[Bronze Mark (68/100)]
[Faith (8160/10000)]
New York, at the Messenger Newspaper.
Colin pulled his gaze away from the text before him and looked at Harry. "How are things with Fischer?"
As the influence of the *Superman* comic grew, the newspaper's business empire gradually expanded.
"The market response has been overwhelming."
Harry had expected the Superman merchandise and action figures to be popular, but he had still underestimated the extent of people's love for Superman.
The Superman action figures produced by Fischer were met with fervent enthusiasm the moment they hit the market.
It was said that the toy shelves in many department stores were cleared out almost instantly.
"I've already arranged for Fischer to rush production on a second batch of Superman action figures. We'll try to release them alongside the next issue of the serialized story."
Colin nodded. He wasn't surprised that the Superman action figures were selling so well.
In fact, he had already anticipated this outcome from the constantly rising [Faith] value in his system.
He was now less than two thousand [Faith] points away from the amount needed for the Mark to reach the [Bronze] level. Colin estimated it would take two to three weeks at most.
Compared to the steady, continuous growth of [Faith], the [Time Shards] for the Bronze Mark had become a problem.
As his interactions with Howard and the others deepened, the rate at which he acquired [Time Shards] from them began to slow down, especially after the operation at the Hydra Base.
This trend had become particularly obvious. The last time Colin had obtained a [Time Shard] from the The Resistants was three days ago, when he met with Nick at the Avengers Base.
This meant that if Colin didn't want his progress in acquiring [Time Shards] to stagnate, he would need to work harder in the Anti-World to come into contact with those [Twisted Time Nodes].
Especially [Twisted Time Nodes] he had never encountered before.
Past experience had already shown that [Time Shards] were easiest to obtain upon first contact.
All it took was the simplest physical touch.
...
"...At 10 a.m., New York Mayor Wilson Fisk signed an executive order banning any unregistered 'illegal' Superhero activity within the city. This makes New York City the first to prohibit the activities of non-registered Superheroes. The move also encourages citizens to report any such illegal activities by street-level Superheroes."
"According to the executive order, this measure will deal a fatal blow to Superhero activity in New York City, which currently has the highest number of Superheroes in all of America. According to surveys, there are over ten Superheroes active in the Manhattan District alone, and of those, more than eighty percent are unregistered. We do not yet know what impact this new executive order will have on New York City."
"According to the executive order, New York City's new ban will take effect in three days. The ban applies to all unregistered Superhero groups and individuals within the city limits. It is possible that we may not see these Superheroes appearing in New York City for a long time to come."
"However, some reporters have expressed skepticism, believing that these unregistered Superheroes may not comply with the Mayor's ban. In a sense, they are already operating illegally, and the new ban merely makes their illegal status even more so."
"At the same time, not all New York citizens agree with the contents of the executive order. According to public opinion polls, over fifty percent of citizens believe that the existence of Superheroes is necessary."
"In contrast, Mayor Wilson Fisk stated upon signing the executive order: 'These (unregistered Superheroes) have already caused harm to our city. We don't need illegal Superheroes. It's time to get rid of them.'"
Anti-World, Frontline Press.
Colin sorted through the news content in his hands, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
It was foreseeable that with the signing of this executive order, all of New York City's Superheroes would face an unprecedented crisis.
Considering the true identity behind Mayor Kingpin, Colin didn't think he was just making empty threats.
As he pondered Kingpin's objective, his hands flew across the keyboard under the effect of [Super Intellect].
Soon, a news article about the New York Mayor signing the executive order was complete.
Colin silently retracted his gaze, just about to send the article to his boss, Ben Urich, in the office.
"Kent, are you finished with the news on the executive order...?"
However, before he could press the send button, his [Super Hearing] picked up the sound of hurried footsteps in the office.
Immediately after, Ben Urich rushed out of his office with an excited expression and asked Colin.
"Actually, I was just about to send it to you, boss," Colin replied, pointing at the email on his computer.
"Never mind that report..."
Waving his hand to stop Colin from sending it, Ben Urich took a deep breath to suppress his excitement. He pointed to the contents of a news report and said, "Just now, New York Mayor Wilson Fisk was shot. Based on the chaotic situation at the scene, the culprit was very likely an unregistered Superhero opposed to the executive order. Kent, I need you to investigate and find out the truth. It would be even better if you can find out which Superhero it was..."
The Mayor of New York being attacked was no small matter.
Kingpin, attacked?
Hearing the latest news from Ben Urich, Colin's first thought was disbelief.
After all, if Kingpin could be assassinated so easily, he would never have become the leader who ruled over New York's entire Underworld.
No, perhaps... this was exactly what Kingpin wanted!
An idea suddenly flashed through Colin's mind as he looked at the burly figure of Kingpin on the computer screen, signing the executive order at the press conference.
Such a simple shooting incident could never kill Kingpin.
Unless, the entire thing was orchestrated by him.
As for the motive, it was naturally for the sake of the executive order he had just signed.
What could possibly be more effective at galvanizing public support for the executive order than the mayor himself being attacked by a Superhero?
Especially when the vast majority of the public was unaware of Kingpin's true identity.
In their eyes, Kingpin was just an ordinary businessman. And based on Ben Urich's description of the attack, he had sustained considerable injuries at the scene. It would be difficult for any normal person to connect the attack to the victim himself.
Such a guess might seem absurd, but Colin was highly confident it was true.
Thanks to the reader 'This Person Is a Trap' for the 200 Qidian Coin donation.
(end of chapter)