Chapter 3387

"What do you intend to do?" Pride asked. "If your ultimate goal is to investigate the truth behind the plague, then you only need to figure out what exactly is going on in the mining area. Are you going to take a trip there?"

"I'm not going." Schiller flatly refused him. "Just thinking about it tells me how dangerous it is there. I'm running this hospital perfectly well here; why would I insist on going there?"

"Do you intend to just play a simulation management game here?"

"This can achieve the goal just the same." Schiller said. "If this is a sacrificial ritual, it won't stop until enough people have died. So, as long as I run the hospital well and a large number of people are discharged alive, the ritual will never be completed. When that time comes, I won't be the one feeling anxious. Who knows, maybe the truth will just show up at my doorstep?"

After saying this, Schiller left Pride's consultation room. He had pretty much figured out most of the settings and plot; now it was time to test his strategic resolve.

Schiller first returned to the ward where Strange was located. He communicated his plan to Manny, and regardless of whether she could understand it, he intended to execute it anyway.

The plan was very simple. Since it was a hospital theme, he would run the hospital properly—and he would do it on a grand scale, mobilizing every resource to do so. Schiller wanted to see whether the plague killed faster or he saved faster.

Greed's style had always been to be too lazy to solve puzzles, unwilling to fight, unable to jump high in parkour, and slow in chases. Playing the same simulation management game across different worlds, he only wanted to overwhelm with sheer force, believing that brute strength surpassed everything.

There were a few problems with running the hospital well now: a shortage of doctors and nurses, insufficient hospital space, and medical equipment and facility conditions that weren't professional enough.

But in reality, the first two problems could all be summarized into the last one. As long as the equipment was advanced enough, a lot of space and manpower could be saved.

Thus, Schiller first sought out Batman and Stark.

Returning to the operating room again, it was unrecognizable. The operating table had been dismantled, and the crafting table and desk were nowhere to be seen; everything had been turned into mechanical equipment.

It was evident that over the past few days, Batman and Stark had been tirelessly conducting research; the two of them had truly become addicted to scientific research here.

"Interrupting for a moment, gentlemen." Schiller clapped his hands to get their attention, then said, "It's time to pay the rent."

Stark's movements paused, and he said, "Why is it that every time you appear, it's to ask for money?"

"Put your hand on your heart and tell me, do I only ask for money when I appear?"

Stark was simply shocked by his shamelessness. Batman, however, accepted it well and said, "We have occupied the hospital's space, so we should indeed pay rent. However, we really don't have any money. Just say what method you want us to use to pay."

"I like dealing with straightforward people like this." Schiller snapped his fingers, pointed at Batman, and then looked at Stark, saying, "Both of you are wealthy, look at him."

"I pay you three hundred million in consultation fees every quarter!"

Now it was Batman's turn to be shocked. His gaze shifted back and forth between Schiller and Stark, finally resting on Stark, as if he were guessing what kind of difficult, complicated illness he had that required paying so much money to treat.

Stark was bristled by his gaze and practically jumped up, saying, "I'm not sick!"

Then he saw Batman's disapproving look.

Schiller didn't have time to banter with them. He patted the table beside him and said, "I need some medical equipment, roughly these."

He handed over the list of equipment he had just written. Stark took it, looked at it, and said, "You mean you want us to complete over 400 years of modern medical development in one week, starting from the most basic stethoscope and researching all the way to ECMO?"

Schiller nodded righteously.

Before Stark could say anything, he continued, "Without magic, you were able to build a reactor in a week. Now there is magic and steam power. If you can't build it, is it your problem or magic's problem?"

"Of course it's..."

"I advise you to think carefully before you speak. The Sorcerer Supreme is right next door, and he is currently the lead surgeon."

"So what? I'm also the Chief Scientist!"

"My point is, he has a scalpel in his hand."

Batman looked at the list and said, "Simple physical equipment can be made, but some X-ray-type products probably won't work. We can try to find substitutes, but the operation methods and the final results may not be the same as what you are used to."

Schiller knew Batman was reminding him that the new equipment developed might not conform to the operating procedures of doctors trained in modern medicine. But Schiller also had to remind him, "Hello, I am a psychiatrist."

"That Dr. Strange..."

"He is a surgeon; he doesn't even know how to wear a stethoscope, and besides, it won't be his turn to operate the equipment. I will specifically open a laboratory department."

"Alright." Batman nodded and said, "We will try our best. We will deliver a batch to you in three days, and about 80% can be completed in a week. As for the remaining 20%, it might be long-term work..."

Even if Greed didn't like Batman, he had to admit that the serious atmosphere inherent to DC people was very suitable for discussing work.

Batman's powerful focus and rigorous logic also ensured that as long as it was about work, he wouldn't make a single joke, wouldn't be ambiguous, and certainly wouldn't boast or make empty promises. If he said how long it would take, it would take that long; if he agreed on when to deliver, he wouldn't be a minute late. He was simply the perfect contractor.

Although Greed was more partial to Stark, he also knew very well that deadlines didn't exist for Stark. He had never completed a task on time.

Either inspiration would strike and he'd finish early, forcing other workgroups to speed up frantically to accommodate him, or he'd drag his feet and not finish, turning halfway through to work on something else. If asked, he'd say inspiration had struck, and if you had an opinion, go find God.

Marvel people had long been accustomed to Stark's style; few complained, and most just coaxed him along.

But was Batman the type to indulge a child?

The research work hadn't even been going on for a day before they started arguing. The trio of Schiller, Loki, and Strange—the "Scoundrel Alliance"—had no entertainment other than huddling at the entrance of the passage to listen to them argue when they weren't working.

Batman and Iron Man were basically evenly matched when they argued. Batman won by being reasonable, while Iron Man won by speaking speed. One focused on quality, the other on quantity, and the two of them argued back and forth.

After listening for two days, Schiller had to marvel at this excellent matchmaking mechanism. Actually, neither of them was good at arguing, because they didn't usually argue with people. Batman didn't engage in meaningless verbal battles, and Stark was so stubborn that no one was willing to argue with him. Both lacked experience in this area.

However, precisely because of this, they were able to argue. Batman didn't speak unless necessary, and Stark only spoke when it wasn't necessary. Their peak speaking times were perfectly staggered; one sentence after another, it was very smooth.

After listening to the fun for two days, Schiller felt it was enough. If they wanted to argue, they could, but the key was that they couldn't delay his schedule. It was time to find a way to stop it.

Schiller threw Pride directly in.

As it turned out, Pride was actually able to join in. Schiller thought he would scold both Batman and Stark to make them stop arguing and focus on their work.

Instead, he helped Stark when Batman had the upper hand, and helped Batman when Stark had the upper hand—focusing on not taking sides, but purely helping to stir the pot.

Only then did Schiller realize, "Oh no, it's aimed at me."

There was no other way; Schiller threw Natasha in, hoping the female agent's presence would suppress them.

Now the fun was even bigger. Natasha didn't usually argue, but when she did, she focused on personal attacks. Especially since there was a Stark in the room, what else could she attack?

Now Stark's theory that "it's normal for ordinary people to not perform well in front of Black Widow" didn't work. Because although the main universe Batman hadn't had anything happen with Natasha, the Arkham Batman was also Batman. As for how the Arkham Batman performed, one could only say that Batman was worthy of being Batman.

Seeing the topic gradually heading toward the gutter, Schiller felt he couldn't let them continue arguing. He threw Thor in.

Normally, with Thor's brain, he wouldn't distinguish who was right or wrong; he'd just grab them one by one and drag them out.

But it just so happened that Pride was in there. He would trick Thor until he was confused, one moment thinking Batman was right, the next thinking Iron Man was right. But he couldn't out-argue anyone, making Loki outside slap his forehead.

Loki couldn't stand seeing Thor being bullied, so he went in too. Once Loki went in, Thor was like he'd been fully fueled. He would curse whoever cursed Loki, developing all the brain capacity he didn't usually use, and his voice was especially loud; Batman couldn't out-argue him for a while.

Seeing it getting more and more chaotic, Schiller had to bring out his trump card—Arkham Batman.

Arkham Batman was not only the ceiling of combat power, but the key was that he truly didn't open his mouth. The word "argue" didn't exist in his life; he was always a gentleman who used his hands, not his words—first force, then more force.

After throwing him in, the other side finally quieted down. Watching them come out of the passage one by one, Schiller finally breathed a sigh of relief. But he had relaxed too early.

After this group stopped arguing, they unanimously aimed their hostility at him. Stark spoke first:

"I told you before, one week is too short. I still have to build the mecha; there's no way to get so many things done. If it weren't for you setting the time so short, how would we have started arguing?"

Schiller didn't indulge him at all, opening his mouth to say, "Who said they were the world's greatest genius scientist who could handle all equipment research easily? Now you remember to complain that the time is short. Oh, how could I forget, you must hear this kind of thing often, right? You've learned it quite well."

"I think the schedule is reasonable, but I don't think the two of us should work in the same room." Batman said, "This will seriously distract my energy."

"Don't pretend to be a good person here either. You were the one who agreed that you could finish the work, but in the end, you spent all your time arguing, delaying my schedule. If it weren't for you insisting on lecturing Tony, could this argument have started? Stop labeling Batman as 'efficiency first' in the future..."

Just as Natasha was about to say something, Schiller raised his hand to stop her, then said, "You stop meddling too. I let you in to stop them, what did you do? Not everyone is interested in what's in your pants; can you just do your work properly?"

Schiller sprayed five people at once without losing ground, letting everyone witness the level of a true master of arguing. Only when it was Pride's turn did Schiller choke.

For no other reason than that he really couldn't out-argue this one. His win rate in verbal battles with Pride could basically be said to be zero.

As a result, after Pride coughed twice, he said, "Objectively speaking, what he said is not wrong. You really should focus on work and maintain sufficient unity..."

The others looked at each other. Now they knew who the culprit was for this argument being so heated.

But in the end, they dispersed, and not one dared to make a sound.

Clearly, Greed wasn't the only one with a zero win rate.

?? Argument Champion Pride

? (End of chapter)