Shane Freak
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Chapter 755: Life and Death at Batman's Speed (Part 2)
🕑 Added 2023-11-22 06:54:58 +0000 UTCIn DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List
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Aisha grinned, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth, and between the gaps of those sharp teeth, Schiller faintly saw some scraps of paper.
Schiller took a deep breath and let out a sigh. It turns out that what goes around comes around.
After Bruce escorted Aisha away, he returned to Schiller's office. Schiller held a transcript in his hand and spoke with a very serious expression.
"Mr. Bruce Wayne, I must inform you that your academic performance has now reached a dangerously low level. Absences, failure to submit assignments, and non-participation in any school activities have resulted in you not completing the required credits for two out of your three years as an undergraduate."
"This year, you will enter your senior year of college. If your performance remains at this level during this year, I sadly have to inform you that you will... face a graduation delay."
The words "graduation delay" hit Bruce like a thunderbolt.
Yes, Bruce Wayne didn't need a college degree. He was incredibly wealthy, and his income per minute was probably equivalent to the annual salary of those ordinary students. He didn't need this degree to find a job, and no one would look down on him for not having a college diploma.
But what others saw was the facade of Bruce Wayne, the idle playboy. However, Bruce himself knew that he was not that kind of person. Going to college was a piece of cake for him, and he couldn't accept the idea of delaying his graduation.
If he had never gone to college, if he had never pursued a degree, it would have been his choice. But now, he was already in his junior year, just one year away from graduation, and he was being threatened with a possible delay. It might not be a big setback, but it was a significant insult.
Bruce absolutely couldn't accept the idea of delaying his graduation.
In general, there would be no university in the world that would delay Bruce Wayne, as it would be utterly meaningless. Everyone knew that this playboy was just here for a little prestige, so what was the point of making a fuss about his academic performance, truancy, and missing assignments? His mind was not on academics, and forcing him would only result in mutual harm. With the time he spent on this, why not pay more attention to students who were genuinely dedicated to academics?
However, Gotham was a magical place where even the disguised playboy Bruce Wayne could be considered a promising talent. The only person in the class who had better grades than him was Evans Falkner, the future Gotham Godfather.
Schiller didn't just want to fleece this particular sheep; the problem was that Bruce was still a sheep, while the rest were wolves disguised among the sheep. Whether they were willing to study was one thing, but whether they could understand the material was another.
Bruce might not like studying, but at least he could understand it. He had a superhuman memory, and no concept or definition could stump him. He also had rich practical experience in society, and, more importantly, a high level of combat skills, making him very suitable to be a psychologist in a place like Gotham.
As for whether Bruce wanted to study psychology, well, he had said he wanted to, and he had even chosen Schiller's class himself. Schiller had warned him at the time, but he hadn't listened. Whose fault was that?
Bruce looked at Schiller speechlessly, and Schiller looked back at him. Then, Schiller said very seriously, "You'd better retract any thoughts of bribing the dean for a graduation certificate."
"First of all, Gotham University currently has no dean. Even if there was one, if he's willing to take money for your diploma, we'll find a new dean."
Schiller flashed a wry smile and said to Bruce, "Do you, the righteous Batman, want to gamble a life to test my determination to uphold academic integrity?"
"No need," Bruce immediately replied. He took a deep breath, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "What do I need to do to graduate normally?"
"I won't pursue the problems of the first three years," Schiller began. Bruce breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. If Schiller had asked him to make up all the missed classes and assignments from the past, he wouldn't have had time for anything else this year.
However, he quickly realized he had celebrated prematurely.
"First, you must make up for the assignments and classes you missed in your junior year. I can't make up the classes individually for you, but you can attend classes with the lowerclassmen. In simple terms, you need to retake those classes."
"If you can't finish writing several thousand words of essays in one night, you must submit all the missing assignments before the start of the school year in September, without missing a single word."
"Additionally, I know your true capabilities, so don't think you can fool me with something desperate that illiterates would write. I expect you to have an independent research topic. Furthermore, there will be an internship in the second half of the semester, and you must participate without missing any classes. You also need to submit an internship report."
"Moreover, you haven't taken any elective courses, and Evans has been in charge of the psychology club. You must make up for this within a year. If I don't see you complete your credits this year, then you can look forward to graduation being delayed!"
As Bruce walked out of the administrative building, he felt a bit dizzy. He felt like he had been threatened, but the content of the threat seemed absurd and laughable.
He had never imagined that the biggest challenge in his Batman career would be a graduation delay due to insufficient credits.
But all of this was real. In the days leading up to this, he had fully realized Professor Schiller's determination to uphold academic integrity. He just hadn't expected that he would be the one targeted.
And the way Schiller pursued academic integrity was different from most other professors. Instead of focusing on reading papers, attending lectures, and holding meetings, Schiller's approach involved walking the dark streets, participating in investigations, and cooperating with the police, always prepared to create an accidental death for a dean.
But what had happened before had already made Bruce realize that Schiller wasn't joking. Bruce knew that if he dared to parachute in a dean who would give him a diploma, the next day, Gordon would have to call him. Gotham University would witness an unprecedented case of dean murder.
The killer would be unknown, the murder weapon would be unknown, but the motive would be crystal clear. The news of Bruce Wayne trying to bribe the dean to graduate would make headlines in the Gotham Daily the next day.
It wasn't until he arrived at the library that Bruce began to clear his head. He knew that there was only one choice now: to study hard and make progress every day.
The events prior had made Bruce realize that he had perhaps been a bit too self-absorbed. Apart from himself, no one demanded such perfection from him. Earth would continue to turn even without Batman. Given that, he decided to prioritize more pressing matters for now.
In the past week, Bruce had been studying day and night, cramming all the knowledge of psychology. Besides that, he also delved into neuroscience and brain science.
Of course, one week wasn't enough for him to become an expert in these subjects, but at least he grasped a general understanding and caught up on the majority of research papers.
At the same time, what bothered Bruce the most was that he had to retake basic psychology classes with the lowerclassmen, even though he already knew the material, because he was short on class hours and credits.
So, the question arose: among the lowerclassmen, who was the last person Bruce wanted to see?
The answer was Lex Luthor, who had just enrolled at Gotham University.
Upon learning that Bruce had to retake classes, Lex burst into laughter like he had never done before, and he shared this delightful news with Clark Kent in Metropolis, creating a memory that would surely be cherished among the three of them.
"Lex, why are you laughing?" Schiller, holding a teaching whip, tapped the podium and said, "Instead of staring at the blackboard, what are you looking at Bruce for? If you find it so amusing, just wait until you're a junior; I can arrange for you to experience it too."
Lex restrained his expression, nodded earnestly at Schiller, and said, "Alright, Professor, unlike that detestable playboy, I have a strong interest in academics and would be more than willing to take your class again..."
Not paying attention to Bruce's grim expression, Lex felt like a new person. Even Gotham's rainy days couldn't dampen his good mood until, on his way from school to his apartment, he got into a rear-end collision.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, sir! It was an accident! We'll compensate you fairly!" A lavishly dressed woman stepped out of her car, apologizing profusely, but Lex frowned at the first sight of her.
Another overweight man emerged from the driver's seat, also offering apologies. He glanced at Lex's car and said, "I'm truly sorry, sir. Your car doesn't look so great now, and it might not be drivable. We'll call the best towing company right away. Please, allow us to give you a ride back..."
"No need. There's nothing wrong with it, and you don't need to compensate me," Lex replied, then returned to his car, stepped on the gas, and drove away.
The man and woman were left standing in the chilly Gotham wind. The lady stomped her feet vigorously and gritted her teeth as she returned to her car.
As soon as the overweight man, Leon, got back into the car, Mrs. Goth began to complain, "What's going on with Bruce Wayne? Why has he been staying at school these days?"
"It's unbelievable. A playboy like him is actually spending a whole week at school, and according to my daughter, he's only going to the library, not even attending parties!" Leon snorted.
Mrs. Goth sighed, holding her arms. "This Luthor guy shouldn't be fooled. Is our approach really going to work?"
"It's rare for both of these billionaires to gather in Gotham. We must seize the opportunity and bring them both in. The Great King's mission will proceed more smoothly."
"So, should we wait for Wayne, or should we shift our focus and concentrate on Luthor?" Mrs. Goth asked.
Leon took a deep breath. "Wayne has shown interest, and he's more likely to take the bait. Right now, he's just been temporarily held up by something. Once we figure out what that something is and help him deal with it, we might even gain some favor..."
Mrs. Goth nodded. "My daughter has a friend who is studying at Gotham University. I'll have her find out what it is that's keeping Wayne, the playboy, at school for so long."
A day later, Mrs. Goth was on the phone, saying, "What did you say? Bruce Wayne can't attend parties because he has to retake school subjects?... Damn, who dared to give him a failing grade?... His psychology professor?" She switched the phone to her other ear and asked, "What's the professor's name?... Alright, I got it."
Mrs. Goth hung up the phone and then turned to Leon. "I've found out why Wayne is so busy. His psychology professor, Schiller Rodriguez, is exceptionally strict with him. He failed one of his courses, so he has to retake it, which is why he's been at school for so many days."
Leon snorted. "Studying hard? Impossible. Bruce Wayne is a good-for-nothing scoundrel. If he's doing something like this, it's definitely just a facade. All we need to do is tempt him a little, and his true colors will be revealed!"
Mrs. Goth rolled her eyes. "I heard his romantic history is quite extensive. Many of Gotham's beauties have had encounters with him..."
Leon glanced at her, and Mrs. Goth smiled. "My daughter is quite a beauty herself. She's starting college this year. I remember that Gotham University recently launched a preparatory class. I'll have her go there to get a head start on university life and maybe divert his attention..."
Leon pursed his lips, well aware of Mrs. Goth's intentions, but he didn't object. After all, Miss Goth was indeed considered a beauty, and with a little effort, perhaps the plan could succeed.
In the office of Gotham University, Victor entered with a list in hand and said to Schiller, "The classrooms and teaching materials for the preparatory class are ready. Currently, it's divided into three classes, each with a different focus."
Victor gave Schiller a thumbs-up and said, "You've really outdone yourself. By attaching the vocational school under Gotham University's name, you can get investments from both the Wayne Family and the Luthor family."
"And here, it's our territory. No one would dare to meddle."
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Next Chapter>>Chapter 756: Miss Gotham's Misfortune (Part 1)
