On Saturday morning, George was sitting at the dining table, having breakfast with his family.
George spread jam on his bread, looked at the dazed Gwen, and chuckled, "Gwen, what are you thinking about? Don't zone out. If you don't eat, Dad is going to eat your sandwich."
Upon hearing this, Gwen immediately shielded her plate with her hands, looked at George, and huffed, "Hmph! You're mean! Don't eat my sandwich. It's specially made with the chili sauce Meng gave me."
George laughed heartily and said, "Then hurry up and eat it before it gets cold."
Gwen took a bite of her special sandwich and mumbled, "I was just thinking about how there haven't been any news about the Ghost lately. The Ghost website hasn't had any posts about his crime-fighting for days."
The other children nearby chimed in, "Yeah, yeah! My classmates are talking about it too."
George looked at the children discussing, and his brow furrowed. He thought of that scene again, and suddenly the jam in his hand no longer tasted good. After that day, it took him two whole days to feel better. Now, hearing Gwen mention the Ghost, that feeling returned.
This case had been under investigation for the past few days. George had already decided to classify it as a regular homicide, and of course, issue a warrant for the Ghost's arrest.
However, the gruesome details would have to be omitted. It's the difference between someone being killed and someone being tortured, having their flesh sliced off piece by piece, and then killed.
Speaking of which, Bill deserved his fate. He would have faced death for killing Mia anyway. However, it should have been through legal procedures, not by the Ghost's vigilante justice.
Just as he was thinking, George's phone rang. George picked up the phone, and his expression grew increasingly grim. After hanging up, George excused himself to his family and immediately rushed to the police station.
The worst had happened. The case had been leaked. The internet had exploded, and the police station was besieged by the media. Reports about the Ghost were endless; some called him an evil criminal, while others called him a righteous avenger who judged criminals.
George had no choice but to make some arrangements at the police station before holding a press conference. Faced with the media's various challenging questions, he employed his decades of practiced 'art of vagueness,' using official responses to muddle through.
George had been swamped since morning at the police station. The pressure from multiple sides left him overwhelmed. It was already afternoon, but he hadn't even had lunch.
Just as the internet was in an uproar, with supporters of the Ghost and those who considered him a terrorist fiercely arguing, someone discovered a new development.
The large screens in Times Square had been hacked. Now, they all displayed the same content—a death threat concerning Ur Loc.
Ur's photo occupied a quarter of the screen in the upper left corner, while the right side detailed his illegal activities and a brief introduction to the Crocodile Gang.
The lower half showed his connection to Bill, how Bill took the fall for him years ago, and Bill's crimes during the period Ur sheltered him recently.
This death threat lasted for five minutes, after which the screen changed to a blood-red Ghost emblem. As the Ghost's mouth opened and closed, a hoarse electronic voice spoke, "Criminal Ur Loc! The Ghost will judge your sins!"
Beneath the Ghost's avatar, blood-red subtitles were thoughtfully added.
Then, it was back to the death threat, playing on a loop.
The people in charge of the electronic screens were frantic. The entire team was frantically working to restore the screens to normal, but no one could fix it.
Meng Ran sat in a tall building near Times Square, looking down at his masterpiece.
He had already told his parents that he was going to see Peter today and wouldn't be back tonight. As Meng Ran and Peter became good friends, studying and playing together whenever they had free time, their two families had also met a few times and trusted each other completely.
Especially Meng Huo and Zhao Li, who had always felt a little guilty that Meng Ran hadn't made friends. Now, seeing Meng Ran and Peter get along so well, they were very relieved. Moreover, Meng Ran had always been a trustworthy child, so Meng Ran's reason was very convincing.
"Now it's time to judge you, Ur Loc!"
"Xiao Bai! Help me locate Ur Loc's position," Meng Ran said.
Xiao Bai was an AI that Meng Ran had exchanged from the system. It could connect to Venom and Meng Ran, helping Meng Ran handle various matters. Meng Ran had specifically exchanged for it after spending almost all the points he had recently saved up.
It could be said that Xiao Bai was like Jarvis, and in some respects even more advanced than Jarvis, after all, it came from the system.
After using Xiao Bai, Meng Ran finally understood a part of Tony Stark's happiness. It was truly convenient and amazing.
Xiao Bai responded, "Okay, locating."
"Ur Loc located. Planning your route now."
Soon, a real-time map appeared in Meng Ran's mind, and the suit's eye-piece displayed a cursor guiding him along the route.
Meng Ran stood on the building, arms outstretched, the setting sun behind him mirroring him, creating a magnificent landscape painting. Pushing off with his feet, Meng Ran set off towards his destination.
Ur Loc had already seen the news in the morning and immediately sent his men to investigate the situation.
By the afternoon, his subordinates had gathered first-hand information that the police had sealed off, including photos of the crime scene and some police investigations.
The moment he saw the photos, Ur, who was accustomed to life and death and known for his ruthlessness, couldn't help but feel a chill. The methods were indeed brutal.
Ur had felt a premonition of trouble after that phone call to Bill. He also sent his men to find Bill, but unfortunately, Bill hadn't told anyone his hiding place, so he couldn't find Bill for a while.
He didn't know who killed Bill, and there had been no news for a while, so he just assumed Bill's enemies had come knocking. It wasn't until now, when he saw the information, that he learned Bill was killed by a masked wack called the Ghost.
Ur put down the documents and smoked a cigar. The lingering smoke enveloped his face; no one knew what he was contemplating.
Just then, his subordinate knocked and entered again, showing him the online video about Times Square, the death threat concerning him.
Ur watched the video. The information about him and the Crocodile Gang was all true. It seemed this Ghost had planned this for a long time, and his methods were not simple; these things couldn't be found so easily.
He took another puff of his cigar, and behind the smoke, Ur's eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. He angrily threw the cigar to the ground and slammed his hands on the table.
"Damn it, has my name lost its prestige?" Ur's face contorted, and he fiercely asked his subordinates, "Does anyone dare to disrespect me now? A petty thief who doesn't even dare to show his face dares to spout nonsense to me! A death threat?! Wearing a mask and taking down a few thugs makes him think he's a superhero?"
The subordinates nearby were silent, not daring to speak. Ur was notorious for his ruthlessness, and it wouldn't be surprising if they were shot for crossing him.
Just as Ur finished roaring and was breathing heavily, a phone rang.
"Ur, have you seen those things?" a hoarse voice came through the receiver.
Ur's expression became serious, and he said coldly, "I've seen them, Boss."
It turned out the caller was Bob, the boss of the Crocodile Gang.
Bob said, "Find a way to deal with this trouble. I don't want it to affect our business, understand?"
Ur said earnestly, "Understood! I will handle it as soon as possible."
Hearing his reply, Bob hung up.
Ur put down the phone and began to think about how to find this Ghost. He clearly understood Bob's meaning: if he couldn't resolve the trouble quickly, then he would become the trouble that needed to be resolved.
Ur had started his career with Bob, and he knew his boss's personality well, as well as those old-timers who were with them back then. Over the years, there had been friction between him and those old-timers.
If Ur became a problem to be solved, he thought his brothers would be very happy to do it, and incidentally take over his territory and business.
Lighting another cigar, Ur pondered for a moment before starting to give orders to his subordinates.
"Scar, go gather all the brothers. Make sure they have their gear. I want this place to become an abyss, to send that damned Ghost back to hell."
Ur said viciously.
"You want to kill me? Then come on. Let's see how you escape from my grasp."
With that, he took another deep puff of his cigar.