Chương 60: Chapter 60 Peter Walks Into the Lion Den Cyborg Begins Filming

Anton looked at the boy standing beside Phil Urich, a peculiar smile forming on his lips.

"Kid, you managed to get pictures of Spider-Man? Let's have a look," Anton said.

Eddie Brock chimed in, prompting the boy to hand over his digital camera. Eddie flipped through the images and was visibly impressed.

"These are great shots," Eddie said with a nod. "Are you selling them exclusively to us, or are other outlets getting them too?"

"Only to you. I'm a fan of Batman and The Daily Bugle," the boy replied nervously, his youthful face betraying his inexperience.

"Good. I'll pay you $1,000 per photo. There are six here, so that's $6,000. Phil, take him to get his payment," Eddie said with a smile. Hearing the boy's loyalty to The Daily Bugle, he felt a twinge of goodwill and offered a generous price.

"Thank you," the boy said, visibly relieved. As Phil led him away, he hesitated and asked, "If I get more pictures of Spider-Man in the future, can I bring them to you?"

"Of course. As long as you supply us exclusively, I promise to pay the same rate," Anton answered before Eddie could.

As the boy turned to leave, Anton casually asked, "By the way, what's your name?"

"Peter. Peter Parker," the boy replied, leaving his name before exiting.

Anton's smile widened.

Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man, had unknowingly walked straight into his biggest critic's headquarters. Fate had a funny sense of humor.

With $6,000 in hand, Peter Parker left The Daily Bugle building, practically buzzing with excitement. It wasn't his first payday, but it was by far the largest and most impactful.

The money solved a major problem for him.

He planned to use it to buy materials and create a new "suit."

Truth be told, during his early days as Spider-Man, the harshest criticism wasn't about his abilities—catching thieves and stopping robbers—but about his appearance.

A cheap, ugly red mask, a loose hoodie with a spider emblem, and generic athletic pants hardly screamed "superhero."

If not for The Daily Bugle dubbing him "Spider-Man," no one would have even considered him a proper hero.

Peter decided it was time for a wardrobe upgrade to solidify his image.

To maintain secrecy, he planned to design and create the suit himself.

As for funding, his ingenious solution was to sell photos of himself.

This idea had come to him during the Kingpin raid, when Venom took a group photo to claim a triple bonus from his editor. That photo had ended up on the front page of The Daily Bugle, making Spider-Man a household name.

Peter quickly deduced that Venom likely worked for or had connections with The Daily Bugle. With its ties to Batman and Venom, the paper seemed like a hub for superheroes.

This, coupled with his admiration for Batman, gave Peter a positive impression of the publication.

As Peter exited the building, a familiar voice called out.

"Hey, Peter!"

Turning, Peter's face lit up with surprise. "Harry!"

He rushed over. "What are you doing here?"

"I had some business to discuss with someone here. As I was leaving, I saw you walk into the building and decided to wait for you," Harry Osborn explained casually, omitting the part about negotiating a multimillion-dollar investment deal with Anton.

"I visited Oscorp recently," Harry continued. "Dr. Connors mentioned you and said you're brilliant. He's thinking about offering you an assistant position. Interested?"

"Dr. Connors?" Peter's eyes widened with excitement. "Of course, I'd love to be his assistant!"

Back in The Daily Bugle office, Eddie gave Anton a quizzical look.

"You seemed unusually interested in that kid," Eddie remarked.

"Just admiration," Anton replied with a shrug. "Everyone else struggles to get decent photos of Spider-Man, but he managed it. That says something about his skills."

"Or maybe he just got lucky," Eddie countered.

"Or," Venom's voice suddenly cut in, "he is Spider-Man."

"What?!" Eddie froze in shock.

Anton, on the other hand, merely smiled and left the room. While he now knew Spider-Man's identity, he had no intention of interfering with Peter Parker's growth.

Every superhero had their unique path, shaped by their individual experiences. Peter's growing attachment to The Daily Bugle only reassured Anton that the paper's reputation was growing stronger under his leadership.

Anton returned to the DC office downstairs to oversee Browning and the team's progress.

The Man of Steel novel was already in production, alongside stories for Cyborg, Flash, Wonder Woman, Shazam, and other heroes. The hardworking writers were making steady progress.

Meanwhile, The Daily Bugle's newly launched novel section was already operational. Thanks to the hype surrounding Batman, it had substantial traffic from the start, ensuring its viability.

With the serialized release of The Dark Knight attracting readers and ad revenue, the platform was already profitable. This success, coupled with The Daily Bugle's years of influence, gave DC a solid base for its content expansion.

Later, Anton received a call from Jim.

"The crew is ready, and initial funding is in place. How soon can we start filming Cyborg?" Jim asked.

"As soon as possible. I'll be in Hollywood tonight," Anton replied. "How are Batman and Superman progressing?"

"Both started filming yesterday. Things are moving slowly as the crews get acclimated, but overall, I'm not worried. My biggest concern is you, Anton," Jim admitted.

Despite funding challenges, Anton's plan to stagger investments while starting production was a calculated risk. With three major projects underway, Jim's workload had been immense.

"I'm fine, Jim. Trust me—this time, I won't disappoint you," Anton assured him.

With his experience, Anton expected to wrap up filming in roughly three months, following a process similar to his previous projects. The sooner the movie was completed, the sooner it could generate returns—not just monetary but in fan points for Cyborg.

After all, for Anton, fan points were far more valuable than money.