Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics

Indeed, it proves that the initial villains of any story are extremely foolish, like this current principal of Gotham University, and Chief of Police Victor. If it weren't for Batman being in his early stages, the prime Batman wouldn't even give them a glance.

Fortunately, Maroni, the villain who appears towards the middle of the story, does hold his own. Before Batman could take down his den, the production line got up and running, and large amounts of fear gas were continuously being produced.

Shiller didn't act on this batch of fear gas straight away, knowing that doing so would make the opposition alert.

Although large quantities of fear gas were being produced, they were merely stored in the warehouse temporarily. Maroni knew that this kind of biochemical weapon must be used in large quantities all at once, preferably enveloping the entire block, to maximize its effect.

Regrettably, this strategy played right into Shiller's hands.

When the three warehouses at the small chemical factory were almost full of fear gas, Shiller activated the gray mist, swooping into the warehouse and swallowing all the fear toxin concentrate in one go.

Shiller dared to do this because the gray mist told him that as a symbiote, it could directly devour these fear gases and store them, without the worry of running out of space for storage.

Yet Shiller doubted this, seeming as though a drunkard was reassuring you that it wouldn't be a problem to store alcohol with him.

Fortunately, the symbiote was obedient, and it had consumed all the fear gas in the warehouse in an instant once it turned into gray mist, without being affected by it.

The bottle that housed the fear gas didn't show any changes - the symbiote factor had squirmed into the molecular structure of the bottle, leaving the fear gas container squeaky clean.

When Maroni inspected the warehouse the next day, he was utterly astonished.

Boxes and bottles were neatly arranged, with no trace of anyone coming or going from the warehouse, yet the fear gas was nowhere to be found.

Maroni knew the implications of such a biochemical weapon being discovered by certain people; hence, despite the small scale of the chemical factory, its security was extremely tight, especially the warehouse that stored a great deal of fear gas—it was practically impenetrable.

However, one could not expect the security guards to be wary of a sudden mist that floated by in the middle of the night, leading to Maroni's downfall.

He had spent millions of dollars and countless resources, even owing several favors. His project, developed over a significant period, was one step away from success, only to be stolen by someone.

One would exclaim that had it not set off well from the start, it would be acceptable, but by now he had invested manpower, money, new equipment worth several million dollars had been installed, high-salaried chemists had been hired, and he had gone head-to-head with the Red Crow Gang, leading to the death of dozens of his good men—the funeral expenses had been paid in full. Now he had been told that all his finished products had been stolen?

Anyone would be spitting blood!

Most importantly, Maroni knew that the police and some peculiar Batman were watching him. To fight off these people, he had employed a considerable number of informants that he had never used before, shaking his entire intelligence network and resulting in the death of many informants. Half of his intelligence network, built over decades, was left in tatters. This was his life's work.

As Maroni was compelled to continue to increase his investment due to sunk costs, with the intention to further produce a batch of fear gas, all his equipment, including all the bottles and jars, had turned to dust when he inspected the production line again.

The sound of Maroni's heartbreak could be heard throughout Gotham.

The symbiote's performance left Shiller very impressed. The symbiote told him that it was not just the fear gas, but everything that possessed a molecular structure could be disassembled by the symbiote, mixed into its own symbiotic factor. At times of need, it could recombine and restore the intact entity.

This was akin to Shiller having a portable storage space, able to store most ordinary items, be it metal, plastic, or fiber. The symbiote could perfectly devour and store them, and restore them when needed.

Shiller thought that low-level criminals commit crimes and cause destruction, hurting others without aiding themselves, while slightly cleverer ones would seek personal gains at the expense of others—committing crimes for personal benefits.

But Shiller was different from them, his specialty was to reap tremendous benefits for himself while managing to do something good on the side.

If one can be a good person, who would want to be a bad person? In Shiller's view, those who would only harm others for personal gain are merely not smart enough.

If one could choose a path that allows for both fame and wealth, without any moral blame, why not choose it?

The deeds he performed this time not only led to the complete obliteration of the Red Crow Gang and severe losses to the Maroni family, but also struck a blow to the trust between the mob, police, and Gotham city government. Their first extensive collaboration ended in such a crushing defeat. Even if Saul is incredibly foolish, he likely wouldn't collaborate with the councilors and the police again.

Reflecting upon the recent happenings, the severely affected Saul seemed unwilling to let matters rest; it didn't matter if he couldn't find the thief, he could squeeze more out of Victor.

Victor disappeared before his trial began, with no clue as to his whereabouts. Maroni was not in a position to contend for Gordon's place anymore, so Gordon naturally became the team leader of the Gotham City Police Department's external task force, gaining real power for the first time.

The very same principal of Gotham University involved in this affair also met a sorry fate. As Batman had no personal jails, after obtaining evidence, he threw the unconscious principal back to his office. Unfortunately, that very night, he was hit by a truck. Although doctors saved his life, he suffered permanent injuries and his ambitions for higher power were likely unachievable.

The situation in the East District gang turf became more complicated, with the Red Crow Gang being wiped out and the stalemate between the two rivals being broken. However, the Maroni Family did not have sufficient power to unify the East District again.

A few small-scale gangs had banded together, aiming to take a bite from the tiger, an opportunity which Maroni would never let go. His family's interests were at stake and wouldn't be devoured without a fight.

For some time, the entire East district became a battlefield for the gangs. After suffering heavy losses from crossfires, the Maroni Family had no choice but to make an agreement with the emerging gang families. They agreed to a temporary truce, yet for the Maroni Family, it was a huge loss as some small mobs in their territory started to become disobedient.

In the end, Jonathan wasn't thrown in jail because he indeed had a mental illness. This wasn't someone trying to acquit him, but an authoritative conclusion from the chief psychiatrist at Arkham Mental Hospital.

Whether Jonathan ended up at Gotham Prison or Arkham Asylum wasn't really important. He wasn't yet the Scarecrow, and didn't have the ability to escape from either.

Additionally, the Wayne Family brought justice to the corrupt owner of the Wayne Chemical Plant. Batman started to garner some fame in Gotham, and Miss Christine was saved without any substantial harm done. Shiller also obtained a large amount of fear gas as weapons.

A world where only criminals are hurt was achieved.

Though figures such as the principal of Gotham, Director Victor, or even Maroni might not amount to big bosses in Batman's world, simply acting as cannon fodder, they all seemed somewhat foolish. But Shiller knew that the curtain to Batman's world had not yet been drawn and that truly dangerous and psychopathic criminals hadn't taken to the stage yet.

With his interference, Batman grew more quickly. Maybe when he faces his old enemies, he will be at a greater advantage.

With expectations for the DC world, Shiller once again sank into a dream. He woke up back to the hustle and bustle of New York.

However, unfortunately, the first person he met in the morning was the one he least wished to see.

"Please sit, Miss Natasha. I won't bother with formalities."

The Natasha on the opposite side was dressed casually, looking less like a female agent and more like a housewife out for a morning run. She had light makeup on that made her look radiant. Her hair wasn't loose but was tied up, making her not look like the Black Widow at all.

But this was the more likely scenario - wearing black tight leather suits with guns and various other tools would only attract dark bullets or even rocket launchers to her in Hell's Kitchen.

Natasha sipped from her coffee and said, "Mr. Shiller, first I have to apologize for Coulson. When we initially wanted to contact you, it was because you were Stark's psychological consultant and we wanted more information about his mental issues. Obviously, the collapse of a large conglomerate like Stark Industries would have a massive impact."

"But now, we really need your help because we couldn't find a better psychologist than you."

It has to be said, the female agent was quite versatile. She was sat there in her casual attire, gently speaking with the help of her beautiful face, which makes it really hard to dislike her.

Apparently, Black Widow didn't only show her blasting power; she was indeed a good agent, capable of altering her style according to different situations.

Shiller said, "You don't have to dodge around the matter with me. I understand perfectly well why I had to leave the Elders Council Hospital. But you didn't find anything there, did you?"

"The only thing of attraction to me there was utterly useless to you. I was only there to finish my research, yet you made me get fired for some nonsensical presumptions. We need to settle this score properly."

"We're not aware of the staffing issues at Elders Council Hospital. But, we do have a better job offer here." Natasha said.

She then took a document from her bag and gave it to Shiller. Natasha said, "Now we formally invite you, Mr. Shiller Rodriguez, to serve as the special senior psychological consultant for Homeland Strategic Defense Attack and Logistic Support Bureau, offering psychological counseling services for one or multiple bureau members."

Shiller said, "I'm sorry, but I wouldn't…"

"Just like what you'd talked with Mr. Stark, your pay would be 1 million dollars per hour."

"Thank you for this opportunity. I'm looking forward to a rewarding collaboration." Shiller extended his hand out smiling, and Natasha shook it in agreement.