In Shiller's office, he was checking his email. Many students who had heard about the incident involving the faculty at Gotham University had sent emails to inquire about his well-being. Shiller carefully read each email and sent brief replies, assuring them that he was fine and reminding them to pay attention to food safety.
Looking down from the office window, the straight and wide campus road was littered with falling leaves. With the hustle and bustle of people gone, a sense of desolation filled the air.
However, the professor's office building was not far from the stadium, and the enthusiastic shouts from there could be heard faintly. Both the football team and the cheerleading squad were busy preparing for the game, training diligently without taking a break.
After reading the last email, Shiller leaned back and gently stretched his neck. After taking a sip of water, he glanced at his watch.
He had no more work to handle. At this time, he would either play cards at the club with colleagues or watch a football game.
He initially followed the football team to get Gotham University into the Ivy League, but after so many years, Shiller became a loyal fan of the university team.
Actually, the performance of Gotham University's football team had always been good, consistently ranking among the top teams. However, they were always just slightly short of breaking into the elite tier. Each batch of students performed well above their peers, but they never produced outstanding players.
The biggest advantage of Gotham University's team was their high rate of athletes entering professional leagues. Students who aimed for this path were keen on applying, but no star players had emerged over the years.
It's not that the coaches or players weren't working hard, nor was it Shiller's lack of effort. In the end, sports competition hinges on talent, which is something only God can decide.
So every Saturday, rain or shine, Shiller would go to church, hoping to pester God into bestowing a divine Zĭwēi star upon Gotham University's team.
After tidying up his belongings, Shiller prepared to head to the stadium. Aside from saying that Gotham University's new campus had excellent facilities, the stadium was undoubtedly the most professional and luxurious on the entire East Coast, and currently the largest comprehensive sports arena on the East Coast.
Although, given Gotham's notorious "reputation", not many international events had settled here yet, some organizers had shown interest. It probably wouldn't be long before it became lively.
Some might ask if an alien invasion at such a critical moment would make hosting events in Gotham seem unsafe.
Let's just say the American Comics Universe is incomparable.
Before the new campus of Gotham University was established, most of the top events on the East Coast were held at Metropolitan University's stadium. Metropolis wasn't exactly peaceful either.
Although the timing hasn't been right, with Zod yet to arrive and little in the way of major invasions. Moreover, the Justice League in this universe had been preparing for a while, making Metropolis relatively safe for now. But, compared to Gotham, it wasn't much better in terms of security.
Hosting events anywhere is a matter of picking the tallest among the short. Despite Gotham's many disasters, it hadn't been destroyed; instead, it had become a unique presence among American cities. At least this showed that Gotham's emergency measures were quite effective. If something really happened, they might handle it better than those usually considered safe cities.
As Shiller walked toward the stadium, he saw a janitor cleaning up fallen leaves, using a shovel to move them into a huge garbage bin.
Usually, their paths wouldn't cross. But Shiller suddenly felt a sense of being watched.
In an instant, he built a mental maze, shifted his thoughts, and pretended to be an ordinary psychology professor, recalling the football game he had seen earlier.
After walking fifty meters, the feeling of being watched disappeared. The other person had been deceived.
Shiller did not look back, nor did he take any action to retaliate. He just calmly walked to the stadium, exchanged pleasantries with the coach leading the practice, and went to the stands.
Using Clark to distract Kara and send her out of Gotham proved to be the right decision. Although she was a Kryptonian with a super brain, the opponent's psychic abilities were clearly superior. Without any defenses, she'd likely be controlled instantly.
If Kara went berserk, it would put Gotham's people in an awkward situation. If they didn't subdue her, Gotham University could be destroyed; if they did subdue her and hurt her by accident, it would be hard to break the cheerleading squad's best score.
Just as Shiller was thinking about this, he saw a figure walking towards him. He turned his head and saw a familiar face.
"...Christine?"
Shiller pulled out this name from the depths of his mind. The other person was even more surprised. She walked over to shake hands with Shiller and said, "Professor, you still remember me..."
Shiller nodded slightly. Of course, he remembered. This girl was two years senior to Bruce, the captain of the cheerleading squad, the most beautiful, skilled, and popular member of that batch.
The best score in Gotham University's cheerleading competition was still held by her, and no one had broken it in over a decade.
Most importantly, she was involved in Jonathan's case and was kidnapped. While she was eventually rescued, it frightened her considerably and she became infatuated with Batman. Unfortunately, Batman did not reciprocate her feelings.
Later, she had a relationship with Harvey Dent. Her good friend Doris was also involved in some trouble, but fortunately, it didn't implicate her. She graduated smoothly not long after.
During her breakup with Harvey, Shiller had heard some news about her. With her outstanding appearance and excellent dancing skills, she became a theater actress.
She then went to the West Coast to develop her career, seemingly making some name for herself in Hollywood. She received numerous accolades for her quintessential American blonde cheerleader image, but due to her lack of distinctive features, she didn't become extremely famous.
She and Harvey parted on good terms, primarily because Christine wanted to leave Gotham, while Harvey didn't. Naturally, different future plans led to their separation. Unexpectedly, she returned now.
More than a decade had passed, but this beautiful girl's appearance hadn't changed much. If anything, she looked slightly more mature, still dazzling.
"Of course, madam. The Samoan Dance you choreographed remains the signature dance of Gotham University's cheerleading squad. I saw them rehearsing it just a few days ago."
Realizing that Shiller wasn't just making small talk but truly praising her, Christine laughed happily, then said, "I really missed those days, so I came to see it as soon as I returned to Gotham."
"I heard there's another great girl in the cheerleading squad. Unfortunately, she's on leave. I wanted to see her performance."
"There will be opportunities." Shiller nodded, and the two of them sat down together. He looked at Christine and said, "What made you return suddenly?"
"California is great, sunny and passionate. But, it's not my place anymore." Christine seemed relieved and no longer troubled by it. "Who didn't dream of Hollywood when they were young? It's easy to get in, but hard to stay. My talent has reached its limit, no need to push myself."
Shiller nodded. He could see that Christine's career had recently hit some bumps, leading her to take a break back here.
Shiller had no intention of commenting on her career. He just mentally assessed that giving up now seemed wise for Christine. Her natural advantages were obvious, but her looks were too generic. Such blonde beauties were a dime a dozen in Hollywood, making it hard to stand out.
Shiller thought of Catwoman. Frankly, Catwoman's beauty was perhaps comparable to Christine's, but since she wasn't purely white, her more exotic looks and unique personality were one of a kind in Hollywood. So, even without Bruce's support, Catwoman never lacked roles.
"I came back intending to find a job in Gotham's theater troupe. You know they're quite famous recently, Professor?"
"You mean the Grayson Troupe? Their circus is indeed Gotham Theatre's signature act."
"Their plays are also quite famous. They perform the four great tragedies better than any theater troupe in Metropolis. I've always wanted to see it, but the tickets are hard to get..."
"Have you considered teaching at Gotham University?"
"I can come to guide the girls in my spare time on weekends, but there's no need for a full-time position. I only know dance, but not specialized knowledge in sports health to be a coach."
Christine then smiled playfully and said, "But I'll be there to check on them during the weekends."
Seeing Christine's smile, Shiller suddenly remembered something. She was involved in Jonathan and the old principal's conspiracy, one of the key witnesses.
Her memories might hold evidence that Jonathan had been causing trouble since Bruce first entered college. Although not pleasant memories for her, they were powerful evidence that Jonathan might indeed be the "Professor".
Thinking of this, Shiller said:
"Speaking of the Grayson Troupe, I know both its owner and the owner of Gotham Theatre well. They always save tickets for me whenever there's a popular play. Recently, they gave me some tickets for the premiere of 'La Traviata'. If you're free, would you like to go back to my office with me? I'll give you a ticket?"
"Really?!" Christine exclaimed in delight, "I was just worried about not getting a ticket, this is great!"
Shiller smiled, stood up, and said, "It's nothing, really. If you join the troupe, Gotham Theatre will have another stage star. Your tickets will surely be hard to get, but you'll save some for me, right?"
"Of course!" Christine happily hugged Shiller and said, "If I do become the leading lady, I'll save the front row tickets for you, Professor!"
After greeting the coach, Shiller and Christine left together. On the way back to the office, Christine chatted away about Hollywood.
During their walk, Shiller's phone beeped. He checked and found a text from Harvey:
"I heard Penny went to Gotham University, did you see her?"
He pressed the number "1" on his keyboard and sent it. He trusted that Harvey would understand. As for whether they could reconnect, that was uncertain.
The route from the stadium to the office was the same, and the janitor had moved from the east side of the road to the west side.
What remained unchanged was the feeling of being watched when they passed him again. Shiller adjusted his thoughts while Christine was completely unaware.
As they passed the janitor, Shiller noticed he paused while sweeping the leaves and then turned to look at Christine.