PFC Chapter 3963 MU Superbody Major Event (43)
Chapter 3963 MU Superbody Major Event (43)
Chapter 3963 MU: The Superbody Incident (Forty-Three)
Natasha wore a high-necked silk blouse, a dark pencil skirt, and wedge heels. Her red hair was pulled back with pearl hairpins, with a few strands falling over her shoulders. Holding a file folder in one hand and adjusting her glasses with the other, she knocked on the door of the president's office.
"The results are quite gratifying, Mr. President," Natasha said with a smile. "The test flights of the newly commissioned space carrier went very well, and there were no problems with the viewing procedures in various countries. Most countries were very well-behaved, and we took down the few that tried to cause trouble."
Standing by the window, Batman from Arkham turned around and saw Natasha dressed like this, a slight look of amazement on his face. Then he stepped forward and took the documents from Natasha's hands.
"There's another thing. The FBI director complained that their coffee machines were too outdated, so he wanted to apply for funding to replace them with the latest espresso machines."
"This is such a trivial matter that it's worth reporting to me?" Arkham Batman raised an eyebrow, glancing at the documents as he spoke. "Just let them report it themselves. How much does it cost to replace a coffee machine?"
"If the FBI director were still Schiller, it wouldn't cost much, because he usually only drinks the fastest-grinding coffee. But now that the director is Schiller, the new coffee machine he needs, with 249 flavors, has a total budget of around $50 billion from experimentation to implementation."
Arkham Batman nearly spat out his coffee. There were just too many puzzling points in that passage, leaving him unsure where to begin. After a moment of mental blankness, he picked the least important question: "Why 249?"
"Because Americano doesn't count, he hates dishwater."
Arkham Batman opened his mouth, finally regaining his composure, and then said, "What do you mean the FBI director changed from Schiller to Schiller?"
"Literal meaning. Since they deny being different people, I can only refer to them by the same name. In reality, it's a change from 'Agent' to 'Greed'."
"Greed?" Arkham Batman frowned.
“It’s the ‘Schiller’ from my universe. Most of the legends about Schiller that you’ve heard in your battle world are his doing.” Natasha shrugged and said, “The ‘agent’ is going to my universe to investigate the origin of Ultron, so we called him over to fill in.”
“I know who he is,” said Arkham Batman. “He’s the one who put me in the presidency, and I owe him a lot of money. But this time, I’m not hiring him, so I can’t exactly pay him a salary, can I?”
"of course not."
Before Arkham Batman could even catch his breath, Natasha said, "Nobody needs to pay him a salary because he'll get what he wants himself—the coffee machine?"
“50 billion is too much,” Batman Arkham said. “I can only give him 10 billion at most, and he has to add an Americano, which I love.”
“Then he’ll ask you for 100 billion, Mr. President.” Natasha shook her head and said, “Of course, if you don’t give it to him, he’ll find a way himself.”
"What can he do? Nick has basically emptied the tax money, and next year's military spending will be reduced due to the fiscal deficit. No money is no money, and there's nothing anyone can do about it."
“Then you underestimate him, Mr. President. Greed is like a never-satisfied beast; if you don’t feed it, it will eventually take a bite out of you elsewhere…”
Just then, the dedicated phone line next to him rang. Arkham Batman picked it up, and his expression changed immediately.
"What? The Amazon? He went to the Amazon... The Queen gave it to him? What about Wonder Woman... a travel agreement? Okay, I understand. I'll handle it."
After hanging up the phone, Batman Arkham sighed and said to Natasha, "He went to the Amazons to lobby the Amazon Queen, used the key in his hand to open the Olympus ruins to the public, and even helped them sign visa-free tourism agreements with Asian countries, taking the opportunity to extort a large sum of consulting fees."
Natasha couldn't help but laugh out loud, covering her mouth with her fist and saying, "This is definitely going to make a fortune. Who wouldn't want to see where the gods once lived?"
"He even managed to persuade Wonder Woman to stop the enraged God of War, half enticing and half forcing him to stand at the entrance of Mount Olympus and sell tickets. In less than three days, he made two hundred million dollars and cleared up Amazon's previous scandal. If this continues, Diana will have to become sworn sisters with him."
So, are you going to approve the funding for him or not?
“Forget it,” said Arkham Batman. “He’s got the skills, let him make his own money. I really don’t have any.”
Natasha smiled again and said, "Making him money won't come without a price. I hope you'll still be this relaxed by then."
Before he could finish speaking, Superman stormed in, yelling at Arkham Batman, "Batman! How could you do this to me?!"
Arkham Batman paused, looked at him, and said, "How have I treated you?"
"How could you order Moon Knight and Green Lantern to lead the Green Lantern Corps to haul away and sell the wreckage of Krypton?! That's my home planet! How could you do this?!"
"Cough cough cough..." Arkham Batman choked quite a bit again.
Before he could explain, a figure walked in. Schiller smiled at Arkham Batman and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Kent, you left in such a hurry, I didn't have time to tell you. The Abandoned Planet Recycling Project is a recent mission of the Green Lantern Corps, and Krypton will be included on the list, I'm very sorry. I've discussed it with them and actively secured 60% of the Krypton recycling funds for you, plus 20% compensation in the form of universal funds converted into Earth funds. Could I have your bank account number?"
Superman was a little dizzy from the string of financial terms. He said, "So, why are you doing this?"
"To protect the cosmic environment, too many abandoned planets would block shipping lanes and could become hideouts for various cosmic criminals and space pirates. In particular, some once-advanced interstellar civilizations, once turned into pirate strongholds, would greatly hinder cosmic police like Green Lanterns and would also be detrimental to cosmic peace. Therefore, on my advice, the Green Lantern Corps launched the 'Innovation Civilization Sector' operation. Your home planet Krypton is also within the scope of the cleanup and will probably have to be eliminated."
Superman hesitated upon hearing that it might jeopardize cosmic security. Schiller continued, "Whether you accept this recovery fund or not, the planet will definitely be cleared away. However, if you do accept it, you might be able to use the money to make some investments in the universe. If Earth is able to enter the interstellar age in the future, this fund could also help humanity through the impoverished pioneering period."
Superman immediately understood what he meant and said, "Is this a lot of money?"
"Of course. Although your home planet is in great ruins, the Kryptonian civilization back then was very advanced. Even if less than one-tenth of the machines were preserved, many rudimentary civilizations would be interested and willing to spend a lot of money to buy them for research. Preliminary estimates suggest that you can get around 60 billion universal coins in the recovery funds—the market price of an ordinary small spaceship is about 200 million universal coins."
Superman gasped. Then he asked, "So you said there's a portion that can be converted into Earth's currency, what is that?"
"Because you are currently the only officially recognized resident of Krypton. The first part is compensation for the demolition, and the second part is a living allowance to make up for the loss you suffered after being separated from your home planet. According to the regulations, if you have a new home, you can exchange this part of the funds for the currency of your new home."
"Approximately how much money?"
Around $50 billion.
Superman stumbled.
"However, to prevent local currency inflation, we will also consult with the authorities to convert this money into goods or business subsidies. Currently, we are considering tax exemptions for Kent farms, subsidies for agricultural equipment, and subsidies for the sale of agricultural products, totaling $50 billion. So you don't need to worry about the source of this money being unclear."
“Wait a minute,” Arkham Batman said, gesturing, “negotiate with the authorities? Isn’t Kansas part of the United States?”
"Of course. At 3 a.m. last night, Congress approved the subsidy application overnight, and the National Security Agency has also contacted the Department of Agriculture and the IRS to ensure that the subsidy is disbursed in place and will not affect national security."
"So, I, the president, know nothing?"
"No, I have already submitted a grant application to you regarding the FBI's replacement of the coffee machine."
"Exactly 50 billion?"
"Yes, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the Kent Farm subsidy, it's just that the amount happens to be the same."
“I have only one question,” Arkham Batman said, “the fiscal deficit is already very serious, how can I approve it for you?”
"If you are referring to the recent financial report submitted by the Treasury Department, then there is absolutely no need to worry. The Minister of State Security, for national security reasons, instructed the Treasury Department to make some macroeconomic adjustments to the financial report."
Arkham Batman paused, "You're saying the report is fake?"
"It's true, it's just that I've done some macroeconomics..."
"Okay, I understand. So it's not that I don't have money, but even if I calculate it myself, I've almost spent it all..."
"You don't need to worry about that, you just need to sign."
Batman Arkham sighed and said, "Ever since Nick Fury came along, I don't even know if I have any money left."
“That’s exactly what he does,” Schiller said with a smile. “For a smart person like you, if you have money, you’ll definitely try to use it in the most meaningful way. But if we want to use money, we have to make it unclear to you whether you have it or not.”
"So what are you going to do with the money?"
"Make more money."
"How to make money?"
"To carry out some macroeconomic regulation."
"Then explain to me what macroeconomics is..."
Before Arkham Batman could finish speaking, a "click" sound came from the window behind him. He turned his head, and two batarangs flew out of his hands, disappearing instantly in two puffs of black smoke.
“The ninjas of the League of Assassins,” Schiller said, “Superman.”
Without him saying a word, Superman turned to look at a spot next to him. Just as Arkham Batman was about to press the safety button, a voice came from behind him: "Don't get too excited, Mr. President."
An Asian woman with long, dark hair walked in through the window. Arkham Batman narrowed his eyes; he recognized her—Talia Augu, the mother of Damian, the only son of Batman in most universes, and the daughter of Rashomon, the leader of the League of Assassins.
“Hello, ma’am.” Arkham Batman remained completely calm. As far as he knew, Talia must have used some means to give birth to Damian, and now that he was on guard, he was sure he wouldn’t fall for her trick.
The next second, Talia's words hit like a ton of bricks, leaving even Arkham Batman completely stunned:
"Loan sharking for the Assassin Brotherhood, Mr. President, you're far more capable than I imagined."