Chapter 826: The Eternal Presence of Jesus (1) (Patreon)

In DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List

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"Correct, the situation in Gotham is indeed far from optimistic," Schiller summarized, "On one hand, the old rules have decayed, and the new ones have yet to take root. The era is constantly evolving, and if we don't change quickly, we will surely be left behind."

"The deep-seated evils in Gotham are not solely due to its inhabitants being inherently worse than others. There may be some special reasons. Trying to save this city is like a blind man feeling an elephant, never knowing how much darkness awaits."

"Generally speaking, I wouldn't invest more energy in something that's fundamentally impossible to accomplish. But the reason I believe Gotham still has room for change is because we have an ace up our sleeves."

Hearing Schiller's words, Bruce was somewhat puzzled and asked, "An ace? What kind of ace does Gotham have... and how can it be considered an ace?"

It's not surprising he was confused. Gotham had already played all its cards. Its geographical location wasn't unique, and its people were unruly.

Economic prosperity was its only advantage, but even that had come at the cost of playing all its cards, making it clear that this city was almost beyond salvation.

But now, Schiller was saying that Gotham still had a card to play, and it was a trump card. What could it be?

At this point, Schiller spoke, "The trump card I'm referring to is you, Batman."

Bruce froze in his tracks, but Schiller continued as if it were a matter of fact, "Do you remember the Gotham you saw in the dream? The one where the Owls disguised themselves as cats and monitored all the cats, with the entire city under their control?"

"Isn't that right?" Bruce asked, "The Owls posed as cats, monitoring all the cats, and the whole city was under their control."

"But what if I said that, with a slight change in form, this could be the city of eternal peace that you dream of?"

Bruce hesitated for a moment, then glanced at himself, not understanding what Schiller meant. Schiller explained, "Suppose, and I emphasize 'suppose,' you have an abundant amount of resources to transform Gotham into a futuristic city unlike any other. Could you do it?"

"What do you mean by a 'futuristic city'?" Bruce asked.

"It's the kind of city you imagine where everyone lives in peace, with advanced science and technology, and incredibly convenient lifestyles..."

Bruce shook his head and said, "You've just added the most difficult condition into your supposition. There's no one in this world with that much wealth."

Bruce wasn't a playboy. He had always been in charge of Wayne Enterprises' operations, and he knew the financial situation of his family's industry inside out. But precisely because of that, he knew that the biggest obstacle to achieving Schiller's vision was money.

Wayne Enterprises was wealthy, no doubt, but this goal was beyond extravagant. Gotham wasn't just a small suburban town; its land area was even larger than Metropolis. Although the city center wasn't as prosperous as Metropolis, it wasn't far behind.

The only significant difference was the permanent population, with Gotham having one-third fewer residents than Metropolis, but it still ranked as one of the most populous cities on the East Coast.

To transform such a city, astronomical numbers wouldn't even come close to describing the resources needed.

"What I mean is, assuming you have the necessary funds, are there any technological obstacles?" Schiller asked.

Bruce frowned, and as Schiller continued to inquire, he had to temporarily put aside reality and consider some far-fetched ideas. He said, "Professor, you previously presented a concept for a three-dimensional city. Let's not even discuss who proposed it; the technological content in that concept is quite impressive. The most interesting part is the equipment compression and expansion technology."

"After obtaining this concept, I focused on researching this technology and made some progress." Bruce finished speaking and stood up from his chair, taking out a small piece of paper from his pocket.

He released it, and the paper slowly floated down. Just before it touched the ground, it unfolded into a set of Bat armor with a 'whoosh.'

Alberto's eyes were practically popping out of his head, and Schiller also stood up, circling around the Bat armor. Bruce explained, "This is just a prototype, and I don't intend to use this technology on this suit because it doesn't serve much purpose."

"I hope that this folding and unfolding technology can be applied in the field of architecture or building materials, eliminating the need for excessive transportation, handling, and placement. After manufacturing in the Bat Factory, it can be unfolded and secured in place, creating finished buildings, just like fast food products."

"However, right now, there are still some technical challenges to address. For example, the stability of unfolding and compressing large objects hasn't been tested, and safety tests are also required for the unfolding process..."

"Architectural treatment and architectural details also need further improvement. Of course, if I dedicate about a month to it, I can perfect it further," Bruce continued.

Schiller then asked, "What about the model of the Ark Reactor I gave you earlier? Have you made any progress with it?"

"I've conducted some research on it," Bruce nodded.

"In addition to miniaturization improvements, I've also conducted experiments on super-sizing, such as envisioning the transformation of Earth's core into a larger energy reactor."

When it came to technical issues, Bruce's language was much more fluent than when discussing psychology. He said, "As long as this is achieved, humanity will have nearly infinite energy at its disposal. These two technologies complement each other."

"If we transform Earth's interior, then humanity's reliance on nature will no longer be limited resources but rather another type of infinitely reliable, non-disappearing infinity..."

Schiller chuckled, and Bruce's response didn't exceed his expectations.

The enduring appeal of Batman, a comic book character, lay in the fact that he was always an ordinary human, lacking the superhuman physical attributes of some other superheroes. Screenwriters didn't focus on his physical prowess or combat abilities when shaping this character.

Batman initially appeared as a detective, setting the tone for his character development. He was portrayed as highly intelligent but without superhuman physical abilities.

In comic book creation, characters with physical prowess are often easier to illustrate. Many people might think that fight sequences are challenging, but for professional comic artists, depicting human anatomy and choreographing action sequences isn't difficult, as long as the plot is logical, the panels and actions are well-executed.

In contrast, intellectual characters require a higher level of screenwriting skill. To portray a character's high intelligence convincingly in a comic with multiple intertwined storylines, there must be foreshadowing, logical consistency, innovative settings, and a distinctive style.

However, comic book screenwriters often don't possess the same high level of intelligence as the characters they create. If a comic book screenwriter had the same level of intelligence as Batman, they wouldn't need to be screenwriters.

As a result, editors in American comics usually prefer two methods to create intelligent characters. The first is to provide answers and push the process, creating a nested intellectual character who can predict the other's predictions.

However, the creation of Laughing Bat was not well-received by many comic book readers because later screenwriters were too lazy to think about logical connections. They didn't even provide the process, just a statement that they predicted your prediction, which led to the character lacking significant personality charm.

On the other hand, Batman's portrayal was relatively successful because after the editors completed a story, they used various methods to demonstrate Batman's extraordinary intelligence.

But they often provided the process, such as Batman discovering a clue to the killer through certain details. The editorial team already knew who the killer was, and they arranged such a plot to demonstrate Batman's superior intelligence.

Of course, in today's increasingly commercialized and fast-food-oriented world, many comic book editors are reluctant to use detective stories to shape intelligent characters. It's time-consuming, labor-intensive, and not very popular. They have a simpler method, which is to turn the character they are shaping into a Doraemon.

First, they give the character a bunch of academic titles, making them highly accomplished in the academic world. Then, they make the character an inventor who can pull out all sorts of outrageous inventions at any time.

As long as the character's science and technology skills are up to par, it naturally demonstrates their high intelligence. As long as they can invent all sorts of extraordinary machines that ordinary people can't, it proves their intelligence surpasses others.

In the early days of comics, these characters were often comical, pulling out all sorts of novel gadgets from their pockets to increase the readers' sense of novelty. But later on, this setting became a lazy method, turning into another form of science and technology nesting.

You invent something impressive, and I invent something even more impressive to counter it, and then you invent something even more impressive...

In essence, this is no different from Laughing Bat's nested prediction. However, because it is cloaked in the guise of science and technology and supported by seemingly plausible principles, it is more easily accepted by readers.

Batman, too, possesses similar attributes. In the realm of science and technology, he can completely disregard the laws of physics, and even time, as long as he wishes, he can invent all sorts of outrageous bat gadgets, essentially beating anyone who stands in his way.

According to common sense, a 20-year-old Batman would never have accumulated so much knowledge unless he had 48 hours in a day. But he has, so what can you do about it?

Readers don't find it far-fetched that the main character can pull out all sorts of magical gadgets at any time because this is comics. And with the help of these gadgets, the editorial team also saves a lot of effort, as they don't have to explain certain plot elements that defy logic. It can be said that both sides benefit from this approach.

And in fact, Batman truly deserves the title of a super genius. He received those materials and that model, and within just two or three years, he had already grasped the secrets within.

This also made Schiller certain that in this world, Batman indeed possessed the talent of a super inventor.

And this would be an unbeatable card, much stronger than any card played before.

Now, there was only one question left: Would this card be willing to be played?

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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