Chapter 572: The Dark Sun and the Bat-Signal (Part 2) (Patreon)

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Batman still remembered a question someone had asked him when he first began his journey as a hero: "If you also need evidence, what sets you apart from those ineffectual police officers?"

Now, the facts he had uncovered firsthand proved that Schiller's words back then were right. In a place like Gotham, the law was nothing more than a joke.

Or to put it differently, no matter where you looked, there was no way to deal with individuals like Falcone. He had never personally killed anyone, never incited someone, never ordered a gunman to assassinate another. All his enemies had been killed by others, devoured by the jackals who sought to claim a bigger share of his interests. Falcone, the uncrowned king of Gotham for decades, The Godfather revered by everyone, was far more innocent than anyone else.

This made all the talk of law, justice, and convictions seem like a joke. Those who had killed for him had done so driven by interests, clearing obstacles from Falcone's path. Batman knew that even if he were to put Falcone on trial right now, no judge could convict him.

Just like they couldn't convict the killer of the Wayne couple.

As Batman delved deeper into the meaning of the law, he received a call from Schiller that prompted him to visit his office. In a moment, he cast aside these profound questions about society because he knew he might be facing an even greater trouble.

When Bruce arrived at Schiller's office, he was surprised to find Lex there as well. He immediately sensed that the impending trouble might be multiplied by two.

If there was one thing in this world that required both him and Lex to deal with, Bruce began to wonder if Schiller was dissatisfied with Sun's position.

Bruce and Lex took their seats across from Schiller, and to their surprise, Schiller didn't mention anything about relocating Sun or the moon. Instead, he gestured toward the ceiling and said, "Have you noticed anything different up there?"

Bruce and Lex looked up together and noticed that the ceiling lights had been removed, leaving empty sockets where the light bulbs should have been.

"As you may know, Gotham University has been experiencing frequent power outages lately. Every time the power comes back on after an outage, it's easy for the circuits to burn out, and the light bulbs are prone to damage. The new light bulb we installed today suffered the same fate."

Schiller extended his hand and gestured for them to take in their surroundings. Now, the entire classroom was pitch-black, but the adjacent light bulb remained intact, allowing a faint glimmer of light to filter through the window, making it barely possible to see people.

"This is the environment in which I work now. To improve this situation, I've established a research group, and you two are the first researchers. There are currently two projects to choose from."

"The first one is to restore Gotham to normal weather conditions with more than 8 hours of daylight..."

"I'll take the second one," Bruce replied without hesitation, fearing that Schiller might change his mind and assign him and Lex to the first project together.

Schiller then said, "Alright, Lex, your project is to completely change Gotham's weather, making it sunny with abundant daylight, so that even if the light bulbs occasionally fail, the office will have enough natural light."

"No problem," Lex promptly agreed, even a bit eager. In his view, the project Bruce was desperately avoiding would prove his superiority if he could complete it.

Bruce glanced at him with sympathy and then asked Schiller, "What is the second project?"

"To create a light bulb that can stay lit forever."

"Like the Bat-Signal," Bruce immediately responded.

Schiller choked for a moment and asked, "You're not really planning to make a Bat-Signal powered by nuclear fusion, are you?"

Bruce lowered his head to examine the patterns on the table. Schiller shook his head and continued, "I don't want to share the same type of light bulb with the traffic lights at Central Roundabout. It's extremely ominous. Do you want my office to experience destruction three times a year?"

Schiller glanced at Lex, who was still in the room, and told him, "Your project is already chosen. You can get to work now. If I can pull back the curtains tomorrow and see clear skies, I'll give you an unprecedentedly excellent grade for your final assignment."

Lex hesitated for a moment, then quickly got up from his chair, left the room, and closed the door behind him. Bruce once again regarded his departing figure with a sympathetic look.

After he left, Schiller retrieved a model from his drawer. It was the prototype Ark Reactor model he had taken from Stark Tower's lab earlier.

Schiller placed it on the table and said, "Don't say I didn't give you a chance. Take it; I want a light bulb like this, and it shouldn't be too difficult for you."

Bruce took the model from Schiller. At first, he didn't think much of it until he glimpsed a portion of its internal structure through the seams. Bruce narrowed his eyes, revealing the classic Batman expression, and then looked up at Schiller.

"This isn't something you can make," Bruce stated straightforwardly, but Schiller didn't get offended. In this regard, he wouldn't argue with anyone. He truly had no knowledge of physics and engineering, and he had no interest in them either.

"It's from a friend of mine..."

"Where is this friend? What's their name? Male or female? Where do they study? Where do they work?"

"Hold on, if you're going to ask such detailed questions, I won't give you things like this next time. I believe Lex might be interested in it as well."

Bruce displayed an unusual expression of hesitation. No scientific researcher could resist such a stroke of inspiration, especially given Schiller's hint that this opportunity was not a one-time thing.

Suppressing his skepticism, Bruce grappled with the choice between gaining more technical knowledge and inspiration or continuing to follow his instincts, doubting everything, and pushing away all of Schiller's gifts. Bruce had to acknowledge that he was conflicted once again.

In previous instances, when Schiller had conjured up certain technologies seemingly out of thin air, Bruce had already begun to doubt him. However, he truly had no effective way to investigate. He could only hope that Schiller would tell him. Now, Schiller had made his attitude clear: if you wanted the truth, there would be no technology, and if you wanted technology, there would be no truth.

Bruce's grip on the model tightened as his internal struggle reached its peak. Just when he was about to make a choice, he heard Schiller's devilish whisper:

"I intentionally sent Lex away not because I believe he lacks the technical expertise to create the light bulb I want, but because I feel that, compared to him, I've known you longer, I understand you better, and we are closer. That's why I chose to entrust this to you."

"I know you've always distrusted me, or rather, you distrust everyone. Considering your childhood trauma, I can understand your attitude. But if I chose to distrust you as well, then Lex would be the one left here today."

"You should know that Lex is different from you and Clark. He's more like me. We both disregard laws and rules, unafraid to use extreme means to achieve our goals."

"So, one day, you two will inevitably clash. In theory, if I stand on his side, it would be the best retaliation against your distrusting attitude. But I don't want to do that."

"Why?" Bruce asked, his tone somewhat stiff.

"Because in this world, there is not just one goal, and I don't have to pursue them with maximum efficiency. People are called human beings because, in addition to rational calculations of interests, they also value emotions."

"Are you saying that your emotions compelled you to make this decision?" Bruce's voice held a hint of reluctance.

"If I were to judge this matter with innocent rational thinking, then giving this thing to Lex would probably be the better choice. It would create a rival for you, limiting your growth, and provide me with an ally who shares a similar stance, guarding against your potential interference with my plans one day."

"But I chose a different path, which is to entrust this to you, and I will explain why I made this choice."

Bruce realized that this office was still his place of nightmares because every time he was here, he faced such choices.

He would have preferred if Schiller hadn't made everything so clear, but now, Bruce knew that Schiller had chosen emotions over reason. In Bruce's eyes, this was not the right choice, but he was the beneficiary.

This dilemma left him in a mental quagmire. His brain, accustomed to rational thinking, told him that Schiller's actions were wrong, that his behavior and personality should not lead him to make such a decision. So, Bruce's mind began to analyze Schiller's motivations.

Schiller's words had made it clear to Bruce that his motivation was emotions. For a long time, the emotional part of Bruce's mind had been inactive, separated by a thick door. Alfred's presence was the key to the door, and his feelings for Catwoman had slightly turned the key, while Aisha and Dick had collided with the door, cracking it open a bit.

If others were trying to force the door open from the outside, what Schiller did was more like opening the door from the inside.

As Schiller watched Bruce's retreating figure, the model was faintly visible in the dark office. However, because it was merely a structural model, not a real Ark Reactor, it didn't emit light or provide any illumination.

But Schiller knew that, with Bruce's genius, lighting up the Ark Reactor wouldn't take long.

And this Ark Reactor, filled with countless conflicting thoughts, illuminated not just a street or a room but also something that had been lurking behind that closed door, peering out into the world.

If this bat insisted on lighting up in this dark city, Schiller didn't mind replacing his Bat-Signal with a brighter light bulb.

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 573: Lex's Gotham Journey (Part 1)