Clark, standing in the sunlight, flashed a brilliant smile, and Shiller had never before realized so profoundly why Superman was called the God of the World.
If you consider Clark a friend, his divine nature isn't very prominent; he's more like a sunny, cheerful big boy. But from the perspective of an ordinary person in need of help, Superman truly is a god.
"Good morning, Professor, I've brought Bat Cat for you and also brought some specialties from my hometown," Clark said, pointing to the cow and the sheep that were still alive beside him.
Shiller opened the back door for him, and Clark walked in, letting out an exclamation of delight the moment he saw the interior decoration of the house.
"My goodness, this house is so beautiful. This couldn't be the work of a decorator, could it? Did you buy these decorations, Professor? It's so unexpected, they really fit in here. The guests are surely going to be surprised."
Clark always had a knack for slapping any anxiety straight in the face with a flurry of frank, unabashed compliments. His talent for this was completely natural, seeming without thought, yet always hit right on what people cared for the most.
Unsurprisingly, Clark started asking about everything, and with a rehearsal mindset, Shiller began telling him the stories behind the sculptures and decorations. Clark listened with rapt attention.
It took about fifteen minutes before Clark snapped back to reality. He slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, my gosh, I totally forgot I have another delivery to make today."
"Wait, Clark," Shiller called after him and asked, "What brought you to my place?"
"I just felt like coming. After all, making so many trips, bringing something over is no big deal," Clark said as he walked out, leaving Shiller wanting to ask more questions, but Clark had already flown away.
"Only he would believe those outrageous stories you make up," Bat Cat commented as it licked its paw. "Don't you feel any pang of conscience for fooling him like that?"
Shiller paid no attention to him but instead stood at the back door looking at the cow and sheep tied to a tree and asked without turning back, "Do you know how to butcher?"
"Of course not, I'm a cat. Do you expect me to do the work of tigers and lions?"
"Can tigers and lions do it?"
With a look of resignation, Bat Cat hopped down and walked to the door, looking at the cow and sheep grazing on the lawn and said, "I warned him that city people are different from country folks, not everyone knows how to slaughter animals, and there's no slaughterhouse nearby..."
"I need to find a moral butcher," Shiller mused. "Someone who can allow them to depart peacefully."
Bat Cat found this statement odd, but couldn't quite put his paw on why. However, when he saw Scarecrow Jonathan and Professor Pig Valentine, he figured the problem might lie in the definition of morality.
Now three of them stood at the doorway, looking at the cow and the sheep. Jonathan folded his arms and said, "No, you can't expect us to do this, absolutely not."
"Why not?"
Jonathan gestured at his own physique, then pointed at the fattened cow, saying, "What makes you think I can take it down?"
"What about your fear gas?"
"What would a terrified cow do? Collapse on the spot and cry? Or charge at me in rage and give me a hit that would confine me to a wheelchair for the rest of my life? Which seems more likely to you?"
Shiller had no response.
"If I get kicked, I'll break bones," Valentine said. "Hoofed animals are fierce, and I have no experience dealing with them."
"Aren't you a butcher?" Shiller asked.
"But what I'm good at butchering doesn't have hooves, and their survival instincts aren't as strong. If you give me an anatomy book right now..."
Shiller sighed. As it turned out, a good butcher doesn't necessarily equate to a good butcher. In many cases, animals are tougher to deal with than humans because schemes and tricks have no effect on them.
When it was time for lunch, another savior appeared—Pamela. As she walked in, she said, "It looks like Clark has been here already. When he brought me plant samples earlier, I reminded him to bring you some food supplies, so you don't actually have to use the freezer..."
"Come here, miss," Shiller interrupted Pamela, prompting Raven to glance curiously at the freezer once more. She now really wanted to know what was inside.
Since the fridge was big and she had only looked through the refrigerated section before, finding vegetables and eggs there for simple breakfasts.
Now she somewhat regretted not having checked the freezer compartment earlier. The strong sense of evil presence that day was undoubtedly not an illusion. Could it be that the Professor's fridge contained a demon gateway?
Pamela went out to the backyard and was also stunned to see the living cow and sheep. Covering her forehead, she said, "I swear, I meant for Clark to bring food supplies, why are they still alive?"
"I'd like to ask the same thing. Do you have a solution?"
"You..." Pamela looked at Shiller, hesitating to speak. She wanted to say, "Can't you slaughter?" But after a second thought, if she let that personality who could slaughter take over, it would be hard to say who at this banquet would be the guest and who would be the ingredient."
Pamela summoned two vines which injected a neurotoxin into the cow and the sheep, ensuring their silent and painless deaths. She also used the vines to separate their flesh, allowing the lawn to absorb the blood and any odors.
"How are Clark and the others doing?" Shiller asked.
"Their plan was very successful, in fact, a bit too successful," Pamela said with a helpless smile. She walked over to the kitchen island, poured herself a glass of water, and said, "Do you remember that the Mob boss in Gotham had a very ambitious plan?"
"What was that?"
"They planned to establish an underwater tunnel between the East Coast of the United States and Mexico to transport certain contraband."
"Yes, I've heard about it."
"Clark and Hal have made it a reality."
"What?"
"I was surprised when I first heard it too. But initially, Clark and Hal were flying back and forth because the Luther Group agreed to purchase Mexican agricultural products at prices far above what Mexico could offer locally and then sell them in Metropolis to stabilize food prices."
In Pamela's account that followed, Shiller learned how their outrageous plan became a reality. It was absurd yet had hints of rationality, and within that rationality, still a touch of absurdity.
It was common knowledge that local procurement prices for agricultural products were very low, and the reason they sold for so much at market was mostly due to transport and storage costs.
Lex's idea was actually to use superheroes' superpowers to reduce transport and storage costs to the minimum.
In fact, he did just that. When he started purchasing Mexican agricultural products at prices significantly lower than market prices but much higher than the local buying prices, Oliver, Hal, and Clark went crazy.
Because of his past ordeal, Oliver was no longer the leader of the Guazhou Revolutionary Army, but there were still many in the group loyal to him, who also just happened to be worrying about where to sell the new season's crops. And those opposed to Oliver wouldn't turn away from money either.
Mexico had vast tracts of land, but couldn't expand production due to a lack of working capital. Metropolis faced a food crisis and was desperate for affordable food supplies. The two sides struck a deal quickly.
The method was as they had previously discussed: Hal and Clark would use their superpowers to fly the food directly.
Hal could use Green Lantern energy to encase large quantities of food, and Clark could have Oliver pack the food into containers first, then stack them together. Like a gigantic cargo ship, he would transport all the containers in one fell swoop.
But this still required manpower, and no matter how fast they flew, they had to consider food safety and couldn't make many trips in a day.
So, Oliver suggested, since it was all the same hard work, why not do something once and for all?
Together, they approached Lex to discuss the possibility of building an aerospace track. With the two supermen there to escort, as long as technology wasn't an issue, nothing would be a problem.
But the problem was that Lex didn't want to do it, as it was too eye-catching. He was having a tough time with Congress, constantly having to meet their lion's share of demands. If others learned of his capability, his days would be even less peaceful.
So, Lex proposed that the sky was the realm of humanity, and indeed, people's exploration of the deep sea was even shallower than that of space. Besides, with Arthur as a powerful weapon, they might as well take the sea route.
Upon hearing their idea, Arthur also had his own demands. He was fully willing to help, and even the construction of the undersea tunnel could be undertaken by the Atlanteans, but Atlantis needed benefits as well.
Although the Atlanteans had evolved into sea dwellers, this did not mean they did not miss the glory of land. Moreover, human chemical pollution of the ocean was severe, equivalent to having their necks constantly squeezed. It was also not easy for them.
Arthur suggested that the Atlanteans should have an island as their terrestrial territory and a buffer with the land. In case humans started a nuclear war someday and polluted the oceans, at least they would have somewhere to go.
There were many islands in the Caribbean Sea with warm ocean temperatures and environments suitable for the Atlanteans. Oliver proposed they first establish a stronghold in the Caribbean and develop it together with the Atlanteans.
In fact, this was out of desperation. Having been ousted from the Guadalajara Revolutionary Army, Oliver knew that in the end, it all had to be up to the Mexicans. But he couldn't bear to see such good land go to waste, so he decided to change his base of operations to observe the situation from the periphery. An island in the Caribbean Sea was a good choice.
Finally, the parties reached an agreement. Arthur, with the Atlanteans, Clark, and Hal, set to work on the construction of the undersea tunnel, while Lex sent people and vehicles to transport large amounts of food back.
With food as capital, Lex could start to shake the foundations of the Metropolis system. But he knew he couldn't succeed overnight, or it would be too easy to notice.
The food market in Metropolis was still free, but with the influx of more low-priced food, the Luther Group not only made profits but also gained more market confidence. It even saw its stock prices rise in the midst of an economic depression.
This attracted more small capitals to gather around him, but what they didn't know was that what Lex Luther wanted was not to go against the market trend, but to defy the natural order. He didn't plan to capitalize on the chaos; he intended to change the world.