Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics Chapter 6080 - 5095: Fighter’s Fate (41)

"Why did you think to call me?"

When Shiller came to the office, he was still dressed for a beach holiday, holding a coconut in his hand.

Iron Man saw his relaxed appearance and couldn’t help but fume: We’re in this life-or-death puzzle, and you went to the beach to play? Even if we take a step back, shouldn’t you help with the wedding?

Shiller seemed to understand what he was thinking; he shook his head and said, "I completely don’t understand Catholic weddings. I’ve never even read the Bible. If I went, I’d only be a hindrance, better to take a vacation instead."

Iron Man knew he needed his help, so he couldn’t say much else; he could only sigh and say, "Do you know fortune telling?"

Shiller slightly widened his eyes and looked at him, never imagining that his conversation with an Iron Man would start this way. Was White Can confused with anger?

"Can you analyze for me if I’ve been unlucky lately?" Iron Man said, "Ever since you otherworld visitors arrived, I haven’t successfully done a single thing. I’m always unlucky..."

Shiller sat down, smiled, and then said, "Then you really should go find a Tarot Master for a reading, but unfortunately I don’t know how."

"Then what do you think I should do now?" Iron Man asked.

He felt that his current situation was a deadlock, with paths blocked in every direction. Reforming was too late, committing crimes would inevitably get caught, the past couldn’t be whitewashed, the future couldn’t be profitable, stepping forward was a trap, stepping back was a cage, even a god would be confused here.

"Aren’t you willing to collaborate by offering the Extremis Virus?" Shiller asked, "Otherwise, the three groups wouldn’t have been able to unite so easily."

"But it’s not having any effect." Iron Man complained, "I’ve already said, the route you suggested is too slow. First, the technology needs to be analyzed and studied, then it requires clinical trials, and to be put into use and earn returns, how can it be less than a year and a half?"

"Why then is Pamela’s technology effective so quickly?"

Iron Man paused in his actions; he hadn’t really thought about this. Now thinking about it, it was indeed unusual. He had genuinely provided part of the Extremis Virus to the United Group, and they were earnestly working on it. The speed was already not slow, but Pamela had gone from arrival to production in less than a week, which was abnormally quick.

Iron Man felt he might have caught a loophole; he said, "They must have skipped a lot of necessary review processes, right?"

Shiller sighed helplessly: "Just think, a technology that can immediately increase global food production by 30%, who would care about processes, from top to bottom?"

"Then what’s wrong with the Extremis Virus?" Iron Man asked, "I’ve also given them many samples, I never said it couldn’t be used in agriculture and livestock, they must have experimented in those areas, why isn’t it faster than Pamela’s? Could it be because of magic?"

"Of course, it’s because Pamela has successful experience." Shiller had to summon kindergarten-like patience, "She was already very successful in her original universe, accumulating a vast amount of experience and relevant technical data, even production models were very mature. In this universe, only minor modifications were needed to quickly start production."

"Your Extremis Virus isn’t lacking in technological aspects, but what good deeds have you ever used it for? Beautifying people is not illegal, but all human race’s etiquette, integrity, and aesthetics are built on a full stomach. People can be unappealing, but they can’t go hungry. Your technology’s applicability is naturally lower than hers, and your experience isn’t as rich, so naturally, it’s slower."

"But if they become more beautiful, can’t they earn money with their beauty?" Iron Man asked, "Once they earn money, how can they not afford food?"

Shiller was really out of ideas: "Where would people who can’t even afford food find the money to buy your Extremis Virus?"

"But my Extremis Virus isn’t expensive." Iron Man still felt very aggrieved, "My pricing isn’t really high, not even more than a Netflix subscription. Those impoverished homeless have money to buy drugs, how can they not buy my Extremis Virus?"

Shiller also realized that if he didn’t start from the basics explaining the relationship between production and distribution, and the fundamental logic of human society’s social structure, there was no way Iron Man could understand why his Extremis Virus selling method was failing.

But if explained this way, they wouldn’t need to do anything else this week. Shiller had no obligation to enlighten him, so he decided to focus on the most critical point.

"Then why don’t you try to force them to buy it?"

"How do I force them?" Iron Man retorted, "I’m just one person, and even if we counted everyone in Stark Group, we wouldn’t be able to put a gun to everyone’s head."

"But hunger is like a gun to everyone’s head." Shiller tapped the table to emphasize, "Hunger will force everyone to buy food; famine will make every country try every method to obtain food. Can you understand?"

Iron Man was momentarily stunned. In fact, Iron Man has experienced hardships before; even though this is an evil version, Iron Man has gone through similar events in the past. For instance, he was kidnapped, though the Prime Universe Iron Man likely met trouble in Vietnam; Afghanistan wasn’t much better.

He can’t be said to be unfamiliar with people at the bottom rung. In the comics, Iron Man actually went bankrupt quite a few times, even went to junkyards to scavenge. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know that homeless people at the bottom are buying drugs. This period’s Prime Universe Iron Man isn’t the naive playboy; he’s quite aware of societal circumstances.

However, combining theory and practice is always a major challenge. Knowing something doesn’t mean he can effectively leverage the experience. He understands people struggle with hunger—even he himself has gone hungry—but to liken hunger to a gun forcing people to obtain food is a new perspective for him.

Viewed this way, every physiological need of the human race is essentially a gun pointed at their foreheads, driving them to fight for food, water sources, and more habitable places.

Whoever controls these guns can drive humanity; whoever can produce more food, manufacture cleaner water, and develop more livable homes will get people’s loyalty—more than just money, but emotions, family, and future all entrusted to them.

If guns are metaphors for basic survival needs, then the damage done by using Extremis Virus for beauty is akin to throwing bananas at enemies. If food production and drinking water manufacturing are the center points, then the sales network drawn by the Extremis Virus can encompass an entire Solar System.

It’s not that the Extremis Virus isn’t good—banana cells can be strong, too. And it’s not that Iron Man lacks technology—drawing circles has also burned quite a few calories. Just that the arrow’s usefulness depends on whether it hits the target, not how far it flies.

Iron Man seemed to grasp something. His previous misconception was thinking his Extremis Virus was so brilliant that even his biggest enemy had to admit he was a genius scientist.

He thought if the product was good, it should naturally sell well; if it wasn’t selling, it was because people didn’t recognize its value, so he should find ways to promote it more, let more people know how good it is. If everyone helped him promote it—whether the Stark Group or the Rebirth Alliance—as long as they all helped spread the word about how powerful the Extremis Virus is, it would surely succeed.

So he changed the series of plans Shiller had made for him into his Extremis Virus promotion plan, hoping that the otherworldly visitors and Rebirth Alliance agents would see how good the fish using Extremis Virus were, using others’ deficiencies to highlight his technology’s excellence, believing that this was the way to get more people to use the Extremis Virus and earn more money.

But that’s not how the logic of economics works; the value of a product isn’t about how good it is but about how bad it would be without it.

For consumers, the worst outcome is wasting money, but for the human race, the worst outcome is death.

White Can only considered the former. He wanted to inform consumers about the high cost-effectiveness of Extremis Virus, but he forgot that consumers are human, and in matters of life and death, cost-effectiveness doesn’t matter; it’s about having or not having. Having food means survival; not having it means starvation. Competitive consumption is not as brutal as survival competition.

He only considered in the field of consumption, always trying to expand the upper limit of Extremis Virus, without thinking that from a survival perspective, the lower limit of Extremis Virus is its true value.

The most profitable economic model has never been about buying when needed but being forced to buy.

"But now it’s too late, isn’t it?" Iron Man asked. "Pamela’s technology has been put into production, and the Extremis Virus lacks related research data. To really achieve effective results, it probably needs a long time, but the issues I’m facing right now can’t wait that long."

"So now you only have one choice left."

"What?"

"Deal with Pamela."

Iron Man reacted with a facial question mark toward Shiller.

"Extremis Virus needs time to take effect, but your predicament can’t wait that long. This means your biggest advantage is already useless; you have to find yourself a new advantage."

"...What advantage do I have?" Iron Man himself didn’t know.

All along, he considered technology his biggest advantage, and indeed, this advantage was big enough that he didn’t need to consider whether he had other advantages. Everyone was after him because his technical level was so high; now, asking Iron Man to let go of this, he truly couldn’t.

"Advantages are comparative," Shiller said. "Your technical advantage was compared with the entire world, and you won, so naturally, it became your biggest advantage. Previously, you could rely on this advantage to deal with anyone, respond to any situation."

"But now, your technical advantage doesn’t work. What you need to do isn’t to find another advantage to compete with the world because having two world-class advantages is extremely difficult for anyone. What you need to do is change the comparison target."

"Right now, Pamela has an advantage over the whole world. You just need to compete with her. Winning against the world is difficult because the numerous people and organizations can complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses, but winning against one person is much simpler, for everyone has weaknesses."

Iron Man was still a bit confused, so Shiller had to explain in more straightforward terms, with a hint of helplessness: "When Pepper was single, you had to defeat all her suitors, but once she was married, you only needed to defeat her husband."