It turns out that any villain encountered at the beginning of a story, such as the current president of Gotham University and the Commissioner Victor, is mind-bogglingly stupid. If it isn't for a novice Batman, they don't even worth a glance from him in his prime.
Fortunately, Maroni, a mid-story villain, still has a normal IQ. Before Batman raids his base, Maroni's production line has already started. Large quantities of fear toxin are being produced without interruption.
Schiller doesn't initially tamper with this batch of fear gas because once successful, the other side undoubtedly heightens security.
Although a large amount of fear gas is produced, it's temporarily stored in a warehouse. Maroni also knows that such biochemical weapons have to be used all at once, preferably to cover an entire block to maximize the effect.
Unfortunately for him, this is exactly what Schiller wants.
When the three warehouses of the small chemical plant are almost brimming, Schiller simply activates Mist, swiftly flies into the warehouse, and absorbs all of the concentrated fear gas.
Schiller dares to do this because Mist tells him that as a symbiote, it can directly consume the fear gas and store it without worrying about a lack of space.
Schiller is skeptical of this. It's like a drunkard telling you that storing alcohol with him will definitely pose no problem.
Thankfully, the symbiote is quite obedient. After dispersing into Mist, it almost instantly empties the warehouse of all fear gas without getting "drunk."
The bottles containing the fear gas show no change. Symbiote particles penetrate the molecular structure of the bottles and completely consume the fear gas inside.
The next day, when Maroni comes to inspect the warehouse, he is dumbfounded.
The boxes and bottles are very neatly arranged, and there are no traces of anyone coming in or out of the warehouse, yet the fear gas has vanished.
Maroni is aware of the consequences if such biochemical weapons are discovered by somebody. Therefore, although the scale of this chemical plant is small, the security, especially for the warehouses storing large quantities of fear gas, is extremely tight.
But he cannot expect the guards to be vigilant against a sudden wisp of mist at midnight. And with that, Maroni is completely thwarted.
He has spent millions of dollars, countless manpower and resources, and owed several favors; after investing so much time, he is just one step away from final success, but everything is stolen.
If the plan has failed from the start, it would be one thing. But now, after investing manpower, money, installing new equipment worth millions of dollars, hiring expensive chemists, and losing dozens of good men in a gang war, with all the funeral expenses paid off, they tell him that the finished product is stolen???
Who wouldn't be enraged by that!
What's more, Maroni knows that the police and some strange Batman are watching him. To deal with them, he has activated many of his normally unused informants. He has alarmed almost his entire network of informants, causing many to lose their lives and the majority of his network to be shattered, which is the effort of decades.
Just when Maroni, due to sunk costs, has to consider reinvesting to produce another batch of fear toxin, when he goes back to inspect the production line, he finds all the equipment along with the bottles and containers have turned into dust.
Maroni's heartbroken cry can be heard throughout Gotham.
The symbiote's performance surprises Schiller greatly. It tells him that not only fear gas, but anything with a molecular structure, it can break it down, incorporate it into its own symbiote particles, and when needed, recombine it to restore the complete object.
In essence, Schiller now has a portable storage space, where he can put in most ordinary objects. Whether metal, plastic, or fiber, the symbiote can perfectly consume and store them, restoring them when necessary.
Schiller thinks that low-level criminals cause destruction and harm to others while committing bad deeds, which is detrimental to both others and themselves. A somewhat cleverer criminal harms others for their own gain, seeking benefits while engaging in misdeeds.
But Schiller is different from them. What he is best at is reaping huge benefits for himself while incidentally doing some good.
Who wants to be a bad person if they can be a good one? In Schiller's view, those who only harm others for their own benefit are simply not using their brains effectively.
If one can choose to gain both fame and fortune without any pangs of conscience, why not do so?
The deed he does this time not only completely annihilates the Red Crow Gang and inflicts heavy losses on the Maroni family but also undermines the trust between the gangsters, the police, and Gotham City's municipal government. Their first close collaboration ends in such a dismal failure that Sal, even as foolish as he might be, will probably no longer cooperate with those councilors and police.
In light of the current situation, the heavily damaged Sal has no intention of letting this group off the hook. It doesn't matter if he can't find the thief; he can squeeze much more out of Victor.
Victor vanishes before he can be tried, and no one knows where he goes. Maroni now is too busy to care about Gordon, so it naturally falls to Gordon to become the leader of the Gotham City Police Department's field operations team,and, for the first time, gets to exercise real power.
The president of Gotham University, who is involved in the incident, also runs into trouble. Batman doesn't have a private prison yet, so after gathering evidence, he returns the unconscious to his office. However, that very night, he is hit by a truck. While he survives thanks to hospital emergency services, he ends up with a lifelong disability. His ambitions to climb higher are likely unattainable now.
The situation with the East End gangs becomes increasingly complex. With the Red Crow Gang wiped out, the standoff situation is broken. Yet, the Maroni family no longer has the power to unify the East End.
Several small-scale gangs band together, hoping to carve a piece out of the old tiger, and Maroni is certainly not about to let his family's interests be devoured.
For a while, the entire East End becomes a battleground for gangs. After a series of mutually damaging gunfights, the Maroni family can only make a deal with the emerging gang families, agreeing to a ceasefire. But for the Maroni family, this is already a significant loss. Some of the smaller gangs within their territory begin to stir.
Jonathan does not end up in jail as he indeed has a mental illness. It isn't anyone getting him off the hook; it is the authoritative conclusion of the head psychiatrist at the Arkham Asylum.
Whether Jonathan goes to Gotham Prison or Arkham Asylum doesn't really matter. Currently, he is not the Scarecrow yet and is not capable of escaping either place.
Moreover, the Wayne family roots out the bad apple who is the head of Wayne Chemicals. Batman gains some fame in Gotham for the first time, Miss Christine is saved and suffers no substantial harm. As for Schiller, he obtains a large amount of fear gas to use as a weapon.
A world where only gangs and criminals are hurt is attained.
Regardless of whether it is the president, commissioner Victor, or Maroni, in Batman's world script, they are not really big players. At most, they are just some cannon fodder at the start of the story, so they all seem a bit dumb to some extent. But Schiller knows that the curtain has not yet been drawn, and the truly dangerous and insane criminals have not yet taken the stage.
However, due to his interference, Batman grows faster. Perhaps when he faces his old adversaries, he will gain a more significant advantage.
With expectations for the DC universe, Schiller once again submerges into a deep sleep. When he wakes up, he is back in the bustling streets of New York.
Unfortunately, the first person he meets in the morning is the last person he wants to see.
"Please have a seat, Miss Natasha, and let's cut to the chase."
The opposite Natasha is dressed in casual clothes and looks more like a housewife going for a morning run than a female agent. She wears light makeup, which makes her look very fresh. Her hair isn't loose behind her back but tied up, and she doesn't look at all like the Black Widow.
But this makes more sense; showing up in Hell's Kitchen with black tight-fitting leather clothes, a gun at her waist, and various tools, she would have been welcomed with bullets, and perhaps even rocket launchers.
Natasha takes a sip of coffee and says, "First, Mr. Schiller, I apologize on Coulson's behalf. We initially sought you out solely because you were Stark's psychological consultant, as we wanted to understand more about Stark's psychological issues. As you know, if a giant corporation like Stark Industries falls, it has a huge impact."
"But now we are here because we actually need your help; we really can't find a better psychologist than you."
It has to be said, this female agent truly has a versatile style. She wears casual clothes and sits at the table with a coffee in hand, her beautiful face making it very difficult to feel any dislike towards her.
It seems that the Black Widow is not only aggressive but also an excellent agent who, depending on the situation, changes her approach.
Schiller says, "You don't need to beat around the bush with me. I'm well aware of why I left the Presbyterian. You didn't find anything there, did you?"
"The only thing that caught my interest there is of no use to you. I was just there to complete my research, but because of some unwarranted speculation, I was dismissed. We should really settle this account."
"We're not aware of the personnel arrangements at the Presbyterians. However, we do have a better job offer for you here," Natasha says.
She then takes a document out of her bag and hands it to Schiller. Natasha continues, "We are now formally inviting you, Mr. Schiller Rodriguez, to become a specially invited senior psychological consultant for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, to provide psychological counseling services to one or several specific S.H.I.E.L.D. members."
Schiller replies, "Sorry, I don't..."
"Just as you discussed with Mr. Stark, the compensation is one million dollars per hour."
"Thank you, I look forward to our cooperation," Schiller says, smiling as he shakes hands with Natasha.