Chapter 3957: Chapter 3071: Mercury Chronicles (21)
Just captured a few demons, and now I've run into a few devils, this is the true reflection of Bruce's current mood.
Look who's been waiting here for me?
Then he found out that Miss Lillith might be even more outrageous than he had thought, because not only could she read minds, she could also prophesy.
Which is to say, she wasn't just a teen version of Professor X, nor was she a gender-swapped Martian Manhunter, but rather their ProPlusMax version.
Although her prophecy ability couldn't always be activated, it was said that once it was, it would invariably be accurate.
Why even study criminal investigation? Just have her sit in the Gotham Police Department, and Gordon would have to worship her. She's the one who could truly realize Gordon's ideals, for with the ability to prophesize, crime prevention was assured, and justice would never be delayed; both victims and perpetrators would receive genuine redemption.
Bruce felt like saying to her, "Don't bother with learning anymore, just go back to Earth and take up your post. I'll come to the Gotham Police Department to pay my respects during every holiday."
But the bad news was, Lillith's personality was much quirkier than Jenna's, very strong-willed and completely unreasonable, and she didn't possess Professor X's high moral standards, with her Mind Reading Technique being constantly activated.
Before Bruce could even speak, Lillith said, "No, your girlfriend won't find it romantic that you captured Solar Wind for her in a bottle, she'll just think you're weird."
"But I think she might like it if you forged a gemstone for her with the sun's fire. Why don't you check out the asteroid belt nearby, see if there's any shiny metal, and maybe make her a necklace. Just be careful with the radiation."
"Hmm, you mean I might find radioactive metal that could hurt her?"
"No, she'll keep it in a box, and then accidentally leave it at her friend Maggie's house. The mysterious radiation cures Maggie's illnesses, but also gives her the superpower to stretch her limbs freely, and your girlfriend will blame you."
"Why? Didn't I cure her friend?"
"Because her friend is that typical kind... I don't know how to put it, her biggest dream is to have a family, look after a husband and educate a godson; superpowers will just bring her trouble, and later she gets taken away by a Black woman named Amanda, and you and Selina almost end up divorcing over it."
"We get married?"
"Are you surprised? You womanizer."
Bruce had no response, then he realized something was off, and said, "You can't misuse your abilities like this, Miss Lillith, prying into people's privacy makes them uncomfortable."
"Huh." With a cold snort, Lillith said, "Every time someone learns about my ability to prophesize, they all want to try it out. Why don't they feel uncomfortable then?"
Bruce couldn't argue, because when he first found out about Lillith's ability, he too wanted to try it.
"People will always be curious about things beyond their understanding. If you feel offended, then just talk back," Bruce said.
Lillith raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat surprised, apparently not expecting Bruce to say such a thing.
"Do people always make you endure it?" Bruce asked.
"They say it's normal and that they would want to try it too. They see me as a jewel on display in a window, everyone wants to try it on, but they worry they can't afford it."
"You can't compare yourself to that, Miss," Bruce shook his head in disapproval, and said, "I just think prying too much into others' hearts might affect you."
"Do you think I might develop an Empathy Disorder? Actually, I won't; otherwise, I'd have gone mad by now. I'm well aware of who I am and I always stress this point. If you want me to behave, only then will I lose myself."
Bruce understood; empathizing too much with others was an inevitable calamity for anyone with the Mind Reading Technique. Some controlled their power to avoid being influenced by others' thoughts, while Lillith seemed to believe that as long as one had a strong enough character, they wouldn't be influenced by others.
"I didn't want to discuss this with you, Miss. If you can read minds, then the criminal investigation knowledge I teach might not be very useful to you..."
"Actually, I'm quite interested," Lillith surprised Bruce yet again, "I want to be a superhero, but I have no connections. Would you let me join the Justice League?"
"It depends on your performance, but I think you have a good shot, considering how unique your abilities are."
"Then I feel I still need to learn," said Lillith. "How big do you think the range of my Mind Reading Technique is? Can it cover the entire Earth?"
"Can't it?"
"Not that exaggerated," Lillith shook her head, "I can usually only focus on one person's brain, meaning if there are five people on the scene, I need to use my powers five times to check who the murderer is."
"What if the murderer isn't there?"
"I can search for clues in the brains of those present, but if they have none, I still have to use traditional methods to investigate. It's just that when I come into contact with the murderer, I'll know if they are the real culprit."
Bruce stroked his chin, thinking this made a bit more sense. If his universe actually had a Professor X, he would have to modify many of his plans.
"You can only read minds, not objects, and can't do remote mind-reading, so how did you know who the murderer was in the case discussed in class?"
Lillith looked at him with a complex gaze, "Of course, because I read your mind."
Bruce then realized he must have been flustered by Jenna's paper; Lillith didn't need to read the murderer's mind. She just had to read his, and naturally, she would know who the murderer was, and if all else failed, she could read Jenna's as well.
"Can you read memories or current thoughts?"
"Both are possible, but reading memories takes some time," Lilith said. "The deeper the memories, the longer it takes."
"See how my parents died," Bruce said.
Lilith didn't stand on ceremony with him. She closed her eyes to focus on her search. After a while, she opened her eyes and said with some confusion, "Your parents aren't dead, they're still alive."
Bruce laughed and said, "It seems you can be deceived too."
Lilith looked at him with great curiosity as Bruce said, "Memories can deceive. If I place some memory fragments on the surface, when you read them, you'll think you've grasped the truth. But actually, it's just a blind eye technique."
Lilith frowned. She activated her abilities again, and this time she turned Bruce's memories inside out. Then she finally showed a look of sudden realization.
She indeed had just skimmed the surface before, seeing the figures of Thomas and Martha and their family's life. She thought Bruce was trying to test her abilities to see if they were real.
But as she delved deeper, she saw the truth: his parents hadn't just not died, they had been revived.
And it took her great effort, overcoming numerous hardships, to find the memory of the gunfire in the alley at the very depths.
"Did you find it difficult?" Bruce asked.
"Yes, your mind seems to have a lot of noise. As I dug deeper, I saw too many meaningless images," Lilith paused before saying, "Strange, it's my first time meeting someone who can control their own memories so precisely."
"That's because you've seen too little. What if I told you that someone's psychic world contained a tower with more than two thousand levels, what would you think?"
"How is that possible?" Lilith said, frowning. "Even if he could do that, why would he? Wouldn't that seriously affect his thinking speed?"
"Nothing is impossible. Perhaps next time in class, you can try reading his mind."
"He's here?"
"Yes, your psychology Professor Schiller Rodriguez has an astonishing psychic world. Maybe you could explore it."
"Well then, if that's true, it sounds quite interesting," Lilith shrugged and said, "What did you want to talk to me about when you asked me over?"
"It's about some matters of classroom order. I've already discussed this with Jenna. I hope you, and by that, I mean those who can directly get the answers through certain methods, don't always use your thoughts to influence the other students."
"I know your answers are correct, but your thought processes aren't something they can learn from. If they try to learn them, they'll only hold themselves back. If they're all influenced by you, they might cause big trouble in the future. So, I hope you..."
"You think my thought process is wrong?"
"It's not wrong, just..."
"My thought process is your thought process," Lilith said. "My answers come from reading your mind."
Bruce paused for a moment, picking up the paper beside him, saying, "Impossible. How could I write such a mess..."
"I wouldn't know that. I can only say that these are part of your thoughts, at least at some moment you thought this way, otherwise, it wouldn't leave a trace in the memory," she replied.
Bruce immediately realized it might be the process of his trying to use the Psychoanalysis Method to analyze the case.
"So it's a mess of my own making, then no worries."
"Can you read a different line of thought?"
Lilith activated her abilities again. This time she paused for a long while before saying, "It's too complicated. If all your thoughts on this case were written down as a paper, I think it would be about a hundred thousand words. Your knowledge is too broad, and your observation of details is too meticulous, almost like a well-written computer program. You're the smartest person I've ever met."
Bruce immediately broke into a smile, but for the sake of his teacher's image, he restrained his expression. But then he seemed to think of something else and said, "Can you see the lesson plans in my mind?"
"Of course, I can even see your idea of wanting me to help you write them. But I need to tell you no way, I still haven't finished three other group discussions, and I don't have time for that."
"How about this, then: you put the standard answers I obtained through behavioral analysis into your paper, and I can hold you up as a positive example."
"That's plagiarism. You don't mind?"
"Uh... it's more like a citation," Bruce gestured and said, "I'll have Jenna emphasize the Psychoanalysis Method process in her paper. That way, you can clearly show the students the difference between the two schools of thought and let them join one based on their strengths and interests, creating a healthy competition rather than the current mess."
"If it's no trouble to you, fine. But I can't write it all down, just a part of it."
"I highlighted the key points and highlights for you. Did you see them?"
"Hmm... more or less. The way you handle your own mind is amazing. Can I learn this from you?"
"Of course. So, do we have a deal?" Bruce extended his hand towards her.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Professor Wayne," Lilith said as she shook his hand.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone