บท 605: Chapter 408: I Won't Say Who's Unlucky (Part 3)_1
Gotham's traffic has improved in this past year more than it did in the last decade combined.
First, the new mayor hit the ground running and made transportation his number one priority. Although the traffic awareness days resulted in the destruction of Central Roundabout, they showcased the new mayor's determination to fix the traffic problem, even if it meant destroying the world.
Then, there was the realization by most mob bosses that the logistic problems were impeding the growth of their businesses. They understood they couldn't drain the pond to get all the fish; infrastructure had to be built before profits could be earned. If no one was willing to invest time and money, they would all be stuck, unable to make any money.
These mob bosses might not be educated, but their desire for wealth was enormously high. Driven by self-interest, they not only actively participated in the traffic awareness days, providing ample firepower support for traffic police and police officers, but also spent large sums of money to hire all kinds of professionals to reorganize Gotham's traffic grid. They even sincerely invited some excellent traffic police to the city to help them maintain order.
Initially aggressive and uneducated drivers also discovered that only with smooth roads could they have more opportunities. With the development of logistics, there were more vehicles and they could seek better jobs, rather than rigidly working for a low wage mob. Therefore, Albeit still cursing, most people finally learned to observe simple traffic rules.
With all these measures in place, the traffic in Gotham was not just slightly better. However, if we had to pick one area that was still a mess, it would be the Central Roundabout Area.
The traffic junction at this location had been there for a long time, built by the first group of Europeans who landed here. Initially, it was just an ordinary town square; later, some families in Gotham preserved the original structure and built it into the largest roundabout junction with the highest volume of traffic in central Gotham.
The problem was, when the Europeans constructed this place, they assumed only they would use it and all of them understood the traffic rules. However, the majority of the users later were aggressive truck drivers who were illiterate.
Because the traffic situation here was so bad, Gordon had to borrow Batman's high-powered Bat Light, to act as a traffic light. Later, Professor Shiller sought help from a bunch of Marvel heroes to increase the power of the traffic lights, turning it into the brightest light bulb in Gotham.
Moreover, with traffic police armed with rocket tubes supervising traffic rules from the Central Lookout Tower, Gotham University interns in charge of issuing tickets and towing vehicles, the traffic in the Central Roundabout Area finally improved.
Drivers finally could clearly see the huge four-way traffic lights and basically understood what the different lights meant. For instance, they should stop at a red light, go at a green light, when they can turn and when they must stop and wait.
This was indeed a positive sign but it could not conceal the drivers' explosiveness. They always felt their green light time was too short, while others' green light seemed longer. Hence, many verbal fights often sparked off in the Central Roundabout Area, which even boosted the development of Gotham's hip-hop rap culture.
After all, without buying a ticket, just needing a car and the courage to plunge into the central roundabout congestion, you can attend a brilliant rap concert free of charge, filled with marvelous English and English slang swear words.
But luckily, even if the green light time was short, there was still a green light. Waiting might make them explosive and impatient, but would not make them fight. This situation lasted for a long time; the overall traffic situation was developing in a positive direction.
Until one day, a gigantic green light bulb that could be clearly seen from all four directions, was installed above all the traffic lights.
If you overlooked the central roundabout from high above, you would see that when this enormous green light bulb shone, all the cars, without hesitation, stepped on the gas and then there were the sounds of "Wham!", "Clack!", "Bang!", "Boom!"...
Then came the rap concert, along with the "Thud. Thud. Thud"...
Actually, the Central Roundabout had been crushed into ruins before; most people would just fire a few shots at the car to vent their anger, and if someone really started a fight, it meant the two parties had a long-standing feud and it was just an outburst triggered by this event. Thus the moment the police showed up, the disturbance would end quickly.
The only problem was that quite unfortunately, a very innocent university professor, who participated or rather, was forced to participate in this encounter, was Professor Shiller.
Return to DC, Shiller was in high spirits because as a university professor, he had holidays. He didn't take his holiday last year, so he could combine it with this year's one. He initially planned to finish teaching the current content, assign an essay, and then go on holiday.
Today was his last day at work before going on holiday.
Shiller did not have any grand holiday plans, he just wanted to visit the scenery in Brude Haven on the outskirts, which was now a burgeoning tourist destination on the East Coast and a common choice for Gotham's middle class.
But the distance was not large enough to warrant taking a train or a plane. As Americans preferred self-driving tours, Shiller initially planned to drive there himself.
But now, he stood by the side of the road, looking at his Ford clunker, whose front bumper was almost completely crushed and both rear wheels completely flew out and heaved a deep sigh.
The reason being, when all the drivers saw the green light on, they stepped on the gas and rushed out, as they had been waiting impatiently for a long time. They did not want to determine if the light coming on from the lamp post was real. But Shiller knew that it was not a real green light, so he did not step on the gas immediately.
As a result, the car behind him that did step on the gas directly crashed into his car, then hit the pickup in front.
Everyone knew that in such a domino accident, the vehicle in the middle often suffers the most damage. If it were not for Shiller's Spider-sense to teleport him out in the twinkling of an eye when the accident occurred, he would probably still be pinned to the seat by airbags.
Just as Shiller was wondering who to call about this, a familiar figure approached. Evans greeted Shiller, glanced at him, then looked at Shiller's car, stopped his steps, and even quietly retreated.
He said: "Good morning, Professor."
"Why are you standing so far away?" Shiller asked, then waved at him and said, "Come over here, who should I call given the current situation? You know, I'm a foreigner, is there a towing company or something around here?"
Evans showed no intention of stepping forward, he just stood there and said, "There is, but..."
At that moment, another group of people came over. A man in a suit with a notebook was sizing up Shiller, then glanced at his car and said, "Severe vehicle damage, towing costs an extra 20%, Paul, go handle his car, thank you for choosing Dole Towing Company."
Shiller sighed, reached into his suit pocket, took out his wallet, flipping it open as he asked, "Alright, how much is the towing fee?"
"120 dollars, sir."
Shiller looked at him incredulously and said, "What did you say? 120 dollars?"
"The situation is special, sir, don't you see? It's a seller's market right now. If you don't hire us, the guy at Layton's charges even more. He would dare ask you for 200 dollars!"
Shiller shook his head; if this were New York City in the 21st century in the Marvel world, that price would be acceptable. But this is 1988, most consumer goods are still priced in cents.
At this point, Evans stepped forward, wanting to help Shiller out. However, Shiller gave him a look, stopping him in his tracks, took two banknotes out of his wallet and said, "Here."
Dale took the money, whistled, realizing that he was given an extra 10 dollars. He immediately gestured towards the car and said, "Paul, be gentle, this is a VIP customer!"
He flicked the banknotes with his fingers and said, "In Gotham, not many people tip, thank you, sir, we assure you that your vehicle will be safely taken to the specified location. Dole Towing Company is the most professional towing company, we look forward to serving you again!"
Evans looked at Shiller and shrugged, "At least they have a decent attitude, right?"
Shiller collected his wallet at a leisurely pace, put it back in his pocket, then surveyed the chaotic scene. As Dale had said, most of the cars in the square were broken, the central roundabout was congested, and the center island was devastated.
Then, Shiller looked up to the sky.
So, where is that Green Lantern that just landed, or should I say Green Lantern Hal?
He was currently floating a few hundred meters high in the sky, staring in horror at everything unfolding below.
Previously, he believed Gotham to be a place with simple folk. Now, however, he realized just how simple the folk of Gotham really were.
He wanted to do something about all of this, but his intuition told him not to get involved for the time being.
The fact showed Hal's intuition was very accurate, because not only was Shiller affected by this incident but also Batman's family.
Before Green Lantern stopped on the lamppost, Bruce was driving Selina, Aisha, Dick, and Butler Alfred to the hospital for a check-up.
It wasn't Bruce's idea to get them checked, but Butler Alfred's. He wanted to ensure that Bruce's recent unusual routine hadn't negatively affected his health. Although they could have had a doctor come to their home, Butler Alfred felt that a more comprehensive examination was better done at a hospital.
They had made an appointment for a morning checkup, so Bruce drove everyone to the hospital early in the morning. They expected a bit of congestion at the central roundabout, but they didn't think it would take them the entire day.
Just like Shiller, Bruce found himself in the same predicament. When all the drivers thought it was a green signal, he noticed that it was actually Green Lantern Hal, so he didn't step on the gas.
Fortunately, the vehicle he was driving was a safety vehicle, much better than that old Ford, so the cars in front and behind his car suffered the most. Bruce's car was unharmed.
But that didn't mean he wasn't angry. The traffic condition in Gotham had improved, which was beneficial for Bruce. However, he puzzled as to why this guy engulfed in green light had to stir up trouble here?
Even more enraged was Butler Alfred. In that instant, Butler Alfred saw Hal's figure.
A few days ago, he noticed this guy surrounded by green light, seemingly following not only Aisha, but also Batman.
Butler Alfred narrowed his eyes and looked at the sky. Amid Gotham's thick clouds, he spotted the faint green light.
At this moment, Hal felt a shiver run down his spine.
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