In a small bar on the edge of Gotham City's southern wealthy district, Schiller squeezed a little lemon juice into his gin. He raised his glass and said to Gordon, "Congratulations, Detective, at least now you can act according to your own will."
Bruce, sitting across the round table, also raised his glass. Harvey, after picking up his glass, said, "It is indeed worth celebrating. You are the most upright Police I have ever seen."
The four clinked their glasses. Gordon took a sip of his drink, his face a little red, whether from excitement or the alcohol. He said, "The more this happens, the more I realize how far I still have to go."
Bruce said, "Progress is always good."
Schiller smiled, covering his mouth with his glass, then said, "Is that so? It seems our recent innocent little boy has made great progress?"
Bruce put down his glass and said, "I remember Professor, you once said that you had no advice on my personal emotional life."
"But I also reminded you to be careful with your kidneys. I meant to protect your kidneys, not just to keep them from being stabbed. The scenery on Trick Street is indeed good, and the neon lights there are famous all along the East Coast…"
Gordon's gaze shifted between the two of them, then he raised an eyebrow and said, "What riddles are you two speaking?"
"Nothing, I just advise you to mind your own business less in the future. Some people are very confident in their kidney function."
Gordon understood immediately. He said, "It seems Bruce's emotional life has been quite rich lately."
Schiller put down his glass and said with a smile, "Quite the opposite."
Harvey knew some inside information. He nudged Bruce with his arm and said, "It seems you and that girl you mentioned are progressing quickly. How is it? Have you two made it official?"
Gordon immediately perked up his ears. Bruce rubbed his Sun temple, looking at the three men's expressions, eager for gossip. He said, "Don't be like that, don't be like that. What does this have to do with anything? That's my private matter. The theme of our gathering today is to celebrate Gordon's promotion."
"I don't think the position of team leader in the Gotham Police Department is as worthy of celebration as our World's richest man getting a new girlfriend," Gordon said.
"That's still a bit exaggerated, after all, the World's richest man has too many girlfriends," Schiller said.
"But a Police Department team leader is as useless as a regular Police officer," Gordon self-deprecatingly remarked.
Bruce was exasperated by them. He said, "Alright, I admit it, it's like this, I've fallen for a girl… No, not that kind of liking, not because of her pretty face and figure… Oh, she's certainly very pretty, and her figure is great, but it's not…"
Gordon and Harvey both had expressions that said 'you don't need to explain'. Harvey even said, "At your age, whenever I liked any girl, I felt it wasn't because of their appearance, but now I know that's nonsense. Every man in the World who says that is talking nonsense."
Gordon tugged at his tie. He said, "Could it be that there's really a girl who made Bruce fall truly in love? Then I'd really like to see who she is."
Bruce said, "She's actually not special, just a girl from the slums, like all ordinary girls, she likes shiny gems and jewelry, and her dream is to have a castle filled with gems."
"Do you prefer castles in Germany or France?" Schiller asked. "I think Neuschwanstein Castle is quite good. How about buying it?"
Bruce, unable to bear it, flicked his glass. He said, "I'm not trying to pick her up! I'm serious, don't look at me like that. I admit I was a bit… well, not just a bit… but I really plan to get married to her…"
"You're not facing her now, you don't need to say such pretty words."
Schiller quickly interrupted Bruce's flag. Is this something anyone can say?
But actually, it doesn't matter much. After all, Batman is the protagonist, and when the protagonist says this, it shouldn't be a big deal.
Bruce took a sip of his drink, unusually excited. He said, "We have indeed made it official, and we've been on dates for several consecutive nights. She gave me a very beautiful gem."
"What about you? Didn't you give her anything?" Harvey asked.
Bruce said, "I'm still thinking."
"That's a bit rude," Harvey said. "Are you looking down on her slum background? But with all due respect, not everyone is as lucky as you. I think at least for you, class cannot hinder love…"
"Of course, I don't think that."
"The problem is, if you don't quickly give her a gift to show your sincerity, she might think that," Schiller said. "Any girl from the slums dating the World's richest man probably wouldn't feel very confident."
"Alright," Bruce said. "What do you think I should give her? I've been thinking for a long time and can't come up with anything."
Harvey didn't know Catwoman's true identity because he didn't know Bruce was Batman, let alone their story.
But Schiller knew all about it.
Schiller said, "How about a pearl necklace?"
Bruce tightened his grip on the wine glass. He took a sip and said, "I have to admit, I don't really like pearl necklaces, but if she likes them, I will definitely get her the best one."
After the party, Schiller returned to his apartment to clean up and get rid of the smell of alcohol.
Schiller's shuttling between DC Comics and Marvel was not without reason. After coming to DC Comics, on one hand, he wanted to let Marvel's plot progress on its own, and on the other hand, he needed to resolve matters here on time.
He was a relatively cautious person, hoping to see all matters through to the end. Although the old principal not going to prison was somewhat unexpected, his original purpose in returning was to clear up the loose ends left by the previous Jonathan case.
The old principal was now Batman's target, and Schiller temporarily didn't plan to intervene. But there was another person, and that was the missing Director Victor.
Schiller knew that Sal Maroni had likely kidnapped him. Although that was the case, Maroni might not kill him. A former Director of the Gotham Police Department could provide a lot of useful information. Given Maroni's huge losses, he wouldn't let Victor die easily, unless he could recoup his losses.
But Schiller had to kill Victor.
In the early stages of the Jonathan case, his abilities were insufficient. When stealing the Fear Toxin, he only used the simplest method, which was breaking and entering. But at that time, he couldn't do it completely without a trace. Although he eliminated 99% of the traces, he still had to eliminate the remaining 1% chance of being discovered.
Victor, in order to overturn Jonathan's case, had entered the evidence room more than once. This old Police officer was the only one who could potentially expose Schiller's theft of the Fear Toxin.
It's important to know that after Jonathan went to the asylum, the most traditional version of the concentrated Fear Toxin was already out of print. But due to Maroni's massive losses, many people in the gangs had their eyes on this weapon. Once someone exposed who stole the Fear Toxin, those gangs would swarm like sharks smelling blood.
Schiller had planned to visit Maroni, but before that, an unexpected person came looking for him.
Schiller followed a man in black into a car. A man in a suit sitting in front said, "Professor Schiller, you don't have to be afraid. The Godfather invited you because he needs your help."
The extended luxury car quickly arrived at a manor not far from the South District. Schiller followed the guide inside. The manor's decor was very old-fashioned. After entering, he went up to the third floor. The guide knocked on the door, and a deep voice from inside said, "Come in."
Schiller walked in and saw a tall man, or rather, an old man. His hair was silver-gray, and he was dressed in a very proper suit, wearing a bow tie, with a red poppy pinned to his chest pocket. He had an intimidating aura without needing to show anger.
He fumbled with the ring on his hand and said to Schiller, "Professor Rodriguez, I apologize for disturbing you. I invited you here because I need your help."
"I am honored to serve you, Falcone."
Schiller walked over and stood a table's distance from Falcone. Behind him was a floor-to-ceiling window, with two bodyguards in black standing on either side.
Falcone said nothing. He nodded, then directly stated his request: "I have a son. He's not young this year. My family and business need him to inherit them. I hope to hire you as his private tutor."
Before Schiller could ask a question, Falcone said, "His previous private tutor was shot three times in the chest and couldn't be saved. I heard that you can even make Bruce Wayne submit his homework on time, so you should be a good teacher candidate."
"Of course, I'm not threatening you. I know you stirred up a little trouble in Metropolis. Some people followed the scent and found their way here, but now they should all be in the gutter."
"This is my sincerity, how about it?"
Schiller looked at Falcone. He was more like DC Comics' early portrayal of this gang leader. Falcone's inspiration came from Corleone in The Godfather, the character portrayed by Marlon White.
Now, compared to the image of Falcone shown in movies and TV series, wearing a jacket and strange sunglasses, this old man indeed looked more like the family Godfather who ruled Gotham's vast gang forces.
"Alright, but I have one more request."
"The former Director of the Gotham Police Department is missing…" Schiller said.
"You want to find him?"
"No, I want to kill him."
Falcone sat down. He took a cigar handed to him by someone nearby, took a puff, exhaled smoke, and slowly said, "Victor… I know him, a cunning old swindler. What grudge do you have with him?"
"I think, in Gotham, you don't need to have a grudge to kill someone."
Falcone smiled, holding the cigar. He said, "It seems you will indeed be a good teacher."
Falcone in this work refers to the early DC Comics setting, which can be understood as the Corleone Godfather of Gotham City. Just imagine Marlon White's image; after all, he was drawn based on The Godfather from the start.
