Chapter 1136 Professor (Eight) (Patreon)

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Bruce came and went in a hurry.

It turned out that even if Batman didn't want to be too serious, all kinds of troubles would keep him busy.

Now, he had to go home and search through various psychology textbooks to find the traces of these congenital psychopaths.

Ignoring Schiller's confused expression when he left, Bruce rushed back to Wayne Manor and went to the library to look for books that might have clues.

Bruce, with a firm goal in mind, had strong action ability. His figure shuttled back and forth between the bookshelves, sometimes running his hands over the books and checking their titles, sometimes bringing a ladder to take down the books on the top shelf, and occasionally kneeling on the floor to organize the books he had selected from the shelves.

Between the two rows of tall bookshelves, a stack of books almost reaching the ceiling was swaying. If it weren't for the two hands under the stack of books, one would have thought the library was haunted.

Bruce took too many books at once, causing him to sway his body left and right to maintain his balance. Just as he took a step to the left to stabilize the teetering tower of books, Bruce sighed and instinctively shouted, "Dick!"

After the name slipped out, Bruce's expression stiffened. He pressed his lips into a straight line and didn't bother with the collapsing tower of books. Seeing the books scattered all over the floor, Bruce sighed softly.

Just as Bruce was crouching on the ground to pick up the books, a series of footsteps came from the staircase. Jason, carrying Aisha, came running up the stairs, "Thump, thump, thump." Seeing the mess of books on the floor, he exclaimed and quickly put Aisha down, rushing over to help Bruce tidy up.

"Mr. Wayne, what happened? Did the bookshelf collapse? Did it hit you? Are you alright?" Jason asked in a rapid-fire manner.

Bruce's hand paused as he picked up a book. He turned his head to look at Jason, who must have run all the way here, his cheeks flushed and steam still rising from his hair.

Jason Todd is always so active and quick, full of energy, as if he never gets tired. He is the embodiment of all the children in Gotham, moving like a startled rabbit, intelligent and sharp, with a unique wildness.

Thinking of this, Bruce was reminded of Dick. Dick was not from Gotham, but from Brooklyn, more like a small-town youth from a farm. Compared to Jason, Dick's personality was a bit quieter, even a little melancholic.

But Bruce also knew the reason for this. A shadow always loomed over the Grayson family. The death of Dick's grandfather caused the Grayson Family Circus to fall from its position as the world's top acrobatic troupe. Dick has always wanted to investigate his grandfather's case and restore the Grayson family's glory.

Of course, Bruce had thought about using the power of Wayne Enterprises to help him investigate, but Dick had shown an unparalleled stubbornness in this regard. He firmly refused Bruce's help and was even very averse to anyone interfering in this matter, and now it had reached the point where he couldn't even mention or ask about it.

Just two days ago, Jason and Dick had an argument. When Jason heard about the injustice case in Dick's family, he immediately wanted to help investigate it, but when Dick found out about his actions, he got very angry and said that Jason was meddling in other people's business and didn't believe in his abilities.

However, Jason is a street kid from Gotham, and the most important thing for the children's gang is loyalty. If you've helped me before, when you encounter any difficulties next time, I must do my best to help you, otherwise, it's just an ungrateful wretch.

Jason felt that Dick's reaction was looking down on him, and the two had a big argument, getting all red-faced and hoarse. If it weren't for Aisha starting to cry and alerting Alfred in the end, the two might have come to blows.

Recalling this, Bruce didn't continue to tidy up the books on the floor, but sat cross-legged and started reading a book he had picked up, then casually asked Jason, "Are you still angry with Dick?"

Jason snorted and waved his hand, saying, "I don't bother keeping score with him. He's not a local Gotham person, all outsiders are like that."

Bruce observed Jason's every move and felt a sense of wonder. In fact, Jason is the best learner among all the children Bruce knows, or rather, the best in the humanities.

No matter how profound and obscure the text, he can easily memorize it, and he often has philosophical thoughts and a rich literary imagination.

But his background also gives him a wildness that doesn't fit the literary temperament, and sometimes he can even seem a bit barbaric. His way of speaking and expression is completely unrelated to the artistic atmosphere.

This strong contrast makes Jason, at such a young age, full of personal charm, attracting people to unconsciously look at him and explore the secrets behind this contradictory temperament.

"I'd say he's a bit weird, but maybe I'm a bit weird too," Jason also sat down, picked up a book, and said while flipping through it with one hand and resting the other on his knee.

"Everyone in Gotham is a weirdo, right? Outsiders who come to our place always seem out of place. Everyone here, even the rich kids, never show weakness to others. Dick is the most gentle person I've ever seen."

As he said this, Jason seemed to recall something interesting, and he laughed and said, "When we argued, he didn't even know how to curse. He was even shocked when I cursed at him."

Then he looked up at Bruce and said, "Professor told me to be more tactful when speaking to elders. I've done the tactful part, can I now say the real truth?"

Bruce patted his head with some helplessness, and Jason scratched his head and said, "It seems like Dick has never really integrated into Gotham. He's always just going back and forth between home and the expensive private school, and the only people he knows besides the people at Wayne Manor are the rich kids from the private school."

"But I can't just let him go on like that." Bruce sighed softly and said, "He's not as prepared as you to face the darkness."

Then he looked into Jason's eyes and said, "For people like us who are already in hell, there's no need to drag an innocent person in. After he's learned all the skills, he'll have to leave this place and go back to his hometown, that beautiful and peaceful little town, to live the life a normal person should live."

Jason paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "You're right. If he's just here to study, there's really no need for him to get involved in those dark matters."

"Gotham itself is abnormal. The social rules he learns here won't apply after he leaves, and it might even leave him with a huge psychological shadow. So it's not a big deal if he doesn't learn them."

Bruce hugged Aisha to stop her from chewing on the books. While stroking Aisha's head, he said, "Dick has a complete family, which is his fortune. So there's no need for him to live the same life as the unfortunate."

"But he doesn't seem to understand this." Jason gently touched the side of his temple and said, "But I can't explain this to him either, as that would make him feel like an outsider, when in fact, I'm the outsider."

"Didn't you tell him about your life?" Bruce asked.

Jason sighed deeply and said, "He seems to envy me, for goodness' sake! The life of scrounging for food in the trash, can't that make him lose his enthusiasm for this city?!"

"I've told him many stories of our difficult survival, but his attention seems to be only on the exciting, intense gunfights with criminals, or stealing tires from other people's cars, that kind of criminal activity."

"He doesn't care at all about the events where we were dizzy from hunger, shivering from the cold, or nearly dying from injuries. Or maybe he's never experienced those, so he thinks it's no big deal."

At this, Bruce had nothing to say. Dick was completely retracing his path.

A wealthy young master who, even if interested in the lives of the lower class, is only interested in the violence and excitement they haven't experienced. As for the suffering of hunger and cold, if they haven't experienced it themselves, they simply don't know how painful it is.

Although Dick is not as rich as Bruce Wayne, when he was young, the Grayson family was a famous circus troupe known across America. Wherever they went, there were praises and applause. And he was raised by his grandfather, who doted on him as a child. Compared to these Gotham kids, Dick can be said to have grown up in a honey pot.

So Bruce encountered a problem that all parents in the world would face - wanting Dick to face reality, but also afraid of him being hurt by it.

Thinking about this, Bruce reminded himself to be patient. This kind of thing can't be accomplished in a day or two. Fortunately, Dick is still young, and he still has a long time before he finishes all his studies, which should be enough time for him to grow up.

But then Bruce realized he had encountered another problem. If he had to fight against these born psychopaths, he needed an assistant, at least now, someone to help him organize the books and materials.

In the past, this kind of work was done by Dick, but recently, Dick would rather stay at school than come home. So Bruce turned his gaze to Jason and said, "I think we're the same kind of people, we both grew up as children in Gotham. Now there's a group of extremely vicious criminals that I need to deal with, and I hope to get some help. Jason, would you be willing to help me with the materials?"

Jason opened his mouth, leaned his body to the side, and looked Bruce up and down as if he didn't recognize him, then he opened his mouth wide in surprise and said, "Good heavens! Are you really Batman? You can actually speak properly!"

Bruce's gaze fell on the books, his expression becoming somewhat complex. After a while, he looked into Jason's eyes and said...

"I forgot to mention earlier, the thing we're most alike in is... having the same Professor."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 1137 Professor (IX)