"A.R.G.U.S.!"
It's indeed a good choice. Joining means the FBI and police will never come knocking, and the Young Master Gang can transform into a "legitimate" organization. These two are just basic benefits.
The advantages of A.R.G.U.S. are more numerous than imagined. After all, it's the "S.H.I.E.L.D." of the DC world. Although its scale and size are much smaller than S.H.I.E.L.D., it's undeniable that it's backed by the government and military, giving it a considerable degree of autonomous decision-making power.
In addition to these, Luke's companies like ShowMe, Bluebird, and Tesla can also enjoy special government treatment. They can even sign large contracts with the military at their inception, laying a solid foundation for future development.
This is a tempting proposal, offering immeasurable benefits to Luke, the Hung Mun, Ferris Aircraft, and even "female friends" like Emily Song.
Of course, there's a good side to things, and there's a bad side.
A.R.G.U.S. is an official organization. Once you join, it's almost impossible to leave. You'll also be subject to some government and military restrictions, doing some "private work" that shouldn't be made public. If, one day, A.R.G.U.S. dissolves for some reason or attracts powerful enemies, Luke, as one of its members, will inevitably be implicated.
One prospers, all prosper; one suffers, all suffer!
"This is truly a difficult choice."
Luke stroked his chin, thinking for a long time until after nine o'clock, before slowly saying,
"I have to admit, your proposal is very tempting, but cooperation shouldn't just look at superficial benefits. I need to know what kind of organization A.R.G.U.S. is? What was its purpose when it was founded?"
Amanda smiled and said, "It seems you've already made your choice."
"I'm just a little interested. The final answer still depends on the quality of A.R.G.U.S. If it's just a loose organization established on a whim by big shots…"
Luke shrugged, everything was left unsaid.
Amanda said in a deep voice, "Mr. Xiao, I can tell you unequivocally that A.R.G.U.S. is by no means a second-rate organization. It is a special organization created by a group of people dedicated to protecting the country and the planet, with a certain mission. Its purpose is to ensure the stable and normal development of the country, so it doesn't perish due to unforeseen circumstances."
Luke said solemnly, "Please explain what kind of unforeseen circumstances you're referring to."
"Metahumans, aliens, terrorist organizations…" She paused, then said with a serious expression, "Urban vigilantes!"
The last four words made Luke frown deeply. Urban vigilantes refer to superheroes like Superman and Batman. ShowMe is the base for superheroes, and in the future, it's destined to host numerous superhero social accounts, becoming a platform for them to post their daily thoughts.
In a sense, a social platform is no different from a tracker. As long as users upload photos, the next second, Luke can pinpoint their location via satellite.
Once he joins A.R.G.U.S., ShowMe is highly likely to become a tool for surveillance.
"Ms. Waller, I don't think we need to continue this discussion."
Luke extinguished his cigar and stood up to leave. A.R.G.U.S.'s resources were good and very tempting, but he liked being a person, not a dog, especially not a dog of the American government.
"Please wait."
Amanda stood up and blocked Luke's path. "Mr. Xiao,
I think you might have misunderstood something. A.R.G.U.S. is not against superheroes. Our purpose is prevention."
"Prevention?"
"Yes."
Amanda nodded solemnly, then gestured towards the chair. Luke thought for two seconds, then sat back down. "Then I'll listen to your so-called prevention."
Amanda took a deep breath. The reason she went to such great lengths to recruit him wasn't just for ShowMe, but more importantly, for the qualities Luke himself displayed.
As the gang leader of Coast City, he used strong-arm tactics to set rules: no drug dealing, no smuggling, no bullying the weak, no forcing women into prostitution, only operating gray industries like casinos, nightclubs, and docks. This indicates he is a man with a bottom line, and a man who can stick to his bottom line can also follow rules. This is particularly important.
A.R.G.U.S. is, after all, a government organization. If they recruited just any rotten person, it would sooner or later become a lawless terrorist agency. This is not what Amanda wanted to see, nor was it the original intention of the Vice President and other elders.
Members must be strictly vetted, allowing a certain degree of abuse of power, but they must uphold the bottom line and protect the original intention. From this perspective, Luke Xiao is undoubtedly a good choice.
He is intelligent, powerful, cunning, and cold-blooded... Although he sometimes shows a side of doing whatever it takes to achieve his goals, in Amanda's view, this is not a bad thing but a good thing, because she is such a person, and only such a person can achieve victory in battles against aliens, metahumans, and terrorist organizations.
After organizing her thoughts, Amanda spoke again,
"What are your thoughts on urban vigilantes?"
Luke said bluntly, "That's a manifestation of the government's incompetence."
"Why?"
"It's simple. If the government, police, and FBI could do their jobs properly, stabilizing crime rates in major cities instead of seeing them soar year after year, there would be no fertile ground for vigilantes to exist. Ultimately, it's your problem."
Amanda was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Your words are too one-sided. The motivation behind some cases isn't money or sex, but the criminals themselves. They simply want to commit crimes.
As metahumans and cult organizations proliferate, the number of such individuals also increases. The destruction they cause is beyond the government's control."
Luke shrugged and said, "That's why superheroes exist. They solve problems that you can't."
"No, their very existence is a problem."
Amanda's face was taut, her expression unusually serious. "Before joining A.R.G.U.S., I participated in an anti-terrorism unit called Task Force X. The successive deaths of my comrades made me realize a truth: when disaster strikes, it won't ask if you're prepared. If you've done nothing, you can only close your eyes and wait to die."
"Today's vigilantes are superheroes who fight crime and protect citizens. Who can guarantee that tomorrow they won't have other ideas, especially beings like Superman, Flash, and Purple Light Girl, who cannot be restrained by conventional weapons? Once they develop anti-human or anti-social ideas, or their minds are controlled by evil entities, it will be a catastrophe affecting all humanity."
"The purpose of A.R.G.U.S. is to prevent similar incidents and to respond effectively when a catastrophe occurs."
Luke was silent for a moment, then asked, "What are the principles?"
"Different people, different methods. For 'ordinary' vigilantes like Batman, who have no superpowers, we won't interfere as long as they don't break the law. But Superman and your girlfriend, Purple Light Girl, are a different situation."
"Specifically, how?"
"Appropriate levels of surveillance, appropriate levels of understanding, and a kill solution to deal with the worst-case scenario."
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