Chapter 130: Batman's Debut
"Hm?"
Hearing Colin's question, LaGuardia paused for a moment, somewhat surprised.
However, he quickly recovered and said, "It's no secret."
LaGuardia had served as New York City's Deputy District Attorney and had been elected to the House of Representatives twice, accumulating a wealth of political experience and connections.
Now, if he wanted to advance his political career, the only path left was the mayoral election.
In fact, LaGuardia had revealed his intention to run for Mayor of New York City quite some time ago, and there was little opposition to it within the Republican Party. Due to the Great Depression, the entire city of New York was in chaos. Soaring unemployment rates, rampant corruption, and deteriorating public safety had led to growing public discontent.
Everyone knew that New York was a mess right now.
And America seemed like an even bigger mess.
Everyone was at a loss as to what to do, including the people sitting in Washington.
Although the competition within the party wasn't fierce, this didn't mean LaGuardia was guaranteed to be successfully elected Mayor of New York City.
The current Mayor of New York City, Jimmy Walker, was a member of the Democratic Party. He had already successfully served two terms as Mayor and had once competed against Roosevelt for the nomination for Governor of New York State. He was a considerably seasoned politician and had already announced that he would be running for a third term in the New York City mayoral election.
Although New York City hadn't fared well under Jimmy Walker's administration, LaGuardia still considered him a formidable opponent in the mayoral election.
This was especially true given that Tammany Hall was throwing its full support behind him.
Tammany Hall, originally founded on May 12, 1789, started as a national patriotic and charitable organization in America dedicated to upholding democratic institutions, particularly in opposition to the high-society theories of the Federalist Party. However, over time, the society became a local political institution in New York and evolved into the Democratic Party's political machine, used specifically to attack political opponents.
It was said that Jimmy Walker's successful re-election was deeply connected to Tammany Hall.
It was precisely because of Tammany Hall's existence that the Republican Party was not optimistic about LaGuardia's chances in this mayoral election.
Hearing LaGuardia's response, Colin smiled slightly and then expressed his support.
"In fact, from my personal standpoint, I strongly support your campaign, Mr. LaGuardia. New York City truly needs a new mayor to solve the current dire situation."
Colin's clear and firm supportive stance brought an expression of surprise to LaGuardia's face.
Ever since he had announced his candidacy for Mayor of New York City, very few people had shown this level of support.
The vast majority still believed that Jimmy Walker had a better chance of winning re-election.
"Thank you."
Regardless of whether Colin's support was sincere or just polite talk, LaGuardia expressed his gratitude.
"I will work hard not to disappoint a supporter like you, Mr. Collin Roper."
Although LaGuardia put on a confident facade, only he truly knew how much hope he had for his own campaign.
"No, it's not just about working hard, Mr. LaGuardia. I believe you should make preparations for your campaign in advance, and I don't think there will be any cause for disappointment."
Hearing Colin's suggestive reply, LaGuardia frowned slightly and looked up at the young face before him.
From his expression, LaGuardia seemed to sense something.
"What do you mean?"
However, Colin didn't answer LaGuardia's question directly.
"Let's wait and see."
He simply smiled at LaGuardia across the table before turning his gaze back to the roasted sea bass on his plate.
Leaving LaGuardia sitting at the table, a thoughtful expression on his face.
He turned his head to glance at Hughes, who was now sitting with a lady at another table not far away, planning to ask him about Colin's identity later.
...
Inside the 21 Club.
Colin didn't engage in a very deep conversation with LaGuardia.
Following Hughes's introduction, he simply briefly interacted with him, revealed his supportive stance, and that concluded their meeting.
The very next day after their meeting,
The readers of The Messenger saw the latest installment of the Superman serialized story in the newspaper.
This Wednesday, the comic's plot had progressed to the point Colin had set before leaving for Los Angeles: Superman arriving in Gotham City to investigate the Mysterious Man.
Today's installment continued the previous one, narrating the subsequent events.
The comic opened, picking up from the previous scene of Superman falling with the robber.
Amidst the robber's frantic screams, they plummeted straight down from Wayne Tower.
When they hit the ground, the pavement beneath them shattered into pieces.
Superman: "That was kind of fun. Let's do it again."
The unscathed Superman made the offer to the robber he held, but the latter screamed frantically, "No, I'll talk! The Mysterious Man shows up wherever a crime is happening. You can look for him in those places."
After getting the information he wanted, Superman tossed the robber at the entrance of the Gotham City Police Department. He then began to search for a crime scene, flying into the skies above Gotham City and using his Super Vision to spot a bank robbery in progress.
Five minutes later, Superman appeared before the bank robbers, blocking their path.
Superman: "Whether you like it or not, now, stop your robbery."
Bank Robber: "Who are you?!"
Superman: "Superman!"
Seeing the suddenly appearing Superman, the bank robbers cried out in alarm, raising their pistols and opening fire.
Soon, Superman was engulfed in a deafening barrage of machine-gun fire. A hail of machine-gun bullets pelted his body without causing any damage, and Superman ran straight towards the robbers who were firing!
Watching Superman ignore the bullets and charge towards them, the robbers were so scared they could barely hold their machine guns steady.
Bank Robber: "My God, you're not hurt!"
Superman: "Unfortunately, I can't say the same for you."
With that, Superman swung his fists and easily knocked the bank robbers to the ground. They fell one by one, the barrels of their machine guns twisted into iron rings around their necks.
Yet, even so, the Mysterious Man of Gotham City still hadn't appeared.
Just when Superman thought the Mysterious Man wouldn't show, a deep voice suddenly came from the shadows.
Mysterious Man: "I hear you've been looking for me?"
Superman: "Who are you?"
Mysterious Man: "I'm Batman!"
(end of chapter)