Chapter 3817: Batman's New York Trip (Part 1)

The height of summer in New York had finally passed, and the mornings and evenings were becoming much cooler. More and more people were out for strolls in Central Park. Amidst the layered shadows of the trees, the rustling of wind through leaves, the fragmented whispers, the barking of cats and dogs, the ringing of bicycle bells, and the fading chirps of late-autumn insects all drifted in through the window cracks, cooling the pen that still held body heat and drying the ink on the paper.

"... Citizens who have not yet undergone a physical examination, please proceed to a designated hospital as soon as possible. If your health status information is not updated in a timely manner, identity documents such as driver's licenses and transit passes will become unusable. I repeat..."

Shiler turned off the television and picked up another report that required his signature. He scanned it from top to bottom; the data points were all within normal ranges, with only a slight increase compared to before. This indicated that the patients in the sanatorium were not significantly affected by the resurgence of spiritual energy, and no geniuses of magic or physical mutation had emerged. For a dean, this was the best possible outcome.

*Ding-a-ling*—the phone rang. Shiler picked up the receiver on the side, but to his surprise, it wasn't an internal call; it was Strange calling him.

"Alright, it seems you've reached a consensus. I have no objections. Unlike Tony or Reed, I don't possess an independent laboratory. There's nothing to see in the sanatorium. If they insist on coming, I can certainly ask them to fill out a psychological assessment report or something. That is all."

After hanging up, there was a knock at the office door. The head nurse walked in with another stack of documents. He stood before the desk and said, "Good news, Doctor. The list of supervisees sent by the community has decreased to three this year."

"Three? Didn't they say there were over a dozen people left before? What happened to the rest?" Shiler frowned and asked.

"Don't worry too much, Doctor. Their situations are all written in the reports. According to evaluations by authoritative psychiatric institutions, their mental conditions have improved, and they have basically reached a level of self-care. The community no longer has an obligation to select supervisory institutions for them."

Shiler lowered his head to carefully examine the reports, and he found that what the head nurse said was true. Most of the patients the community had assigned to his sanatorium had recovered. The remaining three were patients with extremely severe schizophrenia, but even their conditions had lessened to varying degrees.

"I heard from a classmate studying at Columbia University Medical School that this seems to be the influence of magical power," the head nurse said. "This kind of power doesn't just improve people's cardiopulmonary function and muscle strength; it also has benefits for stabilizing human mental states. Being in this environment for two weeks shows obvious improvement. The young nurses under me have also told me that many patients have become much calmer recently."

"That couldn't be better," Shiler said, putting down the report. "There might be a few people coming to visit the sanatorium tomorrow. Make preparations for the reception."

"Is it another big shot from Washington?"

"Not exactly. However, try to ensure they don't have contact with the patients. I will receive them personally. I might have to go to the West Coast in a couple of days, and I will hand over my work to the vice dean."

After the head nurse left, Shiler picked up the phone and dialed Nick's number, telling him about the situation he had just discovered. Nick said, "I was just about to look for you. Congress is consulting my opinion on whether to establish a research group regarding the influence of magical power on the human mental state. They want you and Professor Xavier to participate."

"If Professor Xavier is also participating, what is the point of my participation?"

"Your fees are expensive."

"Fine, I want thirty percent," Shiler changed the subject. "How exactly did Stephen and Tony convince you to agree to let Batman visit New York? You aren't mentioning the 'free-range nukes' issue anymore?"

"You have to understand my predicament," Nick sighed heavily. "Stark's lab, Osborn's lab, Richards' lab, Doom's lab, Otto's lab, Parker's lab, Connors' lab... they are all waiting for the gods of the scientific world to descend."

"And as the Pope, what you've done is take their bribes and let the gods act recklessly in their kingdom?"

"I wouldn't call it reckless. I sent Seeing Natasha to keep an eye on them."

"How is that any different from sending a lamb into a tiger's den?"

"Why would you think our female agent is a lamb?"

"I'm talking about Batman."

"But there are many of them."

"Only lambs travel in herds," Shiler sighed. "Don't tell me you don't know how Seeing Natasha and the Arkham Batman broke up. Now Bucky and Barton are both chasing her; are you afraid New York isn't chaotic enough?"

"I don't have time to worry about these romantic entanglements," Nick said. "If she gets blood on all of them at the same time, I'll pop champagne at her funeral."

Nick hung up the phone, and Shiler could only shake his head with a hint of helplessness. Just as he was about to dial another number, Seeing Natasha burst in.

"That's the sixth time, Madam."

"What?"

"Bursting into my office without knocking."

"I'm an agent," Seeing Natasha said, and after glancing at Shiler's helpless expression, she added, "Fine, next time I enter your bedroom, I won't knock either."

"What's wrong?"

"Disaster is imminent," Seeing Natasha pulled over a chair and sat down. "It's like this: my ex-ex-ex-boyfriend and my ex-ex-boyfriend are both chasing me, and now I've been assigned to tail my ex-boyfriend. Besides killing them all, is there any other way for me to get out of this?"

"No, Madam. Your only mistake was not killing them one by one when you broke up with them. Now that they've all survived and gathered together, even God can't help you."

Seeing Natasha slumped her head onto the desk.

"Right now, what you need to think about is the Arkham Batman problem," Shiler said. "Do you know what he did at the Magic Academy?"

"I heard he caused quite a stir."

"Because someone bombed and injured him, he didn't just let the culprit go; he dragged everyone related to it into the fallout. And at that time, he had only broken a rib. You almost dug his heart out; what do you think he's doing by making a special trip to New York before going home?"

"You're just repeating the problem." Seeing Natasha pounded the table with a 'bang' and said, "And what I need is a solution."

"Tell me your motive first. Do you really want to kill him?"

"Of course not." Seeing Natasha leaned back in her chair, took out a pack of cigarettes, and shook it. Shiler nodded slightly, and Seeing Natasha lit a cigarette, exhaling a puff of smoke to the side.

"In short, there's a difference of opinion."

"Where?"

"What?"

"Where did the disagreement take place?"

"Shouldn't you be asking what the disagreement is about?"

"That's not important," Shiler shook his head. "My research into sexual psychology isn't deep, but I know a thing or two. Between two sexes, the location where the conflict arises is more important than the conflict itself."

"In bed," Seeing Natasha said concisely.

"Good. Does it have anything to do with sex?"

"Not much."

"So it is related. Did you stab him?"

"Just one stab."

"Did he call you a lunatic?"

"No. He must have known he was in the wrong."

Shiler shook his head and said, "He just didn't intend to lower himself to your level under those circumstances."

"Maybe it's just because we two are temporarily unable to break the connection," Seeing Natasha rolled her eyes and said, "Heh, men."

"So you didn't stop."

"No," Seeing Natasha thought for a moment and said, "I actually admire him. If it were Tony Stark, he might have already screamed and bolted to the middle of the Pacific Ocean."

"He really is a ruthless man," Shiler couldn't help but sigh. "Now tell me about your little conflict. How did he provoke you?"

"He said he was the President of the United States."

"Hmm, and then?"

"I thought he was lying to me."

"Why did you think that?"

"How could Congress allow someone so dangerous to be President?"

"Perhaps they had no choice but to allow it."

"He asked me if I wanted to attend a banquet with him; I refused, and then he kept asking. I slapped him, and when he reached out again, he grabbed my wrist, and then I pulled out a knife. I admit I was a bit impulsive."

"So that's how it is," Shiler relaxed and said, "Minor issue."

Seeing Natasha looked at him skeptically, but after a while, she decided to trust Shiler's professional judgment. Then she said, "Tomorrow, Batman is coming to New York to visit various laboratories, and I'm responsible for the security throughout. Do you have any advice?"

"Nothing much. At most, they'll throw around some cameras, but the network signals of the two universes aren't compatible. They won't be able to see anything from over there. You can pick up the cameras they throw and hand them to Nick; they should be able to revolutionize our camera technology."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Seeing Natasha left soon after, presumably to prepare for tomorrow's visit. Shiler also made arrangements at the sanatorium, mainly to prevent Batman's arrival from stimulating the patients. In the evening, he went for a stroll in Central Park.

Ever since Stark Industries' hovercars hit the market, one could occasionally see one or two luxury vintage cars flying overhead in the wealthy districts of New York. But because the price was too high and required asset verification, not many had been sold, and they remained a rarity.

Thus, the next morning, when a flying Batmobile shimmering with magical light landed in the sanatorium's parking lot, passersby and neighbors from next door scrambled to take photos with their phones.

Stark stumbled out of the car like a wandering ghost and began to retch as soon as he hit the ground. Peter didn't fare much better; even with Spider-Man's equilibrium, he was left pale and shaken.

"I've been wronged," Stark said, looking at Shiler as he walked over. "You must apologize for your evaluation of my driving skills, or else you'll have to get in his car and take a spin."

"No need, I apologize," Shiler said. "Compared to Batman, you drive as steadily as a subway train."

Peter rubbed his waist and said, "My God, when he started up, I was almost plastered against the seat and turned into spider-jam. With this kind of power, why are you researching sports cars? You should be researching time machines!"

At this moment, the Arkham Batman and the Prime Batman stepped out of the driver and passenger seats. Both looked calm and composed, looking up to survey the sanatorium.

"Long time no see, Dean," the Prime Batman walked up to shake Shiler's hand and said, "I heard the sanatorium moved recently; are the doctors and patients adapting well?"

"Not bad."

"If there's anything you need help with, don't hesitate to ask." As they exchanged pleasantries, they walked into the sanatorium. Many patients opened their windows to peek, wondering if it was another big shot from Washington, but instead, they saw two handsome men with blue eyes who looked remarkably similar, triggering a chorus of cheers and whistles.

Shiler skillfully pointed at their windows, calling out their names and telling them to close them. From the building came the intermittent scolding of nurses and the giggling of teenagers.

"This isn't quite what I imagined," the Arkham Batman said.

Shiler glanced at him and said, "What did you imagine? A large-scale human experimentation base?"

"The exact opposite. Maybe a luxury shopping mall or something."

"Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. The fees here aren't actually high, and many patients are assigned by the community. I only receive a very small subsidy."

"But it doesn't look like you're short on money."

"Are you from the IRS? Do you need to investigate my sources of income?"