"I know you have many questions. Especially you, Brainiac, you must be curious: how did I come up with such a plan in this situation, and successfully execute it..."
"No, I'm not curious at all," Brainiac said, "I don't care where you took the thief you caught, how you contacted the leader of this underground organization through him, or how you persuaded him. Just tell me if this trouble has been resolved."
"Certainly not," Greed said somewhat surprised, "You actually think solving the troubles on Earth is the end? Come on, can't you have a bit of temper? They're kidnapping children and stealing things in your territory, and you're just going to let it go like this?"
"Alright, then what do you suggest?" Brainiac had a look of complete resignation.
"When I mentioned this name, you should have started investigating. So why not tell this little friend who Tobias really is."
"What I can find so far is that he was once an entrepreneur, also involved with the Mob in Metropolis. But currently, he's the manager of a paint factory in Metropolis. From his recent behavior patterns, there's nothing unusual."
"Of course, he's a smart man, understands the wisdom of lying low before he shows his hand. This way, he can deliver a fatal blow at the critical moment."
"You mean he never gave up resistance?"
"Don't be so naïve, Little Bruce. There are many people like that. Do you really think those elites who are used to being superior would just change their ways, give up exploiting others, and become good citizens under your rule?"
Greed stood up, spreading his hands and said, "The Human race is better at disguise and endurance than you think. During the war, they understood that without you, they couldn't repel the aliens on their own, so everyone would die together. So, they would sincerely put effort, but not because they approve of you, they just want to maintain their superior position.
"But now the war is over, and they realize you have no intention of granting them privileges: no rewards for contributions, no restoration of order, but you're planning to continue this seemingly equal rights system indefinitely. Isn't that the end for them? A person who has been in power for decades, and you now expect them to toil alongside laborers, how could they agree?
"They just haven't found a way to defeat you yet, so they'll endure; but as soon as you show a flaw, they'll be like bloodthirsty piranhas, each wanting to bite a piece. Why do you think Tobias frequently orchestrates child abductions? Once you show even a hint of a flaw, they will definitely choose to magnify it infinitely."
"But they can't," Brainiac said, "I can easily block Earth's information. No one can broadcast news I don't want on any public platform under my governance. No matter how big a commotion they cause, it won't get out."
"No, you've got it completely wrong," Greed shook his head, "Once you start blocking information, you've already fallen into their trap. Because, the Human race is an emotional creature, you can't expect them to think rationally all the time. Fear of the unknown can be infinitely magnified, when they know they don't know something, they'll imagine the worst. This undermines people's trust in you. And worse, you're inherently untrustworthy because you're not even Human."
Brainiac was silent for a moment, then continued, "So they made the incident to force me to block information? But the child abduction case has been happening for so long, they don't seem to have done much."
"Ha, if I hadn't helped you a bit, having Barry rescue the kidnapped children and quickly dismantling the heresy organization Paul's father was part of, what do you think they would have done?"
Brainiac immediately understood. This matter certainly seemed like an intricately linked trap: first, they sent people to kidnap children, then negotiated with Paul's father to have his son kidnapped too, cementing Paul's father's victim status, and then used the cultist network to spread the news. Once Brainiac blocked the news, those who knew about it would naturally start to doubt him.
Whether it's the underground organization led by Tobias or those cultists, they have ways to bypass Brainiac. They can fully leverage this incident to spread rumors within their circles of friends and family, inciting unrest, drawing more people into the resistance movement.
Don't think it's hard. From the perspective of ordinary people, Brainiac himself isn't very trustworthy, even if he has indeed brought about positive changes, people will always harbor a shadow: those not of our kind, their hearts must be different.
And at this point, if anyone slightly agitates, or produces some seemingly plausible evidence — even not completely fabricated, but indeed based on facts — they can prove to those being indoctrinated that certain disasters have indeed occurred, and Brainiac chose to hide it. Naturally, people would feel panic. And fear is mankind's greatest motivator, at this time, even knowing these underground organizations may not have good intentions, out of fear, they would choose to join.
The reason it's a child kidnapping case is that most people cannot tolerate crimes against children. Some people think gambling and drug use are no big deal, and some even find murderers somewhat understandable, but crimes against children touch the nerve of most people, ensuring they can attract enough followers.
Once he understood this, Brainiac also realized why these kidnappers didn't choose to kill the children but instead insisted on bringing them to a base, seemingly intending to train them.
They are innocent victims and the most compelling evidence to prove certain people's crimes. As long as they unite and accuse Brainiac, most of the Human race will choose to stand by the children, making it even more inflammatory.
"Their plan was good, but unfortunately, there were two unexpected turns," Greed continued, "one was me, and the other was Paul. I exposed the whereabouts of the child kidnappers in advance, leading to their failure to control the children successfully; Paul, being more mature and rational than most kids, exposed and killed his father, allowing us to destroy the cultists' base successfully. Thus, this entire plan failed. But you don't think it ends here, do you?"
"Of course not," Brainiac said, "in fact, I also detected some anomalies in Europe. Previously, a port in Southern Italy had an incident affecting the shipping business; London's control tower suddenly had a mechanical failure, causing massive flight delays. Now it seems these were all traps aimed at me."
"Exactly, they are creating vicious cases similar to the child kidnapping case worldwide, not only to stretch you thin but to cast a wide net for more catches. If there's a single mishap, panic will spread widely. If you stand opposed to all humanity, even those like Batman and Superman who know the truth cannot fully stand by you. The mere occurrence of such gaps proves your incompetence, thereby making it worth debating whether you should wield such power. You know what the answer will be."
"That jammer is too troublesome," Brainiac said, "the device I seized from that thief has already been sent to Primary Universe Batman for analysis. He has found some clues but still needs a few days."
"You still don't get it," Greed continued, "it's not about a particular device or person, but your way of ruling indeed has some fallacy—you are too soft-hearted towards humans."
"Huh?" Barry first looked at Greed, with a face full of "do you hear what you're saying."
Brainiac could only respond with silence; whether he agreed or acted humbly, something seemed off with either choice.
"Of course, I know you're not the evil robot from human movies, but have you ever considered that humans aren't the naive characters from the movies either?" Greed shook his head and said, "During wartime, human unity gave you an illusion, which is: as long as you are good to humans, they will be good to you; as long as you do the right thing, humans will support you; as long as you enable most humans to live a good life, you can coexist peacefully. But that's entirely untrue.
"The enormous pressure of survival during wartime forced humans to exhibit their best traits to deal with the crisis of civilization extinction: politicians became tough and charismatic, civilians started living frugally, enduring hardships, merchants calculated carefully yet were willing to donate generously, superpower users remained steadfast and unyielding.
"This is indeed humanity. In a life-and-death crisis, everyone can unleash enormous potential, unite sincerely, stand firm together, even willing to sacrifice for miracles that seem impossible.
"But you also have to admit: politicians are shortsighted and corrupt, ordinary people are cunning and selfish, businessmen forsake all moral rules for profit, superpower users lack restraint and act rashly.
"The fundamental original sins of humanity are Greed and Arrogance, which manifest in everyone. Greed is evident in that even if you have given most people a better life, they still feel unsatisfied: those whose living standards have dropped will blame you, while even those whose standard of living has improved will not be satisfied and will want more.
"Arrogance manifests in: forget the pain when the scar is healed. Without imminent threats, they think they can manage, questioning why a piece of electronic life should govern them, believing that if they were in charge, they would do better than you.
"So, your performance in the post-war period, I'd give you at most 40 points, considering you saved many already miserable humans who had hit rock bottom. But you have been too lenient towards those who once lived at the top, leading to this series of changes. If I were you, I would have leveraged the Aliens during the war to purge them completely, throwing the old bones who indulge in past glories into the fireplace, leaving only a new generation that can adapt to today's living mode. Either do nothing or do it thoroughly.
"Of course, I understand your concern. After all, you are not human, and if you did that, people would accuse you of committing a massacre. So, let's choose a more moderate method."
"What?" Brainiac's tone revealed a hint of intrigue. Barry could completely hear it; it seemed he had put up with these people for a long time—although he ultimately didn't do as Greed said, he certainly considered it.
"Manipulate them rather than serve them, control them instead of helping them, and most importantly—join them and become their only savior."