Chapter 3435: The Skilful Divine Doctor (42)

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"What do you plan to do?" Arrogant asked, "If your ultimate goal is to investigate the truth behind the plague, you just need to figure out what exactly is happening in the Mining Area. Are you going to go there yourself?"

"Not a chance," Shiller flatly rejected the suggestion, saying, "It's obvious how dangerous that place is. I'm running a hospital here, why on earth would I need to go there?"

"So you're just planning to play a management simulation game here?"

"That will achieve the same purpose," Shiller said, "If this is a sacrificial ritual that won't stop until a certain number of deaths is reached, then as long as my hospital operates well and discharges many survivors, the ritual can never be completed. By that time, I won't be the one in a hurry. Maybe the truth will come knocking on my door."

After finishing, Shiller left Arrogant's office. He had almost figured out most of the settings and plot, and now it was time to compete in strategic determination.

Shiller first returned to the ward where Strange was staying. He communicated his plan to Manny, not caring whether she understood or not, as he was set on executing it anyway.

The plan was simple. Since the theme was a hospital, then focus on running the hospital, and run it on a grand scale, mobilizing all the resources available. Shiller was determined to see whether the plague could kill faster or he could save lives faster.

Greed's style has always been to avoid puzzles, dislike fighting, not good at parkour, and slow in pursuit. In different games, he always plays the same management simulation, preferring to overwhelm with momentum, believing a straight push is better than all else.

There are several problems with running a good hospital now: there's a shortage of doctors and nurses, the hospital isn't big enough, and the medical equipment and facilities are not professional enough.

But in reality, the first two problems could be boiled down to the last one. With advanced enough equipment, it's possible to save a lot on space and manpower.

So Shiller went to Batman and Stark first.

Returning to the operating room, it had changed beyond recognition. The operating table had been dismantled, and the workbench and desk were nowhere to be seen, all replaced with mechanical equipment.

It was clear that Batman and Stark had been tirelessly conducting research for the past few days; they both seemed to enjoy their scientific addiction here.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," Shiller clapped his hands to get their attention, and then said, "It's time to pay the rent."

Stark paused in his work, saying, "Why do you always ask for money every time you show up?"

"Be honest, do I only ask for money when I show up?"

Stark was appalled by his shamelessness. Batman, however, was more receptive and said, "We are using the hospital's space, it's indeed fitting to pay rent. However, we really don't have any money. Just say what you want us to pay with."

"I love dealing with straightforward people like you," Shiller snapped his fingers pointing at Batman, then looked at Stark and said, "Both big shots, but 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 Shiller and Stark, finally resting on Stark as if trying to guess what serious condition he had that required such an expensive treatment.

Stark, irritated by his gaze, almost leapt up saying: "I'm not sick!"

Then he saw Batman's disapproving look.

Shiller didn't have time for their banter. He tapped on the desk beside him and said, "I need some medical equipment, approximately these items."

He handed them the list of equipment he had just written. Stark looked it over and then asked, "You mean, you want us to go through over 400 years of modern medical development in a week, starting from the most basic stethoscope up to ECMO?"

Shiller nodded assertively.

Before Stark could respond, Shiller continued, "Without magic, you were able to make a Reactor in a week. Now you have magic and steam power. If you can't do it, is it your problem or magic's problem?"

"Of course it's..."

"I advise you to think carefully before you speak. The Supreme Magician is right next door, and right now he's the chief surgeon."

"So what? I'm the chief scientist!"

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

Batman glanced at the equipment list and then said, "We can make the simple physical devices, but X-ray machines and such might not be feasible. We could try to find substitutes, but the methods of operation and the results may not be the same as what you are accustomed to."

Shiller knew Batman was warning him that the new equipment might not fit the practices of doctors trained in modern medicine. But Shiller also had to remind him, "Hello, I'm a psychiatrist."

"That Dr. Strange..."

"He's a surgeon, doesn't even know how to wear a stethoscope, much less operate equipment. And he wouldn't be the one using it anyway. I'm going to set up a separate diagnostics department."

"Okay," Batman nodded, "We'll try our best. We'll give you a batch in three days, and in a week we should be able to finish about 80%. As for the remaining 20%, it might be an ongoing effort..."

Even if Greed didn't like Batman, he had to admit, the serious atmosphere innate to DC people suited work discussions well.

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Batman's incredible focus and rigorous logic ensure that when it comes to work, he's not one for jokes, ambiguity, or shooting his mouth off. Whatever time he commits to, he delivers exactly on schedule, not a minute late. He's simply the perfect party B.

Although Greed has a soft spot for Stark, he well knows deadlines are nonexistent to Stark. He has never finished a task on time.

It's either an inspiration explosion and he finishes ahead of time, making other workgroups scramble to keep up; or he drags his feet and moves onto something else halfway through. If asked, he says inspiration struck, and if you have a problem, go talk to God.

Marvel people are long used to Stark's style, with seldom a complaint, as most of them cajole him into cooperating.

But is Batman the type to spoil children?

The R&D work was less than a day in, and quarrels had already erupted. Shiller, Loki, and Strange of the Immoral Alliance trio spent their non-working hours only entertained by eavesdropping on the nearby arguments.

Batman and Iron Man were evenly matched in their arguments. Batman had reason on his side, while Iron Man had speed of speech. One had quality, the other quantity, so their squabbling was relentless.

After listening for two days, Shiller couldn't help but remark on their remarkable pairing. Their fights weren't fierce, because they didn't usually argue with others. Batman refrained from pointless verbal fights, and Stark was too stubborn to find an opponent willing to engage. Both lacked the experience.

However, that's precisely why they could go at it. Batman only spoke when necessary, while Stark only spoke when unnecessary. Their peak talking times didn't overlap, flowing perfectly with alternating points.

After two days of amusement, Shiller felt it was enough. If it were any other time, they could argue as they pleased, but the key was not to delay his deadline. It was time to think of a solution.

Shiller threw Arrogance into the mix.

To his surprise, Arrogance actually joined in. Shiller thought he'd rebuke Batman and Stark to get a break from the bickering and focus on work.

Instead, Arrogance backed up Stark when Batman was winning, and Batman when Stark was on top, playing a neutral party just to stir the pot.

That's when Shiller realized, "Oh no, he's targeting me."

With no choice left, Shiller then tossed in Natasha, hoping Agent Black Widow's presence would reign them in.

The situation only got more amusing. Natasha rarely quarreled, but when she did, personal attacks were her go-to. Especially with Stark in the room, what else could she target?

Now Stark's usual mantra of 'normal when people perform poorly in front of Black Widow' was no good. Because although Primary Universe Batman hadn't had any encounters with Natasha, Arkham Batman was still Batman. To say how Arkham Batman had fared, well, a Universe Batman was always a Batman.

Seeing the topic veering into dangerous territory, Shiller decided they could no longer afford the luxury of arguing. He threw Thor into the fray.

Ordinarily, with Thor's simple mind, he wouldn't distinguish right from wrong and would just drag them both out of there.

But this time there was Arrogance. Once Arrogance started to wheedle Thor, he became indecisive, supporting Batman one moment and Iron Man the next, while invariably losing to either side—much to Loki's forehead-slapping frustration outside.

Loki couldn't stand seeing Thor bullied, so he joined in. With Loki entering the fray, Thor became like a fueled rocket. Whoever insulted Loki was who Thor verbally attacked, fully harnessing his usually dormant brainpower, outshouting Batman for the time being.

As the argument descended into chaos, Shiller had no choice but to play his trump card—the Arkham Batman.

Arkham Batman wasn't just a force to reckon with; he also did not engage in verbal fights. His life philosophy was always actions over words, hands on rather than hands-off.

After he was thrown into the mix, the other side finally quieted down. Watching them come out of the passage one by one, Shiller finally heaved a sigh of relief. But he relaxed too soon.

After they stopped arguing, they all uniformly turned their grievances towards him. Stark took the lead:

"I told you before, one week is too short. I also have to work on the Mecha; there's no way I can handle that much. If you hadn't set such a tight deadline, why would we have started quarreling?"

Shiller didn't indulge him, countering, "Who claimed to be the world's most brilliant scientist, capable of breezing through all the equipment research? Now you're complaining about the short time. Oh, how could I forget, you must hear this kind of talk often? You've learned it pretty well."

"I think the deadline is reasonable, but I don't think we should work in the same room," Batman said. "It seriously distracts me."

"Don't play the good guy here. You agreed to the timeline, and instead of working, you spent all the time arguing and delayed my timeline. If you hadn't insisted on criticizing Tony, would this fight have happened? Next time, don't boast about Batman's efficiency…"

Natasha was about to say something, but Shiller raised his hand to stop her, then said, "You should refrain from stirring things up, too. I sent you in there to stop them, what did you do? Not everyone's interested in what you guys have in your pants. Can we all just focus on work now?"

Shiller, unfazed by the barrage of five, let everyone witness the level of a true master in arguing. Only when it came to Arrogance did Shiller choke.

Not without reason, because he couldn't outtalk Arrogance. His winning rate against Arrogance in verbal fights was basically zero.

Then, Arrogance coughed twice before saying, "Objectively speaking, he's not wrong. You should indeed focus on work and maintain unity…"

The others exchanged looks. Now they knew who the real instigator behind the heated quarrel was.

But in the end, they all dispersed, no one daring to make a peep.

Clearly, it wasn't just Greed who had a zero win rate.