One has to admit, Evans is indeed a very diligent student, and he understands Shiller quite well; the suggestions he proposed to Shiller seemed somewhat reasonable as well.
Shiller's decision to award Bruce an acceptable grade and allow him to graduate was not out of guilt or sympathy.
Throughout a person's life, their overall emotions and psychological changes follow certain patterns. Many people believe that time is the best healer for pain. However, this only applies to pain, not disease.
Psychological problems and mental illnesses do not fade with time. If anything, they may worsen over time due to many people being unaware of their psychological state, leaving themselves in potentially stressful environments, or repeatedly retriggering their trauma. Without proper treatment, the overall trend of one's mental health is likely to decline.
It's almost impossible for a mentally ill person with severe psychological trauma to rid themselves of their affliction on their own, much like how an individual would struggle to climb a mountain by stepping on their own feet. It's not something that can be resolved by merely "thinking it through".
But Batman really did think it through.
Regardless of how he managed to console himself, or whether he put to use the knowledge he learned at school, he did create a miracle. Not only did he heal himself, but he also made significant steps towards stabilizing his psychological state and maintaining logical coherence.
Such progress would normally be enough to graduate, but the problem is that he lacks too many credits, making it difficult for Shiller to find a credible reason to let him graduate.
There have been instances where undergraduate students have published several top-tier papers but failed to graduate due to insufficient credits from extensive absences. In such cases, they were exceptionally awarded their degrees. Shiller has seen two or three cases like this himself.
But cases are not broken arbitrarily; one must have achievements to display. Bruce's experience in the slums, although it led to his recovery, cannot be considered as practical experience for graduation. Moreover, his experience was too grim; even if Shiller wished to share it, Bruce wouldn't agree.
With this in mind, Bruce needed to undergo another test to qualify for exceptional graduation. Since he underperformed academically in comparison to his practical skills, another field test was more suited.
Initially, Shiller planned for Bruce to return to the slums and repeat his previous actions, but this time, his strategy was already in place. He could quickly achieve excellent results in a short time and graduate smoothly.
After reassessing the situation, however, Shiller realized that many other students at Gotham University also came from the slums. Such an experience wouldn't be convincing enough; they'd consider the notion of making a name for oneself in the slums achievable, as they or their relatives could potentially do the same.
Hence, Shiller had no choice but to raise the difficulty level. He believed that Bruce's unsatisfactory performance in the slums was not due to a lack of ability but his inability to mentally adjust.
To adhere to a higher moral standard than everyone else, one must be prepared to accept a lower standard of living than most. After all, if Gotham were a regular city where everyone abided by the law, such behavior would be unproblematic. But Gotham was the complete opposite, where law-abiding citizens were a rare breed and playing by the rules was not a viable strategy for competing with its residents.
With this in mind, why not raise the social class and move to a place where order exists, albeit not strictly. Fully utilize the learned theoretical knowledge, understand the rules, and quickly integrate into the group.
And this new area, naturally, is the Gotham Gang.
Even the lower class Gotham Gang has many rules; it is somewhat more orderly than the turbulent slums. The difficulty level won't be too high, and other students will be able to see Bruce's capabilities. This way, his exceptional graduation should not pose any problems.
With this decision made, Shiller visited Bruce at the hospital where he was residing. Due to the previous injection of Lizard Serum, the severe wounds on his body had fully healed, leaving only the superficial scars unresolved.
At present, all of Bruce's injuries were physical. However, when he heard the news while lying in his hospital bed, he suspected he might be suffering psychological trauma, leading to hallucinations.
Was Shiller really letting him graduate??!!!
Bruce put the book he was reading aside, looked at Shiller and said, "Professor, if you truly regret having me fall into the vat of chemicals, there's no need to resort to such means."
"There are several mistakes in that sentence," Shiller said calmly, glancing at his notebook. "First of all, it was the Joker who made you fall into the vat, not me. Secondly, even if it were me, I wouldn't feel sorry about it. Lastly, this is not a discussion but a notification, if you don't plan to participate, then forget about graduating."
Once he finished speaking, Shiller tossed the notebook filled with handwritten notes to Bruce, it detailed some well-known exam requirements.
Firstly, Bruce was prohibited from using existing technological devices such as the bat suit and the Batmobile. However, he wasn't restricted from creating inventions. Additionally, he was not allowed to reveal his identity, given that many individuals within the gang district recognized Bruce.
Lastly, and most importantly, the pass criterion was outlined. Upon reading the sentence, Bruce felt insulted, as it brazenly read "successfully join a mob, and avoid getting kicked out within a month".
In circumstances where he was free to invent at will, utilizing his genius intellect to make money unreservedly, Bruce found the requirement to simply join a mob without getting fired insulting. Bruce suspected that Shiller was committing academic fraud, and he had evidence.
Bruce didn't plan to stop at these tasks. Even if Shiller didn't arrange this test, he intended to infiltrate the mob.
As an integral part of Gotham, the gang culture is its foundation and lifeblood. Bruce was curious about this and was bound to delve into it sooner or later. And not just join a gang, but also make a name for himself within it.
Now was the perfect time, as his appearance hadn't fully recovered, and more importantly, his voice had changed.
After falling into the chemicals, he had actually inhaled some, causing his throat and vocal cords to corrode to some extent. This changed his voice, distinguishing it from both Bruce's and Batman's.
The grim experience he had during those two months in the slums changed his physique drastically even the constantly visible chin had become sharp. Even people who were familiar with him could not recognize him.
This meant he could use another hidden identity to meet acquaintances from his past without being discovered.
Through the harsh lessons of the slums, Bruce finally understood that the proverb 'a brave man needs three gangsters' wasn't just a saying. It's hard to survive without familiar faces, so on this gang journey, he planned to find someone who knew him well to guide him.
However, lying in a hospital bed, Bruce went through all the people he knew on his fingers. Either they had nothing to do with this circle and couldn't offer any help, or... or they were too much like Shiller.
After some thought, Bruce targeted Jason Todd.
Last time he advised Bruce, Jason showed that he was actually a good kid - kind-hearted by nature but brought up differently due to his environment.
But this upbringing had not made him weak; instead, it displayed his talent even more. Bruce knew how hard it was to become the leader of a Children's Gang in Gotham, even if you're a native of the slums.
Once you become a gang leader, you have to worry about your own necessities and the issues of everyone in the gang - even an expert would find it exceedingly challenging.
Or perhaps it wasn't a matter of intelligence, but of emotional intelligence. You have first to survive in society before leading others. This was difficult for adults, let alone a child.
Bruce figured that if he had to lead a gang at the age of eleven, he'd have been worried too. He could invent, but how to sell these inventions? How to share the profits? How to protect the proceeds? How to explain the distribution to the kids? These were all troublesome issues.
But Jason managed well, parking the Tow Gang among the best in that street. If he could get Jason's help, starting as a gang rookie, he was sure to get off to a smooth start.
So, he concealed his identity and approached Jason, planning to learn from the bottom of the gang, and get a clear picture of the gang's network to lay a solid foundation for what he wanted to do next.
The reason for choosing a red hood was to differentiate from Batman's image, if he wore all black again, everyone would know it's Batman's alternate identity, so he decided to use some bright colours.
And he had a perfect reason to explain why he wore this mask – after all, his injuries hadn't healed yet and the scars on his body resembled those of severe burns. If he said he wore a mask because of disfigurement from burns, no one would find it strange – after all, this was Gotham.
And as expected, Jason didn't disappoint him. From reasoning, planning to executing the plans, Jason's capacity far exceeded his peers, even most adults.
If it had been in the past, no matter how good Jason's plan was, Batman would definitely make his plan and expect Jason to follow along, doing everything hands-on and catching every detail. He would have turned up his nose at Jason's gamble.
But now, he was honestly waiting in the phone booth for Jason's call that didn't take long. Jason's voice came through, "Got his address. Be ready to back me up."
Bruce could hear the weakness in Jason's voice. He hung up very quickly and started to think about where to find emergency first aid items. Jason was probably injured.
But that was expected for an eleven-year-old kid carrying out a solo undercover mission. Even if there wasn't a gang in the hotel, it didn't mean that the guards or the staff didn't carry weapons.
After a while, a truck stopped stably in front of the alley. Jason was in the driver's seat, leaning over the steering wheel, clutching his abdomen. Bruce quickly got into the passenger seat, removed Jason's arm and looked at the wound.
A massive cut under his left last rib hinted at possible internal injuries. Jason gritted his teeth and managed to say, "I was clumsy on my first time... left footprints on the carpet, ran into a tough guy... luckily he didn't have a gun... I got injured while dodging..."
Without a word, Bruce took off his coat, tied it around Jason's waist, and told him to press down on the wound, then thought about getting off to grab a first aid kit.
"No... don't leave me here..." Jason breathed heavily, "Take me... back to the cellar... let me go home... there are people who can help... get me home..."
Bruce's hand gripping the car door handle tightened in an instant. He hesitated for a second, but then turned back to carry Jason out.
Holding the blood-soaked Jason, Bruce slowly walked into the dark night of Gotham. Following them was a storm swept in by the sea waves.