The Batplane landed on the rooftop of Wayne Manor. Bruce Wayne and Barry Allen disembarked from the aircraft. Alfred stood at the door to the roof terrace to welcome them. "Welcome back. This is..."
"My name is Barry Allen." Barry stepped forward to shake Alfred's hand and then said, "I might be staying here for a while, so I apologize for the inconvenience..."
Alfred gave him a gentle smile. Bruce was the first to head downstairs, with Barry following behind. He was evidently already aware that the Martian Manhunter was visiting, and upon reaching the living room, he shook hands with Ron, who was having coffee.
"I went out for some matters; I didn't miss anything important, did I?"
Ron just shook his head. He appeared somewhat downcast and silently handed Bruce a document, then said, "I'd like to ask you to help me find out where these people have gone."
Bruce glanced down at the list, puzzled, and looked at Ron. Ron said, "Specifically, where they all work after graduation. Be detailed. In return, I can work for you."
Bruce shook his head and said, "I don't need you to work for me. We've agreed to face the potential darkness together, for the Earth, and for yourself."
Ron still remained silent, seeming very distracted. Bruce turned to Barry and said, "Your room upstairs is ready. You shouldn't go outside for the next few days. We'll discuss other matters once the turmoil subsides."
Barry nodded. He went up to his room and took a tour. The room was luxurious, but he really wasn't in the mood to look. The recent ups and downs had been too severe, leaving him in a very agitated state, pacing the living room 30 times a minute.
Ron was somewhat annoyed by Barry's pacing, but seeing Barry's youthful face, he couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh. He could only say, "Sit down and rest for a while, sir. Aren't you tired?"
"Sorry, but once I stop, I..." Barry wiped his face in pain, then said, "You have no idea what I've seen. I practically..."
Barry collapsed onto the sofa, lying there for a few minutes before sitting up again. He asked Alfred, the butler, "Hello, sir, could you bring me a computer?"
When a person sees something completely beyond their worldview, they feel extremely uncomfortable. When language fails to describe such things, instinct drives them to share it with others, so they can commiserate together.
Barry decided to share what he had seen with Ron. He took the computer Alfred brought over, plugged in the hard drive with those copied photos, and handed it to Ron.
In fact, he hadn't finished viewing these photos himself. With someone beside him to bolster his courage, they flipped through the images recklessly. By the time Bruce finished with the investigation and came out, both leaned over the kitchen sink to vomit. Alfred stood by, looking resigned.
Once the two lumps of noodles were back on the sofa, Bruce sighed and said, "Curiosity killed the cat."
The two of them sprawled on the sofa, unable to say a word. They could still handle the gruesome scenes involving adults to some extent. After seeing enough of it, the eyes can automatically overlook it; otherwise, there wouldn't be any coroners who could do their jobs.
But the most terrifying images were the ones involving children. Barry might have been slightly better, considering he was still young, without a family or children. But Ron was married and had kids, and some of the kids were similar in age to his own.
Most horrifyingly, Lois captured images of a burned orphanage during a certain California wildfire. About twenty children were severely burned. Since Lois arrived on the scene first, she captured images of the victims' faces. When Ron saw this, he couldn't watch any longer and almost wished he could faint immediately.
Even with the Martian Manhunter's experience on two planets and two civilizations as law enforcement, these things were a bit overwhelming.
Bruce brought even worse news. He directly handed Ron three documents, precisely about the three medical students Ron suspected. The materials showed that one of them worked at multiple pharmaceutical companies after graduation and was involved in developing new drugs at a secret lab during the era of Dr. Erdel's death. His name prominently appeared on the developers' list for a new drug targeting Marfan Syndrome.
It was only then that Ron gave up all illusions. He took out the remaining pills from Dr. Erdel's prescription from his pocket, handed them to Bruce, and said, "Please test these for me. I want to know if they work, and what they do."
After Bruce left again, the two continued vomiting until Alfred prepared them some calming tea. After drinking it, their nausea finally subsided a bit, but they were completely exhausted. Barry lacked physical strength, and Ron lacked mental strength.
Both fell asleep on the sofa, and Alfred covered them with blankets. The night passed like this. The next morning, Bruce woke them up, handed a stack of test reports to Ron, and said, "If you hadn't told me this was a drug for Marfan Syndrome, I would have thought it was a long-acting stimulant based on the test results alone."
Bruce interlocked his fingers and placed them on his lap, saying, "To put it simply, it would enhance the heart's blood supply capacity, accelerate blood circulation speed, and temporarily improve human athletic performance. But for patients with heart conditions, this is deadly, as it can very likely cause the aorta to rupture..."
Ron's face was ashen. He couldn't suppress his emotions, losing his human form, and reverted to his Martian state, startling Barry.
"How dare they... how dare they..."
Ron was more seasoned than Barry; his loss of control lasted only a moment before he regained composure, asking, "Is it only this batch of medicine that has issues, or all of them?"
"All the drugs have issues," Bruce replied. "In America, the incidence of Marfan Syndrome has surpassed the rare disease category. Most of these people have insurance; you understand what that means, right?"
Ron tightly closed his eyes. He certainly understood, but he didn't want to admit it.
Insurance companies would use coverage for a relatively rare disease to boost the appeal of their insurance products and collect more premiums. Since it's a rare disease, even if the treatment costs are relatively high, it's still profitable for insurance companies overall.
However, if the number of cases exceeds a certain threshold, the profit margins drop significantly. After all, the condition is hard to treat, and even covering surgery costs isn't very profitable for the insurers.
And this type of non-accidental illness insurance is relatively hard to avoid paying out, as gaining a hospital's definitive diagnosis report makes it difficult to escape the obligation. If the opposition opts for legal proceedings, the chances of winning are high. In other words, the insurance company enjoys collecting premiums temporarily, but as more people fall ill, it becomes a financial burden.
And since the insurance company doesn't want to continue losing money, what can be done? The best way is to contact pharmaceutical companies to switch their drugs.
By merely switching the drug to a less effective one, many patients might not survive until surgery. Once deceased, naturally, there's no payout. Moreover, if the person had accidental death insurance, the company could cite intentional medication switch and lack legal documentation of natural death, thereby denying claims - a perfect two-for-one benefit.
Some might wonder, "Why would pharmaceutical companies just cater to insurers' needs by developing new drugs? Isn't that ill-intentioned?" but the ties between the medical and insurance industries are numerous, with countless benefits exchanged amongst them.
Typically, the pharmaceutical companies bear the full cost of new drug development. However, if insurers are involved, they contribute part of the funding, yet the developed drug doesn't decrease in price but instead becomes more expensive with higher profit margins.
And since the new drug isn't effective, patients still feel unwell after taking it. What then? Naturally, they purchase painkillers, adding more revenue to the pharmaceutical industry.
Surely someone will ask, "Why would patients give up better and cheaper old drugs for expensive and ineffective new ones?"
Apologies, but this is where the insurance companies step in. "You won't get coverage if you don't use the new drug; you didn't take the designated pre-surgery medication, so claims are denied, and the bill is on you." Even taking it to court won't win.
Thus, a perfect cycle is formed: Insurance companies fund pharmaceutical companies to reduce drug efficacy, then use the drugs to threaten customers; with decreased efficacy, mortality rates rise, and insurers pay less.
As long as their reduction in payouts exceeds the medical company's funding, they profit. This explains the high demand for actuaries in America, as calculations are necessary for these matters. In a professional actuary team's calculations, both pharmaceutical and insurance industries avoid losses. The question of who bears the most cost doesn't need to be asked.
This is why many Americans resist vaccines. It may sound ignorant, but experiencing misfortune leaves wisdom. Slight ingredient tweaks can eliminate a batch of insurance clients; under such circumstances, who knows what they'll inject into you?
The potent medicine in Ron's hand was even more drastically altered by pharmaceutical companies. Instead of reducing active components, they switched to elements that patients could least endure, effectively poisoning them.
Yet, no one knew this, causing no ripples. How many victims, like Dr. Erdel, suffered ruptured heart vessels due to the new drug is unknown. Decades have passed, and history was completely covered up. If Bruce Wayne weren't Batman, not even superpower users like the Martian Manhunter would know a shred of the truth.
Looking at Ron's expression, Bruce could infer some understanding, so he said, "But actually, the drug's fatal cycle might be relatively long. If problems arise soon after starting the medication, the issue might not solely lie in the drug."