Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics-Chapter 4590 - 3671: New Christmas Atmosphere (8)

The harm of monopoly is naturally self-evident. Even without considering ordinary people, this mode isn't what Lex wants.

As everyone knows, the larger the scope, the more people are involved. Everyone has their own ideas and wants to fight for benefits for themselves and their interest groups.

For example, the industry in Metropolis is already saturated. Lex wants to expand production to other cities on the East Coast, but those cities have their own interest groups; when the Luther Group comes, naturally we must provide them with benefits.

This group doesn't just want money. They also want a piece of the pie from the Luther Group's expansion. Naturally, they want management power and to nominate their people among the shareholders, but to rise, someone has to step down, though no one wants to.

Holding so much production material but unable to put it into production and unable to make money, shareholders are unhappy. Many times, unreasonable demands from regional interest groups are agreed upon just to quickly start production.

But once local power groups grow within the shareholders, they naturally threaten the interests of leader Lex Luther. If they simply don't listen to you, what can you do? Can you really dismantle factories elsewhere? ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

What's more frightening is that once the Dukes grow, not only is the land uncontrollable, but the Zhou Emperor may also be threatened. If shareholders unite to short Lex, he might have to step down and leave. It's not impossible for Luther Group to change owners.

So although the Luther Group's situation is better than Wayne Enterprises, it's still in a state where the tail can't be cut off. Lex also urgently needs strength to intervene and break the situation.

But ultimately he isn't as urgent as Bruce, so he can wait—wait for Wayne Enterprises to no longer sustain itself and start to collapse, Bruce naturally will think of a way. This time, he has indeed waited it out.

However, Lex is not easy to deal with. He is a human supremacist who believes that while Brainiac's management and rule has been good for most people, if a problem arises with him, it's a catastrophic disaster.

To ensure safety, he hasn't stayed on Earth for the past three years resetting but has been in the Battleworld trying to crack Brainiac's underlying protocols.

For Brainiac, underlying protocols aren't lethal. They can't destroy him nor affect him through remote operations. As long as the underlying protocols aren't removed, his actions are restricted to some extent.

But again, Brainiac wasn't created by humans, nor were his underlying protocols written by them. The limitations in his underlying protocols were instructions from the original Krypton Council. Now that Krypton is destroyed, these protocols are meaningless.

Brainiac can't invade the Krypton Council's area. Humans can go there to seek refuge when necessary. But Lex clearly wants more than this. He wants to crack and rewrite Brainiac's underlying protocols.

This is not easy. Rather than saying Brainiac was made by Kryptonians, it's better to say he's a miracle that exceeds the current cosmic artificial intelligence level, born from various accidents. Even if Kryptonians were revived, they couldn't create another one.

In short, for Wayne Enterprises and Luther Group, Brainiac's arrival is timely. The leaders of both groups do not find asset confiscation unacceptable.

This is also because Bruce Wayne and Lex Luther aren't pigs on the wind. They truly have skills.

Most of those billionaires who jumped off buildings due to Brainiac's arrival and the sudden abolition of private ownership were lucky because of the times. Their wealth came from financial speculation or shady businesses.

Apart from the background of times, they have little personal ability. Their success did not come from their efforts and was almost unaffected by personal will. If we talk about their real capabilities, being a regular manager is barely adequate.

After private ownership was abolished, everyone could only ensure their lives through personal labor abilities. Lacking capabilities, their living standards naturally dropped from Heaven to Hell.

Those who chose to accept reality, most were like Bruce or Lex, excellent in at least one aspect. Either with experience in starting a factory from scratch, understanding technology, or at least having some knowledge in public opinion promotion, they wouldn't turn to manual labor overnight. Their living standards were guaranteed—better to live poorly than die well.

Lex and Bruce were the same. Aside from their roles as leaders of two major groups, they were top scientists. Once in the lab, Brainiac would have to respect them. They weren't extravagant generally, and for them personally, their living standards hadn't declined.

Additionally, they weren't those sinister capitalists who understood that the masses are the main body of the human race, with a sense of responsibility for humanity's future overriding their desire for personal assets. Hence, they had no objections.

Pamela ordered several dishes and ate ravenously, seemingly not having eaten well in the past few days cleaning the lab. After all, she's also a scientist with considerable salary points, ordering several dishes. Shiller and Billy also benefited.

"How's Wayne Manor?" Shiller asked while eating.

"They only kept the main hall and garden of the manor and cordoned off this part. The rest has been divided."

"Isn't that area quite large?"

"A lot of people live there: Jason, Tim, Dick, and Raven, Selina and Aisha, plus Bruce and Alfred—eight people in total. If Bruce and Selina have kids in the future, there might not be enough space."

"True." Shiller thought for a moment and said, "You've reminded me that Selina has two therapy sessions left. She's already paid for them. I'll give her a call later to see if she has any plans for tomorrow."

"Christmas is coming, and the members of the Justice League are returning one by one. They weren't on Earth, and there's a lot they haven't sorted out yet. They're bound to be busy for a while. I might get roped into helping out."

"You really should help them. I can't even imagine how much there is to clean up on the Kent family's farm."

"You didn't know? Rural and urban reforms are different. Especially those large farms in the Central State—the model hasn't really changed much. So Clark ends up being the most relaxed among them, because he can go home for the holidays."

Shiller pondered and realized it made sense. The mechanization level of American agriculture is extremely high. Although a few extra hands are needed during the busy seasons, there's no need to gather too many people to farm. Most Americans aren't fond of the countryside and aren't interested in going back to farm.

Under these circumstances, the production model of large farms is optimal, where a small number of people act as farmers controlling machines to farm. It's unnecessary to break up the land of landlords; it's more about adjusting the types of crops based on needed resources, not entirely driven by the free market.

In fact, a planned and controlled economic model favors American large farm owners. This is because the highest expenses on the farm no longer fall on them. They also don't have to bear the risks that come with changes in natural conditions: They plant what they're given and raise what they're told to; they're always ensured a meal. Compared to city workers, they're more like indifferent laborers.

Previously, American farm owners weren't as wealthy and carefree as many imagined. First, the price of American agricultural machinery is very high; seventy to eighty thousand US dollars for a regular tractor is normal. If you add a series of harvesting and planting attachments, it's easily over a hundred thousand.

Moreover, repairs are costly. Labor fees, repair fees, and buying broken parts—often from other states with added shipping—can cost tens of thousands in just one breakdown.

This results in significant pressure. If they don't grow high-economic-value crops, they won't even cover their costs. If there's a natural disaster, an entire year's work could be for nothing.

Adding to the complexity, each state has different agricultural laws. Taxes and welfare subsidies for agriculture also vary and require professionals, adding another large expense.

Many farm owners to save this money have their children study such specialized fields, but only comprehensive private universities offer these programs. Attending a private university requires at least tens of thousands in tuition, and even if it's paid back with student loans, it takes a lifetime.

In sum, American farm owners aren't poor, but their assets are where their wealth lies. When it comes to liquid assets, they might not have more than an urban white-collar worker. The labor intensity and stress are much higher than city folks'. Despite owning land, tools, and hiring staff, they don't qualify as capitalists.

After Brainiac's arrival, the key reform was targeting agricultural production tools. He wouldn't consider machinery price issues; he distributed according to need.

He'd calculate all resources needed for maximum production efficiency for a given farm or piece of land and deliver them directly. Following the instructions was all that was needed. As long as there were no execution issues or large natural disturbances, production was guaranteed to be stable.

This essentially removed all pressure and risk for the farm owners. If a problem arises, it's due to Brainiac's inadequate plans or bad luck—not their fault. They wouldn't be held accountable.

Additionally, survival resources are allocated to them too—not like the urban areas where meals are directly prepared, but with food, vegetables, and meat allocated per person, leaving them to cook for themselves.

In short, Brainiac became the Earth's largest farm owner, and the original farm owners turned into his employees, only needing to clock in and out regularly without worrying about profits and losses.

Plus, with measures like free education, various workforce benefits, and controlled living spaces, rural people benefit significantly, making the farm owners the biggest backers of Brainiac—what does it mean to "Make America Great Again"?

Speaking of agriculture, one must mention Mexico.

Before Brainiac's arrival, the mainstream international opinion was: although the Mexican revolution achieved temporary success, it essentially failed following the Revolutionary Army's disbandment in Guadalajara.

Nevertheless, the international community acknowledges the revolution's significant impact on Mexican and international socialist movement history. Even regarding the living conditions of the Mexican people, there have been changes.

Regarding the failures, limitations of individuals like Oliver or the Mexican Revolutionary Army weren't the critical issues. The main reason was Mexico's low level of industrialization and modernization; revolution conditions weren't yet mature.