Chapter 753: Life and Death Speed of Batman (Part 1) (Patreon)

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In the hospital room, Alfred coughed twice and asked, "Who is it? Why do I seem to hear Professor Schiller's voice?"

"No, it's not," Bruce instinctively denied, and Alfred took a couple of breaths, drank some water, and then said, "It's been a long time since I talked on the phone with Professor. I don't know how he's been lately..."

"He's been doing well lately," Bruce turned around, adjusted Alfred's hospital bed, refilled his water cup, and said, "I'm sorry, Alfred, but I'm afraid I can't stay here to take care of you tonight. I'll come back to see you tomorrow morning."

"Go ahead, Master Bruce. Dick and Aisha still need you... By the way, you should be in your fourth year of college this year, right? I heard that Gotham University selects outstanding graduates, and back in the day, Master Thomas was an outstanding graduate. I think he wouldn't mind adding another accolade to the Wayne Family's honor wall."

Bruce cleared his throat and said, "...I will."

After saying that, he left without looking back. After Bruce left, Alfred smiled and muttered softly, "Forethought prevents trouble, and if one always has immediate concerns, perhaps, they won't indulge in idle thoughts."

Bruce didn't hear Alfred's words as he left, but he was now acutely aware that certain long-standing conflicts accumulated over a long period were about to ignite. And this time, the explosion it would cause, while perhaps not destroying Gotham City, would certainly make him stumble.

Looking back on Bruce's three years of study, his learning style couldn't be described as diligent; it could only be said that he studied sporadically, with three days of fishing and two days of drying the nets. His academic performance wasn't particularly outstanding; it relied mainly on his family name. If he weren't a Wayne, he would have been expelled long ago.

On the way back to the city, Bruce thought about it. He had sufficient reasons to explain all of this.

After all, Batman had only 24 hours in a day. Firstly, he needed 4-5 hours of sleep each day to ensure basic energy, leaving about 20 hours a day.

Batman's crime-fighting activities took up 7-8 hours a day, leaving him with a dozen or so hours for studying.

But don't forget, Batman had developed all of his equipment himself. In addition to hardware like the Batmobile and the Bat combat suit, he also had to develop medical technology and research drugs. This left him with only about 5-6 hours a day.

In those 5-6 hours, subtracting the time needed for meals, he only had about half an hour to spare for studying. That was already considered quite generous.

He indeed had valid reasons to explain why his grades weren't that great and why he consistently missed assignments. However, whether the person he needed to explain to would be willing to listen was another matter entirely.

Batman never felt the need to explain anything to anyone unless he could defeat the other party.

Bruce knew he had a plan to deal with Schiller, but he couldn't activate the plan just because of missing assignments. Regardless of whether he was right or not, if Alfred found out he didn't turn in his assignments and attempted to attack the teacher, he'd be in serious trouble.

Since he couldn't avoid the assignments he owed, he had to try to complete them.

On the road back to the city, Bruce held the steering wheel, feeling the gusty night wind of Gotham brushing against his ears. He could clearly feel his palms sweating as he gripped the wheel, and as the speed increased, it blurred his vision.

However, Gotham was always like this. When you put all your effort into something, there would always be unexpected obstacles that would ruin all your plans and preparations.

With a screech of brakes, Bruce's body lurched forward, then back into the seat as he collided with it. Before he could react, the driver in front shouted.

"You idiot! Do you have no eyes? Get out of the way!"

After saying that, the large truck in front of him sped away, but Bruce suddenly felt that his car had been rear-ended.

He unbuckled his seatbelt, got out of the car, and found that the damage wasn't severe, but there was a dent in the back of his car.

The car that rear-ended him was also quite expensive, and the person who got out of the car was someone Bruce had just seen.

"Oh my God, Mr. Wayne, what are you doing here?" Mrs. Goth adjusted her shawl and walked to the back of Bruce's car, covering her mouth in astonishment. "My God, I'm so sorry! Leon! Leon! Come here quickly, you've damaged Mr. Wayne's car!"

The overweight Leon, who was in the driver's seat, got out of the car and wiped the sweat from his forehead, apologizing to Bruce with a nervous tone.

Bruce furrowed his brows for a moment, but then his expression turned irritable. He said, "What are you people doing? This is a new car! And there are no spare parts for this car anywhere in Gotham. I'll have to send it elsewhere for repairs!"

"We're really sorry, Mr. Wayne. We'll cover all the expenses," Mrs. Goth said as she called her daughter over. "We just witnessed a murder at the theater troupe, and we're still in shock. Leon might have been frightened, so he didn't pay attention to the road. Please forgive him. We'll compensate you."

"But I'm in a hurry now. You've damaged my car like this, how am I supposed to drive it? It's going to be a laughingstock," Bruce complained.

Leon checked his own car, which had no visible damage due to its model and bumper design. So he said, "I'm really sorry, Mr. Wayne. Please ride in our car, and we'll take you to your destination."

"As for this car, we'll call the best towing company to have it repaired, and we'll cover all the expenses," Mrs. Goth added.

Bruce frowned briefly but then put on an irritable expression. He glanced at Mrs. Goth, who understood his meaning. She explained, "Leon is my distant cousin from Los Angeles. He came to Gotham this time to choose an actress for a new investment in a movie..."

"I won't hide it from you; our visit to the theater troupe's backstage was also to search for a suitable actress who could potentially develop a career in Hollywood. But who could have known that such a thing would happen..." Mrs. Goth displayed a sadly expression and then pointed to the car door, saying, "Mr. Wayne, please get in."

Bruce took the passenger seat, and as the car started moving, he pretended to show interest and asked, "You came to Gotham to find an actress? What's your plan?"

Leon smiled and took out a box of cigars from the car, handing one to Bruce. Bruce accepted it skillfully, lit it, and took a puff before saying, "Well, you're correct. There are certainly many beauties here."

"Mr. Wayne, your reputation precedes you," the chubby Leon chuckled. "Hollywood may not lack beautiful women, but it's in dire need of a generous investor like you. If you're willing to invest in Hollywood, those actresses will surely be more than happy to be around you."

Bruce exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "I do have some interest in movies. Tell me more about investing in films."

Leon wore a knowing smile. He understood that certain matters couldn't be discussed openly, and sometimes, not firmly declining indicated three words - "talk in private."

"Yes, Mr. Wayne, I have a film project on hand that lacks an investor. Of course, if you invest, you can specify the leading actress, and if your companion has an interest in movies, she can also participate..." Leon suggested.

"Her?" Bruce smirked. "She can't act in movies. Forget it, I'm almost there. We can discuss this another time."

"This is my business card," Leon immediately handed over his card and said, "If you're interested, please give me a call anytime."

Bruce raised an eyebrow, took the card, and put it in his pocket. Then, he pushed open the car door and walked into Wayne Manor.

After returning to Wayne Manor, Bruce immediately went to the basement and opened the receiver for the listening device. From the speaker of the receiver, he heard the conversation between Mrs. Goth and Leon.

"...He didn't take the bait, but that's normal. Young Wayne may be a playboy, but he's not foolish. It's impossible to gain his trust in just one or two encounters," Leon's voice lost its earlier apprehension and sounded somewhat sinister.

"Did we come off as too eager? Perhaps mentioning the film again during the second or third meeting would be better?" Mrs. Goth's voice chimed in.

Listening to this, Bruce initially thought they were just simple scammers. However, Leon's words quickly made him understand that they probably had other intentions.

"Originally, I had high hopes for Vicky, but I didn't expect that after just two encounters, she couldn't hold her excitement and let the theater troupe's owner know about her intention to go to Hollywood."

"It's unfortunate. The theater troupe's owner is a lunatic. He directly killed her. But with Vicky's talent, she could have brought in many celebrities for our great king."

Upon hearing the term 'great king,' Bruce furrowed his brow. But soon after, he heard Leon speak again:

"If we can get Wayne involved, we won't have to worry about funds. What's more important is that Wayne Family's influence can make Gotham City our stronghold on the East Coast."

"But the Goth family..." Mrs. Goth sounded somewhat anxious.

"Yes, the great king won't forget your contributions. But with the Wayne Family on our side, we'll have added strength. Once our mission to rule humanity is accomplished, you will receive your rewards."

Mrs. Goth fell silent, and Bruce didn't hear Leon say anything more. Standing in front of the receiver, he realized that this group of people likely had bigger secrets hidden behind them.

While Bruce was contemplating, he instinctively glanced at the clock on the wall. Then, he realized it was already 9:20 in the evening, and he had to submit his overdue 50,000-word paper by 9:30 the next morning.

Bruce rushed upstairs like a bolt of lightning and stood in the hallway, waiting for Dick. He nearly got blown over by the gust of wind as he approached. He caught up with Dick and asked, "Mr. Wayne, are you going to tell Aisha a bedtime story tonight? If so, I won't..."

"No, Dick, no bedtime stories tonight. I have urgent matters to attend to. If you're tired, you can go to sleep," Bruce told Dick without looking back. Dick wore a puzzled expression, not understanding what was happening with Bruce.

Just as he was about to go upstairs, he almost collided with Bruce, who was carrying a pile of materials. Dick gave Bruce a questioning look and walked upstairs, turning his head back and forth in confusion.

In Aisha's room, Selena was trying to put Aisha to sleep. When she saw Dick approaching, she waved him away, saying, "I'll leave her to you. I'm going to check on Bruce; he seems a bit off lately."

Dick picked up Aisha and Selena went downstairs. After looking around in the hallway, she turned and headed for the library.

Entering the library quietly, Selena indeed found Bruce deeply engrossed in writing behind a stack of materials. She smiled and approached him, saying, "Are you okay, dear? Do you want to take a break and go for a walk?"

As she spoke, she dangled the car keys' keychain in front of Bruce, who didn't even look up and said, "The car is in the garage. When you come back, remember to park it properly."

Selena widened her eyes and looked Bruce up and down, then said, "What did you say? Are you suggesting that I go alone?"

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 754: Life and Death in a Blink of an Eye - Batman (Part 1)