At the same time, Bruce found that contrary to his assumptions, from a sociological and economic standpoint, the industrial structure of this city was damn healthy. Whether it was the distribution of industrial volumes at all levels or the so-called division of industrial agglomerations, it was better than the majority of cities across America.
As the investigation deepened, Bruce began to question his initial intent little by little. He discovered that Gotham, although evil, was not impoverished. The standard of living was not low for its occupants, who, besides being exposed to danger, were pretty wealthy.
During his travels across America, Bruce had also studied the standard of living in the major cities. He found that in this damn city of Gotham, the majority lived well above the pass line.
During his hospital visits, Bruce met an old man from Rushing City, whom people called "Lucky Gun".
Lucky Gun was originally from Rushing City, but his daughter married a small mob boss in Gotham. The son-in-law was maliciously framed, and his daughter almost experienced misfortune. Lucky Gun, receiving his daughter's plea for help, headed straight to Gotham with an old-fashioned lucky gun in hand, and with a few shots, he knocked off the mob members who wanted to frame his son-in-law.
One of the twelve families, the Loren family, took notice of the old man's bad temper and his good skills. Now, he is the owner of a restaurant in the West district under the Loren family.
Unlike other mob members, this old man was genuinely in the hospital. He suffered from long-term headaches, apparently a complication of anxiety. So, his son-in-law pulled some strings to get him admitted for treatment, which significantly improved after two treatment sessions.
"They're all the same...they're all the same..."
As Lucky Gun took a puff of his cigar, propped up on his hospital bed, he said to Bruce, "You think Rushing City can be much better? Where everyone lives on clean streets, every household has a car to drive, and children go to school in uniforms?"
He took another puff of smoke, the old man even had a bit of a southern noble air, like a real Lucky Gun.
Along with the smoke, he slowly reminisced, "When I met Mary, oh you know, it was decades ago... I was just a poor boy, breaking into the city empty-handed..."
"Rushing City had mobs too. Which place doesn't? I worked for them, but it's not like Gotham over there. I earned too little, sometimes I didn't even have a cent in my pocket. I wanted to marry Mary, but without money, how could we possibly get married?"
"So, I picked up a gun and got into the business of contract killing. This sparked a slight rise in my life. By the time my daughter was born, I was doing alright. Though I hadn't gotten any formal education, I feel Gotham is far stronger."
Bruce said, "Gotham is stronger than Rushing City?"
Had it not been for the fact that it was a seemingly experienced old man saying this, Bruce would have thought he was losing his mind.
"I understand, gentlemen like you with legitimate identities, think this city is rotten to the core, proliferated with mobs, and criminals everywhere. But to people like us, it doesn't matter who we work for, we sell our lives to the highest bidder."
"In Gotham, if you're an official member of a mob, you actually make quite a bit. And like me, if you can have a restaurant or a bar in your hands, it's not much different from doing a big business."
"And here, the mob members are actually safer, there is an order, if you don't want to declare war on a mob, it's best not to harm their people, even if it's just a small punk at the bottom."
"So, those who join the mob to make a living are actually safer than elsewhere, because the mob is dominant here. Once you become a mob member, you naturally have more say."
"I understand, I understand..." Lucky Gun put down his cigar and said, "I am well aware that being a hitman comes with retribution. I will go to hell; Satan's judgement awaits me, but I do not care. Do you know why?"
Before Bruce could answer, Lucky Gun simply said, "I need to fill my belly first, earn more money, and live a better life."
"God didn't grant me birth in a worry-free family like yours. My father lost everything to gambling, my mother ran off with someone else, and my only possession is an old gun which barely works. So I thought, what would it matter if I just live this way?"
"Upon arriving in Gotham, I discovered that the man who built this city must have been a genius. Don't you think these mobs were planned too well? They even achieved a kind of perfect balance, allowing the city to run for a long time, and people are living pretty decently."
"Does my son-in-law have an employee, what's his name? ... Forget it, we all call him 'One Hand'. His left hand was chopped off by his drug-addicted father when he was a child. But since a young age, he has been working with the local casino boss, specializing in dice-throwing. Last year, he even bought a car and is getting married next month."
"The mob industry is vast; they are always short of manpower. As long as you have two hands to work, they will take in anyone."
"Children who don't go to school can learn a trade in the mob. Those who are intelligent can work in restaurants, learn to cook from the boss or learn bartending in the bars. The most impressive are those who can learn techniques in casinos; they are naturally sharp-witted."
"Those with agile hands can become pickpockets, those with good eyes can stand guard and lookout. At the very least, you can learn some fighting skills. There are plenty of mobs, restaurants, bars, casinos, repair shops; they all either need employees or security, you can always scrape by."
"In my opinion, the economy has improved over the last two years. If I continue to save, I might even be able to buy a small, independent house on the edge of the rich district in the south. Oh, you should be living in the center of that district, as they say, you are a tycoon."
"My grandson isn't as lucky as you, but it's sufficient. He's certainly much better off than I am, at the very least, he was born in a house that doesn't leak, has his mother to take meticulous care of him, and his father works outside to earn money. We are not doing badly, are we?"
Perhaps due to his headache easing greatly, the old man seems very energetic, never stopping in his chatter about details of his life. At this moment, Bruce's thoughts have drifted far away.
A statement from Lucky Gun got him thinking.
The crime industry planning of Gotham is extremely well done; this can hardly ever be a natural occurrence. Mobs spring from chaos; not all their members would voluntarily organize these industries.
So, how did this city become the strange form it holds today?
Could there really be someone who purposefully designed it this way?
What is his purpose? If he has the ability to plan out the industrial chain so perfectly, why on earth would he mold this into a city of crime? Couldn't he do something else?
Gotham is virtually the biggest oddity of all American cities. It's been operating stably for so long in a strangely distorted way, becoming one of the most prosperous cities on the East Coast through unconventional means, and climbed to the front of the U.S. city GDP rankings with an outrageous method. People's standard of living is not just passable but also striving for excellence.
The Creator must be a genius, bringing order to chaos and practically creating a novel city operation mode out of thin air.
But he must also be a madman. Through his wild creativity, he personally built the largest City of Sin in the world.
Bruce thinks, perhaps here, the line between a genius and a madman is slim. Gotham is like a coin balanced between them. It looks like it could fall at any moment, but as of today, it still sways atop this line.
Every individual here, just like this city, has a dual nature. They are a genius with a special talent on one side and an unrivaled madman on the other.
Genius on the left, madman on the right, and each person of Gotham, just like its traffic rules —
If I'm going straight, I never turn."