Chapter 383 - 383: Family Reproduction

"We all understand perfectly well why your side came here."

The impeccably dressed head of the Gotham Television Alliance sat at the negotiating table and spoke in a seemingly friendly tone.

"Let me put it this way. From both a creative and entertainment standpoint, this talent competition has tremendous potential. It could attract a great deal of attention and discussion, and might even become one of the biggest topics of the year..."

Karl gave a slight shake of his head, cutting him off without bothering to acknowledge the flattery.

"Skip the compliments. Just get to the 'but.' We're all busy people, so there's no need to go through all this ceremony."

The lukewarm response caused subtle changes in the expressions of everyone present.

After all, nearly everyone sitting here was a major figure in Gotham's television industry.

Karl, on the other hand, was a complete newcomer.

Yet despite being new to the business, he showed neither nervousness nor deference. In their eyes, he was being rather lacking in humility.

"Heh. Mr. Karl certainly speaks his mind."

The head of the Television Alliance smiled.

"In that case, I'll be straightforward. The reason we asked you to abandon this project is that, given your company's current resources and production experience, you simply aren't equipped to handle something of this scale."

"The project covers far too much ground and would require an enormous investment. Your company has never independently produced its own television program before, so after discussing the matter, my colleagues and I unanimously concluded that it would be better for you to give up on this project."

Karl raised an eyebrow, his expression remaining perfectly calm.

"And then what?"

"Hand the program over to supposedly experienced companies like yours?"

"Is that it?"

The head of the Television Alliance nodded without trying to hide his intentions.

He even let out a long sigh before offering Karl what sounded like heartfelt advice.

"There would be nothing wrong with allowing us to take over. It would provide the strongest guarantee of quality and ensure that such an excellent concept isn't wasted."

"Of course, we wouldn't leave your company with nothing."

"You could participate as a cooperator. You wouldn't have to pay broadcasting fees for the program, and you could receive a share of the advertising revenue."

Karl narrowed his eyes.

He stared at the man for a moment, making sure he wasn't joking.

The share they were offering was pitiful.

It wasn't even close to half of what the project was worth.

Another person at the table appeared to notice Karl's displeasure and continued.

"You may have already made a name for yourself in other fields, but you're still unfamiliar with the television industry. You need to think further ahead instead of focusing only on immediate profits."

"If you participate in a joint production, you'll gain valuable experience. You'll also establish a foothold in this industry, build connections, and increase your chances of cooperating with other senior figures in the business in the future."

"For a company like yours, those are opportunities money simply cannot buy."

"So I should thank you?"

A sly smile appeared on Karl's face.

"Actually, I don't mind the idea of a joint production."

"There's plenty of money in this world to be made. Why insist on earning it alone when everyone can make money together?"

"But..."

Karl's tone abruptly sharpened.

His cold gaze swept across everyone sitting at the table.

"If you think I'm an idiot, then this stops being entertaining."

"The fact is, I work in law enforcement. I deal with scammers, thieves, and hypocrites every day."

"So I can usually tell at a glance who's lying and who's putting on an act."

"The real reason you're willing to let me participate is because I already filed protections for this talent competition—from its core concept all the way down to its functional details."

"Even if you wanted to create a similar program by yourselves, it would be extremely difficult to avoid the protections I've already established without blatantly stealing my concept."

The head of the Television Alliance frowned and quickly explained.

"That isn't the case, Mr. Karl. You're worrying too much."

"The scope of competitions like this is extremely broad. Registering a few patents and trademarks doesn't mean nobody else can produce something similar."

"In fact, many of the television veterans sitting here have extensive experience organizing beauty pageants and similar competitions. We're perfectly capable of producing this kind of program ourselves."

"That's precisely why we're sincerely inviting you to participate."

Unexpectedly, those words only made Karl even less interested.

"Of course a generic competition format can be reproduced."

"But the reason my casting program is so appealing is because it's directly tied to the Batman series."

"The best performers can earn roles in the show, while winners from other categories can receive professional promotion and use the program as the launchpad for their debut."

"The words 'Gotham' and 'Batman' carry enormous value."

"But they also come with enormous risks."

"And those risks are exactly why none of you dare touch them."

"That's what makes this whole situation so interesting to me."

Karl had every reason to say that.

The value of the Batman name and its influence throughout Gotham City were incomparable.

Attach Batman to almost any entertainment product and there was enormous money to be made.

But there was also a problem.

On the very night Karl announced that he intended to produce a Batman television series, both Joker and Batman had personally visited his television station.

The two had even ended up fighting inside the studio.

And that was where the real difference lay.

What kind of person was Karl?

He was the only police officer in Gotham City who had personally captured Joker twice through his own strength.

He was also someone capable of sitting down and casually talking with Batman as an equal.

With that kind of power behind him, announcing that he intended to produce a Batman show was hardly unusual.

But what ordinary television station possessed that luxury?

If Joker decided to visit one of them, he might simply blow their entire building to pieces.

And if Batman came instead, they might receive a righteous beating, discover exactly what they had supposedly done wrong, and eventually find themselves thrown into Blackgate Prison.

In other words, only someone like Karl—someone who was both powerful and willing to intervene when he saw injustice—could openly announce that he intended to film stories about Batman without worrying about the consequences.

And only by establishing the Batman television series first could a talent competition built around the series truly generate widespread interest.

The two projects naturally complemented each other.

Karl looked around the table.

"Gentlemen, since you never intended to genuinely accept me from the beginning, then you can worry about everything else yourselves."

"Whether I have your approval or not, I'm going to develop this program independently."

"And I'm going to see it through."

"That's all."

"Oh, and one last thing—happy Halloween, gentlemen."

With that, Karl stood up.

Without paying any further attention to anyone in the room, he opened the door and immediately walked out of the hall.

The group left behind could only exchange stunned looks.

None of them had expected Karl to be this uncompromising.

He had simply gotten up and walked away, leaving them no room to negotiate further.

"Young people really are getting more arrogant by the day!"

One of the television executives snorted.

"He catches Joker once or twice and suddenly thinks he can act however he wants?"

"He really doesn't take people like us seriously at all."

(End of Chapter)

[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]

[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]

[[email protected]/Zukooo]

[Thanks for your support!]