Chapter 827: The Eternal Jesus (2) (Patreon)

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Time for discussion always flew by swiftly. Before they knew it, it was time for the interns to leave, and the three of them had essentially reached a consensus on Gothamreform's goals, which was a significant breakthrough.

As dusk approached, Alberto's persona retreated for rest, and Evans reemerged. He glanced at his watch and said, "I apologize, Professor, but I must leave. There are matters awaiting my attention."

Schiller rose from his seat and said, "Of course, go ahead. Remember to be on time tomorrow, and please, take some time to rest."

After Evans left, Bruce showed no signs of leaving. He looked at Schiller and asked, "What do you mean by 'world-class trump card'? Are you referring to my scientific research abilities?"

"Indeed," Schiller replied as he closed the door. Bruce furrowed his brow and asked, "Why?"

"Because of your extraordinary intellectual prowess," Schiller answered as he returned to his desk. Bruce remained standing, waiting for Schiller's next words.

"We are only discussing the technical aspect, not the ethics. Given ample resources, do you believe you could support the entire human race?" Schiller inquired.

Bruce frowned and replied, "I have no desire to rule Earth or become a king of humanity, nor do I wish to control all the resources on this planet."

"Why?" Schiller pressed.

"Because I don't want to become Macbeth," Bruce said, locking eyes with Schiller. "Infinity of power equals no power at all. When power goes to that extent, nothing remains."

Schiller sighed and remarked, "Rule? No..."

"If you could consolidate all the resources Earth provides, you could use your scientific research abilities to transform the entire planet into a system. Through technological means, you could evenly distribute all the resources, thus providing for humanity."

Schiller gazed into Bruce's eyes and continued, "You've never been one of the underprivileged living in the slums. Your resources and genius intellect allow you to effect swifter and more thorough change."

"With your scientific research expertise, you could easily turn the whole Earth into a Hive, providing ample space and resources for everyone to fulfill their dreams and attain ultimate happiness."

"I asked you before if the resources on Earth are enough for every person to lead a happy life, and your answer was affirmative."

"Now, the reason we haven't achieved this goal lies with both societal systems and technological responsibility. Regardless of which one is stronger, it can to some extent replace the other."

"Clearly, your scientific research abilities have reached the point where they can influence societal systems and potentially alter human societal systems."

"But, you must understand one thing," Schiller gradually revealed his fangs, stood up, and walked up to Bruce, locking eyes with him. "Revolution, whose life does it take?"

"Whether you plan a violent revolution from the bottom or seek reform from the top, you must know that even the slightest change will result in losses. As the one who controls the most materials production, you will incur losses; it only varies in degree."

"When you make the decision to completely overthrow Gang's rule, when you want to make everyone in this City better and offer them a life of peace and prosperity in their dreams, have you ever considered that this means you may lose everything?"

"The more you strive to do, the more you will lose. In the process of rebuilding rules and redistributing resources, you cannot escape unscathed."

"Bruce, perhaps you've read some books, but you haven't had enough time to truly understand them. When I asked you these questions, I believe you should now understand why that book says, 'The capitalist will never awaken.'"

"Society's wealth is finite, and resources do not magically increase with changes in distribution methods. The wealth that flows into the hands of the poor, whom you sympathize with, is the flesh cut from your own body."

"Throughout this process, you must cut your own flesh, dismantle your skeleton, and dissect your organs. You must personally give away all the resources that sustain you, the ones that allow you to enjoy your current life, to those who will neither thank nor remember you."

"This is why, throughout human history, top-down reforms have never succeeded. No one can endure such pain," Schiller explained.

"All their benevolence is built on the premise that it won't endanger themselves. However, once they start cutting their own flesh, everyone becomes apprehensive and fearful," Schiller continued.

"The difference is that many of these strata did not anticipate such consequences before the reform. But now, I have told you about all the consequences."

"Many such individuals lack the ability due to the constraints of their era. Even if they make sacrifices, they cannot achieve the desired results. But now, I can tell you that with your astounding wisdom, you can do it."

"Once you start doing such a thing, your wealth, status, and reputation will cease to exist. And what you can gain in return is the happiness of strangers who have absolutely no connection to you."

"Batman, you found your humanity again in the lowest stratum of Gotham, wanting to blend in with them. But do you truly possess the divinity to abandon everything you have and sacrifice it all for your ideals?"

"Now, you face a choice. Your ideals and everything you possess – you can only choose one."

Bruce remembered when he first met this Professor, each time he entered his office, he would use various languages to challenge his convictions, forcing him to make choices. This time was no different, or perhaps, this time, the question was even more profound.

Every day, Batman, who loudly proclaimed to save Gotham and combat criminals, should have been unwavering in executing this plan when presented with a genuine opportunity to save Gotham and eliminate crime.

However, the only problem was that the fire he was about to ignite, the wood that needed to be burned, was himself.

Under the current system, wealth always flowed upwards, and the wealth gap only widened. To find a perfect societal system to replace the current one, to deal with all problems once and for all, there were two ways...

One was to make resources infinite. As long as everyone had resources equivalent to infinity – infinite land, food, air – the concept of wealth disparity would lose its meaning. Even if the wealth gap between the poor and the rich spanned thousands of galaxies, it wouldn't matter, because a human's lifetime needs for survival materials were limited, and there was a cap on fulfilling all needs. Once everyone achieved ultimate happiness, the surplus, no matter how large the gap, became inconsequential.

The other path was absolute fairness. People were not born equal, but through coercion, everyone could be made equal from birth. As long as there was one ultimate producer capable of supporting all of humanity, whether good or bad, to some extent, everyone else would attain absolute fairness. It was either everyone equally had nothing, or everyone equally had prosperity.

To achieve the first path, expansion was necessary. Gaining infinite resources meant breaking away from Earth and venturing into the vastness of the universe, occupying all of space, and perhaps even that wouldn't be enough – there had to be an endless infinity of space to satisfy all human needs and reach ultimate happiness.

To achieve the second path, internal change was needed. With absolute superiority, one would dominate the entire human society and efficiently allocate Earth's resources. This way, everyone would become components of a community, with no disparities or comparisons, and no societal needs. People would focus solely on their survival and spiritual needs, achieving ultimate happiness.

However, the problem was that no ultimate producer would willingly support all of humanity. Once they obtained all the resources on this planet, why wouldn't they enjoy them themselves? What connection did strangers have to their life or death?

This wasn't callousness but the essence of human nature – humans were inherently selfish. They had to consider their own needs first. With expanding resources came expanding needs, and perhaps the ultimate producer didn't need the entire Earth, but they believed they might need it for their future desires, so they wouldn't share with others.

To break free from this inherent nature, Batman had to transform from a person back into a god, because only gods could truly be selfless.

Standing inside the room, Bruce understood this reason. When he descended from the high attic, he just wanted to see what the people on the ground were doing.

Living among the crowd had him don the cloak of humanity, making him one of them, with the courage to face hardships and continue against the current.

But even after inheriting the most precious part of humanity, he still needed to peel away the most fundamental part of humanity – selfishness and greed.

Bruce felt that under the skin he had just grown back, something was coming to the surface again.

Perhaps, it was the wings he hadn't used in a long time.

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

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