Chapter 59: First Encounter with Freeze (Patreon)

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The new headmaster, Seldon, was a man of considerable ability and experience, with an extensive network of contacts. However, there was one glaring issue – his luck was undeniably poor.

No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say it was exceptionally poor.

Out of the six professor nominations put forth by his friends, one happened to be none other than Victor Freeze, one of Gotham's infamous villains.

After reviewing their profiles, Seldon decided to hire three of them, including Victor Freeze.

Upon sending out the invitations, only one professor accepted the offer from Gotham University, and that happened to be Victor Freeze.

Gotham University had been experiencing a string of unfortunate events, first with supernatural creatures and then with notorious criminals like Scarecrow and now, Victor Freeze.

It seemed Victor was in dire need of this job, as barely a day had passed since the invitations were sent out when Victor arrived at Gotham University. His haste suggested that he might not have had any other options on the table.

Nevertheless, just like Scarecrow, the current Victor was nothing more than an ordinary ScholarProfessor.

In reality, Schiller knew that even the later version of Freeze was one of the milder antagonists in Gotham. He often preferred freezing Batman and engaging in philosophical and artistic discussions rather than pursuing a relentless vendetta against Gotham or Batman. Most of his obsession and madness stemmed from his love for his wife rather than a burning desire to confront Gotham or its caped crusader.

Schiller couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance between Victor and himself. They were both quintessential scholars - Victor had a commanding presence, wore glasses, and maintained impeccable attire. Despite a hint of weariness in his demeanor, he appeared to be a scholar brimming with knowledge.

Each professor had their independent office, but there was also a communal office where they could gather and chat. With Jonathan gone, his former spot in the communal office had become vacant, and Victor took it, conveniently sitting next to Schiller.

During their initial conversation, Schiller noticed that Victor's gaze was fixated on the ring on Schiller's ring finger.

After a moment, Victor finally broached the topic of family and asked, "It seems you're married. Is your wife here in Gotham?"

In Western culture, discussing someone's marital status during a first encounter was considered impolite and intrusive, invading their privacy.

It was evident that Victor was not in the best mental state; he appeared anxious and in search of validation.

Schiller hesitated upon hearing the question, unsure of how to respond. He certainly couldn't reveal that he had a symbiote from watching too much television, could he?

Victor interpreted Schiller's silence differently. People, especially when feeling insecure and anxious, often sought out others who shared similar experiences, hoping to find comfort in their shared hardships.

Victor, with his remarkable background, assumed that Schiller might have a tragic love story to share, much like the thrilling detective stories he admired.

With this shared sense of being "stranded souls," Victor and Schiller quickly bonded.

As their interactions continued, Schiller discovered numerous common interests with Victor. Victor was most passionate about ancient philosophy, modern art, and religious art. Schiller, too, shared a love for theology and philosophy, and they found themselves engaged in lengthy conversations on these topics during their free time.

Schiller never anticipated that his first close friend after arriving in this world would be the future supervillain, Freeze.

However, it had to be acknowledged that the pre-villain version of Mr. Freeze was genuinely charismatic. He was eloquent, empathetic, and had a knack for offering insightful perspectives on various subjects. Conversations with him often reminded Schiller of debates he had engaged in with experts in his previous life, sparking numerous intellectual fireworks.

This mild-mannered antagonist had earned the respect of the entire office, a testament to his charm.

As Schiller delved deeper into their discussions, he learned about Victor's current situation. Victor had used cryogenic technology to preserve his wife, but this method was costly and required specific facilities.

The research institute that initially supported him had cut funding, refusing to provide the necessary resources. Therefore, Victor had hurriedly accepted the position at Gotham University. Aside from the attractive salary, Gotham University boasted a cryogenic laboratory funded by the Wayne family, allowing him to maintain his wife in a frozen state, preventing her condition from worsening.

Considering Victor's story and his pioneering approach to dealing with incurable diseases, his actions might appear unconventional, but in this era, many proposed the concept of cryogenic preservation for individuals with untreatable illnesses, with the hope that medical advancements would eventually provide a cure.

Victor was simply ahead of his time.

Schiller believed that Victor Freeze, in his current state, was a reliable ally. Compared to the still-developing Batman, Freeze, armed with cutting-edge cryogenic technology and a wealth of knowledge, appeared more dependable.

To rid themselves of the trouble that Freeze might pose in the future, they would first need to address the degenerative disease afflicting his wife.

Schiller accompanied Victor to visit the cryogenic chamber where his wife was preserved. Mrs. Freeze was an ordinary Caucasian woman, not particularly striking in appearance, but Victor's gaze was always filled with love when he looked at her.

In Schiller's mind, he asked the symbiote, "Is there a solution?"

The symbiote responded, "Neurodegeneration is a complex problem. It's challenging."

Victor gazed at the cryogenic chamber and said, "My wife's neurodegenerative disease is nearly untreatable. Her nerve cells are dying rapidly. I could only preserve her; there's no way to reverse it. Even if we could somehow slow the cell death, immune inflammation would still damage her brain."

Victor knelt down, his tone conveying a profound sense of despair. Perhaps he recognized that preserving his wife in the hope of a future solution was a form of self-deception.

Schillerfrowning was deep in thought. He thought, while Victor might be considered one of Gotham's notorious villains and indeed a top-notch Cryogenic Scientist in the world, professional matters should be left to professionals. For instance, someone more top-tier like a neurosurgeon.

The next day, Schiller returned to Marvel's New York.

When Strange saw Schiller in his home, he nonchalantly tossed his just-removed coat onto the nearby entranceway and exclaimed, "Good Lord, you strut into my home like this!"

"I haven't settled the score with you yet. You sold my information to some institution."

"They asked me, I had no choice."

During their intense gaze exchange, Strange reluctantly conceded, saying, "Alright, but don't expect me to act like a well-trained agent, keeping everything under wraps. Besides, you were the one who threatened me first."

"Let's not dwell on that. I have a way for us to make a fortune. Interested?"

Strange skeptically inquired, "A way to make a fortune? If there were such a way, would you even come to me? I heard you charged Stark one million dollars per hour for your services, and he actually agreed!"

"When I heard that, I wished I had gone back to university to study psychology!"

"Now, there's a lady suffering from a severe neurodegenerative disease, and her husband may possess a one-of-a-kind low-temperature patent technology. You know, the kind of technology that could fund a lifetime on patent fees alone."

"If you can cure this lady's ailment, we can share that patent."

Strange sighed and said, "Let me reiterate, I am a doctor, not a god."

"Do you think you can't treat this disease?"

"But first, shouldn't you let me meet the patient instead of acting as a middleman?"

"For certain reasons, you might not be able to meet her, but I have all her pathology materials right here."

With that, Schiller conjured a stack of papers out of thin air. Strange took them, glanced briefly, and shook his head, saying, "It's impossible, no cure, give it up."

Just as Schiller was about to speak, Strange added, "This is no longer a matter of neuroscience. If you want her to fully recover, the difficulty is akin to turning a fully cooked piece of bacon back into a pig."

He then assessed Schiller up and down, finally focusing on the ring on his ring finger and said, "Well, my choice of words was a bit extreme earlier. Otherwise, you can try finding someone else, although I doubt there's a better neurosurgeon in the world than me."

"What if you collaborate with Stark?"

Strange was about to refuse, but after a moment's thought, he said, "Stark may have some expertise in mechanics, but applying his technology to neurosurgery would require extensive research and modifications. If you can convince him to invest the effort into researching this technology, I might give it a try. But you'd better be prepared to offer a satisfying fee."

Before Strange could finish speaking, Schiller had already vanished. Remembering the ring he had seen on Schiller's hand and his attitude, Strange evidently misunderstood something. He sighed and muttered to himself, "Love... can be so foolish."

Suddenly appearing behind Stark, Schiller startled him and then exclaimed loudly, "I know you have this magical teleportation! But that's not a reason to walk up 30-plus floors of a high-rise building without using an elevator! Aren't you afraid of getting stuck in a wall?"

Schiller retorted, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could magic teleportation possibly get stuck in a wall? That's absurd."

"I hope I don't get a call from a maintenance worker someday, telling me there's a human-shaped hole in one of the walls of Stark Tower."

"Alright, I came to you for a reason."

Schiller then pulled out that stack of materials once again.

Ten minutes later, Stark said, "Actually, you've come to the right person. I've done some research on neurology."

Holding a pen, he circled the table as he continued, "You know, I obtained a significant amount of biomechanical materials from Obadiah's database last time, including some technology related to adapting the nervous system for mechanical control."

"While these technologies are highly dangerous, it cannot be denied that if successful, they would allow for an unprecedented level of precision in controlling Mech armor through the human body."

"So, can you do it?"

"No, not yet. Obadiah's research on this technology also hit a bottleneck, and there's a crucial technological threshold that needs to be overcome. We currently have no clue."

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 60: Early Winter Routine (Part 1)