"He's right, without Shiller we couldn't care less..."
Shiller murmured, leaning back his head. Then, he bent over and coughed a few times before turning to Eddie and saying, "Cough, cough, my current situation... originates from my enduring Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder..."
"I'm someone... who can't live among regular people in society. That reminder is with me every second that I don't belong... I have failed to meet the expectations many people had for me..."
Shiller squinted, his eyes growing tired. He felt a faint pain on the side of his neck, but there were no visible wounds. The real injury was on his soul.
The disease that Shiller suffered from and the wounds he had received were equally shared among every Shiller personality. No one could escape, and if anyone purposefully reopened the wound causing it to bleed, they had to pay the price.
Simple withdrawal symptoms wouldn't reduce him to such a hazy state. The main culprit was still the wounds he had inflicted on himself earlier in an attempt to numb the superego and attack Moonlight Shiller.
The alternating onslaught of emotional withdrawal symptoms and previously induced trauma due to psychological problems impaired Shiller, making him appear incapable of self-care.
Eddie, however, turned his attention to Shiller's hand. As a journalist, observing the expressions and gestures of people had almost become an occupational disease.
Eddie noticed Shiller clutching his neck and assumed he must have slept in an awkward position the previous night because he had slept on the table.
However, Eddie then realized that Shiller's action was less like rubbing a sore neck and more like trying to put pressure on a wound as if to stop bleeding.
Yet, there were no visible wounds on Shiller's neck. Eddie recalled some theories he had read and began to suspect that Shiller may have been injured before and was now experiencing phantom pain symptoms.
Given the situation, Eddie felt, he shouldn't push Shiller. After all, if a doctor is in poor condition himself, trying to treat a patient could only harm both of them.
Eddie sighed and got up, intending to go in and see how Brod was doing. At that moment, Shiller, struggling slightly, got up and crossed him, taking the lead into the room.
Eddie took hold of him from behind and asked, "What are you doing? If you're really uncomfortable, I can take you home first..."
Shiller shook his head, standing in the narrow shadows of the cabin's corner, he said, "I heard what you said earlier... You said you wanted to stay here, recording the stories of ordinary people in an era of change..."
"When I was feeling really bad, you gave me a cigarette and let me stay at your place, so we are friends." Shiller coughed twice, took a deep breath, and said in a somewhat hoarse voice: "I'm very willing to help a friend. Can you give me a pen and a piece of paper?"
Eddie looked at Shiller's complexion and noticed he seemed to be recovering quite a bit. He no longer had a dazed look in his eyes. Eddie didn't know where this change had come from, but as long as Shiller was able to help, it was the best outcome.
So Eddie went to Bob, got a pencil his daughter used for drawing and a piece of paper with doodles on the back.
Bob seemed a little embarrassed when he handed over these items. He scratched his head and said, "I'm so sorry, we don't have much here..."
Eddie waved at him and said, "A psychotherapist prefers to consult without an audience. Shall we go out and chat? Or, if your daughter isn't scared, could I talk to her?"
Bob craned his neck to look back in the house, then said, "Oh, she's not shy, she's quite lively. It's just that, she's asleep right now, right after she took the medicine I brought back."
The two of them walked and talked, settling down on the edge of the cabin. Bob took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, offered one to Eddie, and the two of them started talking about the current situation of the unemployed while they smoked.
"There are many people like Brod and me. The shuttle and sky train transport capabilities are so strong that they are even better than driving ourselves. We all know how congested the city center of New York can be. Many people who wish to drive a car, simply can't."
"Even if you can afford a car, insurance, and regular maintenance, nothing changes the reality of peak hours traffic."
"When my wife and I hadn't divorced yet, we were the typical middle class. We went grocery shopping, picked up our kids, took them to the activity center, and went for outdoor activities in the suburbs during the weekend."
"Whether in transit to any of those activities, we would get really angry if we got stuck in traffic for three hours. My wife and I could handle it, but Dennis... Oh, that's my eldest son, he would always throw tantrums."
Bob wore a helpless look on his face as he said, "His mother was really strict and always had a lot of complaints about life and education. Each time Dennis lost patience, his mother would shout at him. I hoped that she could be more rational and communicate with our son..."
"I admit, back then, she was under a lot of pressure. Dennis' birth wasn't smooth, she suffered a lot, and her emotional recovery wasn't good either. One doctor told us she had something called postpartum depression, but we didn't really understand..."
"I digress, back to the shuttles. The main advantage of these two types of flying transport is the ability to avoid traffic jams."
"No driving required, no wasting two or three hours stuck in traffic, just swipe a transport card and go home at a speed twice as fast as the inner-city limit. Who wouldn't opt for that?"
"Perhaps some middle-aged people with families like me need a trunk to transport stuff, but those young people frequently active in business districts or financial centers don't have as many burdens. They love this form of public transport."
Eddie nodded and said, "Indeed, I'm not married, and I have no children. If it were up to me, I'd choose the shuttle too. After all, going home earlier means getting work done earlier and having more personal time, which is important for young people."
"But the impact doesn't stop there…"
Eddie continued to speculate, "Take me as an example. When I used to work at Global Times, I had to rent a place close to the headquarters. It was impossible to rent a place in the suburbs and commute for over 5 hours every day."
"But now, the shuttles extend to the suburbs of New York. Without traffic congestion, and with full capacity, the shuttle can make it from the suburbs to the city center in less than 40 minutes. That is, a round trip takes just over an hour, which is acceptable for many people."
"So, those young people who don't have much money can rent further away. This will stimulate the economy in some remote suburbs, but also might lead to the decline of some inner-city communities."
"And if these areas decline, people whose livelihoods rely on shops or businesses in these areas will lose their jobs. And these sky-flying routes cannot provide them with new job opportunities."
That's exactly what I mean, Bob nodded and said, "Yes, I know. The robots that Stark Group has created are very advanced, too advanced…"
"But all these shuttles and trains don't need ticket sellers, dispatchers, or security personnel. So what will these people who've lost jobs due to these new transport routes do? What can we do?""
At this point, Bob turned to look at Brod in the room and continued, "Brod's situation is worse than mine. He was a driver for a private bus company. Other than driving a bus, he doesn't know how to do much else."
"Although, I have a daughter to raise. Still, she's young and doesn't require much in terms of education. However, it's different for Brod. His son is studying at New York University. Even though his tuition is in loans and his living expenses are supplemented by part-time work, he still struggles a lot."
"As a top reporter in New York, you must know that the cost of living in New York is very high and filled with affluent people. Last time Brod's son came back, he complained that someone laughed at his shoes because the soles were almost falling off…""
"I understand. The kid is not vain. It's only natural for him to complain if his appearance has become ragged and inelegant."
Eddie turned back and noticed that Shiller was busy writing something that looked like a prescription. Feeling relieved, he then turned to Bob and asked, "What year is his son in university? What is he studying?"
"Communication engineering, senior year," Bob shook his head with a somewhat sad expression, "The reason Brod attempted suicide is because his son called and said he hoped his father could attend his graduation."
"But Brod's only suit was spoiled, and he didn't have money to get it dry cleaned. He couldn't possibly go to his son's graduation in his ragged work clothes…""
"I offered to lend him money, but he thought that money should be saved for my daughter's medication. After all, his son is already independent and could manage without him. But if my daughter lost me, she wouldn't survive."
Eddie sighed and asked, "What are you two doing now?"
"We're both doing odd jobs," Bob replied while fidgeting with his fingers, "Brod is strong and works as a stocker in a supermarket around the corner. I do occasional cashiering and accounting there. Life's passable."
"But we both know this kind of life won't last long." Bob, head lowered and hunched over, rubbed his shoe and added, "The owner of the supermarket is planning to move near the shuttle station to run a small eatery. Then we won't have jobs there anymore."
"Probably by then, Brod might still get a job as a mob enforcer, as for me? I doubt any mob would have my use…""
Upon hearing this, Eddie was suddenly struck by a severe problem — what follows widespread unemployment? That's right, mob activity.
All historically rampant periods of mob activity tie to unemployment waves, providing mobs with plenty of talents. It was foreseeable that Hell's Kitchen would thrive even more in the future."
However, Eddie didn't believe that Stark wouldn't have thought about this. Despite Stark not being known for having a background in sociology or economics, his professional staff definitely would have taken all aspects into consideration.
Even without a professional background, one could discern that robots replacing humans would lead to widespread unemployment, shake social structure, and make it unstable. So, what do those who plan these things intend to do to tackle these issues?
Thinking about those who plan these things, Eddie involuntarily turned back towards Shiller.