The dense accounts and transaction records on the computer screen were like countless venomous snakes flicking their tongues, making George Stacy's scalp feel numb.
As for that diary... it wasn't a venomous snake anymore; it was a fucking time bomb, a death warrant from the Shinigami!
The contents inside were enough to cause a massive earthquake in the politics of New York and even the entire United States!
The bribery content in the first half was just child's play; what was truly earth-shattering was the tip of the iceberg Kingpin touched as a "transporter."
Those things were a slippery slope that one simply must not touch!
George guessed Peter's intention almost instantly, and along with it, where these things came from:
"Kingpin... did you kill him too?"
Facing George's questioning, Peter acted nonchalantly, even taking the time to pour himself a glass of juice.
"It was just a side task."
After taking a sip of juice, he looked back at George:
"Uncle George, do you think these things are enough to move your position up a bit?"
"Fuck!"
George was actually angered into a laugh by Peter's words.
To sit in the position of New York Police Commissioner relying solely on one's own ability in a class-stratified America... this track record alone was enough to indirectly prove George's capability and political intuition.
He wasn't some useless fool who got there through political correctness or ancestral influence, but someone who could truly get things done and possessed a flexible enough mind and means.
Because he had the ability to sit in this position, he didn't have even half a second of hesitation or fantasy.
He gave a negative answer directly without leaving any room:
"What kind of pipe dream are you having! After exposing this stuff, I'd be lucky not to be'suicided' in my own office, and you're expecting me to get promoted?"
If George really chose to hand this over to the Supreme Court or recklessly publish it all,
He could guarantee that the ones who died wouldn't be the people on that list, but George himself, his mother, and his daughter!
George looked at Peter and Gwen with a headache, thinking about how to speak so these young people would realize what a terrifying time bomb they held without making them completely lose hope in their country:
"Peter, you and Gwen are still very young. Many things aren't understandable for people your age..."
"Take these things you brought out as an example. It's not that having this evidence means those people will step down immediately and I'll be promoted for my merit... On the contrary, these things will only make me die faster!"
George tried his best to explain the complex upper-level collusion involved in the simplest terms possible.
But Peter didn't give him the chance.
He interrupted George directly, then pulled something else out of his bag and placed it on the table:
"Then what about this?"
George looked down and saw Peter push forward an emerald-green injection, the crystal-clear liquid shimmering with an eerie and tempting light under the lamp.
"What is this?" George couldn't help but ask.
"lizard serum, the kind used by the Lizardman."
Peter's tone remained relaxed:
"Of course, this is just a diluted version, ten times weaker, so you won't lose your mind or go into a frenzy on the spot after injection.
At the same time, combined with my healing ability, it's enough to make you, or rather many people, stably become superhumans a level weaker than Captain America."
Peter reached out and tapped the injection lightly:
"Uncle George, is this enough to move your position up a bit?"
George's breath hitched!
A stable super soldier serum!
This was something the Military had dreamed of and researched for decades without success!
If he could hand this over, it would indeed serve as incredibly rich political capital.
For a moment, George really felt his long-extinguished desire for power flare up like wildfire.
But soon, George suppressed that impulse and answered truthfully:
"Yes, but I'd have to do it on my knees!"
George knew very well that this serum could indeed let him quickly accumulate a large number of political allies.
But those people wouldn't truly value him or entrust him with heavy responsibilities. To put it bluntly, this merit was only enough to make him a watchdog for the congressional lords.
"Then..."
Peter first pushed the notebook to George, then placed the lizard serum on top of the diary:
"This, plus this—can we get promoted while standing tall?"
Hiss!
George took a sharp breath.
He suddenly realized he had become the Joker.
He thought Peter was on the first level and he was on the second; in reality, Peter was on the fifth!
This kid's heart was too black!
Using the lizard serum to win over one party while using the dirt to threaten the other!
This... this was fucking playing the entire American political scene in the palm of his hand!
George's Adam's apple bobbed. After hesitating for a long time, he tentatively threw out a final question:
"What if... I say this still isn't safe enough, that it's still missing something?"
Hearing George's question, Peter suddenly smiled, a smile that was somewhat... sinister:
"Then wait until those lords are hopelessly addicted to this power, and tell them, 'Gentlemen, you wouldn't want your voters to realize that the congressmen and leaders they elected are actually the legendary Lizardmen, would you?'"
Boom!
At this moment, George felt the hair all over his body stand on end!
He was wrong, incredibly wrong.
He thought Peter was only on the fifth level.
But in reality, Peter was in the stratosphere!
This kid was simply a demon in human skin!
He never thought about getting protection from anyone; what he wanted was to put a dog leash on everyone who could possibly pose a threat to him!
To make all those who tried to control or threaten him become lackeys who had no choice but to work for him!
At this moment, George felt his ambition and morality engaged in a battle of heaven and man.
On one side was a bottomless abyss, on the other a path to the heavens!
He seemed to be standing at a crossroads of life again after a long time!
Just as George felt parched because of everything Peter said and didn't know how to choose, Peter's voice rang out again.
This time, his voice was more sincere than ever before:
"Uncle George, actually, I don't have the slightest interest in power."
"What I want is just for Gwen, Aunt Mei, Uncle Ben, you, and Grandma Pauline—for all of us—to live a stable life."
"So that no bastard can ever threaten me with your lives again."
"That's all."
These words were like a heavy hammer, striking the softest part of George's heart.
He looked at Peter in front of him, then at his daughter and mother, who couldn't quite keep up with the pace of their conversation.
After a long time, George finally let out a long sigh:
"Peter, you've really put me in a difficult spot!"