The "Extraordinary Being Rating Temporary Bill" would normally be impossible to pass.
Even knowing that a true god like Thor, who has lived since mythological times, is not someone Earth can provoke, the White House and Congress would still be reluctant to acknowledge his status, let alone give up any portion of leadership.
Politicians, being dirty as they are, wouldn't hesitate to enslave a god if given the chance.
The timing of President Ellis's proposal was almost too perfect.
He had just cleared out the Vice President with impeccable evidence. In simpler terms, anyone in his own party who opposed him at this point risked being the next target, set up for a political purge.
The President and Vice President were originally part of the same party, representing two different interest groups. Since the Vice President was taken down, purging the Vice President's allies in Congress was a simple matter. After all, none of the high-ranking officials have a clean slate.
Of course, when President Ellis introduced this bill, it was more of a "do everything you can and leave the rest to fate" situation.
The age-old elephant and donkey rivalry persisted, and Ellis wasn't confident he could persuade the opposing party's members.
After a month of lengthy debates, the President was surprised to find that quite a few members of the opposition also supported his bill.
This allowed the bill to pass through both the Senate and the House with a moderate but sufficient margin.
It was... intriguing, to say the least.
When news of the bill's passage broke, countless superhero fans cheered, while the tycoons who lost fortunes in the aftermath of the New York incident quietly grumbled.
At Wayne Manor in Gotham:
Bruce sat in his grand armchair, glaring at his troublemaking son. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
Sitting across from him, legs crossed and shaking his foot, Atreus shrugged, "It wasn't me who convinced the President to do this."
Bruce's tone was ice-cold. "But you used the Wayne family connections to manipulate the judgment of every senator and congressman associated with us."
To the Dark Knight, this was a mockery of justice and procedure.
Atreus casually lifted his champagne glass. Standing beside him, Alfred smiled as he filled the glass. "The famous Batman is at the top of this white list, you know. Pushing this bill through was also to help Batman. I guess, as they say, truth speaks for itself."
"You..." Bruce was speechless.
"Alright, dear father, I have to attend the 'New York Rebuild Charity Gala.' If you want to give me your 'twenty years of lectures,' please schedule an appointment. Unlike a certain someone who claims to be retired, I'm very busy." With that, Atreus downed his champagne, raised his empty glass to his father with a mischievous grin, placed it on the tray Alfred was holding, and left.
Bruce's forehead vein twitched the entire time.
The butler, still smiling, said, "Master, try to see the bright side. At least he's learned to operate within the rules. For someone his age, that's quite a rare quality. Think about how rebellious you were at twenty."
Bruce paused.
Him? He was much more rebellious back then. He didn't even want to inherit the Wayne fortune.
At least Atreus followed the rules. He behaved like a proper heir to a business empire, using the connections of his ancestors to buy off politicians and push legislation favorable to himself at the national level.
Politicians are always in need of money. To get elected, they need to run ads, and ad campaigns are a bottomless pit of expenses. Since there's a legal limit on individual contributions, what they really need are "soft donations."
Atreus 's financial power met all their needs.
First, Atreus maxed out their sponsorships. He used excuses like tips, promotions, and bonuses to distribute money throughout Wayne Enterprises, encouraging employees to donate to the politicians he supported in their individual capacities.
Next, Atreus used his wealth to acquire all traditional media outlets he could—newspapers, TV stations, subway ads, and billboards—and even created a short video platform called TicTok. Once launched, it immediately won over a large following among young people.
If anyone else tried this, they'd probably face resistance.
But with Atreus , the heir to the prestigious Wayne family, it was different. With New York in ruins and many media companies' headquarters destroyed, many saw him as a much-needed revitalizing force. So, opposition was minimal.
This allowed Atreus to win the support of both current and aspiring politicians.
In America, people expect results when money is exchanged. If a politician takes campaign contributions but doesn't follow through, things get ugly fast. A "suicide" with eight gunshot wounds would be the least of their problems. The worst would be being framed for something like "assaulting an elderly lady," ruining their entire reputation.
With financial power at his disposal and control over the media, Atreus had politicians falling over themselves to please him.
At the charity gala for rebuilding New York, when Atreus stepped out of his Rolls-Royce with Diana Prince on his arm, they were greeted with the loudest applause of the night.
At least a hundred reporters surrounded them, snapping photos, their flashes merging into a bright, continuous light.
At that moment, with their wealth and looks, they were undoubtedly the most dazzling duo in the room.
From the second-floor balcony, Pepper Potts, standing close to Tony Stark, couldn't help but whisper in his ear, "Is that really the same person?"
Tony grimaced, "As much as I hate to admit it, I made his suit, after all."
Who could possibly associate the seemingly wild and reckless Kratos with the refined and graceful young man in front of them?
Or guess that the stunning woman beside him, with her supermodel physique, was the renowned Wonder Woman?
Adding Iron Man to the mix, in a way, these guys had pretty much infiltrated New York's high society completely.
Not long after, in this elegant venue located in northern Manhattan, one of the few places not wrecked by aliens, the charity auction for disaster relief began.
After a few pleasantries, the auctioneer introduced the first item of the evening.
"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to formally present the first auction item, donated by Mr. Atreus Wayne, a replica Spartan Golden Bracelet. I must emphasize, this is not an original. Based on carbon dating, it's only about a hundred years old. However, this replica perfectly recreates the craftsmanship of ancient Greek Spartan royalty…"
After a long-winded introduction, the bidding started at $10,000.
As the saying goes, it takes a group to carry the sedan chair. Tony, being a good sport, eventually won the bid for a whopping $3 million.
(End of chapter)