Another example is the Falcone family, who had once received help from Thomas Wayne, were secretly suppressing various factions, ensuring that external factors did not impact the already crumbling Wayne Enterprises, even though Reid hadn't sought their assistance.
"System, these people have their own lives. What use am I here? Can't you make the villains and criminals in Gotham listen to me?"
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. Reid, feeling exasperated, finally began to complain to his irresponsible system.
"Host, the system has already pushed the boundaries by seamlessly integrating everything in Gotham City from the DC Universe into the Marvel Universe. If the control over these people were handed to you, I'm sure you wouldn't want to wake up the next day to face the Five Great Cosmic beings and the Living Tribunal of the Marvel Universe."
"But..."
Reid was momentarily taken aback by the system's reply. He wasn't sure whether to call the system honest or useless.
If he were to call it useless, at least it had honestly admitted to its limitations. But if he were to call it honest, its functionality seemed too underwhelming.
If the system had given him a Superman card at the start, Reid would have taken back his criticism of its uselessness.
However, after hearing the system's explanation, Reid decided to let go of that thought. After all, Gotham was the only one of its kind in the DC universe. Future environment cards shouldn't be as troublesome.
"Now, I can only see if the executives of the company are willing to make concessions."
In just a day, Reid had already received numerous messages from Earle, the executive at Wayne Enterprises. The content was simple: an invitation for him, the butler in charge of the largest shares of Wayne Enterprises, to attend a meeting at the company.
"Let them come, and I'll block them; let the water come, and I'll dam it..."
Driving the spare car from Wayne Manor, Reid headed toward Wayne Tower. Soon, he was seated in a conference room, facing Earle and a number of other executives.
According to the information provided by the system, Reid knew that these were the people who were aggressively pushing for Wayne Enterprises to go public. As long as Bruce Wayne, the heir of the Wayne family, was absent, they had the right to make major decisions for the company based on the shares they held.
"Alfred, the loyal butler of the Wayne family, you've finally come."
Upon seeing Reid's arrival, Earle's face was filled with a joyful smile. Although as long as they remained steadfast in their plan, Alfred's control over the majority of Wayne Enterprises' shares would not be enough to stop their decision.
However, if they could get this old man to relent and agree to release the majority of the Wayne family's shares, once the company went public, they would definitely make a huge profit.
"Mr. Earle, if there's something you need, just say it. The manor still needs cleaning, and I have work to get back to."
Reid's behavior and mannerisms were entirely in line with Alfred's character setting.
A gentleman, the epitome of elegance, every move and gesture reflected aristocratic social etiquette. At the same time, his attitude towards Earle and others who posed a threat to the Wayne family was icy and indifferent.
The immersion level slowly began to rise, reaching 25% in just a moment, but the rate of increase slowed significantly.
Clearly, as the immersion level increased, simple role-playing actions no longer contributed much to its improvement. To make further progress, he would need to take actions that were even more in line with his character.
"Haha!"
Hearing Reid's sharp remark, Earle's brow twitched, but he didn't immediately snap. Instead, he feigned a warm demeanor and gestured for Reid to take a seat.
"Alfred, you truly are a loyal butler to the Wayne family, but there are things we must face, aren't there?"
Seeing no change in Reid's expression, Earle continued.
"The young Master Wayne has been missing for some time. Although it's heartbreaking, we must accept the possibility..."
Before Earle could finish, Reid immediately interrupted.
"Mr. Earle, you also know this is merely a possibility, and there is no evidence to prove that Master Wayne is dead. There's no need to say anything further."
Once again interrupted, Earle's temper was clearly reaching its breaking point. His tone was no longer gentle but instead direct and sharp.
"Yes, perhaps young Master Wayne is indeed dead, or simply missing, but what about Wayne Enterprises? Are you suggesting that all these people should lose their jobs because of his disappearance? You, Alfred, know better than anyone how important Wayne Enterprises is to Gotham. If you are truly loyal to the Wayne family, you shouldn't let the company deteriorate like this."
Undoubtedly, Reid had to admit that Earl made a valid point.
Although Wayne Enterprises wasn't publicly listed and wouldn't suffer an immediate impact on its stock value due to Bruce Wayne's disappearance, it was still the disappearance of the leader.
A company, when deprived of its leader, would inevitably start to decline.
This was something Reid couldn't allow. Wayne Enterprises was now his stronghold, and even without Alfred's role, he had to ensure the company kept moving forward.
Seeing Reid remain silent, Earle's tone became even more arrogant. He no longer attempted to mask his intentions with flattering words.
"Alfred, I hope you can recognize the current situation. Going public with Wayne Enterprises is good for everyone. Even though the Wayne family's position in the company may diminish, once your young master returns, at least you'll be able to hand him an even bigger Wayne Enterprises. You can't stop this. I hope, after considering it carefully, you will allow us to take the Wayne family's shares and develop Wayne Enterprises together."
After speaking, Earle left with his supporters, leaving Reid alone in the meeting room.
After a long while, Reid slowly stood up and left, driving toward Wayne Manor.
As he passed over Thomas Bridge, Reid let out a sigh.
"Mixed feelings, I suppose..."
The good news was that Alfred's role-playing progress had risen to 30% due to his persistence in the meeting room. The bad news, however, was that he still hadn't found a way to stabilize Wayne Enterprises.
If he were playing as Bruce Wayne, he might not refuse to let the company go public, because as Earle had pointed out, there were many benefits to that for Wayne Enterprises.
But since he was playing as Alfred, once Wayne Enterprises went public, his mission to preserve the company would definitely fail.
If the mission failed, he wouldn't be able to get a new role card. Would he really have to struggle to survive in the Marvel world with Alfred, a low-tier card?
He wouldn't even know when he might be replaced by a Skrull.
Thinking of this, Reid decided to keep fighting. He turned the car around and headed toward the Falcone family building in Gotham's criminal underworld.