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75.44% Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics / Chapter 3236: Chapter 2380: Gotham Music Festival (82)_1

章節 3236: Chapter 2380: Gotham Music Festival (82)_1

Shiller knew it wasn't Batman because, obviously, the bat suit was just a bodysuit with two pointy ears added to the cowl—perhaps to avoid copyright infringement, the logo on the Bat-belt wasn't a bat but a horizontal lying beauty.

Maybe to hide the flaws of his skin, Deadpool wore a mask that didn't expose his chin, and gloves covered his hands—apart from a small area around the eye sockets, almost no skin was visible.

Since the bat cowl wasn't custom-made and seemed like merchandise from a Batman fan club, the fit around the eyes wasn't very snug, and the little bit of skin that was showing lay completely in shadow.

Deadpool's dance was surprisingly good. Of course, he had no flexibility to speak of, but these kinds of pole dances are more about being provocative than skilled. Deadpool twisted and swayed so seductively that it was hard to believe he wasn't thoroughly enjoying himself—apart from having a gun pointed at his head by Deathstroke, he lacked just 0.01% of the initiative required to not be able to exude such a vibe.

Shiller exited the video interface, scrolled to the second comment and realized there was a follow-up to the video, and its popularity was skyrocketing. He refreshed the page, only to find that the number of comments had grown by more than 2,000.

Clicking on the comments, Shiller had a bad feeling. The initial dance video comments were mostly people jesting, most of them brief and easy to scroll through.

But the comments section for the second video was filled with lengthy essays, the kind that Bruce would have to write floaters for at least two months, and scrolling to the bottom wouldn't even take you past a single person's comment.

The online social habits in Europe and America are a bit odd—they really like to use real photos of themselves as avatars. In this burgeoning Internet era, forums are nearly full of real faces.

And now, looking over the comments section, it was dark with profiles of almost entirely Black individuals.

With a sinking feeling, Shiller clicked on the video, and unfortunately, just as Deadpool's Batman had gotten halfway through his act, with a loud snap, the glass of the window on his right shattered, and a group of people rushed in.

Deadpool was clearly taken aback, and the cameraman even swore. In that brief moment, Shiller recognized that it was indeed Deathstroke. This was how Deathstroke sought revenge against Batman.

But the situation before him was beyond his expectation because the intruders weren't just any riffraff but a well-trained group of agents.

Deathstroke immediately realized something was off because the intruders' window breaking and landing stances were too professional. To most people, smashing through a window might seem cool, but without professional training, the best outcome would be full of glass shards.

They entered with their backs first, making an obvious upward motion, landing in front of the shattered glass, using their backs, which had the largest surface area, to hit the ground, and rapidly rolling to avoid hitting the broken glass headfirst.

They were clearly launched in, meaning the whole maneuver was unexpectedly reacted to and completed mid-air. This wouldn't be difficult for Deathstroke—he was the king of battle-hardened mercenaries. But among common folk, no one could act and reach out like that without being strong.

Deathstroke immediately clenched his weapon, took a few steps back, crouched in the corner, and stared intently at the people who had rushed in. He recognized them—it was that bunch of blue-coated dogs from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Deadpool was merrily dancing, oblivious to the people storming in, and even if he had noticed, he wouldn't have been able to analyze the situation as Deathstroke did. He still thought they were just ordinary police, so he wiggled his butt and made a coquettish gesture, saying,

"Hey, don't shoot, I'm Batman. Though I didn't get to show off my sexy chin, you should be able to see these even sexier abs..."

The agents didn't even acknowledge him, not sparing him a glance, nimbly weaving through the bar's obstacles toward another window.

"Hey, buddy, can't you see I'm Batman? You're in trouble!" Deadpool jumped aside and shouted at the group of agents, "You have to believe me, I'm not showing my chin because I didn't want you to see my skin, I..."

Then the ones chasing the group of agents showed up. No wonder these elite agents were being chased so pitifully—they were followed by a group of magicians along with a crowd of mercenaries and killers.

After escaping from the hands of Soviet magicians, these agents naturally felt they couldn't stay and knew they were too late to stop Oliver from returning to Moscow. They had to urgently inform their superiors.

Their rendezvous point was set up on Black Island because it was far from Gotham's mainland and was a place teeming with mixed crowds, making it a relatively easy breach point. After following Oliver here, they took up residence on the island.

But as soon as they returned, they encountered the biggest chaos ever to hit Black Island, with magicians and mercenary killers clashing into a melee.

Having just been pursued by Soviet magicians, already suffering from magician PTSD, they assumed the worst when they saw the tumult and suspected KGB agents had ambushed the place earlier. They decided to strike first.

But when they made their move, the magicians didn't recognize them. How could the mercenaries and killers, who frequently dealt with Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, fail to recognize them?

While the magicians were just causing trouble and many mercenaries and killers were reluctantly dragged into the fray with no prior grudge against them, it was different for the agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Almost everyone here deeply resented them.

When they saw agents join the fight, even though the mercenaries and killers seemed to be attacking the magicians, their bullets, darts, and explosives sometimes deliberately missed their mark, landing on the agents instead.

And how could those agents tolerate that? After years of practicing their grappling skills, would they let these sewer rats trample on their heads and strut around?

When agents clashed with the mercenary killers, the magician thought he had received backup, so he moved towards the agents. However, what the agents despised the most were them, striking them down as well.

Seeing this, the magician realized that someone indiscriminate of friend and foe had emerged, a madman each exceedingly strong. Without neutralizing them first, it'd be difficult to escape.

As a result, it turned into mercenaries and assassins along with the magician ganging up on the agents. No matter how tough these agents were, they couldn't withstand the dual onslaught of physical and magic attacks. What else to do? The old method, run.

Black Island wasn't large to begin with, and the site of the brawl was in the heart of a commercial district. Deathstroke had chosen a specific bar on the island, a place he was more familiar with, to have Deadpool pose as Batman.

Keep in mind that in this world, Batman reveals his true identity online, so almost everyone knows he is Bruce Wayne. Seeing Batman pole dancing might only amuse people, but if Bruce Wayne were to hit the scene, it'd be hard not to suspect he has some special fetishes.

This couldn't exactly be said to strike at Bruce's reputation, it was purely to disgust him.

Deathstroke's plan was solid, but after the agents burst in, everything turned chaotic, and the bar erupted into a fracas.

Deadpool was moving around the cramped bar, spewing trash talk like crazy.

True to his nickname 'Deadpool the Merc with a Mouth,' his mouth was indeed filthy, verbally attacking everyone in the bar within a few short seconds.

The agents were already fuming with anger, and Deadpool's taunts were like pouring gasoline on the fire. None of the agents thought of running away anymore. They rushed towards Deadpool, intent on close-quarters combat.

Deadpool wasn't easy to handle, performing several rolls and agilely leaping over the bar, and truly, no one seemed to get the better of him.

Yet, just as he was smugly picking up a glass as if to admire it, his ankle was pulled.

Deadpool had never worn a uniform with a cape and was unaccustomed to dragging a tail behind him. An agent whom Deathstroke had knocked to the ground reached out and grabbed Deadpool's cape, pulling it and causing Deadpool to lose his balance and stagger in the agent's direction, then yanking his ankle to bring him down.

Deadpool crashed to the floor with a bang. Just as he tried to get up, a dart whizzed past his scalp. Deadpool had no choice but to roll on the spot, kicking the agent away as he rose. Just as he got up, two more darts slashed across his upper arm.

The angles of the two darts crossed, etching a V-shape on his upper arm. As the tight-fitting outer layer fell away, revealing black underneath, it turned out he was wearing his own uniform beneath the bat suit, probably in preparation for a striptease later.

Deadpool seemed completely unfazed by the pain, struggling free, clumsily scrambling up, and screaming as he ran toward Deathstroke. But an agent, who had rolled to the corner and taken position, was ready.

With a series of bangs, the staccato of gunfire marked the emptying of an M9 pistol's magazine. Deadpool, disguised as Batman, fell to the ground in the darkness.

That's where the video ended.

Shiller was very aware Deadpool was just fine – ordinary handgun bullets from over 20 meters wouldn't cause him any fatal injuries, even if he took 15 shots in a matter of seconds. Deadpool's self-healing power was robust enough to handle that.

The most contentious point of the video was that a black color was revealed when Batman's suit was cut open.

Deadpool's costume is black and red, with most of it being red, but his shoulders and the mask area are solid black – precisely where the cut had been made.

With the bar's dim lighting, it was not easy to see clearly. Most people would never think that a lunatic would wear one uniform over another, and naturally, they would assume that the revealed black was his skin.

Moreover, when Deadpool spoke, he had specifically mentioned skin because Deadpool was not from this cosmos, and in this universe, he didn't have much fame. No one knew that he was actually referring to the scars on his skin; people thought he meant skin color.

And just like that, the pot exploded.

The headline "Federal Bureau of Investigation agent empties the magazine on black Batman fan, leading to his death" quickly appeared on the front pages of major websites, followed by the traditional print media.

Thus, nearly 30 years early, the Floyd "I can't breathe" incident, which would rock the 21st century, broke out within the Federation.

Within a few short hours, websites and media commentaries began to ferment wildly, until finally, the West Coast hip-hop giant changed his profile background to black.

Biggie posted an all-black image with the caption, "We will always remember Gotham".


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章節 3237: Chapter 2381 Gotham Music Festival (83)_1

Many fans thought that this image paired with this phrase was indeed a voice for this black man, but soon some people noticed something was off—the "Gotham" referred to in "mourning Gotham" didn't seem like a place name.

Because English grammar is quite strict, when Gotham is treated as a mere place name, there are specific prepositions and sentence structures; if Biggie meant "mourning the day in Gotham," then the grammar of the phrase he posted would be different. And if he meant we should never forget the tragedy that occurred on the land of Gotham, the difference would be even greater.

This sentence seems more like we will always remember Gotham the person, because only when a name is mentioned there does the sentence flow more smoothly.

If someone else had posted this phrase, many would think it was uncultured, a botched sentence hastily written to chase clout, but Biggie was a renowned rap artist. Rap artists are masters of playing with lyrics, so he wouldn't make such a basic mistake.

Given that both giants of the East and West Coast changed to black backgrounds and posted messages at the same time, although they too are black, it's normal for them to fight for the rights of black people. But they're currently in Gotham—could it be they know some inside information?

Opinions were mixed, the public outcry exploded, and at that moment, 2pac recorded a video and uploaded it to the internet.

He sat in the hotel bedroom, facing the camera toward himself, his expression extremely sad. He was silent for a full three minutes before he said, "I regret that a friend has left us forever and that the world has yet to truly witness his talent. This will be an unbearable loss for the entire American rap community."

"I can't describe everything I've seen in this city. He was so brave in speaking out for this place. We had just started our friendship, and we even talked about producing a joint album together."

By this point, 2pac had started to cry, choking on his words: "I can't imagine how much pain he was in when he died. God also cannot explain why such a brave soul who dared to speak up for the people had 15 bullet holes."

He took a deep breath, pursed his lips tightly, his face shifting from sadness to anger, "I've said it before, I've said it time and again, this kind of thing keeps happening to us, and some among us blame ourselves for all mistakes, so the tragedy repeats itself again and again."

"It's not, definitely not our fault. If a cop fired a shot, a white person would take one bullet, not the following 14 shots. That's their sin, not ours."

"If we can't stand firm on this point, then next time, it will be you in front of the cameras weeping, friends. Don't wait any longer, don't let these things happen to you again."

The video ended and, unsurprisingly, it caused another uproar on the internet. People finally understood what "Gotham" referred to.

The only rap artist who could be referred to as "Gotham" was one who had just released a single album but had risen to great fame, a future so promising that anyone could see it was boundless—that was Gotham Boy.

This was all very traceable. Although Gotham Boy's songs often carried a heavy theme, his style tended to reveal a cheerful dark humor, indicating he was not a particularly serious and rigid person, and presumably quite young.

He was also quite aggressive, with a sharp tongue, which matched with the behavior of the person who was shot in the bar. Many rappers came forward to say that this guy, right before his death, could have won a championship in many underground rap battles with his rapid-fire lyrical output.

This was also in line with the majority of fans' speculation—Gotham Boy was indeed black, which strengthened their belief even more.

If they couldn't trust the words of a well-known rap giant right there in Gotham, then whom could they trust?

Public opinion erupted even more violently, almost affecting the whole of America. Even many traditional news media of the redneck faction began to report on this matter, with the majority of the attacks aimed at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

But the public wasn't foolish; they knew this wasn't just a problem with the FBI. When the victim didn't show his skin color, the agents didn't even glance at him. The moment he revealed he was black, he was hit with 15 shots—could this be a management issue within the FBI?

You say he's cautious, he doesn't shoot even when a strange person is making moves in front of him. You say he's not cautious, but he fires 15 shots at a human being, hitting every spot that could catch the eye. Isn't this a contradiction?

A vigorous movement for black rights erupted.

In the background, some even bigger storms were brewing.

As everyone knows, before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Cold War had no winners; both sides were dragged to the point of exhaustion.

But in truth, Europe was even more exhausted. The Cold War was "cold" because America and the Soviet Union were separated by seas, but Europe shared the same continent with the Soviets, and they had to be concerned about becoming the first battlefield of a "hot" war at any moment.

In an upturn phase, capitalist economies have their rises and downturns. During an upturn, everything's good, regardless of what the big guy next door is up to. Everyone enjoys their welfare, makes money, and supports their families.

But once a downturn begins, with severe inflation, skyrocketing prices, and stagnant wages, people struggle to make ends meet, living standards plummet, and satisfaction with the government plummets dramatically.

At this point, governments must adopt new economic policies to rejuvenate the market, but that requires room to maneuver. Most European countries have but a little land; their markets are so limited that there's no room for maneuvering or discussions about rejuvenation.

So they decided to join forces, not just to counter pressure from the East, but also to rejuvenate their economies. This is the backdrop to the birth of the European Common Market.

Because the Soviet Union did not collapse, European countries could not benefit from the inheritance, and the majority of small states, in order to maintain their governments, could only try to be self-sufficient. However, relying solely on their own markets was not enough, so they had to find ways to unite with other markets.

The most important step in uniting other markets was to adopt a unified currency. Under the pressure of the ailing domestic economic situation of the Soviet Union, the Euro appeared nearly 10 years earlier.

In the spring of 1992, the European Community officially transitioned to the European Union, and the Euro was issued.

Although individual European countries are small, there were many of them, and when combined, they constituted a very large market. With the deepening of their union and a unified stance, the criteria for joining the EU emphasized a disregard for historical grievances—just come on board.

Not only small countries like Vatican but also many traditionally neutral nations joined the EU. Perpetually neutral countries such as Switzerland, although not explicitly stating their accession to the EU, announced their participation in the European Common Market and complied with its rules.

As a result, Europe's bonds became even tighter, with the most core nations completely crossing the line and beginning to move towards political centralization in Europe.

It's hard to say who the biggest beneficiary of this situation was, but without a doubt, the biggest loser was America.

As commonly known, America in its latter stages relied almost entirely on harvesting Europe, and could also be regarded as the main culprit for the European Union's later lack of unity and disarray. Once the European countries united, harvesting for America was no longer so convenient.

The more stable Europe's market became, the faster the internal circulation system was built, and the more difficult deindustrialization became.

European core countries, although fond of stirring activities, had a solid foundation during this period. United and combined, they had an almost complete industrial system and a market to vitalize their economy—as the saying goes, who would choose to be a dog when one can be human.

America surely watched with concern as Europe's interest in NATO waned. After all, it was America that had once encouraged Europe to unite in order to contain the Soviet Union with NATO. But America never intended them to unite so completely that they would kick the brain out after assembling the limbs.

European politicians, however, didn't care about this. If you talk about the flair of old Europe waving its flag high, then even American white supremacy would have to take a back seat. Throughout history, they've maintained their sense of superiority despite everything, and now that they've gained momentum, it was time to clearly distinguish between the father and the son.

For Europe, NATO was always about keeping distant enemies and attacking nearby ones. But after its establishment, they realized that the "distant" part was still true.

In history, they had no choice, as the Soviet Union was even worse off, and they could only follow one path to its dark end. But now, things were different—the Soviet Union wasn't as dire, and they were doing alright.

With choice in hand, it's up to me to decide whether to lean on the rails and gaze across the North Atlantic or turn my head to take in the scenery of Eastern Europe.

America, of course, was not going to let Europe succeed so easily. Against these old nobles who could not see reality, a strong punch had to be thrown. But just as America was swinging, it caught fire itself.

After the Mexican Revolution erupted, Europe had a considerable amount of time to catch its breath and develop. America decided to focus on saving itself, scrambling and flustering, while Europeans delighted in their respite.

In the summer of 1995, the EU announced it would strengthen cooperation further, and renamed itself the European Nations Union.

America thought, alright, so this is how you want to play? With the Soviet Union nearly dead, and now there's this Euro Union; let's see if I just prick you and we'll call it a day.

Now America had intended to go after the Euro Union, but Oliver ran off to the Soviet Union, and the Soviet Union revived.

America was like Tom in the cartoons, catching Jerry only to be hit by a bird, then catching the bird only to be hit by Jerry. Dealing with Europe, the Soviet Union, and Mexico all at once, they couldn't get a handle on any of them.

Of course, America had strong fundamentals too. As the biggest beneficiary of World War II, the domestic economy, although not as good as during the Golden Age, had been somewhat maintained.

Then domestic unrest broke out.

The black man, Floyd, who died from a police chokehold saying he couldn't breathe, was born in the wrong era. At that time, America was undisputedly the boss, and this was merely a domestic ethnic conflict with no external power having the right to comment.

But the Black Lives Movement that erupted at that time was different. The fire of the Communist International was still burning, the Soviet Union, standing off with America, had yet to die, the European Union was watching from the sidelines, and the Eastern Great Nation enjoyed fanning the flames without worrying about escalating the situation.

Before a unipolar international structure emerged, any small incident in one country would be scrutinized and highlighted by the media of the other. All the more so for such a significant event.

The movement had just erupted, and before a significant public opinion wave could form within America, several printing presses in Moscow exploded from running too hot, and the price of ordinary ink paper in the EU tripled. With the Atlantic as the dividing line, countries on the other side were in uproar, with drums and fireworks sounding in unison.

America did not expect that before it could suppress the domestic splash, the tidal wave from outside had already arrived.

More fatal still, for capitalist countries, market confidence is a very important factor. This seemingly superficial impact from public opinion ultimately buried a huge hidden danger.


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