Marvel: The Imposter Inventor

Chapter 13 After the Disaster, Funeral

Seven days after the Battle of New York, at Cypress Hill Cemetery.

Compared to Samira's sorrowful expression, Luca's face appeared much calmer.

Because her father, Herman, was half Chinese, Luca ultimately chose this burial site for him: the Baishan Cemetery, which is said to have excellent feng shui and has buried many famous Chinese figures.

Surrounded by guests coming and going to pay their respects, Luca simply stared blankly at the tombstone.

A somber and sorrowful atmosphere permeated the surroundings.

Perhaps out of sympathy for the boy, even guests who were acquainted with Luca's parents did not choose to disturb him at this moment, only nodding occasionally when someone came forward to offer flowers.

However, Luca's thoughts were not on the funeral at that moment.

Although no official figures have been released for the Battle of New York, the actual death toll is considerable, so even though this is a high-end cemetery, there are still many families holding funerals.

After all, the Chitauri don't distinguish between high and low status when it comes to guns and cannons.

Now, a week has passed, and everything seems to have returned to normal.

But in reality, New York City today, or more specifically the Midtown and Uptown areas of Manhattan, is still in complete chaos.

Protests and marches in the streets, prayers by various politicians and charitable organizations, disinfection and reconstruction work in the disaster area, treatment of the wounded, burial of the dead—all sorts of follow-up matters surrounding the Battle of New York are still ongoing.

Reality is far from what's depicted in movies, where heroes defeat the enemy and everything is fine.

In fact, the most 'funny' thing these days is the post-disaster reconstruction and compensation.

The most central point of contention, and the main topics discussed in various television media, street protests, and congressional hearings these days, have all focused on whether this incident constitutes war damage, a natural disaster, or a terrorist attack.

Indeed, seven days have passed, and the debate remains focused on the most basic definition.

The military is trying hard to define the Chitauri invasion as an 'alien war' in order to expand its military influence through the Defense Production Act. Although this would require the Department of Defense to bear some compensation, under the emergency response measures, the military can also take over the alien technology debris in its entirety.

Some capital groups, led by major insurance companies and bankers, want to define the intrusion as an "alien terrorist attack," since terrorist attacks have been excluded from the coverage of all insurance companies since 2001.

This allows them to avoid liability for damages while also providing a legitimate reason to refuse the government's request for low-interest loans to micro-enterprises and individuals. This allows funds to flow to the 'benign lending' of other large companies.

The situation is more complicated for the government. Although both the federal and state governments believe that the incident should be defined as a 'natural disaster', this would help to appease the public, win over voters, and gain international support.

However, under the Stafford Act, the federal government is required to cover 90% of the reconstruction costs for national natural disasters, while only 75% is required for state-level natural disasters. The New York State government and the federal government are locked in a fierce debate on this issue.

In short, Congress, the military, intelligence agencies, capital, and even the news media are currently involved.

Some want to shift the blame, some want to cultivate their reputation and gain fame, and some want to take over the alien debris.

Regardless of whether they are involved in the Battle of New York or not, everyone seems to want to get involved.

Aside from the initial disaster relief efforts, it was actually Stark Industries' personal funds and supplies, along with aid from external international sources, that arrived first.

The rest, including some individuals or small, unsavory groups, also focused their efforts on smuggling alien weapons.

Yes, in fact, news of people using alien weapons to rob banks has been circulating in the past few days.

Well, even Luca himself secretly hid some Chitauri weapons.

Luca may later hand these weapons over to the company's weapons development department, allowing them to study them privately and see if there are any technologies that can be utilized.

However, this is something every arms company does. As long as it's not openly used in public, even S.H.I.E.L.D. won't cause trouble. It's just that the company's weapons development department was originally led by the father, Herman. Now that Herman's R&D department is gone, it's hard to say how much capability it still possesses.

Moreover, Luca doesn't really have the authority to speak within his own company right now; everything will have to wait until later.

"Young Master Luca."

Seeing Luca staring blankly at the tombstone, Samira hesitated several times before finally whispering a reminder.

Upon hearing this, Luca snapped out of his daze, took two steps forward, and put down the flowers in his hand.

The death of his father may have brought a touch of sadness because of the surrounding environment, but in essence, Luca was more concerned about his own future.

Just as Luca put down the flowers and was about to get up...

But a hoarse, short, and unpleasant voice came from behind, which was quite inappropriate.

"Hehe~ Luca! My brother-in-law's funeral is such a big event, and you didn't even tell me. It really makes me sad."

Everyone, including Luca, looked over at the sound.

A middle-aged man wearing a black suit and with slightly disheveled hair was walking towards them.

The newcomer bore a striking resemblance to Luca's mother, Gina.

Compared to Gina's decisive and capable elite demeanor, the man in front of her was slightly hunched, stiff, and unsteady on his feet. Even though his clothes were clearly carefully made up, he still gave people the feeling of a monkey wearing a crown.

Especially his pale, sickly face, with sunken eyes and a vacant yet greedy gaze, like a rat that had been starving in a sewer for a long time.

"Who is this person?"

"Isn't he Ms. Orange's brother? I've seen him at the company before."

"I've never heard of this person before?"

Most of the guests who had begun to leave chose to stay and whisper among themselves.

Even those few who were very close to the Orange family who wanted to step forward were pulled back by others and temporarily stopped.

Of course, these people weren't entirely indifferent and looking forward to seeing others make a fool of themselves.

Although the visitor seemed hostile, judging from the discussions of others, it seemed to be a family matter of the Orange family, and it was not appropriate for ordinary people to interfere rashly.

As the middle-aged man in a suit approached.

Luca's nostrils twitched slightly, and a deep look of disgust flashed in his eyes.

Luca had seen far too many people like this in his previous life; he was all too familiar with them.

Of course, there was no need for knowledge from the previous life. Although the original owner was young and did not know the person fully, he still had general information about him in his memories.

Dragan Orange.

Luca's mother Gina's younger brother, who is also Luca's uncle.

A hopeless gambler!

(End of this chapter)