Chapter 29: Chapter 29 How Many Times Do I Have to Save the World?
Anton didn't agree to let Jameson play with the Batcycle, but he did promise to send him a similar-looking prop bike from the movie set.
Only then did Jameson seem satisfied and stop pestering Anton.
After a few more words, Jameson headed to City Hall to handle some unresolved matters from last night's incident at the Continental Hotel.
That's when Anton noticed Jameson's driver was none other than John Wick, who had tried and failed to assassinate him the night before.
This surprised Anton quite a bit.
Of course, Jameson had his reasons, and Anton accepted the situation with a calm mind.
After all, John Wick was skilled, and in an increasingly dangerous New York, having this former "King of Killers" as part of their service wasn't a bad thing.
Since John was already looking to retire, wasn't this the perfect "retirement" job?
Anton had to admire the old man's foresight.
He watched with a slight smile as Jameson drove away in the vintage car, with John Wick at the wheel.
Anton had carefully considered revealing his identity as Batman to the old man.
The Batman persona itself was inherently mysterious, and digging deeper would reveal it as an open secret.
Jameson was Anton's closest confidant, and in this case, not only was secrecy unnecessary, but it also allowed Jameson to understand that Anton had the ability to protect himself and his family.
The only secret left to keep was his reincarnation.
Bringing that up would only confuse Jameson.
Anton himself wasn't entirely sure if he had taken over Anton's body or if his previous personality had awakened with the help of the system, replacing his current one.
Regardless, Jameson remained the closest family he had in this life.
After tidying up, Anton drove to the Daily Bugle.
"Anton, last night's incident at the Continental Hotel has caused a sensation in New York and across the U.S. The NYPD has officially opened an investigation and plans to collaborate with the SFPD to investigate the Life Foundation."
Betty, surprised to see him in the office, filled him in. "On top of that, there's that mysterious figure from last night, the one playing Batman. The internet is buzzing about him."
"Is that so?"
Anton stayed calm. "How big is the impact?"
He'd already seen the news and online discussions that morning.
Regarding Batman, the most viewed and liked images were those of Batman appearing, leaping off the Continental.
The photos were impressively taken, with professional lighting and composition.
Too bad they weren't taken by a Daily Bugle employee.
Anton was already considering poaching the photographer when Betty continued, "Thanks to this incident, tickets for Batman are almost impossible to get in New York. Attendance rates elsewhere have also climbed to 70%. Today's box office numbers might double."
Betty had called the theater to confirm.
"Excellent."
Anton seemed unsurprised and smiled. "Congratulations, you've earned the bonus I promised."
A moment later, seeing that Betty hadn't left, he asked curiously, "Anything else?"
"That Batman…"
As an insider, Betty had heard a bit about what happened from the reporters who went to the Continental.
Curious, she couldn't resist asking, "Do you know who he is?"
"How would I know?"
Anton waved dismissively, feigning indifference. "All I know is that he's a good person."
"Fine."
Betty huffed, catching his evasiveness and leaving in annoyance.
In his office, Anton sat back in his chair, going over his gains from last night.
The suit's durability had taken a hit during the fight, but it wasn't damaged.
Anton discovered that fan points could be used to restore his suit and gear's durability, and if anything got broken, he could use fan points to repair it.
But that wasn't the main thing.
[Defeated the Continental. Reward: 2 million Justice Points.]
On his system interface, visible only to him, this notification was what Anton cared about most.
He hadn't forgotten that he had two main metrics to keep track of: Fan Points and Justice Points.
Fan Points allowed him to unlock DC heroes, while Justice Points allowed him to unlock main template heroes, namely Batman's special suits, unlocking stronger forms of Batman.
Thermal Armor, Insider Suit, Strike Armor, Rabbit Armor, Enhanced Bat Suit, Kingdom Come Armor, Anti-Superman Armor, Fenrir Armor, Hellbat Armor, Sixth-Dimensional "Ultimate Suit"… they were all sitting in the system's virtual space, making Anton drool every time he peeked at them.
If it weren't for the invisible barrier in the way, he'd hug them and sleep with them every night.
Thermal Armor, Insider Suit, and Strike Armor were the cheapest, costing 5 million Justice Points.
Then there were others at 8 million, 10 million, 40 million, 50 million, 80 million.
The most expensive was the Sixth-Dimensional "Ultimate Suit" at 100 million.
If he were to exchange for every suit, assembling Batman's strongest and most complete arsenal, then launch fireworks like Iron Man did just to show off… here's the question: how many times would he have to save the world?
Anton felt his head spinning.
Last night's operation was partly to warn the Continental and set a trap for the Life Foundation, but also to see this exact notification today.
Justice Points!
Defeating the Continental and purifying the city earned him 2 million points.
Now, taking down the Life Foundation would probably net him even more.
Could he exchange for a special suit and have a rotation with the basic one?
Anton was eager.
He opened his computer, sent Eddie an email, saying he'd found help and would soon head to San Francisco to deal with the Life Foundation together.
After some thought, he called Betty back in.
"If all goes well, Eddie will be back soon, and you'll probably have to give up your temporary editor-in-chief position to him."
Betty kept a straight face, and Anton raised an eyebrow. "You're not mad at all? This doesn't seem like the Betty I know."
"Would being mad help?" Betty asked.
"No."
"Well, there you go."
"But if you were mad, I'd recommend a new job for you."
"What kind of job?"
"My personal assistant."
"Then I'd never dare get mad."
"Uh…"
Anton was momentarily speechless. "Seriously, Betty, working at the Bugle doesn't fully showcase your talents. Why not work as my personal assistant? I have lots of projects lined up for you."
"Other than chasing women, what else do you have lined up?" Betty raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to hit on me? you're not my type."
"Do you think I couldn't find other women if it weren't for you?"
Anton, a bit annoyed, added, "Don't forget, I'm a genius director! I have tons of ideas, just waiting for me to bring them to life."
"Let me think about it."
Betty's joking expression softened.
She understood Anton's point and, after a moment's thought, answered seriously.
"No problem."
Anton nodded. "You can tell me your decision after Eddie's back. Oh, and book me a flight to San Francisco—preferably for tonight."
"You're going to San Francisco?"
Betty looked shocked. "That's Life Foundation territory! Are you sure about this, Anton?"
"I'm going there to resolve this issue at its source."
Anton waved her off. "Just do as I say and book the flight."
"Fine, keep overworking me."
Betty rolled her eyes.
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