"Alright then. Next, I'm going to highlight the focus areas for the final exam. Everyone please turn to page 1 of your textbooks. We'll start with the table of contents, all the way from the first section of Chapter 1 to the last section of Chapter 10. Everything… is key…"
"As you continue flipping through, you need to remember everything written in this book except for the images within the first 50 pages. All conceptual explanations will appear as fill in the blank questions on the test. After the 60th page where Chapter 2, Section 3 ends, the remainder will comprise essay questions and short answer questions…"
"Furthermore, I will select some important points from the material following Chapter 7 to devise topics for your final paper. The final paper will still require 3,000 words. The grading policy equally splits the final paper and the test with a ratio of 7:3, while the tests and regular assessments are split 6:4."
"That's to say, if you cannot achieve good grades on the test, you will definitely fail."
"In adhering to the long-standing tradition of Gotham University, starting from next academic year, I will be preparing and setting up additional specialist psychology courses. If you wish to participate, you must achieve a total score of at least 85 points in this final exam. Related clubs and societies are also in preparation. For those who intend to serve as a chairperson or club president, you can visit my office after class."
"Now, class dismissed."
Shiller closed his book and left the classroom, only then did the underneath students begin to relax, followed by a chorus of laments.
"My God! This book is thicker than my fist, and I actually have to memorize it all!"
"Do you think if I fail the test, he'll shoot me?"
"I've never seen him with a handgun or revolver, I suspect he might use cold weapons instead, like military daggers or knives."
"Who remembers what Chapter 3 was about just now? Where does the essay question start from?"
"Help! Evans! Evans? Are you there? Do you have notes? Let me borrow them quickly. Damn it, I've been high for most of this semester, and I didn't catch a word!"
"If my dad knew how hard I'm studying in university, he'd definitely cry with joy!"
Bruce was also sitting in the crowd, but he wasn't as panicked as the others. For him, memorizing a book wasn't much of a challenge.
He had some issues to discuss with Shiller about constructing a private prison, but he could tell that Shiller was in a bad mood at the moment, so Bruce hesitated and didn't follow Shiller out of the class.
A while later, Evans approached him. He asked Bruce, "Did you hear what the professor mentioned about the club and society? I am interested in being the chairman. You know, I have been responsible for classroom discipline and assignments for this course. But I wanted to know your opinion on the society. Are you planning on joining?"
Bruce understood what Evans was implying. Reed College not only had hobby clubs, but also study clubs. These study clubs, also known as professor-led study sessions, would be created by some of the more popular courses. However, since any club involves funding issues, many societies are keen to have Bruce join, given that he's wealthy.
Bruce, however, had never taken part in serious club activities. He was impatient with club work and detested being chased for money.
However, the Psychology Club was different. He sensed that he could gain additional help from the club there. Therefore, he told Evans, "I will go and ask the professor if he can give me a post as club president. As for the club, I'm not interested. You can perfectly handle the responsibilities of both the class and club."
It's well-known to Bruce that Evans is Falcone's son, but these sorts of family backgrounds were common in Gotham. On this course alone, at least half a dozen of the students were sons of mob bosses, although Evans's father just happened to be stronger.
The people who mingled with Bruce usually were also relatives of big mob bosses. To some extent, Batman, his other persona, had effectively infiltrated enemy lines.
The reason for Shiller's bad mood today, however, started this morning.
At Marvel, while Obadiah was successfully resuscitated, he remained very weak. His heart was functioning well, but as Dr. Strange had explained, he was old and his body functions were poor. He lay in the ICU, accompanied by Stark who, being his only family, was unwilling to let Pepper intrude on these father-and-son moments of profound affection.
Rhodes temporarily left the military, stating that he hadn't taken a vacation in years. So, on the eve of Shiller's departure, he, along with Dr. Ethan, joined a scientific research project in Antarctica and temporarily left New York.
Though there were still many unresolved mysteries surrounding the Iron Man incident, everything had temporarily quieted down.
So, Shiller returned to Gotham.
When he woke up this morning, he found, to his delight, that the weather in Gotham was surprisingly good. Although there was still a thin layer of mist, one could faintly see the sun, making the weather extraordinarily lovely.
So, he decided to seize this rare opportunity to initiate a random chat in the system. He had earned another opportunity to communicate after the end of the Iron Man incident. Combined with an opportunity that remained from the previous incident, he now had two opportunities to make use of.
But, true to Gotham's reputation, as soon as Shiller switched on the chat panel for a random chat,
A profile picture displayed a guy with black hair, wearing a green mask.
In a panic, Shiller hastily closed the system.
The Green Lantern!
Yes, it's the Green Lantern again, played by the same actor as Deadpool!
Deadpool may not have appeared, but his presence is everywhere, and although Shiller hasn't seen Deadpool yet, he is already surrounded by him.
"I must ask you, have you seen any strange flying objects? I mean, the traditional sense of UFOs..."
Soon, Green Lantern Hal sent him a message.
Shiller could tell from the message that Green Lantern Hal might have encountered a fallen alien spaceship, and it was through this incident that he received the alien's gifted Green Lantern Ring.
Shiller clicked on Hal's profile, and sure enough, his capabilities could not be replicated for the time being because he hadn't become Green Lantern yet.
So Shiller replied, "I vaguely remember seeing some. Why? Have you seen any unidentified flying objects? I can recommend a website to you. It's full of such records. You can look through it."
"I've found them all, including all the websites worldwide with records of unidentified flying objects, but all they've seen are things flying in the sky."
"What did you see then? If an unidentified flying object is not flying in the sky, how could it be called an unidentified flying object?"
"Oh, it ... of course! It was certainly once flying in the sky, but no, no... never mind..."
Apparently, Hal had also realized that he shouldn't have shared so much information with a stranger he had just met on the forum. After all, if the other party knew that he had found a fallen unidentified flying object, he might be sought out by the military.
Shiller sighed, not to mention the power that the Green Lantern Ring could bring him. Just the fact that Green Lantern was another Deadpool was a bit hard to swallow. He hoped that Green Lantern was a character from a comic book and wasn't another chatterbox.
In the afternoon, Shiller felt better. Gordon came to see him and asked Shiller, "Have you seen Falcone recently?"
"Yes, what's the matter?"
In Gotham, dealing with the mob is not something to be ashamed of, or no one can avoid dealing with mob figures.
In Gotham, being able to have a word or two with the Godfather is something to be proud of.
Gordon said, "Our new chief of Gotham Police Department seems to be the Godfather's man. Of course, that's not surprising. I just want to know how he plans to deal with this mess?"
"Though I know that Falcone in the early years was a hawkish extremist, in recent years, he seems to be leaning more towards conservatism. I just want to find out in advance where the Gotham Police Department is leaning."
Having the Police Commissioner being a member of the mob may sound ludicrous, but in Gotham it's normal. Gordon, being a good and righteous cop, understood Gotham's ecosystem better than anyone else. Thus, he wouldn't be a reckless hot-head, trying to overthrow the existing order all by himself.
On the contrary, he wanted to find a unique way out of the complex game of politics, which is why he had to deal well with all factions.
"I have become the family tutor for the Godfather, responsible for teaching his son. You're right, in recent years the Godfather has become increasingly conservative, probably due to his advancing age."
"I don't think you need to worry that he'll take drastic measures. On the contrary, in a sense, he may actually help you crack down on those troublemakers."
Shiller sat down and poured a cup of coffee for Gordon, saying, "Last time I went to his house, the heads of their families were having a meeting. I heard that the docks in the east were not peaceful..."
Gordon sighed, "I just found out too. The Edward Family, who has been holding the five docks in the east, had an accident. Little Edward killed his father and had a fallout with his uncle."
"You know how important those docks are, 60% of the smuggled goods in Gotham come from there."
"I heard that the Edward Family is quite old, a native family of Gotham, even older than Falcone."
"It's hard for me to say. I just handled a fire incident there yesterday. The new Commissioner has already been invited by Little Edward. I came to inquire today to find out if Falcone plans to get involved, and if he does, will he be on Little Edward's side?"
"If Little Edward really takes over the Edward Family..." Gordon sighed again, "He's an outright madman. He won't prohibit the dangerous goods like Old Edward did. Gotham is going to be chaotic again."
"Gotham is always like this, don't worry. This is not something the police can handle right now. The worst-case scenario is that you'll have to make a few more trips to clean up the mess."
"As for the Godfather..." Shiller shook his head, "All I can say is, compared to being your enemy, Falcone is more like your friend and ally at the moment."
"He doesn't want Gotham to descend into chaos any more than you do."