Chapter 841: Perilous Predicament (Part 1) (Patreon)

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Wayne Enterprises was undoubtedly wealthy, but perhaps not everyone understood the distinction between assets and liquid assets.

Liquid assets, in plain terms, referred to ready cash. Many people might own cars and houses, which were considered assets. If you included these in your wealth, then many people could be called millionaires. However, when it came to available liquid assets that could be readily accessed, most people didn't have as much.

Wayne Enterprises was no exception. Any company existing in the real world was constrained by liquid assets. Engaging in multiple high-risk investments that drained the company's liquid assets was a perilous endeavor. Many might have heard of the term "financial chain rupture," but few truly grasped its implications.

In simpler terms, it was like robbing Peter to pay Paul, and sooner or later, there would be nothing left to rob. Just like maxed-out credit cards, there would come a day when one couldn't pay off their debts.

So, what Wayne Enterprises needed at the moment was not more assets, but a means to immediately monetize those assets or acquire substantial liquid capital.

Suppose Bruce had just invented a new technology. In that case, there were two ways to capitalize on it. One was to leverage Wayne Enterprises' industry advantage and introduce it to the civilian market, generating substantial funds.

However, the problem was that the process, from investing in materials to production and eventually sales, was lengthy. Moreover, the returns couldn't be accurately estimated until they materialized. If Wayne Enterprises prematurely tapped into other funds before generating profits, it could lead to a rupture in the financial chain if the returns were disappointing.

The other option was to sell the technology, a fast way to convert it into liquid capital. The only issue was finding a buyer.

To be honest, most of Bruce's technology was unrelated to civilian use. He rarely thought about using practical improvements to benefit the common people. Perhaps geniuses were always like this. They preferred to use their brilliance to alter the fate of an entire species rather than investing time in minor happiness.

The technologies Bruce could offer were mostly related to the Bat-suit, such as the materials for the Bat-suit, the storage devices in the Bat-belt, the defense weapons in the Batcave, the engine system of the Batmobile, and so on. These items, judging from their names, were more closely aligned with military use.

However, there was a significant problem. Bruce didn't trust the military.

Many called Joker an anarchist, but in terms of ideology, Bruce was the true anarchist. He distrusted the military and the government, never relying on anyone else. He didn't even trust himself, so how could he trust the military to use these technologies for good?

Downgrading these technologies for civilian use was possible, but selling them to private enterprises came with several issues. Budget constraints might prevent them from paying a high price upfront. Moreover, they might not opt for a lump-sum payment because their liquid assets were limited.

Thinking about these problems, Bruce couldn't help but reflect on a saying by Schiller, "Ways of earning money lie on the path of crime." Now, he understood what that phrase truly meant.

In reality, if he were willing to lower his moral standards just a bit, obtaining money would be no problem at all. In his eyes, the physical and virtual defenses of any bank or website in the world were not worth mentioning. He could easily make tens of millions of dollars even by gambling.

As Bruce grappled with these issues, it happened to be the end of the second internship round, and it was time to submit internship summaries. Bruce hadn't actively participated in the second internship, but he had been involved to some extent, so he had to submit a summary as well.

Though he didn't know what needed summarizing when he was the subject of research, Bruce reluctantly wrote a summary. As he headed to Schiller's office to hand it in, he overheard Schiller speaking on the telephone.

"Have you found out? So, who is this Vandal Savage?... This matter is certainly related to me. Jason Todd, you should know him, the young boy. I see great potential in his academic pursuit of psychology and intend to nurture him."

"Then, that day... Yes, it was a month or two ago when he went to investigate Savage's whereabouts at that large hotel. He got injured, and I was furious..."

"No, it wasn't Savage who hurt him directly, but it was related to Savage. If Savage wasn't causing chaos in the city, why would he investigate? He's only 11 years old; can he lie?"

"The wound was deep, just below his ribs. If treatment hadn't been timely, it would have become infected. Afterward, Gotham experienced heavy rain, and he had no parents, so he had to stay in the hospital alone..."

"Really? Savage claims to be an immortal? Has he lived for a very long time? Fifty thousand years? My goodness, has he dined on dinosaurs?"

"He's lived for so long, accumulated vast wealth, but if he hasn't ruled the world in fifty thousand years, and he's still persistent, all I can say is that he's determined."

"Yes, James, what I mean is, if Alberto is looking for him and finds him, be sure to let me know. I'm truly infuriated by what happened to Jason!"

"No, of course not, it has nothing to do with money. You know I'm not a person who craves wealth. It's just wealth accumulated over a mere fifty thousand years..."

Bruce, outside the door, paused as he gripped the doorknob. But at that moment, Schiller hung up the telephone and said to the door, "Who is it? Why didn't you knock?"

"It's me, Professor..." Bruce pushed the door open, placed his summary on the desk, and hesitated for a moment. Schiller gave him a once-over and said, "What's wrong? If you have nothing to do, go back to your studies. Gotham University doesn't have any graduate school quotas..."

Bruce, who had been preoccupied with thoughts of money, suddenly woke up. He said, "Graduate school? What graduate school?"

"Oh, really? But Lex says he's going to graduate school, and your helicopter engine is ready for grad school. When the time comes, you'll have the lowest educational qualifications among the three of them..."

"I'll go back to studying," Bruce turned to leave, saying, "But I want to transfer to the physics department..."

"No relationship, Victor teaches physics. If you don't turn in your assignments, I'll make you think hard on the psychological front, but he'll help you cool down on the physics front."

Bruce, who had no hope for his future academic career, left the office with a heavy heart. However, Schiller's recent phone call had given him a breakthrough.

Bruce had actually known for a while that Savage had infiltrated his Batcave, but he hadn't paid it much attention. One reason was that he had been busy recently, and the other reason, as Schiller had pointed out, was that if someone had entered the Batcave and hadn't taken anything, dealing with them was not a top priority.

However, Bruce didn't know that Savage was actually quite wealthy. After all, from the surveillance cameras, Savage didn't appear to be a traditional rich person in terms of appearance. But considering he had lived for so many years, keeping a low profile was understandable.

If Savage truly had a large amount of liquid capital, Bruce wouldn't mind letting him voluntarily contribute to Gotham's development, provided there was a significant amount of funds and it was entirely voluntary.

To deal with Savage, the first step was to gather information about him, and coincidentally, Bruce knew who to approach.

"You mentioned Savage?" In the Gotham University canteen, Captain Cold touched his cheek and said, "Actually, he approached us first, saying he could offer us a large sum of money and the power to rule a city, asking us to work for him..."

Bruce's focus was on the large sum of money, and he asked, "How much is he willing to offer you?"

"We initially negotiated for ten million US dollars, but we didn't have high hopes. If he's so wealthy, why would he come to us?" Captain Cold cut into his steak on the plate and said, "If he were as casually rich as you, easily pulling out tens of millions of US dollars, why wouldn't he run for office? Although he might not be able to rule the world, he could certainly rule the U.S."

Bruce thought, "Right now, I can't just casually pull out tens of millions of US dollars. Even a few million US dollars have to be used sparingly. Those construction sites are like blood-sucking machines."

Unfortunately, he wasn't willing to compromise. He insisted on using the best materials for everything. Plus, Gotham was already vast, with Phase 1 of the project equivalent to three phases for others. With over a hundred large construction sites in operation, money was flowing out like water.

"However, we do believe he's quite wealthy," Captain Cold touched his chin and said, "Last time, Mirror Master did a job for him, and he gave Mirror Master two large gold ingots, which are quite valuable."

"Also, according to Mirror Master, his room is filled with collectibles from various time periods and places around the world. I heard there's a famous painting that could sell for millions of US dollars."

Bruce furrowed his brow and said, "What you said earlier does make sense. If he's so rich, why hasn't he ruled the world?"

Bruce found it very strange. It simply didn't make sense. A person who had lived for fifty thousand years, even if he had started as a tribal leader during the early days of humanity and gradually conquered various tribes, should have unified everything by now, right?

At the very least, if he hadn't thought of it before, he could organize his own campaign team now, become a legitimate president first, and gradually achieve unification through his wealth and experience.

Worst case scenario, as long as he lived long enough and knew enough people, with a vast network of relationships, he could easily accomplish many things. So why was he looking for strangers in Central City now?

Captain Cold shook his head and said, "From what I've observed, he doesn't seem to have been awake and alert all this time. Perhaps he needs to go into hibernation periodically, and when he wakes up, he has to readjust to society. I guess with the rapid development of human society recently, he might not have adapted yet."

"Waking up just now," "Not adapting to modern society," "Not having reacted yet," when these phrases were put together, Bruce knew who to look for.

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

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 842: The Peril of Savage (Part 1)