Nora soon brought out a lavish spread of food, which was actually a bit too lavish. The lady hauled in seven or eight packages, and it was clear at a glance that it was more than enough for four people.
"The restaurant has officially closed down," Nora said as she put down the items. "Since the two of us used to eat there often and had a good relationship with the chef, he made us one last feast with the leftover ingredients. I guess it's roughly enough for twelve people."
"Go call the students over," Victor said. "Back when we hadn't moved, I saw quite a few students in the cafeteria who only ate a sandwich. They mustn't have had a feast in a long time."
Both Anna and Victor began to take out their phones. Anna thought for a moment and said, "Isn't it a bit inappropriate to call them over separately? What do you think, Shiller?"
"Just tell them to come over for cleaning," Shiller said. "We probably really do need their help, and it's normal to offer them a meal in return, after they have helped. It doesn't matter whether it's before or after."
And so they began to contact their own students, several familiar faces came, Shiller also called Lex, and Pamela was the last to arrive.
She burst into the room in a rush, waving her hands for water. Even in the mild weather of just over ten degrees, she managed to sweat profusely.
"What happened?" Shiller asked as he handed her the water.
"Don't even get me started. The guard's dog got loose and ran into the hydroponic plant lab, breaking several jars. Those plants can't survive an hour without nutrient solution. I gathered them all up and put them in the same tank," she explained.
Pamela drank the water in huge gulps, then took a deep breath and sat down, before saying, "These plants were meant for Roy's gubernatorial inauguration ceremony. There will be a statewide TV broadcast, and we can't have any mistakes if we want to make our brand famous."
It was only when Pamela calmed down that they noticed she must be truly exhausted; the dark circles under her eyes were visibly clear.
Although Pamela usually didn't dress up even on a regular basis, her skin was well taken care of. But now, it was obvious she looked greasy and rough from sleepless nights and her hair was a tangled mess, clearly because she had no time to comb it.
"Um, Professor, I'll need to wait for the first payment to come in before I can repay you," Pamela said somewhat sheepishly. "The previous batch of clients were a bit difficult, and the money isn't easy to collect, but it should be resolved soon."
"Are you planning to collect in person?" Anna seemed to be aware of the situation and worried about her. She said, "The construction contracting group is deep waters. Be careful."
"Don't worry, I've found the best use for my plant-hitters," Pamela said, giving a thumbs up. "I'm even planning to set up a debt collection agency, a surefire hit every time."
"That's truly amazing, Miss," Shiller said. "You've been pushed to this point, yet you're still planning to make money through legal means. In Gotham, that can be considered a miracle."
He had just finished speaking when the other students looked at him with a somewhat strange gaze. Shiller didn't feel embarrassed; instead, he said, "What's wrong? Did I say something incorrect?"
"Not at all, Professor, but that was in the past," Pamela sighed and said. "Haven't you noticed that even though the economy is so bad, Gotham is still relatively calm and not in chaos?"
"I have noticed, but I don't know what the deal is. Can you explain from your perspective?" Shiller asked while drinking some water.
"It's because the cost of crime has become too high," Pamela sighed and said. "We basically can't afford cars, or we never thought about buying them before. We relied on renting cars or public transport. Now with buses available, hardly anyone rents, as taking the bus is much cheaper than renting and you don't have to drive."
"But the buses provided by Wayne Enterprises require real-name authentication. If you want to take the bus, the computer system will know who you are. If you have a criminal record, the police will immediately board and detain you. It's the same principle with subways."
"Moreover, the newly built bridges are virtually the only routes to the major districts, and they all have surveillance. Even if you drive yourself, as soon as you're spotted, a police car will immediately chase you with sirens blaring and stop you."
"So it's very hard to get away after committing a crime. If you're caught, there's no mob anymore to smooth things over for you. Once you go to court, you won't just get sentenced to community service or something like that."
"And now most people have jobs, even the bottom-tier cleaners have a stable income. If you're thrown in jail, you're bound to lose your job."
"Plus, many people made a good amount of money from the music festival, and afterwards they chose to buy cars and houses. If you're imprisoned and can't pay the mortgage, when you come out without a job, the houses and cars that are still under loan will definitely be reclaimed, and your down payment will be lost."
"So, did you buy a car or a house?" Shiller asked.
"No, I didn't," Pamela shook her head. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be borrowing money for that expensive rent. Luckily, now that I've paid off the rent, I've moved to a smaller, cheaper house. It's barely manageable."
"The main reason I don't engage in criminal activities is because I have things I want to do. Being in jail is too time-consuming. If I get locked up for a year or so, all the plants I'm raising would surely die, and the lab might even be taken back. Then wouldn't all my efforts have been in vain?"
Shiller nodded, understanding what Pamela was saying. The previous music festival had made many people rich—not extremely wealthy, but their situations improved significantly compared to before.
While some might squander their money on hedonistic pursuits, most normal people would choose to make investments, like buying a car or a home. Once they owned these assets, the cost of committing crimes became too high.
Of course, back in Gotham, one could gamble on not being caught by the police, or, if caught, having someone to get you out of trouble. But now, that's probably very difficult.
On one hand, with sufficient police force and technological advancements, major crimes are almost impossible to get away with. On the other hand, the once-dominant mob is gone, without the mob's guidance, it's impossible for an ordinary person to manage the high-end illegal industries. As for committing low-level crimes like robbery, the income isn't as good as just working a stable job.
Many young people without concerns, like Pamela, still have their own dreams and careers, and it's the age for them to strive in their fields. If their careers see even a hint of success, they wouldn't dare gamble on crime going undetected. Once incarcerated, all their prior efforts and future paths would be washed away.
"I think Gotham is doing much better than Metropolis," Lex said. "Before the economic crisis, although Gotham's situation had improved a lot, this generation had also gone through the darkest times. Even with the crisis, their current lives are better than before."
"But it's not the same in Metropolis. They have always had good lives, even the best in the world. The sudden blow has caused public outrage everywhere, with constant protests, and has even turned into looting and vandalism. And there are many mobs organizing under the guise of protests, threatening the safety of ordinary people. Clark has been swamped lately."
Everyone was surprised, not expecting Metropolis's condition to be so dire. But thinking about it, it made sense, as Gotham was no stranger to wage cuts and layoffs.
However, a pay cut or layoff now still left you with an opportunity to find another job, whereas being cut by the mob in the past meant you could only go to Hell to find work.
Gotham used to be unsafe but not poor, Gotham is now poor but safe. It's hard to say which one was better. The former could mean having money but no life to spend it, while the latter only ensured a struggling existence. Anyway, both were terrible, and there was no need to argue about which was worse.
Gothamites were already accustomed to being poor. After the economic crisis, they certainly became poorer, with some struggling to afford food. But were these people ever well-off before? In that era, the same people didn't even have the chance to eat, and could be shot just walking down the street.
Thus, public sentiment in Gotham remained relatively stable. Most people would complain verbally but then just went about their business. The crime rate didn't see an increase.
In contrast, Metropolis had truly fallen from Heaven into the Abyss. They lived luxurious lives that most could only dream of, filled with opulent gatherings of wealthy elites and financial magnates, enjoying the lavish nightlife.
But after the sudden downfall, large businesses suffered, and the once idle rich had to worry about their affairs, while ordinary people found it tougher to get by. The work that once earned them a hefty paycheck could now barely pay half of what it used to, and some were even outright unemployed. How were they to accept this?
In fact, with the exception of Gotham, the whole of America was in a similar state. America had been reaping the world for many years, and its citizens had the highest tolerance for complacency. Yet, suddenly plunged into Hell, there was wailing everywhere.
This led to a vicious cycle. As society became chaotic, businesses struggled more, and without businesses to stimulate the economy, the situation further deteriorated. The worse the situation, the more chaos ensued, leading to more social unrest.
Nobody expected that Gotham, which had always been in shambles, would stabilize itself because of its enduring chaos. The impact on it wasn't particularly significant, and many could still maintain their stable lives. Apart from worrying about money, they were still getting by, which could be seen as a blessing in disguise.
"Opening a psychotherapy clinic?!" Pamela, who was shoveling food into her mouth, put down her bowl in shock and turned to Shiller, "Is it true, Professor? People must be full of grievances they want to let out. They could be difficult to handle."
"And it's not that simple to open a clinic anyway," Lex said, frowning. "I have several nice villas in the South District. If you had said something earlier, you could have moved right in. And even facing a crisis, Wayne Enterprises wouldn't miss one house, right?"
Victor immediately nudged Lex with his elbow to silence him. Shiller shook his head and said, "As an adult, I need to find a way to support myself. Even if I had a villa to live in, my current salary is not enough for me to pay the exorbitant property taxes, car maintenance fees, gas, insurance, and various taxes. Should I rely on you guys for everything?"
At this, everyone sighed again. Victor massaged his temple and said, "It's time for insurance payments again. Just mine costs 3,000 US dollars. Nora has a history of serious illness, her medical insurance is another issue. When I get back, I have to call and see which insurance company can take us on, but I estimate it'll cost at least another 3,000 to 4,000 US dollars."
"You only need 3,000 a year?!" Anna said incredulously, "Which insurance company is so affordable? I have to pay 450 bucks a month!"
"His laboratory has a partnership with the medical insurance company, don't you remember?" Shiller reminded her, "I'm similar to you, except I pay up to 4,000, and next month I have to pay again."
"At least student insurance is cheaper..." Pamela started to say, then slapped her forehead exclaiming, "Wait, didn't I submit my PhD application yet?! Doesn't that mean I'll have to pay the full price for insurance this month?!!"
She let out a cry of dismay, immediately pulled out her phone to compose an email, and grabbed Victor desperately, "Professor! Approve me quickly! Let me do my PhD! Otherwise, I'll have to pay an extra 500 bucks!!"