Chapter 1447: Flying Birds and Returning (VIII)

After the New 52 in DC Comics, the origin stories of many Robins were rewritten. For example, the history of Nightwing forming the Teen Titans was deleted. He appeared as Nightwing from the beginning, and his background story was that he was adopted and taught by Wei En since childhood, without specifically introducing how he became an independent hero and how he returned.

Red Hood was also like this. When he appeared in the New 52 of the main universe, he was already Red Hood. Barbara's history as Oracle was deleted, but the setting of being paralyzed became that she had successfully stood up through surgery. Orphan and Spoiler, the two former Batgirls, both returned to their independent identities and were no longer so closely related to Batman.

But no matter how the background story was changed, the poor academic background of the main universe's Bat-family remained the same. Nightwing's solo series at least went to Hudson University, although he was expelled after not many issues, but in "New 52", his academic qualifications were close to prenatal education, and the others were even worse, with Barbara being slightly better.

The most promising one in the Bat-family was Batwing Luke Fox, the son of the CEO of Wei En Group, who was also a product of elite education, graduated from MIT, and possessed dual degrees in business and engineering.

From the background of the Robins, this situation could be understood. If you spent the first ten-plus years of your life dying and living, you really didn't have much time to study.

But this didn't mean that this situation could be accepted, especially not by Thomas Wei En, who couldn't accept traditional elite education.

The era when Thomas received education couldn't be called elite education, but should be called old-world aristocratic education. Simply put, as long as you didn't die from studying, you studied to death.

Besides basic courses like grammar and mathematics, etiquette lessons were the top priority, talent was indispensable, art appreciation was a compulsory category, and sports items like horse riding and archery couldn't be relaxed. It was best to master eight languages at four, complete a trip around the earth at six, dominate the business sea at eight, compare with Monet and Chopin at ten, and stand at the top of the human pyramid and call the wind and rain before fifteen.

Of course, this was an ideal state. The final effect was weakened due to limited personal conditions. Thomas wasn't a good student when he was young either, thinking about skipping classes to play every day, so he learned about fifty or sixty percent.

But even so, he mastered many languages, graduated from Princeton University Medical School, had three master's degrees and a surgeon's license, served as a war doctor, and after returning to inherit billions of family property, his connections were extensive. If it weren't for the accidental death of his son that caused him to be depressed, he would definitely not live up to the title of a famous family.

After Thomas came to this universe of Bruce, he had made many compromises in his heart. The version of himself in this universe died early, and Bruce was stimulated, so it was understandable that the education he received wasn't comprehensive enough.

But having said that, Bruce's education for these children, although occasionally flawed, was generally no big problem. In Thomas's critical eyes, it was just slightly lacking in the heritage that the Wei En family should have.

But it didn't matter, Thomas thought. Didn't I come? It's not too late to start cultivating hobbies now. The characteristics of several children are each focused on their own. Dick has dance talent, Jason is physically strong, Tim is smart and careful, and Aisha has extremely strong athletic ability and aggressiveness. Isn't the future of the Wei En family going to the next level within reach?

It was precisely because of this that Thomas turned a blind eye to Bruce's current idleness. He couldn't count on his son, but at least he could count on his grandson. Four-fifths were all the same.

People who see hope will have the motivation to be poor. Thomas was full of ambition and planned to accumulate more resources for the Wei En family, but this Dick from another universe in front of him gave him a head-on blow.

So the situation in this universe is already considered good?!

When this thought flashed through Thomas's mind, he felt a twitch in his heart, and his breathing frequency became faster and faster.

"Sir, tea." Alfred reminded in time.

Thomas clutched his chest and poured two gulps of tea, paralyzed on the ground panting for half a minute before finally recovering a little.

Nightwing was about to open his mouth, but Thomas pointed at him with a slightly trembling finger, signaling him to shut up, and then Thomas opened his eyes and sat up straight, looking into Nightwing's eyes and asking.

"You mean to say that the Batman of your universe not only acts as Batman himself, but also adopts many children, wants to train them into Batmen, and therefore doesn't let them go to school, but goes to learn fighting and rope skills, resulting in none of them having a proper job?"

"My proper job is fighting crime!"

"Then why don't you go be a policeman?!"

"Is the identity of a policeman so important?"

"Then is the identity of Batman's assistant so important?"

Nightwing couldn't answer. If he really felt that the identity of Batman's assistant was very important, then why did he want to be Nightwing? But if he felt that this identity wasn't important, why did he want to return to Batman's side?

This was a problem that had troubled him for a long time, and it was also a problem that had always troubled the members of the Bat-family—who were they?

Were they Batman's assistants, or were they themselves? Should they become Batman, or should they become themselves?

But if the answer was the latter, what should they themselves be like? They had already accepted Batman's teaching, so were they really themselves when they became themselves?

And an ultimate question, would Batman like the self they became? If he didn't like it, what was the point of becoming themselves?

Nightwing sighed painfully. He stretched out a hand to cover his mouth, then slid down his chin, letting those messy thoughts and contradictory ideas spin in his brain.

"His dereliction of duty in your education shocks me." Thomas's tone was extremely low. Nightwing just wanted to open his mouth to refute, but heard Thomas say: "This doesn't refer to him not letting you get a degree, or not letting you learn talent, but that his education for you completely lacked the part of socialization."

Thomas pursed his lips and said: "Besides the people you know who are related to Batman, how many friends do you have?"

Nightwing just wanted to open his mouth to speak, but Thomas interrupted him and said: "I mean friends who have nothing to do with your crime-fighting career, but have truly accompanied you in your life, have had communication with you, have common interests, and have provided you with emotional comfort."

"This is a false proposition." Nightwing pursed his lips and said: "The partners of the Bat-family have achieved this. They have always accompanied me, we have common interests, and the feelings between us are deeper than heavy."

"Then what is the topic you talk about the most?"

Nightwing fell silent and didn't speak, because he understood that Thomas could ask this question, which proved that he already knew the answer, and this answer was hitting the nail on the head. Obviously, the central topic of the Bat-family was Batman.

It's not strange to build a social group around one person. Star chasers often do this, but if there is no social interaction at all except for the social group around this one person, and even not participating in this society at all, then the problem is big.

Thomas shook his head and said: "I really dare not imagine that he took a bunch of children back, let them not study, not work, and not go out to socialize, and revolve around himself all day."

Suddenly, Thomas narrowed his eyes. He stared at Dick's face and said: "Are you sure he didn't have any other ulterior motives for adopting you?"

Nightwing was stunned for a moment, then anger surged in his heart, and blood rushed to his cheeks. He raised his tone and scolded angrily: "How can you think of Batman like that?! The Dark Knight of Cat Getan doesn't have such filth!"

"I'm just proposing a possibility common in the upper class." Thomas drank two more sips of tea and said: "Even if it's not like this, what he did can be called a crime."

"I don't advocate any freedom and happy education at all." Thomas curled his lips and said: "The nature of children is naughty and lazy, but if they are left to be like this, what are parents and society for?"

"I didn't like going to school when I was young either, and I skipped classes as much as I could for the lessons my father arranged for me, but if there weren't those parts I couldn't skip, then when I faced the mess of the Wei En Group in this universe, I could only sigh at the ocean."

"Then, I would miss the most important part of the cause of saving Cat Getan, watching the opportunity to complete my dream slip away, and I would definitely regret it for the rest of my life."

Thomas looked into Nightwing's eyes and said: "I am a quite autocratic father, with endless requirements for children. It is best to let their psychology and physiology challenge the limits of education that humans can accept, just so that even if something makes them regret it later, they definitely can't blame me."

"Aren't you worried that they will hate you for having such a childhood?" Nightwing asked.

"You understand." Thomas's old eyes contained the firmness unique to Batman, which made Nightwing unable to move his eyes away.

"Responsibility and happiness, I will only choose responsibility, because I am Batman."

Nightwing was speechless.

"This is also the part of the Batman of your universe that I cannot understand. In terms of your education, he chose to let you be happy, rather than let you have the ability to take responsibility. This doesn't look like Batman's choice at all."

Nightwing was obviously caught in thoughts. After a while, he took a deep breath and said: "Perhaps this is not without reason."

"What is it?"

"He might... feel guilty."

"Why?"

Nightwing shook his head and said: "We have each experienced some bad things. We don't think it's entirely Batman's fault in our hearts, but understand that a person always has omissions compared to others."

"But Batman doesn't think so." Nightwing's eyes were covered with a layer of water mist, looking like sadness, and also like sleepiness: "He seems to always want to be responsible for all the tragedies in this world, let alone the tragedies on us?"

"He never asked us for anything, just chose to turn around, and then told us that everything would be solved." Nightwing shook his head slightly and said: "And we all know how much he paid to be able to say this firmly in front of us."

"Because he feels guilty, he chooses to force himself, not force you." Thomas's lips were completely pursed into his mouth, his hand gripping the teacup handle tightly: "So, you really became the simple birds under the Bat-wings, never having to accept the invasion of reality's suffering, never having to leave the nest and fly far away."

"Dick." Thomas called Nightwing's name for the first time. When the eyes in his wrinkled eye sockets also became moist, it was like the gentleness and calmness of the years of river accumulating in the old tree nest.

"One day you will understand that being able to stand with a backbone in the most vivid stage of life, without having to bow to reality and society, without having to learn to be mature and steady, is what a wealth it is to be envied."

Nightwing gripped his wrist tightly. His lips were already pale. He said in a trembling tone: "And this means that the person who makes us not have to do this will forever be... deeply harmed."

"But you have left your universe now, finally completely free from the shadow under his wings, haven't you?"

Nightwing opened his eyes slightly. He looked at Thomas with eyes like asking for help and said: "Yes, of course, he won't know what we did here, so he won't feel guilty because of it."

"Then what do you plan to do here?"

Nightwing seemed to be choked, and didn't let out a breath for a long time. After a while, he turned his head and said in a low voice: "We originally, originally wanted to go back as soon as possible."

"And then continue to hide in his arms, use his guilt, and let him face the powerful enemy alone?"

Nightwing's face flushed red with anger. He raised his tone and scolded: "Of

"But the fact is, you guys can't help."

Nightwing took a deep breath. He glared at Thomas and said, "As if you can."

"Of course I can, because I am Batman."

Nightwing hammered the sofa hard, but he quickly calmed down. He then looked at Thomas and asked tentatively, "We can learn something from this, right?"

"Of course. I don't feel guilty toward you guys, so why wouldn't I let you go out to school or find work?"

Nightwing swallowed hard and asked somewhat uncertainly, "Then, what should we learn?"

Thomas reached out to check his watch and said, "It's too late tonight. We'll arrange the schedule tomorrow. First, come upstairs with me to check Dick's French homework."

"Uh, why do I have to go?"

Thomas flashed a smile and said.

"Because that will be your French homework tomorrow."