Nora quickly brought a sumptuous meal. In fact, it was a bit too sumptuous. The lady carried seven or eight parcels in large and small packages. At first glance, it was more than enough for four people.
"That restaurant is officially closed." Nola put down the things and said, "Because the two of us go there often and have a good relationship with the chef there, he used the remaining ingredients to make us a last meal.
I guess it serves about twelve people."
"Go and call the students over." Victor said, "Before we moved, I saw a lot of students in the cafeteria who only ate one sandwich. They must have not had a big meal for a long time."
Anna and Victor both started to take out their mobile phones. Anna thought for a while and said: "Wouldn't it be good to call them here alone? What do you think? Schiller."
"Just ask them to come and clean." Schiller said: "I'm afraid we do need their help, and after they help, it's normal to treat them to a meal. It doesn't matter whether we eat before or after."
So they started to contact their students, and several familiar faces came. Schiller also called Lex, and Pamela was the last one to arrive.
She just rushed in and waved her hand for water. The weather was only over ten degrees Celsius, but she was so hot that she was sweating.
"What's wrong with you?" Schiller asked, handing her the water.
"Forget it, the guard's dog was not tied up. He rushed into the hydroponic plant laboratory and broke several jars. Those plants couldn't even survive without the nutrient solution for an hour. I packed them all and put them in the same jar.
Already."
Pamela drank tons of water, took a deep breath, sat down and said: "These plants will be used at Roy's governor's inauguration ceremony, which will be broadcast live on TV across the state.
, in order to make our brand famous, we can’t make mistakes.”
When Pamela calmed down, they realized that she was definitely very tired, and the dark circles under her eyes were clearly visible.
Although Pamela usually doesn't dress up much, she still takes good care of her skin, but now it's obvious that she's a little greasy and rough from staying up late, and her hair is messy, and she obviously didn't have time to comb it.
"Well, professor, I have to wait for the first batch of payments before I can pay you back." Pamela said a little embarrassed: "The previous batch of customers were a bit difficult to deal with, and the money was not easy to get, but it should be soon.
That’ll be no problem.”
"Are you going to come and ask for it?" Anna obviously knew about this and was a little worried about her, saying, "The water in the construction contracting group is very deep, you have to be careful."
"Don't worry, I have found the best use for my human-killing plants." Pamela gave a thumbs up and said: "I am ready to set up a special debt collection company. I want it to be accurate."
"It's amazing, Miss." Schiller said: "You have been forced to this point, and you still plan to use legal means to make money. This can be called a miracle in Gotham."
As soon as he finished speaking, several other students looked at him with a somewhat strange look. Schiller did not feel embarrassed, but said: "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
"That's not true, Professor, but that was in the past." Pamela sighed and said, "Don't you realize that the economic situation is so bad, and the entire Gotham is still relatively peaceful and free of chaos?"
"I did find it, but I don't know what happened. Can you tell me from your perspective?" Schiller took a sip of water and said.
"Because the cost of crime is too high." Pamela sighed and said: "We basically can't afford a car, or we didn't even think about buying a car before. We relied on renting a car or public transportation to go out. Now that there are buses, we basically don't.
People rent cars because taking the bus is much cheaper than renting a car, and they don’t have to drive themselves.”
"But the buses built by Wayne Group all require real-name authentication. If you want to take the bus, the bus's computer system will know who you are. Once you have a criminal record, the police will immediately get on the bus and hold you down.
The same goes for the subway.”
"And the newly built bridges are almost the only way to pass through major districts. There are surveillance cameras on the bridges. Even if you are driving by yourself, once you are discovered, the police car will immediately use the lights to force you to stop."
"So it's very difficult to escape after committing a crime. If you are caught, no gang can help you deal with it now. Once you go to court, you won't just be sentenced to community labor or something."
"Nowadays, most people have jobs. Even the lowest-level cleaners have at least a stable income. As long as they are arrested and sent to jail, their jobs will definitely be lost."
"In addition, many people made a fortune at the music festival before, and then chose to buy cars and houses. After being arrested, they could not pay back their mortgages, and after they came out, they lost their jobs. The houses and cars that were still under the loan period would definitely be repossessed.
, then the down payment will be in vain.”
"So you bought a car or a house?" Schiller asked.
"That's not true." Pamela shook her head and said, "Otherwise I wouldn't have borrowed money for the expensive rent. Fortunately, now that the rent is paid in full, I moved to a smaller and cheaper house.
It can still be maintained.”
"The main reason why I don't engage in criminal means is that I still have things I want to do. Going to jail is too time-consuming. If I were imprisoned for a year and a half, all the plants I raised would definitely die.
The laboratory will also be taken back, so haven’t I been working in vain for so long?”
Schiller nodded, understanding what Pamela said. Many people had become rich before the music festival. Although they could not be said to be rich and powerful, they were all much better than their previous situation.
Although there will be some people who use money to spend their time and have a good time, most normal people will still choose to make some investments, either buying a car or a house. With these real estate assets, the cost of committing crimes is too high.
Of course, in Gotham in the past, you could bet that you wouldn't be caught by the police, or if you were caught, someone would help you deal with it, but now I'm afraid it's difficult.
On the one hand, there are sufficient police forces and technological advancement, making it basically impossible for major crimes to escape. On the other hand, the gangsters who dominate the sky are gone. Without the guidance of gangsters, just one or two ordinary people cannot handle those high-end black industries.
The income from low-end crimes such as robberies is not as stable as working hard.
And many young people who have no scruples are like Pamela. They still have their own ideals and careers.
I found that once I went to jail, all my previous efforts and future paths would be in vain.
"I think the situation in Gotham is much better than that in Metropolis." Lex said: "Before the economic crisis, the situation in Gotham was much better, but this generation has also experienced the darkest years. Even when the economic crisis comes,
Their lives now are much better than before."
"But this is not the case in the metropolis. They have been living a good life, even the best life in the world. Suddenly, they were hit in the head. Now the public opinion is boiling everywhere. Protests continue, which have even turned into vandalism, smashing and looting. There are many
The gangs organized in the name of the parade threaten the safety of ordinary people, and Clark has been crazy busy recently."
Everyone was a little surprised. They didn't expect the situation in Metropolis to be so bad, but if you think about it carefully, it's true. There are indeed salary cuts and layoffs in Gotham.
But now that wages are being cut and laid off, you still have a chance to find a job again. In the past, when gangs laid off workers, you basically had no choice but to go to the King of Hell to find a job.
Gotham used to be not poor but unsafe, but now Gotham is poor but safe. It’s hard to say which of the two is better. The former may have money but no life to spend, and the latter can only be said to be struggling to survive, but they are both better anyway.
It's bad, there's no need to compare which one is worse.
Gotham people are very used to being rotten. After the economic crisis, it is true that they have become poorer, and some people can hardly afford to eat. But are these people in the past better off? It is better to say that in that era, these people could not even eat.
I didn’t even have a chance, and I was crushed while walking on the road.
Therefore, Gotham's public opinion is relatively stable in this regard. Most people complain a few words and then go about their business, and the crime rate has not increased.
But the metropolis has really sunk from heaven into the abyss. They used to live a life of superiority, where all kinds of rich and famous people gathered together, the financial elite danced, feasted, drank and meated.
But it suddenly fell, and large companies were affected. In the past, the rich who had nothing to do every day had to work hard for their careers. It was even more difficult for ordinary people, who could easily earn a large salary for just a few days of work.
Nowadays, even though they work hard, they can't make half of their original money. Some people even simply lose their jobs and can't make any money. How can they accept it?
In fact, except for Gotham, the United States is basically in this situation. The United States has harvested the world for so many years, and the lower limit of the people is the highest in the world. There is no problem in eating and waiting to die. Suddenly, it fell into hell, and there was a wailing everywhere.
.
This leads to a vicious cycle. If the social situation is chaotic, the company will be even more miserable. If the company cannot save the market, the situation will further deteriorate. The worse the situation worsens, the more chaotic the public security will be, and the more chaotic the social situation will be.
And no one thought that Gotham, which had been in ruins all year round, could still stabilize itself with the help of this thing. On the contrary, the impact was not particularly great. Many people could still maintain a stable life. Apart from worrying about money, it was pretty good.
Being able to survive can be considered a blessing in disguise.
"Open a psychological clinic?!" Pamela, who was putting rice into her mouth, put down her bowl in shock, looked at Schiller and said: "Really? Professor, people nowadays must have a lot of resentment to vomit, I'm afraid they will be very angry.
Difficult."
"And it's not that simple to open a clinic, right?" Lex frowned and said, "I have a few nice villas in the South District. Couldn't you tell me earlier and just live in them? And the Wayne Group will give you an interview.
In case of a crisis, I won’t lose a house to you, right?”
Victor immediately nudged Lex with his elbow to shut him up. Schiller shook his head and said: "As an adult, I have to find a way to support myself. Even if I have a villa to live in, my salary now
It’s not enough for me to pay the high property taxes, car maintenance fees, gas money, insurance money and various taxes. Do I have to point them at you?”
At this point, everyone sighed again. Victor rubbed his temples and said: "This year's insurance has to be paid again. It costs 3,000 US dollars for me alone. Nora has a medical history, and her medical insurance
It’s also a difficult task. I’ll have to call and find out which insurance company can take it when I get back, but I estimate it will cost at least US$3-4,000.”
"You only need 3,000 yuan a year?!" Anna said in disbelief: "Which insurance company is so affordable? I have to pay 450 yuan for insurance every month!"
"His laboratory cooperates with medical insurance companies, have you forgotten?" Schiller reminded: "I am almost the same as you, except that I pay up to 4,000, and I have to pay it again next month."
"Fortunately, student insurance will be cheaper..." As soon as Pamela said this, she slapped her forehead and said, "Wait a minute, haven't my PhD applications been submitted yet?! Then don't I have to pay the original price for insurance this month?
?!!"
She let out a scream, immediately took out her mobile phone and started editing the email. She grabbed Victor like a life-saving straw and said: "Professor! Pass it for me! Let me study for a Ph.D.! Otherwise I have to pay an extra 500 yuan!"