Ron finally understood: Obviously, the situation at the lower levels of Gotham is much better than Metropolis, and Bruce is a wealthy man who cares about the people, with many industrial jobs available in Gotham. So why does it have such a notorious reputation? Isn't it just to prevent everyone from flocking to Gotham?
In fact, there are often chances to catch a breath before falling to the bottom. For example, even if you can't pay insurance or afford a traffic accident, many places won't immediately tow your car; there will be a waiting period. During this time, if you can muster the courage to change states and move to a relatively better place, it's possible to avoid disaster.
For instance, some states have loose city management without strict address regulations; some jobs don't require your address, so you can live in your car and work, gradually recovering. And there are places so remote that many jobs are undesirable, like border patrol or becoming a Tower Keeper, basically requiring decent physical fitness to do.
If nothing else works, just head south. The north of America can freeze you to death, but definitely not the south. Wandering in cities like Los Angeles, the probability of death is certainly much lower than in the northeastern regions.
In cases like Gotham, a super wealthy tycoon is willing to invest without limits in social welfare, which acts like a giant whirlpool. All those unable to survive think of running to gamble there, even as homeless people. Snatching food and shelter is easier there. Everyone rushes to Gotham, which causes a decrease in the homeless population in surrounding cities.
However, after this incident, Ron understood: Homeless people are also a resource. While alive, they sell drugs, and after death, sell their bodies. If Gotham attracts all these people, what do we do with such businesses? Isn't that leaving us starving in the cold winds?
So, these vested interests will certainly go all out to smear Gotham. Although Gotham has quite a few incidents, it certainly doesn't reach the level of daily explosions as portrayed by the media. Gotham indeed has madmen, but not as prevalent everywhere as they say.
Gothamites aren't fools, and those madmen can't build a wall around Gotham, completely preventing people from entering or leaving. When Detroit collapsed, everyone quickly slipped away. If Gotham were truly that bad, it couldn't maintain its prosperity as a megacity. So many people gather here despite its flaws, showing that it's not because they have no choice but because the things they're satisfied with in life outweigh the unsatisfactory parts. The population of Gotham is even slowly increasing.
Ron scratched his head vigorously. He flipped through various news websites and some self-media, but without exception, they all had a unified statement: Anyone who dares to go to the factory-area shelter will be made into human sausages hung from the rafters.
Victor deleted most of the news, but soon he found that when he deletes, things spread even faster. Even if he deployed countless threads chasing others on the internet, the rumors quickly spread from official media to personal accounts. The more he hunted, the more it spread, so Victor didn't dare to act anymore; otherwise, it would become world headlines.
Homeless people likely don't have phones and can't see this news, but the key is once this news is out, no one would want to come here anymore. Even those who have witnessed the scenes here are afraid of causing trouble and not only don't dare to speak out but also won't come.
Everyone has lived in this country for so long; who doesn't know who? If the media can unify their stance, it's definitely because they've provoked some big figure. Ordinary people don't have the capital to risk their lives, so it's only wise to stay far away.
Thus, food supply becomes a problem. It's possible to buy food, but very difficult to transport it here. Hal and Barry initially planned to transport it by manpower, but once spotted, no one would sell to them. Heating devices also require burning energy, and even though Green Lantern energy can temporarily cover it, it's not a long-term solution. More importantly, the shelter's inhabitants are restless, with many planning to leave.
Ron gave them two choices: If they truly wished to return to their original places, they could, and Hal would use his private car to drive them; those with nowhere to go could head to Gotham's shelters.
Many waved their hands repeatedly at the mention of Gotham. However, some people, like those unafraid of death, couldn't survive in their original settlements, so it would be the same wherever they go.
In the end, a small portion took the bus to Gotham, while others gradually returned to their settlements.
Diana struggled one last time, sending three pregnant women from the shelter to the hospital, personally funding their medical checks and having them admitted until they gave birth.
They spent about three days clearing out the entire shelter. And on the day the door was locked, a court summons was also delivered. After glancing at the document, Diana tore it to shreds. The paper fragments were lifted by the wind and fell to the ground, merging into the snow invisibly.
She took a deep breath, tightening and loosening her grip on the doorknob, and said in a low voice, "Bruce was right; we have no other choice."
Before the plan began, when they gathered to discuss how to save this country, Bruce said meaningfully, "Sacrifice is necessary... and I mean us."
"What do you mean?" Diana asked, a bit puzzled.
"We need to manufacture a new Cold War."
"What?!" Diana stared at Bruce in shock.
"After the Soviet Union fell, America dared to act recklessly, and what we need to do is to create a new 'pole' or become a new 'pole' to bring America back to the era of state capitalism."
Everyone stared at him in shock. Barry gestured for a long time and then said, "You mean, we need to... we need to implement... the Soviet model??"
"No, we simply need to bring enough deterrence, and they will voluntarily elect a new Roosevelt."
"We are that deterrence?"
"Yes. We are a superpower users organization, with everyone in the group possessing the power to destroy Earth, why wouldn't it work?"
"...No," Diana furrowed her brow and said, "This is hegemony. This...this is not right. Bruce, you need to calm down. Even if this country is rotten to the core, we can't..."
"I think we shouldn't be so aggressive from the start," Ron said, "Perhaps we could try, given that you said we have such immense power, using this power to save people might also succeed, right?"
Everyone agreed more with Diana and Ron's views, considering the bomb Bruce dropped was too heavy, completely overturning their existing logic and not aligning with the principles they formed in a society driven by order.
"Alright," Bruce nodded and said, "I respect your opinions. We can certainly try first, but soon you'll understand that aside from this, we have no other choice."