chsdbacks Chapter 127 Go run for mayor of New York City
Chapter 127 Go run for mayor of New York City
Chapter 127 Go run for mayor of New York City
After giving instructions to Lester's squad, Li En lowered his head and began to review the battle.
The battle after activating the Demon Transformation seemed to have boosted my physical abilities by about twenty times.
Don't underestimate this twentyfold increase; it represents a comprehensive improvement in overall quality.
Explosive power, skin toughness, muscle endurance, nerve reflexes—everything was thoroughly reviewed.
The feeling of being able to use the Yamato with ease is especially noticeable.
The Rebellion Greatsword is also very powerful, and the trajectory of its blade becomes smooth and precise in the hand.
Moreover, he vaguely sensed that the demon transformation had more than one form.
Some are geared towards strength, some towards speed, and some are specifically designed to enhance reaction rate.
The dark red demon that appeared during the battle was a composite form.
If we compare all the metrics, in his Devil Trigger form, he might not be quite up to par in a head-on confrontation with the Hulk, but he could hold him off or escape unscathed.
Thinking of this, Li En's lips curled up slightly.
Finally, they had the ability to protect themselves in this chaotic world.
He was pondering the techniques for switching between different forms when Tony's voice on the screen pulled him back to reality.
"Li En, aren't you planning to come back?"
Li En looked up, and Tony's face almost filled the entire frame.
"Since we've decided to go public, let's make it big."
Tony's tone was filled with an unyielding excitement.
"Holding a press conference right in front of your Manhattan precinct—I think only you could pull that off."
""
Li En didn't respond immediately, continuing to stare at the screen.
Tony was clearly not finished speaking.
He took a deep breath and lowered his voice: "If you want to push this matter to its fullest extent, then you yourself must come back to preside over it."
This way, you can attract the most attention, and who knows, you might even use this wave of popularity to announce your candidacy for mayor of New York City.
Stark Industries fully supports you.
Li En looked up and met Tony's gaze through the screen.
He frowned slightly, his voice filled with genuine confusion: "You want me to run for mayor of New York City? Why?"
Tony did not answer immediately.
He remained silent for several seconds before speaking again.
His tone was completely different from when he usually talked about technology.
"Because you're not one of those guys."
"Those politicians, businessmen, and media bosses are all ordinary people."
They had never seen the outside world and didn't know what was above them.
Once they climb high enough and seize enough power, they'll start to rot.
He paused for a moment, his gaze not leaving Li En's face.
"You're different. You've been to hell and other places I don't know about."
You've seen the true size of this world, and you have such great power, yet you've never used it to exchange for anything superfluous.
You have your own bottom line and your own principles, and they have never changed from beginning to end.
"So I think if anyone is going to step up and lead humanity forward in this dark universe—you're more suitable than all of them."
Tony's words were not spoken on a whim.
The heads and evidence that the Hellsword squad brought back from the island greatly agitated him.
There are too many familiar faces on the list.
Some of them were his elders, and some were people he was toasting and chatting with at the same party.
I never imagined that those people behind the curtain could do things that even the darkest creatures couldn't.
He called them beasts because his vocabulary was already exhausted.
After this round of shocks, he came to a very cold and hard conclusion:
If these businessmen and politicians continue to lead humanity, there will only be one outcome—annihilation.
A replacement is necessary.
Replace them with someone who doesn't care so much about worldly power, but also has an enterprising spirit.
After much thought, Li En is the most suitable.
He also thought about Captain America.
But Steve has the mindset of a soldier, too strong a sense of justice, and too attached to his own ideas, so he's not suitable for sitting in that chair.
Li En is different.
He has power, resources, and vision, yet he never abuses his power.
From the moment he began working as a police officer at the Manhattan precinct, he has always been dedicated to his duties while constantly striving to improve himself and those around him.
Even the order to clean up the gangs that was just given at the base only instructed Lester's team to deal with the disobedient ones, not to massacre the entire Hell's Kitchen.
This is the proper sense of proportion a leader should have.
At least that's what Tony Stark thinks.
After listening, Hawkeye Barton nodded in agreement: "That's true. Rather than following those politicians around like a bat, or working under Nick Fury—who you have no idea what he's thinking—it's better to have you in charge. I'm serious."
Coulson chimed in, his tone unusually joking: "Run for mayor of New York City first, then when the president's term is over, just jump out and run for president. I think that's feasible."
Lee En is not opposed to becoming mayor or president, but things here are clearly more important right now.
Thor's hammer is still stuck in the desert not far away. If my memory serves me right, it won't be long before Thor's brother Loki starts causing trouble.
This is planetary-level diplomacy, and its level of complexity is on a completely different scale from the political struggles within Earth.
He didn't really want to take on this difficult task, but after looking around, he realized that besides himself, there was really no one else who could handle it.
Just as he was about to say that the matter here was more urgent, the door behind him was pushed open.
Thor walked in, went straight to Li En, and patted him heavily on the shoulder with a large hand.
"I am Thor Odinson, son of Odin, the king of the gods, from Asgard."
His voice was deep and solemn, each word delivered with firm conviction.
"Asgard will always be an ally of Midgard."
"And I, Thor Odinson, am your ally."
He paused, then looked directly into Li En's eyes.
"Don't worry about anything going wrong here, just go do what you need to do."
Li En turned his head slightly and looked at Thor's face, which rarely showed any madness and was now composed and dignified.
He caught a glimpse of Jane Foster behind Thor out of the corner of his eye.
And Eric Selvig, who was standing at the door nodding slightly to him, instantly understood.
These two people overheard the conversation about the election and exposure in the hallway and then analyzed the situation for Thor.
Li En stood up.
"Okay, then I'll go back."
He brushed the sand off his coat and turned to look at Coulson.
"If you can't handle this mess, call me."
Coulson smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, I've already contacted Captain America, and Steve has spoken to the President—but, Lee, there's something I need to tell you beforehand."
He took two steps forward and lowered his voice.
"If you really announce your candidacy for mayor of New York City and release that document publicly—the president's side could very well become an obstacle for you."
Although Coulson is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, he understands the domestic political situation in the United States and the underlying interests better than most politicians.
That list contains far too many people with murky relationships to the president.
Some of these people might be the president's financial backers or his ground supporters in certain key voting districts.
In his view, the entire American political machine is a complex assembly of interest groups.
Li En's move was tantamount to tearing away the fig leaf from the entire elite class.
"If it weren't for the Stark Industries and the Osborn Group backing you up, I really wouldn't dare say you'd be alive to sit in that chair," Coulson added at the end.
Li En waved his hand and said no more.
Not long after, the support helicopter that Tony sent landed on the open ground outside the base.
Before the dust kicked up by the propeller had even settled, he had already opened the car door, climbed in, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes to rest.
When he opened his eyes again, the gray skyline of Hell's Kitchen was visible outside the porthole.
The first thing Lee En did upon entering the Manhattan precinct was to find Brock.
When I pushed open the worn-out old wooden door to the director's office, I found Brock with his feet propped up on the edge of the desk, flipping through the day's newspaper, his hat pulled low, obscuring half of his face.
Without exchanging pleasantries, Li En briefly recounted the entire incident from beginning to end.
From Thor's hammer in New Mexico to the siege of dark creatures, and then to the list brought back from the island.
And the mayoral campaign plan was completely overturned.
Brock did not speak immediately.
He put his feet off the table, took off his hat and placed it on the corner of the table, took out a cigar from the drawer, put it in his mouth, lit it, and slowly smoked it.
The smoke piled up in front of him, forming a thin layer of grayish-blue mist that obscured the expression on his face.
He didn't speak until the cigar was half-burned.
"Lee En, do you know? Even the Osborn Corporation and the Stark Corporation have countless connections with those guys behind them."
He took the cigar out of his mouth, held it between his fingers, and looked past the smoke onto Li En's face.
"This is not to say that there is a problem with Tony Stark, nor is it to say that there is a problem with Norman Osborn."
But those people are on their board of directors and on their shareholder list.
Those people won't be happy to see someone like you sitting there.
Li En sat at the table, her tone calm: "I know."
Brock stared at him for a moment.
"Really? Since you know—then what are you hesitating for?"
He shoved his cigar into the ashtray and sprang up from his chair.
He shoved the old chair backward with a thud, and it hit the wall with a dull thud.
He stood up straight and shouted at a volume that could be heard throughout the entire police station.
"Manhattan Precinct, full support!"
Li En was stunned for a moment by his sudden loud voice, then couldn't help but laugh and gently tap Brock's round belly with his fist.
"At your age, don't be so hot-blooded."
"Hey, you little rascal!" Brock laughed and slapped his fist away, but his eyes shone brighter than ever.
"It's all your fault for making me like this. Do you know how many years it's been since I felt this excited?"
He laughed heartily as he pushed open the door and stepped into the corridor, his leather shoes clattering heavily on the terrazzo floor.
Reaching the iron railing of the second-floor observation deck, he braced himself against the horizontal bar with both hands, leaned half his body out, and shouted at the police officers in the lobby below.
"Everyone! Put on your bulletproof vests, check your equipment, and set up full perimeter security!"
"This afternoon, we're holding a special press conference at the entrance!"
Anyone who lets these rascals cause trouble will be punished by having to clean Frank's guns for a week! Understand?
"Yes!" The unified response from downstairs made the fluorescent lights hum softly.
In the afternoon, in front of the Manhattan Police Department.
A thin layer of clouds hung in the sky, not overcast, but filtering the sunlight into a cool, grayish-white, just enough for everyone to see everything on the steps without being blinded by the sun.
Hundreds of reporters have already filled the open space in front of the gate, which is usually used for temporary parking.
Several layers of cameras and telescopes were set up, and the indicator lights on the cameras flashed red one after another.
Some people were squatting at the bottom of the steps adjusting the white balance, while others were standing on tiptoe, stretching the microphone boom forward.
The rooftop across the street was also packed with people, all the windows were open, and residents were leaning out, taking pictures with their phones and cameras.
The flashes of light from the cameras flickered on and off in the grayish-white daylight, densely covering the entire row of window frames.
It wasn't just the New York media who came this time.
All the top-ranked media outlets in the United States sent representatives over.
Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston —
Some reporters received calls from headquarters early this morning, were dragged out of bed, and jumped onto a flight to New York without even having breakfast.
Everyone wanted to know what the young police officer, known as the "Sword of Hell," was going to announce today.
Nothing he says is ever a small news item.
What's more, this time there's a direct order from above: no matter what method you use, you must get your hands on the first-hand information.
Ben Yurik stood at the very front of the crowd.
He gripped the worn-out notebook in his right hand, while the pen cap in his left hand had been repeatedly opened and closed, making a clicking sound.
His gaze passed over the microphones that had already been tested on the podium and landed on the open space behind Li En.
There stood something completely covered by a black cloth.
The outline looks quite large, about five meters high, and its shape is very similar to a miniature pyramid.
He was wrapped tightly in black cloth, with even the corners held down by ropes and bricks. The black cloth remained motionless even when the wind blew past him from behind.
His nose twitched as a strange smell wafted in.
Ben Yurik couldn't quite put his finger on what that smell was.
Rust? Rotting flesh? Some kind of more complex, more ancient stench.
It's not so strong that you want to cover your nose, but it's like an extremely fine needle, intermittently piercing deep into the nasal mucosa.
He tried several times to get some information out of the police officers about what was under the cover, but all his attempts were thwarted.
He could only wait.
Until the minute hand jumps past the predetermined position.
Li En placed his hands on the edge of the podium, leaned forward slightly, brought his mouth close to the microphone, and slowly began to speak: "In this world, there are devils, there is hell, and there are aliens."