Shiller didn’t want to ask who he was going to call, nor did he want to ask what he was going to say, because Deathstroke didn’t intend for him to respond. He had long since made up his mind and had begun fiddling with the satellite phone, trying to contact his family.
"So you’re not satisfied with confronting two of at once, you also want to involve your son." Shiller turned his head and said, "Navigating between two ard forces, completing this plan in the capital of a country already under full lockdown. Is he really your biological son?"
"I never said it has to be this way."
"Your actions have already betrayed you." Shiller said, "You seem impatient. You’re used to taking young people as your opponents, enjoying the confrontation with them. That’s why you’ll never beco a successful father like Batman."
"A successful father?!" Deathstroke seed to hear the world’s biggest joke, he said, "He has lost his birds more than once. They’re practically suffering from it."
"But they have a solid and stable relationship, one that you’ll never have. Not even with your biological son."
This successfully struck Deathstroke, in fact, it struck a bit too deeply, causing him to beco silent. Shiller wasn’t trying to make him shut up this way; it’s just that the truth is always hard to hear, and no matter how it’s said, it can never sound very tactful.
When it cos to the difference between Deathstroke and Batman, many people discuss their combat abilities, wanting to compare who is the more skillful Tactical Master between them. Of course, morality must also be ntioned: one kills for money, the other never kills. Who is more authentic or noble is also an eternal subject.
And the Robin caught between them, having connections with both, is always regarded as strong evidence for a certain argunt. Compared to their complex entanglent with Batman, Deathstroke’s relationship with them is much simpler; just pure opponents.
But in reality, the difference in their relationship with Robin is the easiest way to see their distinction. Batman is good at building long-term relationships, whereas Deathstroke isn’t.
No matter how reticent Batman may be, seeming unsociable, all the relationships he has built are long-term: with Robin, with the Justice League, and even with Joker.
In Batman’s life, there aren’t many fleeting monts or passing strangers. He is very adept at retaining others, maintaining relationships that are not too close nor too distant, yet always stable and connected. Be it love or hate, he hardly ever changes partners.
Deathstroke, on the other hand, isn’t. He ford a family early but hardly stayed for it. He has children, more than one, at his peak even three. But they left one by one, without ever looking back.
He rarely has long-term enemies, despite frequently beating Teen Titans, only because they’re more special, making them easier to rember. In fact, most are enemies produced by dull and tedious commissions—eting, then dying, almost impossible to encounter again.
Few discuss these differences, and even fewer realize that Batman is skilled at building long-term relationships. Whereas people of his era or similar settings aren’t. Ultimately, it’s not a matter of preference, but simply "can or cannot."
Not everyone has the ability to build stable long-term relationships. And so relationships they think are stable long-term ones are actually "inescapable," or "not worth the effort to escape," rather than genuinely healthy relationships.
No one is naturally good at doing this because human genes are filled with hormones driving short-lived pleasures, essential for mating, with Beast-like Instincts. In the era when Instinct appeared, Humans weren’t a strong Race, the faster, the better, the more efficient, the better. This leads to building long-term relationships similar to companionship being anti-Instinct.
This requires more skill. Skills need to be learned and honed. Batman seeking assistants is the correct way into long-term relationships because he actively seeks it out. Deathstroke and Joseph don’t do this. Although there’s a blood relationship, they’re born as they are; Deathstroke has no choice.
This proves that the primary condition for establishing a healthy long-term relationship is selection, not cultivation. Actively seek a suitable match; compared to gambling on it indifferently and trying to change the other’s mind, it’s more applicable to long-term relationships.
Then cos the "self-centered" mindset. Demonstrating your strength, showing charm and capability is more important than asking the other to showcase theirs. Batman doesn’t hide anything from his Robins. Who he is, what he wants to do, what capabilities he has, the Robins are all too aware.
As for Deathstroke, he didn’t tell his son any of this. On the contrary, he hopes his son exhibits certain abilities, like being able to handle danger or accepting a nomadic life. He takes these as conditions. If the other party doesn’t et them, then he absolutely won’t reveal even a bit about himself. It sounds like he’s thinking of the other’s safety, but in reality, he’s still aiming for a trade of interests.
People will always co to realize at so point that those relationships requiring you to suppress and hide your true self to maintain superficial peace never last long—more akin to so kind of poison, making you endure painfully but never gaining the desired emotional solace.
Lastly and most importantly, in long-term relationships, evil far outweighs diocrity. Batman is often criticized for being too controlling, too cold in his expressions, and overly mysterious in his actions. Yet these flaws are precisely the anchors in his stable relationships, because criticism and complaints are better than silence.
Deathstroke and his son have almost nothing in common. Their daily life revolves only around the family, not ideas, beliefs, right or wrong. It might sound okay, but it’s not actually the case.
Many trivial things people talk about in daily life are actually clashes of ideas. So people spend money extravagantly because their idea is to enjoy the present; so are overly frugal because they believe in being responsible for the future. These are not superficial ordinary conversations. Truly ineffective family communication is precisely "parents acting as parents, sons acting as sons."
They have lost all social identities, do not discuss career or studies, nor truly reveal their own ideas, and every day is just about saying, "I am your parent, so you should do this" "I am your child, so you should do that."
What truly makes a family stable and healthy has always been outside the family. Socially ford personality, the ideas generated by that personality, and the path chosen by those ideas all matter. Those trapped in family identities can never have a healthy family.
Batman is Batman in his family, and Robin is Robin in his family. So, even though the mbers of the Batman Family co and go, it remains stable. Deathstroke is a father in his family and demands that Joseph only be a son, so their relationship is near collapse.
The suggestion Shiller gave him is the shortest path to reverse this situation—return to your family in the identity of Deathstroke.
You can lie, hide, and even ticulously plan to put on an exaggerated performance. But you must break free from the role of the father and let your son not just be a child, but also an explorer and investigator, an observer and spectator, even a judge.
However, the Shiller who just left chose to blur things with fabricated theories; the Shiller left behind now does not like to dissect deep emotional logic. So, all this sounds utterly absurd.
And because Deathstroke hadn’t left a good impression on Shiller, the rare direct pointer to the truth was also muddled like a personal attack. Deathstroke was hurt, so he didn’t ponder its deeper aning. Shiller, too lazy to speak, didn’t bring it up either.
Soon they were busy again, because the current Red Sea was like soldiers boiling dumplings, all sorts of beasts and gods ca out. They encountered several patrolling ships, so they could fool, others not. They switched ships twice in between and finally managed to reach the north.
They were not far from Cairo, both were a bit exhausted. Even the Modified Deathstroke was physically and ntally drained, let alone Shiller whose hearing hadn’t recovered, and who still had a vaguely aching shoulder blade.
They both thought that once in Cairo, they must have a good rest. Obviously, there was still a tough battle to fight later. Considering that Deathstroke also wanted to bring the family drama to the stage, things might get more complicated.
The good news was, the waves in Hurgada had not passed over, Cairo hadn’t beco ssier. The bad news was, Cairo was already chaotic enough.
Parisians called it Little Ro, Romans called it Little Cairo. The three cities are the three main cities for the profession of thieves. Old Europe leaned towards business, with high racial bonuses for Gypsies; Africa leaned towards sport, easier to succeed with children’s body type.
Although the two didn’t co from the airport and train station, they still looked far too much like outsiders. Not far along, they were surrounded by kids asking for US Dollars. These kids truly put money above everything. Deathstroke felt helpless; even dressed like this, people ca over and stretched out their hands.
What annoyed him more was that the seemingly more normal, more approachable Shiller wasn’t approached. When Deathstroke turned his head, he saw Shiller, who had already taken off his glasses, looking over at him.
"Damn it," Deathstroke cursed in his heart, "No wonder they all ca to ."
The children, like beasts with sharper instincts, responded more significantly to Shiller’s gaze. Adults might just feel a chill behind, but they scattered like birds and beasts, none went over. Compared to Shiller’s weird aura, they’d rather rob Deathstroke.
Of course, Deathstroke didn’t pay attention to them because he knew once he gave money, more would swarm over. His body type was big enough, so he could directly push away those children.
Originally, he wanted to just walk away, but Shiller grabbed him and said, "If you really intend to act according to my script, you’d better start getting into character now. How do you get your son to believe you’re a powerful rcenary forced into a corner, yet still have a conscience? The answer lies in these details."
As a result, Deathstroke lost 3000 US Dollars. He really should have brought so change. It wouldn’t be long before his title of the "guy in armor" spread throughout Egypt.
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