The days of being a spiritual mentor in Meiman.

Chapter 4158 When the Pumpkin Ripens (Forty)

Tim, who was helping out in the lab, saw Pamela, who had been scrolling through short videos on her phone, suddenly leap up like a carp and rush to the experimental equipment with a shout.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Tim, who had been feeling sleepy, was startled so much that his hair stood on end. He stared at Pamela and said, "What happened to you? Who broke in?!"

Pamela, however, wore a disdainful expression. She said, "I can't explain it to you. Hurry up and give me the research report for the second phase of the enlarged plant test. I need to complete the genetic testing tonight..."

"What's wrong with you?" Tim looked at her with great surprise.

"Alright, go back to your painting," Pamela said, waving her hand at him.

Tim narrowed his eyes; he knew something he didn't know had happened. He looked at Pamela with a Batman-like expression of disapproval, showing no intention of leaving the lab.

“Alright, alright,” Pamela said, taking the report with her. “Brainiac sent me a plan to counterattack Apokolips, and my plants play a very important role in it. Moreover, in the subsequent Apokolips development plan, whether it's the idea of ​​using the special radiation of the Apokolips Realm to study mutated plants, or applying Darkseid's Parademon conversion technology to plant mutation, they are all ingenious ideas. If he had said this earlier, I might already be on Apokolips by now…”

Tim opened his mouth, but he didn't understand a word of Pamela's part about the technology of mutated plants. However, he did understand one thing, and he said, "So you're not planning to slack off anymore?"

Pamela rolled her eyes and said, "What do you mean by 'slacking off'? I was strategically adjusting my rest time. But after thinking about it carefully, I realized that humans still need to strive and realize their self-worth. I'm still young, and I still need to have some drive."

"What kind of spell did Brainiac cast on you?"

He had barely finished speaking when the phone rang. He grabbed the phone and went outside, returning in less than two minutes, then hurriedly began packing his things.

"What's wrong with you now?" Pamela asked. "Why did you put away your easel and paints? Aren't you going to paint anymore?"

"Draw my ass! If I can increase the efficiency of the fully automated production line at Drake's factory by 30%, Brainiac will send the notification letter to my house. I have to go back and do my research! Bye!"

As Tim ran quickly out of the lab, he bumped into Jason, who was running uphill. Luckily, Jason braked suddenly and was not knocked away by the giant albatross.

"Why are you running so fast?" Jason said first. "Have you finished drawing? Why haven't I seen you send any messages in the chat group?"

"You haven't published anything either, have you? You don't have any research projects, so what are you doing in the lab?"

"Who said I don't have one? I just received a research project."

"How long has it been since you did any research? What project did Brainiac give you? Can you even figure it out?"

“Researching the tires of the Batmobile.”

The two stared at each other, and Tim covered his forehead, saying, "Brainiac managed to find such a relevant research project. But why did he suddenly decide to research tires?"

“To be precise, it’s about researching the Batmobile,” Jason said, “or rather, a vehicle with similar performance to the Batmobile.”

"He wants you to build a Batmobile?"

"It doesn't necessarily have to be built from scratch. I used my points to buy the blueprints for the Batmobile from Arkham Batman. As long as I gather the materials, I can build a decent one. However, some of the metals are a bit difficult to obtain. I was just about to call Bruce."

What benefits did he give you?

"Professional chefs on call 24 hours a day."

"He's really something."

As the two were talking, another figure came up from downstairs—it was Bruce. As soon as he saw Jason, he asked, "Where are the blueprints? What specific metal are you missing?"

"Everything else is easy to handle, the key is that N metal is hard to find. This magic-immune metal is a raw material for an important component of the Batmobile's magic engine..."

Before he could finish speaking, a burly figure leaped in through the window, his yellow and black armor standing out conspicuously.

"Death knell?!"

“Brainiac asked me to deliver something to you.” He pulled a box from his pocket, tossed it to Bruce who was closest to him, and said, “This is leftover metal from when the sword was forged. Please sign a receipt.”

Bruce took the order and glanced at it, discovering it was Brainiac's order. He looked at Deathstroke, wondering how Brainiac had managed to persuade this super mercenary to contribute his most treasured materials.

Tim had already subtly inquired about it, because he also wanted to get his hands on some metal. After all, from a physics perspective, automated production lines could only improve efficiency by less than 10%, and the remaining 20% ​​would probably have to be achieved through magic.

“Points.” Deathstroke’s answer was very brief.

Tim slapped his forehead. He should have realized it sooner. This guy was a mercenary. What else could he want besides money?
Just then, his phone rang again. He saw a message from Brainiac: "I will provide you with all the information and raw material support, but you need to tell me your requirements first before I can place an order for you."

Tim breathed a sigh of relief. He had been wondering if he could get some metal out of Bruce and Jason, but Brainiac was much more generous than he had imagined.

"Why did he call you back too?" Pamela asked Bruce with some surprise as she came out of the lab. "And for the Justice League, shouldn't it be after get off work hours now? How did he convince you to work overtime?"

"An honorary doctorate in psychology," Bruce replied succinctly.

"Good heavens, will the professor agree?"

"It's just an honorary degree. Besides, I think Brainiac is serious this time. I don't know how much Darkseid provoked him to do something like this."

"I always feel like something is wrong."

"I also find it a bit strange."

"This is indeed too unusual."

"Do you remember what the agent said?"

"When you notice anything unusual..."

"...either it was done out of greed, or it's related to him."

“But he did offer us terms we couldn’t refuse,” Tim sighed. “We’re probably going to be very busy for a while.”

“That’s good, otherwise we’d be idle anyway during martial law,” Pamela said. “Let’s go, let’s get to the great work.”

The group dispersed and then threw themselves into their work with remarkable efficiency, so much so that even Brainiac was astonished.

“It’s not like I haven’t tried to motivate them before,” Brainiac said. “I’ve given them bonuses, supplies, and media coverage, making them universally admired figures. Isn’t that enough?”

“Theoretically speaking, people spend their lives chasing fame and fortune. Money and fame can motivate most people, so what you’re doing isn’t wrong. I think it would work for many other people too, right?” Greed said, standing in front of the coffee machine, selecting beans as he spoke.

"Yes, for the vast majority of people, they are quite satisfied. After receiving the reward, they will also be more enthusiastic about their work, and their efficiency is quite good. But there are indeed many troublemakers who are not very interested in either monetary or reputational rewards. I have tried all sorts of methods to improve their work efficiency, but none of them have been satisfactory. Why is this time different?"

"Because of the 'exception'."

"what?"

"Because you made an exception for them. Before, you were an absolutely fair ruler. Take Tim, for example. Despite his considerable achievements in management and mechanical engineering, if he wanted to study at the Academy of Fine Arts, he still had to prepare a portfolio, submit an application, wait for the school's approval, and then he could go to school."

"What's wrong with this?"

"There's nothing wrong with it; it's perfectly fair. Even if he's a genius at managing a group and updating production lines, he might not have enough talent for artistic creation. So he has to prove that he's talented in another area in order to pursue further studies in that area. Making him follow the standard application process is perfectly legal and emotionally sound, so didn't he obediently prepare it?"

"But you asked me to give him the acceptance letter directly."

"Yes. It is precisely because he understands in his heart that what you are doing is right, that you are a very fair ruler, that he receives great spiritual encouragement when such a fair ruler makes an exception and does something 'wrong' for his sake."

"...?"

Brainiac stared greedily at the huge billboard outside the window and wrote a big question mark.

"Thank you for the righteous persona you created for yourself, which made you seem like an omniscient and omnipotent god of justice. But humans are creatures that prefer to destroy gods rather than create them."

"You mean, I've fallen from grace?"

"Yes, and it only applies to a few people. Or rather, only by making an exception for a small group of people within a small scope can such an effect be achieved."

"why?"

"Because of greed. I've said before that greed and arrogance are the original sins of mankind. And the kind of fair society you've created cannot satisfy the greed of some people, because what they want is not fairness, but privilege."

“I understand. Now I’ve made an exception and granted privileges to a select few, making them a privileged class. Nobody doesn’t want to be part of the privileged class, so they’ll work even harder than before.”

"That's pretty much it. But the key isn't your exception this time, but the fair society you've created in the past, making them feel that you are indeed fair. That's what makes your exception more valuable. Only when a principled person breaks their principles for you can it prove your place in their heart. But if a person doesn't have principles to begin with, no matter how many times they make exceptions, no one will be moved."

"Okay. But is this beneficial for the long-term development of society?"

“You believe that creating a privileged class is wrong, and that fairness without absolute fairness is absolute unfairness. But in reality, absolute fairness comes at the cost of sacrificing the development of some people. For example, the few people you treated specially this time, their talents are not limited to the jobs you assigned them, and their initiative has not been fully utilized. But in order to be fair and to avoid special treatment, you sacrificed their potential for development. And this time, it's just a slight correction.”

“But if this trend continues, unfair social phenomena will still emerge. For example, Tim received an acceptance letter directly, which is unfair to students who need to spend a long time preparing their portfolios and go through very strict application screening.”

“I would never say something like ‘there is no such thing as absolute fairness in this world.’ An omniscient and omnipotent ruler can ensure absolute fairness in society. But as I said, absolute fairness itself is a kind of unfairness. Making up for the shortcomings of the disadvantaged is the simplest part; the most difficult part is how to meet the development needs of geniuses.”

"On the surface, unconditionally satisfying the development demands of geniuses inevitably sacrifices some fairness. They need a lot of resources and a certain degree of exceptions, and they will occupy social resources that ordinary people cannot access. However, what you should focus on is not these things, but whether their development can bring enough social progress, and whether this progress can benefit ordinary people, so that their lives, even with a certain degree of unfairness, are still better than when everything was absolutely fair before. Isn't that right?"

(End of this chapter)