Shane Freak
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Chapter 1406 The Return of the Old Ones (Part Fourteen)
🕑 Added 2024-07-07 09:19:40 +0000 UTCIn DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List
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"Alright, children, I'm going to the canteen to have lunch now. If you have any other questions, just send them to my email and don't forget to put your names on them. I'll get back to you within a week," said Schiller as he tidied up the books and materials on the desk.
The intern agents gathered around him looked a bit sad. A blonde girl with a doll-like face propped her elbow on the podium and rested her chin on her hand, saying, "Doctor, are you going to abandon us for Stark? Don't let those gossip rags have their way."
"Go on, Catherine, you can take the jar of frosted cookies I left under the podium, as long as you don't mind spending the whole weekend at the dentist's clinic," Schiller said with a smile.
Catherine puffed out her cheeks and said, "Don't try to bribe me. Omar told me you promised to bring him Captain America shield cookies next week. I'm so jealous, those are limited edition."
"Then you should go ask the rich guy over there. No one knows Captain America better than him," Schiller shrugged.
"Whatever," Catherine scoffed. At this moment, a short girl with brown hair and freckles on her face squeezed her way through and said cheerfully, "You should go, Catherine. I still want to know if the Captain has ever stayed overnight at his place."
"Maroni, can you not act like a journalist from a gossip rag?" Catherine said, a bit displeased. "I'm not your reconnaissance drone."
"Hey, hey, ladies! What do you have to say about Captain America staying overnight at my place?" Stark clapped his hands and raised a finger, waving it in the air. "His fashion sense is so outdated, can you imagine? A deep brown plaid sweater, and it's a turtleneck."
The girl called Maroni immediately lit up and rushed to Stark's side, following Schiller and Stark as they walked out, firing off questions in rapid succession: "You saw him in his clothes, was it after or the next morning? Were you two, you know, 'more and less'?"
Schiller tilted his head to the side and looked at Maroni over the rim of his glasses, saying, "Young lady, if you put this much energy into writing your analysis reports, you'd be reporting to Nick's special ops team next year."
"I'm actually preparing to write a paper on the interpersonal relationships of superheroes. I want to know if the social behaviors of these superhuman individuals are different from ordinary people. What do you think, Doctor?"
"Not a bad idea, but I'd advise you not to write about Captain America," Schiller winked. "He doesn't really understand those 'more and less' kind of innuendos."
"Oh, we're here." Maroni exclaimed. "I won't bother you two anymore. I still need to find Catherine and ask her about that time she witnessed Spider-Man saving someone. She'd be a good research subject too. Bye!"
The short girl disappeared in a puff of cigarette smoke. Schiller and Stark sat down facing each other by the window and started ordering. The robot server recorded their choices, and soon a bountiful feast was placed on the table.
Schiller ordered a Provençal vegetable soup and a serving of fish in tomato sauce. Stark chose a Lyonnaise salad with sausage, half an onion tart, and lemon-steamed mussels.
"The ever-generous Director Nick still remembers to hire a French chef for these young ones, but he made one mistake - abandoning the S.H.I.E.L.D. canteen, which has led to Natasha and Barton coming here to mooch meals every day," Schiller said, scooping up some vegetable soup and taking a sip.
"If Nick moved the S.H.I.E.L.D. canteen to France, the French would probably behead him," Stark quipped, raising one eyebrow as he cut into the onion tart.
"So, what brings you here?" Schiller asked.
"Can't I just innocently want to have lunch with you?" Stark replied.
"Should I count this as part of your mental health maintenance budget?" Schiller cut a piece of the fish, chewing it as he spoke. "We still have a lot of accounts to settle, like how you told Nick that my mental state is unhealthy, limiting me to no more than ten appointments a week, forcing me to come here and lecture to pass the time."
Stark laughed and said, "Are you complaining?"
"You know full well that those ladies and gentlemen who make appointments to see me don't have any real psychological issues beyond vanity and a desire to display their social status, yet you still try to interfere with my normal practice," Schiller said.
"And I'm grateful that Nick gave me another job - listening to the troubles of these interns feels quite rewarding," he added.
"Self-delusion," Stark scoffed, using his fork to pry the meat from a mussel shell and popping it into his mouth. "The trivial concerns of these interns can't possibly make up for the void of not being able to practice. You must have done something else to make you so energetic and vibrant. I understand that state all too well."
Schiller's hand holding the utensils paused slightly. He took a sip of red wine and then said, "No, you don't understand me at all. In fact, who doesn't like getting a large mental health management fee without having to work? Isn't that right?"
Stark let out a cold, scornful laugh. "You know, mental health patients can display incredible ingenuity in resisting nurses and hoarding medications, even the most professional lie detection teams can't catch their lies."
"Are you suggesting I'm lying?" Schiller asked.
"Aren't you?" Stark's tone was very sharp, causing Batman to speak up within him, "Do you really have to provoke him like this?"
But Schiller wasn't angry at all. He just shrugged and said, "If you think so, then go find the medications I've hidden. I bet you won't be able to, because there aren't any."
Stark pursed his lips, a smirk forming on his face. "No, you're just implying that I'm running around like a headless chicken, but I don't plan to do that."
"So what are you planning to do?" E asked.
"I want you to do some real work to manage your mental health expenses, which can not only lower Pepper and Obadiah's blood pressure, but also prove my point," Schiller replied.
About half an hour later, Schiller sat on the sofa in Hell's Kitchen, looking at Stark and said, "So you're planning to watch me 24/7?"
"Simple but effective," Stark replied.
Schiller shook his head, as if a bit helpless, and went to the kitchen to check the refrigerator for ingredients. Batman said in Stark's mind, "I don't think it's a good idea to provoke him like this. Just so you know, I might not be able to beat him in a confrontation, and I don't think you can either."
"Why do you always think we're going to fight?" Stark asked, puzzled. "What exactly happened between you and the Schiller you know? Do you guys fight a lot?"
"Worse than that," Batman said, hesitating. "When I entered his Thought Tower, I saw another version of myself in that Space. I glimpsed his memories."
"In that Space, Schiller was his teacher, even a father figure to him, but..." Batman's voice trailed off, piquing Stark's curiosity.
"But what? What happened between the two of them?" Stark asked.
"It's hard to say," Batman evaluated. "But I advise you not to piss him off. We're sharing a body now, and I don't think we should waste our time in the hospital."
Stark snorted and said, "No matter what kind of Schiller you know, I understand my friend. He won't get angry."
"Even if you invade his personal space in a way that can be called surveillance and refuse to leave?" Batman asked.
"Your wording is too malicious," Stark said incredulously. "Can't it be seen as a visit to keep him company?"
Batman was silent for a moment, then said, "But your purpose is surveillance, and he knows it."
"My purpose is to keep him company, and he knows that," Stark said, raising his voice. "He will welcome any of us, and he won't refuse our company. This is a rare good time, and it's been a long time since we've had it."
"We'll see," Batman said.
Schiller placed a glass of water on the table in front of Stark and said, "I guess you'll only last here until 5 p.m. The genius inspirations in your brain are urging you to return to the laboratory to create great civilizations for humanity, rather than sitting here watching soap operas."
Stark picked up the water glass and patted the sofa next to him, saying, "Yes, let's watch together. When do you think the female lead will find out her husband is cheating?"
"Her husband isn't cheating, he has cancer, so he's pretending to cheat to get the female lead to divorce him willingly," Schiller explained.
"Oh my god, it's even more melodramatic than I thought," Stark said.
Time passed quickly, and around 4:30 pm, the sound of a car reversing into the garage could be heard. Stark looked at his watch and stood up, saying, "Well, you were right. Now the genius Stark is going to contribute something to human civilization. You can watch the rest of the show with Steve. I bet he'll be crying his eyes out."
Schiller sat on the sofa, looking up at him. Soon, a cold air came from the door, and Steve rushed in, pointing his thumb towards the door and saying, "Quick, Tony, deal with those cops following me. I didn't have the dash cam on."
Stark took the car keys and left. Steve directly grabbed the water pitcher and gulped down a belly full of water, then plopped down on the sofa, looking at Schiller with his blue eyes and asking, "How are you feeling, Dr. Schiller? How have you been lately?"
Schiller changed the TV channel, and the colorful light from the screen reflected in his eyes. Steve stood up again and tugged Schiller's sweater down, then went to turn on the light.
"Hey, I want to watch that. I've been learning to cook recently," Steve said, sitting back down and staring intently at the cooking show on TV.
With a "bang," the window behind them opened, and Stark tossed the car keys onto the windowsill, saying, "Got it done. Steve, make sure he doesn't leave your sight tonight, including when you put on that old brown plaid sweater. Peter will definitely come by tomorrow morning."
Steve gave him an OK hand gesture without turning his head, then focused back on the TV program.
"Your leaving was the right decision," Batman evaluated in Stark's mind. "If you kept arguing with him about whether the female lead's husband is really having a mental affair, he would have punched you."
"He wouldn't, because her husband is actually having a mental affair," Stark argued.
"Baseless. You're not suited for deduction," Batman said.
"It's you who lacks skill," Stark retorted.
"Now I want to punch you," Batman said, falling silent, perhaps considering the possibility of beating Stark up in his mind, but realizing it could also harm himself, so he gave up on the idea. Instead, he began to secretly hope for the day when Schiller would punch Stark, convinced that such a day would come.
[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]
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Next Chapter ->Chapter 1407 The Return of the Old Ones (Part 15)
