Chapter 774: Deadly Joke (Part 1) (Patreon)

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After hanging up the telephone, Batman stood still, not knowing what nonsense Schiller was talking about.

He glanced at the Pied Piper, who he had thrown into the prison, thought for a moment, and decided to deal with the paper first.

In the past few days, Schiller's relentless pressure had forced him to develop good study habits. At least he could manage to finish today's tasks on the same day, including the paper due.

Bruce returned to school and spent the afternoon in the library, correcting all the errors in the previous paper. Simultaneously, he reorganized the logical chain, removing irrelevant parts that were not related to the main theme. This time, he was confident that he could pass on the first attempt.

So, by early evening, Bruce arrived at the office building. Just as he was about to knock on the door, the office door opened.

Schiller was carrying a stack of materials and, upon seeing Bruce, displayed a surprised expression. He quickly looked Bruce up and down, then shifted his gaze to the content of the paper in Bruce's hands.

Before Bruce could speak, Schiller said, "Put it on my desk. I'll look at it tomorrow morning."

As he spoke, he was about to leave, but Bruce stopped him, saying, "Professor, do you have a moment? I have a few questions..."

"If you have questions, consult the books," Schiller said without turning back. "Did you finish reading the Jungian theory I asked you to look at before? If not, finish it quickly. Without understanding the basic theory, where do all these questions come from?"

Having said that, he quickly walked away, leaving Bruce alone. The windows at both ends of the corridor were open, and when the cold wind blew through, Bruce felt what it meant to be bone-chilling.

People are strange creatures. When someone pays a lot of attention to you, you feel immense pressure and annoyance. Yet, if that attention suddenly disappears, you'll wonder what happened.

However, this sudden attention is unnecessary. In the process of being observed, people tame themselves, adapting to this rhythm. When this unnecessary attention disappears, a sense of loss is felt.

Bruce found it difficult to describe his current mood. He should have felt happy to finally be free from the terrible academic pressure. Yet now, holding this paper, he didn't know where to go or what to do.

Bruce didn't know if he had ever felt self-satisfied with Schiller's special treatment. After all, he knew that Schiller was giving him such great pressure because Schiller knew he had the ability to achieve remarkable results. This professor affirmed his talent, thinking he was different from other students.

When a person is recognized by top experts in a specific field, an illusion is born. They feel they must have a unique talent in that field, so they are treated differently.

But in a macro view, the other person may only choose them because there are no better options.

Schiller didn't necessarily want to focus on Batman just because he was the main character in a comic. It was just that, given the conditions of Gotham, he didn't have better options.

Regardless of whether Bruce had a talent for psychology, at least his intelligence and understanding ability were evident. The upper limit was unknown, but the lower limit was undoubtedly high, making him of great value in any field.

However, circumstances change. A person cannot be seventeen forever, but there will always be someone who is seventeen. Bruce is now twenty years old, but Jason is only eleven.

Currently, Jason's mental state is much healthier than Bruce's. Although both of them are orphans, Jason doesn't have as many extreme emotions.

Perhaps it's because, when the problem is as basic as having enough food to eat, philosophical reflections on guilt, life, revenge, and the law have to take a back seat.

People only contemplate life and generate many unnecessary emotions when they have a lot of free time. Jason, struggling in the lower echelons of Gotham, is busy with survival every day. Paradoxically, this has given him a more stable mental state and a more coherent logic.

If a person's own mental state is unstable, they cannot effectively treat others. If you can't actively accept others' emotions, you cannot grasp the key to comforting them. You must be calmer than the patient to calm them down.

The reason Schiller continuously demands Bruce to improve his academic level is that, from Batman's mental state, even if he can study psychology, he can only specialize in theory. He cannot truly face patients because he is also a patient.

Moreover, Batman has a disadvantage in language output. His personality dictates that he won't explain too much to others and won't express the emotions he receives. This makes it impossible for him to accumulate experience in practice.

However, Jason has an extra talent in this regard.

He can quickly sense others' emotions, express what he feels through language, and not become too involved in the process, avoiding a mental breakdown.

Just now, Schiller discovered that Jason also has a strong memory. Although Jason said he didn't like books before, Schiller thought he wasn't an input personality. Now it seems that he may just not have found something that interests him. Compared to the sciences, he prefers the humanities.

And he's younger, at the age of absorbing knowledge and understanding the world, with a more malleable personality, and easier to communicate with.

Schiller prefers to interact with people who express themselves more straightforwardly. In daily interactions, the Riddler should just roll out of Gotham with his roundabout ways.

After drawing the card of Jason, Schiller decisively assigned Batman to be the warehouse keeper. After all, university professors don't necessarily have to chase after a particular student for studying. Let Batman return to a self-disciplined and free life.

And so, at a speed that left Bruce bewildered, Schiller disappeared from Bruce's world. The suddenness of this freedom left Bruce unsure of what to do.

Standing at the entrance of Gotham University's campus, enduring three minutes of cold wind, Bruce realized that he should go home and see Alfred, who he hadn't seen for several days.

However, after returning to Wayne Manor, Bruce didn't find Alfred. The vast Wayne Manor was empty, without Alfred, without Dick, and without Aisha.

Bruce had to acknowledge that when he saw this scene, his heart skipped a beat.

But in less than two minutes, Alfred returned. Seeing Bruce, Alfred smiled and said, "Master Bruce, you're back?"

"Yes, Alfred. Where were you?" Bruce asked.

Alfred took off his gloves, hung his scarf on the rack, then turned and said, "Did you forget? I called you before about discussing Aisha going to kindergarten, but you were busy at that time."

"The two kindergartens in the south district have limited slots. To catch up with the start of this year, she must attend the adaptation class in advance. I was afraid she wouldn't be able to register this year, so I sent her to the kindergarten's adaptation class early. Today is already the fourth day of school."

Bruce was somewhat absent-minded, saying, "Oh, she's going to kindergarten. How is she adapting? Does she want to come back?"

Alfred smiled happily and said, "Miss Aisha's social skills are stronger than I thought. Although she doesn't speak much yet, she plays happily with the other children and enjoys dancing with the teacher..."

"Doesn't she need someone to tell her stories?" Bruce asked.

"The first two days, Dick told her stories. However, later, Miss Aisha was tired from playing at the kindergarten, came home and fell asleep, slept through the night. She also focused more on eating than usual. Master Bruce, Aisha has really improved a lot."

Bruce fell silent for a while, then asked, "And Dick?"

"Dick joined the new school's choir and was recommended to the dance club by the choir teacher because of his good flexibility. Now they are rehearsing a ballet. Dick plays the male lead..."

"Oh, by the way, Alfred, how is your health?" Bruce looked at Alfred with concern. Alfred shook his head and said, "Just a frequent cold, long gone, no need to worry."

Bruce nodded and said, "Everything is fine, right?"

Although his tone was affirmative, there was still an inexplicable emotion. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he said, "And Selena? Has she visited recently?"

Alfred shook his head and said, "Miss Selena hasn't been here for a week, but she called twice."

"What did she say?" Bruce asked.

"She asked if you have time to visit her. But you've been busy for the past week..."

As soon as Alfred finished speaking, Bruce turned and left. He quickly walked to the car and drove to Selena's house.

Selena has always lived in a relatively well-conditioned apartment in the East District. Although it's a bit run-down, it's much better than other places. When Bruce entered the corridor, he saw that Selena's door was open, and light was coming from inside.

Bruce frowned and walked over. Just as he was about to approach the door, there was a "bang," and a bottle was thrown out, hitting the opposite wall.

Bruce hesitated for a moment, took a step forward, and another "bang." Several magazines were thrown out.

Bruce walked to the doorway, peeked inside, and saw Selena tidying up the room. A bunch of messy garbage was thrown out. Upon closer inspection, she seemed not to be cleaning but packing her bags.

Hearing the sound, Selena glanced back at Bruce and said, "You're here?"

Bruce nodded, scrutinizing her, and asked, "Did you want to see me?"

"No, not now." Selena swiftly stuffed a stack of clothes into the suitcase, then said, "Anyway, you're not available."

"I was busy recently, but I have time now. Where are you going?" Bruce asked.

Selena opened her mouth, took a deep breath in place, then stood up, supporting her knees, and looked down at her suitcase, saying:

"I'm going to Hollywood."

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