Chapter 825: Method of Breaking the Situation_5

Bruce's grip tightened on the rail as he understood Shiller's intended comparison – if Gotham were a person, its current state would resemble Bruce after his fall into the chemical vat.

With all flesh corroded away to reveal muscles and bones, completely unrecognizable. On any ordinary person, being reduced to such a state is an almost certain death sentence.

And yet, forty years ago, Gotham received a stimulant shot, allowing it to ride on the tidal wave of the times, forming a mob system that prevented its wounds from festering or becoming infected.

Forty years have passed, and the effects of the stimulating agent are waning. Although this medicinal shot saved Gotham's life, it is highly addictive, and once its effects cease, not only will the extent of the injury increase, withdrawal symptoms will likely occur as well.

Currently, the damage is still external, not yet reaching any internal organs, but, if it continues unabated, it will progressively spread from the outer layers to the skeleton and inner vital organs. At that point, neither surgery nor any independent part can counteract the rot.

Neither Batman nor Bruce Wayne can perform a complete operation on a person who has no skin and whose bones and inner organs are all rotting, not even if they combine their efforts.

Many people believe that Batman's most significant shortcoming – where he could save Gotham using other means – was his insistence on fighting criminals barehanded.

Yet, Shiller believes that Batman's conduct during the later stages might not be due to stubbornness but rather inevitability, given the fact that Gotham's salvation was already beyond reach.

Regardless of how disorganized, mob rule still accounted for order to some extent because order prevents things from reaching rock bottom. But, at the time Batman became Batman, the mob's hold over Gotham was nearing its end and a new era of lunacy was emerging.

Why did that era witness such a high number of lunatics? It was because the order that once held Gotham together devolved into utter chaos. This chaos deprived Gotham of its education, economy, culture and pathways to rise and exit this dire situation.

By that time, even if Wayne Enterprises was the wealthiest company worldwide, saving a city of Gotham's size from such a predicament was way beyond its power.

Even today, no company would dare to claim that they could rescue war-torn New York. The cost of relief, construction, resettlement, education, and development would be astronomical. It's a burden not just for any company, but for even the smallest of nations, enough to completely break their economies.

Very few events in this world go against the current. Most historical cycles are spiraling downward unstoppably. Once an event drops below a certain level, the cost to save it exceeds the cost to destroy it. Therefore, it is almost doomed to destruction.

All Batman could do during that time, was to barely keep Gotham afloat above the fail line, preventing its evil from overflowing. Once the madness goes beyond line, he will have no option but destruction.

"Although I don't agree with Batman's philosophy of saving individuals as a solution, I never dispute that you can't save Gotham alone or suggest that it should be done in other ways…" Shiller took a sip of water and continued: "In this world, no single company or person possesses the ability to save this city."

"I used to naively think that one of my identities could save Gotham," Bruce said softly, "but after delving into the situation and understanding the truth, I realised that both Wayne Enterprises and Batman combined can hardly cope, let alone after a delay of ten years."

"Let's get back to our current goal," Shiller shifted the topic to lighten the heavy atmosphere.

"My goal is to foster a normal learning environment in Gotham and have home, society, and school education all complementing each other, instead of hindering each other. The most important piece of this is a systematic education."

"Even if we don't enforce education for everyone, we should at least create an atmosphere in Gotham where education is seen as admirable, not shameful, something any teacher would find intolerable."

After Shiller's speech, Alberto chimed in: "Yes, the Falcone Family is at the top of the pyramid, but as we all know, this cannot last. Many injustices are already showing and the current system simply can't stand up to today's times. Once the pyramid crumbles, those standing on top will fall the hardest."

"I hope the Falcone Family can land softly, even if we no longer hold the dominant position. I just want my father to live out his days in peace."

After Alberto's speech, Bruce was silent for a long time before speaking: "I just hope this city can be a bit better, a bit more normal, and not continue rotting."

"I hope there won't be so many more tragedies, that we won't continue sliding in the wrong direction, but instead, walk towards the light and never return to the darkness."

The three fell into silence once again before Shiller broke it: "Then we are in agreement. The system in Gotham needs a fundamental change, right?"