Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics-Chapter 5550 - 4576: Blackest Night (65)

Shiller paused for a moment when he heard this name, because in America, the name "Jane Doe" is a pseudonym. Generally, if a woman does not want to appear under her real name, she would call herself "Jane Doe"; sometimes, when the police encounter unidentified female corpses, they would also use this name to refer to them, similar to the Chinese "Zhang San Li Si."

There is more than one character named this, but the one Shiller remembers most vividly is Madame No Name, Jane Doe. She’s a skilled disguiser, completing various tasks by stealing others’ identities.

But saying she’s a professional killer isn’t entirely accurate. Sometimes she works for others, but sometimes it’s just out of interest. She really enjoys stealing the identities of various people to satisfy her own curiosity.

Shiller glanced at the other corpses, still feeling puzzled. These living corpses should have been summoned here by the Black Death Emperor, but Jane Doe is not a living corpse, so how did she end up here?

Moreover, when Shiller injected the Joker Virus solution into the corpses earlier, Jane Doe must have lost consciousness, otherwise, Shiller would have noticed.

Jane Doe clutched her head, gritting her teeth in pain and inhaling sharply, then said, "Damn it, underestimated this thing, should’ve known not to look at it..."

"You didn’t come here on your own, did you?"

Jane Doe sighed and said, "The way you got here is the same as how I got here. You can’t fool me; you’re also here for the ’Blood Tide,’ right?"

Shiller paused. He hadn’t heard this name, but he could vaguely guess that "Blood Tide" must refer to Hugo Strange’s current state. Jonathan Crane truly is Gotham’s number one loudmouth; in just a few hours, news had spread worldwide, and even earned a codename.

This Madame No Name is quite the expert; her ability to act is remarkable. After finding out the location of Blood Tide might be in Gotham, she directly came over. This isn’t just kicking in the door; it’s flashing into the dragon pit.

It’s not hard to imagine that when she first arrived, her Sanity Points might not have been so low. But after seeing that pile of bodies, they plummeted, and she fainted right there.

When Shiller arrived, she hadn’t awakened yet; she’d layered someone else’s skin over her body, looking and feeling identical to the corpses, so naturally Shiller hadn’t noticed.

"How did you find your way here?" Shiller asked.

"The sea in that photo looks like Gotham’s." Jane Doe said as she sat on the ground resting.

"I know, I mean how can you be sure it’s the cliff area of the sea?"

"Intuition." she replied, "Many people just see the grotesque twisted limbs or that sense of diffuse expansion. But I believe the base color of Blood Tide is primitive and wild, representing some kind of evolutionary stage of life. This aura only exists on the edges of the cliffs."

"Alright, I’ve finished talking, now you tell me." Jane Doe seemed to indeed have some superpowers; she recovered much faster than normal. She stood up, hand on her hip, giving Shiller a once-over, then said, "I know you, the famous Professor Rodriguez. I didn’t expect you wouldn’t pay attention to this case. Being surpassed doesn’t feel good, does it?"

"You’ve already come here, and you think the perpetrator is human?"

Jane Doe furrowed her brow, and Shiller, seeing her expression, confirmed she indeed seemed not to know. He said helplessly, "You dare hit the crime scene without knowing anything, it’s a shame you’re not a reporter."

"I’m very interested in those hexagonal binding structures; I want to take some back as trophies, but if you’re late, you’ll miss everything." Jane Doe was indifferent, then said with some doubt, "It’s not human?"

"You should investigate more." Shiller said, "Did you tell anyone else you came here?"

"Of course not, although I’m not trying to hog it all, I know many of them are indiscreet, afraid they’ll make a mess of things here. It’s better if fewer people know."

"That’s not going to work, madame." Shiller said, "I can be very clear with you, this is not man-made. Others will soon know too. But what’s learned on paper is ultimately shallow; naturally, experiencing it first-hand is better."

Jane Doe narrowed her eyes, very astutely: "You orchestrated all of this, right? What are you trying to do? Gather them all together in one fell swoop?"

"Who’s catching who is hard to say." Shiller chuckled, "Do you have any communication contacts?"

"I don’t get along with most people, but I do have a few. You want me to contact them?"

"That’s right." Shiller nodded and said, "Not only you, I have many people I need to ask for favors."

Upstairs in the bookstore study, Constantine put the completed letter into an envelope. Zatanna came up the stairs, seeing so many envelopes by his table, and asked in some confusion, "What’s going on? Why contact so many people?"

Constantine chuckled. Zatanna felt a bit dazed. He hadn’t laughed like this in a long time. Not in a good way, but whenever he laughed like this before, it meant he was about to trick someone again.

"Even though I’ve been away from the magic realm for a long time, there are still some accounts left unsettled. Since I left the magic realm, quite a few clueless people have come looking for trouble. I stopped you from killing them not because I’ve really reformed."

"I knew it." Zatanna said, eyes wide, "I wondered why you’d be so good-hearted, even willing to let off those remnants who fled from the Great Mage Tower."

Constantine handed the stack of letters over to Zatanna, then said, "I’m generously giving them clues; they should be thanking me."

In the office of Gotham Magic Academy, Xi Wana sat behind the desk in a daze, then got up and started pacing in front of the desk. Although he hadn’t taken any action for a long time, he didn’t seem to be hesitating but rather thinking about something.

After a while, he began to write a letter, spending a long time on the wording. Finally, he placed the written piece inside a ball of light and then took it with him as he left the room.

In a bar in the North District, when Jason walked in, the bartender paused for a moment, then smiled at him and said, "Long time no see, Mr. Todd."

Jason nodded. Then the bartender’s expression froze when he saw Harley completely obscured by him.

"What’s with that face?" Harley said with some dissatisfaction, "Hurry up and mix me a drink."

"What’s the matter?" Jason looked at her and asked.

"It’s nothing. When I was launching the sparkling water brand, a few bars were unwilling to stock my goods. I really had to put in some effort to persuade them."

Jason could probably imagine how Harley managed to persuade them, so he didn’t continue discussing the topic. The two found a booth, sat down, ordered two drinks, and chatted while they waited.

The conversation naturally revolved around the Blood Tide. Harley spoke with no shortage of praise, but Jason remained indifferent. Even though he had some adventurous spirit deep down, he wasn’t interested in the perverse works of those psychopathic killers.

Soon, a figure walked into the bar. She came over and shook hands with Harley, looked her up and down, and then said, "I didn’t expect you to be so young, Miss Quinn."

Harley flashed a big smile, saying, "You also aren’t quite what I imagined. I didn’t expect you to be so... Gothic. Madame No Name, or should I call you Jane Doe?"

"Either is fine." Jane Doe sat down, looked at them both, and said, "I thought there would be more people here."

"What? You don’t think we’re enough?"

"Although we initially agreed this would be a girl’s trip, it’s not that simple. Little Quinn, have you checked the information?"

"I just checked it." Harley took the book out from her pocket and handed it to Jane Doe, then said, "I suggest you start reading from the second half. Don’t you think the description of this murder case resembles the Blood Tide somewhat?"

Jane Doe began to read, occasionally sipping her drink. Soon she closed the book and said, "Indeed. Although the style details vary slightly, the eerie feeling is the same. This suggests it’s not an isolated incident but rather more like a... genre?"

"With all due respect, madame, what’s your take on mysticism?"

"Although I possess abilities beyond the ordinary, I don’t know much about this professional field," Jane Doe shook her head and said. "Are you suggesting it might be influenced by mysticism?"

Harley nodded and said, "That’s right. With such a long time span and consistent style, it can only be related to mysticism."

"Then, we definitely need more people," Jane Doe sighed, saying, "I do have a few friends on my side. What about yours?"

"This is my friend," Harley pointed at Jason and then said, "Having him alone is enough. He’s the librarian at the Gotham University Library."

Jane Doe immediately became interested, sizing up Jason, and her gaze shifted between the two before saying, "Alright, I’ll go call some people now. I’d wanted to visit Gotham University Library anyway. See you later."

Constantine took the reply from Zatanna and, looking at the seemingly plain letter, he chuckled and said, "Looks like this guy is about to be driven insane. Those lunatics must’ve already found him."

"What do you mean?"

"Blood Tide mania," Constantine said, "Someone is desperately trying to discover where this case occurred. They’ll soon realize it’s connected to mysticism. All mystics could be threatened, my old friends included."

"They’ve got some real skills," Zatanna said, "They should be able to find the right place."

"Not only will they find it, they might even go to see. Because they’re greedy and foolish, thinking this Blood Tide incident, like other sudden events in the magic realm they’ve encountered, offers challenges but also opportunities."

Zatanna shook her head, saying, "Although I don’t know what the Blood Tide is exactly, if it’s in Gotham, it must be a complete trap."

"Indeed." Constantine turned around, went back, and tossed the reply onto the table. "It’s targeting those who are curious about forbidden knowledge and take pleasure in madness."

In a pitch-black space, a ball of light appeared abruptly. An elderly man who was resting with his eyes closed slowly opened them, and when he received the light ball, his eyes glowed with surprise briefly before showing a worried expression. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

His supported agent had finally contacted him after immense struggle; he could finally leave this damned place. However, the dangers surrounding the agent had not been completely eliminated. To leave here, he needed to help that poor boy.

But seeing the incident location was in Gotham, he felt some hesitation. Yet, the opportunity to see daylight again was too precious to miss. He just needed to take a look and lend some strength; nothing would happen.

Wave after wave of secret forces once again began to converge toward Gotham, as though they had never heard of the city’s infamous reputation, driven only by a greedy desire. Groups gathered, all set their sights on one location—the cliff on the East Coast.