Chapter 124: Tailing
2023-05-02 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
[Contacted a Twisted Time Node, collected a small amount of Time Shards ×1]
[Bronze Mark (82/100)]
As expected.
A thoughtful expression crossed Colin's face as he read the displayed text.
As the influence of the news in the Frontline newspaper grew, his collection of [Time Shards] also seemed to have changed.
So, this counts as a form of contact?
Pondering, Colin's gaze fell upon the [Time Shard (Kingpin)]. Beneath the shard's flickering light, he could vaguely see Kingpin swinging his fists, brutally beating an opponent into a bloody pulp. The shard's images were overwhelmingly filled with blood, and every one of Kingpin's appearances was accompanied by gore and tyranny, right up until he picked up his cane.
Colin wasn't surprised by the depiction of Kingpin within the [Time Shard].
As a leader who rose through the ranks of the Underworld, Kingpin had achieved his current status—even running for Mayor of New York—by fighting his way up with his own fists, one punch at a time.
Looking at it from another angle, it was almost an 'inspirational' story.
A boy who lost his father at a young age, who grew through his own struggles, and finally succeeded in being elected Mayor of New York City. Isn't this the quintessential 'American Dream' experience? The only pity was that the real-life protagonist of this 'American Dream' had achieved his aspirations through means too brutal for most to accept.
Unfortunately, I'm the only one who can see the scenes in the [Time Shard]. Otherwise, this content alone—any part of it—would be enough to easily force Kingpin to step down.
He withdrew his gaze from the [Time Shard] with a slight sense of regret.
Colin felt a new doubt arise. If this also counted as a form of contact, then why hadn't he obtained any [Time Shards] when he reported the news about Spider-Man before?
After all, when Kingpin was 'attacked' back then, he had also published a news report about Spider-Man.
However, that time clearly didn't generate any [Time Shards] like this. It wasn't until the Thunderbolts' operation later on that he obtained a shard from Spider-Man and, at the same time, learned his true identity.
What exactly was the difference?
Frowning, he considered the disparity between the two situations. The only conceivable difference was the impact of the news.
In the Spider-Man report, Frontline was just one of many publications covering the news and didn't have any particularly significant influence. But now, with the Mayor's scandal, he was the actual revealer, the whistleblower for the entire case.
It had caused a tangible impact on Kingpin's position as Mayor.
Therefore, to obtain [Time Shards] through news reports, one must have sufficient influence.
This is forcing me to develop into the role of an investigative reporter.
In any case, discovering a new method for obtaining [Time Shards] was always a good thing.
Especially since Kingpin was still sitting in the Mayor's seat, which meant that as long as Colin was willing, he could obtain [Time Shards] by exposing him through reports. If one report wasn't enough, he could write several more. If that still didn't work, he could just publish a book. In short, as long as Kingpin remained in his position, Colin could use it to acquire [Time Shards].
At this rate, Colin actually hoped Kingpin wouldn't step down so soon.
After all, what could be an easier way to get [Time Shards]?
...
"See you tomorrow, Kent."
The Frontline newspaper office.
Following Colin's news that exposed the Mayor's scandal, his status within the newspaper office had changed noticeably. Even colleagues who weren't very familiar with him before had started to greet him.
He adjusted his glasses, nodding in response to his fellow reporters in the newspaper office.
As the number of people inside Frontline dwindled, Colin used [Super Hearing] to confirm that no one else was around.
He glanced at the largely unfinished news manuscript on his laptop, took a deep breath, and with the activation of [Super Speed], his hands flew across the keyboard, blurring into afterimages amidst a rapid-fire series of keystrokes. A task that would have originally taken half an hour was completed in just about a minute.
He stopped typing, proofread the news manuscript, and nodded in satisfaction.
In fact, this wasn't even his fastest speed; if he wanted to, he could have finished editing the news manuscript in just a few short seconds.
However, considering the laptop's performance couldn't keep up with such a rapid reaction time, he had to 'lower' his speed a bit.
Once the news manuscript was finished, Colin casually sent it to Ben Urich's email for tomorrow's Frontline report.
His figure turned into an afterimage, and in an instant, he had tidied up everything on his desk.
With his laptop bag on his back, Colin's body flickered and appeared at the elevator door. After pressing the button, he finally returned his speed to normal.
...
Coming out of the elevator, Colin walked out of the Frontline newspaper office building.
He started his Automobile, preparing to leave.
Suddenly, his [Super Hearing] detected something unusual.
His eyebrow twitched slightly under his glasses, but his expression remained unchanged. He started the Automobile with complete composure and continued on his planned route.
"He's out."
"Follow him!"
"So, is this Kingpin's revenge?"
As he drove, listening to the conversation from the car tailing him through [Super Hearing], Colin already had a good idea of what was happening.
"This is a little faster than I expected. It seems the news report from before really angered him."
Kingpin clearly wasn't going to remain indifferent to Colin, the reporter who dared to expose his true nature.
His calmness was merely a facade. As a leader of the Underworld, Kingpin had never been one to passively endure insults, a fact Colin knew clearly from the scenes displayed in the [Time Shard].
After dealing with the impact of the scandal on his status as Mayor, Kingpin began to make a move in the shadows against Colin, the reporter who had caused him trouble.
On this matter, Ben Urich, his veteran journalist boss, had warned Colin more than once to carry a handgun and to call him and the police immediately if anything suspicious occurred. Although the New York City Police Department's reputation had plummeted during the last wave of news revelations, it still held some deterrent power.
Especially with Colin's current identity, if anything were to happen to him, every reporter in New York City would launch a collective media attack.
Because this was no longer just about him; it was a matter of safety for all reporters and the media.
Thanks to Dihuang Mieshi for the 100 Qidian Coin donation.
(end of chapter)