Chapter 1822: Chapter 1232: Just Farm (14)_1

Martha stood glaring with hands on her hips, causing Clark and Bruce to bow their heads in submission at the kitchen doorway. Jonathan, on the other hand, was leaning against the fridge, enjoying the spectacle.

"Clark! I can't believe it, how could you have a water fight with Bruce?!" Martha reprimanded, staring at Clark.

Clark opened his mouth, pointing towards Bruce. He wanted to clarify that it was Bruce who had started it, but Martha immediately interrupted, "Bruce is our guest, and you had him washing dishes?!"

"In just the two minutes that I didn't have my eyes on you, not only did you have our sick guest washing dishes, but you also soaked him in water. Don't you know you shouldn't have contact with water when the wound is not healed?!"

Clark dropped his head in defeat stating, "I understand, mom, I'll clean up."

"Alright, let's not be angry anymore." Jonathan stepped forward to mediate, wrapping an arm around Martha, "Young men will always be like this. They are far from understanding and comprehending, it reminds me of the time when my brother and I went camping by the Mississippi River, he could never beat me in a water fight..."

As the sound of their voices grew more distant, Clark cast a helpless look at Bruce, "Go upstairs and change your clothes. We can't risk your wound getting infected."

Bruce shook his head lightly stating, "I'm not that fragile. I had descended into hell previously and consumed a lot of soul energy. Once the strength of the soul overflows, it will naturally heal the body. My self-healing ability is much stronger than that of ordinary people."

Clark moved forward, touching Bruce's forehead, "Look, you're running a fever, get out of here quick, I need to mop the floor."

Bruce shook his head again, walking back to the sink saying, "You clean the floor, I'll finish washing the dishes…""

"Hey, gentlemen, do you need help?" Diana leaned against the kitchen doorway, lightly tapping the door with her fingers. She surveyed the somewhat messy floor, seemingly surprised.

Clark was clearly embarrassed; after all, having a water fight was indeed a bit childish. He had no choice but to explain, "No, Miss Prince, you can go upstairs with Lois and change into something more comfortable. We'll head to the fields later."

"So you were having a water fight?" Diana, looking at the traces on the floor, stated bluntly, "It appears that you didn't win against him."

Clark was even more embarrassed. However, at this point, Diana shifted the topic to Bruce. Her facial expression became slightly more serious as she stated, "I've heard about the work you're doing in Gotham. You have voluntarily renovated the slums, built more industries, provided more jobs for the poor, and actively developed tourism to prepare the city for transformation. Honestly, you are a hero."

Bruce seemed a bit surprised; he stared at Diana with an astonished expression. Diana shook her head playfully teasing, "You're not one of those old-fashioned guys who think women don't follow political news, right?"

As Bruce turned back to the dishes, he remarked, "I just didn't expect you to be so well-informed."

"Of course, I owe it all to this reporter right in front of you. His reports on Gotham in the Metropolis Daily has captured my attention. I'm very interested in the city, so I looked up some information about it," Diana answered.

"What I mean is, you have access to some information beyond what the public knows."

"Absolutely, after all, I am the princess of Amazon, a member of the royal family. I have my own political advisors. More importantly, Paradise Island owns a considerable amount of Wayne Enterprises' stocks. Your actions could not escape our notice."

Bruce nodded, accepting her explanation. Paradise Island, like most small countries in the world, relied heavily on the tourism industry due to its unique geographical environment and social structure, thereby maintaining some influence on the international stage.

Just like all small countries, the main source of income was from investments and trusts, so it was quite normal they held shares in Wayne Enterprises.

Diana lightly tapped her arm, stating, "It might be a bit impolite, but I'd like to advise you. If your strides are too big, it might not necessarily be a good thing."

"Are you worried about the stocks dropping?" Bruce glanced back at Diana.

"Quite the opposite, I am worried that drawing too much blood from the arteries of Wayne Enterprises might lead to a rupture in the capital chain and all the renovation projects will end up unfinished."

"For the rich, unfinished buildings won't affect them as they won't live there anyway. But for the poor, the impact is tremendous."

Diana slightly frowned. This gesture on her bright face appeared particularly compassionate. She said with some concern:

"I have seen many wealthy individuals eager to do good, and they implement it quickly and on a large scale. Their intentions are good, but often they don't get good results because they are too hasty."

"What they offer to the lower classes is what they think the lower classes want, not necessarily what they need. Due to the large scale, they end up being unable to control it. Projects are left unfinished, leaving them in debt."

"Commencing some projects on a grand scale gives the poor hope. The cruelest thing in the world is to offer hope and then personally destroy it."

"When they fail to achieve good results, they feel that their goodwill has been wasted and they have been emotionally hurt. It's a lose-lose situation."

"I think if one wants to do good, they need to focus on the long haul. There's an advantage to taking time. It's easier to recover if there are any problems, and one can learn from the experience and do better."

Bruce looked at Diana with even more surprised as he did not expect to hear such advice from her.

In fact, when Wayne Enterprises decided to renovate Gotham, many people expressed their opinions.

However, most people held two kinds of views. One was they believed that Wayne Enterprises couldn't handle such a colossal project and was just wasting time. The other was that no matter how much Wayne Enterprises did, its intentions were commendable.

To Bruce's surprise, Diana's advice was indeed very pertinent, and she possessed a maturity that seemed beyond her years.

This dark-haired beauty looked very young, definitely under thirty years old. Yet, her behavior and conduct were akin to someone in their fifties or sixties.

Seeing Bruce's expression, Diana chuckled, she waved her hand and said, "Do I look like an old lady?"

"Thank you for your advice," Bruce said earnestly.

Diana shook her head, she took a moment to recall then asked: "I heard that you have already completed a quarter of the transformation in East District. That's truly an amazing achievement."

Before Bruce could respond, Clark widened his eyes in surprise. It seemed he couldn't believe his friend had discreetly undertaken such a massive project.

Although Clark reported on matters related to Gotham, he was more inclined towards culture and customs, with not a particular focus on economics and renovation. However, the figures from Diana's mouth still astonished him.

Gotham, being a major city on the east coast, has a total area of about 1,000 square kilometers, including the sea, while the land area is about 700 square kilometers. The East District accounts for more than a quarter of that area, about 200 square kilometers.

The actual residential area for living is roughly around 100 square kilometers, so a quarter comes to about 25 square kilometers.

It may sound like a small area, roughly equivalent to the size of a small town. But, East Gotham is one of the most densely populated residential areas in a major city. Whether it's the density of buildings or the density of the population, it's beyond comparison to a small town.

The population crammed into this 25 square kilometer area is equivalent to a small city. The manpower and resources required to demolish and rebuild a city are unimaginable.

Of course, if it were a country undertaking this task, it would be much easier.

If a country possesses a complete industrial system, then the construction cost is approximately equal to the cost of raw materials. Coupled with various policies, under multi-party cooperation, it is not difficult to build one or two cities.

But the problem is, no matter how capable Wayne Enterprises is, it's still a private corporation. It has limitations, it cannot be like a country, possessing mining, smelting, casting industries, capable of producing construction materials, furniture, and providing water and electricity.

So all these deficiencies need to be filled with money, that is, buying finished products.

Even though bulk trading might be a bit cheaper, it won't be by much. The wealth required to build a densely populated small city at such a cost level would be astronomical.

Diana recognized this point. She came out of concern that this young businessman was acting too hastily, pouring all costs in at once, potentially leading to a rupture in Wayne Enterprises' cash flow.

If that were to happen, not only would it fail to save Gotham's civilians, but Wayne Enterprises' bankruptcy could also lead to many people losing jobs, making Gotham's situation even worse.

The reason why Bruce sincerely thanked Diana for her advice is that what Diana said was right. He's now using Wayne Enterprises' money to invest in Gotham's development, essentially extracting blood from Wayne Enterprises' main artery. This isn't sustainable commercial behavior, with risks reaching an astronomical height.

The reason Bruce was previously worried about money is the same. He's not truly penniless, but compared to the astronomical cost, it appears he has no money.

Quickly, Clark also realized it. He anxiously looked at Bruce, saying: "What will you do? You need to save people, but you also have to ensure your own safety first! If something happens to Wayne Enterprises, it's going to be a huge problem."

He then sighed, saying, "I don't mean you should immediately return to work. Don't get me wrong, health is the most important thing."

Diana arched her eyebrows, looking at Bruce, she asked, "...are you injured?"

Before Bruce could open his mouth to speak, Clark immediately interjected: "Yes, he's severely injured. If I hadn't taken him out, he'd still be in that insane city, wrestling with those criminals!"

Diana expressed disagreement, looking at Bruce, she said: "Since you know what you have to do, you should be more aware that you must preserve yourself first to achieve your ideals."

"On such a crucial juncture if anything happens to the corporation's leader and that affects the shareholders' confidence, it'll be more dangerous."

As Diana spoke, she became flustered. She started to pace around the kitchen entrance, speaking rapidly:

"During your series of actions to transform Gotham, I saw the possibility of this city being saved, I think the citizens of Gotham think the same."

"You've given them hope, they're willing to wait for you, willing to wait for their brand new Gotham."

"But if this hope collapses midway, maybe they won't ever have hope again, and if someone wants to change the city in the future, they won't choose to believe again."

"Given Gotham's situation, all 7 million people here need to be saved. You're the one they pin their hopes on, bearing all their hopes, are you truly prepared to face the troubles I mentioned?"

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