Chapter 3286: Bloodshed in the New City (46)

The morning in Metropolis is much warmer than in Cat Getan. Although it has entered autumn, the weather is not very cold. Clark felt very relaxed when flying in the morning breeze. In the past few days, his mood has changed from nervous and anxious to happy. The existence of Cobblepot has brought a very big improvement to his reporter work.

Everyone knows that a good reporter must have his own connections, so that he can get first-hand news. Clark was not valued at the newspaper office and was always arranged to report some lace news, just because he knew some big shots and was unwilling to be hypocritical with them.

But Penguin Cobblepot is different. Clark has a sense of responsibility for approaching him. It is precisely because he was on a business trip some time ago and did not care about Batman well, causing him to immerse himself in the sorrow of losing his relatives and make an irrational decision. This is his own problem, so he should be responsible.

Superman originally didn't intend to reason with this evil super-criminal. He thought that if the other party wanted to take the opportunity to make trouble, he would definitely catch him to prison and give him some color to see.

But what exceeded his expectation was that Penguin Cobblepot was actually not as cruel and terrible as he heard.

Cobblepot's appearance is indeed a bit fierce, his body is fat, he has a hooked nose, and he is a bit insidious when he laughs, and his legs are limping, which really can't be said to have a very good appearance.

But it is precisely that the education Clark received from childhood is that he must never judge people by their appearance, nor can he listen to one side of the story, but should look at what the other party has done. Clark didn't take action against Cobblepot the first time, so it was destined that he would be bewitched by Cobblepot.

Penguin is a person with quite a personality charm, otherwise he wouldn't have stood firm among so many Cat Getan villains who came and went, and his appearance rate was maintained at a quite high level.

And he is the type of very traditional, even can be said to be a very uncreative villain, but he is still liked by many audiences. Besides being classic, it is also because his ability is indeed very strong, able to find trouble for Batman from a higher level.

In most comics where Penguin appears, he is not a bottom-level criminal, but has always been at the center of the whirlpool of power, like a pillar, acting as a spokesperson for upper-class crime.

This means he has very strong social skills. Regardless of background, regardless of background story, he can climb up from the bottom, and with such an ugly appearance, he can mix into the upper-class circle and mix very well, which is enough to show how good he is at dealing with people.

Don't say that Clark, who has a relatively simple mind, even Batman, who has 80,000 heart eyes, sometimes has to maintain surface peace with him and can't easily move him.

And Penguin's social killer move is also very simple. He is very clear that disguise will definitely be dismantled, especially in front of super-heroes like Batman or Superman who have special abilities, deception is the most clumsy means.

So he doesn't cover up his greed and cold-bloodedness, but just highlights and amplifies the side of his personality that can be accepted by them.

He knows deeply that kind people are always tolerant; as long as there are enough advantages, they are not unable to tolerate his shortcomings.

Just like dealing with Superman, Penguin never hides his desire for power. He even asked Superman to help him eavesdrop on news, although Superman didn't agree, Superman didn't blame him either.

Superman is kind, but not stupid. He is a mentally healthy adult, not a three-year-old child. He is very clear that the purpose of becoming a politician is to compete for power; if you have no desire for power, why are you a councilor?

Penguin wants to compete for power in the political field, which is very normal; even if he wants to be president, Superman can't blame him just because of his ambition.

Superman only cares about the means to realize ambition. You have great ambition, as long as your means are legal and do not endanger ordinary people, he will not strike hard all the time.

Penguin just grasped this point and soon proved to Superman with his own actions that the process of his rise would not only not endanger ordinary people, but also bring certain benefits to the general public. 【3286

For example, regarding the real-name registration system for criminals, the Penguin considered it quite thoroughly. Although he supported the registration bill, he proposed at the council that only the information of those habitual offenders who refused to mend their ways should be published. This conservative and neutral tendency won Superman's favor.

Of course, this only made Superman not nitpick him and allowed him to look at him with a fresh, fair perspective. For the Penguin, this was far from enough.

Next, the Penguin began to strive for Superman's favor, but the method was no longer doing good deeds, but helping Superman do good deeds.

After becoming a councilman, he naturally had his own information channels, so it was not difficult to find out Clark's true identity.

Interestingly, Superman is not a masked hero. When he is a reporter, those glasses don't hide much, but indeed very few people can remember his face. The Penguin believes this might be a kind of superpower of Superman.

And the reason the Penguin was able to discover his true identity was because he had some close contact with Superman recently. The other party didn't seem to be using this superpower to hide his identity all the time, which allowed him to find a loophole.

Upon discovering that the other party was a reporter, the Penguin knew the opportunity had arrived. As a politician, dealing with reporters is a basic skill, and manipulating public opinion and the media is even more of a daily routine.

The Penguin used his information advantage to provide Superman with several pieces of inside information, all of which were news related to people's livelihoods, such as large companies forcibly demolishing homes, municipal projects occupying public green spaces, private scandals of unscrupulous politicians, and so on.

That's right, these were unfavorable news about his competitors, but the things were indeed done by them, and they indeed harmed ordinary people. Even if Superman knew that the Penguin was using him as a blade, he had to take the job.

Moreover, on one hand, he could use his identity as a reporter to expose these scandals, and on the other hand, he could transform into a superhero and strike directly at the source. He could use his pen to stabilize the world and his martial arts to settle the chaos; in Metropolis, there was no enemy that could withstand a single blow from him.

The biggest impact of the two's cooperation was that it reignited Clark's passion for the job of a reporter, rather than just treating it as a cover for his identity as Superman.

He realized that people need fair trial results, but they also value the process of obtaining these results.

Ordinary people might need others to save them, but sometimes they only need others to provide a little bit of help to save themselves, and they are even more willing to complete most of the self-rescue work themselves.

To some extent, Superman is much more humble than the Pale Knight and Batman. He doesn't have a very serious savior complex; although he helps whenever he can, he often harbors a mentality of "success doesn't have to be achieved by me, but success will definitely have me."

Although in reality, he is the savior who has the ability to save everything, this might be what "a true master always harbors the heart of an apprentice" means.

After rediscovering the joy of the reporter job, Clark also began to be dissatisfied with only reporting the dark news provided to him by the Penguin, but began to take the initiative to find ways to expose scandals.

Then he realized that he could do much more than an ordinary reporter. He doesn't need to rest; he can work all night just by basking in the sun during the day. He is not afraid of assassination; whether it's a pistol assassination or a car explosion, they are ineffective against him.

In terms of politics, the Penguin acts as his protective umbrella, reminding him when someone wants to frame him. In terms of economics, although he has a bad relationship with Lex Luthor, his relationship with the Wei En Group, the old rival of the Luthor Group, is quite good, and Fox helps him resolve economic disputes.

In just one month, the name Clark Kent rose to fame.

People call him the rising star of the East Coast news industry and say he is expected to compete for the Pulitzer Prize within five years.

Clark actually has this intention too; he thinks that the last time Batman was framed and imprisoned, it was because no one spoke up for him.

If he becomes a well-known reporter, when Batman gets into trouble again, he can stand up and help him clarify, and surely many people will believe him, and the trouble will be easier to resolve.

Clark has been busy with his reporter work these past few days, and he no longer resists the networking and socializing work he used to dislike. Isn't it just drinking? Earthlings still have to step back; let me show you the alcohol digestion speed of nuclear fusion power.

That evening, the Mayor's chief assistant, Ms. Poppy, invited the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet for a drink and brought along Clark, who had been in the limelight recently. This mayoral assistant was clearly very interested in Clark, and the two chatted quite well.

Clark inquired openly and secretly about the recent situation of the Luthor Group participating in the municipal government's bidding projects. He had been following this lead for a long time and was on the verge of wrapping it up.

As long as he can confirm the list of those receiving bribes within the municipal government, he can make another big news story by the end of the year; maybe he won't even need five years, and he might have a chance to compete for the award next year.

After three rounds of drinks and five courses of food, the mayoral assistant had already started complaining about his work situation. Seeing that the opportunity had arrived, Clark gave his editor-in-chief a wink and wanted to sit next to the mayoral assistant to ask carefully.

But just as he got up, his phone suddenly rang. The sharp ringtone startled everyone awake.

Clark glanced at his phone, originally not intending to deal with it, but upon discovering that the caller ID was "Bruce Wei En," he immediately put down his work and went into the restroom to answer the call.

"Clark, I've investigated some things recently that might need you to come and take a look. Are you free now?" Bruce's voice came from the other end.

"I'm free, coming right away. Are you at home?"

"No, I'm at a base in a valley outside Cat Getan City. I'll send you the address, come over."

Clark didn't say anything and just found an excuse to leave. He flew along the address to that valley, and besides seeing Bruce there, he also saw a monster with a very ferocious face.

"This is Ms. Maria," Bruce introduced to him, "the newly born Joker. I know you have many questions, but you must look at this first."

Bruce handed Clark a booklet. Clark looked at him with some confusion, but still opened the booklet first. The content inside made his eyes widen, and he couldn't help but hold the booklet a little further away, saying with some disgust: "What is this? An encyclopedia of human history torture?"

Bruce shook his head and said: "I guarantee you won't find so many tortures in history. This is an auction catalog published on a small scale recently."

"Auction catalog? Auctioning what?"

"Just these traps and tortures," Bruce looked at Clark and said, "This involves a gambling ring that might be very dark. Are you prepared to know the truth?"

Clark should have realized that this Bruce in front of him seemed a bit different, but all his attention was focused on the so-called dark gambling ring. The recent successful cases of using public opinion to uphold justice made him eager to know the truth.

"Of course," Clark replied, "I have the confidence to face all darkness. I believe I can illuminate it."

"Then alright, let us first listen to Ms. Maria's personal experience."