Chapter 68: The Art Of Puppeteering Part 2

Arias's clever use of words had gotten through to the majority of the people present. After all, only a select few had the confidence that they would be the ones to emerge at the top.

If there was a prize to be gained in a competition, it's only natural for a person to hold great interest it… provided of course, it was fair. Even if not, some would choose to try their luck, unless of course, the penalty to losing was very heavy.

Such was the case with this debate. Many of the suggestions favored the already powerful. Depending on which suggestion received the most support, they were at risk of making others even more powerful while they themselves would gain very little. Gains they may even lose in the end…

Such a situation couldn't be left to occur. So as soon as Arias was done speaking, the hall was sent into a frenzy.

Many saying his words indeed carried sense and that the powerful couldn't be trusted to carry out some of the suggestions. Others argued Arias's point had no ground and were completely baseless.

Once order was restored, Luthor, who was among those who argued against Arias, took the floor and asked.

"Mr. Markovic has made quite an interesting point, but I must ask… for you to bring up such a strong point, surely you have an answer? Yes?"

Arias could see what Luthor was trying to do so he stood and raised his mic close to his face with a confident smile. "For someone who claims to be the most brilliant mind on earth, I would've thought the answer to be elementary to you. But since you insist, the answer is simple. We let things carry on as they are. Each respective nation or major organization, including lexcorp should continue any secret measure they are taking, if any, towards the risk of alien invasion or other global risks."

Luthor showed a visible frown when Arias questioned his intelligence, it was especially irritating since some of the people he didn't get along with laughed at the statement.

"Bold of you to accuse so many nations and organizations of having secret projects that could very well go against the international laws accepted by all nations. Do you have proof to back your claims? Furthermore, your answer to the crisis to allow superhuman and alien crime to continue being rampant? Costing the world many lives and trillions in damages each year?"

Lex was clearly motivated to have the people be against Arias, unfortunately that was no simple task. Because for every question Luthor posed, Arias was quick to answer.

"Bold of you to be this illiterate. I specifically said "if any", meaning I accused no one. Honestly Mr. Luthor, if the most brilliant man on earth can't even comprehend elementary English, then I worry for our future as a species."

"And to answer your questions, are you really that ignorant? Or just plain foolish?... Many lives? Costing millions? You must be joking. If you look at the statistics of the past, then yes, you will indeed see an increase in crime globally and the cost in damages by alien or superhumans beings. However, …"

"It should also be noted that all nations and numerous organizations alike have made over triple their yearly avenue ever since the rise of aliens and superhumans. The profit to loss margin is actually less than when regular criminals ran rampant. So yes, its costing the world trillions, but thanks to those same superhumans and aliens, the world is making trillions more."

"As for loss for lives? The year in which the rise began did indeed experience a rise in loss of human life. However, in the years after, the amount of civilian life lost had was considerably less than before. In fact, the majority of lives lost belonged to people or criminals who demonstrated having superhuman abilities. The statistics I'm using are open to the public on numerous sites and have been verified by all global powers. So, I ask you again Mr. Luthor, are you ignorant? Or just foolish."

Arias's boldness and unmatched confidence left many in awe. They weren't many people present who would so openly offend one of the world's most powerful men.

Lex Luthor was inwardly fuming, but he was also tactful. He knew he couldn't continue down this route any longer lest he wish to suffer more humiliation. The best thing to do in such a situation, was to admit his wrong and take a step back.

"I see, I was indeed wrong to not consider those statistics you mentioned, it is an embarrassing blunder on my part, ignorance indeed. But my question still remains, even if there isn't a big difference to the past, human lives must be preserved. So if your suggestion is to leave things as they are, how can we reduce crime and loss of life?"

Although a step back had been taken by Luthor, his cocky nature wouldn't allow him to take this defeat. Lex Luthor thought of himself as smarter than anyone else, because of that, he didn't consider Arias a genuine threat and posed questions that he felt could make him blunder.

This time he did the same but in a kind way and without provoking Arias. In this manner, he felt that no matter his answer, whether good or bad, he couldn't suffer anymore humiliation.

But he was wrong.

"Well I'll take your admittance of ignorance as an acceptance that you aren't the most brilliant man on earth. To answer your question, I ask all of you to look at Gotham City, the so-called crime capital of the world. I, the police commissioner and the office of the late mayor began to work towards a better Gotham, approximately two months ago. In those two months, Gotham has registered the lowest crime and murder rate in the world, surpassing even the city of Copenhagen in Denmark, which previously ranked second in the months prior."

"So, I ask you all, if such results could be achieved by my city, thanks to dedicated policing, wonderful leadership and responsible citizens, what's stopping other cities from doing the same? I rest my point your honor."

With that, Arias had not only achieved what he aimed for in the conference but he also managed to promote his city and his competence.

As numerous households watched the broadcast, they searched the web just to see if what he said was true, and sure enough, he was. Gotham had now ranked second for two consecutive months after being dead last. This result was never planned and was merely a result of luck.

Because of the recent alien invasion not long ago, many cities world wide were experiencing an increase in crime rates. Due to that, Gotham, which underwent incredible reform, found itself among the top three safest cities.

Those didn't know the name Arias Markovic before, now had it etched in their minds and now saw Gotham as an ideal place to live, rather than a hellhole where one could die at a moment's notice.

The impact was biggest in Gotham itself. Arias was already known and acknowledged by many citizens there, but some of course still held doubts.

Among those people was commissioner Gordon himself who watched the broadcast in the open area of the Gotham police department alongside many other officers.

When Arias gave them credit, praised them and revealed the stunning information, they had broken out into cheers. As for Gordon, he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

The goal he had so strongly been trying to achieve, was now a reality. Gotham was now a safe city, and it was largely in thanks to Arias.

Both his, and the peoples trust within their local charming billionaire, had grown by leaps and bounds.