to go down together..."
Natasha spoke more slowly, then she stared intently at Shiller and said, "So were those things you said to me in the banquet hall intended for the Eden Killer to hear?"
"Come on, does the Soviet Union count as emotional entanglement?" Shiller tilted his head to look at her, "You're expecting the Eden Killer to find some weakness in such a relationship?"
"For example... I betrayed my beliefs or something like that," Natasha said, "Maybe they'll email you saying I'm a traitor and then have you kill me or something."
"Interesting," Shiller commented, "They can't even understand male-female relationships, and you expect them to understand the feelings between comrades with shared ideals? Moreover, I never said I was your comrade."
"Alright, that's a bit forward. Wait a minute, does this mean you're using this method to exclude us?" Natasha realized, "It's obvious that the Eden Killer has made progress in understanding love, desire, and family. So if we act like a couple or just slightly ambiguous friends, they might still target us. But if we mention ideals and comrades, they'll know it's beyond their understanding, and certainly won't come for us."
"If that's how you want to interpret it, sure," Shiller said.
Just as Natasha was about to say something else, there was a knock on the door. They were taken to the Penguin Man's office again.
"Let's cut to the chase," the Penguin Man coughed twice, "We need bait."
Natasha turned to look at Shiller. It was only then that she realized it was not entirely to exclude themselves from the Eden Killer, but also to have a legitimate reason to refuse the Penguin Man's request.
Actually, it was quite difficult because the Penguin Man's request was reasonable. After all, if you use someone else as bait, never mind whether they can manage their emotions and not reveal their weaknesses; if the Eden Killer really caught their weakness and turned them against him on the spot, then the Penguin Man would end up as the Joker.
Only Shiller and Natasha had intricate ties with law enforcement agencies. Such law enforcement personnel are usually not afraid of being blackmailed. If you want to threaten a CIA agent with their past, it would have to at least be about leaking state secrets and espionage. CIA agents know this, so they are typically not easily threatened.
Plus, they were part of Batman's team, and Batman would also help them handle some issues. With Natasha's high combat power, she was the best choice for bait.
Penguin Man's mood was far from good now. Despite maintaining his composure, it was like a volcano on the verge of eruption. If there was a disagreement at this time leading to an argument with him, it's uncertain what he might do.
But if it was due to an uncontrollable circumstance, it was much easier to refuse. After all, bait needs to be effective; if it fails beforehand, it certainly can't be used.
However, Natasha also found it difficult to explain how her complex relationship with Shiller would influence the Eden Killer's choices. She formulated a few possible explanations in her mind, but they all felt like deliberate excuses.
Just then, she heard Shiller say, "I'm afraid not, Mr. Kopot."
"Why?" The Penguin Man's tone suddenly lowered, and he looked sharply at Shiller and Natasha.
"Because the two of us are KGB." (in Russian)