Theodore couldn't possibly lack even that much deductive ability.
Before Theodore arrived, Tim had imagined his reactions.
In his predictions, Theodore might be very excited, or very nervous, or perhaps like a little hedgehog with all its soft quills raised… any possible emotion would have been more intense than what he showed now.
Instead of being like this now… how to put it, he was too calm? Too submissive? Too well-behaved?
But was Theodore like this in his class at school normally?
—Of course, I can't rule out that I was prejudiced, influenced by that investigation report.
Tim secretly warned himself: Perhaps Theodore's personality was much more peaceful than he had anticipated.
Before going to Green Orphanage, Batman had investigated Theodore's background.
At that ti, Tim was by Bruce's side.
Two and a half months ago, Theodore was found by patrolling guards, curled up unconscious at the entrance of Arkham Asylum.
He had no injuries anywhere on his body, his clothes were neat, and he carried no bombs, guns, gas, or any other offensive items.
But in Theodore's right hand, he tightly clutched a human ear.
He squeezed it so hard that the flesh outside the ear cartilage was almost crushed, turning into a pulp.
The guards were shocked and quickly huddled together to discuss urgently:
Should they send this boy to GCPD, or simply give him a private room at Arkham nearby?
Finally, adhering to the principle of avoiding trouble whenever possible, they called Gotham City's police ergency number.
In the GCPD's records, after Theodore woke up in the police car, he showed no reaction to his handcuffed state.
He narrowed his eyes, observed the fleeting scenery outside the window for a while, and then suddenly asked two questions.
"Where is this?"
"What day is it today?"
The police looked at him suspiciously, almost mistaking him for a teenage addict so high he couldn't recognize his own mother.
But blood tests showed Theodore had no addiction.
As for the ear, it was indeed a fresh human ear.
According to Theodore, he found the ear on the street and picked it up because it looked fun.
The police: "..."
These days, lunatics in Gotham were no longer rare.
But lunatics who casually picked up human organs on the street were still uncommon.
No matter how the officers questioned him, Theodore stubbornly refused to change his story.
GCPD hadn't received any similar cases recently and couldn't prove the relationship between Theodore and the human ear.
Theodore's information also couldn't be found in the household registration system.
Finally, the police could only contact an adoption agency for Theodore and place him in Green Orphanage until he reached adulthood.
Throughout the entire process, Theodore expressed no objections.
Only before leaving, he very politely expressed his desire to take the ear with him.
"I want to keep it as a souvenir; I really liked that one."
Gotham Police Departnt also very politely told him that was impossible.
"Don't you dare dream, kid. Who's going to let you take evidence?"
Watching Theodore's regretful departure, several police officers whispered bets.
"How many years do you think it'll be until he's in Arkham?"
"I'd say three years."
"I think two years is enough."
"One year."
—"Hey, guys, doesn't anyone think this kid can go straight?"
The officer with the longest service looked askance at the rookie who had just joined.
"He carries an Arkham aura all over him, and you're telling he won't return to his fated promised land?"
Moreover, that was the notorious Green Orphanage.
Just thinking about it, an orphanage that still dared to take on this child after hearing his story—what kind of good place could it be?
As it turned out, the Green Orphanage director's life was not as tough as Theodore's.
Within just two months, Theodore had outlasted two directors.
Although there was no evidence linking the deaths of the first two directors to Theodore, the entire matter exuded an inexplicable strangeness.
Batman managed to obtain the evidence from the police station and brought it back to the Batcave for analysis.
After many days, the flesh on the human ear had mostly decomposed, making the marks on the cartilage even clearer.
There were no signs of cutting or burning on the ear, and from its overall condition, it didn't appear to have been violently torn off.
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