Chapter 835

"The Gotham Traffic Comprehensive Improvement Plan?" Luo Yin looked at the document in his hand and said to Shi Ler: "Professor, weren't you saying we needed to improve the learning environment? How did it turn into traffic improvement?"

"Take a look at this plan first, then you'll understand why," Shi Ler said, sitting across from Luo Yin's desk, watching the morning light stream through the blinds, leaving stripe after stripe of pattern on the surface.

Luo Yin sat down, staring at the complex proposal; he understood few of the technical terms, but at least he could read a number.

"One hundred and seventy-two overpasses, thirty-six underground tunnels, and this… this thing called… some kind of aerial passage? What is this?" Luo Yin stared blankly, then looked at Shi Ler: "Never mind the stuff I don't understand—seventy-two overpasses? Isn't that an extra digit?"

Shi Ler shook his head. "This is the result of extremely precise calculations. I don't know exactly how they were calculated—you'd have to ask Wayne Group's professional advisory team."

"And this is only Phase One," Shi Ler said to Luo Yin. "Conservatively, over six hundred overpasses will be needed across Gotham and its surrounding areas to meet daily traffic demands."

Luo Si's jaw nearly dropped. "Wait a minute, Professor—I know you can't stand traffic jams, but this many overpasses? They'd fill up every inch of pavement. Where would you even find the space?"

Shi Ler shook his head. "These are just ordinary overpasses. You haven't counted the aerial passages and elevated bridges you just saw. If you include them, the total would be over a thousand, conservatively."

Shi Ler took the blueprint and said: "Look here—this is called the Gotham Inner Loop, here's the Middle Loop, and here's the Outer Loop…"

"And don't worry about land use—all these bridges and structures are integrated. Every overpass will be divided into twenty-three stacked levels, above and below ground, complementing the three-dimensional urban architecture…"

"In this renovation plan, the tallest overpass will match the height of Wayne Tower's top floor. As for technical issues, don't worry—we have an extremely skilled technician who can solve all quality and maintenance cost problems."

Luo Yin's face twisted. He flipped the proposal to the next page. "What's this? East District Building Renovation Plan? Didn't we just finish renovating the vicinity of Arkham?"

Luo Yin was referring to the Arkham Periphery Building Renovation Plan—an extension of the Arkham renovation, aiming to partially restructure an area three times the size of Arkham itself.

But this renovation wasn't as thorough: building structures remained unchanged; only sanitation and water-electricity wiring were improved. So far, over half was already complete—which is why Cobblepot had previously cracked down on Arkham's surrounding order.

Originally, their planners intended to expand outward gradually, repeating the process step by step, expecting to finish the entire East District within ten years.

But this new plan describes the same method used in the Arkham renovation—complete, wholesale transformation. Turn the entire East District into a fully integrated three-dimensional city, a massive honeycomb with infinite potential for vertical or downward expansion, solving all problems of population and resource scarcity.

"Can this even be done?" Luo Yin questioned. "Alright, Professor—if you say your specialist is that exceptional, I won't argue. But such a massive undertaking… what about the gangs?"

Shi Ler smiled. "The gangs will agree. No one is more eager than they are. If they could have one overpass per truck, they'd never get stuck, never miss a delivery."

Luo Yin studied the plan closely and realized that while the proposals sounded extravagant, none threatened the gangs' core interests—in fact, they stood to benefit immensely.

And where did this plan come from? It began with the second meeting between Bruce, Alberto, and Shi Ler yesterday.

The previous morning was colder, but Yin Wensi arrived at school early and made up the missing case analyses, sharply contrasting with Bruce's lazy indifference. But Shi Ler decided to be lenient toward Bruce—he knew today was the day Bruce would have to open his wallet.

When the three gathered again, Alberto spoke first: "Even if we agree on all these issues, there's still one problem: if we can't violently dismantle the current system, what happens when the renovation begins and the gangs oppose it?"

"If we stab them, they'll resist—more fiercely than any organization. After all, they grew up in this environment."

Bruce frowned. If the gangs reacted too violently, a citywide gang war could erupt. He understood the situation was like performing surgery on a seventy-year-old man: no surgery meant slow death; surgery might kill him instantly.

Shi Ler said: "What if, before we stab them, we first administer anesthesia—or knock them out completely? Then you can stab however you like."

Bruce and Alberto paused. They exchanged a glance, then both looked at Shi Ler. Bruce said: "Don't tell me you mean physical anesthesia."

"Sorry, Professor, but I just have to say—would you really go around knocking them out one by one with an umbrella? That's not realistic," Alberto said, uneasy.

"Who said I meant physical anesthesia? Who said I'd use an umbrella to knock them out?" Shi Ler sighed. "I think you've misunderstood me…"

Bruce and Alberto exchanged another glance. Alberto swallowed. "Professor, chemical anesthesia won't work either—we can't poison all of Gotham's gangs…"

"Alright, I know Bruce might be able to concoct some anesthetic all of them could drink—but that's just a temporary fix, Professor. I think you should calm down and reconsider this."

Shi Ler opened his mouth to speak, but Bruce interrupted again: "I oppose ambushes. I oppose poisoning. Even if you just asked me about my technical skills, I'd never use them for something so dishonorable."

Shi Ler tried to speak again, but was cut off once more. Bruce continued:

"I know you might say we need to think of the bigger picture—but have you considered how utterly despicable this is?"

Shi Ler didn't know what impression he'd left on Bruce and Alberto—that whenever he proposed something, it must involve deception or ambush.

Shi Ler sharply tapped the ground with his umbrella tip. "Stop! Everyone shut up! When did I say I'd physically knock them out? If knocking them unconscious worked, would I have even called you two here?"

"So you're saying—if it worked, you really would go around bashing them with clubs?!"

Shi Ler took a deep breath. "If you keep talking to me like that, Bruce Wayne, you'll never graduate."

Bruce turned his head aside and gave Alberto a look: See? He's being unreasonable again.

Shi Ler shook his head. "Enough. Let's get back to business. You both said before that Gotham's gangs, due to lack of education, pour all their energy into competition, lack logical thinking, have no vision, and are extremely short-sighted. We can exploit that."

Shi Ler gently stroked the handle of his umbrella. "Suppose there's something that, in the short term, gives them massive benefits—but in the long term, tightens control over them and profoundly alters their future lives. Do you think they'd see it?"

"It depends on what it is," Alberto said. "They've been conditioned by gang rules to be hot-headed, obsessed with competition and profit—but they're not stupid. If it's an obvious trap, no one will fall for it."

"No, no, no—it's not a trap. We won't touch their current profits. Instead, we'll hand them huge benefits—just like the logistics infrastructure we built before: everyone gets a share, the economy accelerates…"

Shi Ler turned to Alberto. "After the two-day flood, didn't the gangs complain a lot?"

Alberto nodded. "Yes. The streets took two or three days to drain, disrupting their business. Some gangs rushed to transport goods—only to have their trucks break down and the cargo ruined."

"Gotham's sewers froze, so we had to rely on the old ones, plus newer drainage systems—inefficient. If we weren't coastal, we'd already have had a flood," Bruce said.

"Then let's solve these problems for them. Isn't the issue simply insufficient transport capacity and vulnerability to weather disasters?"

"Bruce—draw up a plan. How should the underground sewer system run to avoid natural disasters? How many overpasses are needed to prevent traffic jams? What transport system would maximize the city's efficiency…" Shi Ler looked at Bruce, casually: "You don't need to attend the second round of internships. Bring me the plan tomorrow."

Bruce rubbed his forehead. "Professor, do you know what you just asked? You want me to calculate the optimal transport routes for an entire city… and hand it in by tomorrow morning?"

"What's the problem?" Shi Ler glanced him up and down.

Seeing Bruce's expression, Shi Ler paused, then looked up at the ceiling. "Of course, human limits exist. If it's truly impossible, you can hand it in the day you graduate…"

"I recall your butler graduated from the math department—he might help you?" Shi Ler added.

Bruce's face darkened like a soot-covered pot. He stood and walked out. He realized Shi Ler now only knew two words: graduate and butler.

He'd just stepped out the door when he heard Shi Ler inside say:

"Alberto, remind Yin Wensi to tell me—this year's list of outstanding graduate candidates is long. Perhaps we should increase the number of slots…"

Bruce walked faster.