amaotonovel Chapter 2523: Xiao Xiao Down (7)
Chapter 2523: Xiao Xiao Down (7)
Chapter 2523: Xiao Xiao Down (VII)
Lunch time was over and everyone quickly stood up from the sofa and started cleaning. Some people might ask, if we call people like Pamela and Lex here, can we expect them to work for the professor like ordinary college students?
Even if they wanted to, do they have the ability? Lex's manor in Gotham has a professional cleaning team responsible for maintenance. It would be a bit unreasonable to ask this young master to clean it himself.
But Lex is worthy of being the smartest man in the world. His way of cleaning these offices is to lie on the windowsill and yell "SUPERMAN!!!"
Sure enough, Superman came. He stood in the room and blew, and all the dust was blown away. However, it was obvious that they still had a lot of things to move and furniture to arrange. Superman was alone and could not take care of so many tasks.
Fortunately, there were no heavy objects to be moved, just some personal belongings of the professors, so they were all packing up on their own, while Superman and Lex stayed in Schiller's office because they were the two who knew Schiller best.
Schiller was sorting the books he had moved from his old office onto the bookshelf. When he had just put the second book on the shelf, he heard Clark and Lex sighing.
"...Many agricultural products cannot be sold. Secondary processors charge too much. If the transportation costs are added, it will be a loss-making business. But if we can't cash in this season's harvest, we will have no money to buy seeds and update agricultural machinery. Sigh..."
"So why do secondary processors raise prices?" Lex asked knowingly.
"Of course it's because the sales of all kinds of agricultural products are not good. Many people can't sell them after processing. Secondary processing is a waste of money. Many farmers no longer do this stupid thing. In order to make more money, factory owners have to increase the unit price of processing."
“What do you have on your farm that needs secondary processing?”
"Too many. Grains for brewing, milk for making dairy products, fruits and vegetables for canning..."
"Can't these be sold without processing?"
"Not exactly. Apart from wheat used for brewing, other things can be sold. However, because the storage time is too short and the market in the town is too small, they often go bad before they can be transported to the big city. They can only be sold by making various products."
"It all comes down to transportation costs. If you have a plane, you don't have to worry about it." Lex said meaningfully.
Clark nodded and said, "Yes, prices in the metropolis have skyrocketed, and many people can't eat fresh food and vegetables. But the food and vegetables in my house can't be sold because the distance is too far. It would be great if there was a plane... huh?"
Clark turned to look at Lex, who spread his hands. Clark had no choice but to point at himself and said, "You want me to carry it?!"
"I didn't say that, you said it yourself." Lex shrugged and said, "You are much faster than an airplane, and safer. You can even use your biological stance to ensure that food and vegetables are not damaged."
"But...but I have a job." Clark said, "You also know that the recent marches and protests in the metropolis have been very fierce, but the mayor has adopted a strategy of violent confrontation and has been using the police to suppress the people. I need to expose these things..."
“Why are people protesting?”
"Of course it's because prices have skyrocketed. They can't afford to eat, and there are a lot of taxes to pay. Of course they will protest... Oh, you mean, if I just send enough food over, I can improve the people's situation, and they will stop protesting."
"That's true, but it's still difficult to implement," Lex said. "First, in big cities where supplies are scarce, once someone sells daily necessities at low or normal prices, there will definitely be people hoarding them."
"If it's just one person, it's not a big deal, after all, the house can't hold so much, but many unscrupulous businessmen don't care so much. As long as there is a warehouse, they will stock up as much as possible. They don't care whether other people can eat or not."
Clark also thought of this possibility. He said angrily and frustratedly, "But transporting food alone has taken up all my time. I can't keep track of who bought how much."
"Even if I stand in front of the stall and watch, I can't tell if they send different people to buy. I can't listen to their thoughts one by one, right?"
"So you need a complete and mature supervision system to ensure that everyone buys the right amount, neither too much nor too little, to satisfy themselves without encroaching on others."
"Do I need to write a program first? But I don't have the time or the skills to do that..." Clark turned to look at Lex and said, "You don't mean to say you will do it?"
"This is a perfect collaboration, isn't it? You are responsible for finding a way to transport the surplus food from your farm or the entire state of Kansas to Metropolis. This not only solves the farmers' problems, but also meets the needs of the people in Metropolis. It not only satisfies your heroic mentality, but also satisfies my need to make money and gain fame."
"I'm not trying to be a hero," Clark said. "I just want to feed more people. Wait, if I can get food from Kansas, can I also get food from Mexico?"
Lex snapped his fingers in astonishment and said, "Amazing wisdom!"
"And if I can do this, then Green Lantern and the others can do it too. Maybe Arthur can go by water. We can work together to transport the surplus food in Mexico to the United States. This will not only solve the poverty problem over there, but also ensure the basic survival of the people here."
Lex had already started clapping. As he clapped, he shook his head and sighed, "You are truly a Kryptonian. You can come up with ideas that humans cannot."
Clark showed a hint of disgust and said, "Why can't you just say what you want to say? Why do you have to lead me to say it?"
Lex was about to retort when Clark said, "Is our relationship worth all that effort? Just say it. I don't really think I'm smarter than you."
A straight shot choked Lex, and Clark asked: "We can transport the food, but can you really ensure that everyone gets what he deserves?"
"Of course, the more chaotic society is, the easier it will be for capable people to rebuild a new order. As long as this order can work temporarily, it will build the confidence of the people and will naturally be implemented. As long as the order is scientific enough, it will at least be able to survive the current depression."
"I don't know much about sociology." Clark scratched his head and said, "But I can probably tell whether the system you're talking about is reasonable or not. How about you tell me about it?"
"The simplest thing is that we just need to ensure that everyone can eat and not starve to death. I estimate that the food you transported is just enough to ensure this. Unless you can use the entire Mexico to farm, otherwise the efficiency of your land is good enough to feed more than 1000 million people."
Clark nodded to indicate that he understood. He also knew that what Lex said was true. The land they obtained was indeed very large and fertile, but at least 80% of it was not used. Moreover, it was not only used to grow food, but also feed.
In this situation, Mexico's agricultural conditions are extremely favorable as it can provide basic living needs for tens of millions of people.
"So far, the most reasonable, scientific and simple way to determine how much a person needs to eat to survive is to look at their weight," said Raikes. "Adults eat more and children eat less, mainly because they need different amounts of energy to maintain their own functions, and we can start from this point."
"Perhaps I can establish a health standard system for the Luther Group. As long as the residents of Metropolis are certified in the health system, the system can infer how much food they need every day."
"Then they can get a voucher for the corresponding amount of rations through the Internet or machines deployed in the city, and then use this voucher to go to the warehouse closest to their home to collect the rations..."
Clark was still nodding, and Schiller couldn't stand it any longer. He coughed twice and said tactfully, "In fact, Clark, this is a method that has been practiced. There are actually various..."
"But technology has developed, hasn't it?" Lex said immediately, "I can ensure that the physical examination of each person's health is completely accurate, and the food allocated to them is definitely enough to sustain their survival needs."
"I am also confident in anti-counterfeiting. Each person's certificate has a unique mark, and there is absolutely no possibility of counterfeiting or exchange."
"From a psychological point of view, it doesn't really matter how much food the voucher can buy. What matters is that they know the government has enough food to keep the whole city from starving to death. This gives them a sense of security and at least helps their mental health."
"Let's take a step back and say that even if the food they get in exchange can be circulated within the family, or even on a small scale among neighbors and acquaintances, that's fine. They make their own choices and bear the consequences of their choices. This limited freedom can also provide them with a sense of security and contribute to the stability of the system."
Schiller sighed and thought, what health assessment system, what ration exchange voucher, isn't this just a food stamp? !
If Clark couldn't see it, how could Schiller not see it? Lex didn't even wait for the Mexican Revolution. He was ready to turn the tables and implement the distribution system in the most prosperous cities on the east coast of the United States, taking a big step into socialism.
What's even more outrageous is that he is just trying to take advantage of his personal heroism. If you are a superhero, then transporting food in the central and eastern parts of the country or even across states shouldn't be a big problem, right? As long as the transportation costs are eliminated, both buyers and sellers will be happy.
Clark kept nodding his head, without thinking about how many times he would have to fly a day to transport enough food once the demand was met. Hal was also unlucky, as he took on such a big job without knowing anything.
As for what Schiller thinks, it's a two-way fight, so what else can he say except "The KGB director thinks you're a bit too extreme"?
(End of this chapter)