Chapter 840: Ongoing Transformation of Gotham (Part 2) (Patreon)

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The transformation plan for the East District was proceeding with great fervor. However, it wasn't long before the first obstacle emerged. Four gangs from Elizabeth Street jointly protested, demanding an explanation from the Twelve Families. They were upset that the Wayne Family was constructing something in their territory without informing them, and matters escalated to the point where lives were lost.

In response, the leaders of the Twelve Families convened a meeting and decided to call Bruce Wayne to discuss the matter, even though they didn't expect much in terms of an explanation from the playboy philanthropist.

So far, the Twelve Families had viewed Bruce Wayne as a whimsical individual who had suddenly decided to save Gotham, and they assumed his enthusiasm for the renovation project would wane after a while.

Bruce had no intention of putting on a facade any longer, so he arrived at the meeting with his staff team.

"Now, let me introduce John, the chief planner for this renovation project," Bruce began. "John, please explain to these gentlemen what I intend to do and the benefits it will bring."

As John stepped forward, one of the leaders from the Twelve Families interrupted, saying, "Mr. Wayne, we understand your intentions and your desire to improve the living environment there. However, you also need to give us some face."

"The leaders of the four gangs from Elizabeth Street have been causing a commotion for three days, even going so far as to bring coffins to my doorstep. What do you expect me to do?"

Bruce cleared his throat and replied, "Elizabeth Street is six kilometers away from the area I intend to renovate. How can it be considered their territory?"

"The Blue Jacket Gang informed me that they eliminated the gang leader there and took control of the territory, becoming the new leaders."

"Right when my project was about to begin?"

Detecting the sarcasm in Bruce's tone, the gang leader fell silent, his expression growing somber. Soon, John began presenting the entire construction project.

Initially, when discussing the building phase, there was little change in everyone's expressions. However, when they started talking about the construction of a complex network of overpasses, things took a different turn.

In the concept of the three-dimensional city, overpasses were of paramount importance. Efficient vertical transportation could bring immense convenience, and with the right technology, there was the possibility of endless expansion.

What the gangs feared the most wasn't change itself; rather, it was the fear that they wouldn't profit from it.

Even if they didn't rely on the logistics industry for income, having more overpasses would alleviate traffic congestion, allowing them more time to tend to their businesses. From both an interest and emotional perspective, they hoped someone would improve the roads.

The problem was that the majority of people were unwilling to invest their own money in road construction because pouring too much into public infrastructure would weaken their own families and make them vulnerable to exploitation by others.

Last time, when the Gotham transportation system was upgraded and Living Hell was constructed, the Godfather led the way, and the Twelve Families made equal investments to ensure that no one was left weakened.

However, this time, Wayne Family surprisingly stated that they didn't need the Twelve Families' money; they only required their cooperation in construction, with the cost being nothing more than labor. In return, they would get an extremely convenient overpass system that would cover the entire city.

Gotham did have some overpasses, but most of them had been built during Bruce's parents' time and had fallen into disrepair. Some were still usable but were uncomfortable to use, as they had been poorly planned. Sometimes, after descending an overpass, one had to take a convoluted route to reach their destination, making them unsuitable for Gotham's current needs.

No one was eager to spend money on these improvements. They would simply make do with what they had. However, now that Wayne was willing to fund it, they had no reason to refuse.

"I must emphasize that the architectural renovation is essential to complement the overpass construction. Even with Wayne Group's technology, we cannot suspend overpasses hundreds of meters in the air. They must rely on the buildings," John explained.

"If we could make overpasses hover in mid-air, why would I bother with building construction? Do I have money to burn?" Bruce quipped.

Bruce noticed that Schiller's straightforward way of speaking, which openly criticized everyone, was quite effective. Mentally disturbed or not, they said whatever came to mind without worrying about anyone's feelings.

"I'm giving those people houses not out of charity but because if I renovate the buildings, they need to have residents. Only with residents will there be consumption, and with consumption, there will be commerce and profits," Bruce continued, folding his arms.

"Treating those people as expendable is a shortsighted perspective. The working class is the cornerstone of the city. To enable them to work better, you must provide them with housing. If you drive them all away, who do you think will benefit?"

The leaders of the Twelve Families exchanged glances, and one of them cleared his throat. "If that's the case, you should have informed us in advance to avoid trouble from the lower ranks."

"I'm not worried about them causing trouble because I've installed security measures in every building. Those gang members you mentioned were probably caught by it," Bruce replied, tapping the table. "Wayne Group's assets are my personal property, and private property is inviolable. If anyone tries to steal from my construction site or cause damage, I have the right to defend it."

Bruce paused for a moment, seemingly feeling that he hadn't quite grasped the essence of Schiller's approach. One of the mob bosses spoke up, "You can't do it this way. You have to follow the rules here. If you want to have a shootout with that gang, you must..."

"Alright, alright, I'll go have a shootout with this gang, then another shootout with that gang. So, you all just wait. In the next ten years, I'll spend nine years catching thieves, half a year having shootouts with gangs, and the remaining half year dealing with the bridges. And when they collapse within half a year of being put into use, you can fix them yourselves."

Bruce's confrontational attitude left the other gang leaders somewhat speechless. However, despite Bruce's aggressiveness, there was some reasoning in what he said.

No one understood their subordinates better than these mob bosses. Not to mention Wayne Family's construction site, even when a sewage truck passed by their door, they had to dip their hands and taste the saltiness.

If those gangs harassed Wayne Family's construction with various pretexts, they would have to provide people for protection. Otherwise, the bridges couldn't be built, and everyone would suffer together.

But if they provided people for protection, they would inevitably offend those below them, making them feel like they were favoring outsiders and being unfair.

Now, Wayne Family had astutely taken on the role of the "bad guys," so the Twelve Families could simply act like they didn't know anything about it.

Wayne Family cooperated with the government in a legitimate manner, invested substantial funds to purchase land, and put countless workers into bridge construction. In the end, it would be the gangs, especially the Twelve Families, who would benefit the most since their industry required the most transportation.

In that case, why not let him build? It was just overpasses, not nuclear weapons. He couldn't threaten the gangs with a single bridge, right?

After Bruce intentionally shifted the focus away from the core issue, all the mob bosses turned their attention to the plans for the overpasses.

However, it wasn't surprising. Wayne's design for a three-dimensional transportation system was indeed novel and attractive, overshadowing the rather ordinary building renovations similar to Living Hell.

At most, it would create a few more Living Hell-style areas. The leaders of the Twelve Families thought that Living Hell hadn't caused much of a stir; it had only raised rents a bit. Moreover, due to its good security and fewer troubles, it collected more money. Having a few more such areas wouldn't hurt.

And so, the meeting ended harmoniously, with the leaders of the Twelve Families saying they would deal with the troublemakers from Elizabeth Street, and Bruce could proceed with his bridge construction. They urged him to complete it quickly so that everyone would benefit.

Bruce realized that the tranquilizer he had injected earlier was taking effect. He hurried to accelerate the construction. Even before the first phase was completed, he began laying the foundations for the second phase, and the construction materials for the overpasses between the first and second phases were already in production.

In fact, the technology involved in the construction and renovation was mostly leftover from the Batcave.

These technologies weren't developed overnight; many problems had been dealt with when constructing the Batcave. The chip authentication system, in particular, was initially intended for Batcave's defense against unauthorized entry.

Since he had adopted Dick and Aisha as his protégés, and they would inevitably access the Batcave, Bruce found it convenient to have an authentication system for their entry.

This authentication system could be used to implement the resettlement plan, preventing some individuals from excessively occupying housing resources. It also laid the foundation for future permission systems. So, Bruce integrated it into the construction.

Everything was progressing smoothly, and Gotham was undergoing massive construction. However, Bruce soon encountered another problem: he was running out of money.

It was a terrifying fact, but it was also reasonable. Although Wayne Enterprises was massive, most of its funds were constantly circulating within its production operations, and there wasn't much liquid capital available.

At this point, it wasn't just one or two construction sites underway. With more than 130 construction sites simultaneously active, even the largest real estate developers in the United States rarely had so many projects going on simultaneously.

Wayne Enterprises had a professional engineering team, but they weren't specialized real estate developers. While many of the materials were acquired through exchanges, and technology required no additional costs, the sheer amount spent on labor and consumables had nearly emptied Bruce's available funds.

This was a very dangerous signal. Bruce knew that once an enterprise lost too much liquid capital, it meant reduced risk tolerance, losing more room for trial and error. Business strategies would have to turn conservative, and over time, this would lead to shrinking assets, forming a vicious cycle.

Bruce also realized that the project he was currently working on accounted for less than one percent of the entire city renovation project in Gotham.

He knew that he had to find a way to make money now.

Then he realized, just as Schiller had said, living in high society was no simpler than living in the slums. With a company the size of Wayne Enterprises, trying to make further advancements felt like an insurmountable challenge.

Make money, make money, make money...

Bruce had never thought he would have days where he had to worry about money. Perhaps it was a case of one good turn deserves another, and the time had finally come for him to repay the favor.

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

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