It was another rainy night in Gotham, with the rain falling exceptionally hard and lightning flashing across the sky.
Even the seasoned Gotham citizens could only hide in their homes, peering at the violent side of nature through small windows.
With the passing of spring, the arrival of summer brought typhoons and torrential rains. Even though the city never hid behind any pretense of gentleness, the abrupt sound of the storm still managed to unnerve people.
A shadow fell from a tall rooftop, his cape wafting in misty rain. Like a solitary boat in a tempest, he landed, water splashing around him. In the light of the street lamps, it generated a brilliant neon aurora.
With a Batman dart in hand, the visible tension in Batman's muscles indicated that he faced yet another formidable enemy. This time, the pressure was greater than ever.
In the past, defeating criminals was mainly to aid others. Today, however, Batman had an additional objective: to return to school as quickly as possible to avoid endangering himself due to an incomplete dissertation.
But soon, he realized that it was too late. At the entrance to the alley, he saw a figure holding an umbrella.
This brought Batman back to the dreams he had in Shiller's Thought Palace. He had dealt with many murderers in these dreams, playing mind games with numerous terrifying opponents in an alternate Gotham City.
Even then, he felt his heart rate quicken. He understood that this was not a good sign. If he put himself in the position of prey, he may well become a sacrifice in this Dark City.
Without overthinking, Batman followed his instincts and threw his Batman dart. It was blocked by the umbrella. In the brief indistinct moment, the umbrella's tip - like a cold blade - flashed through the neon light.
With a swish, a corner of his cape was torn. Batman turned around and threw a punch. When his fists touched the umbrella, he felt an unsettling texture, as though he was clutching a snake.
He quickly let go and retreated rapidly. Under the dim light of the shop sign, Shiller looked at Batman coldly. He didn't have to say anything; Batman knew exactly what he was implying.
It was nothing short of an absurd joke. Batman remembered encountering Shiller in a dark alley for the first time, discussing crime, law, and human nature.
At that time, Batman was mentally unstable, his logic inconsistent, and so he retreated.
But today, he is no longer conflicted about such issues. He no longer has the intimidating drumbeat in his ear, and therefore, he now faces a far more practical issue.
Unable to finish his homework, his teacher, armed with a knife, came knocking. What should he do now? It's pretty urgent online.
Batman never needed anyone to provide him with answers. After hesitating for a second, he turned and jumped onto the wall, fired his grappling hook, and arrived at the rooftop of the building. The shadow with the umbrella followed closely.
Under the curtain of the storm in the Dark City, two shadows weaved through the city's rooftops, the sound of their clashing weapons like the heralding of a battle, the pitch getting higher and the rain getting louder.
Batman knew he couldn't shake off Shiller like this. He placed his hopes on the Batmobile, which had just undergone improvements to its safety system.
After Shiller punctured the Batmobile's engine with a mysterious radiant ring, Batman realized that the car's safety system still wasn't perfect. Consequently, in the following days, Batman made significant modifications to the vehicle, making the engine shell much stronger.
Batman pressed a button on his arm guard. A familiar beam of light pierced the rainy night. Batman ran in that direction and jumped off the building, using a grappling hook to cushion his landing and rolled on the spot to dissipate the impact.
After a series of smooth tactical movements, he regained his footing. But as soon as he took his first step, he stopped abruptly.
The Batmobile was indeed in front of him. The problem was it only had three tires.
Not far away, two children were pushing a giant tire, running and laughing, seemingly very happy.
With a light footstep behind him, Batman knew the bad news was coming.
Half an hour later, in the office at Gotham University, Shiller sat at his desk with three men standing before him. From left to right were a soaked Bruce, Jason, and Little Sly.
All three in the same state — towel over their heads, a cup of hot cocoa in their hands, remaining silent.
"Alright, let's solve your cases first." Shiller put the pen on his desk and asked, "Why did you two try to steal his tire?"
Jason and Little Sly exchanged a glance. Jason spoke up, "We just wanted to test if we could pry it off....."
Little Sly looked down at his fingers, saying, "We're not thieves, not to make money. And this kind of tire couldn't be sold. It's too big to be put on a car, but too small for a truck."
"So why did you steal it?" Bruce turned his head and asked them.
But Jason shouted, "We didn't steal it! We just wanted to try it... what's that word again? Little Sly, you say it!"
"Technical upgrade." Little Sly sighed, "What they teach at the Living Hell school is too simple, spelling, symbol usage, and at most, they only teach chores like cooking or fetching newspapers. I don't need to learn that."
"Without a teacher, I had to figure it out on my own, learn by trial and error. I have already figured out the structure of most car power systems. I wanted to build one myself, but there are still many technical problems..."
"I think standard car technology is very average. If I want a benchmark to emulate, it would still have to be the car with the bat tag we saw that day. We tried to remove its tires, but it took a lot of effort."
"So, Jason and I wanted to try again. Initially, we wished to dismantle the engine, but the hood was locked with some special lock which we couldn't open. We had to settle for removing the tires."
Little Sly and Jason both opened their eyes wide, displaying a pair of innocent expressions. Shiller then turned to Bruce and asked, "After they took off your tires last time, why didn't you modify your car?"
"I have limited time." Bruce answered, "Compared to tires, engines are more dangerous."
"The engine is more..." Shiller paused, then the realization hit him. What Bruce pointed out was himself. He sighed, then continued, "Alright, they didn't sell that tire, you can reclaim it."
"Besides, the lack of basic education is not their fault. You won't hold them accountable, right?" Shiller asked Bruce.
He was not attempting to guilt Bruce through moral bondage, just observing from his expressions. He didn't seem very angry. The look he gave the two boys seemed more like sympathy.
After all, if these two boys were born in another city, under better conditions, with proper educational resources, they could probably become vehicle engineers at the very least.
Bruce nodded, and both boys breathed a sigh of relief. If Wayne had held them accountable, they would surely face dire consequences.
Next, Shiller turned to them and said, "Since the Living Hell care program cannot meet your educational needs, why don't you come to the technical college at Gotham University? If you like cars, learn mechanics."
Little Sly blinked, "Technical college? But that's a place for adults. We're so young; can we really attend?"
Shiller grabbed a registration form from the side and began filling it out, "They don't consider age here, only ability. You two have already surpassed all current students by dismantling the Batmobile's tires."
Shiller wasn't exaggerating. Repairing cars and Batmobiles required different skills; the technical disparity was enormous. Although the kids were not on the same level as Bruce's exceptional skills, their talent was top-notch. It would be a real waste if they didn't receive a proper education.
"But, I don't like to sit and read. I really can't focus." Jason complained, "I can't memorize all those things."
Shiller continued to fill out the form, saying, "That's okay, you can only take practical classes. No one in this college will ask you to write a thesis; practical skills are all that matters."
Jason scratched his head and reluctantly accepted this explanation. He slapped Little Sly's shoulder and said, "Hey, bro, you're finally going to learn some professional knowledge. Let's feast in celebration later!"
After Shiller completed the enrollment forms, he gave one to each of them to register at the administrative office. Once the two left arm in arm, Shiller focused his attention back onto Bruce.
Bruce coughed and said, "I didn't lie. A mysterious man who could disappear at any time broke into Wayne's building. I don't know how he got out, I'm still investigating..."
Shiller observed Bruce's body language, thinking he didn't seem to be lying, but in his impression, Gotham didn't have villains like this.
The villains of Gotham all had distinctive styles; they were quite open about their madness and not sneaky at all.
They were determined to spread their beliefs to the world, not hesitating to create various murders and explosions for attention.
But the mysterious person Bruce described sounded more like a thief, a thief with a special ability. This kind of villain totally did not fit with Gotham's style. Without resentment, philosophies, or intellectual considerations, how could they survive in Gotham?
Shiller remembered the so-called Great King he heard about previously but couldn't rule out the possibility that this individual with the grandiose title was actually a sneaky thief. Shiller had done similar things in the past, like naming a hallucinogenic drug as 'liquor'.
Shiller handed over the stack of papers to Bruce who didn't accept them. Bruce looked into Shillers eyes, "You go to the library to write that paper; I'll handle the thief."
"And how will you handle it?"
"I'll catch him."
"You mean you'll break into Wayne's building and catch the thief in there?" Bruce asked, then continued, "Then I don't think the thief is that big a problem; we can leave him be."
"And here I thought your condition had improved, but it seems that you still have serious paranoia. What do you think I'm going to do? Fight it out with the thief and destroy the Entire Wayne building? Do you think I'm a helicopter engine?"
Bruce Wayne reached out and took the stack of papers, but to Shiller's surprise, he continued on Shiller's statement and made a joke:
"I'd rather that were the case, at least, the helicopter engine won't make me delay my graduation."