Arrogant was sitting in the hotel restaurant reading a newspaper. Suddenly, he sensed some movement in front of him. He slowly lowered the newspaper, seeing a face identical to his own.
"You finally decided to show yourself," Arrogant said. "I thought you wouldn't come."
Greed placed the wine glass on the table, "I was just waiting for the right opportunity to make an entrance. After all, you know, if the timing isn't right, I might scare everyone."
"Well, at least you're self-aware." Arrogant returned his gaze to the newspaper, "This newly issued 'Unity Declaration', did you do that?"
"You've got me wrong; it's your student." Greed picked up the fork nearby, poking at the fruit on the plate, "He provided a brilliant solution to everyone who was arguing and fighting—unify against external threats."
"Superheroes uniting, that doesn't surprise me. After all, Darkseid's external threat hasn't been resolved. They have no choice but to come together. But what's the deal with these companies uniting?"
"Do you think they don't have external enemies?"
Arrogant glanced at him again, "Oh, how could I forget, their external enemy is you."
Two days ago, Bruce walked out of the conference room; Selina was already waiting at the door. She said, "Everything is set up over there. Spider Man might face some hardships, but it'll be a good exercise. How's it going on your side?"
Bruce shook his head, "Superheroes can unite because they at least share the same stance in protecting Earth. But with these companies, where's the common stance?"
"I've never heard of companies voluntarily uniting," Selina thought for a moment and said, "But regarding the superheroes uniting because of the stance of justice, I don't quite agree."
"What do you think it's because of?"
"It's obviously because of trouble," Selina said, arms crossed, looking at Bruce. "Darkseid is a huge trouble. If superheroes don't stick together, they'll quickly be destroyed, so they have no choice but to unite."
"But these large companies are all profit-seeking." Bruce furrowed his brow, "I was just thinking about persuading them from this angle."
"Do you want to hear my opinion?" Selina asked, "As the leader of Wayne Enterprises, you're on the inside and can't see the bigger picture. But I've figured out some insights."
Bruce wrapped an arm around her waist, "Of course. Although you've never run a company, it's precisely this outsider's perspective that's more valuable. Go ahead, tell me your thoughts."
"I'm not saying this for nothing," Selina revealed a sly smile, "I advised Loki, and he gifted me a large gemstone. So, what are you going to give me?"
"Aren't all my collections yours already? When Brainiac wanted to confiscate them, I didn't give him any." Bruce looked at Selina with a slightly aggrieved look, "Even if I wanted to buy you new ones, Brainiac doesn't sell them—he takes all the mined stones for industrial use."
Selina's eyes darted, "We'll talk about it later. If I see any beautiful gemstones, you'll help me get them."
"Of course." Bruce kissed her cheek, "Luckily you haven't been to Heaven; otherwise, I'd have to pry gemstones from Jesus's crown for you."
"Jesus wears a Thorn Crown, no gemstones," Selina pushed him gently, "You really haven't read the Bible at all."
Then Selina expressed her views, saying, "When it comes to gaining something, people's desires are strong. But more powerful is the desire to avoid losing something."
"Mobs always want larger territories. But they want more to avoid losing their existing territories. Because, larger territories mean more money, more power. But no matter how much money is earned, one needs to stay alive to spend it."
"If the current territory has shrunk to a point where it can't support the gang, they'll go crazy attacking anyone daring to encroach on their space. Because if they lose any more, they'll lose their lives."
"I'm not discussing whether money or life is more important. Rather, expanding upwards has no limits, but downward has a bottom line. Money and power are endlessly pursued, but no matter what, one has to ensure survival. Once the bottom line for survival is threatened, even in a fevered state of mind, one has to turn back to protect oneself. This is human nature."
"Though I've never run a big company, I think what threatens these rich people the most isn't company performance, or even bankruptcy; it's simply their own lives."
"The desperate fear of losing life outweighs losing money and power. Because if the money's gone, it can be earned again, if the company's gone, they can dream of a comeback. But generally sane people wouldn't fantasize about coming back to life after dying."
"Therefore if you're going to drive wealthy people to take certain actions, it's difficult to do so through business moves. Even if they temporarily struggle, they'll still hold onto the fantasy of making it back through other projects or methods. But if they feel their life is under threat, they'll stop at nothing, even if it means giving up the money they love most."
Bruce understood as well, though from another perspective. To put it bluntly, back when Little Roosevelt was able to get so many wealthy people to pay, wasn't it because there was a flashy new streetlight ornament campaign happening on the other end?
Letting go of fantasies is hard for the human race, but if faced with enough death of peers, it can still be done, no matter the class.
If you want someone to open a window, you have to lift the roof first. If you want to take money from the rich, you can't just take money. You have to threaten them, make them pay with their lives. Only then will they willingly hand over the money.
The fact that these companies are constantly clashing and biting at each other is due to their lack of survival pressure. Iron Man and Pepper need no further mention; they not only have mechas but have also been injected with the Extremis Virus, making them hard to kill. Although Luther got one eye blinded by Pepper's surprise attack, he also had a shield at the time, and not to mention, a bunch of robots, making him difficult to kill too.
These people use their wealth and technology to cloak themselves in a thick layer of protection, and without breaking through this shield, there's no way to make them feel a sense of crisis. The end result is endless mutual tearing apart, leaving no one in peace.
Competition is not always a good thing. Especially when they fight, they are particularly willing to stab themselves in the back. For instance, if the situation at Stark Group worsens further, there's bound to be a large batch of layoffs among the lower-level employees, and solving the unemployment issue alone would be difficult.
The saying goes, if you are a leader of a large company, you actually don't need to actively do good things, as long as you can ensure the company continues to exist stably, that's already a contribution to society. Conversely, if you keep tinkering every few days, laying off a group today and another tomorrow, causing a large number of jobless people, that's the real harm to society.
"Makes sense." Bruce said, stroking his chin, "But we definitely can't assassinate them, or we'll be exiled."
"I have an idea." Selina snapped her fingers.
"I actually have an idea too." Bruce chimed in.
The two exchanged a glance, everything unspoken yet understood.
"Hello." Selina stood in a phone booth, "Is this Hydra North America New Jersey Forward York Northern Base Communication Station?"
"Oh, that's awful." Selina exaggerated, "Writing your contact password directly in a diary, I thought you were a public organization, aren't you?"
"Sorry, I used to be a Gothamite, yes, previously in the precious raw materials excavation and protection industry." Selina continued, "You should know that Wayne Enterprises is poaching Stark Group's people recently. Don't you think this is a good opportunity to mix things up?"
Selina pursed her lips, appearing a bit helpless, she said, "You can't disguise as a Stark Group employee and sneak into Wayne Enterprises anymore. My point is, if Stark Group's employees are poached, don't they have to recruit through society?"
"Stark Group's stock price just dropped, they're nowhere near death yet." Selina endured, continuing, "Even if they were close to dying, it would be a good time to make money. Don't you want a piece of the pie?"
"Yes, I do have a personal vendetta with Tony Stark... What? I've never slept with him! Why would I fancy him?! Besides, you know his reputation in that area… Can we talk business?"
The other party rambled on, Selina's fist gradually clenched, she said, "Fine, let's meet… a café? Who the hell are you... Can we pick a scenic spot? Like the forest or the beach, I like those places."
With a snap, she hung up the phone, slamming her fist into the booth's glass door. She took a deep breath, barely keeping her emotions in check, sighed deeply, and stepped out.
The good thing about Earth's expansion is longer coastlines. Golden Beach is still packed with people, but without a nice beach, the coastline isn't as noticeable, plus with the extended length, more secluded cliffs are also common.
A bay has a natural arch cliff sculpted by the wind, below it are many jagged rocks, though offering foothold, are difficult for most to reach.
A suited figure hesitated before the rocks. Then a melodious voice echoed from within the arch cliff: "Are you there?"
His eyes lit up instantly, and upon seeing the tall beauty standing at the center of the rocks, he forgot everything else, stumbling along the rocks towards her.
It took him over ten minutes to walk a short distance, exhibiting four falls into the water and five sprained ankles, finally reaching her.
"Hello. I'm from the Northern Communication Station." The suited man rubbed his hands, "I heard you have intel to sell us?"
Selina's smile was forced: "Indeed. But are you authorized to set the price?"
"Of course, I'm the station chief..."
"You don't look like one." Selina said, folding her arms, "No station chief would be as clumsy as you. If you're unreliable, I won't waste my time with you."
"I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe me, you can come back with me to the station..."
"I won't go anywhere with you." Selina sneered again, "Here's the deal, give me the address, I'll go by myself."
The other hesitated but said nothing. Selina's expression turned cold as she lost patience, suddenly kicking him in the stomach. As he fell, she leapt onto the rock he was on, bending forward, slashing his throat swiftly.
Selina straightened, graceful as a dancer, muttering to the body beneath, "Now let's see if anyone comes to rescue you."