American Comics: Something's Wrong with This Superhero World

Chapter 106 Strange Things

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is seeking help from the Osborn Group?" Harry asked in surprise. S.H.I.E.L.D. needed the Osborn Group's help?

"We are facing an unprecedented threat," Natasha said slowly. "There has been a series of attacks on children in New York City recently. The attackers are said to resemble circus clowns."

"The Joker? Isn't that the supervillain from Gotham? How did he end up here? Do those Wayne Enterprises guys just like to overstep their bounds?" Harry was furious upon hearing this. The Gotham people were completely disregarding the New Yorkers.

"Not the Joker from Gotham, but a clown-like supervillain, or even a weirdo."

Natasha shook her head. New York is also S.H.I.E.L.D.'s home turf. If it were Gotham's Joker, S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't have reacted this way.

Or to put it another way, S.H.I.E.L.D. is an official organization in name only, but its major shareholders are actually a political alliance led by New York forces.

This includes New York-based conglomerates like Stark, Osborne, and Hammer Technologies, as well as politicians such as the mayor of New York City and senators, and even military leaders like General Ross who were born in New York.

These Amelia's ruling class are entangled in various overt and covert organizations, such as S.H.I.E.L.D., the Foundation, secret societies, and committees. Their relationships are complex, intertwined, and mutually influential. This is one of the reasons why Xiao Xian and the White Queen have retained Harry's persona instead of immediately replacing him.

Some things, given Harry's status and bloodline, could be resolved with just a word. But if it were Xiao Xian or the White Queen, they might spend a lot of money and still not be able to overcome the obstacles, or even find the right way.

The White Queen is still relatively well-off. As long as her mutant identity remains hidden, she can easily gain access to these organizations by controlling Osborn. Then, by leveraging the power of money, she can continuously expand her network and influence. Decades later, when the White Queen's children take over, they will most likely be top-tier rich kids like Harry.

As for Xiao Xian, putting everything else aside, just his bloodline alone means that once he steps into the limelight and takes control of Osborn, he will not only fail to get a ticket to the game, but will also be targeted. If it weren't for his super regeneration, he might have been shot seven times in the back and committed suicide one day.

"Weird??" Harry looked frightened upon hearing this. Norman had told Harry a long time ago how terrifying the Weird was.

Everyone else, whether human or superhuman, even President Amelia or Superman, would always consider Harry's identity, but the supernatural doesn't care about that. If Harry offends a supernatural being, he will often meet a terrible end.

As the saying goes, "If you're willing to risk your life, you can bring down the emperor." Even an ordinary person, as long as you don't care about status, position, or life and death, is someone a wealthy person like Harry would be very wary of, let alone a weirdo with incredibly strange abilities.

It's important to understand that many supernatural beings are beyond the reach of current technology; they are completely irrational. Even Superman might struggle against them.

Just a strange videotape caused Superman to lose sleep every night, and he was attacked by terrifying, unkillable monsters every day, eventually forcing him to seek help from Wonder Woman.

Superman is so tough that he's practically unkillable, so aside from being scared and unable to sleep, he's not seriously injured. If it were anyone else, even President Amelia, after watching that videotape, they would most likely have been killed that very night.

It is precisely because of the horror of the supernatural that all major organizations attach great importance to it. Once an unknown supernatural phenomenon appears, they will try to eliminate or restrict it as soon as possible.

In the eyes of the supernatural, there is no difference between rulers and ordinary people. If we don't find a way to eliminate or restrict them, it could be fatal if we were to win the lottery and it happened to ourselves or our family members.

Although the top leaders of various organizations consider themselves noble, the vast majority are actually ordinary people, and their survival rate when encountering strange phenomena is not much higher than that of ordinary people.

Besides, even someone as strong as Superman will encounter strange things that he can't handle and that give him a huge headache.

Moreover, some strange phenomena, if left unchecked, could potentially destroy a country, or even the entire world.

For example, if that videotape were broadcast live globally, the consequences would be unimaginable.

These organizations might be perfunctory, dawdling, and inefficient in other matters, but when faced with something that could endanger their lives, their efficiency skyrockets.

"That's right. Based on the current intelligence, this Joker is very likely a weirdo." Natasha nodded. If it weren't for the concern that the other party was a weirdo and showed signs of potential growth, S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't have so readily requested assistance.

Among the strange phenomena, the most terrifying are the growth-type strange phenomena. They may seem ordinary at first, but if left unchecked, they will quickly grow to the point where they require a great deal of effort to eradicate, and may even grow into terrifying beings with the power to destroy the world.

"This guy's current codename is the Joker. Its most bizarre characteristic is that children can easily recognize it, but adults often ignore it and the consequences it causes, subconsciously overlooking its existence," Natasha said with a grave expression.

"The most terrifying thing is that one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best captains didn't notice the Joker until his team members were killed down to the last one, and even his son was killed. It wasn't until headquarters questioned him that he realized the Joker was right next to him. But even then, the captain couldn't find any trace of the Joker and was oblivious to the limbs and blood all over the ground."

"According to the available intelligence, it possesses multiple superpowers, including shapeshifting, teleportation, and invisibility, and it seems to have the ability to grow stronger by exploiting the fear of others. Teleportation, in particular, suggests that it could be anywhere in New York right now, including here, since we are all adults and cannot detect the Joker's presence."

"What?! This thing is so bizarre?! Then hurry up and kill it! What use is the Osborn Group to us?"

Harry felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this. How could there be such a terrifying creature? What if it really came to his house? With such terrifying abilities, wouldn't it mean that even if it killed Mary Jane right in front of him, he wouldn't be able to detect it or stop it?

"We need the Osborn Corporation to provide a group of serum-wielding individuals to participate in this operation. Lizard or spider serum will do. Experts believe that animal instinct or spider-sense will be one of the key abilities to deal with the Joker, especially spider-sense," Natasha said. "Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D. will offer generous compensation and give the Osborn Corporation a larger share in next year's weapons orders."

(End of this chapter)