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9.33% Superman Comics In Great Depression. / Chapter 3: Chapter 3 The End

章 3: Chapter 3 The End

"So, Colin, I'll see you tomorrow," said Smith as they exited the Daily Bugle building. He scratched his dense beard and let out a yawn while greeting Colin.

"See you tomorrow, Smith," Colin replied absentmindedly, nodding wearily toward the cameraman.

In the fast-paced world of news media, time is of the essence. Both Smith, the cameraman, and Colin had to be on standby since the early morning to capture breaking news. After a long and exhausting day, all they could think about was going home and crashing onto their beds for a much-needed rest.

As they bid farewell to their colleagues, Colin tried to snap himself awake by slapping his cheeks.

Colin, coming from a modest background, had to work part-time while studying and rely on substantial student loans to barely graduate. Unfortunately, like many American graduates, Colin was burdened with debt right after graduation.

In America, the saying goes that you pay for education until old age. It's not a new concept. Many people assume that after attending college, they will secure a good job and swiftly recover their investment. However, the reality is that numerous individuals find themselves repaying student loans well into their middle age or even retirement, especially in the aftermath of the recent financial crisis, which further complicated Colin's job search.

Here I am, transported to a superhero world, and yet I still have to worry about work and paying off debts, Colin pondered.

He wondered how long Daily Bugle would be able to sustain itself, especially considering the rumors circulating about an impending acquisition.

The absence of their boss, J. Jonah Jameson, from the office for an extended period added to Colin's concern. Since arriving in this world, he had yet to meet Jameson face to face, despite him being Colin's current boss.

Colin felt a twinge of regret about this. After all, Jameson held a certain level of "celebrity" status in the superhero world. Though his destined rival the "bug" hadn't emerged yet, it didn't stop Colin from paying attention, particularly given the current circumstances where Jameson was his boss.

Well, at least until Daily Bugle gets acquired.

...

With these conflicting thoughts in his mind, Colin disembarked the bus just before the next stop and entered an alleyway.

Due to his modest salary as a rookie reporter, Colin couldn't afford a high-end residence. He currently resides in an apartment on the outskirts of Second Avenue in New York. The daily commute alone took about an hour, assuming favorable traffic conditions in downtown New York.

However, as Colin hurried back to his apartment, he failed to notice.

Unbeknownst to him, two figures at the intersection glanced at each other before trailing him into the alleyway.

"Hey, buddy, stop right there!" One of them called out.

In the alley, two men blocked Colin's path before he could leave. One of them, a tattooed black man, brandished a gun, making threatening gestures.

"Hand over your money!" he demanded.

Colin's gaze fixated on the black man's gun for a few seconds before he reluctantly handed over his wallet.

"No problem," Colin responded. It was just a joke. He had merely crossed over into the world of superheroes, not become one himself.

During the nearly one week since he embarked on his journey as a reporter in this new world, Colin had come to fully comprehend the "freedom" of America, and he had no interest in paying the price associated with that "freedom."

Especially when he noticed the dazed and disoriented expressions occasionally displayed on the faces of the two individuals before him—clear signs of heavy drug use.

"Damn, why is it only this little?"

In a violent act, the black man forcefully grabbed Colin's wallet and examined the meager amount of money inside, causing an immediate change in his facial expression.

"Stop trying to deceive me, you wretch!"

One of his accomplices, upon seeing that the wallet contained less than thirty dollars, swiftly seized Colin by the collar and threatened, "Do you think we might shoot you right now?"

Feeling the tightening grip on his collar, Colin's expression grew uneasy. He looked at the two men before him, clearly distressed, and struggled to explain, "Believe me, I have no motive to deceive you in this situation..."

Perhaps persuaded by Colin's explanations or perhaps confident in his possession of a handgun, the man gripping Colin's collar reluctantly released his hold, causing Colin to clutch his throat, coughing uncomfortably.

"Cough, cough..."

Unaware of Colin's reaction, the clumsy duo of robbers were about to depart from the alley.

"Hold on a moment..."

In that instant, one observant black man turned around and unintentionally noticed the blue lanyard in Colin's pocket.

"What's concealed in your pocket?"

Oh no, when did that happen?!

Confronted with the black man's question, Colin instinctively reached for his pocket.

However, his reflexive action once again triggered unfavorable assumptions in the minds of the two men facing him.

"Damn it, you dare to deceive us for real!"

"I think you've had enough of living!"

With a displeased expression, one of them rushed towards Colin, forcefully removing his hand from his pocket. He then extracted something from inside, along with the lanyard.

"What is this?!"

However, as he examined the card attached to the lanyard, his companion's expression involuntarily transformed into surprise.

"Colin Luper, Daily Bugle? Press credentials!"

Flipping through the card hanging from the lanyard and reading its contents meticulously, the man's demeanor changed accordingly.

"Damn you, you're a journalist!"

"Everything can be explained. I'm just newly employed..."

In the alley, as Colin witnessed the growing excitement on the faces of the two men before him, he quickly raised his hands to clarify, but before he could utter a word...

Bang!

The piercing sound of a gunshot abruptly interrupted everything.

"Damn it..."

Experiencing intense pain in his chest, Colin clutched the wounded area and collapsed, as if struck by a heavy blow.

"...Damn... Who told you to shoot?!"

"Didn't you see? This guy is a journalist, and he witnessed both of us..."

Lying on the chilly cement ground of the alley, feeling the warm flow of blood from his wound and his body growing colder, Colin's innermost thoughts harbored no trace of fear of death.

He listened to the panicked argument between the two men at the alley's entrance.

And in the next moment, Colin's blurred consciousness was enveloped in a vivid green light.

[The End]

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章 4: Chapter 4 1931

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Colin's consciousness was enveloped by a vibrant green light, constantly tugging at him.

Within this radiant glow, a multitude of figures danced and shifted—some laughing, some crying, some arguing, and some fighting. These images were elusive yet remarkably vivid.

When Colin reopened his eyes, the environment around him had undergone a complete change.

The frigid concrete floor of a New York alley had been transformed into a warm and cozy interior.

"Just as I expected..."

Colin's face showed no signs of surprise as he surveyed the scene in front of him.

In fact, this kind of situation was a daily occurrence for Colin.

Whenever he closed his eyes, the light would pull his consciousness into another world. Assuming the identity of Colin Luper, he lived an entirely different life.

Initially, Colin questioned whether this so-called alternate world might simply be an unconventional dream. However, through his persistent efforts, he eventually confirmed its tangible reality.

"Who could have imagined that time travel would come with a 'buy one, get one free' offer these days?"

Colin had expressed his frustration about this on multiple occasions.

The frequent back-and-forth between these two worlds, day and night, began to confuse even Colin, a seasoned time traveler.

To accurately distinguish between the two realms, he referred to the one before him as the "real world," a normal world devoid of superheroes. The other world, with its superheroes and substantial divergence from his memories, he dubbed the "alternate world/anti-world."

Of course, these designations of "real" and "alternate" were merely subjective definitions created by Colin for the sake of convenience in his own recollection.

A dull ache emanated from his chest, bringing Colin's attention back to reality.

Glancing down, he noticed that the fatal gunshot wound had transformed into a minor bleeding injury on his chest. Aside from the occasional twinges of pain when he moved, it was hard to believe that just minutes ago, Colin had been involved in a shooting incident.

"I wonder how it will be when I return."

Skilled in his routine, Colin retrieved a bandage from a drawer in the room and swiftly tended to his wound.

Standing before the wardrobe, Colin skillfully tied a necktie and selected a dark gray coat. He examined his movements in the mirror, ensuring that the bandage wouldn't hinder his normal range of motion. Finally, he placed a top hat from the nearby desk atop his head.

Rubbing his cold palms together, Colin approached the door but paused for a moment. He hesitated, then turned back to the desk, opening a drawer and retrieving an old-fashioned revolver. He tucked it into his coat pocket.

Considering the recent perilous shooting incident he had just encountered, Colin felt it necessary to take some precautionary measures before venturing out.

Even though the location of the event was not the current world before his eyes.

But who could guarantee anything? After all...

Suppressing the thoughts that surfaced in his mind, Colin stood at the door, took a deep breath, adjusted his hat, opened the door, and stepped outside.

What greeted his eyes was the familiar yet unfamiliar metropolis—New York.

Or more accurately, New York in 1931.

….

In November, chilling winds swept through New York City.

The remnants of the Great Depression loomed, as people braved the cold and walked the streets. Everywhere, hurried pedestrians and expressionless vagrants could be observed. It's difficult to fathom that just a few years earlier, many of these destitute individuals enjoyed prosperous lives. Among them were former farmers, engineers, school principals, and even bank executives.

However, due to the devastating impact of the Great Depression, all their achievements came to naught.

Countless Americans watched helplessly as their life savings evaporated within days.

According to the latest estimate published in the September issue of Fortune magazine, over 34 million adults, including men, women, and children (child labor was legal during that time), were unemployed during the Great Depression, accounting for approximately 28% of the total population.

And this estimate is considered conservative, as it excludes the 11 million rural farmers.

The unemployment crisis also affected the farmers, resulting in a situation where neither group could afford the other's products.

It was as if they were trapped in an unrelenting cycle.

Farmers toiled tirelessly, only to receive meager rewards. The price of a cart of oats couldn't even buy a pair of subpar shoes. Wheat cultivators grow wheat at a loss of $1.5 per acre. It was more cost-effective to use corn as fuel rather than sell it to purchase coal. Farm owners couldn't recover the expenses incurred from feeding livestock, so they chose to dispose of them rather than sell them.

Numerous people faced eviction from their homes, losing the very shelter they depended on for survival. Many succumbed to famine and malnutrition during the Great Depression.

All of this was distressingly commonplace during that era.

...

Colin's understanding of the Great Depression largely came from accounts he had encountered in various books and photographs. Yet, these black-and-white images and simple texts failed to convey the true hardships endured by people of that time, especially during the Great Depression.

Now, experiencing it firsthand, Colin genuinely comprehended the immense challenges faced by individuals during that era. A stable job became a luxury amidst the overwhelming wave of unemployment, and the wages earned from exhausting labor often didn't cover the cost of a loaf of bread.

Even finding such work required a stroke of luck and was not available every day.

As Colin walked through the streets, he encountered beggars on multiple occasions.

He also noticed poorly dressed children, their emaciated appearance mirroring their prolonged malnutrition. These children huddled beside their equally thin mothers, seeking refuge from the biting cold winds that blew from every direction. The gaunt mothers, with sunken bodies, covered their mouths with a hand; their gazes fixed in the distance, filled with despair and numbness.

Observing this scene, Colin involuntarily slowed his pace.

He desired to do something but felt utterly powerless.

Because women like her were a common sight throughout the Great Depression.

It wasn't an isolated issue; it was a societal upheaval that swept across America and even the entire Western world.

The Great Depression was considered one of the longest, deepest, and most severe economic crises in the history of capitalist economies.

Taking a deep breath, Colin tore his gaze away from the ragged woman.

He turned around and briskly left the neighborhood, traversing a desolate shopping street until he finally halted in front of an old house at the street corner.

The sign above the house read, "Messenger Press."

Glancing at it, Colin adjusted his hat and coughed.

Then he reached out and pushed open the door of the press office.

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