Chapter 770 Selling Matches Schiller (Part 2) (Patreon)

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Just a few days after the start of the semester at Gotham University's Vocational and Technical College, there was suddenly an influx of several special enrollments, sparking widespread discussion among the students.

When it came to Jason and Sliphead, people could understand; after all, they were both locals from Gotham, and having a few geniuses wasn't surprising.

Moreover, Sliphead's technical skills were well-known among the local gang leaders, and there were some urgent job openings that were willing to pay a high price to hire him. Many students in the college had crossed paths with him, forming a camaraderie despite his young age.

However, Mirror Master and Captain Cold seemed a bit out of place.

Apart from being outsiders, they came from the relatively peaceful Central City, and their personalities differed significantly from the people of Gotham.

Not to mention, as notorious villains, the fact that they didn't kill anyone, not to mention involving human lives, made them stand out. Learning that they wouldn't even harm animals, Schiller felt, given their moral standards, they deserved to be called "Angels of Humanity" with halos above their heads.

It wasn't just about sparing lives; they also held high moral standards. No public urination was allowed, and personal hygiene was a must. They couldn't afford to be sweaty, had to maintain good posture while sitting or standing, control their diet, stay physically fit, study diligently, and strive for self-improvement every day.

Especially for the older Captain Cold, whose life had been rough due to his father's villainous nature. Captain Cold's father was a complete villain, often resorting to violence against him. Unable to tolerate the abuse, Captain Cold had to leave home, leaving behind a younger brother and sister who also lived in such a hostile environment.

His life story resembled the growth of Bruce Banner in the Marvel world. Growing up in a violent environment, he initially resorted to violence in dealing with many problems. However, while in prison, he turned his life around, displaying remarkable talent and determination in the field of low-temperature studies.

As Victor mentioned, there were few people studying low-temperature physics, and even fewer possessed natural talent. After Captain Cold entered the Vocational and Technical College, Victor paid even more attention to that area, clearly seeing great potential in Captain Cold, believing he could become a kindred spirit in the industry.

With such a class leader, discipline in the class improved significantly. Captain Cold strongly disliked loud disruptions during class, even low-volume conversations had to be controlled.

Personal hygiene was also a non-issue. Captain Cold took on the responsibility of a class leader, including inspecting dormitory hygiene, organizing grade activities, notifying about the class schedule, and making announcements on campus radio.

Moreover, there was exchange between students of different age groups, enabling the broadening of horizons, gaining knowledge, and enhancing empathy.

In this way, everything at the Vocational and Technical College was on the right track. However, at this time, there were two people feeling somewhat uncomfortable. The first one was Bruce.

Under immense academic pressure, Bruce was forced by Schiller to spend every day studying in school.

During this period, Schiller, due to his busy schedule, had been living in the school. This caused inconvenience to many people, firstly the students of the college, as slacking off was no longer an option with Professor Schiller keeping a watchful eye.

The second was Bruce. Every paper submitted received a response within half an hour. Minor issues had to be fixed by himself, and major issues required a direct discussion in the office. Although Schiller only focused on academic matters, the correction of various details made Bruce feel overwhelmed.

Many who had written papers knew that it wasn't an issue of intelligence but rather a test of patience. These things didn't involve insurmountable difficulties in understanding but were extremely time-consuming, especially logic deduction, choice of words, sentence structure, and punctuation symbols.

If there were subjects where intelligence could compensate for time, psychology wasn't one of them.

In addition to theory, it required the analysis of real cases. Without actual cases, attention had to be paid to typical cases, and at this point, dealing with various symptoms drained a significant amount of patience.

Sometimes, Bruce felt that it might all be superstition, but Schiller always insisted that there must be real rules within it.

The writing of the paper was divided into several stages, and now, the two of them were in the stage of testing each other's patience and pushing the limits.

Until both sides completely exhausted their patience, the paper might pass. Unfortunately, in this aspect, Schiller always had extra patience.

Bruce believed that Professor Schiller was a just person, but only in the academic sense. His demands for academic rigor were meticulous, and because of Bruce's high talent, Schiller had exceptionally high expectations.

Some might think that Schiller was torturing Bruce, but in reality, they were tormenting each other, testing who had stronger endurance. This was the current situation for most postgraduates and their mentors.

The second person not feeling happy was Savage, as mentioned by Mirror Master.

When this name was brought up, it might sound unfamiliar to many DC fans. However, if you mentioned the Immortal, or the Barbarian, quite a few people should feel familiar.

Vandal Savage, born fifty thousand years ago as a Neanderthal, underwent physical changes due to radiation from a meteorite, making him more similar to modern humans.

At the same time, the radiation from the meteorite granted him the ability of immortality, enhancing his intelligence and physical abilities.

In the long river of history, he had many different identities, such as Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Jack the Ripper, and more. He had even joined the Nazi party and held a high position.

As a well-known villain, he had a grand ideal - to become the ruler of humanity. He believed that with his long life, he deserved a higher status, preferably above all humans.

Throughout his long life, he accumulated numerous wealth and collections. However, the only problem was that these things were challenging to convert into usable power.

Having wealth didn't necessarily mean being able to use it perfectly. Firstly, you needed a substantial influence to impact human society.

However, Savage was not a completely modern person. His understanding of modern society and the power of capital was insufficient. Therefore, his method of ruling over humans was still very traditional - hiring a bunch of people at a high price to cause chaos in various cities and spread his reputation.

He hired many ordinary humans, such as Mrs. Goth and Leon, by offering them some collections and cash. Simultaneously, he also employed people with special abilities, like Mirror Master and Captain Cold, and besides wealth, promised them power.

Like many other villains outside Gotham, he was power-oriented, aiming to rule over all humans. There was nothing too special about his ideology, and he wasn't overly crazy. Although the setting was strong, he didn't have a high-profile.

His only highlight was in the comics when he dispatched Mirror Master to steal Batman's plans to deal with members of the Justice League from the Batcave. Savage successfully defeated the Justice League with these plans, but ultimately, he was defeated by Batman, leading to Batman's withdrawal from the Justice League.

In a certain space, he successfully wiped out the Justice League, becoming the only human on Earth. However, he felt boundless loneliness, prompting Superman, who had crossed over, to return to the past and save the world. At that moment, Savage realized that the extreme development of power was not power; it was just loneliness.

Now, Savage felt uneasy because since he came to Gotham, for every investment, there was a corresponding loss. Leon, whom he valued, had connections with many celebrities on the West Coast, and he had developed several subordinates similar to Mrs. Goth. However, after entering Gotham, Leon disappeared within a few days.

Savage's investment in prohibited weapons produced by the Goth family also disappeared without a trace, and the entire Goth family shipyard was blown up.

He had worked hard to win over Mirror Master, who disappeared after just a few visits, losing contact since the last phone call. And his most trusted Captain Cold in Central City also vanished after just one visit.

This City of Darkness seemed like a lurking giant beast in the Abyss. Anyone leaping down from the cliff would never imagine that they would end up buried here forever.

Yes, Savage believed that all the people he sent in had died. He never considered the possibility of betrayal because he thought he had given them enough.

While Savage contemplated his next move, in Schiller's office, Mirror Master and Captain Cold exchanged glances. Captain Cold coughed and said, "Are you saying you want us to call Savage and have him send people to rescue us?"

"The plan is like that, but reality is different. I want to ask you a question, and I need an honest answer," Schiller said, looking at both of them. They nodded.

"What do you think of this place?"

Both remained silent for a moment. Captain Cold spoke first, "Actually, I've always admired school, so my evaluation might not be entirely objective."

"For me, this city is simply terrible - harsh weather, poor security, violent citizens. But, I really like this school."

"Yes, the students here are daring, crazy, and violent, but undeniable, they are the most vibrant people I've ever seen. It's as if they never get tired, and they have a natural talent for learning. When I'm with them, I feel like I'm getting younger."

Mirror Master remained silent for a while, sighed, and said, "I also think this place is awful, but I have to acknowledge that the teachers here are competent, and the requirements are much stricter than the professors at the university I attended."

"I don't know if you have friends in your hometown who have had similar experiences, but if you do, you can take this opportunity to bring them here for education," Schiller said, tapping the desk lightly with the pen. "I believe you've noticed; we are in dire need of outstanding students here."

"As a teacher, I deeply understand that family education and societal education play a significant role in a person's growth. Many people go astray not because they are inherently bad, but because they lack education."

"This society is not willing to give these people a second chance, or perhaps, the long-standing notion makes them believe that they don't have a second chance. But in reality, it's not like that."

Schiller turned his head and looked out of the window. The dusk of Gotham remained as splendid as ever. He said, "Correct, this is a City of Sin, but only here, those who were once thought to have no chance have an opportunity to return to normalcy because everyone here is a sinner."

"Some call this place a landfill. Many people say that garbage is just resources placed in the wrong location. The true meaning of this saying is that too many people call narrow-minded things they don't need 'garbage.'"

Mirror Master and Captain Cold saw Schiller sitting on the windowsill, against the light, turning into a silhouette in the sunset. His low voice echoed in the room:

"Perhaps Gotham will never have light, but it doesn't matter. If this place is destined to be the darkest shadow in the world, it will still gather into a rising black sun."

"Even with no radiance, it can still illuminate everything."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 771: Bruce? Not Really Familiar! (Part 1)