PFC Chapter 4383 Project Farstar (1)
Chapter 4383 Project Farstar (1)
Chapter 4383 Project Far Star (Part 1)
“This is our new base.” Bruce stood in front of a building and introduced it to everyone. “This used to be a private hospital, but it closed down due to some contractual disputes between the hospital and the subsequent land buyer, and the land was left idle. After I bought it, I converted it into a safe house. However, due to the development of Metropolis, this place has become the city center, with too much traffic and not enough privacy, so it has been temporarily abandoned.”
"After I decided to form a superhero organization, I had this place renovated and renamed it 'Hall of Justice.' All the legal procedures for the organization have been completed, and there will be no problem entering and leaving here in the future. Follow me; your rooms are upstairs."
The group walked into the hall and discovered that the base wasn't as high-tech as they had imagined. They had thought they were entering an alien base like a bat cave.
In reality, the first-floor lobby has an industrial style, with gray cement walls and floors, black metal and brown wood furniture, and decorative brass pipes on the ceiling. A row of tungsten filament bulbs hangs above the bar, behind which sits a solid wood wine cabinet and a large green wall. Green potted plants are placed everywhere, along with a set of understatedly luxurious Italian-style sofas and floor-to-ceiling windows that allow for ample natural light.
Going up the metal-framed staircase, the upstairs area is slightly cozier, with wooden floors, a small living area, and then the bedrooms. The bedrooms are all similarly furnished, with a double bed, wardrobe, and desk, meeting the most basic living needs, and each has its own ensuite bathroom.
You can see the backyard from the bedroom. Behind the yard are two more buildings: a gym and a medical clinic. There's a small, cozy garden on the side, filled with plants.
Everyone knew that wasn't the point. Batman was the kind of guy who habitually dug tunnels. Bruce led them to a hidden elevator, a device activated by special energy, usable only by certified superhumans. The basement was deep inside, virtually impossible to breach by force.
The basement below was a replica of the Batcave, filled with all sorts of electronic and research equipment, as well as training areas for superpowers, prompting frequent nods of approval from the onlookers. Money really does buy you good fortune.
Finally, Bruce clapped his hands and called everyone into the conference room. He turned on the projection screen, and the city that appeared on the screen was very familiar to everyone—it was Metropolis.
Then, images appeared on the screen, mostly of homeless people, including many tent settlements. Bruce rested his hands on the table and said, “The Justice League is a superhero organization whose ultimate goal is to help ordinary people. However, since the organization is newly formed, I don’t yet know your abilities and working styles, so for this first mission, I won’t impose any restrictions on you. You can use your own methods to help others, and the target is the homeless in Metropolis.”
"You can use your strengths, whether individually or in teams. During this time before Christmas, doing your best to save as many homeless people as possible will give me a better understanding of you and make it easier for us to coordinate and cooperate in the future."
At this moment, Hal raised his hand and asked, "So, are you going to participate?"
"This time I'm not in charge of command, but rather logistics. I can provide any assistance you need in terms of supplies, funds, or connections. Even if you might get into some trouble, I can help resolve it."
“You don’t need to worry about the funds,” Victor said, arms crossed. “Barry and I did some research, and we figured that taking a cut from the money laundering processes of the wealthy is much faster than taking a cut from a bank, and we don’t have to worry about being hunted down.”
“That’s what I’m asking,” Ron said. “Some of these actions may violate New Jersey law…”
“You can decide the extent of it yourself,” Bruce said. “Whether it’s breaking the law, violating morality, or even causing an accident or murder, you can do whatever you want. However, this may affect my assessment of you and the arrangements for subsequent actions.”
“I don’t kill people,” Diana said. “I mean I don’t intentionally murder anyone. In the process of protecting myself, I will also try to be as restrained as possible and not harm anyone’s life.”
“I’m just like you,” Ron said. “I believe I have the ability to control my anger and murderous intent and will not murder others.”
“I won’t kill anyone either,” Hal suddenly said. Everyone looked at him, seemingly surprised. Hal said, “Murder is an extremely violent crime, and it’s very difficult to get away with it. Once you get involved in a murder case, things become very complicated. You might need several years to deal with the aftermath. If you can avoid killing, then try to avoid it.”
Barry thought for a moment, then said, "I won't kill him either, but what I'm thinking is that if I put him in prison, there's a chance to overturn the verdict if he's wrongly accused. But if you kill him, and it turns out there's a mistake, there's no way to undo it. I can't guarantee I'm 100% right either, so it's better not to kill him."
“I don’t care about all that,” Victor said. “If he uses lethal force against me, then I might use lethal force against him. That’s fair, isn’t it?”
Arthur hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's hard for me to guarantee that I won't kill him. I might not have intended to kill him, but humans are too vulnerable in the water. In just a few minutes, he could be dead. I can only say that I will try my best."
They exchanged glances, and now the problem arose. The camp was divided into two factions: one was determined not to kill, not even in self-defense or retaliation; the other was ambiguous, not intending to commit murder, but if the other side tried to kill them, a counterattack could involve taking lives.
Diana was about to say something when Ron gave her a look, cleared his throat, and said, "We both agree that we should try our best not to intentionally murder others, right?"
Victor and Arthur nodded in agreement. They weren't assassins, so of course they would avoid killing if possible, but they preferred unlimited self-defense and counterattack.
“Victor’s hacking skills are obviously more useful than his combat abilities,” Ron said. “So he doesn’t actually need to be on the front lines of battle; he can just use his hacking skills to assist him.”
“That was practically being there in person,” Victor said. “All the electronic devices’ radio waves are me, but they can’t destroy me by destroying the terminal devices. My main body is safe in the base.”
“Then let’s do it this way,” Ron said. “And Arthur should try not to act alone. If attacked, someone else should handle it so that it doesn’t cause too much of a commotion. What do you think?”
Arthur nodded. He possessed the ability to control water, but in a real fight, he couldn't control a bottle of mineral water; it would have to be seawater, river water, or water from a water tower—that would involve a massive volume of water and create a huge disturbance, potentially flooding the entire street. Humans have no chance of survival in water; someone who can't swim would drown within seconds. Therefore, he couldn't act on land unless absolutely necessary.
“Now let’s discuss what to do,” Diana said. “Winter in the Metropolis is very cold. People are freezing to death on the streets every minute of every day, so our priority is to figure out how to keep warm.”
While I think we could probably change the temperature in a region by working together, it's hard to guarantee that we can stay here every winter, so we need to take a more sustainable approach.
There are many sources of heat; besides raising the temperature, it can also provide high-calorie food, shelter from the wind and rain, and medicine to treat frostbite. Who should make these purchases?
“I’ll do it,” Hal said, raising his hand. “Carol’s family has two freight companies in the area. They can complete the procurement and distribution within three days, which should save at least a number of people during tomorrow’s temperature drop.”
“But this isn’t a long-term solution,” Barry said, frowning. “Leaving them on the streets will only lead to them freezing to death sooner or later. We need to find them a place to live.”
“What about the shelters in Metropolis?” Arthur asked. “Mercy Harbor is also very cold. Some people who can’t afford heating will stay in shelters during the winter, so at least they won’t freeze to death.”
Victor shook his head and said, "According to the information I can find, all 68 shelters in the entire metropolitan area have long been full. The homeless aren't stupid; those who aren't on drugs, or whose drug use isn't too severe, started scrambling for spots as soon as it got cold."
“Then those left outside are the most vulnerable of the vulnerable groups.” Diana sighed, rubbed her forehead, and said, “First, we need to count their numbers and see how much space we have. If that doesn’t work, we can gather them in a square or park and raise the temperature there.”
“The municipal council won’t agree,” Hal said. “Especially before Christmas, when the squares and parks need to be decorated. If you bring homeless people there, they’ll go crazy.”
"Then let's find a more remote and barren place. Metropolitan areas should have some abandoned or vacant industrial zones, that should be fine."
“The homeless won’t come with us,” Victor said. “They’ll just think we’re trying to sell them out. Of course, using a tougher approach isn’t out of the question, but that could damage our group’s reputation.”
"Can't you find a way to eliminate it?" Barry asked him.
"Sure. I can erase all information on the internet, but I might not be able to completely intercept certain secret communications between the military and the government. They definitely won't be able to keep that from me."
"Who cares about them?" Barry said irritably. "They don't care anyway, but if we do, what can they do to stop us?"
“Let’s leave it at that for now,” Rong En said. “Let’s purchase a batch of supplies and distribute them. After we’ve tallied up the number of homeless people and their locations, we’ll gather them together and put them in place. Of course, we should try not to make too much of a commotion; ordinary people also want to celebrate the holidays.”
Everyone nodded and then dispersed. Bruce appeared to be fiddling with the computer, but he had actually been listening to their conversation the whole time. It turns out that there's a reason why the Justice League in almost every universe has this configuration. They are indeed quite well-rounded, with members covering various social classes and abilities, and more importantly, they share largely the same values.
Bruce glanced out the window; they were already up and running, mostly flying out to count the number and location of homeless people. But he only looked at it briefly before turning his attention back to the computer. On the screen was a very complex design, with some details still unfinished. Bruce returned to his work.