Chapter 427 - 399: Back on Track

New York City was peaceful, at least it was on the streets.

The buildings for the International Gene Cooperation Company, Bloom Company, Lee’s Financial Company, and Atlas’s New York branch were all completed.

Each building wasn’t very tall, but they shared a unified design language, making it clear they were part of a series.

On the other hand, completing them in less than half a year was a speed of construction that only the Atlas Group could achieve.

Relocating garbage dumps, re-planning old routes, and repairing road power grids and water supply and drainage networks...

The land of bankrupt industrial companies was also annexed, and high-tech factories were built one after another.

Robots and workers were in place, working together to start a new day.

Artificial blood, immunosuppressants, first-generation prosthetics, graphene batteries, chips, large-scale infrastructure...

Too many industries had gotten back on track, the power of money restarted the society that had been stalled by the subprime mortgage crisis, and smart people began seeking opportunities to switch tracks.

Profit is the magic of the real world. Once it appears, it’s like "magic power" turning people’s fantasies into reality.

Atlas Group, Lille was undergoing a medical examination.

[Conners, "Lille, the rate at which your brain cells’ telomeres are decreasing is faster than I expected. It’s like they’re being burned off faster."]

[Conners, "Tumor... you said you feel like there’s a tumor forming, but so far, I haven’t found a significant number of cancerous cells."]

The bodies of the two worlds were not completely synchronized. Comparatively, in the Marvel world, Lille’s body was safer.

Lille got dressed and examined the medical data—in general, he was still healthy, but he still needed to find a way to deal with cancer.

Martin, standing to the side with his arms folded and left hand placed under his nose, seemed deep in thought.

So Lille moved his body a bit and turned to Martin, asking, "What was the reaction of the Governor of New York?"

"Him?" Martin straightened up a bit as he put his hand down, "To some extent, he’s now practically begging Anthony to say a few good words for him.

To be honest, I think it’s only a matter of time. We can start by catching a few of the small-timers who should have been sentenced to death before the death penalty was abolished.

Just like when the death penalty was abolished, step by step."

New York City’s population accounted for half of the state’s total population, and after a few thunderous strikes like this, the public opinion in New York City was now basically in the hands of the new mayor.

At this point, one could say it was the mayor choosing the governor instead.

Once the governor was settled, the next step would be to deal with the state legislature, which would require time to lobby.

But as more and more of the Kingpin gang’s deeds were exposed, public opinion would become more intense.

The state legislature would also have to consider what New York City meant to them.

"Leave it to me then."

"Isn’t this what I’m here for?" Martin shrugged and added, "About your body... if anything new comes up, let me know."

Lille nodded slightly—cancer was a terminal illness in the Marvel world, but coincidentally, Negative Man Martin could cure cancer with his negative energy in multiple settings.

If he could cure it, there was no rush, but if he couldn’t, then it was unlikely to find a solution in Marvel.

Cancer cures were extremely rare in the Marvel World.

Compared to these issues, he had a lot of preparations to do and possibly even a war to fight.

Lille stood up and said, "Of course, how could a partner hide their health condition?"

Martin blushed slightly at that remark. After all, he now knew that Lille had fitted himself with a very advanced prosthetic spine and was well aware of Lille’s health condition.

But Lille had no idea about his magical negative energy.

Not knowing what to say next, Martin left the room.

After Martin left, Matt, who had been waiting outside, walked in with a large stack of documents in hand.

"Honestly, from a lawyer’s perspective, this capture operation had some flaws, but it was very well done."

"Any new findings?"

"Well..." Matt touched his nose, "Do you remember what I promised you when I first approached you?"

Lille tilted his head, honestly almost having forgotten until Matt mentioned it.

"Um... the Kate Waste Logistics Company’s case, right? Any progress?"

"Yes." Matt paused briefly before sighing unexpectedly.

"What’s the matter?"

"It’s just... it feels a bit surreal, like a dream."

When Matt initially approached Lille, Lille had just woken up from a coma as a cripple, with his family owing over $200,000 in debts and likely couldn’t even afford rent, about to become homeless.

He sought out Lille, hoping Lille would stand with him against the logistics company—

The waste that had crippled both Lille and Matt came from this logistics company, which Matt always believed was operating illegally.

He also believed his father was beaten to disability because of their attempts to seek compensation.

But now... Lille surely didn’t care about that compensation anymore, even if it could be as high as several hundred thousand US dollars.

Even the clues Matt had been fixated on came from those arrested gangs—

Those gangs that Lille had taken down in one fell swoop.

"Alright." Matt placed the documents on the table, "Among the criminals arrested by the NYPD, some had worked for that logistics company. It seems the Kingpin also had connections with it.

Thanks to the NYPD’s actions, we are very close to the truth... but I’m not sure if you still care about it."

"Of course I care." Lille didn’t hesitate, "Enduring hardship does make one stronger, but what kind of fool would be grateful for that?"

Lille had been comatose for three years.

But those three years hadn’t been easy for Mom.

Someone had to be held accountable and pay for it.

"Good, this is what I’ve found so far. I’ll keep following up on this matter. Lastly... I believe you’ll get through this tough time. I have to go now, and thank you for everything you’ve done."

"It’s me who should thank you." Lille shrugged, "Thank you for caring about a crippled guy who owed a ton of money."

Matt chuckled and left the room with his white cane.

Lille didn’t say much about this. For a long time to come, he wouldn’t need a lawyer’s help.

Almost simultaneously, Lille received a text message from Gwen. Judging from the communication device’s distance, the heroine was now on the rooftop of the building.

[Gwen, "I think I’m out of a job. What you’re doing makes me feel like a joke."]

If it weren’t for Lille, she might have had to engage in a prolonged and thrilling battle with this crime lord entrenched in New York.

But it was obvious that a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl couldn’t stop such a political veteran from going in and out of prison, continuing to maintain his criminal empire.

Besides, superheroes couldn’t solve all problems. For instance, she couldn’t have prevented Stone mother and son from being trapped at home as Spiderman.

She had the ability to throw objects weighing several tons with ease, to sprint at hundreds of miles per hour between skyscrapers...

But superheroes couldn’t solve these problems.

[Lille, "Unemployed? You really should focus on your studies and find a proper job."]

[Gwen, "You make me sound like some dropout!"]

[Lille, "You should adjust your mindset. Don’t see this as a career."]

[Gwen, "You mean I should retire?"]

[Lille, "I mean, being a good Samaritan can be a hobby, a very serious hobby, even a lifelong hobby."]

[Lille, "But if you insist on seeing it as a... profession, your life will be very hard."]

[Gwen, "It feels strange to be lectured by someone my age."]

On the rooftop, Gwen sealed her costume in her backpack, looking at it with complex emotions as she sighed.

Perhaps it wasn’t just the glorious career of the supervillain Kingpin that ended prematurely; Spiderman’s superhero career might have also ended.

The good news was... she could strive for her future like a normal young person, even have a normal romance.

Wearing a white lab coat, Gwen jumped off the high building—she had found a part-time job at the International Gene Cooperation Company:

as a research assistant to full-time researcher Peter Parker.