novelraw Chapter 849: Savage's Bad Luck (Part 2)
Chapter 849: Savage's Bad Luck (Part 2)
After gradually entering autumn, the temperature in Gotham began to drop, and the mornings were particularly chilly. However, in the top-floor meeting room of Wayne Tower, it was filled with gang leaders dressed in suits and leather shoes.
Bruce stood at the front and said, "I'm sorry, but Wayne Enterprises only accepts cash investments..."
As soon as these words were uttered, the whole room buzzed with commotion. Lawrence immediately stood up and said, "Wayne! Are you kidding us? For city and transportation development, how can you only accept cash investments? Don't you need raw materials and transportation costs?"
Bruce cleared his throat and looked down at the documents in his hand, even though there was nothing written on them. The technical materials were all in his mind, but he still went through the motions, reading like he was reciting a prepared speech to the staff team:
"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm. I only accept cash investments for a very good reason. The reason is that Wayne Enterprises' construction technology has reached a level of technological breakthrough. The materials and transportation costs you can provide are, in our opinion, inconsequential."
"You can take a look at the television screen, which shows the materials we used in Phase One and Phase Two of our project. All the parts blurred out on the screen involve technical secrets."
The screen displayed a bunch of professional technical terms that even the leaders of the Twelve Families couldn't understand. They were unfamiliar English words that could only be guessed at by their roots and affixes. Some of the technical terms were even more obscure, and if you didn't recognize them at all, you wouldn't even be able to make a guess.
Bruce raised his voice, saying, "As you can see, the materials I use for construction are not ordinary concrete and steel. The entire structure of the building is integrated, capable of withstanding earthquakes, fires, and even tsunamis."
"The raw materials available in the market, the workers you can hire, and the engineers you can recruit can't participate in this kind of construction because their technical skills are insufficient and far inferior."
"Now, only Wayne Enterprises' production line can produce similar buildings, and those defense systems can only be used on such buildings. Otherwise, if a laser cannon is fired, the floor will be pierced, and the whole building will collapse. Then, what's the point of building it?"
Bruce spoke with great confidence, pointing out the core issue. He didn't dwell on the amount of investment but directly stated that they wouldn't understand his technology. So, whether it's investing in technology or materials for the production line, the only way to participate is by providing cash.
Originally, the leaders of the Twelve Families were not short of money, especially when combined, the funds they injected into the project could give it a significant boost. However, they had just spent a substantial amount.
Savage had sold those precious collectibles at a low price, but it was still based on their market value. Original works of art from the Renaissance era, Van Gogh, Monet during their peak periods – how much were they worth? Even with a discount, they were still expensive.
Moreover, Savage didn't sell just one or two pieces. From oil paintings to sculptures, from antiques to rare gemstones, his collection was measured in tons.
He was in a hurry to liquidate, offering steep discounts on a large scale, and the Twelve Families eagerly bought. As a result, after this wave, their available liquid funds had dried up.
Everyone was hoarding collectibles, planning to buy low and sell high. Some even wanted to keep them for themselves, but their available cash was barely enough to stay above the safety line.
And just at this moment, they realized that Bruce's construction plan threatened their very existence. At the same time, they also realized that as long as they could participate, the future returns would be astounding.
But Bruce insisted on cash, which made the leaders of the Twelve Families a bit uncomfortable. Should they protect their heads or their behinds? This was an eternal dilemma.
After the meeting, the leaders of each family crowded out of the meeting room, whispering to each other in low voices.
"I only got my hands on an authentic Van Gogh painting a few days ago. The appraiser from the auction house I know said that if I go through the auction process, at the very least, it'll fetch this much. But if I sell it privately, it'll be hard to break even..."
"Who isn't in the same boat? I bought two sculptures myself. After the appraiser confirmed them as genuine, if I don't go through the auction house process, I won't get a decent price..."
"Selling in a hurry means cutting the price. If they push it down by ten percent, that's several million US dollars. Who can bear that?"
"But this damn Bruce insists on cash. Do you think his project will cover the entire city so quickly?"
Lawrence cleared his throat and said, "In my opinion, we should delay it and occasionally cause some trouble for him. When we have the money, we can negotiate with him."
"I think so too. The art market has been doing well lately. As long as we go through the auction house, it won't take more than a year before I have money again."
"Yes, everyone is in the same boat. Since no one has money, we don't need to worry about them moving ahead of us. We can unite and delay with him until we have the money."
The leaders of the Twelve Families exchanged opinions, all thinking that this approach was feasible.
This was quite common in the business world. When you didn't have enough liquid funds but wanted to secure a project, it usually came down to one word: "delay." If there were competitors, you could stir up trouble, and when you had more money, you could invest.
But as Bruce walked out of the meeting room, he knew that he had won this battle.
In fact, the biggest challenge of the Gotham renovation plan was that once it touched the core interests of the gangs, they would unite and resort to violence. If the gangs started a shootout, it would endanger many people.
Bruce's main goal was to minimize violent conflicts and prevent it from turning into an all-out citywide war.
Before, the tranquilizers injected into the Gang were still effective. However, in the end, the Twelve Families would surely catch on. At that point, psychology and behavioral knowledge would come into play.
When people make investments, they hope to maximize their returns and buy at the lowest possible price. So, when Savage began selling his collectibles at a discount, Bruce extended an olive branch to the leaders of the Twelve Families, and they naturally accepted.
Currently, there were no signs of a collapse in the art market. The experts they had consulted had also reached this conclusion. As long as they could obtain those precious collectibles from Savage at a low price, it would be equivalent to increasing the assets of their families.
However, assets and liquid funds were different. What they were investing now was liquid funds, and what they were increasing were estimated future assets.
At that time, their decision was correct because they didn't need as much liquid funds.
But Bruce happened to request more liquid funds from them at this point and turned it into an investment.
"No money, no investment," Bruce firmly stood his ground from a logical standpoint.
The members of the Twelve Families chose to use the delay tactic based on their belief that Bruce was a businessman looking to recover his costs and earn interest. In their view, Bruce wouldn't invest recklessly. If he wanted their investment, he could naturally be delayed.
However, this played right into Bruce's hands. He needed this one-year buffer period, during which the Twelve Families could raise money, and so could he.
He had been in a hurry to secure funds before the Gangs could react and counterattack. But now that they were planning to delay themselves, Bruce was fine with it. Batman's ability to earn money was in a completely different league than others. Bruce was confident he could earn enough to complete the transformation of most of Gotham within a year.
A year later, when the Twelve Families regained their liquid funds, they would realize that they were dealing with a formidable opponent, a fully armed Batman. Buying Earth was just a matter of time.
One could say that this tranquilizer wasn't administered by Bruce but by the Twelve Families themselves.
Both leaders of the Twelve Families wanted it all. They wanted their collectibles to appreciate in value, making money while lying down, and they wanted to participate in Bruce's investment to gain control over everyone in Gotham.
So, they couldn't make that decisive move, cut their losses, and urgently sell their collectibles to enter the game against Bruce. Ultimately, it was all about interest that drove them.
"That's what I said. We can use their lack of foresight to set a trap..." Inside the office, Schiller smiled and said, "They got those collectibles at such a low price, so there's plenty of profit margin. This is very certain money for them, and they won't be willing to give it up."
"But at the same time, they can't let go of that future you mentioned. They didn't see your ultimate goal. So, they made the choice you wanted the most, which is not to resist with guns, not to engage in violent conflicts, but to peacefully delay for a year, having the best of both worlds."
Bruce lightly tapped his finger and said, "One year..."
He shook his head and sighed softly. Alberto turned his head to look at him. He knew that Bruce had mastered almost all the knowledge in the world in just 20 years, so a year was already an incredibly long and unbelievable time for him.
"Don't forget our agreement," Alberto spoke up. "The Twelve Families are just my father's lapdogs. Perhaps he'll lament a bit, but I'm different. I only want to move forward in the new era."
"Aren't you afraid he'll get you killed?" Schiller asked.
"I don't really care whether the people here are doing well or not. I don't care about the ultimate fate of the Twelve Families, and I don't care when the Gang will be extinguished. Godfather feels the same way."
"In that era, he did his best, and whether he ultimately succeeded or not didn't matter because he realized earlier than you that this path is not for those who reach the finish line."
Before leaving, Alberto turned to Bruce and said, "He also asked me to tell you something. He doesn't like this saying because it sounds like an excuse for a coward to give up and head for the finish line. Bruce Wayne, Godfather says you're not a coward... You'd better not be."
Bruce sat in silence for a long time and then asked Schiller, "Do you think I'll change?"
"People do change," Schiller paused and answered.
Then he said, "On this matter, you might as well ask your butler."
Bruce left in silence, and Schiller looked out the window.
The lush greenery was fading away, the peak vitality of summer gradually withering, and the red maple leaves were like the lifeblood of the earth, telling everyone in the midst of great changes that Gotham's autumn had arrived.