Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 553 More money is needed

Deepsea, of course, had no objection to the second negative news report about Wotler on television.

However, some people have objections.

"Him—who is this crazy lunatic who's making headlines this time?"

Edgar, having pulled himself back from the brink, sat in his office, staring at the bizarre photos on television, and put down the phone with a grim expression.

After visiting those three places, he immediately returned to the Water Building and made phone calls non-stop, all to various political figures, partners, and news media outlets under his control who were on good terms with Water Company. He was prepared to keep making calls and talking all night.

This is the network and capital that Vought has accumulated over the past ten years, which he has been cultivating since World War II. Everyone knows the story of Vought's superheroes serving in the U.S. military against Spicy. Back then, that group wasn't called The Seven, but the Blood Debts Paying Off Squad.

Of course, Walter didn't let go of this huge and excellent publicity opportunity. Like any competent entertainment company, he adapted the Blood Debt Pays Off Squad into various versions and forms, making movies, songs, TV series, and documentaries. The IP of this group of original artificial superheroes has been profiting from World War II to the present day, and it looks like it can continue to do so.

Therefore, under Edgar's extremely shrewd management, Walter has become a deeply rooted and well-connected company with many prestigious titles, enjoying high levels of public trust and goodwill.

The only pity is that it stood too high.

The higher you stand, the harder you fall. The consequence of placing a false god on a pedestal is that if people discover that the god's true face is not divine enough, then all illusions will shatter along with it.

Tragically, not long ago, Vought's symbol, or rather, the false god Homelander, officially fell from grace during that hijacking and rescue incident. The 123 people on board witnessed it firsthand, their minds were completely disillusioned, and this sense of disillusionment spread even after everyone survived.

Walter's cutting was somewhat useful, but not much. The more effort they put into creating a god, the more rational, powerful, kind, and friendly Homelander appeared on television, the more disillusioned the world became with him.

It's very simple. If this part of yours is fake, does that mean the rest of the parts must be real?
Coincidentally, the things that the Homelander did in the past were not just this one; there were too many to count. They were just forcibly suppressed, but that doesn't mean that all the victims disappeared.

This was the first shock. Edgar was already a little agitated at that point, but the situation wasn't too bad, so he basically used all his connections to try and suppress the negative impact of the incident as quickly as possible and minimize the damage to Walter.

Then came the second time.

This time the problem is even more outrageous and terrifying than the Homelander incident. The CIA has dug right into Walter's vitals, and they have all the evidence, documents, videos, and witnesses.

Edgar had already planned to make full and thorough use of all available resources to at least withstand the CIA's accountability and conviction, and then minimize the risk of public opinion.

Now, a third wave of public opinion issues has emerged.

This wave of problems is, of course, very small—at least much easier to deal with than a legal conviction by the CIA. But Walter is now the target of everyone's criticism. Countless eyes are on the company, and countless mouths are talking about it. Every time a new piece of news about Walter breaks out, everyone's memories and attention, which had cooled down a bit, will be refocused.

Once or twice is one thing, but if it happens repeatedly and takes a long time, are we going to use personal connections to make up for it all? We must understand that personal connections are finite; they are consumables. Even allies with vested interests cannot endlessly invest and sacrifice for Walter.

Edgar was in a state of utter chaos. In addition to dealing with the CIA, he had to make several time-consuming phone calls and spend a lot of energy dealing with trivial matters. Edgar felt that he was extremely irritable.

Just then, his phone rang. "Hello?"

As Edgar listened to the voice on the other end of the line, his expression gradually became somewhat distorted.

"Who the hell—can't you guys just pretend to be blind at a time like this?!"

There was a response on the other end of the phone.

"Yes, I want to, but in such a short time, it's already all over the internet. The news even mentioned a few of our well-known names in a really weird way, and even made a statement on our behalf. The hotline and phone lines are about to be overwhelmed with calls—I didn't know that New Yorkers were so concerned about animals and so passionate about the news."

"waste."

Edgar, who had those two words on his mind, ultimately held back. He, who was usually unsmiling, coldly mocked, "Mr. Robert, you are of no use at the most crucial moment. You can't even stand by and do nothing? We are all in the same boat. When Walter was giving you money and befriending you, you didn't act like this at all."

"Ugh"

Robert on the other end of the phone sounded timid and fearful: "We can't do anything about it. The news is like it's aimed at us. And who can blame us when Walter's bombshell is so serious this time? The impact is on a completely different level than before. Everyone who knows Walter has to take a look at this news."

"There may only be a few hundred thousand or a few hundred thousand people who care about our animal protection organization's news, but there are hundreds of millions of people who care about your news. We've never seen such a scene before. It's impossible to play dead like before."

Edgar replied, "What difference would it make if we just played dead?"

"That definitely won't work. If we keep pretending to be dead after so many people come looking for us, then no one will believe us in the future. We make a living under this banner. If we lose the banner of animal protection, won't it just be seen as us causing trouble when we ask people to make a scene? Who will still donate money to us?"

“That’s extortion and fraud, not donations.” Edgar’s tone grew increasingly disdainful. “Taking money to be a dog is a dog’s basic duty. If some fools actually believe your banner and are willing to donate money to you, that’s none of my business—but if you take Walter’s money, you have to do the job.”

"But the story about those dolphins is true, and we can't avoid it."

"I can't be bothered to say it a second time. You've already taken the money, so it's up to us whether you speak or not—you've already made so many contributions to environmental protection, why not do one more thing for world peace? Or do you really sympathize with those fish in the circus?"

"."

After a long internal struggle, the person on the other end of the phone finally replied, "We understand, but this time it really could cost us our jobs."

"So that means you disagree?"

"No, you have to pay more."

(End of this chapter)