Chapter 3: Dimensional Awakening
Author: Yue Shang Xintou
"Well then, Colin, see you tomorrow."
Coming out of the Daily Bugle's news building, Smith scratched his thick beard and yawned as he called out to Colin.
"See you tomorrow, Smith."
At his side, Colin listlessly nodded toward Smith and replied casually.
In the news media industry, time is life. To get firsthand news, the two had been on standby since early morning. After a full day, both the cameraman and Colin himself were utterly exhausted. The only thought on their minds was to get home, collapse onto their beds, and sleep soundly.
Waving goodbye to his colleague, Colin patted his cheeks, forcing himself to rally a bit.
Colin's family hadn't been wealthy.
To complete his studies, he had worked part-time and taken out hefty student loans just to graduate.
However, just like the vast majority of American graduates, Colin was also experiencing a life of "graduate into debt."
In America, it was nothing new to be paying off student loans well into old age. Many people assumed they would find a good job after college and quickly pay everything back. But the reality was that many graduates spent their middle and even elderly years repaying student loans. This was especially true under the impact of the financial crisis a few years ago, as the broader economic environment had made it even harder for Colin to find a job.
*To think I'd transmigrate to a superhero world and still have to worry about work and paying off debt.*
*I wonder how much longer the Daily Bugle can last?*
The thought of the rampant rumors of an acquisition circulating within the newspaper agency recently gave Colin an even bigger headache.
Perhaps affected by the newspaper's impending acquisition, which soured his mood, his boss, J. Jonah Jameson, hadn't shown his face in the office for a long time. As a result, Colin had yet to meet his current boss since he transmigrated.
Colin felt quite regretful about this.
After all, Jameson was more or less a 'celebrity' in the superhero world. Although the 'Little Bug' destined for Jameson probably hadn't appeared yet, that didn't stop Colin from paying attention to him, especially since the man was currently his boss.
*Well, at least before the Daily Bugle gets bought out.*
…
With these jumbled thoughts, Colin got off the bus just before it left for the next stop and turned into an alley.
Given the pitiful salary of a rookie reporter, Colin naturally couldn't afford a high-end residence. He currently lived in an apartment in a fringe district on New York's Second Avenue. His daily commute took about an hour each way, and that was assuming the traffic in downtown New York was good.
However, focused on getting back to his apartment, Colin failed to notice the two swaying figures at the mouth of the alley. As he walked with hurried steps, they exchanged a glance, then followed him inside with unsteady steps.
"Hey, buddy, stop right there!"
Inside the alley, one of them blocked Colin's path just as he was about to exit. He was a Black man covered in so many messy tattoos one might mistake it for performance art. He raised a gun, his voice vicious as he made his threat.
"Hand over the money!"
His gaze lingered on the man's handgun for a few seconds before Colin cooperatively handed over his wallet.
"No problem."
*Are you kidding me?* he thought. He had only transmigrated into a superhero world; he hadn't become a so-called superhero.
In the nearly one week since he had transmigrated and become a reporter, Colin had already come to fully understand the 'freedom' of America and had no interest in paying the price for it.
Especially when Colin noticed the dazed, muddled expressions that flickered across their faces—they were clearly high.
"Damn it, is that all?"
The man violently snatched the wallet from Colin's hand and ripped it open. Staring at the pitifully few bills inside, his expression immediately soured.
"Don't play tricks on me, you bastard!"
His accomplice, seeing less than thirty dollars in the wallet, immediately stepped forward and grabbed Colin by the collar.
"Believe it or not, we'll blow your brains out!"
Feeling the suffocating grip on his collar, Colin's face twisted in discomfort. He looked up at the two clearly agitated men and struggled to explain, "Believe me, in this situation, I have no reason to lie to you…"
Perhaps convinced by Colin's reasoning, or maybe just confident in the handgun they held, they figured he wouldn't dare lie.
At this, his accomplice reluctantly released his grip on Colin's collar. Colin clutched his neck and coughed painfully a few times.
"Cough, cough, cough…"
Ignoring Colin, the dazed duo of robbers turned to leave.
"Wait a minute…"
As he turned, the sharp-eyed one inadvertently glimpsed a blue lanyard in Colin's pocket.
"What's that you're hiding in your pocket?"
*Crap!*
At the man's question, Colin instinctively covered his pocket.
However, his instinctive reaction only served to give them the wrong idea.
"Damn it, you bastard! You really dared to lie to us!"
"You must be tired of living!"
He rushed up to Colin with an ugly look on his face, shoved his hand aside, and yanked out whatever was in his pocket, lanyard and all.
"What's this?!"
However, as he looked at the card attached to the lanyard, the accomplice's expression turned to one of shock.
"Collin Roper, The Daily Bugle? A press pass!"
Flipping over the card, he read the contents printed on it word for word, his expression changing as he did so.
"Fuck you, you're a reporter!"
"This can all be explained, I only just started working..."
Seeing the increasingly agitated expressions on their faces, Colin quickly raised his hands to explain, but before he could finish his sentence…
Bang—
The deafening gunshot cut him off.
"Damn it…"
Feeling a sharp pain radiate from his chest, Colin clutched the bullet wound and collapsed as if struck by a heavy blow.
"…Fuck… who told you to shoot?!"
"Didn't you see? This guy's a reporter, and he saw both our faces…"
Lying on the cold concrete of the alley, feeling the blood flow from his wound and his body growing colder, Colin felt not a trace of fear of death.
He listened to the panicked argument of the two men at the mouth of the alley.
The next second, Colin's fading consciousness was enveloped by a flash of green light.
The protagonist died. The end. (Just kidding.)
(end of chapter)