An increasingly troubled social climate

Henry, sitting in the back of the ambulance, was having his injuries checked by paramedics. Of course, he was perfectly fine. But George Stacy insisted, so Henry didn't object.

After the paramedics finished their examination, the police chief approached and remarked with a sigh, "Although I already knew you were Mutants with special abilities, seeing it with my own eyes is still incredible."

Although Henry's body was unharmed, his clothes were not so lucky. His arm, caught in the tiger's jaws, had tattered sleeves covered in Tiger saliva. Even from a distance, the stench was unmistakable.

Holding up his arm, whose clothes were torn, Henry said, "That's all I could do to help. Luckily, the zookeepers arrived quickly enough to give the Tiger a tranquilizer dart. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have made it."

Watching an ambulance drive away, Henry casually asked, "Are those two policemen alright?"

"One of them was just too frightened. He wasn't hurt by the Tiger; his injuries were from a fall. The other one will have to stay in the hospital for a while, but it's nothing serious, just a few scars."

Henry chuckled and said, "Looks like they were lucky. Attacked by Tiger, they only suffered these minor injuries." The man who was about to leave added, "Since everything's alright here, I'll head back. I don't need to go to the police station with you to file a report, right?"

"No need," George Stacy said after a moment's thought. "Thanks for today. I might have gotten hurt if you hadn't protected me."

"Hehe, no need to thank me. It was Ms. Hepburn who sent me to come and take a look; otherwise, I would still be drinking hot tea by the fireplace."

Interested in becoming one of us?

How much salary do police officers get?

Henry's question prompted George Stacy to smile wryly and say, "I was being presumptuous."

The superintendent of police in charge of patrols naturally investigated the Tiger owner. Given his wealth and income, he certainly didn't need to work so hard as a lowly policeman.

Henry, who was about to leave, suddenly heard a voice beside him shout, "Fuck Mutants!" which made him stop in his tracks.

Turning my head, I saw a policeman spitting provocatively to the side, his expression one of disdain. It was probably unnecessary to look for who had uttered those words.

Before Henry could react, George Stacy stepped forward and asked sternly, "Is there a problem, officer?"

"Sir, What If...? this guy is so capable, why not just let him handle today's situation? Why let our men get hurt?"

"Because this isn't his responsibility, and he's not a policeman. Why don't you do something worthy of your uniform and salary? Or should you give him your job?"

"But----"

Any other comments?

"No, sir."

George Stacy pointed at the reckless man and the police officer beside him, and said, "You two, go to the hospital. If you're so worried about your colleague, go find out what happened and write an investigation report."

The two patrol officers who were given extra assignments were dumbfounded, especially the one who was innocently caught in the tail end of the typhoon; he even looked at his colleague with a slightly off-putting expression.

Seeing the two standing there dumbfounded, George Stacy said rudely, "Get out of here! The report won't magically appear on my desk."

"Yes, sir," the two patrolmen replied listlessly.

Only after the two men had walked a distance did George Stacy turn to Henry and say, "I apologize for my subordinate's rudeness, Henry. I hope you won't take it to heart. What If...? you have any complaints, I'm sure you know the proper channels for appeal."

"I accept the apology. It's alright." Since the Commissioner General had spoken personally, there was no need to be rude. However, Henry still asked with slight concern, "Is everyone's prejudice against Mutants really that deep?"

"No, that's just the opinion of a minority. But I have to be honest, the recent trend isn't good. There are far more crimes committed by Mutants than when I first became a police officer."

George Stacy spoke earnestly. Then, realizing her mistake, she added, "I didn't mean any discrimination; I was just stating a fact."

"I understand." After thinking for a moment, Henry asked again, "Do you think it's because the number of Mutants has increased?"

Taken aback by the question, George Stacy paused for a moment, then thought about it seriously before saying, "While it's not obvious whether someone is Mutants before they demonstrate their abilities, there are definitely more people with different appearances now."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that these people rarely appear on the streets. As far as I know, their gathering places are getting bigger and bigger, and in more and more locations. So when you say the number of Mutants is increasing, I have that feeling too. I just didn't think about it that way before."

Henry said with a heavy expression, "I sincerely hope that these people can find a good job and live a stable life."

Instead of being impatient and only wanting to take shortcuts to a better life.

"Ah, the United States Dream. It's as if coming to this fertile land flowing with milk and honey will automatically make life abundant."

Unconsciously grumbling, George Stacy, realizing she'd spoken out of turn, gave a wry smile and said, "Forget what I said. I went a bit too far."

Henry pretended to zip up his mouth, and George Stacy gave him a helpless look.

The veteran policeman also felt a sense of goodwill towards the young man, which led him to unconsciously say those insolent things. Although the other person seemed unconcerned, some things still shouldn't have been said.

Henry, feigning ignorance, said as if he hadn't heard the earlier complaints, "Since everything's alright here, I'll head back. Ms. Hepburn has been showing signs of a cold these past few days, and I'm a little worried about her."

The superintendent, now back on track, smoothly continued, "While New York winters aren't as harsh as those in the north, the damp, cold climate is certainly not very friendly to the elderly."

"It's true that we should be careful. Oh, and by the way, please give my regards to Ms. Hepburn, especially for sending you here."

Henry smiled and said, "Okay. Goodbye," and left.

The matter of the strange Tiger was being handled by the New York Zoo, so Henry didn't need to worry about it. He was now thinking about something else.

For a long time, they have used the guise of Mutants to conceal their alien identities. Only the X-Men and S.H.I.E.L.D.. know the truth, or at least part of the truth.

Social attitudes are changing, and discrimination against Mutants is becoming increasingly severe. It seems this disguise won't be so easy to shake off; one must be prepared for a backlash.

These days, it ultimately comes down to outward status and identity. Just like how, even though they're both Mutants, the Hellfire Club members can't get along with the X-Men or the Brotherhood of Mutants.

It's not that I want to infiltrate that villainous organization. Rather, after stepping down as "CEO of Stark Studios," what kind of protective shield can I offer myself?

Catherine Hepburn's personal assistant probably wasn't strong enough. I really don't want to go back to being harassed by low-level police officers and FBI agents.

The Kryptonian are in distress.