Pride and Prejudice (Part 1)

Compared to Schiller, Jonathan looked like a much better person. He was thin with long limbs, had messy curly hair, and wore large black-rimmed glasses. Dark circles always seemed to be under his eyes, making him appear quite frail, like a complete shut-in.

His personality at school was also that of a pushover. All the students at Gotham University knew that Jonathan's classes weren't strictly managed, and exams were easy to pass. Even when students were absent or late, he would just adjust his glasses and tell them to sit down, never criticizing them.

He looked exactly like a bookworm, whereas Schiller, the new psychology professor, looked like a high-ranking member of Arkham Asylum.

Schiller had a mixed-race appearance, with black hair and gray eyes. The original owner also seemed to be straight, with all his clothes being either black or gray.

Most of them were coats, scarves, and formal wear for work. Schiller hadn't bought any new clothes, so he maintained the original owner's style. Gotham had been raining for days, and Schiller almost always carried a black umbrella.

How to put it, his appearance made it feel like he'd be letting the audience down if he wasn't the final villain in a TV show.

Furthermore, Schiller had only been there for a few days, and his students soon discovered he was a very strict professor. His lecturing skills were indeed very high, but he showed no mercy to students who were late or left early. He also gave surprise quizzes every few classes, and he directly stated in class that at least 30% of the students would fail. This made everyone incredibly nervous.

Although the students at Gotham University came from good families, they weren't without their rebellious streaks. No university student liked a professor like that. At first, there were a few troublemakers in Schiller's class, but soon, someone gossiped and spread Schiller's resume. After that, the students in Schiller's class immediately became as quiet as docile sheep.

After all, no normal person could have participated in so many serial murder cases. Soon, Schiller became a campus legend at Gotham University.

Some said their professor was actually the killer in these serial murder cases, while others claimed he carried some sort of curse of misfortune, and wherever he went, terrible incidents would occur. Some people with vivid imaginations even fabricated a tragic backstory for Schiller, suggesting he participated in the investigations of so many murder cases for revenge.

Among the various versions of the story, there was always one that met the students' inner expectations. These strange and somewhat terrifying stories always spread very quickly among the students. Within a few days, the vast majority of students knew about Schiller's past.

When Schiller went out to buy breakfast, the window he stood at was always empty. The students watched him from afar. In class, his assignments were collected with unparalleled orderliness; no professor had ever achieved that.

Since the confrontation that night, Schiller often felt Bruce following him, even during the day on campus. Fortunately, he had his Spider-Sense. Bruce had tried to install cameras in his dorm, counseling office, and classroom podium several times but had failed.

However, this gave Schiller an idea.

It seemed this young Batman still hadn't come to terms with things. However, he noticed that Bruce seemed to have reached some kind of agreement with Gordon. Schiller visited the Morsen District a few more times at night and found that the two of them seemed to be genuinely working together.

Finally, one day, as it was nearing bedtime, the Gotham sky had turned as dark as ink.

Schiller had no intention of going out tonight; he wanted to get a good night's sleep. University teaching wasn't as easy as he thought. Psychological counseling occasionally involved students who genuinely needed it, whether it was to relieve anxiety, alleviate depression, or provide psychological advice. These tasks were also very tiring, so he planned to get some rest.

But fate had other plans. Jonathan, who usually only operated in the late hours of the night, suddenly left campus in the early evening. Schiller knew he was probably going to catch a new batch of test subjects.

Indeed, Gordon and Bruce had been active in the Morsen District recently. Jonathan knew very well that he couldn't defeat the police, and if he were caught, he would definitely be locked up.

His physical strength was even worse than Schiller's. He might even spray the Fear Gas incorrectly. After Batman cleared out the Gutter Gang and several other small gangs in the Morsen District, he had gradually gained some notoriety. People knew there was a strange vigilante fighting these gangs. Jonathan hadn't dared to show his face for several nights.

However, his Fear Gas was about to make a breakthrough. No experimental fanatic could accept experimental failure at such a crucial juncture. His test subjects had already run out, and he had to capture new ones.

Although his stamina was poor, capturing test subjects was still quite simple for him. He just needed to find a house with an open window, insert a tube, spray a large amount of anesthetic into it, then pry open their door and drag the person out.

Schiller watched him leave campus. He had no choice but to put on his coat, grab his umbrella, and follow him. Although he didn't have a saintly disposition and didn't intend to be a superhero savior, he would still intervene in tragedies that happened before him.

More importantly, if Jonathan continued to act recklessly, there wouldn't be many people left in the Morsen District. Then Batman's debut journey would be cut short before it even began. Anyway, Scarecrow would be caught by Batman sooner or later, so why not do it today?

Moreover, Schiller employed a small tactic. He intended to teach Batman a lesson and help him quickly shed his arrogant mindset.

The current Batman still had room for error because the Joker was still just a circus performer. Schiller shuddered to think how badly Batman would be manipulated if the Joker appeared before the young Batman right now.

Although Batman was still young and had many shortcomings, it had to be admitted that the skills he had acquired from traveling the world were not for nothing.

And Jonathan was not a meticulous criminal either. He hadn't undergone special training, nor did he have any counter-surveillance awareness. Many clues had been discovered by Batman and Gordon.

The two of them joined forces and found their way to the basement of a small church, where they discovered Jonathan's laboratory. It wasn't a very sophisticated laboratory; in fact, it looked more like a back-alley operation.

It was dim, cramped, and had an unpleasant odor. Batman looked at the drainage pipe in the basement and said, "I think I might know where those people went."

Gordon walked over with his pistol and said, "Although I really don't want to ask, my combat report has to state the truth."

"Aqua regia. It can not only melt metal but also the most stubborn parts of the human body."

"Alright, I know, you don't need to say more. I don't want to hear the details," Gordon said.

They investigated the small laboratory for a while. Suddenly, Gordon found some traces under a discarded crate. They were some broken fallen leaves.

"North American Red Pine," Batman said. "I saw its cotyledons."

"Damn it, where are there any pine trees in Gotham? Otherwise, the weather here wouldn't be like this," Gordon said.

"I think there's a place with this plant..." Batman said.

"Gotham University. It's the greenest place in all of Gotham City. On the widest pedestrian walkways there, both sides are lined with this plant."

Gordon crouched down and examined the traces carefully.

"It seems the killer stepped on these fallen leaves with his boots. There's still mud on them. Clearly, the heavy rain these past few days caused him considerable trouble. After he came here, the dirt inadvertently fell off, and he didn't bother to clean it up."

Gordon looked up and said, "The killer is a student at Gotham University?"

"Perhaps a teacher too," Batman said.

"Is it the person you threatened that day?" Gordon asked.

"I wasn't threatening him," Batman said.

"But you cut his neck with a dart and made him bleed a lot. Such a long wound would surely leave a scar," Gordon said.

"Are you sympathizing with a criminal?" Batman asked.

"He's not a criminal, at least not until he's been tried."

"Trial..." Batman snorted.

Gordon sensed Batman's distrust of the judicial system. He didn't rebut him righteously. He had been a police officer in Gotham for quite some time, and the judicial system here was indeed untrustworthy, or rather, the entire order system here was untrustworthy.

"But in my opinion, holding a dangerous weapon and wantonly harming an unarmed civilian is a threat," Gordon said.

"Unarmed..." Batman said.

He suddenly found himself unable to refute Gordon, because as far as he knew, Schiller didn't seem to have undergone any professional combat training. Batman was sure he could take him down with one punch.

But he had been troubled by this person for many days, yet had no solution. He suddenly remembered a saying he'd heard on his travels – words are mightier than fists.

But that's as far as it goes, Batman thought.

The killer is from Gotham University; there's almost no other answer. Isn't this evidence conclusive enough? Perhaps it's time to send that mad professor to prison.

He looked at the stained drainage pipes at his feet, where the souls of over forty people had disappeared. Among them must have been someone's parents.

On that night long ago, his parents' lives vanished in an alley, yet no one paid the price they deserved.

But it's different now. With him here, these criminals will eventually go where they belong, not a single one will escape.