As Schiller wakes up, he knows he is back to 'Peace and love' Gotham.The smell of kerosene in the air and the never sunny day outside the window tells him he is back in the damn city.
And time hasn't run out at all.
He turns off his alarm and checks his calendar. It is the second day of the night he'd transport to Marvel, which means the time in the DC world stands still at the same time .
Schiller sighs, wavering whether Gotham is more dangerous or the New York City.
To be honest, although the life in New York is more enjoyable, but Gotham is the eternal home , at least here is not yet switched on cosmic mode, Schiller can not deal with the purple potato now.
He gets up and dressed. Gotham University requires professors to wear formal clothes to class, so Schiller wears a three-piece suit every day, sometimes changing suit styles, or adding a trench coat.
The temperature in Gotham in September is not bad, mild, perhaps because it is a coastal city, the city is breezy, warm in general.
As soon as Schiller steps out of the door, he encounters a man he desperately does not want to meet -- Bruce Wayne.
Schiller changes direction decidedly.
Bruce runs after him, shouting, "Professor! Professor! I have some psychological questions for you! May I have a talk with you?"
Schiller swears quietly. There are a lot of colleagues living near teacher's apartment, leading to Schiller can't refuse him directly, he says dryly: "Well, well, I am not deaf, Mr. Wayne, let's go to the psychological counseling room to talk about it."
So these two go into the counseling room, Bruce doesn't sit down, but volunteers to make coffee and puts it in front of Schiller.
He articulates: "Schiller Andell Rodriguez, a world-renowned criminal psychologist with four doctorates in psychology, who has been involved in the investigation into the astonishing Siege Bloods, the Red Glove serial-kill case in Imperial City, the underground dismemberment Coast City and etc. Most importantly, resigned four months ago from the trial of the deputy Mayor of Metropolis, and accepted an offer from Gotham University....."
"Professor Schiller, can you tell me why you come to Gotham? "
Schiller feels bad. Jeez, the original Schiller has a resume that would have taken himself straight to Arkham Asylum!
He'd been involved in more than one of these horrible sounding crimes! And he took part in a string! Bruce might leave some leeway!
Schiller, who cruses in his heart, sits expressionlessly, takes a sip of coffee and claims, "Gotham is a good place."
"Why? For the highest crime rate in America?"
"That's not important."
'Oh?
"Metropolis doesn't have a lot of crime, kid. Sit down. You think Metropolis is safer than Gotham, right?"
"Isn't it?"
"At least not to me." Schiller responds.
When Schiller transported here ,he inherited the knowledge and ability of the original Schiller, except for the memory.He infers that before he came, the original had lost part of the important memory, at least now Schiller can't recall any about the details of those terrible cases, vague and out of touch.
Schiller knows that the original one must have been involved in an unspeakably complex case, and then something happened.
"The security you see is just a mask, Mr. Wayne," Schiller says, "There is a darkness you can't imagine behind the light."
"But why is Gotham?"
"... I think you've checked my resume, but it's still not detailed enough. I've offended too many forces. This is the only safe place."
"Why?"
"Only criminals can deal with criminals." Schiller emphasizes.
Bruce Wayne seems moved by it, murmuring, "Only criminals can deal with criminals., right? Is that what you think, Professor?"
"Bruce, let's change the subject." "Schiller interrupts.
Bruce looks at him, his eyes as dark as the Gotham sky.Schiller realizes that he is no longer confronting the cynical playboy Bruce, but the Batman, who is one of the most complex superheroes throughout history, a dark hero, an inscrutable paranoia and a genius who has a fine line between madness .
"If you want more from me, you'll have to pay." "Schiller says.
"What do you want?" Bruce asks.
"You can't give me what I want , and you know what I mean." "Schiller points out.
"Sp I can give it later, right?"
"Certainly."
Bruce, poker-faced, that none could not tell what he's thinking, begins tentatively, "Professor Schiller, I am sorry to say that there is some gadget in your coffee, a nano-sized virus..."
"Dishonesty won't get you any more from me, boy. It's not the trick you're begging for candy."Schiller states.
"It seems that I am doomed to draw a blank today." 'says Bruce.
"Not necessarily." "Schiller voices.
"I hope you can give me a good grade at the final exam, Bruce, to prove how you want to learn this, and then come to me."
"I won't waste any more time here." 'says Bruce.
"You're far from being a mentor, Bruce. You're still a student."Schiller commands.
"I have learned all the knowledge and skills of the world, hundreds of fighting skills, detective, lock picking, counter-reconnaissance...'
"Except Gotham. You haven't learned Gotham yet." "Schiller says.
Bruce is mute.Schiller has seen that Bruce is not the late dark hero Batman.Indeed, the idea of revenge and justice has always been in his heart, perhaps there is a darker side,.But he has not yet understood what is Gotham, what is this human hell.
Bruce wants to use any available power, like Professor Schiller here.
Batman is a hero with almost no weaknesses,wisdom,prudent, and a mortal rivals those that are immortal.But only if he puts on the bat suit first, completely becomes a dark knight who spreads fear in the night, embraces Gotham and all the evil here, and makes up his mind to face all the dirty aspect of human nature and fights it. Bruce's not Batman yet. He has weaknesses.
Schiller is suddenly glad that if he really confronted the Dark Knight standing in the shadows of Gotham, perhaps all of his means would not work, because Batman is not Superman, he is not a righteous hero, he is a complete outlaw.
After Bruce leaves, Schiller stands at the window for a long time, perhaps Batman will arrive soon, and Bruce can't wait much longer.
The next day, Schiller goes to class as usual, and it's the first class for freshman. Unfortunately, his attempt to stop Bruce from psychology fails.This fledgling Batman has to show up in Schiller's quiet life to remind him of here is about to be muddy water soon.
But oddly, Schiller notices that Bruce is limping. His right foot seems to hurt, but he insists on coming to class. As Schiller lectures, he ponders, Where did Bruce go?
He is billionaire, in the upper echelons of Gotham City's high society.Did he beat up by rogues?
After the class, Schiller ignores Bruce's obvious "Let's talk" hint, quickly packs up his books and courseware, and leaves with the stream of student.
He has a trip out in the evening.
If Gotham is hell, even Satan should be afraid of night Gotham, this city of crime has never stopped the aftermath of sin.Schiller gets out out the safety of the university, and steps into Gotham in person.
He's following Jonathan, the Scarecrow.
Jonathan is a psychopath, and he's been doing murder since he is 18.So even though he's not the Scarecrow yet, he's already started his Fear Toxin experiments.
Schiller come here not to do justice and stop him, he's here to get some Fear Toxin , to protect himself.
In this dangerous city, a chemist secretly set up a laboratory is the safest place to steal. Because Jonathan and Schiller, both of them work in office, not strong gangsters, and both two do not use violence and firearms, only use their brains.
The night in Gotham is pouring again , the night black as thick ink, the rain with a strong smell of kerosene. No matter how to keep warm, the cold September rain is still freezing. Schiller, wearing a Chesterfield coat and carrying a black umbrella, is walking through a narrow street, where he had gradually found out the spot where Jonathan has hidden the gas. It's under an abandoned church in the block, and as long as Jonathan isn't there, Schiller can go in and get it.
Suddenly, Schiller's heart beats fast, and a image of him being hit by an unknown weapon flashes before his eyes. he instantly turns around and opens the umbrella.
"BANG"
Two of the concealed weapons hit on his umbrella and fall to the ground.Spider sense saves Schiller's life.
Schiller lowers the umbrella slowly, his face is not as mild as the day, and he almost dies.
It's hard for anyone who's just been attacked by death to have a good look. At the end of the alley, Bruce in his bat-suit finds his precision-guided, fast-flying darts blocked by someone's umbrella.The response is as quick as it is foretold.
And the black umbrella with the rain drops, revealing a face Bruce is very familiar with, that is his university professor, Schiller.
It is him, but it seems not, because Schiller in front of him is a completely different guy than he was in the daytime. Schiller at present is more like Bruce saw the guy in his record, a psychopath who is obsessed with criminal psychology.
Schiller takes a deep breath and speaks, "You know what would have happened if I hadn't blocked it."
"The darts will stop at 30 centimeters from you." "answers Batman.
Bruce's voice is also completely different from the day, and Schiller knows he is with a voice changer.
At this time, Batman is a novice, his bat suit is not mature enough, no cape and belt, and the bat dart does not seem to be very good.It can be seen that the fledgling Batman should go through some detour,after all, the war on all criminals begins in Gotham, that is, the easier than easy directly challenges the harder than hard.
Schiller mentions, "May I remind you, Mr. Bat, unlike the wealthy neighborhood you living, there are no fences on the roof of Morrison, and if you fall down again, your organs will rupture ."
The figure opposite is silent, "How can you tell?" he asks.
"You're too young, Mr. Hero, and the drugs you used are almost tasteless, high-end chemicals, not the poor in the slums can afford, and..." Schiller 's eyes rests on Bruce's only visible chin,
"Nobody here shaves so neatly and symmetrically,"
"Who the hell are you? Batman asks.
Schiller opens the umbrella again and says, "Go home, big master. No one will answer every one of your questions. I'm not your mentor."
With that, he leaves through the rain.Batman stands in that alley for a long time, he limps out, turns into another street, and sees a beggar, shivering in the deluge.
He takes out a wad of crash and hands it to the beggar.And then he hears behind him the sound of shoes treading in the puddle and a word that makes his hair stand on end: "That's why I said you don't know Gotham, Bruce."
Batman turns around and sees Schiller standing at the intersection. Schiller walks over and hands the umbrella to the beggar. The beggar takes the umbrella and holds it open to cover the freezing drops, and then shakily returns the wad of dollars to Batman.
'Why?" Batman takes the dollar and asks.
"Because it is the territory for the Ditch gang, if they knew she had such a great sum of money, her body would be in the gutter the next day."
"A great sum of?" Batman's voice reveals absurdity , "Thirty-seven dollars?"
"Yes." Schiller looks down the street and states, "This is Gotham..."
"Welcome to Gotham."