My family runs an adventurer's guild.

In addition, at least 100,000 people have been injured in the conflict, requiring surgery and hospitalization. And everyone knows how expensive American medical institutions are… treating a simple fracture can cost millions of dollars!

Ironically, these ordinary Americans who have long advocated for overspending and credit card use have never had the habit of opening a bank account to save money—why save money if you don't spend it? Are you just waiting for the dollar to depreciate? Many New York City residents can hardly even scrape together a thousand dollars in cash.

Now these people's houses, belongings, and jobs are gone in an instant, and most of their investments in the stock market and funds are also gone for good—you know, finance is most afraid of risk, let alone a risk with an extremely high terror factor like alien invasion!

Therefore, after the Battle of New York, a devastating financial storm immediately struck the United States, then spread globally, causing international turmoil. Countless financial traders committed suicide by jumping off buildings every day, trillions of dollars evaporated, and ordinary people's investments were naturally wiped out as well.

In this situation, the desperate survivors of the Battle of New York could only place their hopes on the insurance companies they had insured with. However, these insurance companies had also suffered heavy losses in the Battle of New York, either going bankrupt or using "war liability exemption" clauses to evade their debts.

What made the survivors even more desperate was that although the insurance companies used "war liability exemption" clauses to avoid paying their debts, they still had to continue paying their mortgages and car loans, even though their cars had been reduced to piles of charred scrap metal and their houses to collapsed rubble. Moreover, due to "suspected alien artifacts being left behind," the area was sealed off by S.H.I.E.L.D., the FBI, the police department, or the military, preventing the homeowners from even returning to the ruins to salvage some belongings—this is the pain of unequal power!

As a result, at least two or three hundred thousand former New York middle-class people suddenly found themselves bankrupt war refugees overnight, and were about to join the army of homeless people pushing old shopping carts around... These desperate and angry people immediately raised signs and banners, and launched one protest and demonstration after another, trying to attract the attention of the media and win the sympathy of the world.

Of course, protests and marches are commonplace in New York. There are gay pride parades, feminist marches, anti-tax protests, and black anti-racism marches... They are basically held every year, every month, and every few days. There are even floats coming out, making it almost like a carnival. It has become a common sight on the streets of New York, and even foreign tourists are not surprised.

However, because the Ninth and Tenth Avenues, which were originally frequented by protests in the Manhattan area, were the main battlefields that suffered the most severe damage during the alien invasion, with reinforced concrete and brick rubble blocking the roads and many alien objects scattered everywhere, they are still firmly sealed off by official agencies to this day, with isolation zones and high-voltage electric fences set up to keep all irrelevant people, including homeowners, shop owners, and company owners, out.

Therefore, the march of New York war refugees had to be diverted to a few streets in the north, near Central Park, which were not blocked off. This area was farther from the main battlefield of Manhattan's skyscrapers. Although some houses were damaged and some pedestrians were killed, the overall damage was not severe, and the cleanup was relatively quick. More importantly, no alien technology items were left behind. The blockade has now been largely lifted, and traffic has resumed, including on Blick Street, where the Kamar-Taj Presbyterian Temple in New York is located... Of course, the marchers were completely unaware of this.

On the other hand, although the protesters believe their demands are just, the problem is that the country's ruling class does not think so.

There is no doubt that New York needed rebuilding after the war, and the hundreds of thousands of war refugees needed relief. However, the New York government simply could not afford the at least several hundred billion dollars needed for reconstruction, and the federal government also did not have that much money.

To raise such a massive amount of funds, several large real estate developers would have to contribute financially, while the government would take the lead in massively increasing taxes and printing money (or quantitative easing). This would require a very lengthy process, especially given the current global financial recession.

Moreover, the federal government itself suffered heavy losses in the Battle of New York. The financial crisis alone caused the already high government deficit to reach new heights. In addition, the slow response of the regular U.S. military during the Battle of New York, with the exception of the National Guard, the Army, Navy, and Air Force did not participate, caused great doubts among countries around the world about the combat effectiveness of the U.S. military. In the face of alien invasion, the mighty U.S. Imperial Army could not even defend its own country's largest city, and basically had to rely on a global organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. to maintain security.

So, what is the difference between the United States of America and those small African countries that need to rely on UN peacekeeping forces for survival?

Therefore, the Pentagon had to urgently conduct a series of military exercises around the world to "flex its muscles," to show that the American army is still as sharp as ever, and to warn other countries around the world not to make any rash statements or take any actions... which will burn through huge amounts of extra-budgetary funds.

From the White House's perspective, simply issuing food stamps to refugees to prevent them from starving is already an act of great kindness.

If these difficult poor people want to make more "unreasonable demands," the only solution is to fight them back hard!

Therefore, the march of New York war refugees was quickly and brutally crushed by the American state apparatus on Blick Street.

Chapter 209, The Cat Returns to Marvel

"...Whoa! The police have started beating people! Hmm! Molotov cocktails have been thrown into the march! Oh my! Armored vehicles have even come out over there!"

On the rooftop of an apartment building not far away, Daily Planet reporter Milia Jones, while pointing her camera at the riotous Blick Street below, excitedly shouted, "...with a little post-processing, I think these photos could win a Pulitzer Prize!"

"...Come on! Milia, your photos definitely won't get published! Forget about the newspapers, they're even dangerous on websites!"

Her partner, David, a worried-looking Asian man, glanced listlessly at the police and protesters fighting downstairs and sighed, "...The White House, the Pentagon, and Wall Street have all put pressure on us, demanding a complete blackout of all reporting on New York's protests. Our newspaper has been notified too. Even on Facebook, they're frantically deleting accounts and posts while simultaneously notifying the police to trace people online!"

"...Dear David, I know all about these things. Can't you at least give me a little excitement? What a spoilsport!"

Milia pursed her lips, put down her camera with boredom, and turned to David, saying, "...But what else is there to report in New York these days besides these marches? You know we're all going to be fired if we can't figure out a way to save ourselves!"

She buried her face in her hands and lamented, "...Back then, it was our turn to walk down the street holding signs, and we got beaten by the police just like everyone else!"

—The financial crisis triggered by the Battle of New York not only created a large influx of war refugees in Manhattan, but also plunged other parts of the United States into a severe economic recession, with widespread unemployment and bankruptcies. Even the job of a journalist became increasingly sought after.

With low education, limited experience, and a lack of connections and outstanding achievements, Milia and David find themselves on the verge of being laid off!

In the current context of global financial turmoil and extreme economic downturn, it will be extremely difficult for Milia and David, these two unfortunate junior reporters, to find decent jobs again once they are kicked out of their current employer, The Daily Planet.

The only possible way for them to keep their decent-paying jobs seems to be to snag a big news story.

However, it is not easy to grab a first-hand big news story that can attract attention.

In New York after the alien invasion was repelled, eye-catching news seemed to be everywhere: victorious superheroes, alien debris scattered everywhere, starving and freezing war refugees, and one protest rally and demonstration after another...

However, at the same time, the federal government has also greatly strengthened its control over various news in the New York area. Not to mention newspapers, magazines and television stations that are easy to trace, even on the Internet, countless people are constantly watching every photo, every video and every piece of text.

— This is to guard against the leakage of various alien secrets and negative information, thereby further damaging market confidence.

Whether it's the surge in postwar crime in New York City or the fierce competition among international agents for extraterrestrial artifacts, these are all off-limits for reporting. The protests by New York war refugees are an even bigger minefield; aside from foreign media, the American press simply dares not report on them.

So even though they watched the demonstrations pass by every day, were repeatedly chased and beaten by the police, and had a lot of high-resolution photos piled up in their cameras, it was all useless to Milia and David, the two unfortunate little reporters.

—Their boss simply didn't have the guts to release these protest photos despite the pressure from the authorities.

Or rather, the news value of these protests and crackdowns was not enough for newspaper owners to publish them despite official pressure.

As for descriptions of the current situation of refugees and interviews with survivors of alien invasions, they are all banned because they involve "sensitive" issues.

With everything sealed off like this, where can Milia and David, these two unfortunate junior reporters, find a way to grab a story?

"...Sigh, why was it that neither of us was in New York when the Battle of New York broke out, and we couldn't be war correspondents? Now look what's happened! My house and car were bombed and burned by aliens, completely destroyed. Now I have to live in a hotel, and the prices are ridiculously high. But I still owe money on my mortgage and car loan! The banks won't even offer me any preferential treatment, let alone interest-free extensions! What if I lose my job now?"

Milia sighed dejectedly, "...You might still be able to work on a construction site carrying bricks, but I'll probably have to go to a nightclub to dance as a stripper..."

“…Don’t be so pessimistic, Milia, there will definitely be a way,” her partner David comforted her.

"...You always say there's a way, but what way? Are we just going to sit here and wait for our layoff notice and for our last savings to run out?" Milia said angrily. "...Or are you planning to build one for me while you're building your cardboard house in Central Park?"

“…This…” David scratched his head, “…How about we try our luck at the restricted area’s blockade? Maybe we can sneak in and take some pictures of the alien landing craft wreckage and alien corpses? Hmm, maybe we can even interview a superhero!”

While photos of alien landing craft wreckage and alien corpses also fall under the category of restricted publication, the control is relatively lax. Firstly, to provide an explanation to countries around the world, the US government has already released quite a few. Secondly, the news value of aliens is too high; even with official bans, newspaper owners might still publish the photos and news under pressure to gain instant fame.

"...and then get caught and thrown into a police station? Or worse, be taken away by the FBI? Or even shot on the spot?"

Milia glared at him, then started scratching her head in frustration. "...Damn it, there's news everywhere in New York, but we have almost nothing to report...We can't write about marches and protests, we can't enter restricted areas where aliens fight, we can't interview superheroes, what's left to write about? A fat cat belonging to some old black lady in Brooklyn jumping off a building and committing suicide?"

“…It’s alright, Milia, don’t worry too much, we’ll find a way later.” David could only mutter this incoherently.

However, if he really had any solutions, he wouldn't be stuck in this predicament with his partner, waiting for his fate.

Therefore, Miss Milia looked even more dejected. She didn't even care to watch the scene downstairs where the protesters were beaten bloody by the police. She just stared blankly at the concrete wall with her arms crossed... until she was dazzled by a magnificent rainbow.

What is that... glowing?

Milia blinked, and at the same time subconsciously tugged at her partner David, gesturing for him to look in the direction of the rainbow light.

The next moment, accompanied by the fading rainbow light and the roaring air currents, Milia witnessed a scene she would never forget: on the roof of the museum just across the alley, a giant dragon covered in silver scales, with an elegant and majestic appearance, suddenly appeared!

“…God, what is that!” David, who was directed by Milia to look in that direction, immediately shouted.

Meanwhile, on Blick Street below, the police and demonstrators who were clashing and fighting with each other also noticed the silver dragon that had suddenly appeared on the roof of the New York Sanctuary at 177A Blick Street—whose public sign reads "a small private museum"—and was roaring louder, attracting more people to look up at the sky. For a moment, even their fighting stopped.

The silver dragon, who had just arrived, looked around at the rows of houses and the streets below that were packed with protesters and police, so crowded that there was nowhere to even find a place to stand. She seemed to feel a little dissatisfied, so she raised her neck and let out a loud dragon roar!

In an instant, a tremendous roar, like the simultaneous tolling of a hundred church bells, swept across the entire Blick Street, causing the distant skyscrapers to sway slightly. The people crammed into the street seemed to have their eardrums pierced by the dragon's roar, howling and rolling on the ground.

Naturally, Milia and David, the two unfortunate reporters who were perched on the roof of the neighboring apartment building, also fell flat on their faces amidst the dragon's roar. However, while David was still dazed, Milia had already gotten up, excitedly pulled out her phone, and started tweeting.

"...A fantastical dragon has descended upon New York and is currently on Blick Street. It is not yet possible to determine whether it is an intelligent life form!"

After typing out a line of text, she pressed the send button and stared intently at her phone screen.

Finally, the progress bar on the phone screen reached the end little by little, eventually displaying the words "Sent successfully".

"...Hahaha! Success! I'm the first person to announce to the world that a dragon has descended upon New York!" Millia Adam burst into laughter, kissed her phone screen, cheered, and then raised the high-powered camera hanging around her neck to take pictures of the dragon.

—Thank God, I finally caught a big news story when I was on the verge of unemployment! David and I should be able to keep our jobs!

As for what new changes the arrival of the dragon will bring to the world... well, as a mere reporter, she can't concern herself with that for now...

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

While the police and protesters on the street outside, and the newspaper reporters on the rooftop next door, were in a frenzy over the sudden appearance of the giant dragon, Master Wang, stationed at the New York Temple at 177A Blick Street, was also startled by the dragon that had suddenly appeared above his head.

It must be admitted that the construction quality and load-bearing capacity of the New York Temple at 177A Blick Street are exceptionally good, as sturdy as a bunker. So much so that even with a dragon weighing tens of tons suddenly appearing on the roof, there was no sign of collapse.

So, it wasn't until the crowd outside the street started shouting and screaming, and then the roar of the dragon erupted, making their scalps tingle, that Master Wang, who was drinking tea and cultivating, belatedly realized that such a huge, fantastical creature had appeared above his head...

Moreover, this dragon seems very likely to be an uninvited guest from another world.

But what should I do next? Should I capture it or drive it away?

In close combat, they definitely can't win; the size difference between humans and dragons is too great, and there are too many onlookers, which could lead to the secret being leaked.

If we use magic...

I remember the legendary dragons, which seemed to have strong resistance to magic! Could I pull a dragon into the mirror space?

Peeking at the giant dragon on the roof through the small window of the attic, and assessing the difference in combat power between himself and the dragon, Master Wang immediately tiptoed down the stairs again, grabbed the phone, and began dialing an international number to the Kama Taj Sanctuary in Nepal…

—This level of otherworldly visitor is beyond the capabilities of a level 10 alt like him. He should quickly call a max-level character to come and save the day!

Master Gu Yi, please forgive my lack of knowledge and skills. Only your expertise can handle such a grand occasion!

On the other hand, regardless of the reactions of the humans around her and beneath her feet, Lulutia, the silver dragon who was squatting on the roof in her dragon form, simply followed her own plan. After letting out a roar to vent her anger, she raised her forepaws and tapped them lightly in the air a few times.

Then, a small six-pointed star teleportation array appeared—according to the contract between the magical pet and its master, the cat-like Phil was also brought over.

Thus, after his previous humiliating and disastrous exit from the Marvel universe, Phil has finally returned once again!

However, this time, he appeared directly in the form of a cat-man... After exchanging a few words with Miss Silver Dragon Lulutia, Phil jumped off the roof of 177A Brick Street. With the "indestructible talent" of cats, he nimbly and nimbly performed a 720-degree somersault in the air in front of everyone, finally landing steadily on a fire hydrant. He then raised his right hand and smiled, waving to the stunned police and demonstrators.

"...Meow! Hello everyone! Excuse me, but could you tell me which way to the United Nations building? Could someone please show me the way?"

— Relying on the language pack that came with the Descent System, he not only spoke fluent American English, but also amplified his voice with magic.

Seeing the cat-like Phil descend from the sky and hearing Phil's speech, the crowd crammed on Blick Street fell silent for a moment, then suddenly erupted into an even louder and more boisterous roar.

"...Is this...a cat-person?"

"...My God! There really are cats! And they can even speak English!"

"...Is this a native Earth cat, or an alien cat? Do the cats also want to conquer Earth?"

"...Uh, I'm starting to worry that my Persian cat, [Miaoli], might be a feline spy!"

"...Little kitty, how about taking a picture with me? Come on, smile and make a peace sign in front of this phone! Click!"

"...Um, Mr. Cat, may I ask you a question? What is your relationship with that silver dragon on the roof in the back?"

—In the blink of an eye, Philly on the fire hydrant was overwhelmed by countless voice recorders, selfie sticks, and hands stroking her fur…

Chapter 210, The Great Upheaval in the Marvel Universe

The news of the silver dragon and the cat-man's arrival in New York instantly caused an explosive sensation throughout the United States and even the world.

Especially considering that just a month ago, New York had just experienced a large-scale invasion by an alien army.

—In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Chitauri invasion had a far greater impact on the world order than the destruction of half of New York.

Prior to this, although various supernatural events had occurred frequently on Earth, and even the secret visits of extraterrestrials were not unprecedented, human civilization, in general, remained isolated on Earth, proceeding with its gradual and closed-off development in a step-by-step manner.

Although this is the tumultuous Marvel universe, and New York is the main battleground for heroes and villains, they all consider themselves Earthlings, so they are all essentially playing a game on the same chessboard.

—And aliens are like unwelcome guests who flip the table…

However, those fragmented pieces of information about extraterrestrial civilizations had been concealed by special agencies like S.H.I.E.L.D. So, in the eyes of the general public who were unaware of the truth, human civilization had always been playing a single-player game within the confines of Earth... well, at most a local area network game.

However, the Chitauri invasion and destruction of New York revealed the bloody truth about the universe that had been hidden from the public for so long.

From a psychological and historical perspective, this is almost as significant as the impact of Columbus's landing in the Americas on Native American societies.

From that moment on, Earth's human civilization in the Marvel Cinematic Universe officially transitioned from the Earth Age to the Interstellar Age. However, it wasn't humanity that gradually ventured into space and towards the universe on its own; rather, it was abruptly pulled in by alien invaders.

To make a simple analogy, it's roughly similar to those semi-colonial countries whose doors were forced open by powerful ships and cannons during the Age of Exploration.

Therefore, the human civilization that had its "gateway" (the gate to Earth) suddenly blasted open by aliens was somewhat similar to the Japanese archipelago at the end of the Edo period after the arrival of the Black Ships. From top to bottom, no one was psychologically prepared to face this "unprecedented change in three thousand years".

This led to a collapse of self-confidence in the entire human society, and widespread chaos in thought, politics, and the economy.

As the most sensitive and direct indicator of human society, the financial market is the first to reflect this state of anxiety.

The Chitauri, who brought fire, explosions, and death directly to Wall Street, were like a heavy iron hammer, smashing the long-accumulated financial bubble in the securities market in the blink of an eye, causing trillions of dollars to vanish at an alarming speed.

Capital needs a safe environment, especially for long-term investment. Once capital feels the environment is unfavorable, it will quickly flee. In the Marvel universe of America, the reason why various monsters roam freely, the police and military are constantly on the move, and the financial center of New York is constantly being attacked by superheroes and supervillains, yet the market economy still remains stable, is simply because the fighting is more intense and the environment is more unsafe elsewhere.

The "safety" in the Marvel universe is a completely different concept from "safety" in the real world. When the whole world is being turned into a meat grinder like the Paris Commune and Stalingrad, then even Afghanistan, which is constantly being bombed, can be considered "safe".

However, the destructive power and shock effect of the alien army have clearly exceeded the threshold of mainstream society in this world.

As a result, after the Battle of New York ended, the US stock market plummeted by 2,500 points in a single day when it reopened, wiping out more than three trillion dollars in just one trading day. For the next thirty trading days, the US stock market continued to plummet, utterly devastated, as if it had crashed through the floor and was about to fall to the earth's core.

Following this, the three major European stock markets and the Japanese stock market also plummeted, and a financial crisis comparable to a tsunami swept the globe in an instant!

—When the giant ship of Wall Street runs aground and sinks, the whirlpool it creates will drag everything around it into the deep sea, to perish together…

As we all know, after a financial crisis erupts, an unstoppable wave of bankruptcies and unemployment follows, along with political crises and regional unrest. The unemployed and bankrupt in developed countries might be able to receive welfare while simultaneously taking to the streets to protest. But the unemployed and bankrupt in underdeveloped countries are left with no choice but to take up their rubber tappers and broken guns and fight each other… This pattern has been repeated many times before.

Then, against the backdrop of a global economic recession, people's ideas and values ​​around the world also faced a great crisis.

Specifically, the lower classes on Earth generally felt extremely insecure after the Battle of New York, fearing that one day another group of vicious alien invaders would descend upon them, or that they would lose their jobs because of an alien invasion.

Especially during the financial crisis, large numbers of people lost their jobs and savings, and some were even evicted from their homes and forced to wander, fueling their growing anger. Consequently, various radical groups, from the far left to the far right, attempted to exploit the public's anxiety and plight to stir up trouble and vie for control of the narrative from the ruling authorities. A number of cults preaching apocalyptic prophecies also seized the opportunity to expand rapidly, engaging in fraudulent activities such as swindling money and women.

Faced with the threat of extraterrestrial invasion, governments around the world are equally at a loss. With severely insufficient intelligence, they are simply unable to come up with a convincing response plan. Small, poor, and weak countries may resign themselves to fate, while the rulers of developed capitalist countries still believe that everything should be under their control. However, faced with the vast and boundless universe, they have to admit that they truly cannot control anything now.

All strategic plans and grand ambitions become self-deception in the face of aliens who could invade the very next day.