Chapter 143: Assassination Attempt
May 2, 2023 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
"Be careful, Colin."
Coming out onto New York's West 52nd Street.
Inside the car, LaGuardia reminded Colin once more.
Watching the back of LaGuardia's car as it drove away, Colin silently retracted his gaze.
The time was now close to seven o'clock, the busiest part of the evening.
He could see some guests passing by him, one after another, heading toward the 21 Club. Among them, Colin even saw a few familiar figures, like Joan Crawford. The Hollywood starlet was apparently also a patron of the 21 Club.
Colin had previously seen her brilliant performance in the film *Grand Hotel*.
"...Are you really going to do this, Onassis? I don't think it's a good opportunity. The entire shipping industry is in decline right now; no one is optimistic about it..."
"It's precisely because no one is optimistic that I must act decisively. Opportunity only favors the prepared."
At the same time, using his [Super Hearing], he overheard a conversation in English between two men with distinct Mediterranean accents.
Their conversation seemed to touch upon the topic of acquiring cargo ships.
Looking in the direction of the voices, he saw two figures with distinct foreign features and attire pass in front of him.
The name Onassis made Colin think of a certain shipping magnate.
The reason this name left such a deep impression was purely because Onassis not only later became the Greek shipping king, but he was even more memorable for marrying Jacqueline Kennedy, the widow of American President John F. Kennedy. At the time, the news of their marriage became a global sensation. Onassis's actions not only caused America to lose face but also left the American people heartbroken.
A First Lady marrying a foreigner—this was a first in American history.
Thinking of this, Colin couldn't help but glance back at Onassis's departing figure.
At this point in time, Onassis was just getting into the cargo ship industry, while the other key figure, John F. Kennedy, was still in boarding school. Who could have imagined that one day in the future, the two would be connected in such a peculiar way?
Raising an eyebrow, he retracted his gaze and tucked away this unique memory.
Colin turned and walked away from 52nd Street.
Leaving the bustling 21 Club, the streets outside presented a completely different scene.
Clearly, in this era.
The clamor of the 21 Club was merely an exception, a unique prosperity born under Prohibition.
Poverty was the central theme of this period. Walking through the bleak and deserted streets, Colin's attention was drawn to a sign in front of a yard.
"4 Children For Sale"
On the sign, the words selling the children were written in large letters.
Looking down from the sign, he saw four children in ragged clothes, huddled together, playing on the steps of the house. Their innocent, carefree appearance formed a stark contrast with the words on the sign.
Noticing Colin's gaze, the mother in front of the yard looked at him with shame in her eyes, yet also with a hint of hope.
No matter the country, selling one's own children is an extremely humiliating act.
But, unless she had no other choice, what mother would do such a thing?
"..."
Silently retracting his gaze, the lighthearted mood Colin felt from being at the 21 Club grew heavy once more.
He thought he already understood the Great Depression well enough, but he had far underestimated the impact of this era on its people.
In a somber mood, Colin crossed the street and arrived at the Streetcar transfer platform.
And just as he was silently waiting for the Streetcar, several young men suddenly walked up to him and stopped.
"Hm?"
Noticing the young men approaching, Colin reined in his emotions. He then realized they were standing a bit closer than was normal.
Seeing this, he frowned and took a step back.
Immediately after, he saw the young men move with him, surrounding him in the middle.
"You..."
Looking at the young men surrounding him, Colin narrowed his eyes slightly, a suspicion forming in his mind.
However, before he could say anything.
He saw the young men each pull a pistol from their coats and aim it at Colin.
Bang, bang—
Along with the loud gunshots, the distant Streetcar screeched to a halt, and passengers poked their heads out from inside.
Some passersby showed shocked expressions, clearly not expecting a shooting to occur.
But looking in the direction of the sounds, they saw several figures holding pistols lying on the ground before the platform, howling in pain.
And next to them, Colin, the target of the shooting, stood there completely unharmed.
[Power—Super Strength (Bronze)]
[Power Description: Superman's debut demonstrated the mighty power to lift an Automobile over his head. As the Comic's plot developed, his Super Strength became greater than a Locomotive, able to effortlessly throw tanks, snap iron chains with one hand, and block small Airplanes.]
His gaze swept over the text before him, and Colin looked away.
Thanks to the Comic serialized on Wednesday, [Super Strength] had become the first of his unlocked Powers to be upgraded to the [Bronze] level.
As the power upgraded, Colin's Super Strength in the Main World was also partially enhanced.
Paired with a weakened version of [Super Speed], it allowed him to easily dodge the men's attack and, at the same time, land a heavy punch on them.
"So, who sent you?"
Stepping over to one of the gunmen, Colin immediately asked his question.
The attack was simple and brutal, yet very characteristic of the era.
"Nobody sent us. We just saw you coming out of the restaurant alone and wanted to rob you..."
Gritting his teeth against the sharp pain in his chest, the attacker spoke, his head covered in cold sweat.
This was clearly a pre-arranged excuse, intended as their cover story for shooting Colin after getting caught.
However, they hadn't expected their target, Colin, to be much more agile than they imagined, and the Super Strength behind his fists was also unbelievably great.
A single punch was all it took to leave them incapable of fighting back.
Hearing their words, Colin knew this was a premeditated attack. These men, acting as gunmen, had been given their lines in advance. They probably didn't even know why they were shooting at Colin; they were simply ordered to do so.
Thinking of this, Colin gave up on this meaningless line of questioning.
"Could you help me call the police? I've just been attacked by gunmen."
He turned his head and said to a bystander.
Attacked?!
Hearing this, the pedestrian looked at the helpless men on the ground, then at the unscathed Colin standing beside them, their face full of confusion.
No matter how you looked at the situation, it seemed like the ones on the ground were the ones who had been attacked.
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