Chapter 168 Chapter 168 [VIP]

Megan was walking sideways like a crab in the passage of the high-risk area. She was used to doing such meaningless things. She moved slowly and without thinking, and then she was spotted by Scarecrow. Of course, it could also be said that he was deliberately waiting in ambush. After all, the big guy Killer Croc was not there, and he was the one who played with her for a few days before she came back.

He didn't deliberately slow down his steps, but he didn't greet her in advance. He only said when he got closer, "Are you playing your stupid games again?"

The child hadn't noticed him coming before, but suddenly heard a sound very close. He was not scared, but just stopped and looked at the person coming, looking obedient. "Jonathan, what are we playing today?" The pair had become familiar with each other, and the scarecrow raised his eyebrows slightly.

"You're just thinking about playing around. Aren't you going to take your psychological test?" Scarecrow deliberately waited for her to return to Arkham and stay there for a while before taking the test. Without waiting for Megan's response, he turned and walked away. However, he didn't move very fast because he knew clearly that Megan would definitely catch up.

Because she was curious about her condition, the psychological assessment she had done outside Arkham would not tell her the full results. Those more in-depth analyses were left to the psychologists and parents to consider. Scarecrow turned his head slightly and saw the child who had followed him on her own. The whorl of hair on her head was very neatly grown and located in the center of her head, which made him take another look.

And it was this glance that made Megan notice it. She touched her head and found nothing, so she asked, "What's wrong?"

This little thing wasn't worth discussing. His expression remained unchanged. After a moment's thought, he said, "I suddenly remembered that you were sent to the Special Children's Care Center. Your father must have contacted the foundation in advance. Of course, I'm not saying he took the initiative, but it's almost the same—"

"Isn't it easy for him to tell people what to do and what to think? I remember your condition at that time. It seems that you have recovered well, right?" Before she was sent to the nursing home, he had deliberately targeted her, but it didn't matter now. It was over.

Scarecrow then considered the question: that was when the Joker admitted to killing Megan's real family. If Megan knew the truth, why did she stay with the Joker as if nothing had happened? Was she really mentally ill? It wasn't clear, but apart from Megan's reaction that day, neither she nor the Joker had said anything about it since then.

He was a little curious, but he restrained himself from asking. He was afraid that if he asked, he would have to face the Joker's dead face again. This matter was a bit unlucky and scary. He didn't want to ask for trouble, but maybe he could hint at it. Anyway, he had to do a psychological test on Megan, so it was just a matter of convenience.

Megan was still thinking about his question. She could recall a lot of things now, including what happened after she returned to her father's side and regained consciousness. She thought of that winter day when she and her father went out and met two female police officers in a fast food restaurant. She greeted them, and her play in Arkham before and after, and compared her condition after going to the nursing home.

She spoke somewhat perplexedly: "Time is a river." The child suddenly felt time. She was moving forward step by step, but she was standing in the river of time and unable to take another step. Behind her was the past that had passed away, and in front of her was the future that had not yet arrived but would come.

"Everyone thinks they're moving forward, but that's probably just the normal flow of time."

Megan said something strange, and she herself didn't understand what it meant. After thinking about it for a while, she gave up and answered the question instead, "Going to the nursing home is not fun. The psychologist there said I'm stress-prone...lack of security?"

The Scarecrow couldn't help but look at her from the moment she started talking about time, but seeing that she herself didn't understand what she meant, he smiled and asked, "How can you say such philosophical words? Did your good father teach you?" Who wouldn't be curious about this, but he didn't even believe this joke.

As for the latter sentence, he certainly knew that Megan would inevitably experience stress when she went to a strange place, especially since the Joker would not always be with her, but that was a step she had to take because she had stayed in Arkham and with the Joker for too long, and that was the problem.

A normal child needs to live in a large environment. While Arkham provides enough space for her to move around, it's clearly not a healthy environment. The fixed population also hinders her social development. She'll eventually need to integrate into the crowd, right? Even if the stress is only temporary, once she gets used to it and realizes the outside world isn't as scary as she imagined, she'll let go of her fear and embrace more human interaction.

So Megan was "beaten back to her original form" for a while, and her psychological defenses were fragile, but the Joker must have protected her. Also, Killer Croc was outside at the time and must have been looking after the child, but he was not available at that time and missed the opportunity.

Soon they arrived at the door of the Scarecrow's cell. After pushing the door open, he did not intend to close it. He took the little guest in, poured her a cup of hot tea, and even gave her some beautifully packaged snacks. He had learned how to get along with children. Even though he still thought in his heart that this behavior was actually called "flattery", he was still very calm.

What's wrong with trying to curry favor in order to do serious research? At least he can see a clear goal and a feasible path before him. If he doesn't take the initiative to practice, is he just going to sit there and watch, thinking that a sudden flash of inspiration will help him complete his research and paper?

He could even be considered lucky, while in Arkham there were many ambitious but helpless losers. If they did not take action, including being powerless, their ambitions would be nothing but wishful thinking.

Scarecrow prepared tea and snacks for Megan, then took out a new scale and handed it to her. "New questions, new upgrades. By the way, would you mind answering some subjective questions later?" What did he mean by "new questions, new upgrades"? He was actually trying to sneak in some personal information, but he wasn't going too far. What if he finally achieved something and the paper didn't pass? Then there was the Joker's threat; he hadn't yet considered provoking that lunatic.

As usual, Megan spent ten to twenty minutes filling out the questionnaire, handing it to Scarecrow to calculate the score. Then she began to wander around the cell, rummaging through cabinets and pulling out drawers, making a clanging noise. By the time Scarecrow finished writing down the results and comments, he turned around to see Megan had climbed onto his bookcase, holding a stuffed bear she had taken out herself and declaring to him, "Mine."

The Scarecrow was a little speechless for a moment. He just thought that Megan was a child and couldn't make any trouble, so he just let her make noise and ignored her. Suddenly he saw her stepping on the bookcase and didn't know what to say.

"...It's yours, come down."

Megan put the teddy bear in her pocket and sat down on the bookcase, shaking her legs and looking like she couldn't get down, so the scarecrow had to carry her down.

He felt that he had become a little haggard, so he showed the scale to Megan and asked by the way: "How do you know that it is yours?"

Megan: "I am the only one in Arkham who likes the white bear." Bane likes the white bear, so when she took out the white bear doll, she took it consciously. She read the test scores and comments, and there were no major changes, and no new words she had never seen before, so she was not very interested.

The Scarecrow put the scales she handed back back into the drawer and locked it, and also shuffled the order. Although this ensured that the handwriting would disappear in a few hours at most, there were slight indentations on the paper, and time could prove a lot, so he randomly swapped the order of the scales. Of course, he himself remembered the time and conclusions and would not easily mix them up.

Then it was time for the subjective questions. He placed a pen and a blank piece of paper in front of him. After getting ready, he asked the child opposite him, "I'm curious about a question, Megan. How much of the past do you remember?"

"Before?" Megan tilted her head, not knowing how long ago he was talking about.

The Scarecrow is obviously out of control and has a mental disorder - that's why he is imprisoned in Arkham. He has not been cured, and even as a psychology professor he is still trapped in the swamp. He seems normal on a daily basis, but he, like the other mentally ill criminals here, has already gone crazy.

His initial thought was not to provoke the clown too much, but at this moment he completely forgot about it. A hint of fanaticism and paranoia rose in his eyes, and he asked Megan relentlessly: "I mean... your old father and mother, do you still remember them?"

Megan was dazed and thought he was a little weird, but she still sat there, holding the teddy bear in her pocket, and didn't leave. "Daddy is my daddy." It seemed that she had been completely bewitched by the clown. Even though she had heard about what happened before she was adopted by the clown, she was still brainwashed by the clown and did not turn against him.

Scarecrow suddenly realized something: "What about your mother?" She had learned about family structures, and hadn't anyone taught her what a normal family was like during her life outside of Arkham? A family, a complete little family. As a child, she should have a father and a mother.

So even if Megan was bewitched by the Joker, she'd probably be curious about her mother and ask about her, right? And what would the Joker say? Would he say her mother was still alive? Would he lie? Or would he say her mother had died a long time ago, but would he have a tombstone? Could the Joker be that considerate? Scarecrow doubted it.

Little Bear: "Are you asking my dad?"

The expression on the Scarecrow's face gradually sank, but he found a flaw and said with squinted eyes: "You remember your biological mother, right? But how could you believe the clown's lies and think that you are really his biological child? You don't look alike at all. I mean, you, you didn't inherit his genes." He laughed.

"And look at your faces. Apart from your illness, you're a normal child, but what about him? Did you inherit his pale face? Will you laugh like him? You..."

But Megan didn't care and said confidently: "Oh, I am my father's biological child, you don't have any children." Her eyes were bright, and she was about to make trouble again if Scarecrow continued.

Megan said: "Hello mommy, hello daddy, hello little bear too."

But who was the little bear she was talking about? Was it an inanimate bear doll, or was she referring to herself?

Scarecrow had already discovered the clue. He had found it! He reached across the table and grabbed Megan's wrist. He said in a low voice, almost a roar: "I know you still have memories before you were adopted by the clown! It's your mother! She called you Little Bear!"

"She's the one who called you Little Bear! She's your spiritual anchor!!"

His roar destroyed Megan's barrier. She sat at the table and felt the familiar water flow coming over her again, but she was not sad. When she raised her hand and touched the cold water marks on her face, the scarecrow had returned to normal, as if the previous loss of composure was just an illusion.

He chuckled, withdrew his hand and adjusted his cuffs, "Aren't you going to thank me? I helped you break through the maze." He said meaningfully.

"That's the truth you dare not touch or recall." Even if Megan didn't know her own past, couldn't find any doubts, and couldn't figure out the cause and effect, he would plant the seed of doubt. Or rather, he once again stimulated the seed of doubt. "Were you deceived by the clown, or were you deceiving yourself?"

Megan showed no anger or irritation. Her childish face was calm. However, because she had just cried, the corners of her eyes drooped, and she looked a little aggrieved. She wiped her tears with a tissue and walked to the door before turning back and saying slowly, "I'm going to tell Dad that you're done."

The Scarecrow had anticipated this and was prepared to be targeted by the Joker this time, but after thinking carefully about Megan's behavior, he still had some doubts, "You're not angry? Are you so stingy with your emotional investment?" You know, they have played together many times, but she has never felt let down or betrayed.

Megan: "Dad will be angry anyway." Then she was too lazy.

I watched this truly annoying, stingy person leave. Almost as soon as she turned the corner, a purple figure walked in and said slowly, "Thinking the fear gas you sprayed on the paper didn't work? That's right! Mixing a perfume with the same scent isn't that difficult, just a little annoying."

"You want to target Megan? She's my own child..."

The scarecrow didn't want to give in so quickly, and spread out his palms and said, "Your biological children? But look at how you look alike? You used this to coax her, can you fool us?" He really found it funny and forced a sarcastic smile.

He looked at the clown, who was standing there with his cane. He didn't know how much he had heard, but he was now deeply offended. However, the Scarecrow didn't care and continued to speak, "At least produce the evidence. And who deceived who? Did your beloved child tell you about her past? Did she ask you how she came into this world?"

"You've told so many lies and given so much to her, but it seems like you haven't gotten the rewards you deserve." The Scarecrow said with pretended regret.

The clown listened to him quietly, and finally spoke in a steady and strange tone, "That's because you don't understand my child. Of course, my friend, you don't understand me very well either..."

He pulled at his pale face, but he didn't like to smile. The slight curve of his mouth made it impossible to discern any emotion, but he was more terrifying than other clowns who loved to smile. His strange green eyes cast towards the scarecrow, and he said, "She will have to cry to others when she goes back, but you should be dealt with too."

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