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[Frog] Chapter 213: Reporter Eddie Brock
🕑 Added 2024-12-15 05:27:22 +0000 UTCOn the streets of New York.
Bang!
Gwen knocked down a robber with a single punch and snatched back a woman’s purse.
She handed it to a young woman who had been chasing after the thief.
“Thank you, Spider-Woman.”
The young woman took the purse, repeatedly expressing her gratitude to Gwen.
Gwen smiled and said, “You’re welcome. It’s what I’m supposed to do.”
“After all, Spider-Woman is your friendly neighborhood hero, right?”
Her words were met with a wave of applause from the surrounding crowd.
Unlike the untouchable, corporate-level superheroes like Iron Man, Spider-Woman was far more beloved by the people of New York. On social media, Spider-Woman’s fan base rivaled or even surpassed most other superheroes.
Just as Gwen was starting to feel overwhelmed by the crowd’s enthusiasm and was preparing to leave, a young man in the crowd shouted, “Spider-Woman, do you know Emperor?”
The question made Gwen pause and look toward the young man.
“Of course, I do. He’s the superhero who stopped the New York battle,” Gwen answered without hesitation, speaking instinctively.
To her surprise, someone else in the crowd, a Black man, immediately retorted, “No, he’s not!”
“He’s the one who hindered humanity’s progress!”
“What?” Gwen was momentarily stunned, her expression filled with confusion.
If Emperor was a criminal, then there likely wasn’t a single good person left in the country.
If it weren’t for Emperor, Manhattan would still be dealing with disaster relief and a barrage of funerals.
As Gwen struggled to process this, more voices in the crowd began echoing the sentiment that Emperor was a criminal.
Someone even stepped forward and said, “Spider-Woman, I hope you’ll cut ties with Emperor.”
“Otherwise, I won’t be your fan anymore.”
“Emperor has held back humanity’s progress worldwide!”
The accusations gained traction among the crowd. Even the young woman who had just retrieved her purse joined in.
“Spider-Woman, if you’re friends with Emperor, I take back my thanks from earlier.”
“What’s wrong with all of you?”
Gwen felt a sense of disorientation. Just moments ago, these people had been full of enthusiasm. Now, it was as if they’d all done a complete 180.
The crowd began to close in, demanding Gwen disassociate herself from Emperor. Many pulled out their phones, recording the scene.
Seeing this, Gwen immediately said, “Red Queen, I need your help.”
“Understood, Miss Gwen.”
In an instant, every phone recording Gwen went dark. When the screens lit up again, the videos that had just been recorded were gone.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Gwen swung up to a higher vantage point with her webs. Looking down at the crowd below, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “Are these people crazy? Why are they suddenly acting like a mob?”
Gwen couldn’t wrap her head around how they had changed so drastically in such a short time.
The Red Queen’s holographic projection appeared before Gwen, speaking calmly.
“Miss Gwen, I think you’ll understand once you see this.”
Soon, the article vilifying Emperor appeared in front of Gwen.
After reading it, Gwen’s expression turned grim.
“This is complete nonsense.”
“Emperor is the hero of this city!”
“He saved everyone. How could he possibly be accused of hindering humanity’s progress?”
Gwen couldn’t believe that anyone would so blatantly distort the truth—and that others would actually believe it.
After finishing the article, Gwen said immediately, “Red Queen, can you track down the person who wrote this? I want to drag them out and give them a piece of my mind.”
“Make them come forward and clarify the truth.”
The Red Queen was silent for a moment before responding.
“The Master predicted you might do this.”
“He instructed me not to investigate.”
“If there are any issues, Miss Gwen, you can discuss them directly with him.”
“Alan doesn’t want me to do this?”
Though puzzled, Gwen didn’t press the Red Queen further. Instead, she swung off with her webs, heading for Alan’s home.
She trusted that if Alan didn’t want her to act, he must have his reasons.
Anna was currently at Alan’s house, so Gwen couldn’t openly ask her questions.
Instead, she swung her way there on her web, thinking of how to find the right moment to inquire with Alan.
“Stark Tower?”
“They’re changing the name again...”
While swinging through the city, Gwen noticed workers moving around on the top floor of Stark Tower. It seemed like they were replacing the word STARK with something else.
Gwen didn’t pay much attention to it and continued heading toward Alan’s home.
On her way, she asked Red Queen to keep her updated on the latest developments regarding the situation.
---
Stark Tower – Top Floor
Tony Stark stood at his workbench, holding a glass of red wine.
In front of him was a 3D projection of Stark Tower, courtesy of JARVIS. The word STARK at the top had been replaced with a stylized letter A.
At that moment, Pepper Potts stepped out of the elevator, holding a stack of documents.
Tony beamed with pride and said, “Pepper, come take a look at the logo I designed for the Avengers.”
“It’s based on the first letter, A.”
“What do you think?”
Pepper walked over to Tony’s side and replied perfunctorily, “It’s not bad.”
In truth, she wasn’t thrilled about Tony joining the Avengers. She felt it was too dangerous.
Just as Tony was about to tease Pepper about her lackluster response, she took out her phone and operated it for a moment.
“Instead of focusing on this, I think you should pay more attention to what’s happening outside,” she said.
Tony took a sip of his wine, brimming with confidence. “I bet the rumors are flying right now.”
“Probably ranking superheroes by strength.”
“Let me guess... Iron Man is at the top, right?”
He paused thoughtfully and then said with certainty, “No. 1?”
Pepper shook her head and handed him the phone.
“I don’t think the rankings are what you’re hoping for. Take a look for yourself.”
Tony took the phone with a smirk, joking as he unlocked it.
But his expression darkened after reading the article. “JARVIS, trace the IP address of this article.”
“Find out who’s behind it.”
“Understood, sir,” JARVIS replied.
Tony handed the phone back to Pepper and remarked, “Though it’s not surprising, I didn’t expect those people to go this far.”
After Emperor incapacitated the diplomat, Tony had anticipated some fallout like this. However, he didn’t think the smear campaign would start so blatantly, only a day after the battle in New York had ended.
“They’re just striking while the iron is hot. If they wait until more people begin appreciating superheroes, it’ll be much harder to discredit Emperor,” Pepper explained calmly.
Compared to Tony, Pepper was far more familiar with these tactics. After all, she was the one managing Stark Industries.
Tony’s intellect was firmly rooted in technology, while the intricacies of politics, business, and manipulation were areas where Pepper excelled. Sometimes, the battlefield, the boardroom, and the political arena weren’t so different.
Tony could easily imagine the chaos brewing outside, with rumors spreading like wildfire.
Given the public’s tendencies, it wouldn’t be long before anti-hero organizations sprang up, possibly even protests and legislative discussions.
“Sir, I’ve traced the IP address linked to the article. However, based on the address and its associated owner, it’s likely that the original poster used secondary encryption to mask their location.”
“Pull up the details anyway, JARVIS,” Tony instructed.
Moments later, the holographic display showed the profile of a middle-aged man.
“Eddie Brock, a reporter for The Daily Bugle...”
Pepper glanced at the information and remarked, “That paper is infamous for its sensationalist stories.”
“Nearly every superhero has been targeted by them.”
“Their owner’s name is...”
As someone familiar with nearly every influential figure in New York’s upper circles, Pepper needed only a moment to recall the name.
Pepper thought for a moment and continued, “J. Jonah Jameson!”
“Has he ever tried to smear Iron Man?”
“No, and I don’t think he would dare.”
Pepper’s response was blunt. After all, Tony’s status and resources were unmatched; even a fraction of his wealth could easily buy out a hundred newspapers like The Daily Bugle.
“It’s clear that this article wasn’t written by that guy,” Tony said.
“Ordinary people wouldn’t have access to these photos.”
He pointed to the rooftop images in the article. It was obvious that someone had hacked into the surveillance cameras at Stark Tower.
And as far as Tony knew, there was only one organization capable of pulling off such a feat:
S.H.I.E.L.D.
“Maybe it’s time to have a chat with that one-eyed egghead.”
“JARVIS, is the suit ready for a trip?”
“Mark IV is prepped and ready, sir,” JARVIS replied.
---
Somewhere in a New York business district.
In a small office, boisterous laughter rang out.
“Hahaha, well done, Eddie!”
A middle-aged man with a signature mustache sat in a swivel chair, enthusiastically praising an employee standing before him.
This was none other than The Daily Bugle’s infamous boss, J. Jonah Jameson!
“Thanks to your idea of posting the article online,” Jameson said with glee, “the next step is to publish these exclusive photos in our paper.”
“Our sales are going to skyrocket!”
On the desk were several photos not included in the article. These images captured the exact moment when Emperor sent the U.S. diplomat flying.
“Thank you for the praise, boss,” Eddie replied.
“About my upcoming salary... and position...”
Jameson waved his hand grandly. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it all sorted for you.”
“All you need to do is make sure the next edition of the paper is handled perfectly.”
“Of course, of course!” Eddie nodded eagerly.
“I won’t let you down!”
“Oh, by the way,” Jameson asked curiously, “I’ve been wondering—where exactly did you get these photos?”
Eddie froze for a moment but quickly responded.
“To be honest,” he said with a sly grin, “I hacked into Stark Tower’s network to get them...”
—(To be continued)—
