wjnovel Chapter 367 We Need a Master of Fear
Chapter 367 We Need a Master of Fear
Chapter 367 We Need a Master of Fear
No one understands fear better than Dr. Jonathan Klein.
Oh! Or perhaps, and possibly we should call him Mr. Scarecrow.
The infamous Scarecrow, the ultimate nightmare for countless people, is one of the monsters that parents use to scare their children on Gotham's darkest nights.
But in fact, what many people don't know is...
Klein lived in constant fear.
He hated it; it reminded him that his life had never been any different.
His childhood was filled with constant fear. He was afraid of dogs, afraid of falling, afraid of germs, afraid of bad people, afraid of other children, afraid of teachers, afraid of his parents, afraid of doing wrong, afraid of being teased, afraid of change, afraid of…
Klein closed his eyes.
Even after a long time, those roars still lingered in his ears.
"You'd better watch out, Klein, or I'll use your skin and bones as toothpicks. You may have some fame outside, but here, without your fear gas for protection and your mask for cover, you're nothing!"
Klein trembled with fear. This was one of his greatest fears... the fear that what others said about him was true.
"You're worthless! They didn't even lock you up in Arkham Special District like they would with other notorious mental criminals; they just threw you into the regular district, with us guys!"
fear.
fear.
fear.
"Please...please don't hurt me, I'll never do it again."
"You're not even worthy of my hands. Idiot, are you going to wet your pants? Hahahaha!"
"The scarecrow was so scared that it knelt down and begged for mercy? Hahahaha!"
"I can't believe this guy actually earned the title of supervillain. What am I then, a super-supervillain?"
"My grandma is braver than him!"
"Seriously, is this guy a scarecrow? Are you sure?"
There was a time when fear was his friend, his puppet, used to deal with others. Things weren't like that before. He embraced fear, roamed freely in his world, and let the whole world know that he was the most terrifying person.
Then all of that was gone, taken away by someone who understood fear just like him. That person even knew how to use fear as a weapon. Because of Batman, everything went back to square one.
I'm afraid of being hurt, afraid of those big, bad guys, afraid of their attitude, words, fists, crude homemade weapons, and afraid of how they perceive me.
I'm afraid that without his fear of poison gas, he would really be nothing. I'm afraid that I'll be labeled as a weakling for the rest of my life. What should I do if that really happens?
"No! No! No!!! Please! Help me!"
"It's the Scarecrow!!! The Scarecrow!!!! He's coming for us!!!! Idiots!!! We're all going to die—"
"Ahhh—"
Klein shook his head, banishing the dying cries of his former cellmates.
But that's not the real story. It's not just about being skinny. Jonathan Klein is not just a scarecrow; he's also a scientist, a trained psychologist specializing in the study of fear.
Poison gas is just one of my many tools, and I will prove it to you.
You suspicious people, you bullies, you worthless people, I will prove to you, and to the whole of Gotham City, and yes, to the other one who can control fear... Batman.
I will prove to everyone that I don't need my specially made poison gas to instill fear in others. I will show them what real fear is.
At this moment, right now.
Jonathan Klein, the famous Scarecrow, is sewing a scarecrow.
This may sound like nonsense, but the truth is, what Klein is holding at this moment is technically a real, genuine straw-filled scarecrow.
This time, he was going to change his behavior. There would be no more subordinates, no more acts of revenge.
Klein's gaze lingered on the sharp knife on the table not far away, then he continued to lower his head and sew the scarecrow.
The victims this time will be completely random, with no connection whatsoever, and will be killed in the most brutal manner.
All the intelligence Batman had gathered about Jonathan Klein and his associates was now useless.
Batman has been away from Gotham City for far too long, and away from their game for far too long. The Riddler is missing, the Joker is missing, Two-Face, the Penguin, and Mr. Freeze have become Batman's henchmen...
Gotham has been peaceful for too long; it's time to remind the city of the fears of that chaotic era.
And Nightwing...
Batman actually sent his henchman to fight crime in the city, and he actually thought that his stupid henchman alone could solve all the city's problems?
No, Scarecrow wouldn't allow Batman to ignore Gotham City like that.
This city belongs to him, and it belongs to Batman. It's time for Batman to put aside those boring Justice League stuff and get back to his job.
Klein is going to become a new scarecrow, a scarecrow that no one knows, can predict, or even find.
He wants to restart the Gotham Games, which has been stagnant for many years.
He's making scarecrows, and he'll place them in every corner of the city. On rooftops, in parking lots, storage rooms, phone booths, bedroom closets, living rooms, blocking people's view, watching their windows, every corner.
He wanted to send a message to the city, to amplify people's fear, to tell them that he could be anywhere, appear at any time, and that no one could stop him.
He is a master at instilling fear in others.
He wanted to tell everyone...
"There is no safety anymore."
The scarecrow suddenly turned its head.
In an instant.
Clang!
The lights in the room went out.
"Who is it...?"
The scarecrow holds up a needle in its hand.
"Who exactly is it?"
His body trembled as he wildly waved the fine needle in his hand in the pitch black.
But no one responded to him.
The scarecrow tried to take out his phone. He knew it was afternoon outside, and there should have been light coming in through the window... but it was pitch black.
No! No! This isn't the time to think about that. It's Batman! How did he find himself?
The phone won't light up at all.
In the darkness, Chen Tao quietly observed Klein.
He needs Klein… he needs a master of fear to help him.
When facing the potentially terrifying Seneca Legion, nothing is more useful than a master of fear.
Chen Tao even harbored some thoughts...
Like the Bloodslaughtering Bull of the Red Lantern Legion, who chase after rage, Parallax will submit to those who are best at manipulating fear.
Perhaps he could do something about the Yellow Lantern Legion's Parallax Beasts through Klein.
Of course, in order to realize these ideas, before using Klein...
He had to scare the other party first, otherwise he would never give in easily.
A barrier constructed of nanobots was used by Chen Tao to envelop the room where Klein was, blocking out the last ray of light.
Chen Tao synchronized the high-speed bullets, and under X's vision, every move of the scarecrow was clearly visible.
Most people believe that one of the most primal fears is the fear of the dark...
But after careful consideration, you'll find that what people fear is not darkness itself, but what might be lurking in the darkness.
time flies.
Chen Tao hasn't said another word to the scarecrow. He's been doing this for an hour or two, slowly torturing it in the most insignificant way.
Gently stroke the scarecrow's cheek with a feather, lightly prick it with a pin, and breathe softly on its face. Make a soft swishing sound on the floor with your shoes.
"Where are you? Where are you? Don't play these tricks, I've played them all before, I know they're needles—and feathers!"
"No!"
"ah--!"
"ah--!"
"ah--!!!"
These may not seem like much, but in the Scarecrow's mind, he would think that the feathers and pins were mice or insects biting him.
The breathing could come from anything, and the sound of shoes rubbing on the floor told him that there were other people in the room, all of which Chen Tao had done on purpose.
"No……"
"Come out and face me! Face me!"
"You monster!"
Now it's time to put on a different mask, time to let the scarecrow see itself clearly.
He then let out a low chuckle.
He was ghostly in appearance, and his voice was like the sharp hooting of an owl in the twilight before sunset.
He then let out a loud laugh.
Immediately afterwards...
In the dim light created by the shimmering silvery-white particles, the scarecrow saw the figure that had made his heart stop appear before him.
He didn't know how Batman found him.
What's even more terrifying than Batman's presence here is the Scarecrow's profound realization that he might be able to rule fear, to become fear itself...
But there is another person who can also command fear at his will. Someone who is even better at controlling fear than he is...
Batman!
"No!! That's terrifying!"
The scarecrow finally broke down, clutching his head and desperately trying to escape.
He broke through the house and fled for his life in the afternoon sun.
But all he could see was that shadow appearing before him like a ghost:
"Your tricks may have changed form, and your morbid psychological games may be even more depraved than before, but I can see from your terrified eyes that one thing remains the same."
You yourself.
You're still the same melancholy little coward, just like before.
combustion.
Intense burning.
Sunlight reflected into the scarecrow's pupils, then cast a shadow of the bat monster that remained a living shadow even in the sunlight.
He clutched his head and howled.
Chen Tao delivered a formulaic arrest declaration, looking at the scarecrow who was so terrified he wet himself, feeling utterly bewildered.
Really.
That's the downside of scarecrows.
She's so good at scaring others, yet she's also so easily frightened herself.
He merely used a few Batman scaring techniques he learned from the comics, and yet he managed to frighten the Scarecrow like this...
Isn't this a bit of an exaggeration?
Holy crap, why is the scarecrow howling and tearing at its own clothes while running away on all fours?
Is it really necessary?
Acting in a movie?
???
Am I that scary? It's just a recreation of Batman's and your own actions from the comics...
amount……
But...
Chen Tao picked up Klein, whose nose was running.
This time he was terrified and should be considered convinced; he can be used now.
Hmm, Scarecrow captured successfully, Parallax Monster Noble Phantasm +1, not bad.
Ever since Bane's prison break incident incidentally released Scarecrow, the latter has been elusive and finding him will not be an easy task.
Somehow, Scarecrow managed to remove the tracking nanobots Chen Tao had placed on him. In the end, Chen Tao's control over the nanobots was indeed too simplistic, allowing Klein to exploit this loophole and disappear from his sight for a period of time. Klein even participated in the outsiders' scheme against Shazam.
(Note: During this period, the Scarecrow, under the orders of the Outsider, continued to act as Billy's psychologist, thereby weakening his will. Later, the Scarecrow successfully extricated himself from the Outsider's scheme and disappeared again.)
However, he had been actively causing trouble in Gotham City during this period, so no amount of hiding would help anymore. Although he avoided the surveillance cameras, he couldn't escape the eyes of those being monitored by Chen Tao.
What's even more absurd is that the straw he used to make scarecrows was once a living plant. He only needed to gently mobilize a portion of the power of all things green to revive those dead straws and then ask them where they had been before...
Green of all things, boy.
Ok……
Chen Tao suddenly fell silent.
He looked at the scarecrow trembling like a sieve under his hand, and suddenly a doubt arose in his heart.
scarecrow……
Is he really the best candidate to be favored by Parallax, the embodiment of fear?
It would be hilarious if after all that he did it, he came up with, "What? He doesn't like the scarecrow, but me?"
Ok……
However, Chen Tao's techniques for intimidating others were all learned from comics, with at most a few minor suggestions from his past life as an actor. Essentially, it was a crude replication of comic book techniques. This is not mastering fear; at best, it was merely replicating the process of creating fear.
The scarecrow in front of us is the real master of creating fear!
So, Chen Tao, who had roughly replicated the fear technique, became happy again and hurriedly disappeared into the portal with the fear master scarecrow that was so scared that it peed itself.
……
……
……
the other side.
"You must obtain the Fearful Lampbeast, Parallax."
As Seneca left the hall, a voice suddenly rang out in Mongo's ear.
"Our cooperation must be based on this premise, otherwise it's all just empty talk."
"You must be better at controlling fear than Sinestro; you must be a true master of fear."
"certainly."
Mongo turned his head.
He whispered, "No one is better at controlling fear than me..."
(End of this chapter)