Martin Variety in American Comics.

Chapter 531 Superman and Metropolis (Please subscribe and read, monthly ticket recommendation!)

Martin intended to let General Sam go, mainly because he didn't want Clark and Lois to face a moral dilemma.

Secondly, now is not the time to start a full-scale war. Killing a serving general in a semi-public place like the Daily Planet is not a wise choice.

General Sam was certainly aware of this, so he did not leave even though Martin openly insulted him.

"There are hundreds of soldiers in this building. They certainly can't do any harm to you two. However, they will use their own lives to stop you two."

"Will this do you any good?"

Clark didn't understand how General Sam could say such a thing, as if the lives of those ambushed soldiers were just currency that could be consumed.

"In this way, I can prove to the people in the White House and Congress that I have nothing to do with the Justice League, thereby preserving the career I have fought for for decades."

General Sam gave a very realistic reason.

Clark frowned, became angry, and was about to say something.

Martin raised his hand to interrupt him, looked at General Sam and said, "I'm not Clark. Our personal relationship is just average, so I don't bother to debate with you."

"Before entering, I placed a bottle of laughing gas in the ventilation system of this building. The laughing gas was made by the Joker. After Bruce's hands, it was diluted hundreds of times, and it can still make everyone in this building laugh all day long."

General Sam was not so talkative when facing Martin. He knew that this young man was a tough guy and using words to deal with him would only lead to humiliation.

For a moment, he had no courage to persist in front of Martin because he saw no hope of winning.

"leave!"

Martin had nothing more to say to General Sam. If it were another situation, he would never let the other party go so easily, even if they had had a brief cooperation before.

"For Clark and Lois' sake, I don't want to take away your last bit of dignity."

"This isn't the end, Mr. Martin!"

General Sam decided to leave. He didn't mind using the lives of the soldiers outside to bring more disgrace to Martin and Superman, but he would not let those soldiers make worthless sacrifices.

"You know better than anyone that this is just the beginning. It won't be long before any organization that has ever cooperated with the Justice League will become the target of surveillance, and many people will be imprisoned for this."

"You're wearing out my patience. Even Clark and Lois have limited face in my eyes."

Martin stood up, and the mother box in his hand began to deform. The blocks jumped on their own, causing the surrounding space to move to varying degrees.

General Sam left, taking his soldiers with him.

"Is this matter not over yet?"

Clark looked at the messy conference room and felt extremely bad.

Martin put his hand on his shoulder, pushed him out of the meeting room slowly, and said, "You know this without me having to tell you. The other party has no bottom line compared to us. Once they reach a consensus, all kinds of attacks will follow."

"After your father-in-law leaves, he will definitely spread the story with exaggeration. Therefore, you cannot leave through the main entrance to avoid being associated with public opinion."

As he spoke, he used the Mother Box to open the sonic boom channel.

"You can go meet Louise first and explain to her what happened here, and then go back to the new city. I will take care of all the affairs in the United States from now on."

"You want to stay here?"

"Of course, I have to ensure the safe landing of the peripheral organizations we are cooperating with, and at the same time find Savage and prepare for our next move."

Martin didn't tell Clark much, he would know the details later.

"careful!"

Clark didn't say much. After instructing Martin, he entered the sonic explosion channel.

Martin closed the sonic boom and pressed the elevator button.

The Daily Planet is not a small place, and it is not easy for General Sam to requisition it and transform it into a trap, so he does not have much time and can only transform one floor at most. There are no changes to other places.

This is why he took the risk, only in this way could he ensure that Clark would fall into the trap.

He took the elevator down to the first floor, adjusting his clothes to look more formal.

At this moment, the place is already crowded with people. In addition to the Metropolitan Police who responded at the speed of light, there are also reporters from all walks of life and citizens who come to watch the fun.

There is never a shortage of media in a place like Metropolis. The Daily Planet was established very early and was considered a strong mainstream media, but in order to maintain its independence, it gradually fell into decline, which is why it was easily acquired by Bruce.

Now that something like this has happened, colleagues in the journalism industry have immediately heard the news and are eager to catch this big news.

When Martin walked out of the elevator, he looked around and felt like he was surrounded by a pack of wolves.

"These reporters are really crazy in their fight to get exclusive news!"

He shook his head and walked away.

These reporters may be a group of vicious wolves, but Martin is a strong dragon. Even if these guys break all their teeth and claws, they can't pull any scales off his body.

"Sir, General Sam claims that they just had an unpleasant experience with Superman. Did you see it with your own eyes?"

"Can you give a detailed explanation of what happened up there?"

"Why did this happen to the Daily Planet? Is there any connection between this newspaper and Superman?"

Martin had just taken three steps forward and approached the protective wall formed by the police when reporters rushed over like crazy.

But this madness is only an appearance. The opponents who are always sarcastic to each other on weekdays actually have a very good understanding of each other and keep asking questions.

This is a common tactic used by journalists, using a series of questions to seize the initiative in a conversation and thus guide the direction of the conversation.

But this was of no use to Martin. He felt that the reporters around him were like noisy flies. The questions they raised seemed different, but in fact they were all aimed at expanding public opinion. None of them was on the side of the Justice League.

"Quiet!"

Martin shouted loudly, and used a little trick to amplify his voice, causing the reporters around him to have tinnitus in their ears and unable to even stand steadily.

Although Nie Feng's skills were gone, he still remembered those martial arts.

Just out of habit, he doesn't deliberately remember the special abilities brought by his identity the day before, but lets those things integrate into his body, and waits for a certain moment for his body's instinct to give him a little surprise.

In short, the hall, which was originally as noisy as a vegetable market, gradually became quiet.

The reporters did not panic because Martin had a loud voice that was beyond the reach of ordinary people. They just treated him as an ordinary superhuman.

In recent times, superhumans in the United States have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain. Some are newly awakened, and some have awakened in the past. Now, inspired by the Justice League, they finally have the courage to show themselves.

Despite the constant turmoil in the public opinion field, most people quickly got used to this phenomenon. After all, those superhumans were competing for interests with the middle and upper classes. Even if the superhumans committed crimes, it would not make the lower class, which was already gradually falling into collapse, worse.

In general, the fact that the Daily Planet has such a superhuman does not surprise reporters. Instead, many people are thinking about how to use this identity to create more intriguing news.

"I know you all have a lot of questions, and I don't mind answering them for you. But you have to give me a chance to speak, right?"

Martin backed away, retreating behind a wall of police officers.

The Daily Planet is very popular among all walks of life in Metropolis because of its close stance towards Superman, even the police, who are somewhat special, have a good impression of this newspaper.

If what happened today happened at any other newspaper, the Metropolitan Police would not have stopped those crazy reporters like this.

The reporters knew that the man in front of them, who had just come out of the Daily Request, was going to answer questions, so they all quieted down their chattering and stood outside the police wall.

"First of all. I would like to introduce myself to you all. I am just an ordinary employee of the Daily Planet."

Martin took Clark's work badge back before he left. He originally wanted to keep a little sense of his identity for today, but now it comes in handy for other purposes.

He casually threw his work badge to the group of reporters to prove his identity.

The reporters who originally looked crazy now became very tacit. They passed their work badges to each other and took notes with their cameras.

"I will not answer your questions one by one, but give a unified response here." Martin knew that among these people there would be media outlets speaking for the Justice League, and even if there were, they would not be able to withstand the pressure from the censorship agencies.

The relaxation of the US censorship mechanism is limited to certain specific areas or even regions.

Once the FBI has made up its mind, no media can stop the pressure.

"First, General Sam said that he had a conflict with Superman. This is purely one-sided. There is no evidence to prove it."

"Secondly, the friendly relationship between the Daily Planet and Superman is only due to the indelible contribution this hero has made to Metropolis."

"Finally, if you want to ask me what I think about this matter, I am afraid I have to question the legality of General Sam's visit here today. Can the army forcibly requisition the office location of a legitimate company and act recklessly just because of some suspicion without any evidence?"

Martin said these three points in succession and stopped answering any questions. He put his hand on the shoulder of the policeman next to him and left with them through other entrances.

Martin's remarks are indeed far-fetched in general, but no one, including General Sam, can prove that Superman actually came to the Daily Planet.

First of all, Clark received a notice from the Martian Manhunter before he set off, and he had been hiding his tracks and not wearing Superman's uniform.

Secondly, all the surveillance equipment in the Daily Planet building, including the cameras carried by the soldiers, were destroyed by Martin, and General Sam had no real evidence.

Finally, the war of public opinion is a mixture of truth and falsehood. Even if Martin told the truth, it would not be of much use, so he would naturally not cause more trouble for Clark.

"Thank you for the escort!"

Martin entered the underground parking lot under police protection and prepared to leave the metropolis.

He waved goodbye to the police: "If you hadn't helped me block those reporters, they would have eaten me alive. I'll buy you a drink some other day."

Of course, Martin probably wouldn't have the chance to drink at the same table with these policemen, but he could pay to order some beer and have it delivered to their homes.

"These are all small matters. As long as you can say a few fair words for Superman in the future, we can be friends."

The police gladly accepted Martin's thanks and expressed dissatisfaction with the media's slander of Superman.

"I used to interview people of status, and I thought America no longer needed Superman?"

Martin has been running around all over the place during this period, and has come into contact with upper-class people. Although he knows that these people's wills are different from those of the lower classes, he is inevitably affected.

"We don't need Superman anymore? That sounds like nonsense from the officials in the parliament."

The policemen immediately complained loudly.

"He saved almost every one of our lives. Look at the wound on my chest. If Superman hadn't blocked it for me, the murderer's bullet would have gone through my heart instead of my shoulder."

"I encountered a drunk driver while on duty. Fortunately, Superman arrived and stopped the sports car that was driving at 200 miles per hour. Otherwise, I would have to use a wheelchair for the rest of my life."

"My arm..."

After receiving the call from Superman, the policemen opened up and talked incessantly about the help they had received while on duty.

"Unfortunately, Superman probably won't be coming to America for some time. He and the Justice League have built a new city in Africa."

Martin feels Metropolis's attachment to Superman for the first time, which is certainly a good thing.

But thinking about what would happen next, he couldn't help but feel sad for these people's purest enthusiasm.

Even if Clark could get back to Metropolis from Africa in less than a minute, the government would never allow him to enter American airspace once the alliance's goals were announced.

Sometimes the amount of force a fist can exert involves more than just visible matter.

“Have faith in Superman, young man! We believe that the red cape floating in the sky will never let us down.”

The police smiled, patted Martin on the shoulder, and prepared to leave.

But before leaving the underground parking lot, they did not forget to ask for Martin's mobile phone number in case he forgot to treat them.

"Looks like I'll have to trouble Louise to order some wine for me!"

Martin, of course, cannot use his identity to do anything involving intimacy with these police officers.

The American upper class did not disclose his identity, simply out of some aristocratic policy that the struggle between rulers should not be known to the lower class.

But this does not mean that those people will give up hunting him down. Anyone he contacts will be subject to strict scrutiny if they are not protected by some powerful force.

"Ugh!"

Martin sighed. He really liked the atmosphere between Huck and Metropolis.

But unfortunately, Clark may not be able to appear over Metropolis as Superman for a long time.

boom!
Martin waved the Mother Box, opened the sonic boom channel again, went straight through it, and arrived at the Batcave.

"You know what I said to Alfred when he asked me how I guessed that he was not a member of the Justice League?"

Bruce was not surprised by Martin's sudden visit. He just turned around and asked Martin a question with interest.

“Because we don’t take the ordinary path!”

Of course Martin understood what Bruce meant and even made a little joke.

"Yes."

Bruce smiled and nodded to Martin, then said, let's get down to business: "The jokes are over, tell me why you came to the Batcave today?"

"How is your offensive against these wealthy Americans going?"

Martin waved his hand, and the chair next to him flew in front of him, and then he sat down.

"These people have realized that I am using a cannibalization policy and have banded together to protect valuable Third World assets."

Bruce waved his hand and retrieved the data today.

"I have no interest in engaging in a real financial war with these people, so I've decided to call it a day. I'm going back to the new city to support you!"

"What about the Wayne family's assets? It's too much for you to just dump all of them on Alfred. He's not young anymore, and too much work won't do him any good."

Martin disagrees with Bruce's decision.

"If you have any plans for me, you can just tell me directly. There's no need to be so euphemistic."

Bruce shook his head.

"I hope you can stay in the United States for the time being and help those peripheral organizations that cooperate with us to land safely and avoid the government's subsequent scrutiny."

When Martin finished speaking, Bruce frowned.

"I am happy to do this. But from the perspective of the alliance as a whole, there are more important things waiting for me to deal with. You asked me to stay in the United States, it must not be just for this matter."

Bruce did not become a person who only sees the "big picture" just because he became the leader of the Justice League.

He has more and more things to deal with every day, and it is impossible to finish them all even if he works 24 hours a day, so he can only deal with them according to their importance.

Helping the Justice League's peripheral organizations land safely is very important in itself.

But the fact that Bruce had to stay in the United States made the matter less important.

So far, Immortal is the only one in the alliance who can fly around the world and sign some agreements.

"Of course, we're going to deal with Savage next. I asked you to stay in the United States to prevent that old man who should have rolled into the grave long ago from moving to the United States."

Martin finally voiced this concern, which made Bruce become serious.

"If you hadn't reminded me, I would have ignored this possibility. And once this possibility is realized, the number of enemies we have to deal with will increase significantly."

PS: There are still two chapters to go, but I stopped for one day and I couldn’t write any more.

(End of this chapter)