PFC Chapter 4149 When the Pumpkin Ripens (31)
Chapter 4149 When the Pumpkin Ripens (31)
Chapter 4149 When the Pumpkins Ripen (Part 31)
After Brainiac issued his warning, Wayne Manor became a true fortress. All access to the outside world was cut off, and it instantly became isolated. But no one objected.
The young people sat around the fireplace sorting through supplies. Tim was organizing medical supplies. The main universe's Batman observed that the medical kits he had stacked to one side looked like wartime artifacts. The boxes were dark blue with a white Earth symbol printed on them.
Then there were some loose gauze bandages, which also looked like they were needed for battlefield bandaging, all of which he put in a sealed bag. Tim, wearing gloves, took out the gauze bandages, counted them, and then put them back in the bag.
Then there was a complete set of surgical equipment, including various sizes of scalpels, needles, sutures, and syringes. A set of electrocardiogram monitoring equipment, an AED, a blood pressure monitor, and blood glucose meters, among other instruments, were neatly arranged in a large black box.
Next came a variety of medicines, including painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, anesthetics, and some commonly used cold medicines, all placed in a small white box.
Finally, there were some ampoules containing unidentified drugs, a whole bunch of equipment for IV drips, and some test strips.
Tim counted them one by one, taking a picture with Brainiac's software after each item, recording the number, and then seemingly uploading it to the server.
Soon, Brainiac's voice came through his phone: "Assessment results: vital signs monitoring equipment is in good working order and does not need replenishment for now; surgical equipment needs to be re-maintained and sterilized; routine medications have been consumed excessively and are in short supply. Medication replenishment will be completed in 1 hour and 42 seconds..."
Jason, on the other hand, was counting the food. He took everything out of the refrigerator, as well as the two large freezers left by Alfred, and the canned goods and other items in the pantry. He counted them and took pictures as he went.
Pamela went to the garden to check on the plants, mainly edible crops. Wayne Manor also had a small plot of land where pumpkins, tomatoes, and cucumbers had been planted, and most of them had been harvested, but some were still left. She decided to ripen them all at once and bring them back.
She placed these items on the kitchen island and, looking at Jason who was checking the refrigerator, asked, "Aren't Bruce and the others coming back?"
"Yes, they're at Selena's house in the East End. But that's good, they have central heating there, so Elsa won't catch a cold. What about Harley?"
“She’s at the food factory. She’s always lived there, so there shouldn’t be any problems,” Pamela said as she sorted the vegetables.
"Oh my God, martial law again?" Raven said as he came down from upstairs. "We were planning to leave for Brudhaven tomorrow morning."
“Looks like it’s hopeless now,” Dick said, leaning on the railing of the second-floor atrium. “Do we have enough supplies? Have you finished taking stock of Brainiac? Is there anything I can do to help?”
“There really is,” Tim said as he typed data into his phone. “Brainiac wants us to register group information. Message them and ask who wants to join our chat group.”
“Bruce and Selena are definitely needed, as are the professor and the doctor, and perhaps Professor Fries and his wife. Are Ron and the others in Gotham too? Maybe we can bring them in as well.”
Dick muttered to himself as he started texting on his phone. Meanwhile, the main universe's Batman looked at Raven and said, "Looks like you don't have any important work to do, ma'am. Could you explain this to me?"
“No problem, sir,” Raven smiled at him amicably, then said, “There’s really nothing to explain. It’s just a return to wartime martial law. That means no one can leave their home without Brainiac’s permission; all supplies must be properly registered. Brainiac will assess whether supplies are sufficient and when to replenish them; and for our mental well-being, we can create regional chat groups. People within a city can add their friends and family to the groups to chat online.”
"If everyone is confined to their homes, what will happen to factory production?"
“Most factories are now fully automated,” Tim said, looking up. “For example, my family’s Drake Building Materials factory currently has six fully automated production lines and three semi-automated lines. But even on the three semi-automated lines, robots work there; humans aren’t really needed to go to work. In the past, people worked there only because Brainiac needed a minimum amount of human labor to enrich people’s spiritual lives. In reality, dozens of humans are not as good as one robot, since they can operate around the clock.”
"It sounds like Brainiac is feeding all of humanity."
“That’s not true. The top researchers still have to work, but most of them are on Krypton right now,” Pamela said. “Bruce and I stayed on Earth because we need to study agricultural production and establish experimental fields there.”
"So, Krypton is now a major human research center?" The main universe Batman had already seen part of the previous war in the news and knew that humanity had lost Mercury but had ushered in Krypton.
“I suppose so,” Tim said. “Krypton actually has far more capabilities than a laboratory, but we’re still researching it. That’s what those scientists are there for.”
“Luthor is also on Krypton,” the main universe Batman said. “He looked a little tired when he video-called me that day.”
"Yes, because a super genius like Luther, in addition to conducting research and development on Krypton, also has to maintain Brainiac's system. I heard there are still thousands of programming errors that haven't been resolved yet, but they haven't caused any trouble because they're not very important."
“Yes, he sent me a part of it, and I’m still studying it,” the main universe Batman nodded and said.
“Regarding the layout of the solar system, this is what I think,” Brainiac’s voice came from the television, “I don’t intend to concentrate all the functional areas on Earth, and that’s impossible anyway. The greatest advantage of this planet is its beautiful natural environment; such planets are rare in the universe. Overexploitation would be counterproductive.”
"Therefore, in the future, Earth will be the agricultural and natural cultivation base of the solar system. I will restore Earth's natural ecosystem to the greatest extent possible, and then intersperse it with forestry and agriculture, as well as some food factories, to provide natural and green food for all mankind in the solar system, and make it a place for them to relax and unwind outside of work with a beautiful natural environment. Mars and Venus will serve as industrial bases, and all polluting heavy industries and chemical industries will be located on these two planets. Gas planets will be mining areas, used to extract the necessary resources. Krypton will serve as a high-tech industrial park, mainly used for cutting-edge technology research and development. And the remote Uranus and Neptune will be used as starports to house troops and starships."
This reminded the main universe Batman of the central universe he had seen in Marvel. Their approach to developing the solar system was roughly the same as Brainiac's, almost identical except for the fact that they hadn't yet transferred industrial resources to Earth.
So he raised a question about this. Brainiac replied, "I think it's not that they don't want to do it, but that they don't have the ability to do it yet. Restoring the Earth's ecological environment is not easy, and I wouldn't have made this plan without the help of Greenery."
“That’s right,” Pamela said. “Dr. Schiller told me before that the magical plants they researched were only suitable for a small group of people, which proves that they lack people with natural superpowers. But we are different. We can’t afford to waste the power of the Green of All Things.”
“Perhaps it’s because they took a different path,” Batman himself in the main universe said. “Their ordinary people have undergone a special evolution, resulting in significantly longer lifespans and much stronger physiques. This means they can ignore most industrial pollution and have lower requirements for living conditions.”
“Yes, that’s precisely our weakness,” Brainiac said. “Magical energy isn’t easy to obtain here. Even if we did, much of it carries overly obvious properties that could cause pollution if ordinary people came into contact with it. So we can’t use that method; we can only try to create a safe haven for ordinary people. But with the development of technology, the expansion of heavy industry and increased pollution are inevitable, so we have to move these industries off Earth. Even in another world, their starships aren’t built on Earth.”
“Okay, I think your plan is pretty good, so I’ll give you a point on the evaluation,” the main universe Batman said. “However, whether this plan is really feasible remains to be seen. But you have certainly seen further ahead than most rulers of Earth.”
“I was surprised,” Brainiac said. “It turns out I’m not the only one who rules the earth.”
"Yes, it's not just Earth in your universe that has achieved unification. You should have seen that Batmobile before; it once unified Earth, but was later driven out. The situation on his Earth isn't good; it's currently at the bottom of the rankings. If it continues to lose points, the Multiverse Alliance will have to intervene."
"I can't believe it," Tim said, somewhat surprised. "He unified the world, how could he be driven away?"
"People felt they had lost their freedom, so they started hunting him down. It wasn't that he couldn't deal with them, but he just felt a bit disappointed and simply left."
“I remember there was a Superman in a white suit on Earth, which also seemed to have been unified,” Pamela recalled. “What was his name again? Lord of Justice?”
"Yes, their scores are quite good because they have indeed eradicated crime completely, even more thoroughly than your universe. Although they are somewhat lacking in the overall quality of their rulers and the degree of civil liberties, their scores are among the highest."
"What kind of standard is this?" Jason couldn't help but ask. "Wouldn't our civil liberties score be reduced to the bare minimum if martial law were declared?"
"Of course not. If a laboratory is attacked, important research items are lost, and there is ample evidence that it was done by aliens, then issuing a global alert and imposing martial law is not particularly excessive. However, how people are doing during martial law, whether their physical and mental health needs are met, whether the situation can be resolved smoothly during martial law, and whether any accidents or unrest will occur—these specific details will affect the final score."
“I see,” Pamela said with a smile. “Little Bu, you’d better do a good job.”
"Don't call me Xiao Bu."
"Okay, Pele, I'm rooting for you."