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In a small bar on the edge of Gotham's wealthy southern district, Schiller squeezed a bit of lemon juice into his prepared gin. He raised his glass and said to Gordon, "Congratulations, Detective. At least now you can act according to your own will."

Bruce, across the round table, also raised his wine glass. Harvey, after raising his, said, "It's indeed worth celebrating. You're the most upright cop I've ever met."

The four clinked their glasses. Gordon took a sip of his drink, his face flushing slightly, whether from excitement or alcohol. He said, "The more it's like this, the more I realize how far I still have to go."

Bruce said, "Progress is always good."

Schiller smiled. He covered his mouth with his glass and said, "Oh really? It seems our pure little boy has made great progress recently?"

Bruce put down his glass and said, "I recall you once said, Professor, that you have no advice regarding my personal romantic life."

"But I also reminded you to be careful with your kidneys. When I say protect your kidneys, I don't just mean don't let them get cut. The scenery on Trick Street is indeed beautiful, its neon lights are famous all along the East Coast..."

Gordon's gaze flickered between the two of them, then he raised an eyebrow and said, "What are you two talking about in riddles?"

"Nothing, I just advise you to mind your own business in the future. Some people are quite confident in their kidney function."

Gordon understood immediately and said, "It seems Bruce's romantic life has been quite eventful lately."

Schiller put down his glass and said with a smile, "Quite the opposite."

Harvey, knowing some of the inside story, nudged Bruce with his arm and said, "It seems things are progressing quickly with that girl you mentioned. How is it? Have you two made it official?"

Gordon immediately perked up his ears. Bruce rubbed his temples, looking at the three of them with eyes that enjoyed stirring up trouble. He said, "Don't, don't. What's the big deal? That's my private matter. The theme of our gathering today is to celebrate Gordon's promotion."

"I think the team leader position at the Gotham Police Department is not as worthy of celebration as our Mr. World's richest man getting a new girlfriend," Gordon said.

"That's a bit of an exaggeration. After all, the world's richest man has too many girlfriends," Schiller said.

"But a team leader in the police department is no different from a regular police officer; they're quite useless," Gordon said self-deprecatingly.

Bruce was exasperated by them. He said, "Alright, I admit it. It's like this. I've fallen for a girl... No, it's not that kind of liking. It's not because of her pretty face and figure... Oh, she's certainly beautiful, and her figure is great, but it's not..."

Gordon and Harvey both looked at him as if to say, you don't need to explain. Harvey even said, "At your age, I thought I liked any girl for reasons other than her appearance. But now I know that statement is bullshit. All men in the world say that and it's bullshit."

Gordon tugged at his tie and said, "Could it be that there's actually a girl who has captured Bruce's heart? If so, I'd really like to see who this divine being is."

Bruce said, "She's actually not special. She's 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 jewels."

"Do you prefer German or French castles?" Schiller asked. "I think Neuschwanstein Castle looks good. How about buying it?"

Bruce, unable to stand it any longer, flicked his wine glass. "I'm not trying to woo her! I'm serious. Don't look at me like that. I admit I used to be a bit... okay, not a bit... but I really plan to be with her..."

"You're not facing her now, so you don't need to say such pretty words."

Schiller quickly interrupted Bruce's premature declaration. Is that something just anyone can say?

But it didn't really matter. Batman was the protagonist anyway. If the protagonist said something like that, it shouldn't be a big problem.

Bruce took a sip of his wine, looking 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 thinking about it."

"That's a bit impolite," Harvey said. "Do you look down on her slum background? But if I may be frank, not everyone is as lucky as you. I believe that at least for you, class shouldn't be an obstacle to love..."

"Of course, I don't think that."

"The problem is, if you don't give her a gift to show your sincerity soon, she might think that," Schiller said. "Any girl from the slums dating the world's richest man probably wouldn't feel very secure."

"Alright," Bruce said. "What do you guys think I should give her? I've been racking my brain and can't think of anything."

Harvey didn't know Catwoman's true identity because he didn't know Bruce was Batman, let alone their story.

But Schiller was well aware of it.

Schiller said, "How about a pearl necklace?"

Bruce tightened his grip on his wine glass and took a sip. "I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of pearl necklaces, but if she likes them, I'll definitely get her the best one."

After the gathering ended, Schiller returned to his apartment to clean himself up, getting rid of the smell of alcohol.

Schiller didn't shuttle between DC and Marvel without reason. After coming to DC, he wanted to let the Marvel plotlines unfold on their own, and at the same time, he needed to wrap up matters on this side in a timely manner.

He was a rather cautious person, always wanting to see things through from beginning to end. Although the old principal not going to prison was somewhat unexpected, his original purpose for returning was to clear up the loose ends from the Jonathan case.

The old principal was now Batman's target, and Schiller didn't plan to interfere for the time being. But there was still one more person: the missing Director Victor.

Schiller knew that Sal Maroney had likely kidnapped him. However, Maroney might not necessarily kill him. A former police chief could reveal a lot of useful information. Maroney had suffered such great losses that he wouldn't let Victor die easily, unless he could recoup his investment.

But Schiller had to get rid of Victor.

In the early stages of the Jonathan case, his abilities were insufficient. When he stole the Fear Gas, he only used the simplest method, which was breaking and entering. However, at that time, he couldn't completely erase all traces. Although he had eliminated 99% of the evidence, he still needed to eliminate the remaining 1% possibility of it being discovered.

Victor had entered the evidence room more than once to try and exonerate Jonathan. This old cop was the only one who could expose Schiller's theft of the Fear Gas.

It's worth noting that after Jonathan was sent to the asylum, the concentrated liquid of the most traditional version of Fear Gas became obsolete. But due to Maroney's massive losses, many people in the underworld had their eyes on this weapon. Once someone exposed who stole the Fear Gas, those gangsters would swarm like sharks smelling blood.

Schiller had intended to pay a visit to Maroney, but before that, an unexpected person approached him.

Schiller got into a car with a man in black. A man in a suit sitting in the front said, "Professor Schiller, you don't need to be afraid. The Godfather has invited you because he needs your help."

The extended luxury car soon arrived at a manor not far from the South District. Schiller followed the guide inside. The manor was decorated in an old-fashioned style. He went up to the third floor, and the guide knocked on the door. 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, he was wearing a rather well-fitting suit with a bow tie, and a red poppy was pinned to his breast pocket. He exuded an aura of imposing dignity.

He fumbled with the ring on his hand and said to Schiller, "Professor Rodriguez, I apologize for the intrusion. I've invited you here because I need your help."

"It's an honor to serve you, Mr. Falcone."

Schiller walked over, standing across a table from Falcone. Behind him was a floor-to-ceiling window, with two bodyguards in black suits standing on either side.

Falcone said nothing. He nodded, then directly stated his request: "I have a son. He's not young anymore. My family and business need him to inherit them. I wish to hire you as his tutor."

Before Schiller could ask any questions, Falcone continued, "His previous tutor was shot three times in the chest and didn't make it. I heard you can even get Bruce Wayne to hand in his homework on time, so you should be a good candidate for the job."

"Of course, I'm not threatening you. I know you caused a little trouble in Metropolis. Some people followed the scent here, but they should all be in the sewer by now."

"This is my sincerity. What do you say?"

Schiller looked at Falcone. He seemed more like the early DC Comics portrayal of this mob boss. Falcone's inspiration was Corleone from The Godfather, the character portrayed by Marlon Brando.

Compared to the image of Falcone wearing a jacket and strange sunglasses shown in movies and TV shows, this old man truly looked more like the family patriarch ruling Gotham's vast criminal empire.

"Yes, but I have one more condition."

"The previous Police Chief has disappeared..." Schiller said.

"You want to find him?"

"No, I want to kill him."

Falcone sat down, took a cigar handed to him by someone nearby, took a puff, exhaled smoke, and slowly said, "Victor... I know him. A cunning old con man. What grudge do you have against him?"

"I think, in Gotham, you don't need a grudge to kill someone."

Falcone smiled, holding his cigar. He said, "It seems you will indeed be a good teacher."

The Falcone in this work refers to the early DC Comics setting. You can think of him as Gotham City's Godfather Corleone. Just imagine Marlon Brando's image; after all, that's who he was based on from the start.