Compared to Schiller, Jonathan looked far more like a decent person. He was thin, with long limbs, a mess of curly hair, and a large pair of black-rimmed glasses. There were always dark circles beneath his eyes, making him look frail, like a complete shut-in.
His personality at school was much the same as that of an old-fashioned nice guy. Every student at Gotham University knew that Jonathan was lenient in class and that his exams were easy to pass. Even when students skipped class or arrived late, he would only push up his glasses and tell them to sit down, never reprimanding them.
He looked every inch the bookworm. By comparison, Schiller, the newly arrived Psychology Professor, looked like a premium member of Arkham Asylum.
Schiller had somewhat mixed features, with black hair and gray eyes. The original owner of this body also seemed like a straight-laced man; all his clothes were either black or gray.
Most of them were overcoats, scarves, and formal workwear. Schiller had never gone out to buy clothes, so he had continued wearing the original owner's style. And since Gotham had been constantly raining these past few days, Schiller carried a black umbrella almost everywhere he went.
How should one put it? If he was not the final villain of some TV drama, it would practically be an insult to the audience.
And Schiller had only been there for a few days before his students discovered that he was actually an extremely strict professor. His teaching was indeed excellent, but he showed absolutely no mercy to students who arrived late or left early. He also gave pop quizzes every few classes and openly announced that at least thirty percent of the class would fail, putting everyone on edge.
Although Gotham University's students all came from wealthy families, that did not mean there were no rebellious ones among them. No college student liked this kind of professor. At first, several troublemakers attended Schiller's classes, but before long, someone with a loose tongue spread Schiller's résumé around. From then on, the students in Schiller's classroom immediately became as quiet as tame sheep.
After all, no normal person could possibly have been involved in so many serial murder cases. Before long, Schiller became something like an urban legend at Gotham University.
Some said their professor was actually the killer behind those serial murder cases. Others said he carried some kind of cursed misfortune, and terrible cases happened wherever he went. Some particularly imaginative people even invented a tragic backstory for Schiller, claiming that he had participated in so many murder investigations because he was seeking revenge.
Among all those versions, there was always one that matched what the students wanted to believe. Strange and slightly terrifying stories like these always spread quickly among students. Within days, most of them knew about Schiller's past.
Whenever Schiller went out to buy breakfast, the window where he stood was always empty. The students all watched him from a distance. In class, his homework was turned in with unprecedented punctuality. No professor had ever managed that before.
After the confrontation that night, Schiller often sensed Bruce following him. Even during the day, even on campus. Fortunately, he had Spider-Sense. Bruce had tried several times to install cameras in his dormitory, the Psychological Counseling Room, and on his classroom podium, but never succeeded.
But this gave Schiller an idea.
It seemed this young Batman still had not come to terms with things. However, Schiller noticed that Bruce appeared to have reached some kind of agreement with Gordon. Schiller visited Morsen District several more times at night and found that the two really did seem to be working together.
Finally, one day, as bedtime approached, Gotham's sky had already turned as black as ink.
Schiller had no plans to go out that night. He wanted to get a good night's sleep. Teaching at the university was not as easy as he had imagined, and students occasionally came to him for genuine psychological counseling. Whether it was easing anxiety, relieving depression, or truly offering psychological advice, it was all exhausting work. So he intended to sleep well.
But heaven did not oblige him. Jonathan, who normally only moved around in the latter half of the night, suddenly left campus during the first half. Schiller knew that he was probably planning to capture a new batch of test subjects.
Indeed, Gordon and Bruce had been active in Morsen District lately. Jonathan knew very well that he could not beat the police. If he was caught, he would definitely be locked up.
His physical strength was even worse than Schiller's. He might even miss when spraying Fear Gas. After Batman cleared out the Gutter Gang and several other small gangs in Morsen District, he had gradually gained some fame. People knew there was a strange vigilante here, fighting the gangs. Jonathan had not dared show himself for several nights.
But his Fear Gas was about to make a breakthrough. No experiment-obsessed maniac could accept failure at such a critical juncture. He had already used up all his test subjects. He had to capture new ones.
Though he lacked stamina, capturing test subjects was quite simple for him. He only had to find a house with an open window, stick a tube inside, spray a large amount of anesthetic through it, then pry open the door and drag the people out.
Schiller watched him leave campus and had no choice but to put his coat back on, take his umbrella, and follow behind him. He had no saintly urge to become some superhero savior, but he would still interfere with tragedies happening right in front of him.
More importantly, if Jonathan kept fooling around like this, there would not be many people left in Morsen District. Batman's debut would end before it even began. In any case, Scarecrow would eventually be caught by Batman, so there was no time like the present. Today would do.
And Schiller had used a little trick. He intended to teach Batman a lesson and make him wake up from that arrogant mindset sooner.
Batman still had room to make mistakes now, because Joker was only a circus performer. Schiller did not dare imagine how badly Joker would toy with young Batman if he appeared before him now.
Though Batman was still young and had many shortcomings, Schiller had to admit that the skills he had learned while traveling the world were no joke.
Jonathan, however, was not a meticulous criminal. He had received no special training, much less possessed any awareness of counter-surveillance. Batman and Gordon had found many clues he left behind.
Working together, they made their way beneath the small chapel. There, they discovered Jonathan's laboratory. It was not a sophisticated lab; it could even be called a shady workshop.
It was dim, cramped, and filled with a foul stench. Batman looked at the drainage pipe in the basement and said, "I think I may know where those people went."
Gordon approached with his pistol in hand. "I really don't want to ask," he said, "but I have to write the truth in my report."
"Aqua regia. It can dissolve not only metal, but also the hardest parts of the human body to dispose of."
"All right, I get it. You don't need to say any more. I don't want the details," Gordon said.
They investigated the little laboratory for a while. Then Gordon suddenly found a trace beneath an old wooden crate: some broken, fallen leaves.
"North American Red Pine," Batman said. "I saw its cotyledons."
"Damn it, where in all of Gotham are there pine trees? If there were, the weather here wouldn't be this awful," Gordon said.
"I think there is one place that has this plant..." Batman said.
"Gotham University. It has the best landscaping in all of Gotham City. On its widest pedestrian walkways, these plants line both sides."
Gordon crouched down and examined the traces carefully.
"The killer must have stepped on these fallen leaves with his boots. There's mud stuck to them too. Clearly, the heavy rain these past few days caused him quite a bit of trouble. After he came here, the grime fell off unnoticed, and he did not clean it up."
Gordon looked up. "The killer is a Gotham University student?"
"Or perhaps a teacher," Batman said.
"Is it the man you threatened that day?" Gordon asked.
"I was not threatening him," Batman said.
"But you cut open his neck with a dart and made him bleed a great deal. A wound that long will definitely leave a scar," Gordon said.
"Are you sympathizing with a criminal?" Batman asked.
"He is not a criminal. At least, not before he has been tried."
"A trial..." Batman snorted.
Gordon sensed Batman's distrust of the judicial system. He did not rebuke him self-righteously. He had not been a police officer in Gotham for just a day or two. The judicial system here truly was not trustworthy. Or rather, the entire system of order here was not trustworthy.
"But in my view, holding a dangerous weapon and wantonly injuring an unarmed ordinary person is a threat," Gordon said.
"Unarmed..." Batman said.
He suddenly realized that he could not refute Gordon. From what he knew, Schiller really did not seem to have received any professional combat training. Batman was certain he could knock him down with one punch.
But this man had troubled him for days, and he had no way to deal with him. Suddenly, he remembered something he had heard during his travels—words were more powerful than fists.
But that was as far as it went, Batman thought.
The killer was someone from Gotham University. There was practically no other answer. Was this evidence not conclusive enough? Perhaps it was time to send that mad professor to prison.
He looked at the stained drainage pipe beneath his feet. More than forty souls had vanished there. Surely some of them had parents.
On that night long ago, his parents' lives had vanished in an alley, yet no one had paid the price they should have paid.
But things were different now. With him here, these criminals would all end up where they belonged. Not a single one would escape.
Before you continue