Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics-Chapter 4263 - 3362: Bloodbath in New City (74)

Facing this situation, Audine Company became even more anxious.

Because if the hospital were to cooperate with them and purchase their equipment, they too could find a way to benefit from this funding. But if they were completely ousted, no amount of money would have anything to do with them.

However, their disadvantage lies in the inefficiency of their factory, and the equipment shortage in Gotham is too significant. Even if the hospital's representatives are willing to cooperate with them, it would probably be impossible to persuade the municipal government. Because no one would believe that Audine Company could deliver the orders smoothly.

Therefore, in order to gain trust from the municipal government foundation, the hospital would likely avoid this company and instead look for smaller companies that seem capable of delivering on time. Their portion of the benefits would not be reduced regardless.

There are indeed many people from Audine Company in the hospital, including some in the management. But they became part of Audine Company because they had either received funding or were bought over, boiled down to still being a matter of money.

Now with more money presented before them, it would be difficult for them to remain unswayed. There's no need to actively do anything, just by remaining silent when giving opinions in meetings, they wouldn't offend either side. They would still get their share.

But if now they spoke for Audine Company and the cooperation did not materialize, targeted by Audine Company's competitors, they might be kicked off the proverbial dinner table and end up with nothing.

So, under the unspoken mutual understanding of everyone, Audine Company's many years of painstaking efforts in various companies came almost to a halt. Seeing that they couldn't even get a taste of the meal.

At this moment, the municipal government's representative took a step back. They indicated to Audine Company that although it's too late to produce new goods, if you can repair the damaged equipment within a short time, it's not impossible to allocate some money from the municipal funds for repair expenses.

Audine Company had almost given up, but seeing that there was still a turning point naturally gripped this opportunity tightly.

Initially, they sent some machines that were not too severely damaged, following the normal repair process back to England. The headquarters in England, having heard the news, also sent people to work overtime and the overall efficiency was acceptable.

But unfortunately, a problem occurred on the way.

The State Council suddenly launched an anti-dumping investigation on medical devices and equipment. All entry and exit devices and equipment were detained at Metropolis customs. The investigation concerning Audine Company lasted three months, during which all equipment entering and exiting had to undergo meticulous inspection by customs.

Now Audine Company was completely overwhelmed. The production of new equipment couldn't keep up, and sending old equipment back for repairs would be detained by customs. Wasn't this declaring that they could only exit the Gotham market?

But losing one city today and a pool tomorrow, when would it end? Gotham is one of the most developed cities in America, losing this market would also simultaneously damage the brand reputation and reduce shareholder confidence. They did not want to bear such losses.

Thinking it over, there was only one method left. That was to secretly send technicians over to perform local repairs. This could at least slow down the rate at which other brands were encroaching on the market.

The head of Audine Company's Gotham division, in order to solve this dreadful accident, was ready to stop at nothing. They dared to say anything outwardly. They reassured the headquarters repeatedly that they would absolutely not let anyone else come into contact with the technicians, ensuring that no technology would be leaked.

The headquarters, seemingly with no other choice, reluctantly sent three technicians over, repeatedly instructing to ensure their safety. The Gotham head nodded repeatedly, thumping his chest loudly.

Then, on the first day these three poor fellows arrived in Gotham, they were kidnapped.

Perhaps the wind was too strong, or maybe the rain was too cold. Just entering the city, the tire ran over a puddle and was instantly frozen.

The vehicle lost balance and rolled over. By the time rescue personnel arrived, the water had dried, the vehicle was gone, and the people had disappeared.

Dr. Tompkins was in her clinic, bandaging the three severely injured patients on the bed with a complex expression.

"Is this really okay?" she turned back to look at Shiller sitting by the window, then said, "How did you bring them here, are you sure no one will find out?"

"Don't worry." Shiller said, "The task for you and Piet now is to figure out what kind of technology Audine Company uses to produce cancer."

"You want us to force it out of them? Buddy, have you got the wrong person?" Piet, by the door, said.

"The word 'force' is too unfriendly. I think you can also talk to them, let them voluntarily hand over the technology." Shiller said with a smile, "If they don't cooperate, you can ask the Death Angel for help."

"That big guy will just kill them outright."

"He won't." Shiller shook his head and said, "Just tell him these people are the technicians who manufactured the special machines, he won't kill them so quickly. He will find a way to help you uncover their secrets."

"You seem to know him well?"

"Of course." Shiller nodded and said, "Haven't you noticed? He no longer wants to live. Or rather, that so-called Paul, a volunteer at the church, has long been dead. Living in this world now is a flame of vengeance. It's not difficult to kill for revenge, but what's more valuable is that he can endure for the sake of revenge."

"He's a bit crazy." Piet said, "I think it's because he's been in the church too long. That's not a good place."

"Isn't that the truth?" Shiller stood up and said, "So keep him busy, don't let him always dwell on that matter with the Cross. I want results in three days."

After that, Shiller left. On his way back to the municipal building, Jason called him to arrange a detailed discussion near the reservoir.

Shiller drove to the reservoir and soon found Jason in a nearby restaurant, heartily eating a whole pizza. Shiller sat down and ordered a glass of sparkling wine.

Seeing Shiller arrive, Jason wiped his mouth and said, "You guessed right, Batman went underwater again. And from the duration he spent diving, he went to even deeper areas this time."

"Deeper areas?"

"Yes. Gotham isn't flat terrain, it's hilly. The original Gotham Village was built in a valley. The village runs downhill, from the southeast side of a mountain around to the northwest side. Batman must have been exploring the northern part this time."

"What's there?"

"Akam Fortress. That was where General Arkham lived." Jason took out a smaller map and laid it on the table, "General Arkham built his fortress on the north side of the mountain, mainly for deploying and training troops, and there were rumors that underneath the fortress, there was a large prison specifically for detaining those who opposed him. Batman might be looking for that prison."

"Why would he do that?"

Shiller, while asking Jason, was also questioning himself. He had come to know of the things Batgirl had investigated. This confirmed that the truth was not much different from the backstory in the comics. The history of Gotham portrayed in the comics was believable.

Though believable, it might not be complete. For instance, the background of General Arkham wasn't explained. Shiller had always felt there was something extraordinary about him.

"I think we need to look at it in conjunction with Batman's findings," Jason said, "He couldn't possibly be unaware of his ancestors' collaboration with the East India Company. That company was infamous. From this, it can be inferred that the ancestors of the Wayne Family were not good people either."

"From this perspective, he would be more suspicious about why his ancestors initially killed General Arkham."

"Wasn't it for seizing Gotham?"

Visit freewebnoveℓ.com for the best novel reading exp𝒆rience.

"If it was to seize Gotham, then he should have built Gotham on the foundation of Akam Village. But after seizing power, didn't he just find another place to build his city?"

Shiller also came to realization. Edmond Wayne's actions were actually somewhat contradictory. If he coveted the construction of Gotham Village, then after killing General Arkham, he should have directly taken over Akam Fortress and continued operating Gotham Village.

But he didn't do so. After killing General Arkham, he simply abandoned the place that had been developed for so long and ran off to develop new land elsewhere. How unjust was General Arkham's death?

Since Edmond had the capability to start anew, why would he bother provoking General Arkham? Although one can't sleep peacefully by another's side, was there really a need to provoke the local lord immediately upon arrival? Wasn't he afraid of falling flat?

Shiller tended to believe that Edmond Wayne initially wanted Gotham Village, but later some mishap occurred which not only prevented him from building a city there but also forced him to find a way to flood the place.

"It seems Batman just wants to figure out why his ancestors gave up on Gotham Village," Shiller muttered to himself, "There must be some secret in Gotham Village. What could it be?"

"Could it have been the doing of the Order Sect?" Jason voiced his speculation, "The priest who came with Wayne wanted to preach here. He must have set some conditions with Wayne, like building a church, developing a church, and so on."

"Perhaps initially Wayne intended to properly develop the Gotham Village left by General Arkham, but the priest adhered to the Order Sect's decree and caused some trouble. Edmond Wayne had no choice but to retreat and seek the East India Company's strength to build a city elsewhere."

Shiller mentally gave him a thumbs up. It has to be said, when these people aren't being melancholic, their professional level is quite solid. This reasoning was quite plausible.

Despite how the comics depict priest Bakar as a good guy, he actually cleanly killed several English soldiers as soon as he appeared. He was a local Englishman, not an invader, so ruthlessly slaughtering his own country's soldiers certainly didn't make him any ordinary citizen.

Moreover, the problems with the Sect of Order behind him were even greater. In the comic plot, when Paul had a mental breakdown, the hospital was of little help, but once he arrived at the church and bathed in flames, he immediately got better. This was utterly abnormal.

Shiller inclined to believe that Bakar and the Vare family to which Paul belonged, must have some connection with magic.

Paul had ingested the Red Pill, and the Gray Mist had entered his body. After examination, his physical condition was found to be far superior to ordinary people, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to endure cancer for so long. But apart from cancer, nothing unusual was discovered.

No anomalies being the biggest anomaly. The flames he saw were not conjured by the Gray Mist; it was purely his own mental issues.

But then again, the hallucinations caused by mental illness aren't like logging into a game where you can choose your favorite hero. Why would it specifically be flames? This couldn't possibly be a coincidence.

Shiller suspected that the Order Sect must have done something to the Vare family, leading to their abnormal physical and mental conditions.

The strongest support for this conjecture was that the Batman of this universe was not a descendant of the Wayne Family. The comic ultimately revealed his origin; he was a descendant of Bakar.

That meant Batman was also a descendant of the Vare family.

That he and Paul both had mental illnesses couldn't likely be a coincidence. There must be something wrong with the bloodline of the Vare family.

Shiller withheld the truth about Batman's origins, then shared his conjectures with Jason.

After listening, Jason fell silent for a long time, then suddenly had an epiphany. He said, "Do you remember the rumors of General Arkham's curse?"