The next day.
Jonah Jameson turned on the TV and found that all channels were broadcasting the same news.
An earthquake had struck the Black Canyon, located at the border of Nevada and Arizona, causing a collapse on one side of a mountain peak. This had some impact on the Hoover Dam, but not a significant one.
The news showed images of the Hoover Dam after the earthquake.
The once towering side was now completely caved in, revealing a massive, circular pit.
A group of soldiers was stationed at the edge of the pit, barring outsiders from approaching, but they didn't stop reporters from taking pictures from a distance.
Most people in the world didn't pay much attention to this.
There were no casualties in the earthquake!
Therefore, it was just an earthquake!
Jonah Jameson thought differently.
He was one of the few who knew the inside story.
More importantly, he'd only learned yesterday from the Secretary of Defense, John Keller, that there was an alien who'd crashed on Earth thousands of years ago inside the Hoover Dam. And today, there was an earthquake at the Hoover Dam... Did they think he'd been a newspaper editor and boss for nothing?
Yesterday, Batman and Cyborg had gone with Keller to some unknown place, and according to Anton, they'd encountered some minor issues...
"It doesn't look like minor issues at all!"
Jonah Jameson took a light breath, thinking about Anton's response yesterday. He realized that whatever Batman and the Secretary of Defense had been dealing with was probably related to this "earthquake."
The key point was that Anton had also said yesterday that Batman was working with aliens.
The Justice League, or rather, Batman, had something that the aliens wanted. The aliens had to cooperate with Batman, meaning providing alien technology for the soon-to-be-established Wayne Enterprises to develop.
"This world is getting harder and harder to understand!"
Jonah Jameson sighed, regretting that he knew too much, his heart now trembling with fear.
Ignorance is bliss!
It's only when you get old that you understand the meaning of that phrase.
Los Angeles.
Tony met with his only good friend, Colonel Rhodes of the Air Force, at his seaside mansion.
"Tony, you called me here, but it's not to show me your armor!"
Rhodes saw Tony in casual clothes, even with traces of oil on him, and wore a look of disdain and disappointment.
"I'll cut to the chase. What exactly happened with the earthquake at the Hoover Dam yesterday?"
Tony ignored him and looked directly at Rhodes. "NBE-ONE, Batman, the Autobots… Rhodes, I'm sure you know what went down there."
Rhodes was startled.
News of what happened at the Hoover Dam yesterday was already circulating within the military.
Such a major event, with the military involved from the start, had provided all the intel. Even though they hadn't encountered the enemy in the end, they still got the full story from those politicians in the White House.
Although Rhodes was only a lowly Air Force Colonel, many bigwigs saw potential in him. Furthermore, he was a friend of Tony Stark, so his future was limitless.
He naturally participated in yesterday's operation.
One of the first few fighter jets to arrive at the Hoover Dam was piloted by him.
"Tony, how did you find out about this?"
Rhodes's expression changed slightly, and he looked at Tony in surprise: "This is top secret."
"I have my sources."
Tony said, "Rhodes, I'm very interested in those robotic lifeforms. You guys should have dug something out of the earthquake wreckage by now, right?"
Tony's tone became serious when he said "earthquake," making his meaning clear.
"Since you already know…"
Rhodes hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "We did indeed find something, but it's not as simple as you think."
He briefly explained the Transformers' identities to Tony, then said, "Those Transformers' bodies don't belong to the military, but to Sector 7. This organization ultimately answers to the White House. Whatever you want to do, Tony, you'll need to talk to those politicians."
"Understood."
Tony rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
If he could start with the military, it would be a piece of cake given Stark Industries' good relationship with them.
The White House, though, that was a little trickier! However, recently, many people within the government wanted Tony to hand over his armor technology for government control and were constantly pressuring him.
Iron armor!
It was undoubtedly a very powerful and tangible weapon.
Far more reliable than some super-soldier serum.
The Americans hoped to use iron armor to supplement their national defense.
Of course, whether it's ultimately used for "defense" or "offense" is a matter for later consideration.
In short, these people want Tony to hand over this technology.
Tony definitely wouldn't be willing.
However, the Transformers incident piqued Tony's interest.
He thought he might be able to offer up the armor technology he had discarded, or even hand over a finished set of armor, in exchange for a Transformer's corpse!
Compared to a Transformer's corpse, this deal is definitely worthwhile!
Tony pondered it carefully.
Suddenly.
A pain shot through his neck.
His body twitched, and his expression shifted.
"Tony."
Rhodes noticed his strange behavior and asked in surprise, "You look weird."
"It's nothing."
Tony frowned slightly. "Let's call it a day, Rhodes. I have something to do. I won't see you out!"
A moment later.
He received the test results of his blood.
"Palladium poisoning…"
Tony, shirtless, looked at himself in the mirror. Seeing the black lines extending from his chest, he frowned.
His previously pleasant mood instantly plummeted.
A month later.
New York.
Wayne Enterprises press conference.
"Welcome everyone to today's press conference."
Jonah Jameson wore a confident smile.
Facing the numerous news media and various big shots from government and business, his tone remained unchanged, calm and powerful: "As we announced previously, Wayne Enterprises is proud to present to you Limb Regeneration Technology... This is a groundbreaking, epoch-making technology, a blessing for the disabled, capable of completely resolving limb disabilities."
"Next, we'll show you the current condition of the disabled volunteers we recruited publicly a month ago..."
With that, Jameson beckoned to someone at the side of the stage.
This person had all his limbs intact and looked slightly nervous, but mostly excited and expectant.
At the same time.
A photo was displayed on the screen behind Jameson.
It was of the same person a month ago, before joining the Limb Regeneration Technology experiment. He had lost both legs, was sitting in a wheelchair, with a gloomy expression, his face etched with despair.
Compared to the present, it was like a complete transformation, the two were completely different.
Seeing this, a wave of exclamations came from the audience.
After the main event began, people suddenly realized that Limb Regeneration Technology meant exactly what it said.
Only the people from Osborn Corp. looked displeased.
In their view, Limb Regeneration Technology should have been their company's domain, but it was unexpectedly snatched away, which was truly unfair!
Jonah Jameson didn't care about any of this.
The emergence of Limb Regeneration Technology would definitely affect the interests of some people.
But the emergence of this technology also meant that a huge piece of the pie would be devoured by the Jameson family.
As a businessman, nothing was more enjoyable than enjoying the cake alone!
On the other side.
Anton watched Jonah Jameson on the stage, smiling as he spoke. He looked around at the attentive audience and chuckled softly, knowing that Wayne Enterprises' first product, Limb Regeneration Technology, was about to be a huge success.
Even though he'd anticipated this, seeing it unfold in front of him still filled him with satisfaction.
The press conference ended.
Jameson found Anton and said with a smile, "I just landed a big deal."
"Really?"
Anton was curious.
If Jameson, with his long-term vision, considered it a big deal, it wouldn't be simple.
"Our Vice President has a daughter. He loves his daughter very much. But, for some reason, she lost her right lower leg."
Jonah Jameson smiled slightly, "The moment the press conference ended and the feasibility of Limb Regeneration Technology was confirmed, he called me."
"So, our first client is the Vice President's daughter?"
Anton blinked.
"That's right."
Jonah Jameson nodded, "With him backing us, the road ahead for Wayne Enterprises will be much smoother. Furthermore, we can secure many official orders. You know, the wealthy people in this world aren't short on compassion. However, perhaps the disabled associations will hate us."
"Well, we are businessmen after all!"
Anton shrugged.
Jonah Jameson instructed, "Limb Regeneration Technology is just the beginning. Soon, if you plan to enter other fields, don't forget to provide new technologies. I will maintain good relations with the Vice President. Through him, I can try to connect with the military and get military orders!"
"Understood."
Anton said, then turned and left.
He sat in his car, heading towards DC Company, planning to discuss the release of The Dark Knight with Jim.
It's worth mentioning that Superman had been completely pulled from theaters yesterday, with a global box office of $760 million.
Although it couldn't compare to Batman and Cyborg, it was still a successful commercial film.
As for fan value, Anton had gained 31 million Superman fan points.
He was still about 70 million short of his goal of 100 million.
Even if he were to make sequels, he would need to make at least two more films.
Moreover, the effect of the movies will certainly weaken over time, as people will experience aesthetic fatigue.
Only by continuously trying to release new works about Superman, filling people's vision from various angles, and relying on the accumulation of time, can the small goal be achieved.
Anton wasn't in a hurry about this. He wasn't lacking in combat power right now.
Just looking at the villains currently appearing on Earth, not to brag, but there wasn't a single one who could put up a fight!
After returning to DC Company.
He sat in his chair, casually opened his computer, and a news window popped up.
[Tony Stark, the Playboy Returns!]
[Prodigal Son! Stark Industries Expo! Is it hype or the real deal?]
The entertainment gossip section was almost completely dominated by Tony Stark's name.
For the past month, Tony seemed to have returned to his previous life of luxury, throwing parties frequently.
At the same time, the Stark Industries Tech Expo was scheduled to be held in two months.
Anton knew very well that the plot of Iron Man 2 had already begun.
He figured Tony knew his time was limited and wanted to recapture the joy of his past before leaving the world.
Of course, Anton didn't plan to get involved in any of it.
He didn't believe Tony would kick the bucket anyway. Anton was actually looking forward to seeing Tony suffer.
Soon, Jim knocked and entered.
"I'm preparing for the premiere next week. The Dark Knight is a highly anticipated film, and as Batman's second movie, it's sure to be unstoppable! It will sweep the entire box office!"
He was quite confident.
Firstly, The Dark Knight had enough explosive moments and depth.
Secondly, because Batman had already become a national icon.
As the most famous superhero in America today, everything related to Batman was the hottest-selling item.
Although everyone knew that the Batman in the virtual world wasn't closely connected to the real-world Batman, there seemed to be some association.
Just like in the real world, Batman never denied that he wasn't Bruce Wayne.
And Anton, the creator of the Batman character, was also closely related to the real Batman.
Especially recently, Wayne Enterprises, established by the Jameson family, had been dug up by many die-hard Batman fans.
The popularity of Limb Regeneration Technology skyrocketed.
It was no less impressive than the technology expo held by Tony and Stark Industries.
Of course, the focus of these fans was still on the upcoming release of the second Batman film, The Dark Knight.
Everyone was eager to know what role Batman would play in this movie.
Would the alien information revealed in the Cyborg movie become the main antagonist in the Batman sequel?
Would this antagonist also be a real person in this world, no, in this universe?
People's curiosity was piqued.
They had no idea that what was about to appear before their eyes would be the most dangerous and fascinating villain from the DC world.
Of course, it wouldn't be Team Rocket!
Instead, it would be the character who consistently held the top spot in the US media's Top 100 Comic Book Villains.
In most media outlets of his previous life, he was similarly ranked number one in the selection of the greatest comic book villains of all time.
That's right, the Joker!
J!
Unfortunately, there was no villain role-playing guide within the system.
Otherwise, Anton thought about creating a Joker avatar to play with, and then letting Batman appear to subdue him. It would definitely earn him more Justice Points.
Of course, that was just wishful thinking.
If the system really needed him to play a villain, he would definitely refuse.
In reality, Anton wasn't really interested in villain roles.
Having to solve endless crises, and also doing bad things behind the scenes...
It's so contradictory!
This is true schizophrenia!
Anton really didn't have the energy for this.
New York.
Inside a certain building.
"Limb Regeneration Technology..."
A thin man sat in a chair, his palm turning slightly red, releasing an unimaginable amount of heat.
"Wayne Enterprises..."
The man remained expressionless, staring at the news conference on television concerning Wayne Enterprises.
The content, specifically Wayne Enterprises' announcement of Limb Regeneration Technology, caused him to unconsciously furrow his brow, his eyes revealing a dangerous glint.
"The plan has only just begun to be implemented. I can't let you interfere..."
-----------------------
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